PortlandSoxFan

…I missed all the good stuff.

Last night, I went to the Rock Cats game, and I brought my transistor to listen to the Sox game. I had just put the bud in my ear for the first time when I heard Manny’s single and then Ortiz’ subsequent at bat. It sounded like pure fun…Manny continually running on fouled off pitches, then the players visibly joking around with eachother. With the score 2-0, I turned off the radio so I could check later.

When we were listening on the way home, we were 3 minutes from our house when Johnny Damon made his catch. “You are going to be seeing that one for YEARS” shouted Trupiano…I sat in the car, not believing I was missing all of this.

Then I get home and see the 8th and 9th innings…superb. Some might grumble that Pedro was still out there, but with the way his luck has gone this year, he deserved to finish it out himself. And in August, a starter shouldn’t have a problem throwing 120 pitches every once in a while. The fact that he was faster in the 9th then the entire game (and possibly the entire year) says something about this guy’s will to win, in my opinion.

And even better was during the top of the 9th, I was able to switch back and forth between NESN and YES simultaneously watching the Sox win and the Yanks lose. Too bad the A’s won.

Big decision tomorrow. I know who I’m rooting for:

Little has lost faith (in) Mendoza (7.07). The team could put him on the disabled list or release him.

“I want to stay here,” Mendoza said. “I want to help the team. Every time I go to the mound I try my best.” … HEUSCHKEL

And regarding the trade the Yanks and the M’s made yesterday…a national radio show this morning was talking about how it makes the Yankees ‘invincible’. I’m not so sure about that; in fact, I’m not even so sure it improves the team greatly. And I understand that half of MLB gets put on waivers right away and a team has to be prepared to take on a player that they put a claim on. However, I don’t really understand why Epstein wouldn’t at least claim Benitez. If the Yanks let him go (which would be highly unlikely), then you have a replacement for Jones/Mendoza. If the Yanks pull him back (which would be VERY likely if the Sox were the ones to claim him), then they can’t make a deal with anybody but the Sox…and what are the odds of that happening?

Burkett goes for the sweep tonight vs. Ortiz.