Hey... umm... Brett

Ok, Brett, you don't throw behind the all time leader in postseason homeruns and then try to jam him with your sub par fastball. He hits that over the fence every time. You hear me - DON'T THROW BEHIND MANNY AND THEN TRY TO JAM HIM.

Idiot.


Written by Baseball Sage Kyle Baxter.

NLCS Game 1 - Philly Gives the Lowe-Down.

Derek Lowe was in control. The man who won three series-clinching games for the Red Sox in 2004 had the Philadelphia crowd at his fingertips, and he knew it. Lowe cruised through the first five innings of Game 1 of the NLCS, as opposing hurler Cole Hamels looked slightly less impressive. Hamels had surrendered two runs early, the first the result of a Manny Ramirez double -- which Manny, of course, stood and admired at home plate thinking it was a round-tripper. That's just Manny being smug. (That's the slogan, right?)

The sixth inning was Philadelphia's time to shine. With a man on, Chase Utley slugged one over the outfield wall at Citizen's Bank Ballpark, a fly ball that would have almost certainly been an out anywhere else. That's the beauty of home-field advantage. With that, Lowe unraveled. He gave up a solo shot two batters later to Pat Burrell, and the night was lost for Los Angeles. Hamels, along with strong work from the Phillies' bullpen, shut down the Dodger offense to secure Game 1. Brad Lidge picked up the save with a scoreless ninth.

The mini-meltdown was uncharacteristic for Derek Lowe. The man who's shown such poise in postseasons past -- and as a Red Sox diehard, I've seen every single moment -- wilted just a bit too much. Giving up three runs is unthinkable when opposed by Hamels, arguably the best left-hander in the National League. (I'm pointing the finger at you, Johan Santana. You've been replaced.)

Thankfully for the Dodgers, Game 2 is already upon us. Today at 4:35 PM ET, Chad Billingsley takes the ball against the Phillies' Brett Myers. The Dodgers look to steal the game and go home with a split.

Final Score: Philadelphia 3, Los Angeles 2.
Win: Cole Hamels (1-0)
Loss: Derek Lowe (0-1)
Save: Brad Lidge (1)
Player of the Game: Cole Hamels, SP, Philadelphia (7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 8 K, 2 BB).


On Tap for Today / Tonight:

4:35 PM ET: The Dodgers and Phillies meet in the city of brotherly love for Game 2 of the National League Championship Series. Chad Billingsley (LAD) opposes Brett Myers (PHI). Philadelphia leads the best-of-seven series 1-0.

8:37 PM ET: The Red Sox and Rays kick off the American League Championship Series in Tampa Bay. Daisuke Matsuzaka (BOS) opposes James Shields (TBR).


Posted by Dan Zappulla, Vendorball Columnist.

Bruins 5 - Avalanche 4: Should we care?

So, the curtain went up for the 2008-2009 NHL season last night. Did you notice? Oh, playoff baseball, huh? Well I suppose that's a good reason. What about tomorrow night? MORE playoff baseball!? Well the baseball playoffs end at the end of the month and then you'll have some time to catch some hockey, right? No?

Unfortunately after the players strike, the NHL has plummeted in popularity. So much so, that ESPN no longer considers it a major sport (and ranks it behind NASCAR in their minor-sport category). The hockey divorce most fans are feeling pales in comparison to the way we feel about hockey in Boston. Boston is a city primed to love it's hockey team if only the ownership would buck up and spend some damn money on players. This is the city of Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, Cam Neely, Gary Doak, Gerry Cheevers and Terry O'Reilly (and most people won't even know who a few of those guys are). I've even got a couple of YouTube Videos showing how passionate this town used to be, and can be about hockey (and how awesome it is in general). These videos are in crappy quality so bear with them.

-Bruins players climb over the boards (that plexiglass stuff that keeps fans away from stray pucks) to fight Ranger fans at Madison Square Garden in New York. Notice Mike Milbury rip off a guy's shoe and beat him with it. THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED! By the way, Terry O'Reilly led the charge into the stands.

-In this one, we can watch a Bruins fan taunt Steve Yzerman (Hall of Famer, eventually) and when Steve goes over to see what happens, the fan punches him in the face!


How awesome is that? REALLY!? Even hockey-haters have to admit that those videos are pretty cool and exemplify the passion surrounding hockey...well the passion that used to surround hockey.

Well hockey has been diluted, so we won't be seeing much of that, probably ever again. So the question is, can we be excited about this Bruins team? Well, they have some young talented players: Bergeron, 23; Kessel, 21; Krejci, 22 (scored the game winner with 2:36 left last night); Lucic, 20; Wheeler, 22. And these guys are all somewhere between pretty good and very good. They also have a few good veterans in Mark Savard, Zdeno Chara (one of the best defensemen in the league), and Marco Strum. However their defense is weak (Chara being the only strong one of the bunch), their goaltending is inconsistent, and they don't quite have enough talent to do anything but making the playoffs and MAYBE make it to the second round (although I don't even expect that). However, with the emergence of the Rays as a power in baseball, I might be willing to risk a little hope. This team is like the old Devil Rays - young and talented but with all the wrong veterans (remember the Rays had Fred McGriff, Wade Boggs, Greg Vaughn, and their staff ace was Tanyon Strutze - this was only 5-6 years ago). This team is much of the same - if they continue to develop young players they could, in time get there.

But I do not risk a lot on this shimmer of hope. The Jacobs brothers and Sinden will find a way to drive this team into the ground, you can bet on that. So I sit, holding my hope and hoping to see the Bruins finally make some good decisions and win back some fans. Last night was encouraging, but there's a long way to go yet.

Written by Mad Scientist: Kyle Baxter

Staff Predictions -- League Championship Series

With baseball's League Championship Series starting over the next two days, the VendorBall staff will -- of course -- chime in with our picks for each series, starting with the Junior Circuit.

American League Championship Series
Boston Red Sox (Wild Card) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (East Champion)

Dan Picks: Boston in Seven
Why: Experience will outlast exuberance. I originally had Boston in five, but Tampa Bay has shown that they can hang with the powerhouses. The Red Sox have been there before, and while the Rays will put up one hell of a fight, Jon Lester is slated to take the ball in Game Seven. Boston will steal a game in Tampa Bay and come home with a split. Lester will quiet the Tampa / St. Pete crowd in the deciding game as the Red Sox move on to their second consecutive World Series.

Kyle Picks: Boston in Six
Why: Some may be wondering why, after getting the match-up I expected in the ALCS, I changed my mind out the outcome. The teams did not change, and the Rays actually looked better than the Sox in the first round, despite facing a weaker opponent. So why have I done such a John Kerry-esque flip-flop? The Red Sox are the Champs. I was reminding forcibly of that fact last round, when the Sox took a 1-8 record against the Angels into Los Angeles and took both games without so much as flinching. It's easy to forget, over the course of a long baseball season, but the Red Sox are the defending World Champions (I do still love saying it). And despite having a less-than favorable match-up, you got to go with the champs. I'll even do a game breakdown on this one, the Sox go: L, W, W, L, W, W.
Beckett's line for the clincher: 8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12 K. Remember you heard it here first.

National League Championship Series
Los Angeles Dodgers (West Champion) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (East Champion)

Dan Picks: Los Angeles in Five
Why: They’re just too hot. Cole Hamels has a win in him, but he’s also matched up against Derek Lowe, who is on quite a streak of his own. Hamels and Lowe will split their two contests, and the Dodgers will take the middle three games. Manny Ramirez will, of course, lead the charge as the Dodgers book their tickets to Fenway Park. Think there might be a storyline or two heading into that World Series?

Kyle Picks: Los Angeles in Five
Why: The LA Dodgers are playing some inspired baseball. Behind our former idiot, Manny, the team has rallied around into Manny's attitude: laid back, carefree, hard-playing. Of course, the Phillies have the best pitcher in this series (Cole Hamels), as well as a stifling bullpen. The Phillies also have a better lineup: Victorino, Utley, Howard, Burrell over Kemp, Manny, Ethier, Martin. But the baseball Gods work in strange ways. This World Series needs to be Sox-Dodgers, I can feel it. Manny carries this team offensively, and the Dodgers have a deep and talented pitching staff - as we saw while they ran over the Cubs. The Dodgers are hot, and this is the right time to be a hot ballclub.

LDS Prediction Winners

So we here at Vendorball decided to make our playoff predictions a little competition. The format is head-to-head: closest to the right prediction wins. There are 8 states to each series. Team1 can win in 4, 5, 6, 7 and Team2 can win in 7, 6, 5, 4 games. Closest to the right prediction wins the series, first man to win 4 series wins the playoffs.

ALDS: Tampa Bay vs. Chicago

Kyle: Tampa in 4
Dan: Tampa in 4
Actual: Tampa in 4
Winner: Tie

Not an exciting series, which is why we lead off with this one. We both predicted this series exactly - each of us giving Chicago one game because we couldn't envision a sweep. Boring as it is, easy call.

Score: Dan .5 - Kyle .5

ALDS: Boston vs. Los Angeles

Kyle: Boston in 5
Dan: Boston in 4
Actual: Boston in 4
Winner: Dan

Ladies and gentlemen, VendorBall's resident Italian goes 100% for his American League predictions! Not only did he predict both winners, he predicted the exact number of games played for each series. The amazing thing is, that if you predict both series and are only off by one game in one series you expect to be ahead, but D-Z dropped some knowledge on my ass - and he owns the AL.

Score: Dan 1.5 - Kyle 0.5

NLDS Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee

Kyle: Philadelphia in 4
Dan: Milwaukee in 5
Actual: Philadelphia in 4
Winner: Kyle

And here I got to catch up. Dan admitted not feeling too confident about this pick - and we'd have been set up for another tie if it went 5 games. But thank you Joe Blanton, and I get to make up a game here. CC Sabathia continuing his playoff mediocrity threw off Dan. Can't blame him for his pick, but sure can for the result, like so: YOU SUCK, DAN!

Score: Dan 1.5 - Kyle 1.5

NLDS Chicago vs. Los Angeles

Kyle: Chicago in 5
Dan: Chicago in 4
Actual: Los Angeles in 3
Winner: Kyle

WHAT!? This was the one series neither of us predicted. In fact, as a duo we did a damn good job predicting the division series, which makes this result surprising. In fact, one of use predicted each series exactly correctly except this one, and we couldn't be further away. Unfortunately, Chicago's offense became weak and they could not get off the ground against good Dodgers' pitchers. This LA team is playing some inspired baseball.

Score: Dan 1.5 - Kyle 2.5


Division Series Winner: Kyle

Victory Speech: Thank you thank you! I surely couldn't have done it without rocking so hard. The amount of awesomeness I piss out in the morning is more than most people drink in during the course of many years. It is truly a blessing and a curse being this great, but I'm glad to have everyone's love and support.



Coming up: ALCS and NLCS predictions.


Post Written by Vendorball Resident Soul-Sucking Ginger: Kyle Baxter

Breaking News -- ALCS Rotation Announced

Earlier today, Terry Francona announced the Red Sox pitching rotation for the American League Championship Series against Tampa Bay, and Japanese hurler Daisuke Matsuzaka will get the ball in the opener.

Game 1 (at TB): Daisuke Matsuzaka
Game 2 (at TB): Josh Beckett
Game 3 (at BOS): Jon Lester
Game 4 (at BOS): Tim Wakefield
Game 5 (at BOS - If Nec.): Daisuke Matsuzaka
Game 6 (at BOS - If Nec.): Josh Beckett
Game 7 (at TB - If Nec.): Jon Lester

Francona said that the full rosters would be announced Thursday afternoon.

Posted by Dan Zappulla, VendorBall Columnist.

2008 Playoffs: Day 6

Monday brought the close to both ALDS series, and what a day of baseball it was. We here at VendorBall caught all the action.

Tampa Bay Rays 6, Chicago White Sox 2
by Kyle Baxter

And that's that. The Tampa Bay Rays finish off the Chicago White Sox in 4 games (as predicted by both Dan and Kyle). B.J. "Porn Star" Upton lead the offensive charge with two home runs off White Sox starter Gavin Floyd, while Andy Sonnanstine did what only his foes in the A.L. East know he can: shut down an offense with less-than-stellar stuff. He allowed only two runs, both on solo home runs - by Konerko (who started hitting too late) and Dye - in 5.2 innings.

Floyd allowed two solo home runs to Upton in the 1st and 3rd innings and could never quite settle in, and was pulled in the 4th inning before recording an out. Carlos Pena also returned to the lineup, and celebrated by going 3-4 with a walk 2 RBI and 2 SB (WHAT!?). For those curious, he's stolen a grand total of 2 bases in the last four years. This game was never close, the Rays jumped out to a lead and never looked back, and once their bullpen took over the door was closed.

Aside from the two solo shots, the Sox were only able to pick up two hits off of Rays pitching, singles by Konerko and Ramirez. It was a poor series for White Sox hitting, and their swing-for-the-fences attitude never quite worked against the team with the second best ERA in the AL. Even though the Sox could touch up the starters a bit, the Rays 'pen was lights out all series.
The Sox did get good contributions from Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko, and AJ Pierzynski, but it was never enough, and never a lot.

The biggest problem for the Sox was that their pitching was giving up over 5 runs per game. The shoddy starting pitching of the White Sox was never going to be good enough to do damage in the playoffs. They will have to try and reload next year and hope for better performances out of Contreras and Buerhle, while keeping Vazquez off the playoff roster.

Win: Andy Sonnanstine (1-0,)
Loss: Gavin Floyd (0-1)
Player of the Game: B.J. Upton (2-4, 2 HR, BB)

Series MVP: Rays bullpen. No one guy carried the offense - it was spread out amongst the team, with different guys stepping up during different games. However, the Rays bullpen (Wheeler, Balfour, Howell, Bradford and Miller) combined for these numbers:

11.2 IP, 0.77 ERA, ER, 6 H, 13 Ks, 2 BB.

The Rays offense managed to put up 6 runs in each of their wins, but it was the bullpen coming in and shutting down the White Sox offense that proved to be the most important. Conventional wisdom says to chase the starting pitcher and try to work into a team's bullpen... maybe not with these guys.



Boston Red Sox 3, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2.
by Dan Zappulla

Fenway magic was in the air Monday night.

By now, I’m sure you know that the Red Sox continued their postseason dominance over the Angels by beating them in walk-off fashion. Jed Lowrie grounded a single through the right side, allowing Jason Bay to slide into home with a series-clinching run. But before we look ahead to the League Championship Series date with the Tampa Bay Rays, last night’s contest deserves a bit more of our attention. I won’t bother with a play-by-play summary of the game and assume that you, our lovely readers, actually watched it. If you didn’t, I’m not sure why you’re reading a sports blog.

Hats off to Jon Lester. A year ago, who would’ve seen this coming? This young southpaw has emerged into the ace of the Boston staff, and perhaps the most dominant left-hander in the American League. After a scintillating performance in Game 1, Lester returned to the hill last night with the weight of a city on his shoulders. It seemed as if he didn’t notice. After seven brilliant innings, Lester cemented himself as the best pitcher remaining in the postseason. The Red Sox have found their latest “big game” hurler.

By the same token, my hat remains on when speaking of Justin Masterson. Last night, he struggled – yet again – in a big spot. He doesn’t seem to have the confidence in his “stuff” that everyone else does, and subsequently ends up issuing walks in critical situations. His free pass to Vladimir Guerrero last night gave Torii Hunter the opportunity to drive in the tying runs. Hunter came through with a sharp line drive to right, and Masterson had coughed up the lead. Lester, for all his stellar work, would earn a no-decision. My advice for Terry Francona? Let the eighth inning belong to Hideki Okajima and Manny Delcarmen. Both have proven worthy of the responsibilities that lie with pitching late postseason innings. Okajima has become more of a left-handed specialist this season anyway, and Delcarmen would prove to be a great complement.

The offense had a bit of trouble with Angels starter John Lackey, just as they did in Game 1. They could only manage two runs off him in seven strong innings that must’ve left the hefty right-hander scratching his head. The Angels couldn’t have asked for anything more from their starting pitcher, and yet, Lackey left the game with a two-run deficit. The Red Sox mustered a fielder’s choice from Jacoby Ellsbury in the fifth to drive in their first run, followed up by Dustin Pedroia’s first hit of the postseason – a double off the Monster – to drive in the second.

I digress. As the game progressed into the ninth inning tied at two, an eerie feeling settled over the Fenway Faithful. It was something that permeated through the television screen, as I could feel it sitting on my bed. I hadn’t felt it in awhile – almost five years. It was a feeling of inevitable doom – that the Red Sox somehow would crumble under the pressure. It brought back mental screen captures of the 2003 American League Championship Series in New York. With Masterson still pitching in the ninth, pinch-hitter Kendry Morales lined a bullet to left-center, and the Angels had the leadoff man on second base. Howie Kendrick moved the runner to third, and then Mike Scioscia decided to inject a bit of his National-League-style managing into the game. In a move that surprised less people than it should’ve, Scioscia called for the suicide squeeze. It didn’t work. I’m usually the first to defend a manager or coach’s decisions during a game, and I’ll live up to that billing right now. Scioscia made the right call. That’s the style of baseball the Angels play. It got them to 100 wins during the regular season, and there was no reason to think it would be any different in the playoffs. It just so happened that it didn’t work this time. I admire the skipper for sticking to his guns.

Now almost twelve hours removed from what will be dubbed as one of the great October games in Fenway history, I can’t help but still be impressed by Jon Lester. As I previously eluded to, Lester has matured exponentially over the last year. Still only 24 years of age, he’s accomplished what most pitchers work a lifetime for. He’s pitched a no-hitter and won the deciding game in the World Series. Lester now has the defending World Series Champions on his shoulders, and he doesn’t seem to mind or notice.

Boston Wins Series, 3-1.

Win: Manny Delcarmen (1-0)
Loss: Scot Shields (0-1)
Player of the Game: Jon Lester (7 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 4 K, 2 BB.)



Red Sox - Angels Series Analysis
by Kyle Baxter

Jon Lester (BOS): Ace Ace, Baby (Alaskan Governor of Red Sox Nation, David Brescia).
Series Stats: 1-0, 14 IP, 10H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K

What more can you say about Lester that all the announcers all over the country haven’t? Even the preposterously biased TBS guys were throwing so much praise at him over his last two starts that I wouldn’t be surprised to see them writing love notes and folding them up into neat little origami hearts to give to him later. But homoerotic announcer love aside, Lester has risen to be the ace of this staff. Beckett struggled massively in game 3 of the series, and the Sox needed Lester to come out and shut down the Halos. In the first inning he reached 98 on the gun. That’s Randy Johnson speed right there, folks. All series he was dominant, working his fastball in the mid-upper 90’s, his cutter and sinker in the mid-low 90’s and that huge high 70’s curve. There was never any doubt when Lester took the hill.

Announcer (and Hall of Fame pitcher) Dennis Eckersley called Jon Lester the ace of this Boston staff. With all due respect to the hall of famer, but Jon Lester has been the best pitcher in the world over the last 6 weeks (and further respect to CC Sabathia and his postseason choke). Over these last 6 weeks Lester is 5-1 with a 1.49 ERA in 54.1 IP, with 46 K’s and 16 BB’s. That is clutch pitching, and that is what we’ve come to expect from Jon Lester. Unfortunately, we will not be able to send him out there in Game 1 against the Rays, but I still expect him to get two starts in this series.


Jason Bay (BOS): 7-17, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2 2B, 2 HR, .412/.474/.882 (Avg/OBP/SLG)

Jason Bay is in his first playoffs, but you think a little thing like the fire of the playoffs is going to stop him? Bay is from Canada, he has ice (literally) running through his veins, nothing’s going to bother him. Jason Bay did what the Anaheim order had a hard time doing: he got extra base hits. 4 of them, actually, while the entire Angels’ team only had 6 (the Sox had 13). Although we keep hearing that Bay is not here “to replace Manny” most of us realize the position he’s in is exactly Manny’s replacement. And you know what, he’s not doing so bad. Although Manny has been ablaze since arriving in LA, Bay has been quietly effective. I wouldn’t call him Manny quite yet, he’s not Manny, but he’s under contract next year.

In a series where Pedroia was smoking the ball right at everyone, Lowell’s injury rendered him ineffective (and now out for the ALCS, too), and everyone else was lukewarm, Bay picked up the slack. Even though he started off looking poor – indeed, looking foolish on two back to back strikeouts on curveballs by Lackey in Game 1 – he came back to launch a homerun in his third AB and never looked back. In fact, there was a cool confidence coming from Bay, and as a fan, I could feel it. When a player comes up to bat, as a fan you need to feel something. When it’s Papi in extra innings, you feel “game over.” Last year, when it was Drew you felt “5-6-3 double play.” This year, when it was Pedroia you felt “line drive.” During the playoffs, when it was Bay, I felt “something good.”

We needed an offensively dominating performance from someone in our order, at the beginning of the series it looked like it could have been Ellsbury. However, Ellesbury ended up falling into the category of “all right” as the series went on, but Bay continued to rope hits and have tough ABs. I will not pin him as “Playoff Stud” quite yet, but it does look promising.


8th Inning

At some point this year, Okajima went from solid setup man, to 7th inning + 8th inning with a short leash. And yes, he has not been nearly as effective this year as he was last year. I agree that perhaps better scouting and more looks at his funky delivery are working against him. But for now, it means we need an arm in the 8th inning. Francona has decided to go with Justin Masterson. However, these playoffs have shown us that Masterson has one fatal flaw: no wipeout pitch. (note: a wipeout pitch is the new lingo for a strikeout pitch that when hit gets you an out anyway. Think Schilling’s splitter.) He has no problem getting up 0-2 but as we saw last night, he cannot finish batters particularly well. He throws a 4-seam fastball, sinker, and slider, but despite the velocity on his fastball and sinker, he does not have the secondary pitch to get outs with. That, my friends, makes him a poor 8th inning option.

My vote goes for Manny Delcarmen. Amongst Sox relievers currently on the roster (and not named Jonathan Papelbon), Delcarmen has the best numbers in many categories important to relievers: WHIP (1.12), Slugging Against (.321), AVG Against(.205), K/9 (8.72), H/9 (6.66), plus he’s second to Okajima in BB/9 and K/BB (a difference of .05 for each). Moreover, Delcarmen is the power arm – a fastball in the mid-high 90’s with good movement complemented by a low 80’s change and a strong curve. His repertoire is more advanced than Masterson’s, and he has playoff experience. Although his results have been spotty throughout the season he has come on strong in September and October and his performance in Game 3 solidified his position as the bullpen guy I have the most confidence in (again, not named Papelbon).

And I had to wonder why Francona balked on putting in Papelbon in the 8th. True he threw a lot of pitches last night, but Francona once put Foulke in during the 7th inning during the playoffs. He was the pioneer who decided that a closer should be used when the need is most dire. And in the 8th with one man on and the heart of that lineup coming to bat – the need was dire. I honestly believe that Papelbon should have come in to face Teixeira, Guerrero, and Hunter at the end of the game. Although it did work out, so I suppose I cannot complain.


Angels at the Bat

Listening to the games on TV, I couldn’t help but hear the praise for the middle of the Angels order. Let’s look at some stats for the series (AVG/OBP/SLG).

Teixeira: .389/.421/.389
Guerrero: .467/.579/.533
Hunter: .467/.550/.467

Despite the high batting averages and on base percentages, we see slugging percentages that are quite low for the three guys in the middle of the lineup. True, these are high OPSs, but from your 3-4-5 hitters, you don’t want that statistic dominated by on base percentage. So yes, these three guys were hitting, but they were hitting singles. In fact, between the three of them, the only extra base hit they had was Vlad’s lead-off double against Beckett in the 3rd inning of Game 3. Torii Hunter tried to stretch a single into a double but was thrown out by Jason Bay. The Angel’s picked up Hunter and Teixeira in order to get by the Sox this year, but it did not work. No power, no clutch hitting, no luck.


Josh Beckett

Josh Beckett got knocked around in Game 3 (see 2008 Playoffs: Day 4), and did not look like himself in the playoffs. Some think that Beckett looked “obviously in pain” while throwing. With Dice-K giving Sox fans nightmares of walks and runners on third with no outs, Beckett is going to need to come back to form in the ALCS. Lester has solidified his number 1 spot in the rotation for the playoffs, but Beckett needs to be the number two guy. What that means is that he needs to give strong, quality start (6+ IP, 3 ER or less) performances from here on out. Now Beckett throwing 7 innings and allowing three earned runs is an under-performance for him in the playoffs, but as it stands, he can under-perform and get the job done. That is why he will march out there, hurt, sick, with a 2x4 sticking out of his liver, and pitch.

If Beckett can get back to his playoff form of old, which I think is a possibility, then you can lock in the Sox for another world series. A strong 1-2 punch with starting pitchers has been an unbeatable force in the playoffs before, especially in longer series. You need only look to 2001 (Randy Johnson and Schilling), 2003 (Beckett and Brad Penny), and 2004 (Schilling and Pedro), to see my point. With Beckett back at full tilt, the rest of the league needs to buckle up. Safe to say Red Sox Nation will be watching Beckett’s last start closely.


Commercials

Anyone else getting sick of seeing the same playoff commercials over and over? Even those Frank Caliendo ads, which I usually enjoy, have become painful to watch. Honestly, I hope the Red Sox sweep this series so I don’t have to watch that stupid Captain Morgan’s ad with the costumes (which I liked at first) or that Poltergeist ad for Direct TV.

Announcers

Last point – the announcers during these games were so bad that I almost found myself longing for Joe Buck…. (violently vomits).

ALDS Series MVP: Jon Lester
Runner Up: Jason Bay


What's on Tap?

Thankfully we have a couple days off of playoff baseball to recover before reloading for the Championship Series. Predictions? Of course we will! Rate our previous predictions? Sure! Take a day off of posting to this blog... NEVER!

Feel free to take a few days to catch up on sleep, preseason hockey, fantasy football, and time spent with your significant other. We get back to it in serious on Thursday.

BRING ON THE RAYS!

Full analysis by tomorrow

Breaking News -- Lowell Out for Game 4

Per Adam Kilgore of Extra Bases, the following is the Red Sox lineup for tonight's Game 4 against the Angels:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. J.D. Drew, RF
6. Jason Bay, LF
7. Mark Kotsay, 1B
8. Jed Lowrie, SS
9. Jason Varitek, C
-- Jon Lester, SP

Posted by Dan Zappulla, VendorBall Columnist.

NFL Week 5 -- New England 30, San Francisco 21

This season for the New England Patriots has never felt quite right. Whether it be the hangover from Super Bowl XLII, Tom Brady’s preseason injury woes, or the actual season-ending hit that put him down during the first quarter of Week 1, something has been a little off.

As I sat in the living room waiting for the weekly football crowd to arrive, my dear mother asked me a question that appeared naïve at first. After a few minutes, I realized it wasn’t so obscure.

“You and the guys are watching the Patriots today, right?”
“Yeah?”
“Does Randy Moss still play for them?”
“Of course…why wouldn’t he?”
“I haven’t heard anyone mention his name in awhile.”

Thus is a summary of New England’s 2008 campaign. Without Brady, the ship isn’t sailing as smoothly. Yet somehow they’ve managed to scrape together a 3-1 record after yesterday’s victory in San Francisco over a hungry 49ers team.

It started out how most expected it to – badly. This is a new feeling for Patriot fans. We’re used to our club getting out to a three or four touchdown lead…in the first quarter alone. But with the reigning NFL MVP riding the sideline for the season, it seems as if our franchise has been set back ten years. San Francisco hopped all over now-starting-quarterback Matt Cassel and bullied their way to a 14-7 lead. The Patriots’ seven points, by the way, came on a stellar – yet desperate – 66-yard chuck from Cassel to Moss. It was the longest completion of Cassel’s professional career.

After trailing by seven, the tide – somehow – seemed to turn. The Patriots seemed like the champions of old, and they got back to doing what made them famous (or infamous, depending on whom you ask). From that point on, they outscored the Niners 23-7. The Pats even revived a play from many years ago. On a 3rd-and-Goal, they ran a direct snap to RB Kevin Faulk that led them into the end zone. If you’ll open up your NFL history books to “Super Bowl XXXVIII,” you’ll see that they also ran the direct snap to Faulk for a successful fourth-quarter two-point conversion against Carolina. Yes, I remembered that off the top of my head.

This week’s win leaves me feeling both optimistic and cautious. While I want so badly to believe that Cassel could “manage the game” like he did yesterday, there sits an underlying tone of anxiety that leads me to expect his eventual downfall. In other words, the success isn’t fooling me. I’m waiting for him to implode. Next week will be his greatest test to date as the Patriots travel down the Pacific coast to San Diego to meet the Chargers. Cassel will hope to catch lightning in a bottle.

Posted by Dan Zappulla, VendorBall Columnist.

2008 Playoffs: Day 5

Although the three baseball games clashed epically with the Giants' dismemberment of the Seahawks, the Colts' bullsh*t run to 2-2 over the Texans, and the Patriots hard nosed win against the 49ers, there was a great day of baseball to be watched. Although, the Sox game ending well past midnight has this blogger all out of gas, an update on the playoffs still needs to be written. So, I'll step up to recap the pain of yesterday, in reverse chronological order.


Boston Red Sox 4 - Los Angeles Angels 5 (F/12)

It's not supposed to happen this way. When Josh Beckett takes the mound in the playoffs, it's lights out. He mixes that high 90's four-seam fastball, cuts it, sinks it, then sits people down with that knee-buckling curve. Josh Beckett does not give up 4 runs in 5 innings in the playoffs. Josh Beckett certainly does not surrender two home runs in one game, NEVER to the same player while in the playoffs. In the playoffs, Josh Beckett does not give up two leads. This was not Josh Beckett in the playoffs.

Since watching Beckett's only sub par playoff performance since his 2003 NLCS game 1 performance against the Cubs (6.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 2 HR), I have been trying to figure out what went wrong. Well, when the game started it was obvious he did not have his best "stuff." And by "stuff" I mean control. Beckett was 4th in the majors in K/BB ratio (5.06), amongst players with 25+ starts. Ahead of him: Roy Halladay, Dan Haren, and Kevin Slowey. So the thought of Beckett allowing a bases loaded walk is preposterous. His control was never what Sox fans have come to expect, as he walked 4 over the course of the game.

It was Mike Napoli who had the playoff game of his life. He hit two home runs off Beckett - one with Guerrero on second in the third inning and one with the bases empty in the 5th. For the first curveball, Napoli was sitting on a 3-2 curveball which he hit a long way over the monster. Admittedly, not much Beckett could do about that. When a guy sits on your pitch and you give it to him - well he's going to hit it hard. What surprised me is that Napoli had the presence of mind to sit on Beckett's second best pitch (his curve) with a full count. For his second homerun, Napoli took ball one and then cranked a misplaced 1-0 curveball over the monster for his second blast of the day. That, unlike the first homer, was bad location as the ball was up and over the plate.

The offense, too, seemed to struggle with lefty Joe Saunders. They scored three runs on the first ever three-run single in the playoffs when Jacoby Ellsbury popped to shallow center, and neither second basemen Howie Kendrick nor center fielder Torii Hunter took control and the ball fell between them. Saunders had walked the bases loaded the previous batter. Aside from that, the Sox could only muster 7 hits in 12 innings off of Saunders and the Halo's bullpen. They did not deserve to be in that game at all, much less win it.

The problem with losing an extra inning game in that fashion is that it can be a series momentum changer. By taking a game in dramatic fashion, the Angels spirits will rise up (come on, that's a pun... that's kinda... clever... right?) and be better suited to battle the Sox tonight. Tonight's game will be interesting since both clubs used their bullpens heavily - both starters only went 5 innings - so John Lackey and Jon Lester will be asked to pitch deep into this game.

In an interesting turn of events, I was sitting watching the 10th inning when Francisco Rodriguez came into pitch, and spent most the inning correctly predicting what pitch he was going to throw next. For a guy with 62 saves, his opposing batting average is .216 (higher than, for instance, Manny Delcarmen and Dontrelle Willis). So I think his pitches are predictable, and he was lucky to get out of that 10th inning in-tact. I think I'm going to call Jason Bay and discuss when to expect a curveball and how to hit it.

Win: Jered Weaver (1-0, 0.00)
Loss: Javier Lopez (0-1, 9.00)
Player of the Game: Mike Napoli (3-5, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR)


Chicago White Sox 5 - Tampa Bay Rays 3

Ok, admittedly I did not get to see too much of this game because I was watching the Pats and then trying desperately to get into Fenway. I failed, but also realized that I had flip-flopped the times of the games, so I wouldn't have made it anyway. However, the White Sox got their win that both VendorBall gurus predicted. Matt Garza did not look particularly sharp over the portions of the game that I saw, and letting up 4 walks and 7 hits in 6 innings is a good way to get saddled with a loss.

On the other side, John Danks stayed true to his clutch form, and after pitching heroically to get the White Sox into the playoffs (8 IP, 2 H, 0 R), pieced together another strong performance, making only one mistake that BJ Upton took out for a two-run home run. (By the way: isn't BJ Upton a great porn name? Just saying.) The Chicago Bullpen had strong performances from Matt Thorton and Bobby Jenks to end the game.

Now Tampa's resiliency is tested yet again as they have to go back to "Blackout Conditions" and try to pull off a win. Although they may see some romance in winning at home, it's time to put this series away. The Rays have been phenomenally resilient so far this year, and I expect that to continue.

Win: John Danks (1-0, 4.05)
Loss: Matt Garza (0-1, 7.50)
Save: Bobby Jenks (1)
Player of the Game: Dewayne Wise (1-2, BB, 2 RBI, R, SB) - and yes, this was the best performance of the day for the White Sox.


Philadelphia Phillies 6 - Milwaukee Brewers 2

Unfortunately for Milwaukee fans, they will not get to see CC Sabathia try to bounce back and win game 5, because Jeff Suppan had a surprising playoff choke and Joe Blanton was (even more surprisingly) effective over 6 innings of work. Blanton had not pitched particularly well all season, even in the NL. This is why his move from Oakland was less heralded than the big acquisitions of Rich Harden by the Cubs (1.77 ERA) and CC Sabathia of the Brewers (11-2). However, of the three only one is going to the NLCS, and only one got a playoff win this year.

Blanton mixed in all his pitches well (88-91 fastball, curve, slider, change) with pinpoint accuracy - not walking anyone and striking out 7 over his 6 innings of work, and did not look like the bust he was painting himself out to be this season. I think this performance springboards him over Jamie Moyer for the three-spot in that rotation. For some reason, I'd trust Blanton over the soft-tossing Moyer at this point.

The Phil's offense came primarily in the form of two home runs by "The best 'good' hitter that nobody fears...or remembers", Pat Burrell (quote by Dan Zappulla). Jimmy Rollins led off the game with a solo shot - which was a pretty good indication that Suppan should be on a short leash that game. I mean it's the playoffs. While Suppan only lasted three innings, it was long enough to surrender 5 runs, and three home runs, including a Burrell's 3 run shot back-to-back with a solo job by Jayson Werth. And 5 runs was more than enough for Blanton and crew as they cruised to victory and a ticket to the NLCS to face the Dodgers.

The Brewers have probably reached the end of their runs as contenders. I don't see them ponying up the money to keep Sabathia or Sheets - which means they're going to have some huge holes in the top of that rotation. I actually expect to see CC in pinstripes (the Yankees do love great regular season guys who go limp in the playoffs ::cough::AROD::cough). OK OK, that was a cheap shot, but I don't care.

Win: Joe Blanton (1-0, 1.50)
Loss: Jeff Suppan (0-1 15.00)
Player of the Game: Pat Burrell

Series MVP: Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Joe Blanton. The Phils won this series on the strength of their starting pitching. Between these three guys: 3 Wins, 0 Losses, 21 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 20 K
Those stats will win you some baseball.


On Tap For Tonight
We have two baseball games and one football game.

At 5:07 the Rays try to win their first postseason series ever, and send out Andy Sonnanstine against the White Sox' Gavin Floyd. I hear there will be "blackout conditions" again in Chicago. For those who don't know, that means all the Sox fans will wear black, in one of the coolest effects I've seen in a stadium. I truly believe that the White Sox fans donning black helps their players, by getting the fans and players really emotionally involved in the game. I don't think the effect would be quite as dramatic with any other color.

At 8:37 (this time I think I have it right) the Red Sox send out left-handed stud Jon Lester to try and finish off the Angels who counter with John Lackey. This is the same pitching matchup as the first game of the series, which the Sox won 4-1. Both teams need their guy to go deep into the game, since both teams got deep into their bullpens last night. And it's going to be cold - lows in the lower 40's in Boston tonight. So bundle up and get ready for another late and cold one

And there's Monday night football tonight at 8:30 where the high-flying Saints oppose the hard nosed Vikings. The Saints have put together a hell of a season thus far, with Drew Brees proving he is a franchise quarterback who can work without any big name receivers (Colston is out, and Patten is gone for this game, too). On the other side Adrian Peterson is continuing his assault on the NFL - leaving many to wonder how the hell he slipped to 7th in the '07 draft. This should be a good game, but you'll be missing it since you'll be watching the Sox.


Side note: I attempted to switch between a football game and baseball game yesterday (during the 1 PM games) and realized how hard it is. The games are paced differently, with different breaks at different times for different lengths. Two football games - no problem - 1 baseball and 1 football, damn near impossible. Best of luck sports fans.

Written by recovering sunshine addict: Kyle Baxter

2008 Playoffs: Day 4

Chicago Cubs 1 - Los Angeles Dodgers 3

And so the Baseball Gods determined it was not meant to be. The Cubs could not get the monkey...er... goat off their back, and the 100 year drought continues. The Dodgers won their first series in 20 years and unfortunately for Cubs fans across the country, it's "Wait 'til Next Year" again.

The big stat of the series: the Cubs were 5-for-28 with runners in scoring position.

Pinella's quote: "You got to score more than we scored if you want to win."

Cubs fan on ESPN: "This is what it's always meant to be a Cubs fan."

Jay Mariotti: "Soriano has become the A-Rod of the NL with a .212 postseason batting average." (This series: .071)

I actually think I feel to bad to write about the game. As a Red Sox fan who recently disposed of his curse, I have an unbelievable amount of empathy for Cubs fans. I urge you all to stay positive and support your team next year. If you can look at one bright spot for the Cubs, it's that they are actively trying to win a championship - as opposed to the Royals who haven't seemed interested in putting together a winning team in years.

Win: Kuroda (1-0 0.00)
Loss: Harden (0-1 6.23)>
Player of the Game: Jonathan Broxton. Came in to put out the Cubs 8th inning rally and pitched a shutout 9th for the clincher
Series MVP: Manny Ramirez - .500/.643/1.100 with 2 HRs 3 RBI (WHAT!? That's it?) 5 Runs.
Cubs Kudos: Derrek Lee - .545/.583/.818 and was the ONLY Cubs hitter consistently getting on base and hitting the baseball. If the Cubs lost because their offense couldn't get off the ground, that was not the fault of Derrek Lee. Everyone else's combined batting average: .204.

Milwaukee Brewers 4 - Philadelphia Phillies 1

Milwaukee finally gets one in the win column with Dave Bush pitching 5.1 innings with 1 ER, while Jamie Moyer only lasted 4 innings, and gave up 2 runs. The Brew-Crew scored two runs in the first inning and Bush and their bullpen - 5 pitchers - held down the fort. The Phils threatened in the 9th, loading the bases with no outs but a weird interference call double play stopped the threat and Solomon Torres slammed the door on Carlos Ruiz. The Phillies did not have a better bat on the bench to hit for Pedro Feliz or Carlos Ruiz? Apparently, and that was the game.

Not too much more to say about this one - it was a classic baseball game. They capitalized on uncharacteristic walks by Jamie Moyer, as well as Mike Cameron getting hit. They scored on two sacrifice flies, and just grinded out runs in three innings and that was enough to win. It was a great baseball game to watch, but not a great one to write about.

Win: Dave Bush (1-0 1.69)
Loss: Jamie Moyer (0-1 4.50)
Player of the Game: uhh... Dave Bush? J J Hardy (3-4 1R 1RBI)? Solomon Torres? Mike Cameron (1-2 2BB 2R)?

Wait, I got it - the Brewers fans. Don't be fooled, they won this game because they were at home.

On Tap For Sunday
A FULL SLATE OF NFL GAMES AND PLAYOFF BASEBALL. BEST. DAY. EVER!

Baseball
Philadelphia sends out Joe Blanton to try and close the series. Milwaukee counters with Jeff Suppan who has a 3.00 playoff ERA.

The Rays are trying to sweep the White Sox on the road for the afternoon game, today. Graza has struggled a little in September and will look to right the ship in October. Keep an eye on how some of these young guys hold up now that we're getting into playing frequently in October. Also, the Rays get back Carlos Pena in the middle of their lineup, which should be a boost. The White Sox play better at home and throw John Danks - hero of the one-game-playoff.

For the nightcap (8:37!? F*** you MLB) the Boston Red Sox look to win their 12th straight playoff game against the Angels. The Angels brought in Mark Texiera with the intent of getting past the Red Sox in the playoffs. Well the middle of that lineup are hitting - Texiera, Guerrero, and Hunter are hitting a combined .608 - but with only 3 runs, 4 RBIs, and no extra base hits, they're only doing half the job. Playoff stud Josh Beckett goes for the Sox, and lefty Joe Saunders goes for the Angels.

Football
The Pats look to right the ship against the 49ers at 4:15. With Belichick getting two weeks to prepare for this game, I think we'll see a much better game from them this week. Look for the Pats to get back to running the ball, even if they get behind, as the throwing attack was not effective enough last week. Watch for Cassel to air out a few throws this week too - I'm guessing play action to Randy Moss up the sideline. Remember you heard that here first.

The Titans take their 4-0 record to Baltimore to face the Ravens. For those of you not aware, the Titans D is holding teams to under 12 points per game on average. Look for a smash mouth game here that will be fun to watch, as it could literally end 7-5 and no one would be surprised.

The Houston Texans host their first game of the year against a reeling Colts team. Both teams are in a must win situation - the Colts could fall to 1-3 while the Texans could drop to 0-4. Texas running back Steve Slaton has emerged as a solid running back and could run all over a weak Indianapolis run defense. Peyton Manning has Dallas Clark back, and he'll be hoping to get back to form throwing the ball.

For the night game - who cares you'll be watching the Sox, right?

Ok if you want to flick over the banged up Steelers face off against the Jacksonville. The Steelers D has been stepping up big, but their offense has gone through two offensive linemen, two running backs, and Ben Rothinmyturdberger has a sprained shoulder. Should be a great matchup between the dual running backs for Jacksonville against the Steelers front 8.

Did I mention that I LOVE OCTOBER!

Post Written by October Lover: Kyle Baxter