Thank the heavens exhibition games don't count, eh?

I've been alternately packing up my entire house in Chicago, a bridesmaid in a wedding in Kansas City, and on a cross-country trek to Boston, so I haven't been able to catch much of the action - but the box scores have spoken volumes. I just don't see this team winning more than 75 ballgames this season. I don't even think they'll finish second in the East- we'll be lucky to get third behind the Yankees and Blue Jays, if not fourth behind the Rays.

I'm also sick of Josh Beckett's bellyaching. "Waaah! My back hurts!" Get over it, wimp. And on the subject of pitchers, I'm similarly sick of Jonathan Papelbon, period. The dancing and the mugging and the horsing around and the scrabble. It's tired, Paps - no one finds you entertaining (except Yankee fans, who love you). And JESUS, Manny and Papi-- when will you two ever get with the program and start producing at the plate?

Wow, it feels good to admit all that. And I suppose it's time to reveal another thing: I stopped in Buffalo last night as the halfway point on my drive to Boston, and I adore it so much I've decided to stay.

One last confession:

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Red Sox @ Oakland Athletics 10:05 pm McAfee Coliseum - Oakland, CA SP: Daisuke Matsuzaka vs. Joe Blanton tv/radio: NESN - MLB.TV - WRKO - WROL

This is no April Fool's joke: there is actual Red Sox baseball tonight - in the U.S. of A. and not at an extraordinarily ungodly hour. HOORAY!

Use the comments to this entry as your own personal Gameday open thread. These open threads have been fun so far - so I'll keep 'em up as long as y'all are interested in having them.

I know, I know - this is days old (positively ancient in interwebs time), but I've been moving my entire life, y'all... and it is just too awesome to pass up. Manny dudded up for... Macy's?

Manny Ramirez, he of the sunglasses at night and the blue steel gazes, is one of a slew of major league baseball players who will appear in a Father's Day campaign for Macy's department store. Mariano Rivera, Albert Pujols, Curtis Granderson, Alfonso Soriano, Jeff Kent, Tom Glavine, Dan Haren & Roy Oswalt are some of the other MLB guys who will be hawking Macy's wares.

The notion that Manny will be the face of Father's Day is priceless. He's more like the wacky uncle in the family that shows up to Thanksgiving dinner with an unidentifiable liquid in a bottle (usually inside a paper bag) and keeps prodding you to have a drink-- and then falls asleep snoring under the dining room table with the dog.

Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays 7:15 pm Rogers Centre - Toronto, Canada SP: Tim Wakefield vs. Shaun Marcum tv/radio: NESN - MLB.TV - WRKO

Today brings the Sox to their third country in two weeks, and they still haven't made it back to Boston. All in good time... For now, we'll watch Wakey duel it out with the recently promoted starter Marcum.

Use the comments to this entry as your own personal Gameday open thread. These open threads have been fun so far - so I'll keep 'em up as long as y'all are interested in having them.

J.D. Drew easily earned Baseball Boyfriend of the Day honors earlier tonight in the Sox battle against the Blue Jays - and if you want to know why, just visit redsox.com... where you'll be greeted with this (unexpected) glorious sight:

J.D. sits atop the Sox homerun leaderboard. For real.

And in a game mired down by lackluster batting, inept fielding, and sluggish relief pitching, J.D. Drewwwwwwwwww blasted a 3-run homer in just his second outing of the year, tying the game and saving Wakefield from a nasty L. Wakefield had a couple of blips (namely, a rough and rocky 6th inning and the HBP of the first Jays batter right out of the gate- the gritty, scrappy, hustling, [insert adjective equivalent of "short" here] Eckstein), but otherwise was dropping the knuckler like it was hot. Golden child Jacoby Ellsbury had a few fielding problems - a mixup with Manny in left center, and dropping a caught ball out of his glove after crashing into the wall - and an 0-fer night. On the other side of the ball, newly-minted Jays starter Shaun Marcum looked rock solid, and the Jays' bats were clicking on all cylinders.

Another quizzical sight on redsox.com?

And that Julio Lugo, Alex Cora and Kevin Cash are 3 of the top 4 Sox in OBP. And that Papi and Jacoby Ellsbury are both sub-Mendoza, and Dustin Pedroia and Mike Lowell are riding right on the Mendoza line. And the Tigers are 0-4. And the Royals sit atop the American League.

Small sample sizes make things look mighty wonky.

Nike knows a good thing when they see it -- and, obviously, that good thing is Jason Varitek.

In the latest MLB.com shop catalog, Nike has a full page ad featuring Captain America himself. The ad is also slated to pop up in various magazines in the future as well. You can click on the smaller sized photo above to see a larger-sized version of the ad.

Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays 1:07 pm Rogers Centre - Toronto, Canada SP: Clay Buchholz vs. Jesse Litsch tv/radio: NESN - MLB.TV - WRKO

In the second of a three-game swing through Toronto, the Sox and Clay Buchholz will try to pick up their first win against the Jays and Jesse Litsch. Sean Casey makes his first regular season start (!), and Coco Crisp gets the nod in center over Jacoby Ellsbury.

Use the comments to this entry as your own personal Gameday open thread. These open threads have been fun so far - so I'll keep 'em up as long as y'all are interested in having them.

Oh blessed, heavenly day.

With the dawning of a new day, today brings the return of the asskickingest man this side of the Mississippi.

All this losing only makes Josh Beckett madder... and that's not good for anyone who doesn't sport a "B" on their ballcap.

Back spasms and hip problems (yep, there were also hip problems) be damned, Beckett's back to claim his rightful spot as The Ace and pull the Sox out of their losing streak up north of the border. The boys from Atlanta (TBS) are comin' a callin' for the marquee matchup of Beckett versus Toronto's Roy Halladay. And you know I'll have a gameday open thread for you, of course.

I'm crossing fingers NESN forgets the time-delay button for Josh's postgame press conference, because we could all use a full dose of his f-bomb littered discussion of executing pitches. I would be equally happy with an on-camera shot of him destroying a water cooler in the dugout, just for old time's sake.

Beckett's triumphant return also means the demotion for one of the bullpen boys - and since the full slate of likely candidates (Bryan Corey, David Aardsma, Kyle Snyder, and Javier Lopez) are all out of options, the unlucky loser (Kyle Snyder) will hit the waiver wire. He won't be there alone for long, because when Timlin's back off the DL any day now, another member of the Black Pearl bullpen band will be joining him.

But for now, I'm just basking in the Beckett-glow. Oh, how I've missed it.

Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays 1:07 pm Rogers Centre - Toronto, Canada SP: Josh Beckett vs. Roy Halladay tv/radio: NESN - TBS - WRKO

Here's all you need to know about today's game: Josh Beckett. Josh Beckett. Josh Beckett. Roy Halladay. Josh Beckett.

Use the comments to this entry as your own personal Gameday open thread. These open threads have been fun so far - so I'll keep 'em up as long as y'all are interested in having them.

After yesterday's, ah, 'eventful' outing for a certain member of the Sox roster, I don't think anyone would be surprised to find that same certain E6-E6-E6 Sox player's mug featured as the centerpiece on Wanted posters around New England.

So let's instead focus on the fantastic pitching that was on display from the two leading men on the mound - Josh Beckett and Roy Halladay. Josh's pitches had gas right out of the gate, and until he reached the point of fatigue (right around the 80 pitch mark, that supposed benchmark of a pitch count that wasn't exactly followed), he seemed to have fine command on most of his pitches. Doc Halladay was dealing 'em up to the Sox in typical Doc fashion, largely limiting the damage to a few solo moonshots by Ellsbury, Varitek and Drew.

NESN, always brilliant with the montage, highlighted the dream pitching duel in pregame -- using (what else?) Bon Jovi. Oh yeah.

Tomorrow marks the return of the Red Sox to play in Boston for the first time since Game 2 of the World Series last October. In addition to the home opener, there will also be the triumphant pregame ring ceremony and traditional championship banner unfurling. Remember this?

One lucky Sox fan, d0wnbytheriver, was on-hand last week during the rehearsal and run through of the ring ceremonies at Fenway Park -- and she got a first-hand sneak peek at the fun that's going to take place tomorrow. The new Coke sign, the new right field bleachers, Fenway groundskeepers playing the part of players, and (of course) the banner. Lucky for the rest of us, she took photos of the whole kit and kaboodle.

All of d0wnbytheriver's awesome photos after the jump!

WARNING: If you do not want to be spoiled, don't look.

Continue reading »

vs. Detroit Tigers 1:07 pm Fenway Park - Home Opener SP: Daisuke Matsuzaka vs. Kenny Rogers tv/radio: NESN - MLB.TV - WRKO

HOME OPENER. RING CEREMONY. 'Nuff said.

Use the comments to this entry as your own personal Gameday open thread. These open threads have been fun so far - so I'll keep 'em up as long as y'all are interested in having them.

 

Bill "Between The Legs" Buckner made a (rightfully) triumphant return to the Fens yesterday to throw out the first pitch. This wasn't his first time back at Fenway since the horrific trainwreck of an error in 1986 (he played again for the Sox in 1987 and 1990) -- but it was really the first chance the Sox faithful had the opportunity to directly respond to him and to that incident in a post-championship world. And despite the fact that the PA announcer seemed terrified there would be boos (he introduced Buckner saying, "Won't you please welcome him back to Boston, and let him know he is welcome always?")... there was nothing but love for Billy Buck.

Buckner was even more nervous than the Fenway PA announcer about his return:

Buckner rejected the original offer to throw out the first pitch but was persuaded to change his mind by Sox executive Dick Bresciani.

"He told me he would think about it," Bresciani said. "But when I didn't hear from him for three or four days, I called him back and talked to him. He really didn't know what to expect from the media and other people, but I convinced him that Johnny Pesky has dealt with it for 60 years (Pesky was blamed for costing the Red Sox the 1946 Series) and even jokes about it himself."

I was doing an interview with Vin Scully on the field at Dodger Stadium in 2003. The Florida Marlins were taking batting practice. After the interview, Mike Lowell, the Marlins third baseman, asked me what I was holding. I said "remember when the ball went through Buckner's legs in the '86 Series -- this is the ball". Stunned, Lowell asked to hold it and called his teammates around him. This was the "big play" when they were young kids. It was fun to hear them talk about it.

Here's video of Buckner's introduction and first pitch - plus his appearance in the booth on NESN with Remy and Orsillo during the 6th inning. This video has the entire intro/first pitch plus the first few minutes of Buck in the booth - and the remaining part of his booth stint on-air is after the jump!

Continue reading »

We all knew this was inevitable. It had to happen sooner or later. It was only a matter of time, really. Neil "Sweet Caroline" Diamond is going to play a show at Fenway Park.

Neil showed up in a pretaped special surprise during the customary singing of "Sweet Caroline" during yesterday's home opener. He led a live rendition of the song, wearing what could only be described as a Big Papi-esque bedazzled Red Sox jacket (or a castoff from this lady or this lady).

Neil also announced he'd be making a stop on his tour to play a show at Fenway Park on August 23rd. Unfortunately, the Sox will be in Toronto - thus ensuring that the Fenway frat types will have to continue to wait to hear him sing "Sweet Caroline" in person during the 8th. I assume this is because he does not want to be forced to cover his lovely coiffed locks with a ballcap.

Here's video of Mr. Diamond and his dazzling jacket singing yesterday:

vs. Detroit Tigers 7:05 pm Fenway Park - Boston, MA SP: Jon Lester vs. Jeremy Bonderman tv/radio: NESN - MLB.TV - WRKO

Jon Lester will try to build on his previous work and bring the second consecutive win home today against Jeremy Bonderman and the Tigers. Expect less pomp, circumstance and sunshine compared to yesterday's game - and less Coco Crisp, since Jacoby Ellsbury gets the starting nod in center.

Mike Timlin is also making a rehab start tonight in Pawtucket - so another cut is around the corner.

Use the comments to this entry as your own personal Gameday open thread. These open threads have been fun so far - so I'll keep 'em up as long as y'all are interested in having them.

Jonathan Papelbon is plotting a slow and stealthy campaign to take over the world, I am fairly certain. First there was the jigging. And the cover of Sports Illustrated. And the numerous talk show appearances. And QVC. And the Closer of the Year award. And the ballroom dance extravaganza. And, of course, the contract squabbles.

Now he's taking over your local Dunkin Donuts.

His patented fist pump and holler will be popping up at Dunkin Donuts shops around New England as part of their latest "Red Sox Win, You Win" promotion.

Every time the Sox win a game from now through June 24, Dunkin Donuts patrons will receive a free 16-ounce iced coffee or iced tea with any oven-toasted flatbread sandwich or personal pizza purchased after 11 a.m. The promotion is available at participating Dunkin Donuts shops throughout Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, and southern New Hampshire.

 

Of course the best part is that he's also popping up in an accompanying Dunkin Donuts ad on television, too... as well as another commercial for Modell's. We may fast be approaching the point of media saturation, but as long as he's bringing free coffee with him, I don't care. I also don't care that they used a butt double for him (no, they really did).

Video of Papelbon's Dunkin Donuts commercial:

For video of Papelbon's commercial for Modell's, follow after the jump.

Continue reading »

His teammates love him. The fans love him. The baseball writers love him. The other ballplayers love him. His hometown loves. These days, just about the only people who don't love Dustin Pedroia are fans of the opposing teams.

Yesterday, Dustin received the 2007 Players' Choice Rookie of the Year Award before the game, building on his ROTY streak -- this time, though, chosen by his fellow ballplayers.

Part of the perks of winning the Players' Choice Award is a $20,000 grant from the MLB Players Trust, to be given to the charity of Dustin's choice. His selection? His hometown Little League program back in Woodland, California. And the good people of Woodland couldn't let that kindness go unrecognized... they're renaming one of the little league fields in his honor. That's right: the lucky children of Woodland will play baseball on Dustin Pedroia Field. No word on whether the kids will also be given a complementary jar of Dustin Pedroia salsa.

Not everyone has a handle on Pedroia's personality, though - as the reporter writing this article has apparently never seen a Pedroia expletive-littered and brimstone-filled press conference, or read a Pedroia attitude and bluster laden interview. An excerpt:

In a Red Sox clubhouse known for its unique and mostly overpowering personalities, Pedroia's understated presence also provides a welcome balance. Ebullient (and brilliant) closer Jonathan Papelbon, for instance, has been known to line-dance after victories. David Ortiz dominates with his booming laughter. Curt Schilling is a weekly serial drama, some of his episodes as moving as a bloody sock, some of them really, truly, epic postseason tales. Then there are occasions like Tuesday night when Manny Ramirez sits alone and watches the Tennessee-Texas A&M NCAA women's game, while his teammates monitor the Yankees-Blue Jays game on the other two televisions.

vs. Detroit Tigers 7:05 pm Fenway Park - Boston, MA SP: Tim Wakefield vs. Nate Robertson tv/radio: NESN-Plus - MLB.TV - WRKO

If you can tear yourself away from Bruins playoff action, the Masters coverage or the Frozen Four (BC! Notre Dame!) tonight, there should be a heckuva showdown to determine who will take home the series victory between the Sox and the Tigers. Or, better yet, do like I'm going to do and go to a sports bar so you can watch all of that at the same time.

Don't forget: the game's on NESN-Plus tonight- go here to see where to find it.

Use the comments to this entry as your own personal Gameday open thread. These open threads have been fun so far - so I'll keep 'em up as long as y'all are interested in having them.

Oh Captain, My Captain turns 36 years old today.

He doesn't look a day over 35.

In my ongoing quest to try and bring more people into the fold of college baseball (and, more specifically, Texas Longhorn baseball), I was tickled to find out that Bill Buckner's only son, Bobby Buckner, plays baseball at the University of Texas- my alma mater.

Bobby followed his father's lead to the infield -- but he's a middle utility infielder instead, and plays second and/or shortstop for the Horns. Bobby's bio makes mention of his Boston birth and his dad's major league background, but remains silent on The 1986 Incident. From an article about Bobby signing his letter of intent to play at UT:

"Obviously, Bobby comes from a baseball family," associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Tommy Harmon said. "His dad, Bill Buckner, was a long-time major leaguer. His uncle played, also. He's somewhat of a baseball field rat. He wants to be at the ballpark all of the time. He can play either second or short and he's a switch-hitter."

Continuing on the "former Sox players" news trail, Wade Boggs is taking time out from drinking Miller Lites, shilling for hair transplant companies, and dealing with his sex addiction to appear as a guest analyst on Baseball Tonight this Sunday.

From Awful Announcing:

ESPN's Baseball Tonight - the only nightly national studio show devoted solely to MLB highlights, news and information - will feature Hall of Famers as guest analysts on select Sundays throughout the 2008 season beginning with 18-year MLB veteran Wade Boggs on Sunday, April 13. Boggs will appear on the 12:30 and 7 p.m. ET shows, leading into the Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Taco Bell telecast featuring two of his former teams - the New York Yankees (1993-97) at Boston Red Sox (1982-1992) - at 8 p.m.

Additional Hall of Fame players to appear on Baseball Tonight will include Juan Marichal (May 11), Phil Niekro (May 25) and Rod Carew (July 13).

Continue reading »

If it wasn't for Center Field reader Kim, I'd never have cottoned on to this hidden gem from the Sox-Tigers game on Wednesday:

Ostensibly it's a clip focusing on Daisuke Matsuzaka in the dugout as the NESN team discusses his outing from the previous game. But look a little closer at what's going on in the background... at the creative use of (and juvenile hilarity from) a hot water bottle.

Josh Beckett is really just a 10 year-old boy, isn't he?

Thanks to Kim for the tip! If you ever see fun or funny tidbits like this during a Sox broadcast, send me an email, and I'll try and get video up.

You know it's time for the Sox-Yanks rivalry to ramp up when random (and hilarious) stories start popping up. Via the always reliable New York Post (cough, cough) - but too funny not to post:

The new Yankee Stadium may be cursed!

A devilish Boston fan working on a concrete crew at the $1.3 billion stadium covertly buried a Red Sox T-shirt under what will become the visiting team's locker room to jinx the Yanks, two construction workers told The Post yesterday.

"In August, a Red Sox T-shirt was poured in a slab in the visitor's clubhouse. It's the curse of the Yankees," one worker said. "Nobody knows about it. It's in the floors, it's buried."

The workers say they now fear that they unwittingly helped hex their beloved Bronx Bombers.

"I don't want to be responsible for sinking the franchise," said a second worker, who witnessed the sabotage. "I respect the stadium."

The Post has withheld their identities because they are not authorized to speak to media.

hat tip to snbgizmo for the article

vs. New York Yankees 7:05 pm Fenway Park - Boston, MA SP: Clay Buchholz vs. Chien-Ming Wang tv/radio: NESN - MLB.TV - WRKO

This is your only chance to watch the Sox take on the Yanks this weekend without having to endure Tim McCarver or Joe Morgan. Enjoy it while it lasts. Anyone else hoping for a repeat appearance from the hawk?

Use the comments to this entry as your own personal Gameday open thread. These open threads have been fun so far - so I'll keep 'em up as long as y'all are interested in having them.

The reviews are in... and they're not good.

Playing Siskel & Ebert for the day, Terry Francona and Dustin Pedroia gave an emphatic two thumbs down to Jonathan Papelbon's acting performance in the new Dunkin Donuts commercial.

Terry Francona:

I think he stinks as an actor. The good news is: he's a really good pitcher... so we're OK there.

I'm just glad he didn't speak in the whole commercial.

Watch Tito and Dustin rake Papelbon's acting skills over the coals:

I'm fairly certain that Mike Timlin didn't want to make his re-entrance from the DL and leave this kind of stat line in his wake:

That is not a misprint: he has a 54.00 ERA. Which currently ties him with Lenny DiNardo for the second-worst ERA in all of major league baseball. (Who has the worst ERA? This guy - who I've honestly never even heard of. Wonder why that is?)

The good news is, Clay Buchholz more than held his own for six innings, Hideki Okajima was rock solid, and David Aardsma worked out of the Javier Lopez-created jam and proved why he was the one who didn't get DFA'ed today. (bye-bye Colgate!) The bad news is... Wang totally owned each and every member of the lineup whose name isn't "J.D. Drew" or "Dustin Pedroia" (because I don't give a crap what the official scorer says, THAT WAS A HIT).

But my Baseball Boyfriend of the Day honors are going to be a split award between J.D. "Hitting Wang Hard" Drew, for his moon shot that scored the Sox' only run today, and Sean "I Don't Always Make Errors" Casey, for his unassisted double play and general fielding excellence today. Honorable mention to Dustin Pedroia for getting a hit getting A-Rod to E-5.

vs. New York Yankees 3:55 pm Fenway Park - Boston, MA SP: Josh Beckett vs. Mike Mussina tv/radio: FOX - MLB.TV - WRKO

Josh vs. Moose. I know Papelbon's the one who hunts moose, but I think Josh will be just as happy to see this particular Moose go down in defeat today.

Use the comments to this entry as your own personal Gameday open thread. These open threads have been fun so far - so I'll keep 'em up as long as y'all are interested in having them.

So we're all happily enjoying the ninth inning last night, freshly back from a (quite lengthy) rain delay. Jonathan Papelbon struck out A-Rod to end the top of the 8th, the Sox were retired in order 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 8th. Papelbon struck the first two batters he faced in the 9th, and is working on the final out of the game against Robinson Cano. Suddenly, without warning, all we see is this:

That's right, Sox (and Yanks) fans: we all got HEIDI'D.

Even worse than getting rickrolled, when a network makes a boneheaded decision to cut away abruptly and without notice from a crucial moment at the end of a sporting event it's a Heidi maneuver. The 1968 variety was a complete and total blackout; the 2008 version involved a bumbling switch that managed to annoy baseball and racing fans at the same time.

Rather than give the national viewing audience an informative heads-up, FOX decided to cut away mid-pitch from the final out of the Sox-Yankees game to show the Subway Fresh Fit 500 NASCAR race. There was no advance warning of the exact timing of the switch for the baseball fans who hung around through a 2 1/2 hour rain delay so they could see the end of the ballgame-- other than mentions that the game would also be shown on sister network F/X and the race start had been pushed back from 8:45 to 8:53.

After the switch and about 30 or 40 seconds into the NASCAR broadcast, the FOX race team finally mentioned that the Sox-Yanks game had indeed been dumped completely onto F/X. Lucky fans were able to scramble for the remote and locate F/X in the channel lineup in time to see Jonathan's last pitch cross the plate, and the 4-3 put-out... but a large percentage of fans were not so fortunate.

FOX didn't even bother to cut away in time to show the very beginning of the race (the cars were already going in to the 2nd lap). Even worse, shortly after cutting abruptly away to the very! important! race! (already in progress)... FOX went to a commercial break. It was so very crucial to FOX to show this race, they didn't deem it important enough to announce the switch was about to take place, didn't cut away in time to actually show the start of the race, and then quickly cut away from the race for commercials. Makes perfect sense.

HEIDI'D!

I'm not a NASCAR fan by any stretch of the imagination, but those folks deserved to see the start of their face. Baseball fans deserved to see the last out of the game they'd been tracking for almost 6 hours. FOX's decision to screw both sets of fans over is mind-boggling.

Tip for FOX: all you had to do was have your baseball broadcast team say, "In 60 seconds, we'll be cutting over to Phoenix to show the start of the NASCAR race as scheduled. The conclusion of this baseball game will be shown on F/X." This is not rocket science.

After struggling at the plate so far this season, David Ortiz is getting a (much-needed?) break tonight and will not be in the lineup. The Pro-Jo is calling it a "mental health day off" -- but I'm inclined to think it's "give Papi a break from the spotlight glare while also giving him a kick in the pants" thing... but I guess that's too big of a mouthful to say properly. How about a "Calgon, Take Me Away" Day?

For his part, Papi sounds all very zen about the whole thing:

"I know exactly what I'm doing wrong. Everything is right here," said Ortiz, pointing to his head, as he sat at his locker before batting practice.

Ortiz said manager Terry Francona told him the previous night that he would have tonight off.

"I'm just going to chill," said Ortiz. "I have to stop thinking too much and fighting myself. I've been there before. I've been messed up before. Big time, big time. I know I'll be out of it at some point. It happens to all of us. I'll be all right.

"This game is very mental. Your mind takes over. I know in my my situation, my mind works more than anything else. Once you get physically prepared your mind takes over and sometimes you're fighting, fighting, fighting (yourself). Sometimes you have to chill out and come back with a fresh mind. The manager can see things. Terry knows what to do. I always do everything Terry tells me to do," said Ortiz.

Ortiz said his troubles at the plate are not the result of offseason surgery on his right knee.

"I'm fine," said Ortiz. "I don't get frustrated at all. I'm just trying to get back to being Big Papi again."

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, LF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. J.D. Drew, RF
4. Manny Ramirez, DH
5. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
6. Sean Casey, 1B
7. Jason Varitek, C
8. Coco Crisp, CF
9. Julio Lugo, SS

Don't be surprised to see Alex Cora coming in off the bench to provide relief-- the Herald is reporting that he took some throws during tonight's BP, and is expected to be cleared to play.

vs. New York Yankees 8:05 pm Fenway Park - Boston, MA SP: Daisuke Matsuzaka vs. Phil Hughes tv/radio: ESPN - MLB.TV - WRKO

Papi will sit, Manny will DH, Jacoby will take LF and Cora may come off the bench as the Sox try to take the series victory from the Yankees tonight.

Use the comments to this entry as your own personal Gameday open thread. These open threads have been fun so far - so I'll keep 'em up as long as y'all are interested in having them.

As a very wise man once said, "HOLY SCHNIKEES!" Last night's gameday open thread blew past the 600 comment benchmark and went straight to 671. 671!   Unbelievably awesome.

I was unsure when I started the first gameday open thread during spring training whether anyone would find any use for them. Well, I should have known better - because this amazing community of commenters have made each and every gameday open thread a laugh riot.

And even though the majority of the participants have been Sox fans (naturally), we've also had Yankees, Mets, Cubs and Blue Jays fans join in as well-- which is extra fun. And, like the regular comment threads, anyone is welcome to participate... provided you do not (a) act like an asshat, or (b) get graphically vulgar. And so far, we've not had anyone come close to doing either one.

So a big fat "HELL YEAH!" and thanks go out to everyone who's joined in one of the gameday open threads. I attempted to collate a list below - but I very likely left someone out, so let me know if your name is not there for all to see and admire.

FOX knows talent when they see it... and I'm not talking about Tim McCarver.

The talent in question is Sean "So Nice It Hurts" Casey- who read the lineups before Saturday's face-off against the Yankees. And in a little bit of a wishful thinking Freudian slip, Sean attempts to raise himself higher in the batting order just a hair...

vs. Cleveland Indians 7:05 pm Fenway Park - Boston, MA SP: Jon Lester vs. Jake Westbrook tv/radio: ESPN - NESN - MLB.TV - WRKO

I really hate the Indians.

Use the comments to this entry as your own personal Gameday open thread. These open threads have been fun so far - so I'll keep 'em up as long as y'all are interested in having them.

The most recent issue of The Sporting News features the magazine staffers' picks for the 2008 MLB Breakout players... and both Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are featured- posing back-to-back and gripping baseballs like nobody's business.

It's been awhile since the Boston media has hyperventilated over a Curt Schilling-related drama. So let's dive right in, shall we?

Dr. Craig Morgan told ESPN Radio in Philadelphia Monday that, in his opinion, Schilling will not be back to pitch in Boston this season.

"Not only that, it's my opinion he's angry enough that it's entirely conceivable even though he's 40 years old, it's entirely conceivable that he will have the operation, rehab, and pitch for the Yankees next year," Morgan said.

vs. Cleveland Indians 7:05 pm Fenway Park - Boston, MA SP: Tim Wakefield vs. Paul Byrd tv/radio: NESN-Plus - MLB.TV - WRKO

I'd really like to know from Ryan Garko if the champagne he bought to celebrate their ALCS "victory" last year tastes as good flat, stale and unused as he thought it would taste "on the road" at Fenway.

Also, anyone notice anything out of the ordinary with tonight's starting lineup?

1. Coco Crisp, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
5. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
6. Jacoby Ellsbury, RF
7. Julio Lugo, SS
8. Jed Lowrie, 3B
9. Kevin Cash, C

Use the comments to this entry as your own personal Gameday open thread. These open threads have been fun so far - so I'll keep 'em up as long as y'all are interested in having them.

Brand spankin' new call-up Jed Lowrie wasted no time in the quest to impress, throwing up a hit and driving in the first 3 RBI of last night's victory over the Indians -- his first game in a big boy Red Sox uniform. That means Jed now has more RBI with the Red Sox in one game than he notched in 8 games for the PawSox.

Curt Schiling has taken to calling Jed the "intern" - which is awesome, so I'm going to do the same.

The Intern was the victim of the traditional fake-ball treatment in the clubhouse after the game.

Upon entering the clubhouse, Josh Beckett greeted Lowrie with the ball he had been anticipating since [Jed's first professional game for the Lowell Spinners].

But the ball was littered with writing and orange magic marker. Sayings such as "Nice 3,000,000 chopper," and "2 RBI, but K'd in his first at-bat," along with the front and center identification that the ball belonged to "Jeb Lowry."

But then came the real McCoy, a pristine white major league ball, complete with authentication.

"I had a good idea because (Jacoby) Ellsbury got the same thing on his first hit," Lowrie said. "When I first got (the fake ball) I thought it was a joke, but they played up. Beckett sold it pretty good."

Jed also mentioned his first professional hit, and what happened with that ball:

"My first professional hit in Lowell I remember (former Spinners manager Luis) Alicea asked me if I wanted to keep the ball," said Lowrie after the Red Sox [team stats]' 5-3 win over the Indians last night at Progressive Field. "I said, 'No. I only want to keep my first major league hit.' "

I have unlocked the secret to the Sox victories in Cleveland these past two days: video games.

Rob Bradford mentioned before Monday's game that several of the Sox players were amusing themselves with the (awesome) video arcade game system the Indians have set up in the visiting clubhouse at the Jake the Prog:

Last year you might remember the Red Sox players being immersed in Tecmo Bowl, an old school football game for the Nintendo system. This year the players have switched over to the new machine in the room, Golden Tee. Clay Buchholz, Jed Lowrie and Josh Beckett were immersed in a round on the system before tonight's game, although we don't have confirmation who came out victorious.

Classic scene when a group of Red Sox players looked over at their starting pitcher before the game and just started laughing. Tim Wakefield was in the zone ... playing the video game "Buck Hunter." Usually the knuckleballer's pre-start routine revolves around just crossword puzzles, but when in Rome. After all these years, it would be safe to say that he knows what he's doing.

Sometimes when your teammate makes a great game-ending catch in the outfield, snatching away the ball from a group of douche-y looking Indians fans, you just want to give him a big ol' noogie.