The Trop was rockin', and the fans were obnoxious

When the Rays took the lead in the seventh, the scene was pure chaos

So I've been posting my game previews and recaps over at Bugs and Cranks for a few days now, but like I said I'm still gonna produce material here as well, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to tell everyone about my night at Tropicana Field for the series finale of the Rays and Red Sox.

It was pure hell.

As you all know the Rays won the game in spectacular fashion, rallying from a 4-1 deficit to score six runs in what seemed like an interminable seventh inning and hung on to record a nerve-racking 7-6 decision.

The game not only sent the Sox 3 1/2 games behind the AL East leading Rays, but it marked a new era for Rays fans far and wide: the era of being pompous, spoiled, arrogant assholes.

Welcome to the big time, Tampa Bay.

Being a Boston fan all my life I am used to be abused by jealous/miserable fans of other teams any time I show my allegiance to the crossed Sox. Therefore I went to this game, sporting a Dice-K shirt and Sox cap, knowing full well that win or lose, I would incur the wrath of a legion of newly processed Tampa Bay followers.

Needless to say I was not disappointed. Or rather, I was disappointed. Well, you'll see what I mean.

When my stepson and I first arrived at Ferg's, the local watering hole across the street from the Trop where I had to pick up my StubHub-procured ducats, the scene was quite chaotic. Rays fans had come out of every nook and cranny of the greater Tampa/Clearwater/St Pete area and actually outnumbered the mass of Red Sox fans that had always made up the bulk of the crowd in series past.

Looks like those days are gone - for a while.

The tone of the fans was confident yet somewhat reserved, as the imminent sweep was not guaranteed, and some Rays fans were waiting for the massacre to be completed before spouting off about the endless virtues of their suddenly beloved team.

Luckily for us Coco didn't play in this series

As we made our way across the street and into the stadium I had a few friendly discussions with exuberant Rays fans who were already scanning their PDAs for playoff tickets, and for the first time (but not the last) I had to remind these people that it was still July, not October, and not to get too cocky just yet.

As I later found out, most of them waited until after the rally to get fully cocked.

The game started off favorable for the Nation as Dustin Pedroia stroked a solo home run just to the right of our section in the outfield in the top of the first inning to give the Sox a quick 1-0 lead, but Tampa Bay came right back to tie it in the bottom of the inning and that's when the cockiness started to come out.

I just sat and bided my time and respectfully cheered for my team, and when Boston broke through for a run in the third and two in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead, I was feeling pretty damn good about walking out of there with my head held high.

And then the horrible, awful, nightmarish seventh inning happened, and suddenly it was like the old Whodini song in there: the freaks come out at night.

As the Rays were sending 11 men to the plate, with five of them getting hits, three of them walking and six of them coming around to score, I was slowly but steadily getting pelted with insults, jeers, and even a shower of beer (although that may have been accidental due to all the standing and cheering going on all around me).

This was this guy's impression of the Rays sweeping the Sox out of town

The worst abuse I took was from the person sitting right beside me, which ironically was a fairly respectable looking young Latin girl. All night this chick had been screaming in my ear, clapping in my face, and generally acting like a bimbo jacked up on baseball.

So clueless as to the ways of the game this girl was, she asked what the words were to the traditional ballpark cheer "Charge!"

Anyway, when the rays finally took the lead 5-4 on an Evan Longoria double and I had the nerve to say something to the Sox fan in front of me, this bitch became so enraged that I had the nerve to try and rain on her bandwagon parade that she slapped the brim of cap up, nearly knocking it off and hitting me in the face, all the while screaming at the top of her lungs in my grill.

Let me say that I've never hit a woman in all my life, but I came so damn close at that point I could feel her skin under my palm.

As I coolly sat there controlling my rage and urging her never to touch any part of me again, and her boyfriend did the same, I realized in that instant a very simple but time honored transition that has always taken place in sports: winning turns people into assholes.

I took plenty of good-natured ribbing after the game as well (photo by stepson, nothing going on here)

After all, there's a reason downtrodden fans are called 'lovable losers'.

Yup, give a guy (or girl) a little sip of success and they'll go from lovable to loathsome in a few short weeks. Not all of them, mind you, as plenty of the people I talked to before, during, and after the game were respectful and mindful of the fact that their team hadn't won jack shit yet when it comes to meaningful fall ballgames, but there were enough assholes out there to taint a whole decade's worth of lovableness.

Better watch out, Rays fans, or you might turn into "typical" Red Sox fans.

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Looking for my game recap?

I was waiting for it to be official before I broke the news and now it is: Curt's Bloody Sock has gone national as I am now contributing my game previews and recaps for the respected baseball site Bugs and Cranks.

Wait, this site is national, too? True, but not nearly as well-read as B&C.

In answer to your question yes, I will still be posting here. Just not the same material that I have been producing, as that will all be on B&C. Please check there every day for the regular pre- and post-game stuff and then here for more traditional blog posts, like what the team is up to and alternative material.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this blog over the years and given me the confidence and ability to take it to another level, and be sure to visit both sites frequently because I need all the help I can get.

J Rose

For my recap of last night's devastating Sox loss, click here.

I will have another post here later describing my interesting time at the Trop.

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Game Preview: Sox @ Rays GM3

Into the belly of the beast
Matszaka (9-1, 3.21) vs. Kazmir (7-3, 2.28)
Game 3 of 3 710 ESPN @ Tropicana Field

As the Sox try to salvage one game from this washout of a series on Florida's left coast I am heading down to the Trop to try and do everything I can to prevent a catastrophic sweep from occurring.

In other words I'll be sporting my Sox gear, swilling much beer and screaming my head off in the general direction of any suddenly smug Tampa Bay Rays fan that dares stick it in my face that they have the best team in baseball right now.

Which could be, like, 3/4 of the stadium.

Honey, get the bail money out of the account.

Let it be known that for the first time in the history of this formerly feeble Rays franchise I had to buy tickets at a premium price through fan fave StubHub.com. That's because I asked my wife to contact her ticket connection too late to procure ducats for this highly anticipated series, and as I was browsing Ticketmaster the few remaining seats were snatched up quicker than I could maneuver my mouse.

And so for a mere $60 a a pop my stepson and I are going to brave the insane scene that will be taking place in and around Tropicana Field this evening in what is likely the biggest game to be played in this building since the Lightning packed in 27,000+ hockey fans for a playoff game against the Flyers over a decade ago.

In fact this thing might even be bigger than the annual home show, which is really saying something in these parts.

Another reason this game is so big, aside from the fact that the Rays can put the Sox 3 1/2 games out of first place with a win, is the starting pitcher match up.

For Boston wins leader Daisuke Matsuzaka will be faced with the challenge of stopping the runaway train that is the recent Rays, and for Tampa Bay Red Sox killer Scott Kazmir will try and improve on his already stellar record against the defending champs.

Although the young lefty is just 6-6 in 18 starts against Boston over the course of his career, his ERA is a terrific 2.82 in 105.1 innings of work, and he has struck out 123 Boston batters while walking just 51 in that time.

This year he is 0-1 against the Sox, losing a 7-3 decision at Fenway in early May in his first start of the season after spending the opening month on the DL.

On the other side of the mound Matsuzaka has not fared very well against the Rays in his brief ML career. He is 1-3/4.09 in five starts overall and 0-2/4.26 at the Trop. That record will have to improve - quickly - if Boston is going to pull this one out.

Especially since Boston's offense has apparently gone on holiday while visiting scenic Tampa/Clearwater/St. Pete. Not only has the team managed just five runs and 14hits in two games, but stalwarts like Manny Ramirez, Jason Varitek and Jacoby Ellsbury are all in protracted slumps that have hurt the club immensely over the past two weeks.

Evidently all Ramirez can hit right now is someone in the Sox clubhouse (rimshot, please.)

It all comes down to which team wants it more, and for the last couple of nights that team has been the Tampa Bay Rays. They've pitched better, they've hit better, their fans have come out to cheer better, and it's added up to the position the Sox find themselves in now - hurtling towards the middle of the division as they enter a 4 game set against the Stanks this weekend.

But I aim to help change all that tonight. I just hope Dice-K and the boys got my back.

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Sox look clueless in lackluster loss to Rays

Rays 3, Sox 1
WP: Garza (7-4)
LP: Wakefield (5-6)
SV: Balfour (2)
HRs: None

SUMMARY:
The Red Sox offense has disappeared without a trace as Boston could muster just six hits - 5 singles, two of the infield variety, and one meaningless 2-out 9th inning double - off three Rays pitchers, and once again Tim Wakefield pitched a brilliant game and got nothing to show for it.

The loss dropped the Sox 2 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay, the furthest they have been out of first place this season.

#1 STUNNER: Dionner Navarro 2-4, 2BI
The Rays catcher drove in two of Tampa Bay's three runs, both were big and both came with two outs.

THE BIGGEST LOSER(s): Hansen & Delcarmen 1IP, 1H, 1ER, 2BB, 2K
Can anyone in that fucking bullpen come in and get three consecutive outs? Is that too much to ask of a bunch of guys who throw 95+ mph and are supposed to have such scintillating stuff?

Evidently so.

RECAP:
As I was sitting on my sofa and watching tonight's game on the HD set, trying not to get annoyed with the nauseating Rays announcers I'm stuck listening to down here, I suddenly realized the similarities between tonight's and last night's games are pretty freaky:

-Tampa Bay jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of both contests

-the Sox didn't get their first hit until the 4th inning, when they went on to tie the game at one

-the Rays came right back to take the lead again in the bottom of the 4th, both times for good

-Tampa Bay's starter handcuffed the Boston batters for the better part of the night

-the Sox had a chance to tie or win the game in the 9th, but a late rally came up short

-the Rays won both games

The other similarities between the two games has been the anemic Boston offense.

In two games Boston has tallied five runs, 14 hits, four extra base hits and just four walks. By contrast in their game against the Astros on Saturday the Sox scored 10 runs, ripped 13 hits including 6 XBHs and walked four times, although they lost that game too, and they were facing inferior pitching.

But my point is the Rays pitching hasn't been all that great, it's just that the Sox offense has sucked worse than The Love Guru.

Case in point tonight. Starter Matt Garza (7IP, 5H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 3K, 102) was nowhere near as dominant as he was in his 1-hitter against the Marlins last week, and he threw mainly fastballs near the plate the whole night, yet the Sox batters could do nothing with his heater.

Ditto interim closer Grant Balfour, who was "bringing the heat" with 93 mph cheese, yet the Boston batters acted like they were facing a pre-injury Joel Zumaya. Fouling pitches off, looking at strikes right down the plate, LATE ON 93mph FASTBALLS.

Guys this is the freakin' major leagues. If you can't crush a mid-90s fastball get back down to AAA, okay. I mean you'd have thought the Sox were facing Nolan Ryan and Bob Gibson, not a 24-year-old head case and 30-year-old mediocre middle reliever for crying out loud.

Like last night the Sox had their share of chances in this game too, thanks to some shoddy fielding by the Rays MLB-best defense, which committed three errors on the night, all while Jacoby Ellsbury (2-4, R, SB) was burning down the first base line.

After Tampa Bay took the lead in the first on a walk, a ground out, an error by Alex Cora and a wild pitch by Wakefield (7IP, 5H, 2R, 1ER, 3BB, 4K, 115P) Boston tied it up in the fourth when Ellsy reached on an infield single and made it all the way to third base when Navarro threw the ball into right field.

One out later J.D. Drew hit a sac fly to tie the game, but just like last night the Rays wasted no time taking the lead right back.

In the bottom of the inning Evan Longoria (1-3, R) reached on a one out infield single, moved to second on another Wake wild pitch and scored on a clutch two out single to right by Navarro before Eric Hinske struck out to end the inning.

And the score would stay 2-1 for a while despite Boston getting men on base in each of the next five innings.

In the fifth a two out single by Brandon Moss (2-4) went nowhere when Cora ended the inning by grounding out; in the sixth Ellsy again reached on an infield hit and made it to second on an error by shortstop Jason Bartlett, followed by a bloop single by Dustin Pedroia, but Drew popped out and Manny fouled out to squelch the threat.

The seventh was deja vu of the fifth - Moss two out single, Cora shit the bed. Then the eighth represented Boston's best chance yet to take control of the game once and for all, but again the inept offense couldn't get the job done.

Ellsy (stop me if you've heard this before) reached on a error by pitcher J.P. Howell to lead off the frame, then stole second in front of a walk to the Little Big Man, and with Drew, Manny and Lowell due up it was rally time for sure, right?

Wrong.

Drew inexplicably watched three straight mid-80s pitches from the junkballer Howell go right down the plate to earn the statuesque strikeout (June's over, guess he's back to being Nancy), and after Manny (0-3, BB, K) drew a walk from newly inserted Balfour to load the bases, Lowell grounded out meekly to short, and the Sox hopes to pull this game out might as well have died right there.

I only say that because Tito called upon the Boston pen to keep it a one run game, and lately that's like asking Nick Hogan to drive your kids to school.

Craig Hansen, he of the nasty 95 mph stuff, walked Carlos Pena and Cliff Floyd sandwiched between a couple of outs, and then for some reason Francona thought Manny Delcarmen would be a better candidate to get out of the jam than the similarly armed Hansen.

Delcarmen, he of the nasty 95 mph stuff, went to 2-2 on Navarro before the portly catcher laced a single into center to score Longoria with the all too important insurance run, and with the way Boston had been batting it might as well have been 13-1 instead of 3-1.

Turns out the run was big (what a shock) when Cora miraculously lined a two out double down the third base line to keep the Sox hopes alive, but Balfour (1.1IP, 1H, 1BB, 3K), juiced up on adrenaline, get Jason Varitek to strike out to end the game and the Trop nearly imploded under the joyous screams of all the new Rays fans.

Two games, two putrid performances and a 2 1/2 game deficit in the AL East. If the Sox don't find a way to hit Rays ace Scott Kazmir tomorrow night, and Dice-K doesn't reprise his outing from last Friday in Houston, it's gonna be a long trip to the Bronx for this team.

So I suggest the boys eschew the temptations of Ybor City and Channelside tonight and hit the sack early.

After all, they can't hit anything else here.

RECORD: 50-36
AL EAST: 2nd, 2 1/2 GB
STREAK: L4
LAST 10: 4-6
UP NEXT: Wed @ TB 710 Matsuzaka vs. Kazmir

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Game preview: Sox @ Rays GM2

Wakefield (5-5, 3.88) vs. Garza (6-4, 3.76)
Game 2 of 3 7:10 @ Tropicana Field

If the Sox are going to stem the tide of the red hot Rays and stay within striking distance of first place it will be up to Boston's Rays killer to get the job done tonight.

Tim Wakefield has enjoyed an uncanny mastery of the team from Tampa Bay over the course of his career, especially in the Trop. In 29 career starts (39 apps) against the Rays the knuckelballer owns a 19-3 record with a 3.16 ERA, and in the dome he is even better: 9-1 with a 2.52 ERA in 15 starts (22 apps).

Blame it on the lack of wind, the sterile conditions inside the Teflon Trop or just plain luck, but whatever the reason Wake owns the Rays.

Hopefully that ownership continues tonight.

Luckily for Boston Wake has pitched lights out over the past month. Since May 28th he has allowed 10 earned runs in 43 innings (2.09 ERA) spanning six starts, and he hasn't pitched fewer than seven innings or allowed more than 3 earned runs in any of them.

Last time out he tossed a brilliant 2 hitter against the Diamondbacks, which earned him just his second win since early May.

Unfortunately for Boston Wake's mound opponent is just as hot as he is.

24-year-old righty Matt Garza is coming off a 1-hit gem against the Marlins in which he went 9 innings and struck out 10, walking just 1 batter and throwing only 108 pitches. In his last four starts he's allowed 8 earned runs in 26 innings (2.79) as he has finally lived up to expectations the Rays had when they traded Delmon Young for him in the offseason.

Unlike Wake he owns a modest 2-1, 4.71 mark in four career starts against the Sox, and he allowed five earned runs and six hits in a 7-4 loss in Fenway earlier in June.

It promises to be another intense game in St. Pete, and for a change the Sox backs are up against the wall as they find themselves needing a win to keep pace in the AL East.

Another solid effort from Wake should get the job done.

But if that knuckler isn't dancing it could be a long night for the reeling Red Sox.

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Sox Drawer: Sleepless in St. Pete

One demoralizing loss does not a season make, but three in a row coupled with other negative news sure can bring a top team down fast.

The Sox are suddenly streaking in the wrong direction, losing three consecutive games for the first time since May 23-25 in Oakland, and there has been more bad than good surrounding the club in the past week or so.

On top of Big Papi being sidelined at the beginning of the month, Bartolo Colon going on the DL, Curt Schilling undergoing season ending surgery and Hideki Okaijima falling apart worse than a poorly constructed Haiku, we've had to deal with: a brawl that resulted in three player suspensions and a dugout scuffle between Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis in the same game that was caught on camera; Youk taking a grounder to the eye that sidelined him for a couple of days and left him with a nasty shiner; the Sox dropping an embarrassing 11-10 decision to Houston on Saturday, the same day Ramirez got into a shoving match with a 60+-year-old team official; a wacko making terrorist threats against Ramirez and Coco Crisp, forcing extra security for the club in St. Pete; and now this.

After spending most of the season in first or within sniffing distance of the top spot in the East the Rays have the Sox on the mat with their feet on the jugular, expanding its lead to a game and half with two games left to play in this series, and another loss could send the club into a downward spiral they may never climb out of.

Okay, so that might be a little melodramatic, but still these are somber times for a team that was on top of the world just a few short weeks ago, despite the loss of Ortiz.

On June 15th Boston owned a 2 1/2 game lead over Tampa Bay and were in the midst of a hot stretch that saw them win 10 of 14 games to begin the month.

Since then the Sox have gone 6-7 while the Rays have ripped off a 10-4 run of their own to complete a 4 game swing in the standings, giving the longtime losers the best record in baseball, the biggest turnaround at this point in a season in ages, all while capturing the hearts of the nation with the beloved "little team that could" storyline.

So what are we to make of these series of unfortunate events?

Many people will say it's karma coming back to bite Boston in the ass, for flaunting its superiority like a diamond studded watch, for having the best team in the game, one of the highest payrolls and a star-filled farm system with which to pluck key components necessary to get through a long baseball season.

And they may have a point. After all the Rays have been so bad for so long, have taken all the shit everyone's tossed their way, and they barely made a posturing peep this spring other than to tout the virtues of their new team mentality.

And the humbleness has paid off.

Everyone always hated the Sox, but now instead of hating either Boston or its biggest rival, the Stankees, people have a team they can root for to topple the new empire and give hope to the common man that middle America can win out over the upper class.

Which is all well and good.

Let the Rays have the mid-season accolades. As long as when it comes time to hand out the postseason trophy the Sox are right there holding it again.

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Rays take Round 1 despite late Sox rally

Rays 5, Sox 4
WP: Shields (6-5)
LP: Masterson (4-2)
SV: Howell (2)
HRs: BOS-Drew (16); TB-Upton (6), Gross (6)

SUMMARY:
James Shields out dueled a shaky Justin Masterson and Tampa Bay used two big home runs and survived an odd ninth inning to take the first game of this series, increasing its lead over the Sox to a game and a half in the AL East.

#1 STUNNER: Gabe Gross 2-2, R, 2BB, 2BI, HR
Acquired in a late May in a deal with the Brewers the part time right fielder had the biggest hit of his Tampa Bay career when he drove a monstrous two-run blast into the right field seats to give the Rays a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 4th.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Julio Lugo 0-4
The useless former Ray ended four innings tonight against his former team, the worst coming when he left the tying run stranded at third as he lined out to shortstop to end the game.

Has this loser ever had a big hit in all his time with Boston?

RECAP:
What's worse than being a Sox fan and having to deal with this humbling loss?

Being a Sox fan living in the Tampa Bay area and having to deal with this loss.

For the first time since God created his own personal waiting room down here on the Sun Coast of Florida myself and all the other New England transplants do not own bragging rights over the once feeble legion of Rays followers.

And lemme tell you its a strange feeling indeed.

Everywhere I go everyone's clamoring about the new and improved Rays, and when they find out I'm a Sox fan I receive death stares, boos, hisses and insults not fit to reprint in a family blog.

Which is fine, because being a Boston sports fan I know it's par for the course; we accepted the fact long ago that everyone who's not one of us hates us. No biggie.

But for the better part of this decade we could always fall back on the number one argument stopper when it came time to shut the yahoos up: scoreboard. Now these pesky fucking upstart Rays have taken that hard earned privilege away from us, and if we don't take it back soon things are gonna start getting ugly down here.

Because there's so many members of RSN South here we'll turn this fucking tranquil tropical paradise into a mini Southie if they're not fucking careful.

Sorry, I let myself get carried away a bit there. Let's get back to the game.

To say the night started off poorly for Boston would be a massive understatement.

Tampa Bay starter James Shields retired the side in order in the top of the first on seven measly pitches resulting in three weak grounders, and when the Rays came to bat center fielder BJ Upton, leading off in place of suspended Akinori Iwamura, knocked Justin Masterson's first pitch of the game over the wall in straightaway center for a lightning quick 1-0 Tampa Bay lead.

It would go downhill from there.

While Shields (6.1IP, 5H, 2ER, 1BB, 5K, HR, 104P) was dealing more like he did in his complete game 2-hit shutout against Boston on April 27th than his last two starts against the Sox, where he allowed 11 runs and 13 hits in 4 1/3 innings, Masterson was having a hard time locating his pitches and seemed to behind on every batter.

In fact on the night the 23-year-old fell behind 15 of the 28 batters he faced, including 10 of the first 18 hitters at a time when he needed to establish some rhythm and control over the Rays while Shields didn't allow a hit and struck out four Sox batters through the first three innings.

But the lack of control didn't hurt Masterson (6IP, 5H, 4ER, 5BB, 5K, 2HR, 105P) early on as he used a double play grounder and a couple of one-pitch at bats to keep the Rays at bay, and his abilty to keep his team in the game paid off when the Sox finally got to Shields in the top of the fourth.

Who else could get the first hit for the Sox than the red hot Dustin Pedroia (1-4, R) as the Little Big Man hit a hard hopper to short that was bobbled by Jason Bartlett but ruled a base hit.

After J.D. Drew flew out to deep right for the second out of the inning Manny the mauler drew a four pitch walk before Mike Lowell (3-4, R, BI) ripped a scorching line drive past a diving Evan Longoria at third base to drive in Pedroia and tie the game at one.

Temporarily.

The Sox fans in the stands (and there was quite a bit fewer Nation members present at the Trop, by all accounts) had barely stopped celebrating before the Rays silenced them completely. Masterson walked Willy Aybar on four pitches with two outs in the bottom of fourth and then Gabe Gross connected on a 2-1 pitch and nearly put it through the back of the stadium, sending the pro-Rays crowd into a frenzy and giving Sox fans the feeling that this was not going to be our night.

That feeling grew as Tampa Bay tacked on single runs in the fifth on an RBI double by Carlos Pena (1-3, BI), and although Drew would stem the tide briefly when he hit his 12th homer of the month to cut the lead to 4-2 in the sixth, the Rays added a key insurance run in the seventh when reliever Chris Smith loaded the bases on three walks and Javier Lopez allowed an RBI groundout by pinch hitter Jonny Gomes.

That run would prove to be a very large one indeed.

After Lopez worked out of a self-induced jam in the bottom of the eighth the Sox had one more chance to try and salvage this game in the top of the ninth. And they very nearly did.

Closer Troy Percival began the frame by striking Ramirez (0-3, Bb, 2K) out on a blazing 90 mph fastball, but then the streaking Lowell belted a double to deep left center to set the wheels in motion for aa potential game-tying rally.

Youk then sliced a ball down the third base line that Longoria overplayed but knocked down for a single that saved a run, and then something happened that you can only see at the glorious stadium known as the Trop:

Brandon Moss hit what should have been a sure pop out but got a ground rule double out of it.

The sky high shot off Moss' bat hit one of the catwalks that ring the top of the Trop, and when it landed 25 feet in front of Gross Lowell had scored, Moss stood at second base and Lowell was at third as the whole place shook their collective heads, thinking THIS is reason #1 why the Rays need a new stadium.

An even stranger thing happened at the tail end of the play as Percival pulled a hammy running to cover third base, and despite his vehement (and profane) protests to manager Joe Maddon he was removed from the game in favor of J.P. Howell.

Alas even with all the oddity and obvious anti-Rays karma working they still had one thing in their favor - Lugo at the plate - and he reminded every Rays fan why they are glad to be rid of the overpriced underachiever when he hit a soft line drive on a 3-2 pitch right at his counterpart Bartlett, and the game ended with a fizzle instead of a bang for Boston.

Round 2 tomorrow and the Sox better have a win in them or its gonna be even tougher for us ex-Pats to exist here in the Bay.

Things could get so bad I might have to head to the beach and drown my sorrows in a bucket of beer while grabbing a handful of smooth white sand.

RECORD: 50-35
AL EAST: 1 1/2 GB
STREAK: L3
LAST 10: 4-6
UP NEXT: Tue @ TB

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Series Preview: Sox @ Rays

Tampa Bay Rays (49-32)
AL East: Up 1/2 gm
Streak: W1
Last 10: 7-3


3 game series at Tropicana Field
Game 1 Monday 7:10
Masterson (4-1, 3.43) vs. Shields (5-5, 3.76)
Game 2 Tuesday 7:10
Wakefield (5-5, 3.88) vs. Garza (6-4, 3.76)
Game 3 Wednesday 7:10 ESPN
Matsuzaka (9-1, 3.21) vs. Kazmir (7-3, 2.28)

Season Series: Bos leads 6-3

Preview:
In the words of the lyrical gang banger turned kiddie flick star Ice Cube:

Once again it's on!

The Sox and Rays will reprise their decade of dislike when the two American League East rivals kick off a three game set at the Trop tonight, and the interest in this series is at an all time high for many reasons, such as...

-the Rays overtook the Sox for the top spot in the division yesterday, the latest point (by far) in a season Tampa Bay has ever occupied first place

-the Raysbrawl at Fenway at the beginning of this month that resulted in 8 players being suspended, including tonight's Rays starter James Shields and instigator Coco Crisp, who will miss the series (altogether now - awwwwwwwww!)

-the history of violence between the clubs that dates back to the Pedro Martinez/Ice Williams incident in 2000 and includes about 400 hit batters

-a terrorist threat made against the Sox that will force MLB to provide extra security for Boston personnel to and from the stadium

-the Rays are finally good enough to earn the respect of the big bad Bosox.

These are just a few of the factors making this series the most talked about of the season.

Other than that it's just a standard, run-of-the-mill mid-season showdown.

Now I'm not going into in depth detail of all the past disagreements these teams have engaged in, or rehash the June 5th brawl, or go on and on about how the small market Rays are the surprise of the league with the best record in baseball despite having the second lowest payroll.

That's what the World Wide Leader is for.

What I am going to say is that for the first time since, scratch that for the first time ever a Red Sox/Rays series carries playoff implications, meaning this old fashioned (AL East) family feud has finally graduated to full-fledged rivalry status.

After all what was it that the Stanks fans used to say about The Rivalry? It's not a real rivalry as long as only one team keeps winning the meaningful games.

After taking three straight games in St. Pete in late April the Rays sent a message that they might finally be worthy of rival consideration. And even though they lost the next six contests, the animosity combined with the fact that the Rays have hung in all season and have reclaimed the top spot in the east makes this series the most important in franchise history.

Not that these three games will decide which team wins the division, makes the playoffs or sits home in October. But a series win by the Rays will go a long way towards earning them respect within the game and from the players on the opposite side of the field.

As for the field I don't expect there to be any hi jinks or beanbrawls happening this week. Both clubs are still recovering from the multiple suspensions handed down from the last skirmish, as evidenced by Coco having to sit this set out nearly a month after the brawl took place, and nobody wants to miss time with the division race so tight.

Plus the umps are going to be calling this series tighter than any in recent memory.

Terrorist threats aside it should be a fun three games in the cool, crowded environment of Tropicana Field, with fans from both sides cheering on their teams knowing that whoever comes out on top in this series will be sitting atop the standings this weekend.

May the best team win.

As long as its the Sox.

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Sox Drawer: The new MBM?

Manny Being Manny is a phrased that was coined to represent many quirky things the Sox left fielder has been prone to do: Manny being silly, Manny admiring a long home run/fly out, Manny being lackadaisical on the base paths or in the field, Manny taking a leak behind the Monster during a game...

But over the last couple of weeks MBM has taken on a different meaning: Manny Being Mean.

Earlier this month cameras caught Ramirez bitch slapping teammate Kevin Youkilis in the dugout during a game against the Rays at Fenway, and the story that followed said Ramirez, like many fellow Sox teammates, had become tired of Youk's post-at bat tirades so Manny decided to make his feelings known, very vocally I guess.

When Youk protested, Manny unleashed a backhand that sent Youk sprawling, and then Ramirez had to be held off by coaches and players as he lunged for the chrome domed first baseman.

The incident was downplayed as a minor flare up that occurs during the course of a long season when 25 mean spend the majority of their time together for 6-8 months, and both parties as well as the Sox management brushed it off as an isolated incident, forever to be forgotten.

Until now.

A report in today's Providence Journal states that Ramirez laid another smackdown on a member of the club, this time the team's traveling secretary Jack McCormick, Saturday afternoon in Houston.

And suddenly Manny Being Manny isn't so cute anymore.

This latest incident is interesting for the simple fact that it illustrates a side of Ramirez that has rarely been seen, or at least publicized, in all his years with the Sox.

Reportedly Manny asked for 16 tickets to Saturday night's game sometime Saturday afternoon. When McCormick, a retired cop who handles all ticket requests for players both at home and on the road, informed Manny that he might not be able to come up with such a large number so soon before game time, Ramirez fired back at him "just do your job."

That response begot a heated exchange between the two, with the ex-cop and longtime Sox secretary presumably telling Manny to stick his request in his dread-nest (pure speculation on my part, but what do you think a retired cop would tell a spoiled athlete?)

Anyway the situation has once again been downplayed, with McCormick stating that "It's over. He apologized. That's it. Everything's fine" and Francona blowing it off by saying "Sometimes things happen and when they do, we choose to handle them internally."

That's all well and good, but when an incident becomes public, that internal bullshit goes out the window.

The big question here is why a guy known for his easy going manner and good natured playfulness is suddenly taking swipes at teammates and 60-year-old club personnel.

Is it a sign of a surly Manny Ramirez, upset over a recent mini-slump that saw him go 15 games without a homer while he battles a hamstring problem?

Or perhaps this behavior is a direct result of the fact that Ramirez came into this season with a new attitude, arriving to spring training on time, vowing to table the annual "Manny wants to be traded" talks and generally trying to be a model citizen and teammate?

Or is he cracking under the pressure of living up to Manny Being Manny?

Who knows. But maybe next time he explodes he can direct his ire towards an opponent and not someone in his own clubhouse.

Tonight against the Rays might be a good place to start.

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Bullpen blows another one as Sox fall from first

Astros 3, Sox 2
WP: Aardsma (2-2)
LP: Brocail (4-3)
SV: Valverde (21)
HRs: BOS-Manny (16), Pedroia (8); HOU-Blum (5)

SUMMARY:
The Sox head to Tampa Bay having fallen out of first place for the first time since June 3rd when Hideki Okajima allowed Mark Loretta to knock in the winning run in the bottom of the eighth as Boston dropped 2 of 3 in its interleague series finale.

#1 STUNNER: Loretta 1-1, GW RBI
Did anyone in the Nation have any doubt that the ex-Sox second baseman was going to drive in the winning run against the artist formerly known as Oki?

Didn't think so.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Okajima 2/3IP, 1H
Once again the numbers don't tell the story with Oki because he allowed yet another inherited runner to score in this one, making it 10 of his last 11 IRs and 12 of 15 total to cross home plate this season.

RECAP:
Another day, another shitty effort from the Boston bullpen cost the Sox and Josh Beckett a shot at what would have been a hard fought win if not for the maddening enigma that is Hideki Okajima.

How a guy who was so incredibly dominating one season can turn into one of the least reliable relievers in all of baseball the next should be the subject of Stephen King's next baseball-related tale:

The Nation That Hated Hideki.

After battling through stranded baserunners and missed opportunities all day long, Boston finally tied the game at two when Manny Ramirez hit his first home run in 15 games off Oscar Villareal with one out in the seventh inning.

That opposite field shot got Beckett (7IP, 8H, 2ER, 1BB, 4K, HR, 111P) off the hook and set up what could have been a great come-from-behind victory to close out the interleague portion of the 2008 schedule.

Instead the loss left the Sox looking up at the pesky Rays, who have won 11 of their last 15 games as the two teams get set to square off in the Trop tomorrow night.

Maybe Boston will leave Hideki in Houston.

Which brings me to my next point (pardon me while I rant but I, along with the rest of RSN, am a tad ticked off right now) - why did Tito bring in the ticking timebomb that is Oki in the 8th inning of a tie game, something he had been sterring clear of doing ever since Oki's epic meltdown in Baltimore on June 10th?

I realize the bullpen was taxed, with Hansen and Delcarmen having pitched in each of the first two games of the series and Papelbon reportedly unavailable due to a cold, but why not stick with the flamethrower Aardsma after he allowed a one out single to Miguel Tejada?

Just like the night before Aardsma, who has been Boston's most consistent reliever for the better part of this season, would have been a better candidate to get out of his own jam than the unpredictable trio of Hansen, Delcarmen and Okajima.

Plus Francona had been remiss to bring Oki in at all whenever there were runners on base due to his inordinately high percentage of allowing inherited runners to score.

But for some reason Tito went against the percentages and probabaly against his own gut instinct and brought Oki in in a situation where he had made a name for himself last season, and the Japanese lefty failed worse than a college sophomore taking his finals the day after an all-night kegger.

Aside from the beleaguered bullpen this game was a stark contrast from last night's wild and wooly affair as runs were at a premium this afternoon following the run-a-minute pace of that game.

Boston left the bases loaded in the first inning when Houston starter Brian Moehler (5.2IP, 7H, 1ER, 3BB, 5K, HR, 111P) allowed a one out single to scorching hot Dustin Pedroia and walks to J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell.

But Moehler worked out of the jam by retiring Youk on a grounder to end the inning, setting the tone for the game in which Boston left 13 runners on base.

The 'Stros got on the board first when light-hitting second baseman Geoff Blum took Beckett deep for his fifth homer of the year and fourth hit in nine career at bats against the Sox righthander.

But Boston wasted no time in tying it up when Pedroia (2-5, R, BI) blasted his 8th homer of the season to left to lead off the third inning. It was Pedroia's 8th hit in 10 at bats in the series and he has now hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games at a .510 (25-49) clip.

As Dan Patrick used to say, he's en fuego.

The game remained tied at one as both pitchers worked in and out of mini-jams for the next couple of innings until Houston re-took the lead in the bottom of the fifth, and the rally began when Beckett comitted the cardinal sin of National league baseball: he walked the opposing pitcher.

(note: Someone needs to tell these Sox hurlers that the opposing pitcher is supposed to be a rally killer, not starter. On Friday night Daisuke Matsuzaka walked Runelvys Hernandez with one out in the third, last night Jon Lester hit Brandon Backe to ignite a five run rally in the third, and now this.)

After Michael Bourne forced Moehler at second, Hunter Pence beat out an infield single to short (typical Lugo) and then last night's hero, Lance "Big Puma" Berkman laced a single up the middle to plate Bourne with the go-ahead run.

Another bases loaded situation wenbt by the wayside for Boston when Pedroia struck out with the sacks jacked in the top of the sixth, but with Beckett holding the 'Stros at bay the Sox finally came back to tie it when Manny (2-4, R, BI) took Villareal deep to the opposite field with one out in the seventh, and suddenly it was a winnable game again.

But Boston blew another golden oppportunity to take the lead when Villareal followed Manny's longball by allowing a bloop infield single by Lowell and walking Youk and last night's winner Doug Brocail came in to retire Tek and Lugo to end the threat.

Then the bottom fell out in the last half of the eighth when Aardsma (1/3IP, 1H, 1R) allowed a slicing single to Tejada after a lengthy at bat and Francona made the call to the pen for Okajima.

Three pitches in to his outing the reliever bounced a pitch that got by Tek and sent Tejada to second base, and with Oki's confidence at an all time low Houston manager Cecil Cooper sent Loretta, who hit a monster 3-run homer last night, up to bat for Brocail, and the ex-Sox delivered another big hit when he smacked a single into center to easily score Tejada with what turned out to be the game-winning (or losing) run.

Boston made a little noise in the ninth when Manny walked off closer Jose Valverde, but Lowell barely beat out a double play ball at first and then Youk flied out to end it, and the sox had suffered the indignity of losing two of three to a team that had lost 12 of its last 17 games coming into the series.

So it;s off to the Trop to take on the loaded for bear Rays, and with first place on the line and the bad blood still simmering from this month's Raysbrawl affair, tensions should be high and the action should be hot and heavy under the teflon-tarped dome.

Hopefully I'll be there for a couple of the contests to give a first hand account of all the festivities.

And Hopefully Boston will win a couple of the contests, too.

RECORD: 50-34
AL EAST: 1/2 GB
STREAK: L2
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Mon @ TB 7:05 Masterson vs. Shields

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Interleague Game preview: Sox @ Astros Game 3

Beckett (7-5, 3.73) vs. Moehler (4-3, 4.03)
Game 3 of 3 2:05 @ Minute Maid Park

The Sox will try and put the bitter memories of last night's heartbreaking 11-10 loss behind them today when Josh Beckett goes for win number 8 against Houston's Brian Moehler.

Luckily for Boston Beckett has been pitching much better than his record indicates of late, allowing just seven earned runs in his last 27 innings (2.33 ERA) over his last four starts, but he's only got a 2-1 mark in those games after losing a tough 2-1 decision to Dan Haren and the A's last time out.

The veteran Moehler has pitched well for Houston recently also, wrapping three starts in which he's allowed one earned run or less around a horrible outing against Milwaukee in which he gave up seven earned in 4 2/3 innings of a 9-6 loss.

But if today's game is anything like last night's, both these guys ERA will skyrocket amidst a flurry of long balls and laser beams bouncing off the odd angles of Minute Maid Park.

That contest saw 21 runs scored, 27 base hits, 11 extra base hits, 3 hit batters, 6 walks, 16 strikeouts, 20 position players used, 9 pitchers toe the slab and 319 pitches thrown.

I know, it was exhausting just writing that. Imagine playing in that game.

There were so many big hits and strong performances that anyone could have been the hero at any time, but the bottom line is that Boston could have - and should have - won the game if their bullpen had just come through when it had to.

Instead something that has happened way too often this season occurred, namely the pen unable to hold a lead, either by allowing inherited runners to score or just blowing the game outright, and now today Boston will have to scrap to salvage aa series it shoudl have swept heading into the Rays showdown tomorrow.

With Tampa Bay just a half game out after losing a heart breaker of its own in 13 innings last night and playing the lowly Pirates today, a great outing by Josh and a solid win is a must if the team wants to head to the Trop still in first place in the AL East.

But a loss today coupled with a Rays win will make those pesky sea animals even tougher to play knowing that a series win would ensure they hold their grip on the top spot.

Just win, baby. That's all I got to say.

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