The Boston Red Sox were unceremoniously swept by the Kansas City Royals last Sunday and in writing the recap of that giant suck-fest, I happened to mention something about how the Sox were kicking the crap out of the Oakland A’s and holy crap, I almost jinxed their win. Whoa…that was scary. So I’m been keeping my mouth shut this week and trying not to gloat too much about things like the Red Sox currently having the best record in baseball. But I don’t often get to gloat about best records, so I’m officially gloating…if only for a short time.

It’s been quite a week for the Red Sox—since the double crappy loss on Sunday, they’ve gone 6-1 and welcomed the Houston Astros to the American League with a good ol’ four-game sweep. That’s what you call Boston Strong, people!

Monday, April 22: Red Sox 9 : A’s 6
Felix Doubront pitched 6.2 innings, giving up just three earned runs and striking out eight to earn his second win of the season. The Sox offense exploded for five runs in the 5th, capped by a Mike Napoli grand slam. The A’s mounted a comeback with three runs in the 8th, but it was too little, too late…thankfully!

Tuesday, April 23: Red Sox 0 : A’s 13
The only loss of the week and boy was it a doozy. Alfredo Aceves was shelled for eight runs on seven hits and four walks in just 3.1 innings of work. He was demoted to Triple-A Pawtucket shortly after the game. Don’t let the door hit you the ass, you crazy whacko. Despite the loss, his demotion was a highlight for me.

Wednesday, April 24: Red Sox 6 : A’s 5
It’s nice to see the Sox able to bounce back for a win after such a humiliating loss. Jon Lester pitched well enough for his fourth win of the season, helped by two three-run innings, which turned out to be just enough run support. Andrew Bailey came in and struck out the side in the 9th for his fifth save.

Thursday, April 25: Red Sox 7 : Astros 2
Clay Buchholz continued his tear, winning his fifth game with a 7.2 inning, five strike out performance. He did allow two earned runs which raised his ERA to a whopping 1.19. The Sox offense jumped on the Astros pitching early, scoring four runs in the 1st inning. David Ortiz hit his first home run of 2013 in the 3rd inning.

Friday, April 26: Red Sox 7 : Astros 3
Ryan Dempster finally gets his first win in a Red Sox uniform. It’s not like he hasn’t pitched well before, just wasn’t getting the support. He definitely got support in this game—in the form of the long ball. David Ross hit two home runs, Will Middlebrooks whacked his sixth, and David Ortiz launched his second in as many nights.

Saturday, April 27: Red Sox 8 : Astros 4
Not to be out-shined by Lester and Buchholz, Felix Doubront notched his third win. The Astros got close in this game, scoring one in the top of the 7th to bring them to within two, but the Red Sox would have none of it and scored three in the bottom of that inning to secure the win.

Sunday, April 28: Red Sox 6 : Astros 1
John Lackey’s return from his recent stint on the DL was celebrated with his first win of 2013. He pitched six innings on one-run ball and showed no signs of the bicep strain that knocked him out on April 6th. Ortiz, Daniel Nava and Mike Carp all had 2-hit games to spark the offense. Bailey earned his sixth save which was highlighted by a spectacular diving catch by Nava to end the game.

Can’t every week be like this one? After a well-deserved day off tomorrow, the Sox head north to Toronto for a three game series. Jon Lester is scheduled to start and will have the chance to catch Buchholz in the five win club.

As awesome as the Red Sox and Fenway Park were on Saturday, Sunday was the complete opposite. With Friday night’s game cancelled because that terrorist maggot still at large, a day/night double header with the Kansas City Royals was on the schedule for Sunday. And while the Sox aimed to keep their current winning streak on track, the Royals had other plans. Unfortunately, the Royals prevailed. Bastids.

When I heard about what Jonny Gomes had done for the game—engraving the names of the three victims killed in Monday’s attack and slain MIT officer, Sean Collier into his bat for the first game, I thought there was really no way the Red Sox could lose at least this one. I figured the bat had to be magic. Unfortunately, I was sadly mistaken.

Game 1: Red Sox 2 : Royals 4
Ryan Dempster was thwarted in his attempt to win his first game in a Red Sox uniform by one stupid 4th inning. The home team hopped out to a quick 2-1 lead by the bottom of the 1st, but unfortunately, those would be the only runs they would score all day. Ervin Santana kept the Sox bats relatively quiet all afternoon—scattering eight hits, three of those by David Ortiz.

It’s not like the Sox couldn’t get guys on base. I mean eight hits is eight hits. They just couldn’t get those guys home, successful plating just one of seven runners in scoring position. Oh well, can’t win ‘em all I guess…although it would’ve been nice if that seven game winning streak went just a few more. For Boston, you know. Click here for the sort of really boring box score.

Game 2: Red Sox 4 : Royals 5 (10 innings)
This loss was especially hard to swallow. Mainly because newly promoted Allen Webster had such a solid start—six innings, five hits, two earned runs and five strikeouts—not too shabby for a 23-year-old making his major league pitching debut. He took a no decision.

The Sox had a 4-3 lead going into the eight inning and seemed to be steaming right along with the ever so reliable bullpen taking over for Webster. Koji Uehara, who had yet to give up an earned run this season, served up an 89 mph fastball that Billy Butler lost over the centerfield wall. Game tied. It would stay that way until the top of the 10th when Andrew Miller fell completely apart—and by fell completely apart, I mean he walked in the winning run. AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH! Click here for the frustrating box score, courtesy of the Red Sox.

At least the Sox seem to have snapped out of their current skid for the moment and are presently kicking the crap out of the Oakland A’s. Go Sox!

Here in Boston, Fenway Park was the place to be on Saturday.  37,000 fans, crammed into the old wooden seats, the narrow walkways, and the cavernous green concourses bordered by a bright spring sky.  37,000 fans erupted during a pregame ceremony for the ages, applauding until they were hoarse for the first responders, the government leaders, and the victims that have become part of our world this week.  Yelling into the beautiful expanse of baseball diamond, shouting out names and “thank you”s and singing the national anthem.  Cheering loudly for, well, the chance to cheer loudly.

“This is our fucking city,” David Ortiz told us on the day of his return to the lineup.  He told us that, we loved it, and the Sox won on a majestic Daniel Nava three-run homer.  You couldn’t have written a movie script any better.

It must have felt incredibly liberating to be at Fenway on Saturday, to be loud and out in the open, to be obvious and unafraid and within arm’s reach of so many others who were within arm’s reach of you, because Friday in Boston was the opposite.  As the SWAT teams and the bomb-sniffing dogs and the endless, endless lines of police cruisers patrolled Watertown, Boston, Cambridge and surrounding communities, we were all – every single one of us – subject to an order to stay inside, draw your shades, and not open the door for anyone but “a properly-identified law enforcement officer.”

Ask yourself this: what do you do when you wake up on a Friday morning to what feels like a dream – a really screwed up, bizarre, barely believable dream?  When you wake up already thinking about the motions and phone calls and emails and to-dos that stand between you and the end of the work week, and your wife, who has bags under her eyes from tracking the news all night, tells you that “they found them, well, they’re chasing them, well, one of them’s already dead, they’re from Chechnya! They robbed that 7-11 in Central Square, you know the one, and then they shot a cop at MIT, and then they carjacked this SUV and drove it to Watertown and then they got in a shootout and one of them, Black Hat, was killed, and now they’re looking for the other one – White Hat.”

Imagine waking up to that.  Here’s what I know about Watertown: there are batting cages there, near that huge five-way intersection (you know the one) that scares the daylights out of drivers without the guts and steely reserve that Boston requires.  My slow-pitch team rents out the cages this time of year to get ready for our season.  There’s a decent pizza place up the street from the batting cages, kind of across from the Starbucks.  There’s a Home Depot and a Target there, that we cruise through the baby aisle at regularly.

Here’s what you do when you wake up on a Friday morning to that kind of onslaught.  You throw on sweats and a hoodie, make some coffee, and you glue yourself to the TV showing police and army guys and reporters swarming all over the town that you identify with cases of inexpensive baby wipes and smelly ill-fitting mandatory batting helmets.  You watch all day, you speculate, you honestly get a little bored with the lack of developments.  You read your book, you thumb through your magazines.  You clean the kitchen while listening to the radio so you don’t miss anything.  You fold laundry.  You scuttle around the immediate neighborhood with the dog, who’s acting like she really has to pee, but you peer around corners, stay off main roads, and keep your cell phone on its loudest volume in case your wife calls to tell you that now they think the bomber’s in the few square miles you call your own and you should run home.  All the dog did outside was eat grass, you complain when you get back – I’m standing there in plain sight, wearing a bright yellow “Boston Strong” t-shirt, even, when there’s a lunatic running around town planning god knows what, and we’re all supposed to be inside, and the dog wants to eat grass?  You look out the window whenever you hear a car engine or a siren – it’s a police cruiser, it’s an ambulance that sounds like it’s headed towards the hospital, it’s an ice cream truck?  Why is there an ice cream truck out today?

That’s why Fenway was such a beautiful sight on Saturday.  On Friday, this city was not ours.  On Friday, this city was Tsarnaev’s.  We can talk about how Friday’s shelter order was a key measure in tactical strategy and public safety that let law enforcement do its work, and that our cooperation was a show of solidarity and defiance that proved we’d already won.  We can talk about that (it feels pretty good to write it).  But the other side of that is, I was scared because my dog was taking too long to enjoy her loop around the deserted neighborhood.  I was appalled that an ice cream truck would even think to drive down my street.  I was listening to sirens and watching repetitive, unchanging news reports telling me things I already knew and questioning whether my neighbor should really let her six-year-old play in the front yard.  On Friday, this city wasn’t mine.  On Friday, this neighborhood wasn’t mine.  On Friday, this block wasn’t even mine.

Was this all an overreaction?  Looking back, maybe – probably, even.  It’s easy to feel silly for rushing your exuberant, galumphing, just-happy-to-be-here dog around corners and keeping your shades drawn and double-checking your locks when, it turns out that the entire time, Tsarnaev was hiding.  He was trapped and bleeding and slowly running out of will, in a boat high and dry in a backyard in Watertown.  The whole time, this kid was stuck a good six miles away and only a block or two from what was probably the biggest assembly of troops in the area since the very Lexington and Concord that the Marathon itself celebrates.  I mean, that sounds silly.  The guy – the boy, mind you, the teenager – that held this entire area breathless in the palm of his hand all day, that stopped the T, that shuttered downtown, that kept cars off the road and children inside – he was trapped, hiding, cowering, out of options and marooned in a boat on dry land.

But, silly as it may be, it was true at the time.  For one day – a beautiful, warm, sunny, tempting day – this was Tsarnaev’s city.  But, it’s not anymore.  “This is our fucking city,” David Ortiz proclaimed to the packed crowd, the busy field, the American flag hanging off the Monster at Fenway on Saturday, and he was so right, so perfectly on-point, that the FCC isn’t even going to fine anybody.  This is our city again, our fucking city.  It felt good to be able to let the dog sniff around and roll in the grass and maybe even chase a few squirrels for good measure yesterday; it felt good to have breakfast at this great, crowded, loud neighborhood spot this morning; it will feel good to grab my wallet and chase down the next ice cream truck i see (be honest, who doesn’t love the ice cream truck?).  This is our city again – Ortiz said it, and Fenway proved him right on Saturday.

Growing up a Red Sox fan, I always had those players that I held close to my heart. When I was a kid, I named players like Rick Burleson, Jerry Remy and Carl Yastrzemski as my favorites. But as an adult, I hesitated to deem one particular player my favorite. Well… there was that one time, back in my early 20‘s when I was obsessed with Phil Plantier, but that was purely a physical attraction, definitely not for his mad baseball skills. [Insert sarcasm here.] Seems these days guys just don’t stick around long enough with one team to be worthy of that title.

David Ortiz (Keith Allison, c/o flickr.com)

There has always been something about David Ortiz that makes me want to hug him and buy him a beer. He’s always smiling, always patting a teammate on the back (or helmet), and rarely does something that makes me cringe. When the Sox signed the 37-year-old DH to a two year contract during this past off season, I was happy that he wouldn’t be going to another team. I had hoped the Sox could keep him through the end of his career— even with his bum heel.

Speaking about a bum heel… the achilles strain Ortiz suffered nearly eight months ago is still giving him fits. An achilles strain tends to linger more than a rupture since there isn’t anything surgical doctors can do for just a pesky strain. So he continues to work out and attempt to run bases, but it hasn’t been working out too well for him. At least his hitting doesn’t appear to be suffering.

Peter Abraham from the Boston Globe wrote this about David Ortiz today—pretty much sums it up as far as I’m concerned. The Sox need Ortiz and his big bat.

The Red Sox were working on learning signals Friday afternoon, a drill that involved players taking swings at balls thrown by a pitching machine while their teammates were on the bases.

When David Ortiz came to the plate, he defeated the purpose of the exercise by belting a ball high over the wall in center field.

The Boston Red Sox went through some major changes over the last year. Some good, some bad and some just… meh. They unloaded some dead weight — Josh Beckett and his bad attitude, Carl Crawford and his bad contract and Adrian Gonzalez and his bad luck (as collateral damage.) Needless to say, the 2013 Opening Day line up is going to look a lot different from 2012 with only four players returning for the starting nine.

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF: He will most likely bat lead off as his did last year. That’s only if he doesn’t sprain his earlobe in spring training or catch a hangnail during warmups.
2. Shane Victorino, RF: Newly signed Victorino makes the most sense for the #2 spot. Dustin Pedroia held this spot last year, but with the addition of the speedy “flyin’ Hawaiian,” he may be better suited further down in the order.
3. Dustin Pedroia, 2B: He’s proved himself to be an offensive asset and has surprising power for a guy of his stature. He has a career .303 batting average with a .830 OPS. Last year, the #3 spot belonged to the departed Adrian Gonzalez.
4. David Ortiz, DH: Big Papi will once again commandeer the clean up spot. Let’s just hope that achilles can hold up and David can pick up where he left off last season before he went down with the bum heel.
5. Will Middlebrooks, 3B: The position stays the same, just the personel has changed. Middlebrooks takes over full time at the hot corner after the somewhat rancorous departure of Kevin Youkilis.
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C: Salty takes over the #6 spot from Ryan Sweeney who was allowed to go to free agency following an unspectacular year.
7. First Base?: With the Mike Napoli deal in limbo, could Mauro Gomez start the season at first base? Or will they continue to search for a more seasoned first baseman if the Napoli contract crumbles. If Napoli does end up in Boston, I imagine he’ll bat a little higher up in the order — probably 5th. In 2012, the recently departed Cody Ross held this spot in the line up.
8. Left Field?: Do the Sox see Jonny Gomes starting the season guarding the Green Monster? Or Ryan Kalish? This one baffles me. Salty batted #8 to start last season.
9. Stephen Drew, SS: Drew replaces last year’s shortstop Mike Aviles at the end of the order. Needless to say, my excitement level for this position is very low. I’m begging this guy to prove me wrong.

Well, 2013 should be an interesting year. There were some big holes to fill over the off season in this line up and I’m not feeling too confident that the new acquisitions are going to get them where they need to be. I’m not sure I can handle a “rebuilding year” so someone needs to do something really sparkly or that’s exactly what we’re going to get.

David Ortiz (Keith Allison, c/o flickr.com)

It looks like the DH position in the Red Sox line up will be buttoned up for the next two years. That’s, of course, if the big man, David Ortiz can stay healthy and that pesky achilles injury suffered this past season doesn’t become a reoccurring issue.

According to Boston.com, there are multiple reports indicating the Red Sox and Big Papi have agreed on a two year deal worth $26 million. The Boston Globe is working to confirm the deal.

The feelings on resigning Ortiz across Red Sox Nation have been mixed. Some feel he’s too old and injury-prone at this point in his career to earn the big bucks — especially in an era where teams are depending less on a high-powered bat in the DH spot in line up. Others, like me, are happy to know that smiling face will be taking up real estate in the dugout through the 2014 season. Even better if he continues the success he had in the first half of last season where he his .318 in 90 games with 23 home runs.

Ortiz has always been the bright light on this team even when times were tough and things were looking bleak. I’m not looking forward when his retirement day comes… I’m sure there will be many tears. But for now, I’ll just enjoy the time we have left together and hope he hits the stuffing out of the ball.

Old friend Pedro has been at Fenway a lot this summer! (Photo by andrewmalone c/o Flickr.com)

Once again, the most exciting part of a Red Sox game was the pre game ceremonies. Before last night’s 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Sox honored the 2004 World Series Championship team. And once again this season, I’m reduced to tears (and not just because of how badly this team sucks.)

I loved that 2004 team and to see them pull into the stadium on duck boats — the way they celebrated finally conquering the 86-year championship drought — made me remember exactly why I love them. Pedro Martinez, Kevin Millar, Keith Foulke, (ball thief) Doug Mientkiewicz, Mike Timlin, and our recently departed favorites, Jason Varitek and Jason Varitek, the lone representative still here, David Ortiz… all taking turns hoisting that trophy.

To top off the celebration, Keith Foulke threw out the first pitch to former battery-mate, Jason Varitek, who then attempted to relive that 2004 magic by leaping into Foulke’s arms. Although (and probably for the best) without so much gusto as he did back on that late October night in St. Louis. This celebration would’ve been so much more exceptional if the current Red Sox team was in contention. But alas… they will finish their 100th season in Fenway Park pitifully.

In case you missed it, Rays’ pitcher, David Price, pitched a complete game as he continues to battle to get his name on the Cy Young ballot. After the Rays went up 3-0 in the second inning on a Jeff Keppinger three-run homerun, I just knew there was no way the struggling Sox offense would be able to overcome the overpowering Price, who ended the night with 13 strike outs. I was right.

Click here for the box score, courtesy of the Red Sox.

The Sox and Rays finish off this quick two-game series tonight and thankfully say good-bye to not-so-friendly Fenway Park until 2013. Jon Lester will take the mound, hoping to get this team a win and at least leave Fenway on a somewhat positive note.

I never would’ve believed it had I not seen it myself this afternoon. Daisuke Matsuzake, coming off his second stay on the DL this season, pitched an absolute gem this afternoon to beat the Royals 5-1 in the final game of their current homestand. Someone pinch me.

Dice K pitched seven complete innings — he gave up just one unearned run on five hits while striking out six. This is his first win since May 8th… of 2011. Maybe his plan is to put on a show for the remaining month plus of his time with the Red Sox — you know, so he can get a good contract from some other sucker.

Whatever. The Red Sox won. At this point, I don’t care how they get it done.

The offense continues to come through with the hits. They pounded out 54 total over the four-game series with the Royals. Scott Podsednik, Jacoby Ellsbury and Cody Ross all had two hits each today. Ellsbury hit his second home run of the season and Ross also had three RBIs.

Click here for the box score, courtesy of the Red Sox. The team hits the road tonight for a West Coast swing where they’ll play the Angels, Athletics and Mariners over the next nine days. No offense West Coast, but I really hate those 10pm games.

In other news, David Ortiz has been placed back on the 15-day DL after re-injuring his achilles in Friday night’s game. A few questions come to mind — will Ortiz play again this season or will they shut him down now that the post season is well out of reach? And have we seen Big Papi play in his final game as a member of the Red Sox? This makes me sad…

Also, you may have heard that Alfredo Aceves was suspended over the weekend by the Red Sox for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Turns out that the Sox have a rule about suspended players traveling with the team and now Aceves will be forced to take a later flight to meet the team out west because of this suspension. He better be careful… looks like Mr. Ben Cherington isn’t going to be taking any shit from anyone on this team and Alfredo could find himself on a plane to another market if he’s not careful!

For once a Red Sox win is not the biggest news in town. Although it should be big news since it’s not a commonly occurring event these days. In the midst of the trade rumors swirling about Boston last night, the Red Sox finally managed to stop their current four-game skid and beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 behind another good pitching performance by Jon Lester.

You would’ve thought, especially considering their history this season, that those pesky trade rumors would have sent this team into a spiral of despair. But no… it seemed to do just the opposite.

The Red Sox took the quick lead in the first on singles by Pedro Ciriaco and Jacoby Ellsbury. After Dustin Pedroia moved the runners to second and third on a soft ground out, David Ortiz, in his first at bat since he injured his achilles on July 17th, laced a line drive single up the middle to score Ciriaco and Ellsbury.

After going down 3-2, the Sox came back in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead back for good. Mauro Gomez walked to open the inning. Mike Aviles singled to right and Scott Podseknik sacrificed the runners to second and third. Ciriaco followed with a double to left scoring both Gomez and Aviles.

Jon Lester looked good in his seven plus innings, giving up three runs on six hits while striking out six. He left after three pitches in the top of the eighth with a left hamstring cramp — hopefully, it’s nothing serious. Lester didn’t appear too concerned about it when talking to reporters after the game.

“I’m fine, it just cramped up on me,” Lester said. “I’d been kind of battling with it a little bit since the fifth inning. It got a little worse as the game went on.”

Vicente Padilla, Andrew Miller and Andrew Bailey held the Royals scoreless and secured Lester’s eighth win of the season, and third straight. Bailey, who had originally been acquired to fill the departed Jonathan Papelbon’s closer role, got his first save of the season.

Click here for the winning box score, courtesy of the Red Sox. These two teams go at it again tonight and your guess is as good as mine as to who’ll be on the mound for the Sox. Josh Beckett was scheduled to pitch but since he’s been traded… it’ll be a surprise!

Rest in peace, Mr. Pesky… (Photo by me.)

I’m not going to bore you with yet another account of how the Red Sox lost AGAIN… or how Clay Buchholz, who has been pretty much lights out lately, had one of his worse outings of the season. If you would like to torture yourself with this information, I’m sure this box score will be quite helpful. I actually was lucky enough to not have had to sit through another painful display from a team who obviously just doesn’t give a shit. So guess what? I don’t give a shit either. I went to see Def Leppard, Poison and Lita Ford last night — much less infuriating.

So instead, I’m going to tell the tale of how this 2012 Red Sox team has managed to disappoint me more than they have in a very long time. Maybe ever. Sure… last September was a major disappointment. I mean who doesn’t get frustrated with a team who throws in the towel with a month left to the season to eat fried chicken and get fat in the clubhouse? And yes, there have been other seasons where our hopes and dreams have been dashed — but most times, it’s not for lack of trying.

But this one takes the cake.

Johnny Pesky’s funeral was this past Monday in Swampscott, Massachusetts. According to Google Maps, Swampscott is approximately a half hour from Boston. The Red Sox organization provided busses to transport players and personel to the funeral services for a man who spent over 60 years with the Red Sox organization in some capacity or another. A man who just about everyone who goes to work at Fenway Park everyday loved dearly. So that would be what — three hours or so out of your day? This was an off day for the Red Sox, who had arrived home in the wee hours of the morning from a long, unsuccessful road trip.

Do you want to know how many current Red Sox players decided to don a crisp black suit and hop on the bus to honor an old friend?

Four.

Four players attended Mr. Pesky’s funeral.

I know…

Those four — David Ortiz, Clay Buchholz, Vicente Padilla and Jarrod Saltalamacchia — will be the only players I will not shoot death rays out of my eyeballs at the next time I’m at Fenway Park. Everyone else is fair game. Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester and Josh Beckett — I’m looking at you bums first, when my death rays will be at their most powerful. Was just wearing the #6 on Tuesday night good enough for you? You should be ashamed.

WEEI’s Dennis and Callahan show interviewed Larry Lucchino this morning and naturally, this was a topic of conversation. According to an article in the Boston Globe, Lucchino did nothing but make excuses for the absent players. Of course he did — you know, they did just get in at 4am that morning from a looooong road trip. The full interview can be heard here:

“There was a tremendous turnout at Johnny Pesky’s funeral,” Lucchino told listeners on WEEI’s Dennis & Callahan show. “We had over a 100 people there in terms of ownership, front office, current players, staff, former players. It was a very impressive turnout. I think the people who knew Johnny best had came to it. Our players will have had a chance on Tuesday night to participate in a ceremony on the field — they all willingly and enthusiastically participated on that date — and then there’s going to be another memorial service. So I think it’s unnecessary to focus on that issue.”

I’m sure the lack of current Sox players was glaringly obvious to those in attendance. It really saddened me when I heard the news this morning. But hey, let’s mow a #6 in the grass behind short stop and call it good.

Tonight, the Red Sox and Angels wrap up this three game series with Franklin Morales trying to salvage at least one game of the series, against CJ Wilson. I’ll be there… eyeball death rays in full force. Don’t be surprised if players start dropping dead on the field.