Dewey & Aviles At BoSox Lunch

Red Sox legend Dwight Evans (pictured here) and newcomer Mike Aviles addressed today's BoSox Club Luncheon at the Waltham Westin Hotel.

Dewey recounted his memories of both the 1975 and 1986 World Series—divulging that he has yet to watch any highlight films of the latter. Mike Aviles—who came over in a trade from Kansas City at the deadline—is thrilled to have a real opportunity at a ring. He talked about his impressive rise from Division 2 college ball through the minors to the bigs.

The BoSox Club is the official booster club of the Red Sox. You can get to great events like this by joining the club at their website HERE.

Just Bad Enough To Lose

The Red Sox left 16 men on base last night, so all of the blame can't fall on John Lackey for the 5-2 loss to the Empire. Having said that, Lackey delivered his usual 5 run (4 earned), 7-inning performance. Honestly, is this good enough from our supposed #3 starter? I won't even get into the salary issue.

Back to the real story of the night—the inability of the Red Sox to put the dagger in the substantial carcass of C.C. Sabathia. They did part of the the job in running up his pitch count (batting average against goes up exponentially for big lefty when he passes 100 pitches), but Boston left the bases loaded twice and even had the opportunity to tie the game against Rivera in the 9th. No dice.

So, despite their overall dominance of the Pinstriped Posers this year (10-3), the Sox own the slimmest of leads in the AL East (1/2 game) with Beckett in the wings to make things right.

Let It Begin

Happy Birthday, Kid.

'The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived' would have been 93 years old today. The fact that the great Ted Williams was born in 1918 always seemed to have a wry irony about it—at least until 2004. He was a natural almost from the start, and were it not for his mother wanting him to stay close to his San Diego home, he would have been scooped away by bonus money from the Evil Empire. Perish the thought!

On this anniversary of the Splendid Splinter's birth, it's worth revisiting the best book ever written about him: Leigh Montville's "Ted Williams: The Biography Of An American Hero". It has all the warts and all the wonder of the man who represented Red Sox baseball for his entire career. Montville is one of the best writers ever produced by the tight-knit little coterie of Boston sports journalism. It is a compelling read—even for a second or third time. Where else would you find out about how Ted—before games—would occasionally shoot pigeons on the field from behind the bullpen wall at Fenway? And nowhere else will you find a long, intimate interview with Ted's second wife about the ups and downs of life with a mercurial superstar.

With all of his run-ins with media and fans, Ted was always focused on one thing—hitting a baseball better than anyone. That usually meant good things for the Boston Red Sox.

Happy birthday, Kid.

Stars Come Out For Beckett Bowl V

Josh Beckett's fifth annual bowling tournament to raise funds for Children's Hospital brought out a bevy of stars on Monday night. The Beckett Bowl, which took place at Lucky Strike Lanes across from Fenway, featured an impressive array of athletes and celebrities from Red Sox star Adrian Gonzalez to Seinfeld's John O'Hurley (Elaine's boss--seen in photo).

Since its inception, the Beckett Bowl has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Oncology Department at Children's Hospital Boston.

"This is something that's close to my heart and any time you can touch other people's lives, your life ends up being touched just the same," said Beckett—now an 11-year veteran who claimed a World Series ring with the Sox in 2007.

Among the other Red Sox in attendance were Tim Wakefield, Jason Varitek, Clay Buchholz, Mike Aviles, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, Daniel Bard, Andrew Miller, and John Lackey.

See other photos from Beckett Bowl V here.

(FenwayNation Photo/Ernie Paicopolos)

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The Battle Rejoined

On Tuesday night, the Red Sox engage the Empire for three of the final six games between the longtime rivals. Boston holds a 10-2 edge thus far and can start to put the Pinstriped Posers in the rear view mirror with a sweep at Fenway. Thanks to the Orioles, the Sox could remain 2 1/2 or 1 1/2 games ahead of the Bronx Embalmers heading into the series (depending on whether the O's can win again on Monday).

Kevin Youkilis will sit out this encounter, a serious blow on both sides of the ball. The lineup just isn't as potent without Youk, and neither Lowrie nor Aviles have his range or overall defensive skills at third.

The pitching match-ups—aside from Tuesday's CC vs. Lackey—favor Boston. Wednesday pits Josh Beckett against Phil Hughes; Thursday is Jon Lester vs. A. J. Burnett. The Red Sox should take 2 of 3 and end up either 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 games up with just 26 games left to play.

FN Poll: Theo To The Cubbies?

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Dallas WOW-Boys

After being shutout in the first game of the series in Arlington, the Red Sox went on an offensive rampage, culminating in a 6-0 win on Thursday. Andrew Miller tossed 6 1/3 strong innings, yielding no runs on only 3 hits while striking out 6 (including Josh Hamilton 3 times).

The Sox pounded out four more HRs, two by Adrian Gonzalez (22,23), one by David Ortiz and an oppo job by Saltalamacchia. The win was the 80th of 2011—putting the Sox 30 games over .500. Since their 0-6 start, they have gone an amazing 80-44.

Beckett Bowl—Monday 8/29

The 5th Annual Beckett Bowl will be held this coming Monday night at Lucky Strike Lanes across from Fenway Park. The event attracts a wide array of Boston sports celebrities from every professional team. Get the event details HERE.

R.I.P.—Mike Flanagan

He was born in Manchester, N.H. and starred on the UMASS baseball team. He became a signature player for the Baltimore Orioles—helping them win the World Series in 1983. He didn't have a devastating fastball, but was the consummate "crafty left-hander" who got batters out with guile. He parlayed that talent into a more than respectable 167-143 record and a 3.90 ERA over 18 seasons—15 of them with the O's.

As an executive with the team, he struggled to return the Birds to the glory years of Brooks, Frank, Boog and Jim. While they did have some contending years (and may have gone further if not for Yankee Twerp Jeffrey Maier), they are today a faint whisper of the teams that made people proud to be an Orioles fan.

Mike Flanagan was found dead yesterday at his home. He was only 59 years old. The saddest part of this story is the contention by some that his death was a suicide—brought on by a perception that he was responsible for the team's lack of success.

This is a lesson for all of us that baseball is just a game—the greatest of all games—but a game nonetheless. We all mourn Mike Flanagan's passing.

Sole Possesion

For the second straight night, the Red Sox offense put a beating on the Rangers pitching staff, piling up 13 runs in Wednesday's victory at Arlington. Carl Crawford knocked in 5 runs and powered out his 9th HR as the full complement of the Boston lineup (sans Youk) took sole possession of first place.

Josh Beckett finally got some run support and cruised to his 11th win. Gonzo and Ellsbury also went yard. Tonight, Andrew Miller will go for the series win, hoping to build off his impressive win in KC.

Shock Rumor: Theo To Cubs?

The Globe's Peter Abraham passes on a report from ESPN's Buster Olney that the Cubs may approach the Red Sox for permission to speak with Theo Epstein—to perhaps become the team's president. While it's only in the 'wild rumor' stage at this point, it's shocking nonetheless.

Red Sox Lineup—8/23/11

Plenty of Contusion On This Issue

I don't know about you, but a big red flag went up when I heard the Red Sox medical prognosis on Jacoby Ellsbury's back. One press report went as follows:

"The injury was diagnosed as a contusion and is not expected to be a lingering issue."

Back on May 27th, 2010, Ellsbury told reporters this about his rib injury of that year:

"I think they downplay it because they misdiagnosed it. They said you treat it all the same way. Remember that comment? How do you treat a bruise the same as a break?”

Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard.

Sox Can't Hit; Umps Can't See

For most of this game, the Red Sox trailed Texas, 1-0—based solely on a blown call by the first base umpire. With one on and one out in a scoreless game, Josh Reddick made a clear shoe-top catch of a sinking fly ball. Sure of the catch, he fired to first for what should have been an inning-ending double-play.

Doug Eddings, the umpire in question, called a trapped ball—shown to be a bonehead call by every replay. Of course, the next batter (an o for his last 9 Elvis Andrus), singled past a range-impaired Marco Scutaro to plate the illegitimate run.

Later, Erik Bedard made one additional mistake (a high fastball to Mike Napoli) which ended in a three-run HR—4-0 Rangers. Game over—since the Red Sox mustered just 4 singles. So, Boston is 0-4 against their likely first round opponents in the post-season—if they make it there.

Darnell's Lovin It

Sometimes the guys below the Mendoza line are the ones that come through when needed most. Darnell McDonald did just that (3 for 5, HR) in today's 6-1 win over the hapless Royals. On a day when Jason Varitek tripled for the first time since 2007 and Jon Lester hurled 6 strong innings (albeit with 4 more troubling walks), it was McDonald who was most impressive.

The wounded Sox move on to Arlington, Texas for four against their possible post-season opponents. It should be fun.

Tonight's Lineup—8/19/11

Papi To Follow Youk To DL?

The Globe's Peter Abraham suggests that David Ortiz (and his injured foot) may be joining Kevin Youkilis (and his balky back) on the disabled list. Losing two key offensive threats at a critical juncture of the season brings back bad memories of the M*A*S*H unit that was the 2010 Red Sox.

And, by the way, doesn't the protracted and confused way both of these injuries were handled (not to mention the Buchholz debacle) again raise questions about the Red Sox medical team?

Maybe they can fly over the doctors from that Liverpool soccer team we're forced to watch on NESN. Never mind. Bad idea. They only deal with fake injuries.

FN Poll: Worried About The Funk?

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Jacoby Is Most Valuable

Jon Lester ran into his all-too-common 2011 command problems early in this game. The result was a 1-0 Rays lead after one. But Lester went on to make Tampa pay for not tallying more against the lefty early on. He went seven innings, giving up just three hits and striking out eight. He nailed his 12th win of the year.

But for all his heroics, it was Jacoby Ellsbury who gets the gold star in the opener of this double admission twin bill. James Shields was equally as good as Lester for most of the day (only three hits in an 8-inning complete game loss), but Ellsbury clocked a do-nothing change-up over the 380 mark in right to plate the only three runs of the game.

Erik Bedard will try to go for the sweep tonight.

Sox Ink Four Top Picks

The Red Sox signed four of their top draft picks by the deadline yesterday. Leading the pack was UCONN RHP Matt Barnes. Also in the fold are high school catching standout Blake Swihart, who got $2.5 million; LHP Henry Owens (1.55 M); and South Carolina CF (and two-time NCAA National Champion) Jackie Bradley, Jr.

Ozzie-Palooza!

I knew there was a digital void around here somewhere. Sure enough, it has now been filled by "ozzieguillen.com". That's right, the always positive, always upbeat Mr. Ozzie Guillen can now opine to us all from cyberspace.

And, about time I say. I never quite felt 'ozzified' enough by his Twitter page. Now, with his snazzy new website, I can check in as often as I want to catch the pearls of wisdom that emanate from his fertile mind. Like this:

"Wow, we won a series at home! Feels very, very good before a day off. I get to enjoy a nice relaxing day today; having a BBQ tonight before we get ready for those Indians tomorrow. They have been playing some great ball, so we need to be ready."

That kinda sounds like Ozzie, right?

24 Telling Hours

Between now and about 4PM on Wednesday, we may know a lot more about your Boston Red Sox and how they will position themselves for the post-season. Within a roughly 24 hour period, they will battle the seemingly fading Rays three times and face James Shields (1:05 PM Tuesday), Jeff Niemann (7:10 PM Tuesday) and David Price (1:35 PM Wednesday) in the process. Not an easy task. The good guys will run out John Lester (wild again for some unknown reason), Erik Bedard (still a conundrum) and John Lackey (need I say more?).

If the Red Sox are swept, they will likely be mired in second place, since the Empire will enjoy three cupcake games against the Royals. Moreover, if the Rays can take three at Fenway, they may actually believe they are back in the Wild Card race.

So, this will not be your typical mid-August series of Dog Day Afternoons. Let's hope we don't hear Joe Maddon yelling "Attica!" come Wednesday evening.

FN Poll: Best Thing About Seattle

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The Boston Song Music Video

Tonight's Lineup—8/10/11

Muddy Chicken has the night off.

Papelbon's Special Run

It wasn't that long ago that many in the Nation (including some on this site) were calling for Jonathan Papelbon's head. Personally, I can vividly recall my young son's reaction to the closer's blown save and loss in the final game of the 2009 LDS: "Papelbon's dead to me now." It was assumed that at the end of this year, he'd be gone in Boras-induced free agency and Daniel Bard would be 'The Man' going forward.

Almost two years later, Pap is very much alive with fans. After last night's 1-2-3 ninth to record his 26th save, Papelbon is on an amazing streak. After allowing a run to Tampa on July 16th, he's delivered 11 straight scoreless outings. And, most incredibly, he's only given up two hits over that span. He's become the automatic lock we loved from years past.

The 'Great Papelbon Conundrum' will rear its ugly head this off-season. There are a myriad of questions: Do we sign him—and likely overpay in the process? Or do we go with the younger, cheaper closer option already on the team? If we do, who fills in for what Bard does now? Can the Sox sign both Pap and Papi to multi-year deals? Does it make any sense to break up a 8th-9th thing that is working so well? Will Bard become disenchanted if he doesn't migrate to closer?

I thought baseball was supposed to be a simple game.

Tonight's Lineup—8/9/11

Cover Jinx Grips Hub

The Muddy Chicken better be on the lookout for Colonel Sanders and Frank Perdue. When the Laser Show ignites, he'd better have a Underwriters Laboratory safety rating in place.

Don't look now, Nation, but 'Captain In Waiting' Dustin Pedroia appears on this week's cover of Sports Illustrated. You know, the one with the jinx attached. Remember Nomar and his shirtless pose—before multiple injuries derailed his Hall Of Fame express train? How about Brady's smiling face on the 2008 NFL preview—just before he blew out his knee?

But, still, no need to be superstitious on Pedey, right? Right.

Red Sox Lineup—8/8/11

Was This A Dream?

by Ric Glaub, FN Int'l. Editor

August 8, 2011-Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Sunday night’s (Monday morning’s game to me, given my time zone half way across the world), was a mostly slow and boring game. Just imagine listening to Joe Castiglione for four hours, beginning at 5:30 a.m. In some societies this is considered as something near torture. There are recordings of people who have undergone this, pleading, “put me out of my misery, shoot me, shoot me!”

Or maybe I just made that last part up. You decide.

Personally, I think he did the game at home while he was watching reruns of The Brady Bunch.

At any rate, as much as Joe tried to keep the game in snooze mode, it continued to creep on, and jolted me from near slumber when the Sox tied it up. I was actually excited and awake when Reddick won the game. I can’t wait for the day that I tour the New Fenway Park and see the Josh Reddick and Dave Roberts statues next to each other. There are actually people who don’t think this will happen. Can you imagine?

The really important thing is that I had a bet going with my friend Scott, who is a died-in-the-wool Yankees fan, but otherwise a fairly good guy. In advance of the current series, we had agreed there would not be a sweep, but I had posited that the Yankees would take two of the games. I messaged him today to apologize about being wrong. He responded with the sort of invective that could only come from a native New Yorker.

This game was interesting in a number of ways. Yankees manager Girardi sent in Phil Hughes in relief, for instance. Hughes was scheduled to start Tuesday. So who are they going to start now, Don Zimmer? - no wait they can’t, he’s on the big time DL.

Whatever, the one thing that’s true is that the Yankees just won’t go away. Like the old Timex watches, they just keep on ticking.

C. C. 'Ya!

The Red Sox bounced back from a devastating 3-2 loss on Friday to pummel the Empire (and C.C. Sabathia), 10-4. Jacoby Ellsbury homered and drove in six runs to pace the Carmine Hose as they ascended back into first place in the A.L. East.

John Lackey was decent, but not overpowering, to get his 10th win of the year. He gave up three earned runs in six innings, gave up six hits and walked 2. He did escape a monster jam by striking out two in the meat the Yankee order.

Carl Crawford went 4-4 and scored three times. Amazingly he leads the majors in most 4-hit games this year (4).

Upset Papi Interrupts Tito

P-P-P-Poker Face

A-Fraud strikes again!

Major League Baseball is investigating the Yankee third baseman for gambling in "high-stakes underground poker games." Let's hope he's forced into another one of those wonderfully embarrassing press conferences where he tells the world about yet another indiscretion. And maybe even get a nice long suspension. What a loser. Thank goodness we never got him.

Ells-BURIED II—The Next Day

These are the kinds of games that championship teams win in championship years. Close, well-played contests against quality opponents that end well.

Tonight Jacoby Ellsbury legitimized the MVP chants with his second straight walk-off—this time a 9th inning home run to straightaway center. With two outs and nobody on no less. Sox win 4-3.

As Hall of Famer Peter Gammons rightly observes, the Red Sox will likely have three or four players in the top ten of the MVP voting at the end of the year—and Jacoby will be one of them. He is, by far, the best lead-off guy in the AL. He hits in the clutch—and now he hits with raw power. He plays a Gold Glove-level center field.

Unfortunately, Tim Wakefield did not get his 200th win the day after his 45th birthday. But for the second straight outing he pitched well enough to do it.

Red Sox Lineup—8/3/11

Red Sox Lineup for Wednesday, August 3, 2011.

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Ells-BURIED

With sole possession of first place on the line, the Red Sox persevered against a tough Cleveland club, walking-off with a 3-2 victory at Fenway Park last night. After a 95-minute rain delay, 38,000 plus (including your humble scribe) waited until midnight to see Jacoby Ellsbury line a single to center scoring pinch-runner Jarrod Saltalamacchia with the winning tally.

John Beckett got a no-decision after being pulled with only 85 pitches (multiple rain-delayed warm-ups being the reason), so Jonathan Papelbon got the win with a 1-2-3 9th. The un-sung pitching hero, however, was lefty Franklin Morales who bridged the gap with 2 scoreless frames.

Kevin Youkilis got the Sox even with his 16th HR off Rafael Perez—after a frustrating night when the Sox could do little against against the starter, promising young Tribe lefty David Huff. The Captain's sharp single to center started the 9th inning rally.

Seattle Correspondent On Bedard

FenwayNation's Seattle-based "Left Coast" Correspondent, Laird Harris, weighs in on new Sox acquisition Erik Bedard:

"I think it was a low risk move for Boston. When healthy, he’ll be very good especially against left handed line-ups. It took him three starts to get going early this season but then had a string of excellent games. Historically, he has pitched well against the Empire...One thing, other than being injury-prone, that should concern BoSox fans: Bedard values his privacy and does not like to be interviewed. He got a little better here, but our writers were willing to back off and give him space. I don’t know how, or whether, this will affect his mound performances. Win or lose, he is prickly with reporters."

Finder Of Lost Leads (Sort of)

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following update is certified vituperation-free by the Red Sox Starting Pitcher Sensitivity Institute.

The Red Sox, as a collective unit, lost two separate leads tonight on the way to a disappointing 9-6 defeat at the hands of the excellent Cleveland Indians. It looked like the Red Sox might overcome the pesky Tribe, when they took 1-0 and 3-1 leads. But, son of a gun, some tough luck 400-foot fly balls left Fenway and—suddenly—the home team was behind. Golly, gee!

Well, you can't blame starting pitching for everything. Maybe next time, our starter will do a whole lot better. In fact, I'm sure of it. Group hug?

FN Poll: Deadline Moves Enough?

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Buchholz Has Stress Fracture

Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com reports that Clay Buchholz has a stress fracture in his back and will likely be out the rest of the year.

Dalton Jones Rises 7.9 Points

FenwayNation's Dalton Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) experienced a sharp upswing in July—rising 7.9 points to 99.4. The big jump in the Index was fueled by a 14.1 point rise in confidence with the team's offense. Confidence in relief pitching and defense showed gains as well—6.3 and 6.4 points, respectively. Starting pitching confidence was the only metric to experience a decline—dropping 1.3 points.

The DJIA composite index is made up of confidence readings for four key metrics: starting pitching, relief pitching, overall offense and overall defense from a select panel of 50 FN readers from around the world. You can see the scores for each of the metrics HERE.