Wine, Women & Songs

I was young but I am still stupid.

A-Rod gave his mea culpa today at a press conference at the team spring training facility down in Tampa, FL.  He repeatedly maintained that back in 2001-2003, when he was 25 to 28 years old, he was young and stupid.  (Methinks, he is still the latter. ) He admitted that he has made many mistakes in his life. (Methinks, he continues to make new ones.)  While on the one hand, he appeared to take the blame he deftly managed to shift it all off to - an anonymous cousin, to his own naivete, his lack of college education.  After all he does have a lot of spin doctors that work for him.

Have you seen the size of his entourage.  It consists of his back-again agent Scott Boras, his business manager, the PR firm Outside Eyes, his Hollywood agents at CAA and Guy Oseary (Madonna’s business manager).  Why does a baseball player need so much media management firepower?  Just play baseball Mr. Rodriguez and rest will take of itself.  You know what they say - success has many fathers.  In the same vein - success will make people forget.  Stop being so selfish, so self-centered and start caring about something besides yourself.  In other words, grow up.  You can not use the ‘young & stupid’ excuse the next time.  … well you can, but even less people will believe you then.

What’s wrong with this guy?

Every time the team is looking to rebound and get on, and this is supposed to be a good season after Hank’s Yanks signed up CC, AJ and Tex, it is suddenly about A-Rod and not the team.  Try and build team chemistry and begin to focus on winning - then once again there is some stupidity from this guy that crushes the chemistry in the clubhouse.  Best of luck playing as a team now! Now every member of the team will have to field questions about A-Rod.  The prima donna Madonna’s boyfriend. If it is not making boneheaded comments, having flings with hookers in Boston, getting a divorce or something - it is taking steroids.  Goddamn!

He admits to usage in 2001 to 2003, but where is the credibility? He has none left.  He used to try and live up to the humungous contract in Texas.  Maybe he used again and again in NY to try and live up to being a Yankee.  The guy is a moron and Yanks are stuck with him for the next 9 years.  Fuck!

Girardi will have a hell of a time to get the team to focus on the game and not have to deal with being A-fraud’s team mates.

The ALCS is in the bag.  A little longer than I predicted but the outcome was still very satisfactory.  Just ask the Boston Red Sox players… oh never mind they seem busy watching their last out.

Image I can never tire of!

I bet they miss Manny Ramirez now!  Manny and his career ALCS 0.340 batting average and 1.061 OPS.  Not to mention his 12 homers and 30 RBIs in 6 ALCS and ignoring the unsightly 0.520 average and 1.747 OPS that Manny compiled for Dodgers while hammering 4 homers and 10 ribbies.  Compare this to Jason Bay’s and J. D. Drew’s production for the Sox. Bay’s ALCS record was a 0.292 average and 1.105 OPS; while Drew hit a princely 0.250 and 0.796 OPS.  Manny is Manny and he will cash out in the offseason.  His payday may shade A-Rod’s.

But enough about the Bo Sox and… how about those Rays!

Rays Triumph

Matt Garza pitched a game of his lifetime and David Price made the $8.5 million signing bonus seem worth it.  Tampa Bay bats had just enough life as they beat Lester for the second time.  Maddon left Garza in for 118 pitches after the criticism he faced for pulling Kazmir in Game 5.  I thought he left Garza in a little long.  I was expecting him to pull him when he visited the mound in the 7th with one out.  But Matt came through on that one.  And I didn’t expect Garza to come out for the start of the 8th.  That was a short leash though as Boston threatened.

Well on to the World Series.  Phillies are well rested but they don’t have their blood up as the Rays have following the rousing ALCS.  Just like the Vegas bookies, I favor the Rays to win it in 5.  We will see when the Series begins tomorrow.  In any event, it will be a good Series - just ask Jenn Strenger -

Jenn Strenger likes the Tampa Bay Rays

Do I blame Joe Maddon or just luck for what happened?  Why was Kazmir taken out in Game 5 after the way he was pitching - a 2-hit shutout!  This is the Game 5 dude (clinching game for you) and you have to let the guy pitch as much as he can - 111 pitches is not the limit in post-season.  Giving up a 7 run lead had got to tell on the psyche and apparently it did in Game 6.  A 4-2 loss.

This is a sight that one does not want to see:

Red Sox take ALCS Game 6, 4-2

Now the Rays need to grow a couple and make a stand.  Can’t let this get them down.  The wind is in Red Sox sails, as is the experience of playing in Game 7s.  But the kind of hangdog attitude as below is not going to work, chum.

Fan reaction to Rays last out in ALCS Game 6

Lester vs. Garza in Game 7.  Games like these are always down to starting pitching and the question is can Rays beat Lester for the second time? One good thing is that Kazmir, after a 3 day rest can come in if needed to prop up Garza.  Maddon ought to throw everything in - let Garza go 3 innings, bring Kazmir for 2 and Sonnanstine for 2, then let the bullpen mop it up.  But nothing would matter unless the offense wakes up again.  Hello there Mr. Longoria and Mr. Pena - B. J. Upton isn’t who carried the Rays to the post-season and this far in the post-season.  Lets see some life back in the bat.  Have to reemphasize the small ball.  Homers in the first few games that won those games can’t be expected to carry through.  Get back to what brung you here.  Come on guys - beat the BoSox.

Sting 'em

After the drubbing that the Tampa Bay Rays have been handing to the Bo Sox, it is not premature to say that they are the favorite to win the World Series.  Yes, you heard it right - the World Champs and Tampa Bay Rays were in the same sentence.  While Boston came back from a 1-3 deficit to win the ALCS last year and in 2004 came back from 0-3 to win against the Yanks, I posit that it is an uphill task against the Rays.

The table below compares the 2007 and 2008 ALCS (to-date):

ALCS Comparison - 2007 vs 2008

The interesting thing from the above comparison is that the Sox pitchers who won in 2007 won in style, and in 2007 Boston could go home to play the last two games.  Here, even if they pull the rabbit out of the hat tonight, they still have to win two more in Tampa.  This year, Sox do not have the benefit of clutch performances from Beckett or Schilling, former is hurt and latter never played this season.  They have to rely on Lester and Matsuzaka.  Lester, a future ace perhaps, got shelled in his start, as did Wakefield.  Matsuzka won and goes again tonight but this a very different Rays team he faces.  All the pressure is on the Sox - they are the defending champs.

I tell you that Red Sox are going to lose tonight and that will be the end of that.  Can’t happen to a nicer team or to a nicer group of fans.  Just ask this fine, upstanding young fan:

Red Sox - I got it pal!

But one does have to admire the tenacity and the dedication of Red Sox Nation.  They truly love their team and can go to any lenghts to prove their fealty.  Just ask this fine and proper lady:

Red Sox Girl (and her mom?)