OK Curt Schilling, the world is watching. Again. Are you ready for another close up?
Curt Schilling: playoff veteran and notable big game presence, is on the hook for Game 2. That’s where he’s always wanted to be in the past, and Boston knows it needs him to be there again.
A day after Josh Beckett was so dominant that he drew comparisons to Bob Gibson, the aging former ace takes the hill in Game 2 with a chance to give Boston a dominant advantage in the World Series.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that he had an almost identical opportunity a little less than two weeks ago, with the Indians reeling, down 1-0. That one didn’t work out too well. For the record, that’s the lone smudge so far on Schilling’s 2007 postseason resume. He looked dominant against an anemic Angels lineup in Anaheim, just as he did in the 2004 ALDS. And he bounced back from his rough start against Cleveland to win the do-or-die Game 6, setting the stage for all of the Game 7 heroics that sent the Sox back to the series.
But even Schilling now admits that he doesn’t know which pitcher is taking to the mound when he walks out there anymore. He’s not the power pitcher who took control of the 2004 postseason and all but willed Boston a world title, with a handful of assists, of course. Instead, this is a guy who has to be perfect with his location and pitch sequence to get by with fastballs that cruise in at 92-93. At best.
In short, this Schilling is hittable, that one wasn’t.
Luckily for Schilling and the Sox, this Boston team enters Game 2 absolutely clubbing the baseball. Last night they got to Colorado starter Jeff Francis early - see Dustin Pedroia’s lead-off homer - and often. And Francis, by all accounts, is the absolute ace of the Rockies’ staff. Now Colorado is relying on a young pitcher with electric stuff but an equally flippant personality to resurrect it’s hopes of a Fenway split.
With the way Ubaldo Jimemez has pitched in the postseason, that could very well happen. But if Boston’s bats show up with as much patience and power as they did last night, it might not even matter.
If it does matter, then the focus shifts squarely back to Schilling, warts and all. In the past, that’s exactly where he’s wanted it. Now, Boston fans have to hope he has a few more games like that in him.
For once in the past couple of months, Beckett had more than one run of support. In fact, he had two homers from David Ortiz alone. But last night, unlike nearly every other Beckett start this year, that wasn’t enough.
Alice Kramden: cute in the 50’s, but as a 70 year-old with fishnet stockings? Egghhhhh.
In retrospect, even four runs wouldn’t have been enough.
And Beckett had no problem showing off that frustration, slamming his glove against the dugout fence repeatedly after leaving the game with a deficit. Suddenly, the Sox’ burgeoning ace has lost two straight, is attacking inanimate objects like a drunken Ralph Kramden and scowling like a man who was scored by Alysa Milano.
Hey, come to think of it …
That’s really what last night was for Becket: an evening where he left thinking he was going home with Alyssa again, then waking up the next morning with Audrey Meadows (that’s Honeymooners star Alice Kramden, for those of you who don’t stay up late enough to watch TVLand). In her seventies. Wearing fishnet stockings. You get the idea.
So what does Beckett have to do to get his once-prohibitive Cy Young season back on track? It’s really not that difficult. He has to stop leaving balls over the middle of the plate. He has to keep mixing pitches against a team that’s seen him plenty like Baltimore. And he has to get lucky enough not to hit up against a buzzsaw of a line-up like the Orioles are throwing out there at the moment.
Josh was not so excited about playing Jackie Gleason’s role.
But more importantly, the Red Sox have to figure out how to get over a tough loss on a day when they were counting on reaping the benefits of a big-deal bounce. Eric Gagne is great, but he’s worthless unless he’s setting up a Jonathan Papelbon save.
That’s not happening unless Beckett - as well as either Julian Tavarez or Tim Wakefield today - can hold a lead through seven innings.
Editor’s note: OK, so Sacha Baron Coen has been an absolute ass, and his agents have blown off a few (cough, cough 42) phone calls to get him to actually do this segment for us here at SoxNest. So, instead I’ve found another local stand-in to study the art of being Ali G, then interview Sox players as Ali himself. Or at least steal the answers that Sox players provide to NESN’s Hazel Mae in the weekly Ultimate Red Sox show. So, here comes a train wreck, starting with a guy so small he’s definitely going to be run over, Dustin Pedroia:
Ali: Big fan of Dustinn Pedhoya.
Ali-G: Bedebynow! Check dis, I is ere in butiful Fenway Pahk, kickin it wit my main man, Dustinn Pedhoya. He be de second base bloke for the Rhed Sox. Wicked. It’s a funny name you got innit it?
DP: Thanks
Ali: What wuz your parents tinking? Did they do it in a place called Dustin?
DP: I’m from California, so I don’t know.
Ali: If me and me Julie had a son, we’d have to name him West London shoppin’ mall. Or KFC at de West London Shoppin’ Mall. I really like dat chikun. What do you like to grub?
DP: I can cook. Spaghetti.
Ali: Spaghetti? Dat’s pasta innit it? Why would you eat sometin’ like dat? Dere’s so much 40’s and chikun here. And dere’s so much bassball. I don’t get dis baseball stuff, so wat else do you do?
DP: I watch a lot of TV series. You know, Prison Break, 24, Lost. I get ‘em on DVD and then watch them all in like three or four days. Really exciting life, I know.
Ali: Do you use dem to get jiggy wit your bitch’s babylons?
Ali sez it’s impotant to hunderstand sex … and know how to ghet it like Dustinn.
DP: My wife and I watch a lot of movies, too.
Ali: She must be like posh to smack on since you be de fit ball playa. But she’s small because you’re like dat mini me bloke.
DP: Wow. Well, my favorite actress is Catherine Zeta Jones.
Ali: Innit she de one who Michael Douglass is in? Why would you be on a geezer like dat? Me boyz say dat bitch be brick layin in a diaper wit her minge in dere.
DP: What was that?
Ali: Has you ever been in a ruk ere?
DP: We almost had a fight here earlier this season, but it didn’t happen.
Ali: Wicked! Dis be your turf, aiight? Watch you Warrior in dere.
DP: Sure, no problem.
Ali: Aiight, big up yourselves. Dis be Dustinn Pedhoya, and he be fit ball playa ere in de Fenway Pahk, and he be wantin’ to say to all you dat you better not come in on dis turf cuz dis de turf of Fenway Massive. No mo natterin’ wit’ des peeps, increase da peace, Westside!
Wily Mo Pena the young outfielder who went un-drafted has become a great commodity for the Boston Red Sox as their fourth OF this year with his burgeoning talent beginning to take form as the more at bats he receives the bigger the numbers he puts up. The surprising OF has been used mostly in CF rather than on the corners as he was used last year in those spots.
He seems to be a product of his surroundings in the fact that he doesn’t rely heavily on his defensive awareness and plays made to get him starts in the outfield as Francona seems to be willing to make a trade off for sub par defensive plays in turn making his lineup far more ferocious with Pena hitting in the late part of the batting order for the most part. Pena has great size as he barrels down on pitches, showing no preference for pitches taken and swung for, adding homeruns for the Red Sox and piling on the strikeouts with great regularity. He has been projected by many to be a formidable presence in the years to come for the Sox or otherwise as he increases his plate presence and awareness laying off the pitches that he can’t hit and taking the occasional walks. I am hoping to see his defense progress as he has a solid arm once he sets himself and throw’s but, just getting used to all three spots at Fenway hasn’t shown to be a monumental task for the 6’4†product out of Laguna Salada in the Dominican Republic. If he can keep the ball in front of him and his 250lbs frame he usually makes smart choices as a five-year still progressing fielder.
Born January 23rd 1982, Wily Modesto Pena is classified as a right fielder whose salary garners him just under two-million after accepting the offer from the BoSox right before he would have had his salary arbitration. Pena can earn an additional $100,000 in performance bonuses: $25,000 each incremental level of at bats amassing over 325, 350, 375 and 475 plate appearances. He made $1.25 million last year, Pena had asked for $2.2 million in arbitration and the team had offered $1,725,000. A quote from GM Theo Epstein stated this “We certainly weren’t afraid to go†(to the hearing), meaning they were going in prepared for arbitration before the last minute deal for one-year. The Red Sox have not had an arbitration hearing since Epstein took over as in ’03.
It seems that they may be able to hold onto him and is the air-apparent to Manny Ramirez if he ever makes up his mind to end his career as a Red Sock or not. But this off-season the Red Sox need to put up the offer for his services as he may have his pick of things in the end. The shock to Pena was that they signed Drew who unexpectedly opted out of the contract he had with the Dodgers to come to the AL East.
Wily Mo’s Transaction summary looks like this, ’98 signed as an amateur free agent with the Mets. ’99 signing voided by Mets, and then signed in April with the Yankees after February’s release from the Mets. March 21st, 2001 came the trade to the Reds for Drew Henson who we all know as the failed Cowboys QB and Michael Coleman.
Almost five years to the day, Pena was traded for the second time to the Boston Red Sox in 2006 for the Red Sox odd man out of the rotation Bronson Arroyo on March 20th.
Pena’s achievements thus far have him making both in 01-02 Class A-All-star team (Baseball America) OF and Midwest League All-Star team (A) Outfielder.
So fans can all see this guy has career potential that will explode when given an everyday job in the Major Leagues, when he was given just over 330+ at bats, he hit more than 25+ long balls and 65+ runs batted in, while increasing his average last season to just over .300, which is no easy feat for an MLB slugger. The outlook is good his contract will be huge and offers will come in I have no doubt, if the Red Sox pass up, on the only a quarter-century old Wily Mo Pena.
It could be safe to say that Eric Hinske has always been looking for a place to call home. After winning the Rookie of the Year with Toronto in 2002 following a career year in which he hit 24 home runs and drove in 84 runs the former Blue Jay has seen his production dip since then despite some lofty expectations that were placed on the first baseman’s shoulders upon his leaving the University of Arkansas to pursue a career in the bigs.
Hinske came to Boston last season following a trade hoping to resurrect his fortunes and started 21 games for the remainder of the year despite the fact that his offensive numbers again left much to be desired. Unfortunately, it could be the case that Hinske could again be on the outside looking in as manager Terry Francona has been quoted as saying that it will be a challenge to get Hinske into the lineup on a regular basis as Kevin Youkilis is touted as the team’s opening day starter while Willy Mo Pena is the team’s fourth outfielder leaving Hinske and his salary a question without an answer at the moment. Boston is due to pay him $2.8 million this season after the Jays covered the remaining $1.4 million following last year’s deal amidst offseason rumours that the Sox had tried shopping Hinske around the league and one team in the conversation had been the Seattle Mariners but until something develops, the former Jay looks to be in red and white for the coming future.
Better things could be in the offing for the American League’s former star rookie as he has had a solid spring thus far, the highlight being a grand slam in a spring game a few days ago against the Tigers that keyed a five run first inning, a game Boston held on to win 7-6 and has also had three doubles with a .300 average to date.
He may be starting to find his swing again but whether that translates into more playing time in the future is a matter of conversation on its own. But for his part, Hinske is just looking for a place to call home.
My previous post looking for writers was a huge success! I got a lot of emails from people looking to become writers. This is great stuff! I have commission a few of them to begin writing articles, and the site should be back on point sometime this week with some fresh new content (not that regurgitated stuff you read on MLB.com).
If you recently sent me an email about becoming a writer, and as of this post, have not received a reply, don’t fret! It’s been a very busy week, and I will definitely get back to everyone, regardless of whether or not I want them to help me out with the site. If you took the time to contact me, I’ll return the favor.
In the mean time, the dugout forums are gaining a lot of momentum and a lot of posting is going down! So why not join our community and get to know everyone?
Also, I’ve been getting a lot of requests for more player jersies in the store. I’ll be sure to put them up sometime this week. If you have a suggestion for our store, make sure you contact me and I’ll see what I can do!
I hope everyone is enjoying Soxnest so far! I know the updates are a bit slow, but, it’s off season. In the mean time, make sure you guys check out the dugout and see if you can help contribute to our site!
I am also looking out for talented, passionate writers. You don’t need to be a Red Sox fan, but it’s definitely a bonus!
The ideal candidates will have the following traits:
A love for baseball
Punctuality
Creativity and originality
Decent or above average writing skills
Dedication
If you feel you fit the bill, I’d definitely love to hear from you! At the moment, pay is $1.25 per 100 words. Meaning, if you can write a 5 paragraph article in half an hour, you’re looking at about $12.50 per hour. That, and the wonderful recognition of having your work read by fans just like you.
Please contact me if you’re interested. Writing samples are NOT necessary, but are a plus. If you don’t have any previous writing samples, then your first article may, or may not be used (if it is used, you will be paid).
