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October 3, 2007
ONE MORE TIME: The Red Sox begin their quest to add another flag to their collection (above, Journal photo by Bob Thayer) tonight when they begin their ALDS series against the Angels. Sean McAdam examines the teams in each key area and gives the overall edge to the Red Sox, and also examines what the Sox need to do to stop Los Angeles of Anaheim, which in many ways plays like an old-style National League team and therefore presents some unique challenges. It all starts tonight at 6:37 p.m.
STARTING IT FOR THE SOX . . . will be Josh Beckett, who is, according to former manager Jack McKeon, a unique talent. Joe McDonald tells us why.
AND FINISHING IT . . . (if they're ahead, that is) will be Jonathan Papelbon. Steven Krasner profiles the closer and reports last year's injury may have been the best thing that could have happened for his career.
DOING NEITHER . . . will be Tim Wakefield, who was left off the ALDS roster. Find out why, along with other tidbits, in the notebook written by McAdam, Krasner and McDonald.
UNIQUE CHALLENGES: Orlando Cabrera was here in 2004. Now he's with the Angels and he knows what he and his teammates can expect. Kevin McNamara tells us exactly what.
NO SUBSTITUTE FOR VICTORY: Bill Reynolds says 2004 changed the landscape locally; now, the season will be considered a failure if the Sox lose in the first round.
ONLINE ONLY: If you were with us here on projo.com's Sox Blog yesterday, you would have seen many things -- such as Brandon Moss being asked to stay with the team even though he's not on the roster (Joe McDonald), Eric Gagne saying he's turned a corner and is ready to contribute to the Sox in the postseason (McDonald) and Kevin Cash talking about how lucky he is to be with the Sox (Krasner) -- you didn't see in print. There'll be more Web exclusives today right here, so check back often.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES: Our sister publication, the Riverside Press-Enterprise, has the Angels covered. In today's editions, beat writer Matt Hurst says the Angels are where they are ''because of the way they've mixed young talent with veterans -- much more expertly than their sniping neighbors in blue.'' (That's the Dodgers, for those a little fuzzy on West Coast geography.) Columnist Gregg Patton says Angels followers have a ''universal fear of Boston'' and would much rather have played the Yankees, whom LA of A, inexplicably, beats like a drum. Hurst reports on the Angels' injuries, which will deprive them of both center fielder Gary Matthews Jr. and starting pitcher Bartolo Colon in this series.
PLAYOFF INVASION: The citizens of Orange County are worried that Angels Stadium will be overrun by Red Sox Nation in the playoffs, similar to the way it is in the regular season, as Angels ticket-holders -- seeing a chance to make a hefty profit -- sell off to Red Sox fans. (Los Angeles Times)
SURVIVOR: The Boston Globe's Jackie MacMullen has a nice piece on Mike Lowell, a team leader who's been through enough in his life to keep baseball in perspective.
A DIFFERENT LOOK: Theo Epstein was rock-star popular, and rock-star accessible, back when he built the World Series champions of 2004. Now he's lower-profile -- and less popular, in the wake of less successful seasons and some personnel decisions that haven't turned out as well as he'd hoped -- but the Globe's Dan Shaughnessy reports Epstein says he's learned a lot these few years. He thinks this team can win it all, and also makes an interesting comment that applies to those who think teams with high payrolls -- like the Red Sox and Yankees -- have an inherent, unfair advantage: ''[There's] a lot of things that we have to deal with in this market that other teams don't have to deal with. Performance'' -- i.e., the belief that a player who performs well in a certain locale will do the same in any other -- ''doesn't always translate for us [because of the unique pressures involved in playing in a high-profile, high-expectation market; think Edgar Renteria, in other words]. There are easier places to build winning ball clubs. So in my mind, those factors in some ways cancel each other out."
HERE'S WHY: The Boston Herald's Tony Massarotti explains the rationale behind the different roster makeup -- three catchers, only 10 pitchers -- in the postseason.
MAN WITH A PLAN: That's Manny Ramirez . . . no matter what it may look like to outsiders. (Boston Herald)
LAST HURRAH: The Herald's Inside Track reports that Coco Crisp was telling fans at Friday's clinching celebration he expects to be traded this offseason to make room in center field for Jacoby Ellsbury.
HE'S BACK! Not only has Kevin Youkilis updated his blog, but he promises to do so after every playoff game.
THE WINNER IS . . . SI.com's Tom Verducci picks the Red Sox and Yankees to advance to the ALCS . . . FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal is picking the Red Sox to win the World Series, in part because he thinks the longer schedule plays into their strength (pitching) . . . Now writing for SportingNews.com in addition to Baseball Musings, David Pinto picks the Indians over the Yankees . . . All the Philadelphia writers say the Angels will beat the Red Sox.
NOW OR NEVER: In a well-written ESPN The Magazine piece, Howard Bryant says this month will determine if Alex Rodriguez conquers New York, or abdicates the crown.
DON'T FORGET THE PAST: The New York Post's Joel Sherman says the Yankees wouldn't have come anywhere near the playoffs without A-Rod.
FALL GUY: The Post's Kevin Kernan gives us the Conventional Wisdom on Derek Jeter.
BUT HE'S NOT QUITE AS GOOD AS RUBE MARQUARD: Maury Allen says Joba Chamberlain will soon erase whatever memories are left of Bob Feller. (thecolumnists.com)
THE REST OF THE STORY: The story of the N.L. East is being written in context of the Mets' collapse. But the blog Welcome To Crashburn Alley thinks it's time to show some love for the Phillies, who made one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history.
FORGET THAT; BACK TO THE METS: Writing in the Village Voice, Allen Barra says the Mets' implosion ''was a bomb that waited all season long to drop.''
BEWARE, YANKEES: In the same story, Barra writes that during the Yankees' second-half surge ''there were ominous signs that were obscured by the 10- and 12-run barrages repeatedly put up by the hitters. Both Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte were once again shelled in their last outings, putting considerable doubt on their postseason reliability—and, in perhaps the most disturbing incident, Mariano Rivera blew yet another save by giving up three runs in a game meaningless to anyone but himself against Baltimore. What Yankees fans may soon find themselves facing up to is the fact that their pitching staff is every bit as shaky as the Mets', and that, when Joba Chamberlain isn't on the mound, their bullpen may be even worse.''
AND BACK TO THE METS AGAIN: SNY.tv's Mike Salfino idenitifes the culprits of the Mets' failure.
WHAT, ME WORRY? Willie Randolph will return as Mets manager and says he never doubted that he would. (New York Post)
NATIONAL LAUGHINGSTOCK: Now the Mets are the subjects of a Conan O'Brien comedy bit. (youtube.com)
ARE YOU SERIOUS? When ESPN's Tim Kurkjian came out against instant replay in baseball -- the debate sparked when Colorado defeated San Diego in the wild-card play-in game Monday night even though it appeared Matt Holliday never touched home plate when he scored the winning run -- he was quickly refuted by ESPN Radio's Mike Greenberg, who says there's ''no reason not to correct any mistake that is correctable.'' The L.A. Times' Bill Dwyre agrees.
TOUGH CALL: Writing on Baseball Musings this time, Pinto says it ''certainly wasn't an easy call.''
MYSTERY MAN: With the Cubs back in the playoffs, people are naturally curious if Steve Bartman -- who joined the billy goat as symbols of the team's futility in 2003 -- will be back at Wrigley Field. But he's not talking, and neither are the people who know him. (New York Times)
WELL, THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG: Scott Boras won't get the chance to string the Braves along for three months in the Andruw Jones sweepstakes. Atlanta yesterday bid goodbye to its long-time center fielder, saying Boras' initial demands were enough to convince them that no deal could be reached and that they're moving in other directions. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
QUICKLY: The Tigers have told Todd Jones and Kenny Rogers they'll be welcomed back in 2008 and said goodbye to Sean Casey, but they apparently haven't yet made up their minds on Ivan Rodriguez (Detroit Free Press) . . . Jim Leyland will also be back in Detroit (Detroit News) . . . Devils Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey was arrested for DUI (mlb.com) . . . The Mets' Scott Schoeneweis could be banned from baseball if the steroids allegations prove to be true (New York Daily News).
NEVER TOO EARLY FOR TRADE/FREE AGENT SPECULATION: The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports the Mets will make a run at Johan Santana this winter. Newsday's Jim Baumbach thinks that's a great idea . . . The White Sox are eyeing free-agent center fielders Torii Hunter and Aaron Rowand (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . The Giants may take a run at the Marlins' Miguel Cabrera and the Devil Rays' Carl Crawford (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . The Pirates are taking their time deciding Jim Tracy's fate (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone 
at 7:09 AM | Permalink
