SawxBlog

Paul Byrd to Make Fenway Park Debut Tonight

Paul Byrd to make his Fenway Park debut tonight. (SawxBlog Illustration)

The weather is looking good outside my window as I type this and apparently there's only supposed to be a few scattered showers today. It's going to be interesting to see what Paul Byrd does with the Red Sox and hopefully the Fenway Faithful can help spur him on in his debut. He's draw a tough card getting Roy Halladay, but the Red Sox bats that are hot as they've ever been should be able to hold their own.

We'll be at the game tonight in the lower center field bleachers so hopefully you'll be seeing us snag a Youk HR :-) More to come tomorrow, Let's Go Byrd!!!

Please Help Fight Cancer and Support the Jimmy Fund

Click Here to Make a Donation
Click Here for Jimmy Fund Schedule

First off I want to apologize for the lack of posts in what's been an exciting week for the Red Sox. It's been a busy week at my "real job" and the time to post has been sparse at best. I'm back though, however I want to take this post to urge all of you who read this blog to donate to the Jimmy Fund. Cancer, for better or worse, seems to be all around us, and it's something that effects everyone. The things the Jimmy Fund does to help support patients and families is incredible, and it's one of the true great organizations the Red Sox are associated with.

On the 19th, this coming Tuesday, it will mark the One-Year Anniversary of my Mother's passing due to cancer, and it's still a difficult situation for me to cope with. The people in which I met through the entire process, from hospitals to hospice care was absolutely amazing, and in the darkest of times for my family, I saw the raw kindness of the human spirit demonstrated by complete strangers on a day by day basis. It truly was amazing, and amazing is what the Jimmy Fund hopes to accomplish for families. They provide treatment, hope, solace for families from all over the country and world.

Again, I do urge you to donate what you can afford, for every dollar is a bullet in the battle against this awful disease. Thanks so much for hearing me out, and back to our regular Red Sox coverage tomorrow.

• Click Here to read the post on my Mom's passing last year

Red Sox place waiver claim on Brian Giles

Will Brian Giles be looking at Red Sox in the near future> (SawxBlog Illustration)

It looks like the Red Sox are making a safety move by putting a waiver claim in on Brian Giles. With the recent health uncertainties of both David Ortiz and Iron Mike Lowell getting Giles on the squad could be a huge pick-up for the Sox, if he agrees to come that is. According to ESPN.com, "Giles has a limited no-trade clause, and Boston is among the teams to which he cannot be traded without his permission."

Having another solid at-bat in the line-up (.297 avg / .390 obp) could allow the Sox to rest certain players down the stretch run without losing much in the process. That and you can never have too many veteran bats on your bench when you're in a pennant race (see - Sean Casey) and in the playoffs. With baseball there's no such thing as too much insurance.

It is interesting that our first waiver move is an offensive one with the question marks still surrounding our bullpen, however I'm a pretty big fan of this move if it pans out. Worst case scenario is we CB'd both Tampa Bay and the Angels who would have been interested in Giles as well.

Youth Group: Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie Lead Way for Sox

Lowrie and Ellsbury both tore it up last night in another lopsided Sox win. (SawxBlog Illustration)

The Red Sox continued their winning ways last night with an 8-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals to improve their record to 5-1 in this post-Manny world that we live in. Leading the charge for the Sox were Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie who are both the present and future of the organization. Combined this new dynamic duo went 5/8 driving in 5 RBI while scoring 3 runs. I think it's fairly safe to come to two conclusions now:

1. Julio Lugo has lost his job - I'll admit, I really thought that Lugo was going to thrive in Boston but something has just seemed to be missing (a bat maybe?) during his reign here. Granted, we did win the World Series with him as our starting SS, however something just feels amiss with him. Maybe he has a case of the Renteria's, or it could be that world famous "Curse of the Orlando Cabrera", who knows. What I do know is that Jed Lowrie is turning into a bonafide stud. This kid seems to thrive in pressure and always seems to come through when you want him to. Also his defense is about 473% better then Lugo's. Ponder this; both Lugo and Lowrie have 22 RBI on the season. The big difference here is that Lugo's played in 82 games and Lowrie has played in 35. Seems like the case is closed to me. Sigh, another SS who's contract we're most likely going to end up eating.
2. Jacoby Ellsbury is out of his slump - Yeah, yeah I know, could be a little too early to make this call this, but the kid seems to be getting that locked in look, and he's really driving the ball. What really convinced me, aside from stringing some good games together, was the fact that he was able to take a left handed pitcher deep to CF. That's showing me he's seeing the ball really well which is great news. When Jacoby gets on base the Red Sox are a better team, it's really that simple. He's such a catalyst to the offense and if he can be productive in the #1 slot in the lineup again we could be seeing a lot of crooked numbers up on the score board.

Oh yeah, Jason Bay is still a stud too. 2/5 last night with 2 runs scored, give Love the way the Sox are playing right now, it's almost a shame they have an off day today, although I'm sure there's no complaining coming from Youk. Windy City here we come.

Oh Bay Can you See! Jay Bay Gets 4 Hits in Red Sox Win

Jason Bay is making a lot of people sing within the Nation. (SawxBlog Illustration)

First off, good call on Kris's part in the comments yesterday. Josh Beckett came up huge for the Sox on a night where they kept pace with the Rays and gained some valuable momentum back in the pennant race. And how about that Jason Bay? Homeboy is roping the ball (even amid Royal fan Manny chants) and he's certainly lit a fire in the clubhouse. Look no further then Jason Varitek or Jacoby Ellsbury to see that. Both players are showing signs of coming out of their hibernation's and it couldn't happen at a better time for the Sox.

I can't post much now, but damn, Jay Bay has to be making you a believer by now. He's hitting .429 since joining the Red Sox and we're 4-1 since his arrival. One game at a time though I know, however last nights was a good one, and I'm hopin' the train keeps a rolling tonight.

In Jay Bay we Trust.

Mr. B (aka - Clay Buchholz) and Red Sox Lose 4-3 to Royals

Seriously Clay, what's up with all the chains? (SawxBlog Illustration)

First and foremost what's up with Clay's chains? I mean does he seriously need to offset that face with a bunch of "manly" chains? Maybe he's just trying to harness his inner Mr.T, but it was Clay that looked like the foo'' last night. The chains bothered me, well that and his lack of control I guess. Plus I never like to pass up the chance to Photoshop Mr.T into...well, anything, but I digress...

The sky is falling. The season is over. The Royals beat the Red Sox. Isn't it interesting that about this time of the year each win and loss seems to be amplified to a volume of 11? If you win a couple in a row your teams chemistry is perfect and it's playoffs or bust. You lose a game to a team you should be beating in the midst of a pennant race and you finally allow yourself to start questioning the trade of Manny Ramirez. Both are extremes, and it's always way more fun to be an optimist, however there's truth in both side of the spectrum. What I took out of last nights game is the following:

• Clay Buchholz can be rattled pretty fast. Sometimes I wonder if the no-hitter may ultimately give him more or less confidence.
• Big Papi is going to miss Manny (hurt wrist or not). No matter how much kool-aid you consume you can't deny this.
• I want Jason Bay to do so well (and I feel like the rest of RSN as well) that I wonder if/when he really hits a cold spell if it'll get ugly for him.
• If you toldme in Spring Training that Coco Crisp would still be on the team in August and not Manny Ramirez I'd think you had a one way ticket to Arkham Asylum.
• I honestly think Tek is snapping out of the worst slump in the history of slumps. Have a hunch, and seen some life in those eyes.
• We need to win tonight to fight off any lingering feelings of the loss and get back on the horse. We also have to try and quell any road woes that are going to mount with every loss away from Fenway. Kinda reminds me of the 2008 NBA Playoffs...

Jay Bay A Hit, Lowrie Too As Sox Sweep A's

Jason Bay collects another hit as the Red Sox go on to Sweep the A's. (AP Photo)

It was only last Wednesday that our beloved Boston Red Sox lost to the Angels in what was their worse loss of the season by a long shot. The Angels dominated us again and the Sox committed four errors in the field, gave up nine runs, and looked absolutely dead and unmotivated in every aspect of the game. The next day we traded a guy who may be the best right handed power hitter in the organizations history (and a certified quitter and gold digger) along with prospects and money for a solid "dirt dog" type player who has no history of quitting on his teammates, and who's going to grind it everyday. In short the Red Sox traded in their fancy gas guzzling and obnoxious SUV for a reliable and dependable hybrid that's not very flashy, but it more then gets the job done every day in an efficient and non-intrusive way.

In the end the one who truly needed mental peace was the Red Sox clubhouse and it really showed this weekend starting off with their dramatic 12 inning win Friday night, and ending with another great effort by Dice-K, Jay Bay, and some kid named Lowrie. Three games without Manny, three wins without Manny. Yeah Manny's still going to get his numbers in L.A, but you have to remember he's playing for his next contract, not the Dodgers, and there's nothing admirable about that. On the other side of the coin you have Jason Bay who's never been in a pennant race and seem to absolutely be relishing the opportunity to be just one part, not the whole, of a finely tuned baseball machine. His numbers over the weekend speak volumes:

.364 AVG, 6 Runs Scored, 3 RBI, 1 HR, 3 BB

Remember all of that was done in his first three days, and you're already starting to see other people step it up. As I stated yesterday Youk is picking up his power game this year, J.D. and his Posse are living up to his salary and now some kid name Lowrie is going to put Lugo on the DL for the rest of his Red Sox career.

I guess what I'm trying to say by this post is that the Red Sox truly look like a cohesive team, and not just a good team (which they were earlier in the year) for the first time this season. Winning is without a doubt the final goal for them all and I think Mr. Jason Bay is going to be a pivotal part in that, not the pivotal piece in that. There's a big difference there, and it's one that I hope pushes the Sox to the playoffs and beyond.

Welcome to August people, it's just going to get more and more fun each day that passes.

Kevin Youkilis is A Beast

Kevin Youkilis reacts (aka - sweats more) after one of his 2 HR's last night. (AP Photo)

The talk all over (and rightfully so) WEEI, Yawkey Way, Baseball Tonight, local bars, and everywhere else in between has been the blockbuster trade of Manny Ramirez, Craig Hansen, and Brandon Moss in exchange for Jason Bay and some clubhouse peace. It's also been written every which way as well that Jason Bay will not be Manny yadda yadda yadda. What people should be paying a little more attention to however is the monster season Youk is having. He's totally breaking out as a power threat this year and he doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon.

Lets look at these numbers:

Youk:    .313 AVG - .380 OBP - .937 OPS - 74 RBI - 20 HR
Manny: .303 AVG - .400 OBP - .936 OPS - 70 RBI - 21 HR

Forget Jason Bay, Kevin Youkilis is Manny Ramirez equal this season and possibly beyond. Manny in the long and big picture will obviously have the better hitting numbers over a career, but I wouldn't bet on that over the next four years. Each year Manny's inching closer to 40 while Youk is in his prime AND he's winning Gold Gloves to boot. I'm just saying sometimes hard numbers and stats offer the best perspective. Manny was awesome and fun, but with the crap he was pulling and when you look at the amount of money he and Youk are due to make next year (let alone Bay) the Red Sox end up looking smarter and smarter. Youk's salary plus Bay's won't come close to equally what Manny makes...

Lets get that sweep today Dice-K and keep the Bay State of mind a happy state of mind.

Jason Bay Fenway Park Debut a Success - View From EMC Club Sick

Jason Bay looks at the Green Monster, his new home turf. (SawxBlog Photo - J. Booton)

I was lucky enough to be at last nights thrilling extra inning debut victory for Jason Bay, and let me tell you, the park was electric. The game may easily go down as one of the five best games I've ever been to at Fenway Park (definitely behind Gm. 1 of 2007 WS & Jon Lester's no-hitter) as it was a definitive new leaf for the Red Sox organization and its fans. The crowd was just pumped up for the game and we cheered Jason Bay from when he was stretching before the game, until he scored the winning run in the bottom of the 12th. Fenway and its faithful was obviously ready for this change.

I was blessed enough to watch the game from the EMC Club and it was absolutely awesome to be pampered there for a night. As I was having servers bring me food (and more importantly beer!) while sitting in my cushioned seat, it seemed just a little wrong, but trust me I enjoyed every minute of it. The fact that I had a tab open and never had to get up to get a beer semi-blew my mind away, I mean I never had to miss a single pitch. The fans weren't as foofy as I thought they'd be and I didn't hold back from being my boisterous cheering self, which I think won the affection of some of the millionaires sitting around me.

== Click Here to view pictures from the EMC Club ==

Jason Bay's first at-bat was electric and you can see this by viewing the video below (Awesome job J9!):

As you can see, it was a fun night to be at Fenway, and what I thought was going to happen seems to already be in motion. This trade has rejuvenated every aspect of the Red Sox family, from the fans, players, ownerships, and management, there's just a buzz that's floating about. Jason Bay is going to thrive in this environment, and seeing him, play defense, have good AB's, and come through in the clutch last night all while scoring our only two runs just reaffirms this feeling. If the Sox can pick up a reliever off of waivers to bolster the bullpen there's no reason we can't make a run at the pennant and beyond.

Ladies and gentleman, it's now officially time to defend our World Series crown. August is here, there's no rest for the weary, we have one of the best clubs in the game, there's no excuses, Manny or no Manny. I'm OOZING with optimism right now and just don't want to let go. That serum called hope is starting to take a strong hold of me.

Let's Go Sox!

Jason Baywatch is On Tonight, EMC Club Stylee

Through connections that shall go un-named (don't worry it's not Manny...it's my beautiful girlfriend J9) I will be attending tonight's game from the elusive and illustrious EMC club. This is literally the only part in the entire ballpark I've never seen a game from and aside from the inner class struggle that's always alive inside of me, I'm excited as all hell to see what these seats are like. I'll give a full report tomorrow with all the pictures you can shake a stick at.

Can't wait for Bay's first at bat, maybe I've drank way to much of the Red Sox Kool-Aid, but I'm feeling as optimistic about the Red Sox season as...well...I ever have so far this year. Facing the red hot Justin Duchscherer makes me a little nervous about Bay's debut, but eff it, I just feel like it's going to be a love fest tonight. (Knocking on Wood, don't worry).

Go Sox!