I have something embarrassing to admit. I feel asleep at some point during the 10th inning of last night’s game. I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. I really wanted to stay up to watch the Red Sox finish their come-from-behind win against the Yankees. Unfortunately, my body had other plans. After days upon days of getting less than optimal sleep (that’s probably being kind), I passed out cold only to wake up bright and early this morning. While I’m irritated I missed Jacoby Ellsbury‘s three run home run in the top of the 14th, I’m wicked excited the Red Sox were able to pull out the win.
Today begins a vitally imporant three game series in Baltimore against the cellar dwelling Orioles, while the surging Rays will host the division champion Yankees tonight in Tampa. Although the odds appear stacked in the Red Sox favor, we can’t assume either a sweep or even a series victory is in order. The Red Sox are 6-18 in September, and the Orioles took three out of four at Fenway last week. At this point anything’s possible. The Red Sox control their own destiny, and hold a slim one game edge over the Rays. The best way to clinch for the playoffs at this point is to step up and win out.
Before we get into the links, I want to remind everyone that we will be doing a mega live game chat tonight with our friends at It’s About the Money Stupid and The Ray Area. Join us as we cheer on our beloved Red Sox as they make one last push for the postseason. The chat starts at 7:00 p.m. tonight. Hope to see you there!
Check out the links after the jump!
- All of that good will John Lackey built up during last night’s start has all but disappeared. Earlier this morning TMZ reported Lackey has filed to divorce his wife Krista citing “conflict of personalities.” (Insert joke here.) As everyone probably knows, Krista was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, and recently underwent chemotherapy and a double mastectomy. While this sounds like a particularly cruel and thoughtless gesture on Lackey’s part, the truth is we don’t have a clue what’s gone on within their marriage. Sometimes, it doesn’t work out. Cancer or not, it could be what’s best for both parties. My only quibble (aside from my original disgusted reaction) is why he didn’t wait until after the season to file. Given the distractions facing the Red Sox, adding another one just before a crucial series seems unnecessary.
- Very few things in this world shock me, but this article on postseason WPA from Beyond the Boxscore did. I always knew Mariano Rivera was an October beast (who didn’t?), but he’s clearly in a class of his own historically. Yes, that goes all the way back.
- Being in the 20-20 club doesn’t mean you’re a good player. Sometimes, it just means you’re good at hitting home runs and stealing bases; nothing more. Matt Klaussen of Fangraphs shares the five worst 20-20 seasons in baseball history, using wRAA as his guide.
- Bill Petti of Beyond the Boxscore wonders how much of Lackey’s performance is due to the dimensions of Fenway Park.
- Chris Jaffe of the Hardball Times highlights the ten worst career ending performances in the history of the game. As with pretty much everything Jaffe writes, this is definitely worth reading.
- It was Moneyball weekend, and if you haven’t seen it; I highly suggest you do so right now. For a couple of good reviews, check out Matt Warden’s of Yankee Analysts and Jeffrey Gross’s of Hardball Times. I agree more with Matt’s end conclusion than Jeffrey’s, but I wanted to give you a couple of different perspectives.
Those are the links for today! Hopefully, you got some sleep after last night’s marathon game. I know I did…