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."

That means tonight's lineup for the marquee ESPN Sunday Night Baseball matchup against the Yankees will look like this:

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.

Abby Andrew Avery Bethie blood and whiskey boston_princess Caroline christin Dan Dionysus ecl1958 Ellen Erin fc Ian *jen* jennifer jenny again Jolie jules Kara kate Katherine Kim kristina LifelongSoxFan

Liza Lulu Lyndsay maxwell horse Meg Megan Meghan Melissa mermaidmarian mhcranberry Michelle mjaegs njdevils Piney61 Rachel C Red Sox Monster Renee shark starlightmusic starr4 Trish Tuffy Twinkie xwishuponstarx 1863_project

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...

video courtesy of FOX

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.

and then

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."

Josh Beckett is always in the middle of these things, isn't he?

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.

Just coincidence, I'm sure. But then, before last night's game, Rob once again spied a pivotal Sox player warming up using video games:

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.

If holding a (fake plastic) rifle and shooting at (fake digital) deer helps Wakefield to pitch only two earned runs over 6 innings, I'd say the Sox should buy a Buck Hunter machine and carry it around with them at all times. I'm pretty sure Timlin, Beckett, Lester and Papelbon would get some use out of that, too.

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.

video courtesy of NESN

vs. New York Yankees 7:05 pm Yankee Stadium - New York, NY SP: Clay Buchholz vs. Chien-Ming Wang tv/radio: ESPN2 - NESN - MLB.TV - WRKO

Clay's first visit to Yankee Stadium...

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.

vs. New York Yankees 7:05 pm Yankee Stadium - New York, NY SP: Josh Beckett vs. Mike Mussina tv/radio: NESN - MLB.TV - WRKO

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.

What would a Red Sox-Yankees game be without hits? The kind of hits that send a ball over the outfield fence. Or the kind of hits that plunk a batter (or two). Or just plain ol' fisticuffs. Last night's game was no exception.

Mike Mussina started off the hit parade by plunking Jacoby Ellsbury, the very first batter he faced. And just for good measure, he plunked Jacoby again the next time he stepped up to the plate. No brawls ensued, mostly because Moose squints so hard when he pitches that he looks constipated-- so the Sox players probably thought he couldn't even see (or pitch) well enough to carry out some dastardly HBP plan against Ellsbury.

Mussina certainly couldn't pitch well enough to prevent Manny Ramirez from bringing a flood of his own hits to the Bronx - including 2 homeruns off the Moose. The first was a centerfield shot deceptive enough to fool Melky Cabrera into thinking he might have a shot of catching it; the second was a no-brainer 429-foot long bomb out to left that Johnny Damon didn't even bother tracking to the wall.

But the hit of the night might have been the hit that didn't even happen. Professor Kyle Farnsworth predictably decided to take out the frustration of the Yankee clubhouse on Manny the Hit Machine-- and hurled a 90+mph fastball at Manny's head. Luckily, Manny stepped forward over the plate rather than trying to back away from the pitch. Even more predictably, Joe Girardi and Farnsworth insist it was all an accident:

Yankees manager Joe Girardi already had an explanation. This was a classic case of a hyped-up reliever trying to throw 100 mph, he said -- of a guy trying to cram too much adrenaline into one little pitch.

"I try to do that all the time," Farnsworth said. "That's part of my problem."

Farnsworth claimed the ball just "slipped," a product of his trying to pitch inside against arguable the game's hottest hitter.

Both manager and reliever swore that the pitch, which nearly plunked Ramirez on his helmet, was not intentional. Ramirez's two home runs earlier in the game didn't prompt it, they said. It was a non-issue. Nothing to say. Barely even worth discussing.

Ah, yes- another case of slippy pitches. I think it's pretty safe to say, judging by Josh Beckett's reaction to the slippy Farnsworth, that he has some slippy pitching of his own in store for the Yankees at the next available opportunity. I love a good revenge plunking.

Here's video of Manny's hits (and near-hit). This includes Manny's first full at-bat and homerun, and his dugout reaction afterwards -- looking angelic while cuddling Dustin Pedroia. It also shows Manny's second bomb and dugout conversation with Josh Beckett afterwards. And the last part shows Farnsworth's near drilling of Manny's skull... and Josh Beckett mentally filing the incident away for future reference.

video courtesy of NESN

Cue the goofy circus music, it's time for the first installment of Red Sox Blooper Reel...

Clip #1: The Casey Crawl

During the Sox-Yanks game on Wednesday, Chien Ming-Wang feints a pick-off throw towards Sean Casey at second. In his rush to get back to base, Casey stumbles, falls, and does a lumbering crawl back to second-- with his helmet down covering his eyes. He then helpfully calls himself safe.

video courtesy of NESN

More bloopers after the jump...

Continue reading »

vs. Texas Rangers 7:05 pm Fenway Park - Boston, MA SP: Daisuke Matsuzaka vs. Luis Mendoza tv/radio: NESN - MLB.TV - WRKO

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.

David Ortiz has been in a tiny bit of a slump at the plate for most of the beginning of the season - not sure if you heard anything about that. So when Big Papi jacked a grand slam last night in the 3rd inning, to put the Red Sox up on the Rangers 4-1, his teammates reacted as you'd expect they might... they gave him the cold shoulder.

video courtesy of NESN

Same song, second verse...

Joba Chamberlain was suspended by Major League Baseball last season for throwing at the head of Kevin Youkilis (twice). Now it's Kyle Farnsworth's turn to ride the pine, courtesy of his head-throwing attempt on Manny Ramirez during Thursday's Sox-Yanks game.

In addition to being sweet justice, this also gives me the perfect opportunity to post one of my all-time favorite Professor Farnsworth ass-kicking photos.

From the NY Daily News:

Farnsworth will be suspended three games and fined $2,000 for throwing behind Ramirez's head in the seventh inning Thursday night in the Bronx, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Daily News on Saturday.

"It just slipped," Farnsworth said of the pitch to Ramirez, who had already homered twice in the game. "I was trying to be aggressive and go in on him."

Farnsworth said after Thursday's game that the ball "slipped" out of his hand, but apparently his story didn't fly with the league. The punishment will be officially handed out later today, though the pitcher is almost certain to appeal the suspension, especially with Joba Chamberlain still at home in Nebraska tending to his ailing father.

As a wise man once "said": sorry kyle farnsWORTHLESS not today old chum!!!

Bonus fun: check out the Daily News link for Yankee fan conspiracy theories. MLB is out to get them! The league hates the most famous franchise in its stable! MLB actively seeks to destroy a surefire big bucks moneymaker!

A "can of corn" is a can't-miss high fly ball, an easy catch an outfielder can (and should) make without any trouble. Around here, a can of corn contains all the can't-miss posts I've run across during the week- great links that you can (and should) check out.

	Sean Casey: baseball badass. [Basegirl]
	A birthday wish for Jason Varitek, as only the RTT crew can do. [Respect The Tek]
	John Maine shirts are apparently as rare a commodity as Sean Casey shirts. Serously, Yawkey Way Store: SELL ME A CASEY SHIRT. I beg you. [Metsgrrl]
	Manny owns Mussina. [Sox & Dawgs]
	What's the most bizarre moment in Red Sox-Yankees history? [Surviving Grady]
	Sox teammates question whether Josh Beckett used excessive force killing a cockroach. Yes, it's satire... but totally probable. [Call Of The Green Monster]
	A celebration of Manny Ramirez. [Red Sox Monster]
	Why does Justin Morneau have two middle names? Inquiring minds want to know. [Big League Stew]
	Schadenfreude, Manny Ramirez style. [Joy Of Sox]
	What have they done with Joe Morgan?!? [Fire Joe Morgan]
	The argument for putting Big Papi on the DL. [Over The Monster]
	And a theory about the Big Papi "slump" - it's the BABIP, stupid. [UmpBump]
	A brilliant, beautiful look at Bill Buckner's Fenway appearance. [Cursed To First]

Because sometimes you just want to share an awesome random animated GIF you run across on the interwebs... I give you Dustin Pedroia.

Credit to Brian Sadecki for the GIF.
Email me any funny Sox or baseball animated GIFs for future installments of AAGOTW

vs. Texas Rangers 7:05 pm Fenway Park - Boston, MA SP: Jon Lester vs. Jason Jennings tv/radio: NESN-Plus - MLB.TV - WRKO

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.