Okay, let's put a foot tattoo right up to King Felix' ass.

Red Sox

Jacoby Ellsbury LF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
J.D. Drew RF
Kevin Youkilis 1B
Mike Lowell 3B
Sean Casey DH
Jed Lowrie SS
Jason Varitek C
Coco Crisp CF

Clay Buchholz

Mariners

Ichiro Suzuki RF
Jose Lopez 2B
Raul Ibanez LF
Jose Vidro DH
Adrian Beltre 3B
Jeremy Reed CF
Kenji Johjima C
Bryan LaHair 1B
Willie Bloomquist SS

Felix Hernandez

No Manny, and Dusty already has a stolen base. 2 on for Youk. Actually, nevermind, Youk flies out and Lowell grounds out.

via d.yimg.com

Lowrie a National? Thank god, no.

 

OK, OK. The headline is purposely misleading. But get this, via SBNation's FakeTeams.com:

The Sox inquired about reliever Jon Rauch before he was traded by Washington to Arizona, but the Nationals were asking for top prospects Michael Bowden and Jed Lowrie.

-Boston Globe

That is called highway robbery, folks. At its best, too. Obviously we're not going to give up Bowden or Lowrie for a guy that just "pretty good" for the Nationals. I would trade them Wily Mo Pena though ... oh, wait.

It's no secret that the Red Sox like walks. Since the beginning of the Epstein era, the front office has prized hitters that can draw them and get on base. The Sox have been 1st in OBP four of the last six seasons (starting in '03), and 2nd in the remaining two seasons.

Sometimes an interest goes too far, however, crossing into the realm of fixation, even addiction. This year, the Moneyball-induced obsession with walks has afflicted the pitching staff, who seem to be giving up the base-on balls at a prodigious pace.

The Red Sox, before last night's game, had allowed 368 walks in 892.2 innings. This places them 4th in walks, trailing Detroit (3rd), Texas (2nd), and Baltimore (1st). For comparison, last year the Sox walked 482 in 1438.2 innings; the team's BB/9 has risen from 3.01 to 3.71 since 2007.

Unlike most issues with the Sox, the walk epidemic cannot be blamed on the pen. Rather, it originates with the starting rotation. Daisuke Matsuzaka leads the team with 57 walks in only 88.1 innings; this is good for 4th most in the league (5 behind leader Daniel Cabrera). Wakefield and Lester are also walk prone, with 47 and 44 respectively, although their high innings totals offset this (around 130 IP each). Buchholz and Masterson are even worse, with 55 BBs total in 106 innings between them.

In the pen, Aardsma and Hansen are walking more than 6 batters every 9 innings. Of the entire pitching staff, only Josh Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon are truly good at suppressing walks. Beckett's walked only 25 in 120 IP, while Pap has allowed only 7 walks in 42.1 IP.

So what is the importance of a walk? Surprisingly little, it seems. Looking at the admittedly small sample of this year's AL teams, there isn't as strong a correlation between allowing walks and giving up runs as one might expect.

The Sox are 6th in ERA (3.82) despite all these walks, perhaps because their pitchers lead the league in strike outs. Meanwhile, Oakland, which is the AL-best in ERA (3.43), is only 9th in walks allowed (335). And the team with the fewest walks allowed, Minnesota (236) has a 4.28 team ERA, 'good' for 9th in the league. So fewer walks doesn't necessarily equal better pitching, and vice versa.

There is, however, a correlation between high walk totals and bad pitching staffs. The teams ahead of Boston in walks - Baltimore, Detroit, and Texas - are at the bottom of the league in ERA (11th, 12th, and 14th). These teams have bad pitching in general, however - they give up lots of home runs (except Detroit) and don't strike many batters out. The Sox, meanwhile don't give up the long-ball (4th lowest in HR) and lead the league in Ks.

Surprisingly enough, Boston's walk problem may not really matter at all. Or it may be a sign of bad things to come, if more hits start dropping in after Dice-K loads the bases. What do you think?

Poll My feelings towards walks are...

• Every time the Sox walk someone, I die a little inside.
• I don't like to see our pitchers give up walks, but they aren't the end of world.
• Walks don't bother me, so long as the Sox continue to suppress runs.
• I LOVE WALKS!! THEY ARE AWESOME!!1! (Je suis Gagne.)

  45 votes | Results

via d.yimg.com
Dice-K was strong on the hill for the Sox

Two done, one more to go. A Sox sweep of the Mariners is crucial.

The Sox picked up win No. 2 over the M's, 4-2, on Tuesday. Daisuke Matsuzaka was solid on the mound, going 7.1 innings, allowing five hits, two runs, three walks and struck out six. He threw 99 pitches -- not too bad for over seven innings of work.

JD Drew led the offense with his 18th home run of the season and a sac fly that plated another. He finished 2 for 3 with two RBIs, a run and a walk. Mike Lowell hit a double to deep left that scored Dustin Pedroia in the fifth. Jed Lowrie picked up the Sox's final run in the fifth with a sac fly of his own.

Hideki Okajima did his job. Enough said there. Jonathan Papelbon earned his 30th save of the season by retiring the M's 1-2-3 in the 9th inning.

COMMENT OF THE GAME:
"We can always rely on Dice-K to make every game a pain in the ass when we least expect to." - MerryGoByeBye (this, of course, came towards the end of Dice-K's start)

W-L ERA WHIP K BB 2008 - Daisuke Matsuzaka 10-1 2.65 1.38 77 57

V.

W-L ERA WHIP K BB 2008 - R.A. Dickey 2-4 3.73 1.46 40 28

Lineups:

Lineup

Boston Red Sox @ Seattle Mariners

07/22/08 10:10 PM EDT

Boston Red Sox Seattle Mariners Jacoby Ellsbury - LF Ichiro Suzuki - RF Dustin Pedroia - 2B Jose Lopez - 2B J.D. Drew - RF Raul Ibanez - LF Manny Ramirez - DH Jose Vidro - DH Mike Lowell - 3B Adrian Beltre - 3B Kevin Youkilis - 1B Jeremy Reed - CF Jed Lowrie - SS Jeff Clement - C Jason Varitek - C Bryan LaHair - 1B Coco Crisp - CF Yuniesky Betancourt - SS

All right. I'm just hoping for less than 3 walks from Daisuke.

Oh. And a win.

OMG. WTF can I say here people?

Atrocious, plus a side of excruciatingly painful to watch.

Signs it's going to get better? None. And the only acquisition I'm really interested in, Damaso Marte, hasn't pitched in the AL in awhile, and could easily be cost-prohibitive. Out of 8 full-type seasons, his WHIP has only been above 1.266 twice, and he has struck out 483 hitters in 453 1/3 career innings. It's all but assured that we need to get better on an internal basis.

Masterson. I'm cautiously optimistic, if only because his sinker should make him reasonably effective in those IH situations that we've to this point only been able to use Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen, Craig Hansen, Mike Timlin, Javy Lopez, David Aardsma absolutely no one in. I'm concerned about his control and HR issues, however, which basically means he'll fit right in in our bullpen.

Delcarmen. All right buddy, I'm losing faith here. I've been one of your biggest defenders, I think, as others have clearly lost all thought of using him in close situations. He's simply been easier to hit this season. Last year he threw 44 innings and walked 17 while striking out 41. This season he's at 40 2/3 with 16 BB and 40 Ks. Hits? 28 last year, 37 this year.

Oki. Same issue, really, and this could've been predicted for both. Control in terms of walk rate and strikeout rate have not changed too much. 

Timlin. Am I serious? His last 5 1/3 of ridiculouslysmallsamplesize: 4 H, 1 BB, 3 Ks. I've given up on trying to figure Timlin out, but his ability to not be afraid to f'n throw strikes means I'm ready for him to try higher-leverage work again, if only because I'm ready for hits rather than walks/gift-wrapped hitters' counts to beat us in close games.

Paps. Pass. Good job buddy, even if you haven't been as crazy-dominant as the past two seasons.

Javy. Just not sure here. He had a good stretch to begin the season, but has come WAY back to Earth. Predictable, yes, and he probably doesn't need to see the kind of work he got earlier anymore. Surprisingly enough, he's looking more like a lefty specialist, with a .741 OPS against LHHs and an .814 OPS against RHHs. That .741 isn't that great, I suppose, but it means maybe we should only throw him against weak LHHs from now on. Doesn't seem that useful.

Chris Smith. 0.97 WHIP in Pawtucket this season. 45 Ks in 48 1/3. He might be a quad-A guy, certainly, but we'll never know until he gets an extended look. Seems like a guy (8 BB this season) who would make the other team beat him rather than beating himself. Refreshing?

Daniel Bard. Well. 82 Ks in 62 innings and a 0.94 WHIP. Next season, certainly, even if he doesn't make it up to help us this season.

Aardsma. Injured, and we'll see how that velocity is when he comes back. Walks too many. Walks too many. Walks too many. 

EDIT:

Conclusions. Manny D and Oki just have to become more deceptive and get into less hitters' counts. Timlin might need to see more late-inning work, if only because he'll throw strikes. Lopez would be good if he got on another run, but as of now should be mop-up and vs. LHH's only. Aardsma shows promise, less IP than MDC with great strikeout rates over his career. Some control (we could say this about a lot of people) and he'll be a rock. Hopefully Masterson can defy his BB and HR issues as a starter during his conversion to the pen. 

via d.yimg.com -- Jason Varitek hit a two-run bomb in the fifth inning.

 

Thank the Baseball Gods, the Red Sox won a game.

And it looked kind of easy for them. Jon Lester was a stud on the mound, pitching 7.1 innings and allowing just eight hits, no runs, no walks and striking out six. That's a damn good line. With that start he solidified himself as the best starter the Sox have had this season.

Jonathan Papelbon saw some work and shut down the M's. He came in the 8th with one out on the board and threw two pitches to get out of the inning. He went unscatched in the ninth to earn his 29th save.

Offensively, let's thank Jason Varitek who hit a bomb to put the Sox up 2-0 in the fourth. He finished with two hits and a walk. Slump over? No. 9 hitter Jed Lowrie proved his worth as well with a single in the eighth inning that put the Sox up 4-0.

It's nice to see some production at the bottom of the lineup. The bottom four hitters (Kevin Youkilis, Coco Crisp, Varitek and Lowrie) reached base six times via walk, six times via hit and had all four RBIs.

A win is a win, but a sweep against one of the worst teams in baseball is a necessity.

COMMENT OF THE GAME:
"Ellsbury has a high MSI lately ... MSI = Momentum Sucking Index" - Drugs Delaney

It's a crazy thing called winning. I miss it.

Next Game

Boston Red Sox
@ Seattle Mariners

Monday, Jul 21, 2008, 10:10 PM EDT
SAFECO Field

Jon Lester vs Jarrod Washburn

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Partly cloudy. Winds blowing from left to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game Time temperature: Around 75.

 

Complete Coverage >

And your starters:

W-L ERA WHIP K BB 2008 - Jon Lester 7-3 3.38 1.33 82 44

W-L ERA WHIP K BB 2008 - Jarrod Washburn 4-8 4.83 1.48 62 30

via d.yimg.com -- Jacoby Ellsbury has been in a huge slump as of late, which could bump him towards the bottom of the lineup.

With Jacoby Ellsbury slumping so badly recently and David Ortiz on the verge of a comeback, it looks like there could be a lineup shuffle. Most likely that means Ellsbury will be either dropped in the lineup or benched:

Ortiz's return may have broader implications on the lineup than Terry Francona writing Ortiz's name back in the No. 3 spot and dropping J.D. Drew back to seventh. It may give Francona an opportunity to address the alarming decline in production from rookie leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury.

[...]

In his last 26 games, Ellsbury has struck out 22 times in 119 plate appearances, and walked just four times. He still leads the league in stolen bases with 35, but with a .234 on-base percentage over the last 26 games, the chances to run have been few, and he has just one stolen base and has been caught stealing three times in that span. He has not hit a home run in his last 28 games, and has just one in 48 games. He also has knocked in just five runs in his last 35 games.

The best thing for Ellsbury right now is to be dropped in the lineup. Perhaps move JD Drew to the leadoff spot and keep everyone else slated as usually. Or, Dustin Pedroia could move to leadoff with either Drew or Kevin Youkilis batting second. Nevertheless, Ellsbury would probably benefit from batting between the No. 7 and No. 9 spots.

via www.fangraphs.com

Not a moment too soon.

Summary:

Wake pitches well for 7 innings.

8th inning for both Wake and MDC: Better not to re-live it.

Days like these make me wonder whether MDC will really live up to his potential.

Aardsma went on the DL today; Masterson up to officially try his hand at being a RP.

DP (3-4, 2B) and "Being" (1-3, 2B, BB) continue to not suck at that whole hitting thing.

Player of the Game:

via d.yimg.com

Comment of the Game:

"Wake blows the 72 mph fastball by Mathis" -soxaholic

Let's be a little happy after this series and win the finale. It's not too much to ask for, in my opinion. The info:

Next Game

Boston Red Sox
@ Los Angeles Angels

Sunday, Jul 20, 2008, 6:00 PM EDT
Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Tim Wakefield vs Jon Garland

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Clear. Winds blowing out to center field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game Time temperature: Around 75.

 

Complete Coverage >

And the starters:

W-L ERA WHIP K BB 2008 - Tim Wakefield 6-6 3.60 1.18 84 47

W-L ERA WHIP K BB 2008 - Jon Garland 8-6 4.20 1.45 51 39

via d.yimg.com

Summary:

Josh Beckett in control.

Team takes field in bottom of 7th.

F. Crapspackle.

You know, the way it happened is what sucked and was surprising. The fact that, despite the Sox mostly playing the Angels very well over the last few seasons, in the postseason and all, doesn't change that I never feel like we've got the upper hand going into their stadium. It might just be my memory, but I feel like they almost always take care of business against us when we're there.

Yet another day of Youks' providing the offense. 2-run jack in the 2nd. DP (2-4, BB), Drew (1-3, 2B, 2 BB), "Being" (1-3, 2B, 2 BB) all had good days at the plate as well. It simply wasn't enough. We simply have to be a little unconventional when Pawtucket Red Sox slugger David Ortiz makes it up to the big club. Drew to the leadoff spot. Let's get it done. 

Player of the Game:

via d.yimg.com

Not for this, really.

Misconceptions?

I, for one, will boo most any Yankee player at any time they're not hitting or pitching in a game that could somehow have a good impact for the Sox.

I, also, am sure that Jeter heard a bit from the Fenway Faithful in 1999 at the AS Game. I hope it wasn't while he was actually on the field or hitting, but I'd have booed loudly as his introduction. The pinstripes have that effect on me.

What Paps' wife heard from MFY-fans is ridiculous. What Paps heard from MFY-fans is to be expected, and probably shouldn't be derided on its own. His words were in many instances taken as incomplete quotes for rag-selling purposes, but to say he didn't at least partially stick his foot in his mouth is a little too homerish for me.

I worry a little about Papi coming back; I'm worried about Drew's excellent on-base skills being stuck right in front of 'Tek and Crisp. ...no thank you.

Manuel v. John Henry: Umm. F, guys. Henry was diplomatic but honest. Manuel, we should all be hoping, was referring only to LL. I'd hate to think that Henry and Theo are more duplicitous than their jobs naturally require. 

Baseball is back. Woohoo.

Next Game

Boston Red Sox
@ Los Angeles Angels

Friday, Jul 18, 2008, 10:05 PM EDT
Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Clay Buchholz vs John Lackey

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Clear. Winds blowing out to center field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game Time temperature: Around 80.

 

Complete Coverage >

W-L ERA WHIP K BB 2008 - Clay Buchholz 2-4 5.70 1.68 49 25

W-L ERA WHIP K BB 2008 - John Lackey 6-2 2.46 1.07 66 15

Charlie Zink has been lights out in Pawtucket this season.

A couple days ago I polled the other writers here at Over The Monster to develop the first half Red Sox prospects All-Star team. It is essentially the top players at each position from the entire organization. Here's what the team looks like:

CATCHER
Dusty Brown, Pawtucket (AAA)
.272/.373/.467, 9 HR, 35 RBI, 0 SB

There's quite a few catching prospects in the Sox's system that have flashed something special this year, but nobody has really excelled. Brown gets the nod here over with some strong numbers outside his batting average that could stand to be raised a bit. Jon Still is a close second here with 16 home runs, but the majority of those came in April and May. Brown was a unanimous selection.

FIRST BASE
Lars Anderson, Lancaster (A+)
.317/.408/.513, 13 HR, 50 RBI, 0 SB

The power is back for Mr. Anderson. He's had a strong first half and I only see his season getting better. He should see a promotion to Portland pretty soon and put up similiar numbers -- hopefully. Anderson was a unanimous selection.

SECOND BASE
Chih-Hsien Chiang, Lancaster (A+)
.307/.341/.473, 9 HR, 56 RBI, 2 SB

Like Daisuke, Chiang is a star on the international stage, although his distinction came earlier in his life than Matsuzaka's did. At the age of 15 he helped Taiwan to win a silver medal in the 2003 World Youth Championships, hitting two homers and leading the tournament in RBIs. Chiang is large (6'1'') and hits for average (.298), though his plate discipline needs work (.333 OBP). His power isn't there yet, although it may develop; he has 7 homers in 08, after 5 and 2 in 2007 and 2006 respectively. He is very popular in Taiwan - Soxprospects notes his nickname is the "Lebron of Taiwan." Chiang was a unanimous selection.

THIRD BASE
Michael Almanzar, Gulf Coast League (R)
.367/.425/.506, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 3 SB (79 ab)

Almanzar's raw talent has been exposed in his first 79 at-bats with the Red Sox this season. He's doing well, but let's remember it's a small sample size. I did not vote for Almanzar -- essentially because of the sample size -- but nevertheless, the stats are good. Ryan Khoury (Portland, .283, 3 HR) was my pick.

SHORTSTOP
Jed Lowrie, Pawtucket (AAA)
.268/.359/.434, 5 HR, 32 RBI, 1 SB

Lowrie has seen a handful of time in Boston, so the stats have definitely taken a hit a little bit. Nevertheless, Lowrie has had his ups and downs this season but overall has done well. He'd definitely benefit if he isn't shuffled from Boston and Pawtucket every other week.

OUTFIELD
Josh Reddick, Lancaster (A+)
.341/.370/.577, 15 HR, 55 RBI, 8 SB

Reddick has been the total package so far this season in Lancaster: power, speed, average. All he needs to do is walk a little bit more and we've got ourselves a complete player. He should be promoted to Portland pretty soon.

Ryan Kalish, Greenville (A)
.283/.369/.370, 3 HR, 26 RBI, 14 SB

Kalish hasn't lived up to his 2007 season quite yet, but he's been a quality outfielder for Greenville this season. He needs to start showing some power though. He'll probably get promoted to Lancaster once Reddick gets promoted.

Jeff Bailey, Pawtucket (AAA)
.306/.403/.596, 23 HR, 62 RBI, 4 SB

The third outfield spot was where we were the most torn. There were nominations for Jason Place, Che-Hsuan Lin, Jeff Corsaletti and Bailey. Since I'm writing this all up, I take my nomination, Bailey. Bailey has been a powerhouse in Pawtucket and there's nothing in his stat line to be disappointed with. He's never done this well before though, so that may be a reason to shy away from his future.

DESIGNATED HITTER
Chris Carter, Pawtucket (AAA)
.288/.349/.511, 19 HR, 66 RBI, 0 SB

Another studly line coming from Pawtucket. Too bad Carter is blocked because he's got a lot of potential. If you remember, he was who we received for Wily Mo Pena. We've gotten a pretty good deal so far, but I'd love to see what Carter can do in the bigs.

STARTING PITCHERS
Michael Bowden, Portland (AA)
9-4, 2.33 ERA, 104.1 IP, 101 SO, 24 BB

*drools* ... That's all.

Charlie Zink, Pawtucket (AAA)
11-2, 2.22 ERA, 125.2 IP, 81 SO, 37 BB

He's a knuckleballer! He was good, like, 3 years ago and then disappeared. He wasn't even that good 3 years ago. But now he's kicking ass in Pawtucket. I have no idea why. I don't think anyone does. But it'd be freakin' amazing if he got a shot in Boston this year. I just want to see his knuckleball.

David Pauley, Pawtucket (AAA)
11-2, 3.24 ERA, 105.2 IP, 70 SO, 30 BB

Pauley is the typical fringe MLB/AAA pitcher, except he hasn't really gotten a shot to succeed in the MLB. He's had a few shots, but hasn't been that good. This has been by-far his best season. He should see some time in Boston in September at least.

Felix Doubront, Greenville (A)
9-6, 3.50 ERA, 87.1 IP, 87 SO, 15 BB

The new King Felix is having a strong season in Greenville. His K/BB has always been good. I'd like to see what he can do in higher levels like Lancaster or Portland.

Brock Huntzinger, Lowell (A-)
3-0, 0.58 ERA, 31.0 IP, 25 SO, 2 BB

More small samples, but so far so good. Let's get him to Greenville and see what he's made of.

RELIEF PITCHER
Hunter Jones, Pawtucket (AAA)
5-2, 3.16 ERA, 31.1 IP, 34 SO, 6 BB

Jones started in Portland kicking ass (1.19 ERA, 22 IP, 26 SO) and has continued his work by doing the same in Pawtucket. He's a very interesting prospect. I have no idea what he could do in Boston, but I'd love to see him pitch. He even pitched well in The Hitter's Haven (Lancaster) last season.

CLOSER
Chris Smith, Pawtucket (AAA)
1-3, 2.15 ERA, 46 IP, 42 SO, 8 BB, 9 saves

Smith has been an up and down prospect, plagued by injuries. But it seems like he's finally found it. He has pitched well in Pawtucket so far this season and has even seen time in Boston (6.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K). I'm not sure of his  future, but the numbers now aren't bad.

Is there someone we missed? Someone you'd like to nominate for an honorable mention of some sort? Let us know what you think. Reply with a comment.

Fans try to get autographs from the rehabbing Papi July 17 in Pawtucket.

David Ortiz makes his first rehab start tonight. He's in the three-hole for Pawtucket.

In his first at-bat, Ortiz popped up to third base. Ortiz will be back up again in the bottom of the fourth.

More updates to come.

UPDATE:

Yup, he did it. Second at-bat. Fourth inning. Gone. Solo shot.

I guess he's back...

Richie Sexson

The recently dumped Richie Sexson reportedly has found a new home with the New York Yankees:

First baseman Richie Sexson and the New York Yankees reached a deal Thursday, a week after the Seattle Mariners cut the slumping slugger.

A person familiar with the contract said Sexson would be paid a prorated share of the $390,000 minimum salary. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made.

Sexson has had better days, but I think he could be a good pickup for the Yankees. He's either going to A) overshadow his strikeouts with a lot of home runs or B) overshadow everything with four strikeouts per game. I'm not quite sure why he's a Yank though, considering the Sexson clone Jason Giambi is also there.

ESPN has a disturbing story on the All-Star Game Parade, and how Papelbon was received by New York fans. The piece was written by his driver, an editor for ESPN.

A snippet:

Seeing the success they had with Morneau, fans started throwing items at Papelbon to sign … all the while hurling insults as well and waving the now-infamous New York Daily News back page. Until the NYPD put a stop to it by ordering the players not to sign anything, our truck was pelted with taunts, baseballs and pens. It got so bad that at one point my co-pilot Al rolled up his window, saying, "I don't know what's coming at us next." To put it in perspective, this is a guy who is a member of El Barrio's Bravest, whose only negative comment about life in the FDNY is that he doesn't get to fight enough fires. Needless to say, it was getting ugly.

At one point Papelbon switched from riding on the wooden bench in the back of the truck to sitting on the edge of the tailgate. He played it off as if he was doing a favor for the fans, so his back wouldn't be turned to one side of the street, but it sure seemed like more of a defensive maneuver, hoping to calm his pregnant wife's fraying nerves.

If any of the thousands that booed / pelted / insulted Papelbon had read his remarks, they would understand there was nothing to get worked up about. Pap merely said to reporters that he wanted to pitch and would close if he were the manager. Shortly thereafter he lauded Rivera ("He's the godfather of closers.") and abdicated any claim to closing the game ("I'm making a statement right now, saying I don't want it, I want him to have it.").

The behavior of New York fans at the All-Star Game parade was shocking and inexcusable. I have difficulty imagining something like this happening in Boston if the All-Star Game were held at Fenway. This is not to say Boston or New England is innocent of sports-related excesses - there have been plenty of celebratory riots and other examples of stupid, dangerous behavior here. Most of those incidents have grown out of celebration, however, not out of misplaced anger and tabloid journalism.

via d.yimg.com

• Congrats to JD Drew for winning the All-Star MVP award. I was worried he wouldn't win it because of the 'B' on his hat, but he definitely deserved it. He deserves the spotlight and it couldn't have happened to a better guy. And to think, he was voted in by players -- makes it even sweeter.
• I'm not quite sure what to think about this whole Jonathan Papelbon mess. I haven't really known what to think about him since he started spouting off about his contract a short while ago. He made some comments that obviously were going to piss some Yankee fans off, and he received that back at the All-Star parade. I understand why he is complaining (and no one should ever feel unsafe) but he had a hand in the whole situation. And, unfortunately, if the roles were reversed, it'd happen in Boston, too.
• Outside of Drew, there wasn't anything notable from any other Sox hitters. Dustin Pedroia walked -- that's really all to note. No worries though. Drew did enough to carry the rest's slack. Papelbon went an inning, allowed a hit and struck out two.
• What's with Wade Boggs wearing a Yankees hat? C'mon. Is that necessary? He's in the Hall wearing a Sox hat but now that he's in New York he's wearing the interlocking NY? I don't really like that, but maybe we should be a little understanding in this case.
• There's a lot to remember about last night's game, but one thing that might go unnoticed but shouldn't is the job Terry Francona did. Some will question him removing Francisco Rodriguez so early in the game, but that move was done to ensure Mariano Rivera would see time in the game. I did hear some praise for Francona and it just makes me think: in 10, 15, 20, 25 years, how is the baseball world going to look at Francona? I think he's going to go down as one of the best managers in baseball and probably the nicest guy in the history of baseball. I've never heard a bad word about Francona and I think that's how we'll all remember him. It's a pleasure to have him coaching our team.
• When will the All-Star game be back in Fenway? I can't wait...

For all your All-Star game wants and needs, here's an open thread.

Go Sox! Err, I mean, go Americans!

Tito made his decisions, and this is what it looks like:

AL starting lineup:

1: Ichiro Suzuki, RF, Mariners
2: Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees
3: Josh Hamilton, CF, Rangers
4: Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees
5: Manny Ramirez, LF, Red Sox
6: Milton Bradley, DH, Rangers
7: Kevin Youkilis, 1B, Red Sox
8: Joe Mauer, C, Twins
9: Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox

SP: Cliff Lee, Indians

I wonder how much crap Pedroia is giving Tito, or vice versa. I'm sure this is going to be a good joke in the clubhouse for awhile...

Here's the National League lineup, if you care at all about the NL:

NL starting lineup:

1: Hanley Ramirez, SS, Marlins
2: Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies
3: Lance Berkman, 1B, Astros
4: Albert Pujols, DH, Cardinals
5: Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves
6: Matt Holliday, RF, Rockies
7: Ryan Braun, LF, Brewers
8: Kosuke Fukudome, CF, Cubs
9: Geovany Soto, C, Cubs

SP: Ben Sheets, Brewers

I'll take the first of the two lineups ... definitely.