Daily Headlines - Boston Red Sox 2002

Saturday August 31, 2002

Burkett Strikes Again, Sox Bobble Ballgame.

John-Gone II Sinks Sox Early. Comeback falls short but blame pie for last night's relay play is Damon 50%, Nomar 30%, Manny 10%, Tek 10%. Oh and Howry... regardless, result: another one-run loss 8-7.

Shaughnessy confirms, StrikeSox knew too much. Johnny calls Manny slow, fans jealous.

''This is exactly what baseball needed,'' Johnny Damon said. ''Hopefully now the jealous fans who were calling us a bunch of names can take a step back and hopefully they will give us a little respect. They're tarnishing us lately. The fans should be happy now. There's no sign of another stoppage.''

What names Johnny? 'Jealous' of what Johnny. Just get on base Johnny.

Pedro groin pushes him back. Will he bump Burkett?

Friday August 30, 2002

Sox Trounce Tribe

Tough-not-weak Trot leads the way in last chance in Cleveland. Lowe sucks it up and takes high road this time. Boston 15 Cleveland 5.

NOTHING TO FEHR. STRIKE AVERTED!

But is it too (much) Little too late?

SETTLEMENT REACHED!

Tom and Katie are back.

Thursday August 29, 2002

SOX PACK IT IN AGAINST YANKEES AGAIN. GRADY THINKS OUT-WITH-THE-BOX.

New York Takes it Easy on Boston 7-0.
Bags-Packed-Burkett and the rest of the
Cartel send cars but won't drive in runs. Uugie, Rickey, Wake, Burkett Pack Up Early.

Larry on D&C says Grady tossed out the moving boxes. But the in-crowd says they were all over the locker room.
Any wiggle room here? Or just wishful thinking? Will the Manager's "OBP" bonus be his last?

Wednesday August 28, 2002

FANS STRIKE BACK

AND WON'T BE BACK

What part of that don't you understand BoycottBurkett?

Burkett yesterday when asked about strike on The Zone: "If I were the union I wouldn't give them anymore, we've already given these owners enough... (queston: why can't you guys get together, is it principle, finances, personalities?) Burkett: "it's a combination of things (why this isn't resolved)... 30 different owners with 30 different ideas as to what they want... everyone has their own ideas... it's a combination of things... if it's a quick strike, which I don't think is going to happen, we'll miss a few games..."

SHOCKER: YANKS SPANK STRIKESOX 6-0

Tuesday August 27, 2002

STOP THE CLARK

Larry Lucchino "no commento," Grady Little "we're a little more informed than most," Derek Lowe ''I probably didn't have the right frame of mind out there [Sunday]. ''I have to admit, [the possible strike] is on my mind. I was out there pitching thinking, `This could be my last start.' Maybe I wasn't as focused as I could have been.''

Fehr and Loathing, part XXI:
Extra Chilling: Stepford Tony Thinks We're Stupid

Rough cut of AL Player Representive paid five million dollars by your Boston Red Sox to watch major league baseball from the best seat in the house, Tony Clark, on with Jim Corsi and Bob Rodgers on NESN's "Extra Innings" after last night's game with Fehr in his eyes:

TC: "...people paying a lot of attention and concern to the situation, I've got messages on my cell phone right now..."

Bob YOU GO BOB Rodgers: something like "are you confident you'll be able to fix the situation (competitive balance problem)?"

Stepford Norma Rae: "Fix it? Fix what?... no, I'm curious about what it is we're trying to fix?"

Bob YOU GO BOB Rodgers: "Well the Yankees have been able to..."

TC: "Interesting that we keep bringing up the same team... you'd be amazed at the group of teams (outside of the Yankees) that aren't that far apart in terms of revenue... these are also the same teams in the late 80's and 90's that have had success... each team has a cycle....

TC: "Mr. Steinbrenner has done an outstanding job with the Yankees and he continues to be successful... what's to say in a couple of years those other teams won't have the same cycles?

TC: "Organizations that are doing well are full of veteran (read: expen$ive) players. The organizations on the down side of the cycle have to give the group of young players time to be successful, then they'll be the players to run that team."

Bob YOU GO BOB Rodgers: "But those teams can't keep those young players... like Oakland couldn't sign Giambi and he went to the Yankees"

Corsi jumps in for no reason as he is wont to do: "That's because they wouldn't give him a 'no trade'... he's from California I think... he had a problem with Billy Beane and burnt a bridge there..." (TC nodding)

TC: (addressing truth about teams not being to keep the young talent when they go for the big contract with the money team) "Well you do your best on siging the best around and take a calculated risk...blah, blah, blah, blah, Fehr-#%&! blah)

------------

I am not going to sleep until Tony Clark has been released and Bob Rodgers gets a raise. Rodgers brought up the other sports having a cap, and Clark said something about how baseball "produces so much more revenue, and be careful not to curtail it." And Rodgers came right back and said, in effect, "if everyone is doing so well, why strike?"

And Clark had no answer for that.

WRAPAROUND WALKOFF WIN

Comeback Kids Keep it Going!

Sox Come Way Back from Long Gone Dead and Buried to Catch Angels in 10th to win 10-9.

Johnny: "Stay with us fans... we're going to pull this one out"

Monday August 26, 2002

Can Benny Turn on the Jets?

Sox Claim Colorado's Benny Agbayani

Benny is the 16th "Islander" in MLB

Goodbye Norma Rae?

Goodbye Norma Rae, though I never knew you at all, you had a place to hold yourself while those around you failed, Fehr crawled out of the woodwork and he whispered into your brain, they set you on the treadmill, but they couldn't change your swing. And it seems to me you swung your bat like a candle in the wind, never knowing what to swing at when the pitch came in, and I would liked to have known you when you were just a kid, your contract burned us long before your legend ever did.

Burkettaboudit?

Does Boycott-John Have Any Not-So-Speeding Bullets Left?

Sunday August 25, 2002

Old Man Ryan Attacks Hench

8.25.02: Bob Ryan to Gordon Edes on WBZ-4 Sports Final: (Ryan coming off saying "you can't count on Derek Lowe, Pedro is the only pitcher on this team you can count on!"): "I don't care what your emailer from California says, he needs to get a life and get back to what he does..." Gordon: "The Henchman loves Pedro he is just saying..." Ryan: "He needs to stop worrying about Pedro
throwing 97 miles per per hour..." (Bob maybe you should get off FM radio stations, ESPN Sunday Magazines, etc., etc., and get back to your day job.)

Angels Squeeze Life Out of Sox

Scoscia bunts. Grady punts: "I would be happy (to get a split) coming into this series against a team like Anaheim."

So Boston continues to slide away into the sunset and let the Anaheim #&%! Angels push them around Fenway Park.

Fehr and Loathing, part XVIII:
Is Cartel Tony Clark Killing the Sox?

Grady on 'Norma Rae': "The only difference between our players and other clubs' players is that we may be a little more informed.'' Is this team more worried about which first-class flight to take home on Friday vs. winning games for their loyal fans? File under: Things that make you go hmmmm.

Needles and Threads - Heard on the Web

Is Grady Still the "MVP?"

(Most Visible Problem?)

8.25.02: Well, I just hope that all of you who were saying since Day One that Grady Little was a GREAT choice to manage this team, and I'm specifically referring to the ol' Dirt Dog here, are beginning to do stringent penance over your misperception.

Plain and simple: Grady Little is a moron. THAT'S the reason he set records for longevity managing in the minors, getting promoted at a snail's pace, and THAT'S the reason he failed at job interview process after job interview process until this moron group of owners, pressed by Larry "I'm an arrogant moron" Lucchino hired this guy, WITHOUT INTERVIEWING ANYONE ELSE BUT MIKE CUBBAGE AND FELIPE ALOU IN "THE PROCESS!!!!"

It is now clearly evident that the most important decision that these new owners had to make this year has been spectacularly booted. Putting this talented veteran team into the hands of a moron rookie manager and his moronic drinking buddy, Tony "I haven't been a pitching coach for 10 years so I don't know about these computer thingees but I used to pitch pretty good when I still could see my toes" Clodinger, was a high crime, not only against Joe Kerrigan and Ralph Treuel but against Red Sox Nation. If there were true justice in this world, Sox fans would be allowed to tar and feather the bunch of them and run them out on a rail and demand new ownership and management for this team.

Four weeks ago Lowe couldn't throw 94 pitches in a shutout against the Devil Rays, NOW he can throw 121 against the Angels?

- Pumpsie

I'm not as anti-Grady as a lot of you, but you can quite clearly stick this loss right on the forehead of Grady Little. Of course, Howry didn't do much except throw gasoline on the inferno when he came in, and Urbina is 0-6, so who knows what would have happened if he hadn't decided to see how many pitches it would take for Lowe's arm to fall off.

That said, you can give another big assist to the everyday gag squad on top of Grady's lack of intelligence. This is the biggest group of choke artists in Red Sox history, and, if it weren't for the Gene Mauch Phillies, that might include all of baseball. They should go down ahead of the '78 Sox, easily outdistance the 1972 (? or was it '74?) they are definitely worse than the 1995 Angels, and the Jimy Williams' Blue Jays.

What a pathetic group of overpaid little girls. If they don't have a firesale, the entire supporting cast of this team needs to be revamped. I don't care what his OPS is, Brian Daubach stinks, and if you're relying on Trot Nixon to do anything other than play halfway decent defense (and, that's all his is folks, halfway decent) and bat 9th you're counting on too much. Varitek is just as bad, but if the owners win this payroll tax issue his contract is so bloated he won't be tradable.

They need to non-tender these losers and replace them with legitimate professionals who don't cower in fear and swing at the first halfway hittable goddamn pitch that comes at them when the bases are loaded in a huge ballgame.

- DH3

Saturday August 24, 2002

ALL SYSTEMS LOWE

(D-dog always wins when we run this head)... (8/25: caveat ) except when his head's not in the game because Tony is giving him the heads up half-hour before game.

Anaheimleich Maneuver Needed Stat

Boston... must be missin’ an Angel.
Missin’ one Angel pitch (after another), ‘cause they’re chasing teams right now.

Worcester Whooped

But Lucchino may call up Frankie Flynn in September.

Wake Up, Sox on a Roll

Friday August 23, 2002

Petey is On the Ball

Sox Win Third Straight, 4-1

Thursday August 22, 2002

Manny's All Right. Texas-Sized Win.

And it's Dustin time. Sox on a roll? Damon goes down, Hermanson finally helps. RBI Ramirez is back.

ANGELS IN THE CENTERFOLD