Forget that Garbage song “I’m Only Happy When It Rains.” Today I identify more with the Carpenters, who sang, “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.”
And when it’s a rainy Monday, that’s even worse — especially after a good weekend. So in that spirit, here’s a list of some of the things on my hate list right now: Continue reading
I knew all along that the Player of the Week crap was just a fluke, and now my suspicions have been confirmed.
Daisuke Matsuzaka was back to his old ways Wednesday night, giving up 12 hits and six runs over just five-and-two-thirds innings.
Sure, he’s a seven-game winner thus far in the season (how, I don’t know), but like a box of chocolates, you just never know what you’re gonna get when Dice-K is on the mound.
You can’t be too comfortable. Continue reading
I’m not yet ready to change my position on Dice-K, but I wanted to acknowledge that he did a real nice job Wednesday night. It’s the kind of outing he should have been having all season. I haven’t been a fan of this guy for a while (my earliest post about him dates back to April 17), and it’d be really lame if I liked him now, just because he had one good start. But I’m capable of change, or admitting I’m wrong, so I had to be fair here since he did well Wednesday. Besides, if I keep up this vote of no confidence thing, maybe I’ll upset him. That’d be so cool.
I hate to sound like a broken record, but … I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Dice-K sucks.
In the game tonight, he gave up seven runs, five hits, and five walks in just five innings.
To date, he has a 5.45 ERA and has walked 15 in 38 innings.
That’s no ace, ladies and gentlemen.
That’s not even average. Continue reading
I saw after the Sox–Yankees game today that a company called Big Time Bats is selling a commemorative framed photo set of Dice-K’s first start at Fenway. Considering he lost that game, I’m not sure why anyone would want to spend $120 to remember it. Sure, Dice-K pitched his best Fenway start to date that night (remember, today is only April 29), and had Felix Hernandez not been so good, we might have actually won that game, but still … I’ll spend $120 when Dice-K does something worth remembering. (Alright, fine. Maybe I won’t spend the $120. But I’ll remember the accomplishment just the same. After all, I haven’t been so kind to him so far.)
I’ve been accused by a couple people of being a little too hard on Dice-K. Well, Sunday night the guy allowed six runs and eight hits. That’s six runs. And eight hits. Is that really what we (again with the “we”) paid $103 million for? That’s the kind of performance I expect from Julian Tavarez — not the guy who is supposed to rewrite the rules of how major league pitchers pitch. I stand by my opinion that the guy shouldn’t need this much run support. If he’s really all that, he should be lights out from the start. Strikeouts, schmikeouts. That’s not the stat that really matters in the end. It’s wins and losses. And even though he got the win on Sunday, as Jon Miller and Joe Morgan both said on ESPN after the game, he needed “considerable help.” It’s the morning after Dice-K’s first start against the Yankees, where he recorded the win, and we’re not even talking about how well he pitched. What does that tell you? Perhaps more discouraging is that with each start, Dice-K is getting worse and worse. Soon it’ll be tough to make excuses about “the line” and how his performance was still impressive despite the loss.
I’m not saying Dice-K has to be Superman, or that he has to pitch a perfect game every time. But he should be more of a sure thing (like Jonathan Papelbon is in the bullpen), and shouldn’t be the losingest pitcher on the staff. It’s only April, I know, and if Dice-K gets better I’ll change my tune. But right now, I’m just not impressed.
Here are some questions I’m asking on this sunny, very nice Friday afternoon:
* Will anything ever take up residence where Zathmary’s used to be?
* Will the weather actually be as nice as predicted this weekend, and will it stay that way until the fall? Does this mean winter is really over?
* Can Dice-K beat the Yankees on Sunday, or will he have the same lame result as his last two games, where it looks alright but he still loses? Is he really the worst starter on the team??
* If a crowded T train on the morning commute is bad, then is there much worse than having to be stuck next to a guy who reeks of cigarette smoke?
* Is there a funnier show on TV right now than 30 Rock?
* Indians didn’t even like Sanjaya. So aside from the 13-year-olds, who did?
* I’m a third of the way to my WalkAmerica fundraising goal. Will you help me go all the way?
You know, I tried to avoid American Idol Tuesday night. Really I did. After last week’s results show, I said I was done. So I went to Ben & Jerry’s at the Pru for Free Cone Night and waited on a long, long line that stretched from the B&J’s counter all the way around the perimeter of the ‘court to Pizzeria Regina. Didn’t mind it, either, especially when I was enjoying my free cone of Phish Food. And I loved when all the parents would show up with their smiling, happy kids and would try to convince the little ones that the line was too long to wait. But God bless the kids, who always knew better. “I don’t mind,” I heard one say. Kids always win, don’t they? Good for them. Free ice cream is worth it.
Anyway, and then I got home and was excited to turn on the TV to watch the Sox. And not just that, but Dice-K on the mound again. But I tell you … if Idol was an embarassment, this felt worse. Sure, the line might not be as bad as the end result, but c’mon — we (and I say we like it came out of my pocket) didn’t pay $103 million for 2-1 losses and three walks in one game. Didn’t pay $103 mil for wild pitches that load the bases, and runs that are walked in. What a bum this guy is. I can’t believe he’s 1-2. That makes him worse than a bum — he’s a loser! At first I thought it was just the weather, but tonight’s game was in a dome. It’s not the lack of run support. This guy should be lights out. So there’s really no excuse. And here come the Yankees this weekend. If Dice-K is our great hope to lead us to another World Series championship, then let me be the first to say it: we’re doomed. Again.
So … long story short, at 9:30 I decided to watch Idol after all (my DVR recorded it automatically — damn that series recording). And I have to say, Melinda Doolittle made at least part of it worth it. I just wish Blake Lewis did Ryan Adams proud. What an awful rendition of a great song. (And I won’t even mention that other guy.) But I promise I won’t be watching anymore. I’m so done with that show. (Until next week, I’m sure.)
I know writing about it will serve as nothing more than a jinx, but I just had to mention that I’ve developed some really good T karma lately. For the past week, every day, as soon as I’ve gotten to the Boylston T stop to go home (or within a minute of my arrival), the C line has shown up. There’s been no waiting, and I’ve gotten home within about 20 minutes of leaving the office. It’s been almost as if the car was just idling by, waiting for me to get to the bottom of the stairs so it could pull up and let me get on. Did you hear me? This happens every day. That’s unheard of! It’s miraculous! It’s beyond the realm of possibility! It even happened yesterday, a Sunday, when I went to the movies. I thought I was powerful before. Now it seems I can will a T into arriving at my whim. That’s awesome.
But that’s not all that’s going well lately. We’re now within the last 24 hours of Passover, and I can already taste the hot rolls and pasta dinner that I’ll enjoy at Bertucci’s tomorrow night. The Sox are back at home (and a bonus: Harry Connick Jr. is set to sing the National Anthem before the game on Tuesday). I learned this weekend that Felicity is back (to back) on television, on Fuse. I found MP3s of an awesome live show by Amy Winehouse. And, I’m pretty sure Haley is safe. Now, if only the weather would warm up, then things would be near perfect.
And yes, I expect most, if not all of what I’ve written about to cease immediately (sorry, Haley). There’s nothing like talking about good things to make them end.
Wanted to post an addendum to my posting yesterday about the start of the baseball season. When I got in my car this morning, the first thing I did was turn on WEEI. Because I’m not much of a football, hockey, or basketball fan, I hadn’t listened to the station at all since last August. And over the course of the hour that I could tune in, I just found myself becoming happier and happier. It wasn’t just the fact that I really enjoyed what the guys on The Baseball Show were saying. It was the whole idea that baseball was back.
It got me thinking: Do Patriots fans get this excited about the start of football season? I seriously doubt it. Which is not to say that baseball fans like their sport any more than football fans do. It’s just that the start of baseball season has more significance and has a greater impact on me and, I’ll bet, Bostonians in general. It signals the start of spring and nicer weather, and football season indicates that the weather is getting worse. It’s because there are more games in a baseball season than in a football season, so there’s more to follow on a day-to-day basis, and thus, it’s almost an entire lifestyle change. Maybe there’s more to it, something about father and son relationships, something about hope and rebirth and second chances and the American Dream being symbolized by the sport, and something about long-standing passion and devotion and tradition — all things that I just don’t see to the same degree with football. Maybe it’s because the Sox play right downtown and the Patriots play all the way out in Foxborough. Maybe it’s all those things. But even in cities where the team isn’t very good — the guys on the radio specifically mentioned Kansas City, and not just because that’s where the Sox begin their season — the opening day game is not just a game, it’s an event.
So it is for me with the Sox this year. Not sure I’m adequately expressing my thoughts here, but I’m just really excited to have baseball back in my life. I’m hopeful that this season will end on a better note than last season did. But that’s at least four or five months away — or seven, if we’re lucky and all goes according to plan. For now, I’m just ready to go along for the ride, and looking forward to the late nights I’ll spend watching games on NESN, the time I’ll spend listening to ‘EEI, and the inches of Globe and Herald coverage I’ll read. Bring it on. Bring it all on, even the extra congestion on the T on game nights. It’s been a long, long winter since I followed this sport. I wholeheartedly embrace its return. Let’s go Red Sox!
Martin's Musings 