Buchholz to Double-A

Woooo Hooooo!! Finally they sent Clayboy packing!!!
Clay, please go down there with the right attitude and LEARN!! You have the talent and you had the poise.. otherwise you never would have been able to throw that no hitter.. RE-gain the composure that made management bring you up in the 1st place.. GOOD LUCK.. I'm sure we'll se you next year.

I know that I sound very cold about Buchholz, but I just want the Sox to win and he wasnt making it happen for whatever reason....
We're still up a 1/2 game in the wild card and The DEVILRAYS DEVILSRAYS DEVILRAYS lost tonight too.
lucky break for us..
go REDSOX go REDSOX go REDSOX

Clay will be back and we will be quick to forgive because I have a feeling we'll be singing his praises in the distant or not so distant future. It wasn't his lack of effort that got him sent down and for that very reason he'll be back. Good luck Clay and see you when your ready.

Many of us here on this blog are displaced New Englanders. And, as with all displaced people, we miss the food from our youth and our original home. So I have decided to post some old New England recipes that may be of interest to some of you. One of the traditional foods I've missed is brown bread. It is quintessential New England, ingeniously simple, hearty, and quirky, since it's a bread but isn't baked.
1 cup rye flour.
1 cup corn meal.
1 cup whole wheat flour. I use King Arthur White Whole Wheat. It's a new strain of wheat that is a little less bitter than traditional whole wheat.
3/4 teaspoon baking soda.
1 teaspoon salt.
3/4 cup molasses.
2 cups buttermilk.
Sift all the dry ingredients together and add buttermilk, molasses and stir it until it is just mixed.
This bread is steamed so you'll need a tall pot with some boiling water in the bottom. You want the water to reach about halfway up the side of the jars. I use pint canning jars with straight sides. Rub the inside of the jars with some butter and pour the batter about half to 2/3 full. You need to leave room for the bread to expand. In the old days there were molds for brown bread that sealed tight, but I find this is not nessecary. Just steam them uncovered. Put the jars in the pot of boiling water, with the water about half way up the sides of the jar, cover the pot and steam them for approximately 40 minutes on low heat. Or until a toothpick poked into the bread comes out clean. The very old recipe I have says you need to steam this bread for 3 hours, but I can't for the life of me figure out why. Place the jars on a rack to cool and as soon as the bread starts to pull away from the sides of the jars you can tap the brown bread out. I like to use sorghum molasses sometimes. Sorghum predates sugar cane molasses and adds that old-timey touch. I love this with cream cheese and of course Boston Baked Beans. That recipe will follow soon.
Optional: add a cup of chopped raisins to the batter.

Good luck, Clay Buchholz. He'll be back.

Arnie...

You have the displaced part correct. lol. I hope Buchholz took a Greyhound from Baltimore to Portland. Alot of pressure on Buchholz going into the season. He tossed the no no and it's been downhill ever since. His confidence is shot and that is what he needs to find before he can move on. Just what I thought, Sox lose and the Rays lose. This pitching is getting hammered lately. That is not a good thing at all.

5 starts too late. I bet you Buchholz won't be a lights out in AA either. Please do not recall him until his ERA at AAA (not AA) hovers around 3. Option Aardsma. Lopez, and Delcarman to AAA too. Take my heed! Or it will come back to haunt the Sox in stretch run.
I said it earlier Buchholz is at best a AAA+ pitcher. Buchholz lost to Baltimore and that unknown pitcher? Give me a break. I am still infuriated at the loss. 6 runs should have won the game against any team. I just don't understand what's Masterson doing in the pen. If he started last night.............
Let's just hope Beck's finger numbness goes away and Wake returns soon. Let the new season begin on Friday with the rotation like Lester, Beck, Dice K, Wake, and Byrd, yes in that order.
Imagine if the Sox just won 1/2 or 1/3 of the games Buchholz started, the Sox could be in the first place tie with the Rays instead of the miserable 1/2 game lead in wc.
If people care to read my previous posts, I am an advocate for ABB (Anyone But Buchholz). If anyone pitches, there is a chance that the Sox will win. If Buchholz pitches, it is a mathematical certainty that the Sox will lose regardless how many runs you scored for him.

Buchholz's no hitter turns out be a curse rather than a blessing for him. Buchholz would be optioned to AA many starts ago if it wouldn't for the no hitter.

Any chance Bucholz can take Coco Crisp with him?

Gsm...

With Buchholz riding the buses in A.A. I assume you'll be taken his spot on the roster. lol. I know one thing for sure, you would throw strikes. Unlike all these other pitchers, Aardsma and Delcarmen.

rayman: I am no fan of coco. But I am more concerned about Aardma, Delcarmen, and the other lefty specialist who will blow leads in key games. Brian would agree with me.

007......I assume everyone would agree with you. lol. I have had it with Delcarmen and Aardsma. I hope they'll be somewhere else next year and I am guessing they will be gone at season's end. Crisp as well should be dealt away, then again I thought that this past winter as well. There will be changes on this Red Sox team, no doubt.

Great news on Lugo... he suffered another injury and should be out even longer. Whew... that was a close one. He almost got back into the line-up. Good riddance.
And nobody is worse than Crisp right now... no pitcher, batter, front office guy, hot dog vendor, etc... For the season, he's batting .206 with RISP, .188 with RISP and 2 out, and .173 with men on and 2 out. He's horrendous. No pitcher with a 4 ERA is in this class of ineptitude.

Arnie ------ what a great recipe. I love brown bread, and the raisins are a great touch. Being one of seven kids, hot dogs, baked beans and brown bread was the feast every Saturday night in my house. You can't buy brown bread around here, at least I haven't been able to find it. My girlfriend ordered me three cans from the B&M web site. It was good stuff. I've cut and pasted the recipe and I'm going to try it...... LOL! Hell, I can't even boil an egg, what am I talking about?

I read the Boston Globe article this morning about the Buchholz demotion to Portland. I'm proud of him. He handled it with dignity and there's no doubt in my mind he'll go down there and get things worked out. I think we'll see him start next year in AAA and he'll be back before the end of next season ready to go. His issues aren't the lack of talent or ability. He lacks command and confidence and no matter how good your stuff is, you can't succeed without those. Those things are what enable a guy like Paul Byrd, who has far less ability and talent, to be reasonably successful.

Well, it's a snow day here in Jacksonville. Schools, public offices, banks, and other useless places that employ people to do nothing are all closed. It's a great money making day for the malls and restaurants which are open for business as usual. Don Kent is in the other room counting his money. Come to find out he has an interest in a bottled water company and has made a killing based on his more than slightly exaggerated gloom and doom weather forecast. LOL! He's pretty smart for a guy 88 years old.

Hey Brian........ I've started a conditioning program and I'm going to get my fat butt in shape and be ready for spring training next year. I was out doing some throwing yesterday and I could reach the plate from 35 feet as long as the wind was at my back. I'm almost there.

Garry.......

It sounds to me you'll be able to make at least 4 starts in September. You'll be one of the oldest call ups in September. LOL!!! Throw strikes, change speeds and work fast, Ray Miller's old theory. If you do that, 65 million for 5 years coming your way. Perhaps Don Kent will carry your bags for you. Kent needs to stay in shape somehow someway.

It is astonishing that the Sox records were 3-12 in the games that Buchholz started. The management knew about automatic loss every 5 days and yet kept him in the rotation again and again. What if the Sox missed the playoffs by 1 game or 2, who is to blame? It was funny the other day Theo Epstein was talking about Buchholz is the part of the plan for future if not for the present. Theo must have been drinking arnie’s Mekong rice whisky. lol
If Buchholz had a decent outing against a poor pitcher last night, the Sox would have kept him in the rotation. Thank God, Buchholz plummetted.

This year's version of the Red Sox have been the most frustrating I've seen in recent years. Blown leads, inability to win on the road, inability to beat other contenders (Blue Jays, Angels). Middle relief has been brutally inconsistent this year (someone PULEEZE tell Timlin "thanks for all you've done, but it's time to call it a career."). Varitek has been a disappointment, not to mention Crisp, Bucholz (BIG BIG disappointment), Lugo, Beckett...and then the whole Ramirez drama. By and large, the minuses have far outstripped the few pluses (Pedroia, Youkilis, Drew, and now Lowrie). It's really a miracle the Sox are still in the running for the playoffs, but I really don't expect them to withstand Minnesota for much longer--and they're not going to catch Tampa Bay. If the team does manage to squeak into the playoffs, they'll be quickly dispatched in the LCS. I've come to the conclusion that this team is like the Sox of the early 1990s. Good enough to make the playoffs every year, but not nearly good enough to get past the LCS round.

For pluses, I forgot of course to mention Joh Lester. This guy has become a bona fide ace. Mea culpa.

Ellen,
Remember Buchholz's No No was his first start ever against the last place(?) Orioles. He even had me excited for 2008. And I know at least one other veteran team who always has trouble with first time starters!!!

@ronkelly: I couldn't agree with you more on this season's team. Frustrations abound for us fans. Bottom line is that the next month or so of baseball is so critical to this team's hopes in the playoffs.

What's been going with the team's bullpen? Things seemed fine earlier in the season and now have been falling apart. Not to mention the fact that it seems that we've been thin on long relief for a while. I didn't catch the entire game, but based off of the box score, I didn't see Masterson listed. If I'm correct, isn't he supposed to be the team's long relief man? In all seriousness, do we not have one?

As for the Twins and Rays, in the words of Dan Patrick: "You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him."

But I'm sure not waiving the white flag just yet. Most of me feels I won't have to.

Funny, but I completely glossed over the fact that Clay was sent back down to Portland (AA). Needless to say, I wasn't surprised by the move. I actually expected this move to happen sooner rather than later.

As much as I give Tito credit for never bailing on his players, this move should have been made 1-2 starts ago.

Just my two cents.

-Raj

In Tito's defense, you know a kid like Buchholz has great stuff and you know he can pitch at this level. You throw him out there and hope he can get his stuff together to do what you know he can do. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. You also have to consider that with Wake and Colon on the DL, there weren't a lot of alternatives until they picked up Byrd. Tito gave Buchholz every opportunity and the kid just couldn't get his head together. But he will and when he does, he'll be very good.

The Sox have certainly had more than their fair share of issues to deal with this year. The team doesn't look much like the team that was projected out of spring training, yet they are hanging pretty tough and have a great chance to get to the post season. I think that says something about this team, and about Tito. I'm not ready to give up on them and I think if they do get to the post season, their starting pitching makes them competitive with anyone.

Raj: This move should have been made 5 starts ago. With respect to Masterson, I still do not see what is his role, a long man, a setup guy? We didn't see him yesterday. We didn't see him in a set up situtaion. We last time saw him pitched for 2 innings when the Sox had a reasonably comfortable lead. I said it many times Masterson should have taken Buchholz's spot until Colon or Wake is reactivated, then back to the pen.
Why we have to wait until September to call up Chris Smith who is more effective than Mr. D, Mr. L, Mr. A. Mr. T in the bp?

garry: You gave a kid a chance once, twice, three times, four times, five times, six times. That's it, not 12 times. Who doesn't have good stuff? Delcarmen, Aardsman all have great stuff.

Where is Jeff? I value his opinion and would like to hear from him. Is he still busy rating the prospects?

007...

Jeff was last seen heading on a bus heading towards some minor league town, lol.

Brian,
Isn't Orlando an hour from you? Do you meet Jeff at the Trop?

Oh I see Portland interviewing prospects. lol

With Cora warming in the pen. Was Francona saying to Theo, get me some bullpen help and now please. Just something to think about.

Hey to all!! Question.. With all the biotching we've been doing about Clayboy and Coco (BTW great try by him over the fence last night), What is the latest on Mikey Lowell??
Has anyone heard anything??

Ellen,
MiLB shows no current Rehab only April.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Mike%20Lowell&pos=3B&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=136780

Ellen,

Mike Lowell is expected to join the team in either N.Y. or Toronto. If I read it correct, to do baseball activities. He was at home in Miami for a few days. When he'll be ready to play is anyone's guess. A healthy Mike Lowell will be much needed!!

08 Bosox...Box of chocolates aka Forrest Gump. All you can do is wait and see what happens next.

I'll say this about the Sox. In Tito's time at Boston the Sox have a way of showing up to play when October comes around. You can never count them out. If they make the playoffs they have the tools to step up and do some real damage. Hopefully they can pull it together and get to the post-season.

Gsm...

If Pavano is ready to start. I assume you are as well. LOL!!

Brian: That means the Sox could face Pavano in NY. Lester v. Pavano.

or Beckett v. Pavano, the class reunion of 2003 Marlins.

007...

I guess Ron Guidry or Rick Rhoden wasn't available. lol.

Sorry I have been gone for a while, I have had problems with my internet. I have said that before. Buchholz should be optioned to the minors, and let him work out in the off-season and spring, the he can be as strong as ever NEXT year.

007chow: With Wake and Colon on the DL, what were the alternatives to Buchholz? Masterson has been working out of the pen because he and Pap are the only reliable bodies the Sox have out there. Buchholz did OK early in the season and he was good at the end of last season. He went down to AAA and did very well and has been successful at every level of play. There was no reason to believe he couldn't do the job. On the other hand, Delcarmen, Aardsma, Hansen (when he was here) and most of the other rejects from the Perkins Institute for the Blind in the Sox bullpen, have a history of inconsistency. But again, what are Tito's alternatives to what he has? There really aren't any. Now that he's got Byrd, Buchholz can go get his head together and try to get ready for next year. You give your brightest prospects a shot. That's why Youk, Pedroia, Lowrey, Ellsbury, and Lester are all still here. They have all gone through times when it would have been easy to give up on them, but Tito didn't and it paid dividends. I don't blame him a bit for taking the same approach with Buchholz.

Dice-K is Houdini. To say he is lucky is the understatement of the year. Hitters are 0-14 with the base loaded against him. I'll bet there isn't another pitcher in baseball who has even faced a base loaded situation 14 times this year. You put his WHIP, K's/IP next to Buchholz, and statistically there isn't much difference. Why is one so good and one so bad? Experience? Confidence? Some times things just can't be explained. Dice-K could just as easily be a .500 pitcher as 15-2. Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you. This year, the bear has eaten Buchholz alive. He created most of his own problems, but he hasn't gotten a single break either. On the other hand, Dice-K has had a lot of balls bounce his way.

Beckett is the same story. He has been pounded a few times this year, but he has pitched some awfully nice games he didn't win. Ditto for Wakefield.

If the Sox lose out of the playoffs you want to look at Buchholz and Tito's failure to deal with him? Hmmmm! How many losses does the bullpen have this year..... how about 18.

Hi, All:

I spent a few minutes catching up on comments. A lot of interesting banter.

007 Chow, Aardsma doesn't have options remaining. I agree with you. I think he has pitched himself out of a bullpen spot next season. The Sox need relievers who can consistently throw strikes, thus the reason only Papelbon, Okajima and Masterson will definitely be back. David Pauley would be an ideal set-up man. I heard the Sox are considering moving him into a relief role.

I am still rating the prospects. Tonight's post will be starting pitchers. I have been distracted the last couple days trying to keep up with my writing and PR client deadlines and tracking this tropical storm, which hit us hard today (as far as rain, the wind wasn't bad).

Garry, like you, I am working myself back into shape. I am planning on playing again in the 30-and-over wooden bat baseball league here in Orlando when the next season starts in February. I have some work because I look like David Wells and run like Sean Casey. I played in it last year but injured my oblique trying to hit a slider and I missed the rest of the season. I sympathize with Mike Lowell. Regardless of whether you are a amateur baseball ******* like me or a big leaguer, the only remedy for an oblique injury is time. It severely hurts when you sneeze. I would be surprised if Lowell is back in the lineup before the second week of September.

I like this rotation with Beckett, Dice-K, Lester, Wakefield and Byrd. Bartolo Colon threw four hitless innings tonight for Pawtucket. Hopefully, Wake and Colon can step up because I would rather they not rush Michael Bowden, who is now the No. 2 pitching prospect behind Buchholz.

I've never met anyone on this blog in person, but I would like to meetup with some of you at the Trop. I always go over there with a small group, and we go to the infamous sports bar Ferg's before and after the games. It is transformed into a Red Sox bar when the Sox are in town. Unfortunately, I have needed a few beers there after Sox-Rays games the last few years. The Sox rarely win anymore at the Trop.

Jeff
http://www.soxandpinstripes.com

lol. Brian, I don't do buses. I get car sick if I am not doing the driving. I am planning on driving down to Ft. Myers next week to watch a GCL Red Sox game. The new draft picks - Westmoreland, Hissey, Kelly, etc. - are all there. The season is about over.

Jeff
http://www.soxandpinstripes.com

By the way, I see where the Jays are applying an old fashioned whoopin' on the Yankees tonight. Hopefully, their bats will be too tired to hit against Boston!

Garry,
I agree with you. Tito can only use with the cards he has been dealt. It's easy to blame the manager but that's not usually the problem. Sometimes it is...but not as much as people like to believe. There were many times this year when Tito left the starter in too long only because the bullpen was the worse alternative to leaving the starter in. If they make the playoffs, this will be Tito's best year as a manager because of the issues, distractions and lack of middle and late relief he has had to deal with. If Delcarmen, Okajima, Timlin, Hansen and Ardsma to name a few would have ptiched halfway decent, he would not have had to move Masterson out of the starting rotation. So Buchholz was the answer and you know Tito did not want to put Buchholz though all that but what choice did he have? It's been a tough season but I have the utmost respect for Tito and.....it ain't over yet!!!!! Go Sox.

Not to change the subject or anything, but I was just thinking of something ironic. Our bitter rivals in New York City were so pumped by the prospect of having their "youth movement" come to fruition in 2008 that they felt it necessary to give their old manager the boot. And they did it in the most shabby and disrespectful way! Here was a guy that lead them to the playoffs EVERY year he managed the team. And he brought them 4 World Championships! So they bring in the new super-manager, give him the number 27 to remind him this is the year for that 27th title and look where they are!! And look where Torre is: that's right folks, he's fighting for a playoff spot. Sure Torre's team is in a weak division, but he's in the mix isn't he? And yes, the Evil Ones have had their fair, or unfair, share of injuries, but hey, they had a ton of injuries last year too. I just think it smacks of payback for the disrespectful and arrogant way they dealt with Joe Torre last fall. Who says there's no karma? Anyway, just thought I'd share that. And lastly, all I have further to say about that is: Hahahahahaha!!!! Morons! Hahahahaha!!! That felt good.

Jeff,

Brian and I are planning on being at the Trop for the Monday night game of the Sox-Rays series. Let one of us know if you want to attend as well. Fay is whacking us pretty good right now. She came ashore just south of us which is the worst case scenario. We're seeing winds up to about 50 mph and there have been some pretty good rain squalls on and off over the course of the day. Most of the bridges in Jax have been closed for at least part of the day. It's supposed to be like this through tomorrow night. Fay is a pretty big storm and is covering about half the state right now. I think you're still getting it in Orlando.

I'd really like to get back into shape and give it one last try. Believe it or not, I can still throw some. Last year I hucked a cow patty 74mph at the Clay County Agricultural Fair. I think there is a senior baseball league up here too. With all the studying of pitching I've been doing for the past 30 years or so, it would be interesting to see if I've learned anything. The answer would likely be that the brain is good, but the old body just won't cooperate.

garry, we (in fort lauderdale) are STILL dealing with, the backwash and bringing up the big ol rear, stuff of FAYE... Stay dry and safe my friend!! Just google kteboarder in fort lauderdale to see what can happen whne you go and have a blonde moment!! Very serious injuries, but it is one of those things that makes you go "hmmm, wonder what HE WAS THINKING???",you have to see it!! I was just playing with the thought of driving over on Monday, but no budget this month and I have another one of those wonderful big needle tests on my back,,, SPINAL TAP.. no anesthesia... So I beg of you guys, PLEASE HAVE FUN FOR ME.... AND.. CHANT: DEVILRAYS DEVILRAYS, PLEASE STOP THEIR WINNING WAYS.. and on and on!! Oh and PLEASE?? take something with you to stop the cowbells and those damned sppons that they have in the stands.. maybe if you take Roseanne she can do something to quiet all that crap.. in other words I wish I could make the trip.... HAVE FUN,, MAKE A SIGN FOR ME!!

KITE BOARDER or go to wfor.com

garry?? Why would you throw a cow patty, and did you have gloves on?? ewwwww!!! i guess thats a guy thing!

Garry, I'm up for meeting you guys at the Monday game. Have you purchased tickets? If not, perhaps we can all sit together.

For some reason, my screen name on here is now showing up as Mr. Write. I don't remember doing that, but it is rather clever, don't you think :)

By the way, Chow007 (I'm not sure what your first name is!), the top 10 starting pitching prospects column is now posted. A lot of promising arms on the way!

Jeff
http://www.soxandpinstripes.com

Ellen, the kite boarder was actually coming ashore to remove his gear because he realized the ocean was too dangerous that day. Of course, he shouldn't have been out there in the first place, but before he had a chance to remove his gear, a wind gust picked up up and tossed him across the street and against the building. I'm surprised the guy is still living.

It's rather quiet here in DeLand (in Volusia County, about 25 minutes from Orlando and 25 minutes from Daytona Beach). We were hammered last night and today with hours of downpours and some gusty winds. Perhaps the worst has passed.

Jeff
http://www.soxandpinstripes.com

Arnie,
Laugh all you want but don't spit in a Yankee Fan's dish. Business is business and I suppose you think Willie Randolph was handled better! I knew Torre was gone in July 2007, when Girardi nixed the O's Manager!

GSM/Jeff,
Buchholz to AA was an ugly slap on the kid. Why not AAA? Are they afraid he'd blow Pawtucket's shot at first place?

Jeff, I noticed it and did mentio it in the blog postings.. VERY cool

jeff, I did read that he and his friends were coming ashore, but... What in the hell are they doing out there to begin with?? That 3 miles from my house and about 1/4 mile from my office. Lots of TALL buildings in the area?? No lifeguards on duty, the only reason paramedics were in the area is that they were gong in to sign up for volunteer duty (friends of mine from teh fire department) If there are posted "nosurfing, no swimming" signs up it leads me to believe that kite boarding is also a nono!! Common sense or lack there-of!!

Spit away Arnie....They don't have to eat it if they don't want.

Hey, RGK you are one of the most respectful Yankee posters I've met!!! You and our Yankee friend Vince!!I miss Vince.
Freat to see you RGK!!

Kramer, I don't know what you mean by spit in your dish.
And yes, business is business, BUT, HOW YOU CONDUCT YOUR BUSINESS MATTERS. Especially in a very public business like Major League Baseball. And the fact is, the Yankees did a poor job, embarrassingly poor, when they "fired" Torre. They should have let him go with some dignity and an acknowledgement of what he had done for the Yankees and their fans. As far as I'm concerned, what Torre did in NY is worthy of HOF consideratiopn. Instead they pretended to offer him a contract, one that everyone knew he could not accept. It was pathetic and if I were you I'd be embarrassed for my team. If the Sox did it to Tito, I'd feel the same way. Just because I root for the Sox does not mean I defend their mistakes.

You think the Yanks treated Torre bad-- look what we did-- we gave him ZAZU. But then again,Torre could get back at the Yanks and pass ZAZU on to them next year.

@RGK: I'm pretty sure Clay was told by Tito and the staff their reasoning behind why he was sent down to Portland (AA). Keep this in mind: IIRC, Clay was not necessarily shutting down opposing batters at Pawtucket (AAA), but he was at the AA level. I'm sure they sent him down there more for a psychological boost more than anything. Sure it was a gamble in a way, but I'm sure it'll do him a world of good.

So the Twins just beat the Angels. So now the Red Sox have to fight the Twins AND Rays to get into the playoffs.

Time to batten down the hatches and get ready for the stretch run as this is going to get very interesting.

-Raj

Since pangelotti mentioned Manny, I never actually asked folks here about the Manny trade and his last days in Boston.

My take? I wish both sides conducted themselves with more class, with Manny being the more guilty party. However, you bet your bottom dollar I loved the time he was here.

To me, he's still a Red Sox and always will be. Antics or no antics.

WS 2004 MVP folks, I can't forget that. Nor will get rid of the jersey I have of his. Heck, it has the WS 2004 patch on it too.

Man-Ram, you loved the fans, and I for one, loved you as a player.

-Raj

Yeah, poor Joe Torre. I really respect him, always liked him as a player, and he does a great job as manager. Now he has ZAZU, the walking migraine headache, to deal with. ZAZU, who is happy for a week. You're right, I think the Yankees "deserve" ZAZU.

@Arnie: Am I reading sarcasm? :-P

And seriously, what's this "ZAZU" lingo in referring to Manny? Clearly I have missed something...

-Raj

Lord knows, I don't want to stick up for the Yankees or Steinbrenner-lite. However, Torre's team had not been to the World Series for 4 years, his team had not won it for 7(?), and his teams were starting to get bounced in the first round of the play-offs every year. The Yanks didn't say good bye, they actually offered him way more money than the Didgers did, but only for one year. Aren't they entitled to say "Joe, we're not sure the chemistry still works, and we want to take this next year to check it, but we intend to provide you the compensation your past efforts have entitled you to?

Now had they offered him 1/3rd of his prior salary, that may have been insulting. However, there may well come a time when the Sox no longer believe that Tito can get the team where management wants it to go...After all, we all think their future is bright with all of the youth that they have...Dice-K, Beckett (hopefully no serious pinched nerve damage)...Jon L...Youk...DP...Jed Lowrie...Ellsbury...and the others who Jeff reminds us are on their way...on top of that, they have pretty attractive performers, many of whom are not near ready to retire...Jason Bay...Mike Lowell...Big Papi

You get to 4 years from now, when the Sox haven't been in a series, or 7 years from now when they havn't won one, or go along for several years when they keep getting bounced in the early rounds of the play-offs, and see how the management handles Tito. Imagine, after winning the series in '04, they get bounced by the White Sox in 1st round of '05, don't make it into the play-offs '06, and are defeated by the Indians in the ALCS in '07. I wonder what Tito's renegotiation would have looked like in '08?

I don't mean to criticize the FO, but they do treat the team like a business...what have you done for me lately??? To me, they are a lot like the Pats in that way, which, I suspect makes them very successful, both performance-wise and earnings-wise.

Lets just hope that Tito's managerial fortunes continue to be good, the Sox continue to enjoy great success, and Tito gets to leave the Sox on his own terms. Not many do, you can probably count them on a couple of fingers: Tommy Lasorda......?????

Raj We are not to speak his name with out being fined in some silly way.... Since you didnt know, you're ok THIS time.. We couldnt decide on a pseudonym for him and I think it was Phil that came up with ZAZU.... Just something else to keep us busy and oput of trouble in between innings and games.

RGK... I went back over what I posted, no sarcasm or contempt... I had not seen you post for awhile, I DO think you are one of the most respectful yankee posters we've had here on Brownie Points (and Vince) .. Sorry if my statement (even with the typos) was ambiguous...

If the Sox failed to make the playoffs, Buchholz is definitely not the only culprit. There are plenty, namely, the bull pen, lack of timely hits, and injuries to a lesser degree. I strongly feel that the Sox, not necessarily its Tito’s decision, should have demoted Buchholz a few starts ago and see what Chris Smith or ABB can do in the No. 5 spot before bringing in Byrd. By demoting Buchholz to AA instead of AAA, it clearly indicates that the management knows the severity of Buchholz’s problem.
I still do not understand Masterson’s role in the bull pen. The way Masterson has been used out of the bullpen really was a waste of his talents.

I'm not sure if I read it correct but I think Buchholz was out of options to A.A.A. and that is why he was sent to Portland. Also he is reunited with a pitching coach that he is quite familiar with. Personally I think he needs too see a sports pyschologist. Buchholz has the hardware but does he have the software? lol.

The fact that we're tied with the Twins for the wildcard just shows how poorly our front office and management has done. The average fan can probably name 1 or 2 players on the whole Twins team. We have World Series MVPs, Hall of Famers, Rookie of Year, Gold Glovers, 2 or 3 times the payroll, twice the run differential, pitchers with no hitters, and the SAME RECORD. That's disgraceful. The Cubs and Yanks make absolute steal trades and we either make Gagne-like trades, or no trades (Crisp, Lugo, etc.). The only thing I can see that is in our favor is the Twins have played 11 more home games than road games. Great, we'll make the playoffs hopefully because the Twins are mediocre on the road. Thats something to hang out hat on.

Dbenjamin, it seems everyone knew when the Yankees offered Torre that contract, he wouldn't take it. Why not just let him go in a dignified way and acknowledge his achievements with the Yanks? They could have grown some cojones and dealt with the situation in a more professional manner. They tried to make Torre the bad guy. WEAK! I understand the business aspect of baseball, but I also understand that there is a way to handle things properly and there are times when someone deserves to be treated with a little extra care and respect. And when the time comes that the Sox fire Tito(hopefully he'll be able to retire on his own terms) I hope they do it carefully and in a way that gives him his due as the manager that "broke the curse". If not, then I have a problem with that, too. Conduct your business in a business-like manner, so that everyone, while maybe not ecstatic, gets to leave with their head up and pride intact. It's not too much to ask.

Brian:
Jeff still rated Buchholz as a top #1 pitching propsect. Buchholz is an enigma. He has nasty stuff and yet cannot get any key outs. Can it be his lack of command, confidence, poise or all of above. What else can he learn from his familiar pitching coach in AA that he does not already know. You’re not joking Buchholz should see a sports psychologist. Buchholz is like a child prodigy by pitching a no hitter in his second ML appearance. We know what happens to child prodigy when little adversity strikes.
If the Sox missed the playoffs, Buchholz aside, those loss games in which the Sox failed to score any run with bases loaded or runners on 2d and 3d and no outs loom larger and larger.
Howver, once the Sox gets into playoffs, we will do fine with Lester, Beck (healthy of course), Dice-K. Wake/Byrd and have JD and Lowell back in the lineup. Angels seem to lose some steam and CWS or Minn never poses any threat. The fearless upstart Rays may be more menacing.

Ellen, cow patties was all they had at the fair. No baseballs. They were all dried out, so no gloves..... LOL!

Jeff, we don't have tickets yet. I think Brian and I are going to talk about that over the weekend. Email me your phone number at gsm52@comcast.net and I'll give you a call and let you know what's going on. Also, my posting name changed from gsm52 to garry and I didn't do anything that I know of. I'm not sure how it happened.

The Rays have screwed up the whole season. They have undermined the intensity of the Sox - Yankees rivalry. They have stealthed their way into first place and now we have to get serious about catching them. Who would have thunk this could happen four months ago?

I think sending Buchholz to AA was telling him to relax, and go work on some stuff. There's a guy there that knows you and can work with you and hopefully when next year rolls around, you'll be ready. That being said, if the opportunity arises to make a good trade over the winter, it would not surprise me a lot to see Buchholz included as a part of that package. I had that same feeling with Hansen because I think the Sox recognized that while he had talent, he didn't have the mental makeup to be successful in Boston. Just watching Buccholz, his body language and mannerisms, I have that same feeling about him. Speaking of Hansen, he is 0-1 in Pittsburgh having walked 8 batters in 8 innings. He's not enjoying a lot of success there either.

We all know that there are few professions that have more superstitions in them than Baseball,,,, Please.. from this point on try to remember to refer to Tampa as The DEVILRAYS.... They stunk when their name was THE DEVIL RAYS...... Let's see if we cant start something here!!!
DEVILRAYS DEVILRAYS DEVILRAYS!!!!!!

Hi all:
I Just looked at Buchholz's stats. We know he sucks. But Buchholz pitched brilliantly against the Rays in 2008. His ERA against the Rays was 2.03 - 13.1 innings pitched. gave up 8 hits and 3 earned runs.
Buchholz's ERA at Tropicana Field was 2.25 - 8 innings pitched, 3 hits and 2 ERs.
Can the Sox call him up in Sept just to pitch to the Rays? not lol.

@Ellen: Fines huh? Well, I'm semi-broke anyways, so it's not like anybody could take anything from me. "ZAZU" sounds like something out of "Mork & Mindy," though...

Meh, no matter to me. It is what it is and that won't stop me from denying what he's done and who he is.

The only time I'll burn that jersey will be if he goes into the HoF as anything BUT a Red Sox. Then it'll be over. Until then, it'll always be "Manny Being Manny."

About the thow "Devil Rays" bit, you might be onto something there. I think we need to tell our Sox fans down at Trop to chant that at games in an annoying fashion. :-D

-Raj

Pacol..

Personally I would fine you for writing Mork & Mindy on here, LOL!!!

@bosoxbrian: Well I was a kid when the show was on Nick at Nite and I was always amused by Robin Williams. I never got a lot of the jokes, but his antics made me laugh. :-D

Now Nick at Nite has The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air...now I know I'm getting older. :-P

Speaking of getting older, I was just cleaning out my closet a bit and came across my two shoe boxes of sports cards. Man I really have some jackpot cards in there and I've only taken a quick look:

Brett Favre - 1992
Alex Rodriguez - 1996
Derek Jeter - 1995
Manny Ramirez - 1995
Emmitt Smith - 1993

Yeah, I may be getting older, but that's quite the haul of HoF-caliber players.

Garry (GSM),
I found a roatation you'll fit in to. Yourself, Jim Lonborg, Ray Culp, Luis Tiant and Bill Lee. All from different eras of course. Sonny Siebert in long relief if you get tired. Go Sox!!!!

Bosox Brian and Mike Andrews can platoon at 2nd base.

cfarn...

I'm a lefty so turning the d.p. would be quite difficult. Then again if gsm is on the hill. Very few baserunners and that means I would never have to worry about turning a d.p. LOL!!!

Hey All,
Good to see I'm still welcome...well at least sort of.
Also, I'm so much more comfortable on this blog...given my "thin skin."

Arnie,
You sound a little like me...sensative. Now I'm not a big fan of Randy Levine. He can be kind of abrupt, to the point of being rude. And with the decision made to give Torre an offer that he had to refuse, Randy was the hatchett guy. Every $Billion Corporation has one, and this was the Yankee$$$$$$. I found it hard to cut loose a four year employee, the hardest I ever did, because she did her job well for 3+ years.

And I see nasty stories about chefs antics when they dislike someone or thing. Anyone remember "Roots?" You may remember some of my earlier posts too! Did the......Rays make me do it?

As far as Buchholz, that seemed as cold as the Minaya/Randolph thing. And Willie has long been my favorite Yankee. But, today, I saw the word "rebuild" for Clay in the Herald. If it worked for Halladay, good luck to Clay.

Say, Do you all know Britton and Ponson are up for a Young Award? No, not Cy, that's a Mighty Joe Young Award. They're both as big as Gorillas....(how about Colon?).

In any case, good luck with the Rays and Angels this year. October 1st, I may be cheering for the Phillies!

Seems like the twinkies and the xsox are always playing poor teams, everytime i look up, it's kc or seattle! Here's to hope that the boys can beat those sneaky (for lack of being able to curse) blue jays. Why is it that the jays bats come alive against us and maybe the yanks and that's it? Im starting to hate them as much as the yanks...well maybe not that much..lol

Well, you live long enough..... first time I've been accused of being sensitive! But that's OK I'm not insulted, Kramer. Just don't make that mistake if you're ever working for me! But I DO like to see businesses run the right way. And when I fire someone I do it in the privacy of my office, I don't throw a tantrum and I don't make it a public affair, the rest of my staff doesn't always know what happened, unless I want to make a point and tell them. Chef's tantrums are legendary but becoming more and more a thing of the past. The first chef I worked for screamed and cursed at me every day for 3 months straight. Until finally I started to show I could do the job. I never once spoke back to him. Never said a word. Kind of freaked him out. The waitresses all had bets how long I would last. The lady that won the bet, the grizzled old veteran, bought me a beer as a thank-you and told me when I refused to talk and just kept working she knew I'd make it. That was the same place where the day prep cook killed his friend in the parking lot. The good old days!!! LOL

Okay Brian,
I'll platoon you with George "Boomer" Scott at 1B. You should have no problems over there. Do you bat lefty too?
If you don't bat left then no platoon exists! You'll have to start outright!

Will everyone please join me in calling the team from Tampa the DevilRays??? Its getting late in teh season and my Tampa Bay DEVILRAYS voodoo dolls were defective... I just sent them back and requested a refund!!!!! I need something to change things up and get the momentum going in our favor.... So whenever we refer to the team from Tampa... SAY IT WITH ME NOW,,,,, THE DEVILRAYS DEVILRAYS!!!!

Ok Ellen. I've got my shrine to Jobu set up. I offered him a coconut, a glass of rum and a cigar, the candle is burning and the incense lit. Now, does anyone have the proper incantations to place a spell of failure on the Devilrays? I've got a naked priestess doing a dance over a pot of rice I'll be feeding the Devilrays after the game, but I need the prayers or it won't work! The priestess doesn't know, it's not her specialty. I also need a live chicken.

cfarn......

I'm a rare bird for sure, throw left and bat right. No platoon at first I guess, lol. I'll be the lefty specialist out of the pen. LOL!! I get to throw 6 or 7 pitches and get paid well. I can still show up to the park hungover. I love being the lefty specialist!!!

That's the job of a lifetime Brian. Jump on it! Boras can get you 5 years at 40 mil easy. Just remember: walks and hits are the key. Make your stay on the mound as short as possible so you can get a good spot at the bar!

Arnie...

I agree with you totally about the job of a lifetime. I hope I don't run into some nutty prep cook along the way. LOL!!!

J.D. Drew currently getting an M.R.I. on his back. Let's hope everything is negative. Drew has had 1 season over 500 at bats. It wouldn't surprise me if he missed more time. As Jeff says about Drew, a china doll. I would agree very much with that and who wouldn't?

Arnie Lets try this one:
Oh powerful great and mightiful Jobu, Here is what I ask from you:
I know you work in mysterious ways and I want you to put a spell on the DELVILRAYS,
take their bats and make them weak.... No more nomore winning streaks.. make them vulnerable to the booze, make them really LOVE to lose.
make them chant "WE LOVE THE SOX... It's the team in Boston that really ROCKS.
We're not worthy to hold 1st place, we're not worthy to make 1st base.
Its really been a long long year Our legs are hurting and so is the rear.
We werent made to go at this pace, we wanna be out of teh Pennant race.
We long to see the garden gnome... Oh Please Joba let us gome home"
Can we try that one?? If not I'll try to find another one when I reach home.

JD has herniaited disc and hope the MRI result is negative. Crisp and Cora are playing tonight and Lowrie is at 3rd. Let's hope JD is OK. We don't want to see Crisp playing CF everyday.

Brian,
I can end a game on one pitch!

Arnie,
OK. Maybe not sensitive, but, strange that you care so much for Torre or how it happened to him! I quickly forgot, and LAD are contending, with a worse record than the Yankees! Am I missing something? There was a Yankee front office tantrum?

Awesome Ellen! I'm on it. I have to start chanting now.

I think also think the Yankees let Torre hang in the wind as well. They gave him a 1 year extension ( knowing he wasn't going to take it ) Torre came out smelling like a rose while the Yankees came out smelling like a ............. Girardi has pretty much had a honeymoon season. Next year Girardi will be managing on the hot seat of all hot seats next year. The Yankees will be on a spending spree and they want results next year!!! Torre did the right thing by saying see ya later to the Yankees. If the Yankees really wanted him back, they would have offered a multi year deal.

Dbenjamin ( yikes ) said it best the other day. You can count on 1 hand how many managers end there tenure on there terms. I need to throw up, I quoted dbenjamin. What is this world coming too? LOL!!! Oh my god!!!

Okay Brian,
A lefty specialist with GSM in the starting rotation. Your hired and on the roster.
Let's just hope when the Braves say goodbye to Bobby Cox, whenever that happens, he gets a little more respect than Torre did. The Dodgers got a steal with Torre and he's back in the hunt. Like Brian said....won't be long until Girardi starts feeling the heat. The one constant the Yankees had was Torre so they did us a favor by letting him go. He did a lot more than put 9 guys on the field. He handled the press and kept A-Rod and Jeter from killing each other. But we have our own issues in Bosox land.....like kicking some Blue Jay tail tonight. Go Sox!!!!!

Kramer, you mentioned something about chef antics and I got sidetracked.That's where the tantrum stuff came from. I dunno, I always had respect for Torre going back to his playing days. Why I would give a rat's behind about Torre is beyond me. You never know what will strike a nerve and that one struck me last fall, the end of an era, and it went badly I thought.

cfarn....

I'm not sure if Gsm will let me come in relief. I get the feeling Gsm wants nobody finishing up for him. LOL!!!

I'm with you about Bobbby Cox. He has had quite a run in Atlanta and deserves to leave on his terms. I have loved watching Cox over the years go after the umpires. I think he leads baseball in getting tossed from the game.

Your also 100% correct, we have our own issues in BoSox land. Lester goes tomm. afternoon, Boston should win that one. Can they steal one in Toronto tonight or on Sunday? Also Byrd faces the Jays for the 3rd time in about 13 days, who has the advantage? Byrd? Jays hitters? I'm guessing the more times you see Byrd, the tougher it is for him. So many baserunners and hits allowed by Byrd. We'll see how it works. Last time he took the mound in Toronto, he stymied the Jays and went the distance. I'll take 7 innings tonight. If Boston can come out of Toronto and take 2 of 3 I'll be quite happy. I am not counting on it but I am hoping!!

Now if the Red Sox lose and the Twins win the Red Sox will be exactly 1.0 game behind in the wild card. This is a stressful time right now

Ellsbury and Pedroia need to start there magic tonight. If those two get on base on a consisent basis, this lineup will be very difficult to pitch too. That means Ortiz and Youk will be hitting with guys on base and there is nowhere to put them. Pen is well rested so that means Masterson and Okajima will be ready and rested. Aardsma and Delcarmen should sit with the fans if this game is close tonight!!

Chant it with me everyone:DEVILRAYS DEVILRAYS DEVILRAYS

LETS GO REDSOX LETS GO!!!

I almost forgot there's a game tonight. Sox have to get their sh*t together and win on the road. It's time!! No more excuses and no more lost series on the road. Sox have to be road warriors from now on out. GO SOX!!!!!!

Pedrioa now 1 for 12 against Marcum. Way to go Pedroia!!! The little man comes up big again.