New York Stankees (5-5) at Red Sox (5-5)
3 game series, Fenway Park
Game 1 Fri 705
Wang (2-0, 1.13) vs. Buchholz (0-1, 3.00)
Game 2 Sat 3:30 FOX
Mussina (1-1, 3.09) vs. Beckett (0-1, 9.64)
Game 3 Sun 8:00 ESPN
Hughes (0-1, 5.00) vs. Matsuzaka (2-0, 1.47)
What to watch for: Joe Hardass Giaradi's managerial debut in the series
It's gonna be strange looking over to the visitor's dugout and not seeing the familiar schnoz and droopy gaze of Joe Torre peering out from the brim of his NY cap. Instead we get to find out how the hyped-up, modern manager Girardi, who has seen plenty of these games from a player's perspective, handles the series.
He's already made a buffoon of himself by complaining that the D-Rays were playing too hard in spring training; wonder how he'll take it when a few of his players get hit this weekend. Cause you know they will. Even without Petey around.
Keep an eye on: Sean Casey and Alberto Gonzalez
The Mayor will have a chance to prove what a valuable offseason addition was as he gets the call to start at first base while Youk shifts over to third with Mike Lowell going on the DL; Gonzalez has the unenviable task of filling in for captain Derek Jeter while he is out with bad quads.
Preview:
Call me crazy or take away my RSN membership, but I've got the same feeling about the 90 zillionth installment of The Rivalry as I do about having to wake up extra early on any given morning: "It's too fucking early! Hit the snooze button and let me know when its really time to get up!"
These meetings used to feel like special occasions, games to look forward to and to watch every pitch of every inning to see if the cursed Sox could finally get over on the blessed Stanks.
But over the last 4-5 years, everything has changed. One reason is that Boston has won 2 World Series since the last time New York tasted champagne-drenched postseason success. Another is because of the damn unbalanced schedule MLB has adopted, the teams play each other 18-19 times per season, watering down the freshness of what used to be a rare thing. Throw in a postseason matchup nearly every year and what you get is too much of what was a special thing.
You know the old saying about eating ice cream every day? That's what this series has become.
Maybe my blase attitude has to do with the fact that neither team is looking like beasts of the AL East right now. Both are struggling with injuries to key players, both hold identical mediocre .500 records, and neither one has seemed to find an identity early in the season.
In other words it's hard right now for anyone to have reason to hate either team other than going off that 100 years of hatred thing.
Anyway the teams have the series scheduled, and a rematch next weekend in the Bronx, so we might as well try to enjoy it, right? Who cares if they are looking up at the surprising Orioles in the division now, or that the players opposing fans love to hate, Jeter and Curt Schilling, won't play in the series? It's still Sox vs. Yankees, the fans still hate the other team, and by golly if we have to see them play each other 20+ times a year then I might as well root for the Sox to rip their fucking faces off, right?!
Maybe I am ready for this series after all.
3 game series, Fenway Park
Game 1 Fri 705
Wang (2-0, 1.13) vs. Buchholz (0-1, 3.00)
Game 2 Sat 3:30 FOX
Mussina (1-1, 3.09) vs. Beckett (0-1, 9.64)
Game 3 Sun 8:00 ESPN
Hughes (0-1, 5.00) vs. Matsuzaka (2-0, 1.47)
What to watch for: Joe Hardass Giaradi's managerial debut in the series
It's gonna be strange looking over to the visitor's dugout and not seeing the familiar schnoz and droopy gaze of Joe Torre peering out from the brim of his NY cap. Instead we get to find out how the hyped-up, modern manager Girardi, who has seen plenty of these games from a player's perspective, handles the series.
He's already made a buffoon of himself by complaining that the D-Rays were playing too hard in spring training; wonder how he'll take it when a few of his players get hit this weekend. Cause you know they will. Even without Petey around.
Keep an eye on: Sean Casey and Alberto Gonzalez
The Mayor will have a chance to prove what a valuable offseason addition was as he gets the call to start at first base while Youk shifts over to third with Mike Lowell going on the DL; Gonzalez has the unenviable task of filling in for captain Derek Jeter while he is out with bad quads.
Preview:
Call me crazy or take away my RSN membership, but I've got the same feeling about the 90 zillionth installment of The Rivalry as I do about having to wake up extra early on any given morning: "It's too fucking early! Hit the snooze button and let me know when its really time to get up!"
These meetings used to feel like special occasions, games to look forward to and to watch every pitch of every inning to see if the cursed Sox could finally get over on the blessed Stanks.
But over the last 4-5 years, everything has changed. One reason is that Boston has won 2 World Series since the last time New York tasted champagne-drenched postseason success. Another is because of the damn unbalanced schedule MLB has adopted, the teams play each other 18-19 times per season, watering down the freshness of what used to be a rare thing. Throw in a postseason matchup nearly every year and what you get is too much of what was a special thing.
You know the old saying about eating ice cream every day? That's what this series has become.
Maybe my blase attitude has to do with the fact that neither team is looking like beasts of the AL East right now. Both are struggling with injuries to key players, both hold identical mediocre .500 records, and neither one has seemed to find an identity early in the season.
In other words it's hard right now for anyone to have reason to hate either team other than going off that 100 years of hatred thing.
Anyway the teams have the series scheduled, and a rematch next weekend in the Bronx, so we might as well try to enjoy it, right? Who cares if they are looking up at the surprising Orioles in the division now, or that the players opposing fans love to hate, Jeter and Curt Schilling, won't play in the series? It's still Sox vs. Yankees, the fans still hate the other team, and by golly if we have to see them play each other 20+ times a year then I might as well root for the Sox to rip their fucking faces off, right?!
Maybe I am ready for this series after all.
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