Manny vs. Management?

Just because there were a few days off at the All-Star break doesn't mean all's quiet in RSN.

No no ... heaven forbid.

An article on espn.com (culled from the Boston Herald, so take it for what it's worth) indicates that Manny is unhappy with Sox brass and they way they've been treating him lately when it comes to deciding if they're going to pick up his options for '09 and '10. According to Manny, the Sox brass have been telling him one thing and saying something else to others.

I found this from the article to be a bit troublesome:

"I find remarks that we have been anything other than completely straightforward to be personally offensive," Red Sox principal owner John Henry said in an e-mail, according to the Herald.

Hmmm ... I'm not even close to pushing the panic button here, but when you call out ownership so much so that ownership responds and says they find your remarks "offensive", well ... that doesn't exactly bode well for the relationship, does it?

I don't really think this is going to affect contract talks with Manny when they do start, but you gotta believe that this event will be in the back of Henry's mind when those options come up.

Here's hoping someone in the Red Sox organization isn't stupid enough to be quoted as saying that they feel Manny's in the "twilight of his career" ...

NL 3, AL 4

It took 15 innings, but the AL's best beat the NL's best in Gotham last night and assured that the AL will once again have home field advantage for the Fall Classic in October.

And the Sox own JD Drew took home the crystal hardware for All-Star MVP when he smacked a two-run dinger in the seventh to tie the game.

Nice. He joins an elite list of Red Sox players to ever be named All-Star MVP: Pedro in 1999, Clemens in 1986 and Yaz in 1970.

As y'all are aware, the Sox were well represented at the game with Manny starting in left field, Pedroia, Drew, Pap, 'Tek, and Youk.

Meanwhile, the flap over Pap's comments that he wanted to close the All-Star game were blown way out of proportion by the NY media (surprise) ... so much so that Pap says he and his pregnant wife were threatened during the All-Star parade.

Yup, gotta love those classy fans in New York.

Orioles 1, Sox 2

With a win over the Birds yesterday, our Sox find themselves back on top of the AL-East ... if only by a 1/2 game ... still, a 1/2-game lead is a lead, right?

Dice-K ran his record to 10-1 (6-1 at home) with a good outing (6.0 4 0 0 5 7 0, 115-68) and he only walked five! < rolls eyes >

With Sunday's win, the Sox seven of their last eight games at home overall. Boston is now 36-11 at home (best home record in AL).

Pap came in for the ninth and with is 28th save of the season, he now has 100 for his career.

If there was a sour note to yesterday it was Youkilis leaving the game with a triceps contusion in the fifth inning after being hit by a pitch. Thankfully, x-rays were negative, although there's no word on how the injury could affect his start in the All-Star game tomorrow.

Meanwhile in the AL-East, Tampa Bay is on a seven-game skid going into the All-Star break, but I don't expect that to last. I get the feeling that the AL-East is going to be a tight race this season and the Rays will be in the thick of it.

Twins 5, Sox 18

Three games at home against the Twins apparently is just what the Sox needed as the boys in red stockings clobbered the Twinkies yesterday, belting out 23 hits.

Wowzers.

According to espn.com, the Sox 18 runs were a season-high and of their 23 hits, 10 were for extra bases, which tied for the second-most hits in a home game in the last 50 years.

Speaking of season highs, Jacoby Ellsbury had a career-high four hits while Kevin Youkilis tied a season-high with four RBIs. Manny and Casey also contributed with three hits each while Pedroia tacked on a three-run double in the seventh.

Nice.

On the mound, Beckett had one of his shorter outings (5.0 8 5 5 2 2 2, 104-67) and wasn't quite as sharp as he can be. But the bullpen, in the form of Lopez, Hansen, Delcarmen and Timlin shut the door on the Twins' bats, not allowing a run between the four of them.

Whatever happened to ...

... Brian Daubach.

A while ago I said I would post these types things when I had the time or inkling and I have both now, so here goes.

I work in Nashua, NH, and every day I drive by Holman Stadium, home of the Nashua Pride of the CanAm League. The other day Daubach's name appeared on the marquee, touting him as the just-hired batting coach for the team.

"The Daubber" was a great player when he was with the Red Sox (1999 - 2002) who was released and then signed with the White Sox for the 2003 season. He returned to Boston for the '04 season (a fortuitous move, it turns out) and played his last year of pro ball with Mets, retiring after the 2005 season.

Daubach was one of those utility players who didn't exactly light it up at the dish (.259 BA, 23 HRs, 82 RBIs lifetime) but he was a fan favorite and a "dirt dog" with the Sox, going all out every game he was in. Many times he would be covered in infield dirt and grass stains by the end of the game.

Twins 0, Sox 1

A tight game at the Fens last night, but the Sox came out on top thanks to great pitching from Dice-K and a timely RBI by Manny.

Seems like a little home cooking is what the Old Towne Team needed as Matsuzaka looked sharp over 7 1/3 innings (7.1 6 0 0 3 5 0, 108-71) with the bullpen (in the form of Okajima and Papelbon) closing the door on the Twinkies who had been riding a five-game winning streak into Beantown.

Nice.

This is the Matsuzaka we should be seeing more often ... pounding the strike zone, using all of his pitches and issuing few free passes (only three last night). I'm no where near ready to pass final judgment on Dice-K, but I don't think anyone can truly say he's lived up to the hype and was worth $51 million just to negotiate a contract.

More fun with the Twins tonight and a matinée tomorrow before hosting a weekend series with the O's and then the mid summer classic.

A road trip to nowhere and the All-Star roster

The Sox went 3 for 10 on this latest road trip culminating in a very frustrating 10-inning loss last night to the Yankees in the Bronx (their sixth straight one-run loss).

They took one of three in Houston, were swept by the Rays then split the series in Gotham and are now five games out of first place in the AL-East.

< shakes head >

It has been a long time since I actually yelled at the TV while watching a Sox game, but watching Saturday's matinée, I couldn't help myself. Sox are down, 2-0, in the ninth and finally pushed a run across and had the bases loaded with no outs against Rivera who, let's face it, isn't the lights-out pitcher he once was (but is still one of the best closers in the game). Coco Crisp strikes out swinging at a pitch that was beyond outside, 'Tek pops up for the second out (no surprise) and Lugo fans for the third out.

Ye gods.

That right there sums up this team. They're incredibly frustrating to watch and just can't seem to play good small ball right now ... they can't do the little things to get the win or make something happen. It's so aggravating to watch because this team "should" be better than this ... right? Maybe they aren't as good as they appear on paper.

It just astounds me at how the team seems to slump at the same time. JD Drew was tearing the cover off of the horsehide as soon as Ortiz went down and while you couldn't expect him to keep up that pace, he's done a 180 and completely cooled. Pitchers are blowing fastballs by Manny and 'Tek is an absolute disaster at the plate. When he's hot (which is less and less frequent) he's a great hitter, but when his bat is cold ... forget it.

And don't get me started on the bullpen. Will the real Manny Delcarmen please stand up? The guy was lights out for most of the season thus far but lately can't seem to close the door on opposing hitters. Okajima is flailing badly and Hansen and Aardsma have been inconsistent at best.

About the only consistent right now is Pedroia who is hitting out of his mind and playing All-Star defense. Coming into last night's game, he was hitting at a .472 clip (21 for 44).

Moving on ...

The All-Star rosters have been posted and the Sox are well-represented with seven players going to the mid-summer Classic: Pedroia, Youkilis, Manny, and Ortiz were voted as starters and Papelbon, 'Tek, and Drew were selected as reserves (reserves are selected by their peers).

Nice.

And not for nothing but ... this list of Sox starters shows how selections are more of a popularity contest than based on talent. Yes, Pedroia, Youk and Manny are having good seasons (for the most part), but Papi has been on the DL for a month now and wasn't hitting well prior to his injury. And 'Tek was named probably because of his veteran status (it sure as hell wasn't because of his .218 BA).

Still, it's nice to see so many Sox going to the game.