ATTENTION: All-Star Game

Kenny Rogers will, in fact, be participating in the All-Star game. To those of you whom find this offensive due to Rogers' assault on the cameramen, I suggest boycotting the All-Star game. This may seem like a bit of an extreme measure, but I think if you really find it outrageous that Rogers' is being permitted to play in the All-Star game, it's the right thing to do.

Watching the home-run derby is okay, though, since the pitchers do not appear in this.

Speaking of which, are Embree and Cassidy pitching for the home-run derby?

Horror in the 8th

Alright, so yesterday's game was pretty horrifying. Eh, alright, I'm stretching it a little, but it wasn't pretty. Besides the 400th homerun for Manny, it was a bit on the torturous side. They had a chance, but then Millar reminded us why we've been calling him rally-killer for a few weeks now. And Wakefield wasn't the Wakefield of late... more like the reflief pitcher formerly known as Blaine Neal.

But the most horrific part of the game was easily one which many viewers/listeners may've missed.

During the bottom of the 8th, the camera happened to zoom in on Ibanez as he sat in the dugout. Remy started talking about Ibanez and how he was drafted as the number such-and-such pick in the 32nd round of the 199X draft, and mentioned how this was his second stint with the Mariners. Well, throughout this, Ibanez has been scratching his nose, watching the game... normal dugout stuff. But, then, suddenly, Ibanez's pointer-finger vanished up his nose! He began to dig around, and I was put off of the game completely. Thanks a lot, you loser.

Hardball Cathedral in Rain Delay

Wells on the DL. Schilling on the DL. Who's next? I'm beginning to feel inclined to barf in my shoe.

Anyway, horrid stuff aside, I recommend visiting the Fenway area during a rain delay. Seriously, it makes you appreciate it all more. There weren't a lot of people hanging around, so all the details were more perceptible, and it made me realize even further how much I love Fenway and the entire atmosphere. The trees on Yawkey Way practically ooze of having witnessed so much of Sox history, something you could barely notice on a regular game day - but on a day like this it makes you take a step back and think about the history of the organization. And lazing in your seat in the park when its about one third full and everyone's just hanging around hoping for a game just lets you absorb the atmosphere of the park itself. Close your eyes, and its like you can hear the voices from the very day it opened on through to the moment you're sitting there.

Yeah, yeah, I doubtlessly sound fluffy and cloudy-headed, but I'm sure you'll get the same feelings if you go there on a day like this.

Ripping the Media, But not Pitches

People who do the wave during close games deserve to be shot.

And please tell me I'm not the only person growing weary of Schilling's indictments against various groups/people. He ripped some media members and Lou Piniella earlier, apparently. Hey, um, Schil, I know you've helped the Sox win a World Series and all, but maybe you should be working on getting back to form as opposed to ripping people who don't really matter much to the Sox in the grand scheme of things.

And, for the record, I have a very high respect for Lou Piniella. I seriously doubt he told Lance Carter to throw at Ortiz's head. And if anyone made a comment about Piniella being an "idiot" on the field, I suspect it's an isolated comment - and from a player who doesn't get along too well with him. If anyone is an idiot in the Rays' organization, its obviously the ownership. (As for the "lose 100 games" comment, someone might wanna remind the player in question that he's not in Kansas any more.)

Hey, wait a minute... weren't we just espounding the upside of being an idiot just a few months ago? I seem to remember somewhere in the whole Sox '04 rhetoric there being something about a band of idiots... So perhaps the player meant it as a compliment? Perhaps so...

Falling Down the Well(s)

Well, if that wasn't a crappy game, I don't know what was. An ex-player (ex-journeyman?) who didn't pitch very well with them throws like an ace, two pitchers go down over foot/ankle sprains, two errors from one player (!!), and thus they lose in an entirely ugly fashion.

So Wells is on the 15 day DL, but could be out for longer. And Mantei's just floating around somewhere, can't find a thing on whether he's actually injured in a manner that requires significant time off.

Is this punishment for making fun of the Yankees' rotation troubles? Is this punishment for calling the Big Ugly Unit old and ugly? For hoping that Pavano had gotten hit in the arm when I heard that he was hit by a line drive? For making fun of Kevin Brown for being Kevin Brown? For cheering when Jaret Wright was placed on the DL? Is this the sort of thing I can only look forward to getting in return?

I'd wish we had Ben Sheets, except he has the flu, so that wouldn't be of much benefit right now. I guess things could be worse, huh?

Pocket Change

The $60 mil the Sox saved when Nomar turned down that offer are looking better and better every day. Apparently, Nomar is down with what is apparently a groin injury after swinging at a pitch far too hard (he grounded into a double play, in case you were wondering). He couldn't stand afterwards and had to be carried off the field. Ah, what a good thing such is for dignity! Somehow I don't see Renteria straining his groin when attempting to get a hit, hmm?

A Wonderful Day for "Our Fair City"

It is a grand day in the city of Boston. Wakefield has been signed to a contract extension, one that pretty much ensures that he shall play for the Sox right to the end.

Now, perhaps some question the wiseness of this decision so early in the season. Yeah, sure, Wakefield's been golden lately but its just the beginning of the season - he could totally crap out by July!

But recall how versatile Wakefield is. He can be used as a starter, a closer, long relief... he could probably even be used as a pitching coach if his pitching ability really falls off! This is a man you want on your pitching staff.

He's not going to cause trouble, either. He's not one of these immature, upstart pitchers there seem to be droves of these days. He's not the player who's gonna give you a head ache. He's the one who'll go out there and give it his best, and throw as much as you need him to.

He's a pitcher that there need to be more of.

Hideo Nomo: Formerly No-No, Now Just Slomo

You know, originally this was going to be about how Japanese pitchers seem to get better once they leave the Dodgers. But then Nomo sucked, sort of ruining that opportunity. I also briefly considered talking about Randy Johnson's habit of picking his nose in the dug-out - and then going out and pitching with that very same hand. But I suppose I should've talked about that Friday since the game had been the night before.

So here I am, reduced to talking about how Jorge Cantu is Nomar's long-lost younger brother. I mean, look at those ears! And that nose! Either they're related, or the genes for nose-type and ear size are located on the same gene.

Speaking of making fun of Devil Rays players, why on Earth was the bill to Nomo's hat broken? A., he hasn't been with the Rays very long, and B., he's a freaking major league starting pitcher - can't they give him another one? Oh, oops, we're talking about the Devil Rays. They're roster costs $25 mil a year for a reason - tight-fisted owners. So now poor Nomo is going to have to cope with a bad ERA and a broken hat. Poor guy, you'd think after having a decent ten-year career (with some really hot spots, actually) would mean you could at least get a hat that was in good condition.

Oh, and if you were wondering where some of your favorite boy band singers of the 90's have disappeared to, we have found where at least one of them is: in the Devil Rays bullpen. Yes, Lance Carter, we have located you at last. And it turns out that you can neither sing nor pitch.

Now, the game is at hand so I will leave you with one last knock on the Devil Rays: look at their homepage. It says "Watch it happen." on the top bar. Watch what happen? The team suck and the ownership make stupid moves as usual? Watch the clearly masochistic Devil Rays fans faithfully attend games they know the Rays' will probably lose? Watch a team that has not been able to succeed at all despite the fact that their counterpart in the National League has won a world series title?