BoSox-Halos, Live from Switzerland

It's 12:30 here, I'm fighting off a cold, pounding Red Bulls and I have class at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow. Don't ever question my dedication.

After everything negative I've heard about MLB.tv, I have to say I'm pretty impressed. The picture quality, while not comparable to HD, is pretty damn good.

1st inning
Lead off hit by Chode Figgins. He seems very intent on running...two hit and runs lead to two outs and Figgins is stranded at third.

Yooooouk deposits the first pitch he sees over the Green Monster, staking the Sox to an early 1-0 lead.

With two runners on J.D. Drew grounds out to end the inning leading my friend Pat to call him a 'giant cum guzzler'.

2nd inning
Beckett is hitting 98 on the radar gun.

Jose Mota is the sideline reporter, which leads to the question...who the fuck is Jose Mota?

Harold Reynolds makes a surprise appearance on the MLB.tv commercial. I think this is the first time I've seen him in about two years.

Lugo leads off the bottom of the 2nd with a hit...they're starting to look like they own Lackey.

With two outs Lugo steals second only to be called out. A ridiculously bad call. The replay shows he was CLEARLY safe.

3rd inning
Mike Lowell makes a great diving stop to his left for the out and...there were no announcers to call it. They must have both been taking a piss or something.

Home run by Big Papi!

Great shot of Lugo spread eagle in front of the dugout adjusting his 'package'. Thank you Bill Simmons for allowing me to notice that.

Wow, Manny just swiped a base on a ball that bounced in the dirt. Steve Stone says that Manny's awareness and anticipation are an underrated part of his game. Yeah, like his intelligence is an underrated aspect of his announcing ability.

Lowell singles to drive in Manny (4-0). Drew grounds into a double play. Cumguzzler...I think that nickname may stick.

4th inning
Beckett goes 1-2-3
Through four he's thrown 51 pitches, 38 strikes and just 13 balls. He hasn't given up a hit since Figgins led off the game with a single.

Sox go 1-2-3 as well.

5th inning
No offense to Jose Mota but you would think a qualification for a sideline reporter would be the ability to speak English. Seriously this is unintelligible.

Beckett goes 1-2-3. Beckett is dealing. I have wood.

6th inning
TBS shows a shot of Lackey in the dugout. He is probably the least indimidating ace I have ever seen. He looks like he should be an accountant.

Beckett retires the side on 8 pitches. Two Ks and a flyout to center.

Just as I was about to call for Jacoby Ellsbury, Drew gets an infield hit. Its a short noose.

Varitek grounds into a double play, making it the third of the day for Boston. This game could be a blowout right now.

7th inning
2:33am Europe time and I'm still going strong. I actually just changed into basketball shorts so I can scratch my balls better. Thought you might like to know...

Vlad just swung at a ball that was about to bounce to Varitek...and he fouled it off! He is a freak. He then ripped a single to left.

Please, please Josh, please go 8 so we don't have to see Gagne.

Beckett induces a ground ball to end the inning. Note to random announcer with Steve Stone: it can't be a double play ball if there are two outs.

Lackey is out, Santana goes 1-2-3.

8th inning
Beckett strands the runner on second with a nasty 2 seamer that sneaks back over the inside corner to freeze Morales. Alright Terry, let's not fuck around here...put Papelbon in.

Santana goes 1-2-3 again.

9th inning
Even better than Papelbon...Beckett comes back out for the ninth. I guess that makes sense, he's only at 100 pitches. To quote Dan Fouts in The Waterboy, "You can't hold anything back now."

Figgins hit a sharp liner to left and Ellsbury, in as a defensive replacement for Manny, makes an amazing diving catch. Fracona looks like a genius.

Orlando Cabrera grounds out to third, followed by a Vlad single up the middle. Garret Anderson then flies out to center to end the game.

Becketts final line: 9 IN 0 R 4 H 0 BB 8 K
Its already the third postseason shutout of his career and he's only 27. Wow.
Dice-K vs. Escobar on Friday...should be interesting. That's all I've got. I'm going to sleep for a few hours.

Notes from the Underground

Don't get too excited, this is not actually my first post in almost a month. has returned for a guest appearance, which may please you more than my return. In other good news, I have purchased the International Edition of MLB.tv which means that I will be able to watch all the playoff games live (albeit at ungodly hours) so expect something later in the week. Until then...enjoy.

With the MLB playoffs looming, and NCAA/NFL in full swing, I couldn't resist doing a quick write-up.

I didn't know if the MLB playoffs would decrease my work productivity this year, but after watching the dramatic finish to the Rockies vs. Padres one game playoff, it's safe to say I'm screwed. The game was back and forth all night, and produced some great drama . I guess Dane Cook is right; "There's only one OCTOBER!!!". I don't really feel bad for Trevor Hoffman, who blew two saves in three days, as he's had his moment in the sun for quite some time. I was actually amazed he had over 40 saves this year. He has a wicked changeup, but it's not too effective when its only 2 mph's faster than his, ah, fastball. Matt Holliday went from "outhouse to penthouse" (yea, I still say gay stuff), when he ripped a triple off the right field wall that tied the game at eight apiece. He was actually in jeopardy of losing the batting title when he stepped to the plate; having gone 1-5 up to that point,. However, his triple sealed the batting title, and the RBI crown (if I'm not mistaken.) Next came the sacrifice fly that will be talked about incessantly over the next couple days. Yes, Holliday was blocked by Barrett, and never touched home plate. Umpire Tim McClelland made the safe call, about 3 seconds too late, and the game was over. After 13 innings of exciting, lay it all on the line baseball, the game was decided by an incompetent umpire. I say, "who cares", the game was spectacular, and I was rooting for the Rockies anyway. I mean, they hadn't made the playoffs since 1995, and had to win 14 of their last 15 games to get into the post season. There's nothing left to be said, but congratulations. Larry Walker is so freakin' proud of you guys. I bet he slammed a bunch of Molson Ice (I think he's Canadian) right when Holliday thudded across the area around home plate.

Now, the whole playoff picture is set, and some focus can shift off the NFL Empire; at least until Sunday. I am looking forward to almost every series coming up. I really can't decide who I like in either AL series as the teams all seem so evenly matched. I will be rooting for the Indians and Red Sox, only because I want to see McBread and Log's friendship ended when one of their respective teams fails to win the AL Championship. As of now, my money is on Log in any fight that occurs because of the potential Cleveland/Red Sox matchup. Why you ask? Well, he TKO'd me during a slap boxing match a few months back. I don't know if McBread could do the same, so I'll just have to see.

The matchups in the AL are very interesting. I'm not sure if the Yankee's pitching staff can hold up, especially in the middle innings. Moreover, Roger Clemens guarantees a Game 3 loss for the Yanks, so I like the Indians chances. With CC and Fausto heading the Indians' rotation, the Yanks could be in for a long week.

The BoSox just named their starting rotation for their series against the Yanks. Beckett has been spectacular this year, and we all know he performs very well in the post season. If Dice-K doesn't have a tired arm, and Curt can spot his pitches well, the Red Sox can get by The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (or whatever the hell they are called.) Lachey, the terrorist threat, has pitched very shitty against the Red Sox, especially in Fenway, so it will be interesting to see how the series plays out. (Oh, and Eric Gagne needs to take off those ridiculous glasses. They were cool when he was good, but come on, its just pompous when you dress ridiculous and suck at your craft.)

I'm not going to get into a long discussion about the NL series. I don't think the Phillies/Rockies series is worth talking about (yet), and I don't know enough about the D-Backs to comment on their series with the north siders. I am not a Cubs fan, but will be pulling for them as many of my friends are. They deserve to get within a couple outs of the World Series, so I hope they advance to the NL Championship.

If im not mistaken, baseball has taken a backseat on the blog, so I hope to inject a little "fall fever" (Yep still ridiculously gay) onto the interwebs.

I have been having a very great football betting year. I am up a total of 22.75x over the past month or so, which has inflated by thin wallet and ever expanding ego. I'd be up a few units more if not for the Bungul's no-show tonight against the Pats. I don't know why I bet against the Pats. I've never lost a game I've bet with them. Randy Moss is ridiculous; shakin' his dick in front of every DB in the league. He is one of the Top 5 most talented football players of all time, and it's just sad that he stopped trying for a couple years out in Oakland. Of course, the Patriots are able to keep him under control, and it means trouble for the rest of the AFC. I don't think they will go undefeated (that's pretty tough to do people), but I do believe they will be next to impossible to beat when the playoffs roll around. The Colts are still at the top of the AFC as well, but the Patriots seem to be playing on a different level. The same cannot be said for the San Diego Chargers. They are (1-3), and seem to have no energy or enthusiasm. I predicted this when they hired Norv Turner. He is the worst coach in the NFL and is a proven loser. Marty Schottenridiculouslastname couldn't win a playoff game, but at least he consistently took his teams to the playoffs.

We can also throw the Saints into the group of underperformers this year. This shouldn't be too surprising to NFL "experts", nonetheless, you think they'd be a little better. (Contemplated Katrina something or another here, but I think its too soon.) However, the season is young, and one would be foolish to jump the gun on who will/won't suck at the end of the year. (Oh, I forgot to mention the Bears, but their not really worth talking about. What a joke!)

Some pleasant surprises include:
Detriot (Maybe Kitna isn't crazy)
Arizona (Kurt Warner's butch wife is getting more air time)
KC (Watch Hard Knocks on HBO. You gotta root for KC)
Tennessee (Vince Young says "F You Wunderlich Test)
Tampa Bay (John Gruden is a jackass)
Green Bay (only if you're a Packers fan, and I am certainly not.)
Washington (Joe Gibbs likes Nascar)
The Skid Marks (Browns)

Oh, Dallas is pretty good too. (Wade Phillips, Romo, TO, Jerry Jones...... Foursome?)

College football got pretty ridiculous this past weekend. I don't like to say "I told you so", wait yes I do, so I'll just come out and say that the Big East was overrated this year. And shockingly, Steve Slaton's fumble issues cost WV any chance of winning the game against South Florida. The PAC 10 is performing quite well, and the Oregon/Cal game was one of the best I've seen over the last couple years. I'm interested to see if Cal or USC can come out of the PAC 10 with an undefeated record; it will be tough.

My two teams, ND and Michigan, seem to be headed in opposite directions. Michigan has played well since the dreaded spread offense went away, and could be the talk of the Big 10 by the end of the year. It seems like Wisconsin is overrated, and Ohio State is beatable in the Big House, unless Tressel installs the spread offense and lays the biggest beat in the history of the Big 10. He's pretty crafty, so I'm sure he's planning on firing something ridiculous off.

Notre Dame, on the other hand, can't win a game to save their lives. They are getting pooped on by every team in the country. They showed some heart and executed well in the 2^nd half against Purdue, but it could be along time before they get a victory. They might have trouble beating Duke this year if they don't pick it up. O'Charlie looks like he's put on another 15 pounds of blubber, which only suggests he's spending extra time sulking in the Ponderosa buffet line. GROSS! Really, ND football deserves its own article, so I'll stop ranting now.

Oh, and my fantasy leagues aren't going to well. I'm glad I listened to all of those people who told me to take Stephen Jackson. Just goes to show, one should always trust his gut. I'm in last (or close to it) in both of my leagues. I will continue to get embarrassed unless I start caring and turn into the beat master. If anyone wants to make a "shady" trade and split the profits at the end of the year, I'm all ears.

Well, that is it for now everyone. Peace be with you. (I guess the write-up wasn't so quick after all.)

A Look at the Postseason Schedule

*Note: I didn’t want to do the research for the NL, but the same general idea applies.

While MLB’s changes to the playoff schedule (schedule, not format) may seem minor, they could potentially have some serious implications. I started reading about it on some Red Sox message boards and decided to do a sort of summary explanation type write-up. Basically there are more off days between games, which will affect the amount of rest pitching staffs get. The schedule for the AL looks like this:

ALDS 1 (generally series with WC): 10/4, 10/5, 10/7, 10/8, 10/10

ALDS 2: 10/3, 10/5, 10/7, 10/8, 10/10

ALCS: 10/12, 10/13, 10/15, 10/16, 10/18, 10/20, 10/21

The first important thing to realize is that teams will not gain a significant advantage by clinching a playoff spot early and aligning their rotation. A team could easily use their ace to clinch their spot on the last day of the season and then have him pitch in Games 2 and 5 of the Division Series.

Secondly a team could easily make it to the World Series without using their fourth starter at all, or only once in the case of the first AL Division Series. Here’s an example of the second ALDS.

10/3 - #1 starter
10/5 - #2
10/7 - #3
10/8 - #1 (on 4 days rest)
10/10 - #2 (on 4 days rest)

ALCS
10/12 - #3 (on 4 days rest)
10/13 - #1 (on 4 days rest)
10/15 - #2 (on 4 days rest)
10/16 - #3 (on 4 days rest)
10/18 - #1 (on 4 days rest)
10/20 - #2 (on 4 days rest)
10/21 - #3 (on 4 days rest)

Why would Major League Baseball make changes that make it even less likely that the best team during the regular season wins the World Series? The answer is easy. Television. The ratings are bound to be higher if the games feature more matchups of superstar pitchers.

So who does this help and who does it hurt? Obviously it helps the teams who have a shallow rotation and even a shallow bullpen. If a team has two dominant front end starters and two dominant relievers, its weakness probably would not be exposed until the WS or even not at all. (The exception to this would an injury or marathon games.) Who does it hurt? Well, maybe hurt isn’t the right word, but teams who success throughout the regular season has been predicated on the depth of its pitching staff, both bullpen and rotation will lose that advantage. As those of you who know me may have guessed, the Red Sox are the first team that comes to my mind. Let’s say they play Cleveland in the first round. (I know none of this is guaranteed, so no, I’m not worried about jinxing anything, I’m just going with the most likely outcome.) While a matchup of Beckett-Matsuzaka-Schilling vs. Sabathia-Carmona-Westbrook is not bad, it wouldn’t be as advantageous if there was one Wakefield-Byrd game instead. I would argue that it is disadvantageous to the Angels in the same way. While a 1-2-3 combination of Escobar-Lackey-Weaver is certainly scary, matching Santana against another team’s number 4 would probably give them more of an edge.

I think the new schedule, to a certain extent helps all the other teams, but especially Seattle and Detroit. The back end of Seattle’s rotation has been brutal. Only King Felix and Jarrod Washburn have an ERA+ over 100. If they make the playoffs they must be overjoyed at the fact that they can banish Jeff Weaver (ERA+ 77) to the bullpen. Detroit has had some serious injury problems, so their rotation after Verlander and Bonderman remains a question mark. We’ll end with a quick look at each potential playoff team’s five man rotation, with the pitchers with ERA+ over 100 highlighted. (Definition of ERA+)

Seattle .
1. Hernandez
2. Washburn
3. Batista
4. Weaver, Jeff
5. Ramirez

Anaheim
1 Escobar
2. Lackey
3. Weaver, Jered
4. Santana
5. Colon

Cleveland
1. Sabathia
2. Carmona
3. Westbrook
4. Byrd
5. Laffey

Detroit
1. Verlander
2. Bonderman
3. Rogers
4. Durbin
5. ??

Boston
1. Beckett
2. Matsuzaka
3. Schilling
4. Wakefield
5. Lester/Tavarez

New York
1. Pettite
2. Wang
3. Clemens
4. Mussina
5. Hughes

In conclusion, I guess I really just wanted to show the implications more so than give opinions on the change but oh well, what the heck. I don’t really like how the schedule has evolved, and it has nothing do with the fact that the Red Sox have the best team on paper right now. I think it’s a shame that someone like Tim Wakefield who could easily end up with 20 wins this season could be relegated to the bullpen. I also think it’s a shame that it’s becoming less and less likely that we’ll see epic battles that come down to the last man in the bullpen and whether or not he is up to the challenge. I think that’s where the real postseason heroes are made and end up being the games people remember the most. But hey, in the words of Jay-Z, just my thoughts man.

Be Scared Brandon Inge, Be Very Scared

I checked out Curtis Granderson's blog on ESPN.com the other day (I don't know why, I guess it was because Buster hadn't had a blog post in two days and I was freaking out) and was pleasantly surprised to find this story. Granderson tells how while the Tigers were on their last road trip Brandon Inge broke into the blogger's room, flipped all his furniture and turned on the shower and bathroom light so he would think there was someone in his room.

While this in and of itself is not really that funny (a halfway decent prank I suppose), what Granderson has decided to do about it is rather humorous. He is asking his readers to come up with pranks to get Inge back. Some of my favorites, straight from the comments section:

• Put Nair in his shampoo bottle.
• "Any thing that involves poo will be hilarious. But it has to be real poo. You could put it anywhere from in his cleats, in his bball pants pocket, batting glove, inside the flap on his cap...the list goes on you decide"
• "Create a fake ESPN baseball tonight "breaking news" reports and have it broadcast in his room while he's watching TV. Something like 'Inge traded to Tokyo's Yomiuri Giants for cash considerations'" How the f*** do you propose he go about that banstyle74 ?
• "Get Leyland to tell him that he cleared waivers and has been traded to the Dodgers, and when he calls them, have someone there tell him they are sending him back to Double A Jacksonville for a little more seasoning." Somehow I don't see Jim Leyland as the prankster type.

And by far my favorite suggestion...

"Alright here's what you do next time you are at a hotel room. You get an average sized metal trash can and a case of a beverage you can drink a lot of. You drink all the beverages you can and spend a while peeing into the trash can.(Yeah yeah it's gross, but the payoff is worth it.) After you've filled it as much as you can, half prop it against his door, knock and run. When he opens the door, it should fall forward onto his feet, thus giving him a wonderful footbath."

Dear God.