Comments on: Yeah, I got nothing http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/10/yeah-i-got-nothing/ Media, Baseball, Boston, the Red Sox, Music, Literature, and Mnookins Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:28:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Shalomar http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/10/yeah-i-got-nothing/#comment-275 Shalomar Fri, 11 Aug 2006 20:10:39 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/10/yeah-i-got-nothing/#comment-275 1. Foulke is going to be a difference maker, mark my words. I just have a feeling he's going to come back, eat up some innings, and be effective. 2. Ortiz and Manny have about 60% of the dingers for the current starting lineup. I semi-like Loretta, Youk and Lowell (except for Lowell swinging at a ball 1 and 0 with bases loaded the other night - leading to double play and biggest bad at bat of the season so far), but they are lacking the pop of some other good infielders (see R Cano). Perhaps that's why Lugo has been attractive to front office. 3. Sox ar going to take 2 of 3 from Baltimore and 3 of 5 from Yanks. It's still going to come down to the last week of the season. 1. Foulke is going to be a difference maker, mark my words. I just have a feeling he’s going to come back, eat up some innings, and be effective.

2. Ortiz and Manny have about 60% of the dingers for the current starting lineup. I semi-like Loretta, Youk and Lowell (except for Lowell swinging at a ball 1 and 0 with bases loaded the other night - leading to double play and biggest bad at bat of the season so far), but they are lacking the pop of some other good infielders (see R Cano). Perhaps that’s why Lugo has been attractive to front office.

3. Sox ar going to take 2 of 3 from Baltimore and 3 of 5 from Yanks. It’s still going to come down to the last week of the season.

]]> By: zoowah http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/10/yeah-i-got-nothing/#comment-273 zoowah Fri, 11 Aug 2006 15:07:50 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/10/yeah-i-got-nothing/#comment-273 time break out another one of those feel-good Red Sox haikus! "planning the future" another way of saying "well, maybe next year" time break out another one of those feel-good Red Sox haikus!

“planning the future”
another way of saying
“well, maybe next year”

]]> By: Bill Pratt http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/10/yeah-i-got-nothing/#comment-272 Bill Pratt Fri, 11 Aug 2006 14:49:21 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/10/yeah-i-got-nothing/#comment-272 You should get the MLB TV deal for when you’re on the road. I almost never miss a game by either watching on the season package at my buddy’s house in Lake of the Woods, Virginia or on the MLB TV thing on my computer (you can borrow my password it you want to try it). Not watching the game last night without really caring at all began to eat at me. There must have been a reason why. Then it hit me. The Red Sox need to have fun. I’m talking about the days when Millar and company tended bar after a crazy win and then got chased down the street in their spikes like a rock band. If everyone keeps pressing then nothing good will come of it. Let the collective soul of all Red Sox fans relax. What we really need is for Manny to say something off the wall to Schilling on the bench or make a spectacular catch and then trot in like it was the end of the inning (but there’s only two outs and the man on the mound has to cover his face with his glove because he’s laughing out loud hysterically). If we all panic and do not reach a calm positive state of mind, the Sox will not win. And even if they do, we will not really enjoy it. That would be like being a Yankee fan, to simply expect to win. Somebody needs to put a whoopie cushion under Francona when he’s doing his Rain Man routine in the seventh inning after Tavarez has put someone into scoring position to tie the game. Just call me the Red Sox Nation Whisperer (Tsssssssst!). You should get the MLB TV deal for when you’re on the road. I almost never miss a game by either watching on the season package at my buddy’s house in Lake of the Woods, Virginia or on the MLB TV thing on my computer (you can borrow my password it you want to try it). Not watching the game last night without really caring at all began to eat at me. There must have been a reason why. Then it hit me. The Red Sox need to have fun. I’m talking about the days when Millar and company tended bar after a crazy win and then got chased down the street in their spikes like a rock band. If everyone keeps pressing then nothing good will come of it. Let the collective soul of all Red Sox fans relax. What we really need is for Manny to say something off the wall to Schilling on the bench or make a spectacular catch and then trot in like it was the end of the inning (but there’s only two outs and the man on the mound has to cover his face with his glove because he’s laughing out loud hysterically). If we all panic and do not reach a calm positive state of mind, the Sox will not win. And even if they do, we will not really enjoy it. That would be like being a Yankee fan, to simply expect to win. Somebody needs to put a whoopie cushion under Francona when he’s doing his Rain Man routine in the seventh inning after Tavarez has put someone into scoring position to tie the game. Just call me the Red Sox Nation Whisperer (Tsssssssst!).

]]> By: gmschmidty http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/10/yeah-i-got-nothing/#comment-271 gmschmidty Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:43:00 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/10/yeah-i-got-nothing/#comment-271 I'm with you Seth. Even after dropping two to the RoyAAAls I was still convinced this was just a slump and the Sox were contenders, not pretenders. However, a game like last night can really put things into perspective: your Ace collapses, you find yourself begging for your set-up man, and closer, and then you remember that they both blew their last opportunities...you start looking forward to your team having some kind of late offensive fireworks, and then you realize a team can't win that way enough to be a contender...and you realize that for some reason your manager made a defensive replacement for one of the only three guys on your team who can sniff a HR. I know it's one loss, but it was pretty emblematic of the MANY issues facing this team right now: too many issues, in fact, to be a playoff team. May they prove me wrong... I’m with you Seth. Even after dropping two to the RoyAAAls I was still convinced this was just a slump and the Sox were contenders, not pretenders. However, a game like last night can really put things into perspective: your Ace collapses, you find yourself begging for your set-up man, and closer, and then you remember that they both blew their last opportunities…you start looking forward to your team having some kind of late offensive fireworks, and then you realize a team can’t win that way enough to be a contender…and you realize that for some reason your manager made a defensive replacement for one of the only three guys on your team who can sniff a HR. I know it’s one loss, but it was pretty emblematic of the MANY issues facing this team right now: too many issues, in fact, to be a playoff team. May they prove me wrong…

]]> By: Retire_Number_14 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/10/yeah-i-got-nothing/#comment-270 Retire_Number_14 Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:14:21 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/10/yeah-i-got-nothing/#comment-270 Seth, it doesn't take long for the Kool Aid to wear off, does it? A sweep at the hands of the "lowly Royals" (I loved how Orsillo dug that one in as KC celebrated on the mound) will do that to you — especially when you just blew late-inning leads for the second straight night. Why are we losing? Let's start not with Varitek's absence from behind the plate, but with his and Nixon's absence from the lineup. Remember how in '03 and '04 when the Sox lineup had no holes in it from 1 to 9? Well, those days are over, my friends. Despite WMP's mammoth shot, it takes no genius to figure how to get him out. Hmmm, slider away, anyone? That homer, while impressive, was an obvious missed-his-spot mistake. Javy Lopez and Doug Mirabelli combined aren't hitting Mirabelli's weight. And I have no explanation for Crisp. Pitchers are ATTACKING the Red Sox now, when they used to dance around the plate, and the team is now missing its chances. Patience is a good approach, yes, but only when the team is hitting the ball hard and forcing pitchers to get choosy on the mound, thereby forcing walks and mistakes when you're ahead in the count. That was the secret to the success in the glory days, everyone could and did hit the ball hard. The team is vulnerable now, and our weaknesses are glaring. That said, every team struggles and every team gets hot. Why not us, right? But it's gotta start soon. They'll need to go at least 30-19 to have a sniff at October. Seth, it doesn’t take long for the Kool Aid to wear off, does it? A sweep at the hands of the “lowly Royals” (I loved how Orsillo dug that one in as KC celebrated on the mound) will do that to you — especially when you just blew late-inning leads for the second straight night.

Why are we losing? Let’s start not with Varitek’s absence from behind the plate, but with his and Nixon’s absence from the lineup. Remember how in ‘03 and ‘04 when the Sox lineup had no holes in it from 1 to 9? Well, those days are over, my friends. Despite WMP’s mammoth shot, it takes no genius to figure how to get him out. Hmmm, slider away, anyone? That homer, while impressive, was an obvious missed-his-spot mistake. Javy Lopez and Doug Mirabelli combined aren’t hitting Mirabelli’s weight. And I have no explanation for Crisp. Pitchers are ATTACKING the Red Sox now, when they used to dance around the plate, and the team is now missing its chances. Patience is a good approach, yes, but only when the team is hitting the ball hard and forcing pitchers to get choosy on the mound, thereby forcing walks and mistakes when you’re ahead in the count. That was the secret to the success in the glory days, everyone could and did hit the ball hard. The team is vulnerable now, and our weaknesses are glaring.

That said, every team struggles and every team gets hot. Why not us, right? But it’s gotta start soon. They’ll need to go at least 30-19 to have a sniff at October.

]]> By: max_steuer http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/10/yeah-i-got-nothing/#comment-269 max_steuer Fri, 11 Aug 2006 11:18:16 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/10/yeah-i-got-nothing/#comment-269 Seth, I just wanted to let everyone know how much we enjoyed your appearance last night in Coral Gables. You were terrific, insightful and very generous with your time. Red Sox Nation -- Miami Chapter appreciated it. BTW, not all of us thought the Red Sox had traded Pedro and Johnny (that was Steve DeOssie's cousin), even Red Sox Nation's one woman Chilean chapter, who accompanied me to your appearance. Now if only Books & Books would spend more than $20 per year on chairs! Seth, I just wanted to let everyone know how much we enjoyed your appearance last night in Coral Gables. You were terrific, insightful and very generous with your time. Red Sox Nation — Miami Chapter appreciated it. BTW, not all of us thought the Red Sox had traded Pedro and Johnny (that was Steve DeOssie’s cousin), even Red Sox Nation’s one woman Chilean chapter, who accompanied me to your appearance.

Now if only Books & Books would spend more than $20 per year on chairs!

]]> By: Peter Rustin http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/10/yeah-i-got-nothing/#comment-267 Peter Rustin Fri, 11 Aug 2006 04:31:39 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/10/yeah-i-got-nothing/#comment-267 no--you won't start being rational, because there is nothing rational about being swept by the royals no–you won’t start being rational, because there is nothing rational about being swept by the royals

]]>