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In the spotlight: Randy’s rough night
Posted on October 13, 2008 by Doug Flynn
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After flashing a bit of his old magic last week with a 111-yard day, including a 66-yard score, against San Francisco, Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss was held in check tonight by the Chargers in a 30-10 loss at San Diego. Moss and quarterback Matt Cassel never seemed to get on the same page, despite plenty of efforts to get the Pro Bowl wideout involved in the offense.
Moss was targeted 10 times in the game, producing just three catches for 26 yards. Chargers cornerback Quentin Jammer actually got his hands on more balls intended for Moss than Moss did, as four of Jammer’s five passes defensed were on throws Cassel tried to get to Moss. Here’s a breakdown of Moss’ night:
7:22 left in first quarter - Incompletion, Jammer pass defense; deep ball down right sideline underthrown by Cassel and tipped by Jammer, but Moss didn’t try to go up for it and outleap the defender.
0:10 left in first - 6-yard completion; Antonio Cromartie in coverage, but let Moss go for quick slant underneath. Antoine Cason made tackle.
7:24 left in second quarter - Incompletion, Jammer pass defense; Moss had hands on it on deep pass down right inside 10, but Jammer knocked it out of his grasp.
12:52 left in third quarter - 15-yard completion; Moss found seam in zone behind linebacker in right flat. Tim Dobbins made tackle.
11:31 left in third quarter - Incompletion; Moss got behind Cromartie in end zone on deep post to left corner, but pass was well off the mark.
4:15 left in third quarter - Incompletion; Cassel’s pass intended for Moss batted down at line by Williams.
9:52 left in fourth quarter - Incompletion, Jammer pass defense; short pass off Moss’ hands that Jammer hauled in, but lost control when he hit the ground; Chargers replay challenge denied to uphold call of incompletion.
9:47 left in fourth quarter - Incompletion; attempted screen to left, but Cassel threw ball into ground with Jamal Williams pressuring.
8:08 left in fourth quarter - 5-yard completion; Moss broke off route and came back for short pass on left as Casselscrambled out of pocket. Cromartie on initial coverage with big cushion. Williams made tackle.
0:42 left in fourth quarter - Incompletion, Jammer pass defense; throw into end zone down right sideline; a bit underthrown, but good coverage by Jammer, who knocked it aside.
Moss should have no complaints about the Pats’ efforts to get the ball to him, though the Pats might have grounds to complain about his effort on a couple of those attempts. Still, the lack of production, plus the Pats’ second blowout loss in their last three games, will no doubt raise questions about how long Moss will play the good soldier as the club struggles to find consistent success without Tom Brady. Moss has said all the right things so far and been praised by Bill Belichick for his leadership, but his past history of problems when things went bad in Minnesota and Oakland will keep Moss in the spotlight in the coming weeks.
Patriots-Chargers: Matchup analysis
Posted on October 13, 2008 by Doug Flynn
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It’s obvious little went right for the Pats tonight in their humbling 30-10 loss in San Diego, but let’s start by reviewing the five keys to the matchup previewed here:
1. Richard Seymour vs. Nick Hardwick - The pair were linked after last year’s AFC Championship Game when Chargers center Hardwick accused Seymour of being a dirty player. Seymour made five tackles (4 solo) tonight, but didn’t do much - legal or illegal - to stand out as the Chargers piled up 404 total yards. Hardwick and the rest of the San Deigo line kept New England from recording a single sack or even a QB hit. The Chargers managed just 98 yards rushing on 28 carries (3.5 average), but didn’t need to do much on the ground with Philip Rivers having the time to torch the Pats for 306 yards and three TDs.
2. Chris Hanson vs. Mike Scifres - The punting game was one of the few areas where New England held an edge. San Diego’s Scifres came in leading the league in net punting average, but managing just a 32.7 net and 39.3 overall average on three punts. He did pin the Pats at the 6 with a 46-yard boot, but also shanked a 33-yarder to help set up a Pats field goal and put a 39-yarder into the end zone for a touchback. hanson averaged 42.4 overall and 32.4 net on five punts. he shanked his last one for 23 yards, but also booted a 53-yarder and put two inside the 20, including a 44-yarder to the 3.
3. Kevin Faulk vs. Darren Sproles - In a matchup of two of the game’s best change-of-pace backs, Faulk was forced into a bigger role with Laurence Maroney (shoulder) and LaMont Jordan (calf) inactive, and he responded with eight rushes for 48 yards and three receptions for 29 yards. He fair caught the only punt he handled. Sproles didn’t do much on offense with two carries for 9 yards and one catch for 8, but did make his mark on special teams with two punt returns for 50 yards and a kick return for 23. His 28-yard punt return late in the first half, plus a costly 15-yard face mask penalty by Jerod Mayo, put the Chargers at the Pats’ 31 and led to a TD with 1:07 left for a 17-3 advantage going into intermission.
4. Randy Moss vs. Antonio Cromartie - Quentin Jammer actually drew the assignment of covering Moss most of the night (more on that to come), and shut him down despite being left alone for one-on-one coverage for much of the night. Moss had just three catches for 26 yards, while Jammer made a pick on a pass intended for Wes Welker) and five pass defenses (four on balls to Moss). Cromartie, who led the NFL in picks last year with 10, had a quiet night with one tackle and no passes defensed.
5. Matt Light vs. Shaun Phillips - The former Purdue teammates didn’t meet up much. Outside linebacker Phillips is the Chargers’ top pass rusher, but he had just three tackles with no sacks. San Diego did get to Matt Cassel for four sacks and another four QB hits. Left tackle Light wasn’t directly at fault on any of teh sacks, but the line overall had a rough night, made worse by losing right tackle Nick Kaczur to an ankle injury. Here’s a breakdown of the line breakdowns on the four sacks:
- Igor Olshansky wrapped up Cassel after nose tackle Jamal Williams overpowered center Dan Koppen and forced Cassel to scramble.
- Inside linebacker Stephen Cooper bulled up the middle over Koppen, who fell down.
- Marques Harris came free from Light’s side to corral Cassel, who was forced up in the pocket when Phillips got by Kaczur’s replacement Mark LeVoir, though LeVoir redeemed himself a bit by pouncing on the loose ball when Cassel fumbled.
- Ryan Bingham got credit for the coverage sack when Cassel panicked on fourth-and-goal at the 1 and tried to scramble in perhaps the game’s most important play.
The matchup not mentioned that played the biggest role in the blowout was the Pats corners inability to cover the San Diego wideouts despite having deep threat Chris Chambers out injured. Vincent Jackson ran wild no matter who was covering him as he finished with 134 yards and a score on five catches, while Malcolm Floyd added 75 yards and a score on three receptions.
Deltha O’Neal had the roughest night, as he was victimized by both. Jackson burned him for a 48-yard pickup on the first play of the game, setting the tone right away. Floyd then beat him for a 49-yard TD. After O’Neal was taken out in favor of rookie Terrence Wheatley for a couple series, he was torched again for a 17-yard gain by Floyd to the Pats 12 to set up San Diego’s second TD. O’Neal even dropped a sure interception at one point, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway - he had already been flagged for illegal contact on the play.
He was far from the only defender struggling though, as Jackson later burned Wheatley for a 59-yard bomb, keying a 98-yard drive after the Chargers’ goal-line stand that all but sealed the Pats’ demise. Safety Rodney Harrison also bit on a play-action fake on first-and-goal, as Jerod Mayo was left t cover tight end Antonio Gates, who hauled in the 1-yard score to cap that drive. It was fitting that the Chargers scored on a play-action fake from the 1, as the Pats tried the exact same ploy at the other end of the field, but Cassel couldn’t cash in on a great fake, starting a decisive series of goal-line futility.
Turning to Timlin costs Sox
Posted on October 12, 2008 by Doug Flynn
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They’re the four most dreaded words a Sox fan can hear: “Now pitching, Mike Timlin.”
That’s of course, stretching the definition of pitching just a tad, because Timlin is certainly not capable of effectively performing that task, at least not at this stage of his career.
Was there any doubt about the outcome of tonight’s Game 2 in Tampa once Terry Francona turned the game over to Timlin to start the bottom of the 11th inning? Not that Francona had a lot of choices at that point. He’d already used six other pitchers, thanks largely to another ineffective start by Josh Beckett, who is a far cry from the playoff stopper of a year ago.
The rest of the bullpen did its job though. Javier Lopez gave up a hit to the only batter he faced to further increase Beckett’s bloated ERA, but Manny Delcarmen, Hideki Okajima, Justin Masterson and Jonathan Papelbon followed that with 5 2/3 scoreless innings of masterful relief, allowing just two more hits and no walks with three strikeouts.
But the Sox offense couldn’t push across the go-ahead run after tying it 8-8 in the eighth, and Francona had to turn to Timlin. He was out of relievers, with only Paul Byrd and scheduled Game 4 starter Tim Wakefield as alternatives. Neither has been stellar of late, and Byrd hasn’t made a relief appearance since the 2004 playoffs with Atlanta, when he had a 6.35 ERA in two outings. Still, Byrd in an unfamiliar role out of the bullpen may have been preferable to the batting practice Timlin has been throwing. Actually, Timlin wouldn’t even make a good BP pitcher these days, as he couldn’t put anything over the plate.
He walked to first two batters he faced, then after a fielder’s choice put runners on second and third, he issued an intentional walk to load the bases. He couldn’t induce the grounder the Sox needed though, and B.J. Upton’s shallow sac fly to right was enough to score the game-winner for a 9-8 Rays victory. That win evened the American League Championship Series at a game apiece and cost the Sox - and their sleep-deprived fan base - five hours and 27 minutes of their lives they’ll never get back.
Francona might have managed his relievers better, stretching Masterson or Papelbon out a bit longer, as they each threw just 18 pitches. They both pitched the night before, but only for five and 12 pitches, respectively, so an extra inning from either wouldn’t exactly have been entering Dustty Baker pitcher-abuse territory. Lopez (1 pitch) and Delcarmen (20 pitches) could have been used longer as well, though at that point it was hard to argue with Francona playing to the matchups at hand with his changes.
No, the mistake Francona made was putting Timlin on the roster at all. He correctly left him off for the division series, but added him for the ALCS despite Timlin’s 0-2 record, 9.00 ERA and 2.50 WHIP against the Rays this year. And it was hardly like the Rays were just an isolated bad matchup for Timlin. He simply can’t get anyone out at this point of what has been an impressive career. He had a 5.66 ERA and 1.62 WHIP overall and was especially bad down the stretch, allowing 13 hits, four walks and eight earned runs in 7 2/3 innings (9.39 ERA) in September. He hasn’t worked an inning without a baserunner since August.
Timlin doesn’t belong on the mound with a game on the line in the playoffs. And because he was, the Rays are now in a place the Sox had a chance to keep them far away from - back in this series.
“Now pitching, Mike Timlin.” It’s a phrase that should send shivers down the spine of any Sox fan the way “Now batting, Bucky Dent” once did.
ALCS: Breaking down the ALCS
Posted on October 10, 2008 by Doug Flynn
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Boston may be the only place in the baseball world not thrilled with the turnaround in Tampa, as the American League’s underdog darlings have crept into near Yankee-level status on the hatred meter in these parts after a series of brawls in recent years. The biggest flareup came earlier this year when Rays ace James Shields and Sox outfielder Coco Crisp traded blows. It looked nasty, but none of the roundhouses came close to connecting. With the clubs opening the American League Championship Series tonight in Tampa though, don’t expect either side to pull any punches.
So how will Boston punch its ticket to another World Series? With the postseason moving into the best-of-seven stage, here are seven keys to another Sox victory celebration:
1. Don’t let aces feel at home - The Rays ave their rotation set up well for this one, with Shields (9-2, 2.59 ERA at home, 5-6, 4.82 on road) and Scott Kazmir (8-2, 2.90 home, 4-6, 4.10 road) getting to pitch the first two games at The Trop. Neither has fared too well against the Sox though, with Shields 2-2, 5.85 this year and Kazmir, long a Sox killer, going 0-2, 9.00 against Boston this year. The Sox have to jump on them quickly to take the home-field advantage away from the Rays.
2. Roll the Dice and hope Beckett doesn’t come up craps - Boston’s best starter, Jon Lester, pitched twice in the Anaheim series, so the Sox have to turn to Daisuke Matsuzaka and Josh Beckett in Tampa. Dice-K has nice numbers, but never seems to inspire confidence, as his five-inning no decision against the Angels attests. Beckett also last just five innings in a rough outing against the Angels, but he is a proven playoff performer and was 2-1, 2.06 against the Rays this year. Dice-K staying in the strike zone, and thus staying in the game longer, and Beckett flashing his old form will go a long way toward getting Boston back to the Series.
3. Lester must lead the way, again - Lester will get the ball in the first game back in Boston, where he was 11-1 this year in the regular season. He was pretty good in the Division Series too, throwing 14 innings without an earned run. Add in a 3-0 record and 0.90 ERA against Tampa this year, and Lester should make it a happy homecoming for the Sox regardless of how things go in Tampa in the first two games.
4. Can Tim turn back the clock? - Tim Wakefield used to dominate Tampa that way too, and his career numbers remain an impressive 19-5, 3.32 against the Rays. But this year he was 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA against them, and could be rusty after not appearing in the Anaheim series. Does the 42-year-old have another big playoff push left in him? It won’t be easy, as he’ll face Andy Sonnanstine, who didn’t allow an earned run over 13 innings in back-to-back starts against Boston in September.
5. Cool of red-hot Rays - Offensively, Tampa has a lethal combination of speed and power. Boston has to be particularly careful with ex-Sox Carlos Pena, who hit .500 in the ALDS and had four homers off the Sox this year. Akinori Iwamura also went deep four times against the Sox, while B.J. Upton comes in hot as he belted three homers vs. Chicago after managing just nine in the regular season.
6. Slow down the speedsters - The Sox kept Anaheim’s potent running game in check as the Angels managed just two steals while being caught once. Tampa will test Jason Varitek even more, as the Rays led the Majors with 142 steals and added seven more (3 by Carl Crawford) against Chicago.
7. Awaken their own slumbering lumber - The Sox are short-handed with World series MVP Mike Lowell out with his hip injury. They’ll need newcomer Jason Bay (5-10, 2 HRs) to continue his postseason heroics and have David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia (a combined 9-52, .173 vs. Anaheim) find their strokes again.
Bruins roster set for season: Is it good enough?
Posted on October 8, 2008 by Doug Flynn
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Over the past two days, the training camp battles of the past month were finally settled and salary-cap issues resolved, as the Bruins have unveiled the 22-man roster they will take with them to Colorado for the start of their season-opening four-game road trip.
While the final lineup features some names that may not have been expected to crack the big club when camp started, there were really no surprises after weighing the bubble players’ preseason performances.
Up front, the youth movement continues with rookie Blake Wheeler earning a spot. He was among the Bruins’ best players this preseason and certainly deserved to start with the big club. The only question was his nearly $3 million cap hit because of his bonus-laden contract. That was resolved with the waiving of veteran Peter Schaefer, who followed up a disappointing first season in Boston with a lackluster camp. Owner Jeremy Jacobs won’t like paying $2.1 million for a player in Providence, but the Bruins are a better team with Wheeler instead of Schaefer.
The toughest cuts were gritty forwards Nate Thompson, Jeremy Reich and Vladimir Sobotka. All three had solid camps and play the hard-working, physical style coach Claude Julien - and the Boston fans - appreciate, but were simply caught in a numbers crunch with the Bruins’ depth up front. Thompson was lost on waivers to the Islanders, where he’ll be reunited with former Providence coach Scott Gordon, while Reich cleared and was assigned to the Baby B’s. Sobotka was not subject to waivers and reported directly to Providence.
With the addition of Michael Ryder, the return of Patrice Bergeron and the continued development of youngsters Phil Kessel, David Krejci and Petteri Nokelainen, the Bruins boast more talent and offensive potential up front. That’s a needed upgrade since scoring goals was the club’s Achilles’ heel last season. But the danger is that added skill could cost the club the chemistry and grit that keyed their turnaround last season and are vital to Julien’s defensive-oriented system.
After an imprssive rookie campaign, Milan Lucic was projected to move up the depth chart, but likely will start on the fourth line after a quiet camp. His physical play will be needed with the loss of Reich, but if he can display more of a scoring touch, he could move into a top-six role quickly and help open up space for some of Boston’s smaller, skilled forwards. Shawn Thornton will be busy this year with Reich gone and most of the Eastern Conference bulking up on tough guys, including archrival Montreal adding heavyweight champ Georges Laraque.
On defense, former first-round pick Matt Lashoff had another disappointing camp and failed to push any of the veteran holdovers for a spot. He wasn’t even the last cut on the blue line, as Matt Hunwick made it until the final round of reductions and could be the first defenseman summoned from Providence if the Bruins need help with injuries. Hunwick doesn’t have Lashoff’s offensive upside, but he’s more poised and possesses a better all-around game.
That leaves the blue line corps intact from last year, with captain Zdeno Chara leading the way, Dennis Wideman looking to build off his breakthrough season of a year ago, and veterans Aaron Ward, Andrew Ference and Shane Hnidy and young regular Mark Stuart and Andrew Alberts rounding out a unit heavy on grit and physical presence, but light on offensive production.
In goal, Manny Fernandez finally appears healthy and ready to share the load with Tim Thomas. If Fernandez can stay on the ice and return to his Minnesota form, the Bruins should have one of the better tandems in the league. But that’s a couple of big ifs when it comes to counting on Fernandez. The good news is that Tuukka Rask is just a call away in Providence and the young phenom actually had the best camp of the three netminders. But while Boston created cap space for Wheeler, they opted not to free up room for Rask’s cap hit, choosing instead to let him further develop his game with regular playing time in Providence.
A look at the likely line combinations for the season opener Thursday in Colorado:
Forwards:
P.J. Axelsson-Marc Savard-Michael Ryder
Marco Sturm-Patrice Bergeron-Phil Kessel
Blake Wheeler-David Krejci-Chuck Kobasew
Milan Lucic-Stephane Yelle-Scott Thornton
Extra forward: Petteri Nokelainen
Defense:
Zdeno Chara-Dennis Wideman
Mark Stuart-Aaron Ward
Andrew Alberts-Andrew Ference
Extra defenseman: Shane Hnidy
Goalies:
Tim Thomas
Manny Fernandez
ALDS MVP: Julio Lugo?
Posted on October 7, 2008 by Doug Flynn
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Thank you Julio Lugo.
It might not be the most direct return on a $36-million investment, but in this economy who can complain? No, the Sox might not be getting their money’s worth out of their high-priced shortstop, but had Lugo not suffered a quad injury back in July, then a spot in the starting lineup may never have opened up for rookie Jed Lowrie.
For a while, that wasn’t such a great thing. Sure, Lowrie flashed some signs of his future promise, hitting .323 in an April cameo and driving in 24 runs in August. But he also hit just .258 for the season and limped into the playoffs having hit just .213 in September. Lugo’s .268 line and .355 on-base percentage didn’t look so bad after all.
But September swoons are quickly erased by October heroics, and Lowrie’s game-winning RBI with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth last night will earn young Mr. Lowrie plenty of free drinks around town for years to come.
Showing a knack for coming up big in the biggest games, Lowrie hit over a 100 points higher in the Angels series than he did in the regular season. He was 4-for-11 (.364) with a pair of runs. He had just one RBI, but made that one count, providing the deciding run in a 3-2 win to cap the American League Division Series win over the Angels.
Oh, and the guy he drove in? That would be Jason Bay. Boston’s new favorite Canadian import (all due apologies to Bobby Orr, but this is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately society we’re in now), Bay was a force throughout the playoff series. While Mike Lowell was ailing and David Ortiz (4-17, .235), Kevin Youkilis (4-18, .222) and Dustin Pedroia (1-17, .059) were slumping, Bay picked up the slack.
Bay was 7-for-17 (.412) in the series with a pair of homers, five RBI, three runs and a robust 1.356 OPS. After Boston blew a 2-0 lead in the eighth last night, Bay got the winning rally going in the ninth with a ground-rule double to right, then hustled home with a head-first slide after Lowrie sent his single through the right side of the infield.
It was Bay’s first taste of postseason action, but his numbers aren’t far off what the noted playoff performer he was traded for has put up so far this year. Manny Ramirez was similarly sorching for the Dodgers, going 5-for-10 (.500) with two homers, three RBI, five runs and a 1.742 OPS as LA swept the Cubs.
Maybe the pair can settle this head-to-head in a couple weeks in the World Series. Why not? Paying Lugo not to play has worked out well so far. Paying Manny’s salary to play for LA might just push the Sox over the top in their quest for a third title in the last five years.
Pats strike gold in Cali
Posted on October 7, 2008 by Doug Flynn
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So I had to spend my Sunday up in New Hampshire at my cousin’s wedding, but I didn’t miss anything, did I?
The Sox blew their chance to sweep away the Angels but have another chance to rectify that situation. and there was another local team taking up space on my DVR to catch up with first, and no I didn’t find any rare footage of the Bruins’ 5-4 shootout win in their preseason finale at Washington.
The other big game took place in San Francisco, where the Patriots found a way to bounce back from the shocking setback to the Dolphins, as well as a rough opening period, to down the 49ers 30-21. This was exactly what the Pats needed, not only in getting the victory to keep pace in the AFC East race (they’re now even in the loss column thanks to the Bills’ 44-17 shellacking in Arizona), but more importantly in the way they did it.
The defense finally found a way to get off the field on third down (allowing just 1-of-9 third-down conversions after coming in ranked 31st in the league in that category). The offense got Randy Moss back involved and happy (5 catches, 111 yards and a TD), while the running game (144 yards) helped dominate the time of possession (39:52-20:08). And the coaching staff rebounded from a rare off day with a solid showing, producing both a strong game plan and also making the necessary adjustments as the game went on.
Among the new (and renewed) looks were stretching the field again with deep balls to Moss (his 66-yarder from Matt Cassel in the first quarter was actually longer than any of his connections with Tom Brady last year), the return of the direct snap to Kevin Faulk near the goal-line (complete with Cassel’s best Brady impression in faking that the snap went over his head) and the unveiling of a new dime defense that featured just one defensive lineman, four linebackers and six defensive backs. The extra quickness on the field helped negate the 49ers’ big-play ability. In was an interesting look that actually played away from New England’s strength up front, as it took all three of its starting linemen off the field in favor of Jarvis Green or Mike Wright. But the element of surprise worked, thanks to the veteran savvy of guys like Rodney Harrison, Mike Vrabel and Adalius Thomas combined with the added speed of rookies Gary Guyton, Jonathan Wilhite and Terrence Wheatley. The Pats did also mix in some 4-3 looks to go along with their base 3-4, once again highlighting the flexibility that is always a hallmark of a Bill Belichick defense.
To further break down the Pats’ win, let’s take a look back at the Five Keys I previewed going into the game in my weekly Nickel Coverage feature:
1. Vince Wilfork vs. Frank Gore - Wilfork won the bragging rights this time around in the clash of former University of Miami teammates. He finished with just four tackles (2 solo), but as usual clogged up the middle of the line and helped the Pats hold Gore to just 54 yards rushing and 24 receiving.
2. Matt Cassel vs. San Francisco secondary - Cassel bounced back from a rough outing vs. the Dolphins and exploited a veteran 49ers defensive backfield with a career-high 259 yards on 22-of-32 passing. He did have two early picks, but settled down nicely, leading the club on a key TD drive to close the half and showing he can throw the deep ball with his bomb to Moss.
3. Adalius Thomas, Mike Vrabel vs. J.T. O’Sullivan - The Pats only managed one sack and one QB Hit (both by Thomas) against a 49ers line that had allowed a league-high 19 sacks coming in, but the combined defensive effort shut down QB O’Sullivan effectively. He threw three scores, but was also picked off three times and finished just 14-of-29 for 130 yards.
4. Rodney Harrison vs. Vernon Davis - The veteran Harrison dominated this matchup, as he hauled in a pick and had two passes defensed. That interception was one more ball than Davis caught, as the talented tight end was keep off the scoresheet.
5. Jerod Mayo vs. Patrick Willis - In the showdown between two of the game’s top young inside linebackers, the 49ers’ Willis won in a landslide. He finished with a game-high 18 tackles and added a sack and a QB hit, while Mayo managed a season-low two tackles.
The fearless forecast wasn’t off by much, as I called a 27-23 final. For more on Sunday’s key win, chech out my next-day follow here.
Sox-Angels: Breaking down the ALDS
Posted on October 1, 2008 by Doug Flynn
Filed Under baseball | 1 Comment
It’s that time of the year again. The first 162 games were just the preamble. The real stuff starts tonight when the Red Sox open the postseason with Game 1 of the American League Division Series in Anaheim.
Where just making the playoffs was once a source of pride, or more often dread for how traumatically they would end, the stakes have been raised by this generation of curse-busting Sox. With two world titles in the past four years, nothing short of adding another trophy to the mantel will satisfy the ever-growing expectations of its fan base.
It won’t be easy though, with the Western champion Angels – the only 100-win team in the Majors this year – standing in the Sox way. So what will it take for Boston to move a step closer to another championship? Here are five keys to this series.
1. Lester and Dice-K must deliver – Starting pitching is always the most important ingredient, especially come playoff time. On paper, the Sox appear to have a strong 1-2 punch to send to the hill in Anaheim, even with Josh Beckett being pushed back. But the numbers can be deceiving.
Has a pitcher with an 18-3 record and 2.90 ERA ever inspired less confidence than Daisuke Matsuzaka? Dice-K has come through more often than not this year, but his control problems (94 walks in 167.2 innings) usually make it a bit of an adventure. The good news is that he actually performs better on the road (9-0, 2.37 ERA vs. 9-3, 3.34 at home), while the Angels will counter will Ervin Santana (16-7, 3.49) in Game 2. Santana used to be an extreme home-field pitcher, but reversed that trend this year (11-2, 3.02 on road vs. 5-5, 4.03 at home). That could give an edge to Dice-K at Angel Stadium, though Matsuzaka did allow six earned runs in five innings in his only appearance against Anaheim this year.
In Game 1, Jon Lester (16-6, 3.21) gets the ball against Angels ace John Lackey (12-5, 3.75). The home/road splits aren’t as encouraging here, as Lester prefers the cozy confines of Friendly Fenway (11-1, 2.49 at home vs. 5-5, 4.09 on road), though Lackey has been better away from Anaheim (7-2, 3.23 vs. 5-3, 4.29 at home). Lester also comes in on a roll after going 4-1 with a 2.14 ERA in September, while Lackey stumbled down the home stretch at 1-2, 8.14 in the final month, culminating in a 12-hit, 10-earned run meltdown in 2.2 innings in his final tuneup. He was 2-0 against the Sox this year, while Lester allowed four runs in five innings in a no decision in his sole outing vs. Anaheim.
2. Healthy contributions from postseason stars – Lester and Dice-K are so important because Read more
The Revolution will not be blogged
Posted on October 1, 2008 by Doug Flynn
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Gil-Scott Heron may object to co-opting his saying – his father was the first black player for Glasgow’s Celtic Football Club in the 1950s after all – but there is simply no place on this blog for any soccer talk.
You want insight, analysis and opinions on the Patriots, Bruins and Red Sox, then you’ve found the right place. You’ll even get a dash of Celtics talk and plenty of discussion of national topics around the NFL, NHL, MLB and NBA. But the “sport” of soccer and its local franchise down in Foxboro? Not gonna happen in this corner of cyberspace.
I will engage in one soccer discussion though, so anyone wanting to comment on the so-called beautiful game better get it out of your system now. And I’ll do that by offering my simple six-step plan to turning soccer into a legitimate sport worth watching.
1. Reduce the size of the playing field to an 85×200 foot oval and enclose it with short walls.
2. Shrink the size of the net to 4×6 feet.
3. Limit the number of players on the field to six – a goalie, two defensemen and three forwards.
4. Flood the field and allow it to freeze.
5. Give each player a pair of skates, a long wooden stick and replace the ball with a small disk of vulcanized rubber.
6. Enjoy.
And just in case any not-so friendly hooligans happen upon this post, please take this in the spirit intended rather than just trying to take me out. Then again, if the soccer folks actually took my advice and changed their game, there wouldn’t be any more hooligans. Those guys are only that violent and angry because they have to watch all that soccer!
Welcome to the spin cycle
Posted on September 30, 2008 by Doug Flynn
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Football is in full swing. The baseball playoffs are on deck. Hockey is about to get under way and basketball is just around the corner. There is no better time for sports fans than the fall.
Which means there’s also no better time to debut this blog. There won’t be any shortage of subjects to address, and that’s good, as I’m never been short on opinions or, as my editors will attest, the words to express them.
I’ve been covering the Boston sports scene for over a decade, working the Bruins beat for this paper since 2000 and patrolling the Patriots press box since last year. In this blog, I plan to add insight from those clubs and touch on topics from around the sports world. There’s plenty going on, which means there will be plenty to post about. So check back often.
