146 replies on “Halos-Sox Gamer: Is This The End?”
Buck Martinez mentioned earlier that the Red Sox infield has four errors in this series so far. Doesn’t he know that two of those were actually committed by C.B. Bucknor?
Shitty call, ball hits the ball but the ump calls it a HBP.
And another blown call. Ump awards Napoli first base although the ball clearly hit his bat and not his arm.
Schilling the Prophet is vindicated again.
Did MLB change the strikezone back to 1963 levels? Since when are pitches at the shoulders strikes?
Bucknor is just bad at every facet of the game. He’s like the umpire version of Nick Punto.
Yup, another pitch at the shoulders called for a strike, this time against Boston. I really think Bucknor just thinks he’s living in 1963.
bucknor’s not the home plate ump
Then I have no idea what I’m talking about.
;)
i was really just messing with you…i only knew because i remember the comments from the beckett game about buck’s strike zone…that, and the guy umpiring today is not jamaican…i wasn’t going to say anything, but i know you’re not a sensitive guy…nerves are frayed with the bad umpiring and all…
JACOBY FUCKING ELLSBURY!
Pedey! 2-0!
Dustin Pedroia puts the Sox up early. Absolutely crushed that ball.
Wall ball! Sox double their ALDS runs with one swing…
Elf!
(Cooper is behind the plate. Buckn0r is out in right. Hope there are no Pesky Pole calls to be made.)
VMart drives in another.
Everyone hitting Kazmair on the second run through the order! Keep it up, boys!
Vmart makes it 3-0. Man it’s nice to see the offense actually working, especially against someone who typically owns us.
Amazing how completely different the Sox are at Fenway.
Hard-hit ball from Youk as well, but right at Hunter.
Can anyone tell what the Fenway crowd is chanting? It almost sounds like the “Sterrr-oids” cheer, but not quite.
good start sox…i’m out
Inning over, with two more well-struck flies. Former Sox killer Kazmir looks vulnerable.
Maybe someone on the Angels has hemorrhoids?
That Beatles cover in the Blackberry ad (TBS) sucks.
I hate how much my attitude swerves with these games…it’s unhealthy. Scoreless inning, Buchholz! Gets Vlady to roll one to short. Good start…
Solo homers aren’t as good as groundouts.
I was going to post something about CBuc pitching with more confidence behind a 3-0 lead, but it’s now 3-1.
Vlad’s postseason career:
.247/.344/.296
All right, that could have been worse. They need to score more anyway.
Drew = money in October. 2-run shot.
DREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW
HUGE! No runs for LAAAAA after the leadoff double.
Son of a bitch, they had Hunter but Buchholz balks.
Stop with the throw-over shit. The runner at 1st is Vlad, and the runner at 3rd is probably going to score. Go after the guy at the plate and don’t let the tying run come up.
Buchholz melting down, time for the pen, and Tito agrees. Shame, disappointing after that last inning.
Buchholz clearly struggling, and Tito quickly pulls him. Great outing before this inning, though we really need Bard to get some K’s.
DOUBLE PLAY! Run scores, but who gives a shit?
Bard hitting 102 on the radar gun.
Okay. With the DP, the tying run is no longer out. I thought my heart would stop when the count went to 3-1. Don’t let up, Shakespeare.
8 pitches and Bard gets out of it with just the one run.
Awesome, awesome, awesome!
Papi way overdue.
And he grounds out.
There’s such a long way to go in this game…
A long time indeed. And I’m much more nervous now than I was when the game started. Strange.
I think that makes sense, pbe. I at least had a sense of willingness to let the season go if Buchholz got hammered. Now winning is the only thing that makes sense.
Napoli got pwned by Bard and the ump (“strike 2”).
Strike 2 was a gift again, can he make use of it this time?
Yes! Grounder to 1st.
More crappy calls: Figgins checked his swing, but the third-base ump said he swung.
Bard with the outrageously good 2 innings!
More pitches this time, but more awesomeness from bard.
I wish I could hear Orsillo; how’s he doing? I just can’t stand Buck Martinez, so the mute has been on since about minute 5.
Six outs to go. More sensible nervousness out here. More runs would be nice.
Orsillo’s doing fine. And Martinez does ok too. There’s that voice, of course.
Wagner makes me nervous, though I do think it’s the right move.
Pretty horrendous series for Youk, that was some butchery right there.
Hmmm, replay shows that Hunter didn’t pull the bat back until after the ball crossed the plate.
Wow, how can they call that a strike on Hunter?
Orsillo is pretty good as usual. He always does a great job of not being too homerish; he got pretty excited on that Angels homerun.
Hunter K’s. Papelbon up in the ‘pen.
Wagner loses Vlad.
Out number 2 comes quick. Shipping Up To Boston starts playing, so it’ll be 4 outs from Papelbon.
Good call Tito.
Fully convinced Pap did that to hurt Wagner’s postseason ERA.
One pitch two runs. That did not go so well.
$10 says Papelbon gave up that hit on purpose cause he doesn’t like Wagner.
One-run game, 4 outs to go. Is it too early to start drinking?
Nice, Devine!
Wow, Willits almost picked-off there.
Since these runs are on Wagner Papelbon’s streak of no runs ever in the postseason is still alive. That should be enough extra motivation now.
PICKED-OFF! SIT THE FUCK DOWN!
And Paps picks of Willets. Wow!
Ortiz finally wakes up. Let’s get some insurance, boys.
First hit of the series for Papi, first hit for the Sox since the fourth inning.
Gathright ain’t afraid of no pitch-out.
Gathright steals on a pitch out!
INSURANCE RUN! INSURANCE RUN! 6-4 Sox!
Insurance!!
I really don’t know what I should be rooting for. If the Angels win today, that means that they get a guarantee of starting their best pitchers in the ALCS, and if the Yankees don’t win today that means they don’t, so advantage Angels.
But if Boston wins, then they have a chance to win the series, and we have to hear about how Boston is some kind of team of destiny or something, and that would be annoying (although they would be at a disadvantage going into the ALCS, if the Yankees win either today or tomorrow).
So, well, I guess yay for Boston winning this game. You go guys!
Insurance run was big, but now begins the real breathing-into-a-paper-bag portion of this event.
One out. Great play by Victor Martinez!
Wow, kick that fucking fan out. Richest seats in the park, and he reaches out and gets in VMart’s way. Good thing he still caught it.
Two outs!
Great shot of the Red Sox bullpen indicating that Aybar swung. But then he gets a base hit.
Red Sox dugout I mean.
Paps walks Figgins. C’mon Paps!
Didn’t really wanna see Abreu again in this game …
I fucking despise Abreu with every inch of my body.
Okay, now get Hunter out (or do you IBB him? I would, Vlad is terrible), and this will be great.
Papelbon’s postseason cherry is popped, and they still win…that’s a win-win for me.
Papelbon’s streak is over. Tying run at third.
Breathe in, breathe out. Explode.
I imagine Papelbon will have to be available tomorrow, but he’s thrown about 30 pitches today, and he threw Friday as well. Boston better destroy the Angels tomorrow.
For some reason I’m not completely clear on, Papelbon is just not as good as he was last year.
FUCK. GODDAMNIT NO.
And Papelbon blows it. I can’t believe it.
Oh fuck. Okay, Boston can come back. I BELIEVE!
Might be easier to just go ahead and lose now.
OK, we deserve to lose.
More predictions:
1. Not only will Papelbon allow a run, but he will blow a save
Posted by: Atheose | Wednesday, October 07, 2009 at 05:15 PM
Paps not making a very strong case for a big contract extension.
Well, if Papelbon can’t get it done so be it.
But Fuentes usually is not exactly unhittable.
Two out, no one on and we blow it?
Bard has the somewhat dubious honor of being the only member of the bullpen not to completely suck a fat one this series.
Okay, it’s not even close to over. They can do it.
Andrew, how dare you come into our gamer and tell us how good our team is? The nerve of some people! ;-)
How many times did Paps have to throw just ONE more strike to win this game? I count one opportunity with Aybar and two with Abreu. If they don’t come back this will be a disgusting way to end the season.
crap
Toriiiii closes up the Green Monster…that seems appropriate.
WTF, the sound just went out! Weekly emergency test?!?!?!
Why is Lowrie preferable to AGon? This is the second time he pinch-hit into an out in this series, IIRC.
Hudson, I’m as confused as you. Especially against Fuentes, who is a lefty.
Ellsbury pops up. Down to Pedro.
all up to Pedroia
For some reason Francona doesn’t let him bat in big spots. Which is kind of weird — I mean, it’s not like he’s hit worse than anyone else on the team.
Papelbon should be an interesting interview after the game
Fuck it all. At least I predicted the Sox would lose to the Angels.
Good season everybody.
Deserved to lose. But still sad.
Congrats, YFs. Except Rob.
Well, it just wasn’t the Sox’s year. Hey, the playoffs are a crapshoot…it happens. Take it from a YF.
Well, that was a truly grotesque finale… Not with a proverbial bang, but a truly pathetic whimper. The only consolation is that the MFY don’t get to go through Beantown to the World Series.
Wow..
hats off to the Angels.
This stinks, but they beat us. No excuses!
(Not often one hears the Sox getting booed in Fenway.)
It was a good season, with a lousy ending. Can’t believe how badly the Sox performed in this series, I really can’t. They failed in basically every facet of the game in big spots.
I hate to say it, but this team needs an overhaul, and Francona needs to manage his bullpen better so guys aren’t useless at the end of the year. The bullpen has not performed at a high level for over a month now.
This one stings a bit, but the Angels have (ugh, damnit) proven themselves to be a better team. And fuck you Abreu. Probably the MVP of the series.
AGonz with the Sox this year: 93 OPS+
Lowrie with the Sox this year: 20 OPS+
It’s only one out, and it probably wouldn’t have mattered, but wtf Tito? That’s not even mentioning the fact that Lowrie was a lefty facing a lefty pitcher.
Thanks, Andrew. I appreciate the consolations and non-crowing, but certainly you have reason to be happy.
I’m so…bereft.
0-2, 2 outs, nobody on, #9 hitter at the plate. And he blows a 2-run lead.
Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. I’m sure I’ll calm down eventually, but right now I want that piece of shit traded for a bag of balls.
What a gutless choke job.
Man, we gotta sweep the Twins so the Angels don’t have more rest than the Yanks.
SOSH wants the Sox to trade Papelbon, but honestly? There are very few teams who would even want a bullpen guy making in excess of $7 million for each of the next two years, much less give up serious value for him. He’s staying right where he is, and even if he continues his decline he’s still one of the better closers in the game.
Well, it wasn’t in the cards this year, boys.
In Bill we trust.
Thanks Devine, I’m can’t be one to gloat over disheartening postseason failures, not after what happened to the Yankees the last several years. All I can offer is my condolences, because I can certainly understand the shock.
The Red Sox are a more than solid team with a very solid core, at least for 2010, and they won 95 games this year. There’s one big decision to make in LF, but the rest of the team will remain intact. They don’t need an overhaul.
It is a strange day, indeed. The Cleveland Browns just won. 6-3.
Thanks for the kind words Andrew. Appreciate the camaraderie.
Not the Sox season, but we’re looking good going forward. Good luck to the Yanks; the Angels are going to be tough in the ALCS.
I had Sox in 4, so this was a surprise. I’m not sure this helps the Yanks, but ya.. I don’t know.
Ath, the Angels are the team I wanted the Yankees to face. The Yankees have an advantage in the bullpen and offense, and their rotation is good depth-wise, but the Yankees have a better #1 and a better #3 than they do. The only advantage I felt the Yankees had over Boston was their offense.
That said, now the Angels are the ‘team of destiny’ again. Blergh.
Hey, maybe the Mets will take Papelbon. They only have what, two closers? Putz and KRod?
Yeah Andrew, the Yankees are definitely a stronger team than the Angels, regardless of their history against them. But like you said, suddenly they’re the team of destiny and the media is going to make the Yanks into the big-bad enemy.
Actually it looks to be an amazing script: the Angels are a team of destiny, playing for their tragically killed teammate, the Yankees are a powerhouse who look unbeatable, they have every advantage, and on top of that they have an amazing ability to come back from any deficit.
Hopefully I’m not getting too hard ahead of myself, because the Yankees still need to win tonight. If they win tomorrow, that starting pitching advantage goes out the window.
Wonder what’s on Theo’s mind.
Is Bay a priority? He’s streaky and stikes out a lot.
Can Theo let him go figure the Yankees will overpay, get the two draft picks, sign someone else and deal for Adrian Gonzalez?
What about the rotation? Do they go after a guy like Lackey if they can get him for reasonable money?
Does he move Lowell and Ortiz, or does he bank on rebounds? What about the pen, which was great early, but sucky after the all-star break? I DO think Paps will be back.
Theo has some money to play with and a lot of parts on the farm. Could we see a significant retooling and a departure of some veterans?
I have a hunch that whatever is in store, few of us are likely to guess what he’ll do.
I haven’t liked this team much since July. Too many odd holes.
But I will say this: If they can get the right bat, I won’t be surprised if Bay or Papi is gone. And I have a hunch that among Bay-Papi-Lowell, two will be gone.
I guess it depends largely on how much of the first two games was Lackey and Weaver raising their game in the postseason and how much was the Red Sox just failing on offense. I suspect it was a little of both.
Anyway, we completely deserved to lose. And the Angels/Yanks series is, unfortunately, one of those times I just want everyone involved to explode. I guess I’ll sort of root for the Angels? Ugh.
Agreed, Micah. The Angels deservedly won. And now I get to glom onto the Bruins and Patriots. Baseball became unwatchable this afternoon.
I do think that what we saw of the Red Sox vs. Lackey and Weaver was typical of their season and this team. I do not believe it was a fluke.
Far too many strikeouts. Four Red Sox players struck out more than 100 times. Bay (162), Ortiz (134), Youkilis (125), Drew (109) K’d 530 times. Red Sox were fourth in the AL in strikeouts, and had by far the most Ks of the four AL playoff teams.
Again, I would not be surprised if Theo let Bay walk and filled that spot through a trade.
And do they make a push for Abreau at DH? He’s got a 1-year deal. He’s 35, but crap, he drives pitchers nuts.
IBM – Abreu stated that he wants to stay with the Angels. Of course, with a grain of salt..
Apparently the Angels led the league in productive outs. Twins were second, and Yanks were third – it was a graphic during the Twins game..
I am hoping for a Dodgers-Yankees World Series.
The storylines with Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez facing the Yanks alone would be worth it.
Torre and Manny beat the Yanks in the World Series would be the ultimate in irony.
ahhhh, time to start thinking about next season already! that sux.
Clay pitched will yesterday as did Bard. Abreu’s “double” (really?) undid Wagner, but still, Pap like Nathan with the twins couldn’t get it done.
As for next year, I see Bay walking – he’s a close comp for Richie Sexson at the same age, and that didn’t go to well for Seattle over time. Lowell has a year left as does Papi, so it should be interesting to see what Theo does.
Though I would never tire of seeing Papelbon blow a save, I am sorry to see the Sox go out like this SFs. Was looking forward/hoping for a Sox-Yanks ALCS, at least in part because it makes this site a lot more fun. In the end, the Yankees’ big acquisitions this past off-season made all the difference. For once in the past 10 years they spent their money on guys in their prime.
The Sox were the third best team in the ALDS.
…
Abreau is 35. That’s a big knock, too.
I’m moving the rest of this postmortem to the Monday thread.
146 replies on “Halos-Sox Gamer: Is This The End?”
Buck Martinez mentioned earlier that the Red Sox infield has four errors in this series so far. Doesn’t he know that two of those were actually committed by C.B. Bucknor?
Shitty call, ball hits the ball but the ump calls it a HBP.
And another blown call. Ump awards Napoli first base although the ball clearly hit his bat and not his arm.
Schilling the Prophet is vindicated again.
Did MLB change the strikezone back to 1963 levels? Since when are pitches at the shoulders strikes?
Bucknor is just bad at every facet of the game. He’s like the umpire version of Nick Punto.
Yup, another pitch at the shoulders called for a strike, this time against Boston. I really think Bucknor just thinks he’s living in 1963.
bucknor’s not the home plate ump
Then I have no idea what I’m talking about.
;)
i was really just messing with you…i only knew because i remember the comments from the beckett game about buck’s strike zone…that, and the guy umpiring today is not jamaican…i wasn’t going to say anything, but i know you’re not a sensitive guy…nerves are frayed with the bad umpiring and all…
JACOBY FUCKING ELLSBURY!
Pedey! 2-0!
Dustin Pedroia puts the Sox up early. Absolutely crushed that ball.
Wall ball! Sox double their ALDS runs with one swing…
Elf!
(Cooper is behind the plate. Buckn0r is out in right. Hope there are no Pesky Pole calls to be made.)
VMart drives in another.
Everyone hitting Kazmair on the second run through the order! Keep it up, boys!
Vmart makes it 3-0. Man it’s nice to see the offense actually working, especially against someone who typically owns us.
Amazing how completely different the Sox are at Fenway.
Hard-hit ball from Youk as well, but right at Hunter.
Can anyone tell what the Fenway crowd is chanting? It almost sounds like the “Sterrr-oids” cheer, but not quite.
good start sox…i’m out
Inning over, with two more well-struck flies. Former Sox killer Kazmir looks vulnerable.
Maybe someone on the Angels has hemorrhoids?
That Beatles cover in the Blackberry ad (TBS) sucks.
I hate how much my attitude swerves with these games…it’s unhealthy. Scoreless inning, Buchholz! Gets Vlady to roll one to short. Good start…
Solo homers aren’t as good as groundouts.
I was going to post something about CBuc pitching with more confidence behind a 3-0 lead, but it’s now 3-1.
Vlad’s postseason career:
.247/.344/.296
All right, that could have been worse. They need to score more anyway.
Drew = money in October. 2-run shot.
DREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW
HUGE! No runs for LAAAAA after the leadoff double.
Son of a bitch, they had Hunter but Buchholz balks.
Stop with the throw-over shit. The runner at 1st is Vlad, and the runner at 3rd is probably going to score. Go after the guy at the plate and don’t let the tying run come up.
Buchholz melting down, time for the pen, and Tito agrees. Shame, disappointing after that last inning.
Buchholz clearly struggling, and Tito quickly pulls him. Great outing before this inning, though we really need Bard to get some K’s.
DOUBLE PLAY! Run scores, but who gives a shit?
Bard hitting 102 on the radar gun.
Okay. With the DP, the tying run is no longer out. I thought my heart would stop when the count went to 3-1. Don’t let up, Shakespeare.
8 pitches and Bard gets out of it with just the one run.
Awesome, awesome, awesome!
Papi way overdue.
And he grounds out.
There’s such a long way to go in this game…
A long time indeed. And I’m much more nervous now than I was when the game started. Strange.
I think that makes sense, pbe. I at least had a sense of willingness to let the season go if Buchholz got hammered. Now winning is the only thing that makes sense.
Napoli got pwned by Bard and the ump (“strike 2”).
Strike 2 was a gift again, can he make use of it this time?
Yes! Grounder to 1st.
More crappy calls: Figgins checked his swing, but the third-base ump said he swung.
Bard with the outrageously good 2 innings!
More pitches this time, but more awesomeness from bard.
I wish I could hear Orsillo; how’s he doing? I just can’t stand Buck Martinez, so the mute has been on since about minute 5.
Six outs to go. More sensible nervousness out here. More runs would be nice.
Orsillo’s doing fine. And Martinez does ok too. There’s that voice, of course.
Wagner makes me nervous, though I do think it’s the right move.
Pretty horrendous series for Youk, that was some butchery right there.
Hmmm, replay shows that Hunter didn’t pull the bat back until after the ball crossed the plate.
Wow, how can they call that a strike on Hunter?
Orsillo is pretty good as usual. He always does a great job of not being too homerish; he got pretty excited on that Angels homerun.
Hunter K’s. Papelbon up in the ‘pen.
Wagner loses Vlad.
Out number 2 comes quick. Shipping Up To Boston starts playing, so it’ll be 4 outs from Papelbon.
Good call Tito.
Fully convinced Pap did that to hurt Wagner’s postseason ERA.
One pitch two runs. That did not go so well.
$10 says Papelbon gave up that hit on purpose cause he doesn’t like Wagner.
One-run game, 4 outs to go. Is it too early to start drinking?
Nice, Devine!
Wow, Willits almost picked-off there.
Since these runs are on Wagner Papelbon’s streak of no runs ever in the postseason is still alive. That should be enough extra motivation now.
PICKED-OFF! SIT THE FUCK DOWN!
And Paps picks of Willets. Wow!
Ortiz finally wakes up. Let’s get some insurance, boys.
First hit of the series for Papi, first hit for the Sox since the fourth inning.
Gathright ain’t afraid of no pitch-out.
Gathright steals on a pitch out!
INSURANCE RUN! INSURANCE RUN! 6-4 Sox!
Insurance!!
I really don’t know what I should be rooting for. If the Angels win today, that means that they get a guarantee of starting their best pitchers in the ALCS, and if the Yankees don’t win today that means they don’t, so advantage Angels.
But if Boston wins, then they have a chance to win the series, and we have to hear about how Boston is some kind of team of destiny or something, and that would be annoying (although they would be at a disadvantage going into the ALCS, if the Yankees win either today or tomorrow).
So, well, I guess yay for Boston winning this game. You go guys!
Insurance run was big, but now begins the real breathing-into-a-paper-bag portion of this event.
One out. Great play by Victor Martinez!
Wow, kick that fucking fan out. Richest seats in the park, and he reaches out and gets in VMart’s way. Good thing he still caught it.
Two outs!
Great shot of the Red Sox bullpen indicating that Aybar swung. But then he gets a base hit.
Red Sox dugout I mean.
Paps walks Figgins. C’mon Paps!
Didn’t really wanna see Abreu again in this game …
I fucking despise Abreu with every inch of my body.
Okay, now get Hunter out (or do you IBB him? I would, Vlad is terrible), and this will be great.
Papelbon’s postseason cherry is popped, and they still win…that’s a win-win for me.
Papelbon’s streak is over. Tying run at third.
Breathe in, breathe out. Explode.
I imagine Papelbon will have to be available tomorrow, but he’s thrown about 30 pitches today, and he threw Friday as well. Boston better destroy the Angels tomorrow.
For some reason I’m not completely clear on, Papelbon is just not as good as he was last year.
FUCK. GODDAMNIT NO.
And Papelbon blows it. I can’t believe it.
Oh fuck. Okay, Boston can come back. I BELIEVE!
Might be easier to just go ahead and lose now.
OK, we deserve to lose.
More predictions:
1. Not only will Papelbon allow a run, but he will blow a save
Posted by: Atheose | Wednesday, October 07, 2009 at 05:15 PM
Paps not making a very strong case for a big contract extension.
Well, if Papelbon can’t get it done so be it.
But Fuentes usually is not exactly unhittable.
Two out, no one on and we blow it?
Bard has the somewhat dubious honor of being the only member of the bullpen not to completely suck a fat one this series.
Okay, it’s not even close to over. They can do it.
Time for the Viking Kittens rally.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=3327235
Andrew, how dare you come into our gamer and tell us how good our team is? The nerve of some people! ;-)
How many times did Paps have to throw just ONE more strike to win this game? I count one opportunity with Aybar and two with Abreu. If they don’t come back this will be a disgusting way to end the season.
crap
Toriiiii closes up the Green Monster…that seems appropriate.
WTF, the sound just went out! Weekly emergency test?!?!?!
Why is Lowrie preferable to AGon? This is the second time he pinch-hit into an out in this series, IIRC.
Hudson, I’m as confused as you. Especially against Fuentes, who is a lefty.
Ellsbury pops up. Down to Pedro.
all up to Pedroia
For some reason Francona doesn’t let him bat in big spots. Which is kind of weird — I mean, it’s not like he’s hit worse than anyone else on the team.
Papelbon should be an interesting interview after the game
Fuck it all. At least I predicted the Sox would lose to the Angels.
Good season everybody.
Deserved to lose. But still sad.
Congrats, YFs. Except Rob.
Well, it just wasn’t the Sox’s year. Hey, the playoffs are a crapshoot…it happens. Take it from a YF.
Well, that was a truly grotesque finale… Not with a proverbial bang, but a truly pathetic whimper. The only consolation is that the MFY don’t get to go through Beantown to the World Series.
Wow..
hats off to the Angels.
This stinks, but they beat us. No excuses!
(Not often one hears the Sox getting booed in Fenway.)
It was a good season, with a lousy ending. Can’t believe how badly the Sox performed in this series, I really can’t. They failed in basically every facet of the game in big spots.
I hate to say it, but this team needs an overhaul, and Francona needs to manage his bullpen better so guys aren’t useless at the end of the year. The bullpen has not performed at a high level for over a month now.
This one stings a bit, but the Angels have (ugh, damnit) proven themselves to be a better team. And fuck you Abreu. Probably the MVP of the series.
AGonz with the Sox this year: 93 OPS+
Lowrie with the Sox this year: 20 OPS+
It’s only one out, and it probably wouldn’t have mattered, but wtf Tito? That’s not even mentioning the fact that Lowrie was a lefty facing a lefty pitcher.
Thanks, Andrew. I appreciate the consolations and non-crowing, but certainly you have reason to be happy.
I’m so…bereft.
0-2, 2 outs, nobody on, #9 hitter at the plate. And he blows a 2-run lead.
Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. I’m sure I’ll calm down eventually, but right now I want that piece of shit traded for a bag of balls.
What a gutless choke job.
Man, we gotta sweep the Twins so the Angels don’t have more rest than the Yanks.
SOSH wants the Sox to trade Papelbon, but honestly? There are very few teams who would even want a bullpen guy making in excess of $7 million for each of the next two years, much less give up serious value for him. He’s staying right where he is, and even if he continues his decline he’s still one of the better closers in the game.
Well, it wasn’t in the cards this year, boys.
In Bill we trust.
Thanks Devine, I’m can’t be one to gloat over disheartening postseason failures, not after what happened to the Yankees the last several years. All I can offer is my condolences, because I can certainly understand the shock.
The Red Sox are a more than solid team with a very solid core, at least for 2010, and they won 95 games this year. There’s one big decision to make in LF, but the rest of the team will remain intact. They don’t need an overhaul.
It is a strange day, indeed. The Cleveland Browns just won. 6-3.
Thanks for the kind words Andrew. Appreciate the camaraderie.
Not the Sox season, but we’re looking good going forward. Good luck to the Yanks; the Angels are going to be tough in the ALCS.
I had Sox in 4, so this was a surprise. I’m not sure this helps the Yanks, but ya.. I don’t know.
Ath, the Angels are the team I wanted the Yankees to face. The Yankees have an advantage in the bullpen and offense, and their rotation is good depth-wise, but the Yankees have a better #1 and a better #3 than they do. The only advantage I felt the Yankees had over Boston was their offense.
That said, now the Angels are the ‘team of destiny’ again. Blergh.
Hey, maybe the Mets will take Papelbon. They only have what, two closers? Putz and KRod?
Yeah Andrew, the Yankees are definitely a stronger team than the Angels, regardless of their history against them. But like you said, suddenly they’re the team of destiny and the media is going to make the Yanks into the big-bad enemy.
Actually it looks to be an amazing script: the Angels are a team of destiny, playing for their tragically killed teammate, the Yankees are a powerhouse who look unbeatable, they have every advantage, and on top of that they have an amazing ability to come back from any deficit.
Hopefully I’m not getting too hard ahead of myself, because the Yankees still need to win tonight. If they win tomorrow, that starting pitching advantage goes out the window.
Wonder what’s on Theo’s mind.
Is Bay a priority? He’s streaky and stikes out a lot.
Can Theo let him go figure the Yankees will overpay, get the two draft picks, sign someone else and deal for Adrian Gonzalez?
What about the rotation? Do they go after a guy like Lackey if they can get him for reasonable money?
Does he move Lowell and Ortiz, or does he bank on rebounds? What about the pen, which was great early, but sucky after the all-star break? I DO think Paps will be back.
Theo has some money to play with and a lot of parts on the farm. Could we see a significant retooling and a departure of some veterans?
I have a hunch that whatever is in store, few of us are likely to guess what he’ll do.
I haven’t liked this team much since July. Too many odd holes.
But I will say this: If they can get the right bat, I won’t be surprised if Bay or Papi is gone. And I have a hunch that among Bay-Papi-Lowell, two will be gone.
I guess it depends largely on how much of the first two games was Lackey and Weaver raising their game in the postseason and how much was the Red Sox just failing on offense. I suspect it was a little of both.
Anyway, we completely deserved to lose. And the Angels/Yanks series is, unfortunately, one of those times I just want everyone involved to explode. I guess I’ll sort of root for the Angels? Ugh.
Agreed, Micah. The Angels deservedly won. And now I get to glom onto the Bruins and Patriots. Baseball became unwatchable this afternoon.
I do think that what we saw of the Red Sox vs. Lackey and Weaver was typical of their season and this team. I do not believe it was a fluke.
This YouTube video is a good summary of my view of Papelbon’s outing today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOveFSf6ONw
I fail to see how Papelbon showed off at all.
Far too many strikeouts. Four Red Sox players struck out more than 100 times. Bay (162), Ortiz (134), Youkilis (125), Drew (109) K’d 530 times. Red Sox were fourth in the AL in strikeouts, and had by far the most Ks of the four AL playoff teams.
Again, I would not be surprised if Theo let Bay walk and filled that spot through a trade.
And do they make a push for Abreau at DH? He’s got a 1-year deal. He’s 35, but crap, he drives pitchers nuts.
IBM – Abreu stated that he wants to stay with the Angels. Of course, with a grain of salt..
Apparently the Angels led the league in productive outs. Twins were second, and Yanks were third – it was a graphic during the Twins game..
I am hoping for a Dodgers-Yankees World Series.
The storylines with Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez facing the Yanks alone would be worth it.
Torre and Manny beat the Yanks in the World Series would be the ultimate in irony.
ahhhh, time to start thinking about next season already! that sux.
Clay pitched will yesterday as did Bard. Abreu’s “double” (really?) undid Wagner, but still, Pap like Nathan with the twins couldn’t get it done.
As for next year, I see Bay walking – he’s a close comp for Richie Sexson at the same age, and that didn’t go to well for Seattle over time. Lowell has a year left as does Papi, so it should be interesting to see what Theo does.
Though I would never tire of seeing Papelbon blow a save, I am sorry to see the Sox go out like this SFs. Was looking forward/hoping for a Sox-Yanks ALCS, at least in part because it makes this site a lot more fun. In the end, the Yankees’ big acquisitions this past off-season made all the difference. For once in the past 10 years they spent their money on guys in their prime.
The Sox were the third best team in the ALDS.
…
Abreau is 35. That’s a big knock, too.
I’m moving the rest of this postmortem to the Monday thread.