This is humiliating.What else is there to say? Three days in a row, we blow a save in the 9th inning. Two times it’s Hanrahan, one time it’s Saul Rivera. But what does it matter which one? The only reliable guy in the bullpen is Beimel, and he can’t pitch everyday from the 7th inning on. First 5 losses or so, we can’t get the starting pitching together. Now we’re getting decent starts, and the bullpen falls to pieces. COMPLETELY. It’s not just that they fell to pieces – the Marlins had no fear. NONE. They were so comfortable at the plate, they might as well have set up condos in Clarendon.

This is when…you know what dammit? This is when I want someone, preferably one of our harder throwers, to drill someone in the ass. What does it matter if we have the baserunner? We’re walking them anyway. A ball in the ass, or in the ribs, or even on the hands. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t recommend we try for the hands deliberately *at all* – that could actually hurt someone (as Nomar fans know too well. ) But when the Sox had vintage Pedro…Captain Intangibles and Fonzie (when he played for the Evil Empire) both took a ball off the hands facing Pedro. It wasn’t deliberate. But they were both crowding the inside of the plate, digging in, getting comfortable. Pedro did not allow you to do that. If your hands are in the strike zone, then watch out for strikes.

Wow. “We’re gonna have a whole new bullpen tomorrow.” Manny is PISSED. Good for him. Manny Acta is not the problem. Manny is a mellow, sabermetric-minded guy, very much in the mold of Tito, who is a great manager. The starting pitching sucking, proceeding to the bullpen SUCKING, is not Manny’s fault.

This is a better team than our record shows. Our 2-3-4-6 and sometimes 5 hitters are a good core (the offense has not been the problem this year, which is such a joy after last year.) Lannan, Olsen, Cabrera, and Martis are buckling down. J-Zimnn arrives just in time. This will get better, but bloody hell was it painful this weekend.

Yep. Still weird. Thank god not on the Yankees though. (And yes, Nomar wasn’t doing much playing as he’s waiting for his wrist to recover. Hey putzes – STOP HITTING HIM IN THE WRIST.)

I’ve got a draft of a post explaining how the Red Sox are of course going to win the AL East and, um, how the Nats are going to compete in the wild card. (Stop laughing.) This clearly isn’t it, but check back. It will probably appear someday.

Hi. Not much happening in these parts at the moment.

60 minutes with Roger Clemens tonight. I’m in NYC just for the occasion. (No I’m not watching. I’m going out for Indian food.)

Aaron F****n Boone signs with the Nats.

I’m not cheering for him EVER. I don’t care if he puts the damn NATS into the World Series this time. I don’t care if he hits .600/.800/3.000, saves 50 kitties and puppies, cures cancer, and discovers cold fusion. I’m still rooting for his WELL-EARNED and PERMANENT retirement.

Lastings Milledge from the Mets for Brian Schneider and Ryan Church!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ll miss you Officer Schneider, but our new cleanup hitter will soften the loss. And Ryan Church….I think you’re a total idiot, but not actually a malicious guy. That said, I’d rather have Milledge over you 5 million times over. Make that 5 billion times over.

So Omar Minaya leaves Flores unprotected in the Rule 5 draft, which allows us to steal him, which allows us to make this trade (aka heist) in the first place. THANK YOU, Sir. May I have a pony as well? Or a nice new car?

C – Flores

1B – Young

2B – Belliard

3B – Zimmerman

SS – Guzman

(yes, I’m leaving Lopez off)

LF – Pena

CF – Milledge

RF – Kearns

I do not hate this starting lineup. I *really* don’t hate a 3-4-5 of Zim, Milledge, and Wily Mo. It depends on a lot, don’t misunderstand. Milledge and Wily Mo have to fulfil their potential, and Zim has to continue to improve. But I’m excited.

And I have to say it: Good Job, Trader Jim Bowden.

Zim breaks a bone in his wrist.

Get well soon, and without lingering effects. We NEED you, babe.

Mazel Tov to Youks, the OC, and DLee on their richly deserved gold gloves. I’m thrilled for Youks, as he absolutely deserves this award and I never thought he’d get it. I have my issues with Boston fans severely overrating Cabrera, but his defense has always been solid to spectacular, and he’s about 5 million times more deserving than Captain Intangibles. And I’ve been fond of Derrek Lee as a player and as a mensch since 2004, when I followed the Cubs for 1 1/2 years.

Coco was robbed though. Not that Ichiro, Torii Hunter, and Grady Sizemore were bad choices, but Coco was better than EVERYONE this year.

Amazing.

Ooh, a good point found on SOSH:

2007 ALCS MVP – Josh Beckett

2007 WS MVP – Mike Lowell

Yes, that was a good trade right there.

Game 4, up 3-0, one run lead….

Still nervous. Paps paps paps paps paps….

The Rockies make me nervous. They’ve got that team-of-destiny scent to them that I think we had 3 years ago and the White Sox had 2 years ago. Of course, the Tigers had that scent last year, and that didn’t work out too well for them. They are going to be tough though, for non-metaphorical reasons. They have a strong, strong offense, and good defense. Possibly the best defense in the game.

I have no desire to play the 2004 Cardinals with the Rockies as the 2004 Red Sox. I wish I liked the Rockies better. I want to like them, but I have a very hard time rooting for an evangelical fundamentalist team. (Check here for more.) The Brewers I could cheer for whole-heartedly. I can spare a smile for the Mets, or the Mariners, or the Blue Jays. But the Rockies are making it harder with this stuff.

(By the way, I’m well aware that several guys on the Red Sox including Tek our Captain, and including Wake my favorite, are evangelical Christians. The difference is that 1) they’re not in charge, and 2) both Tek and Wake went on the Red Sox Queer Eye Special. They didn’t have to do so [Timlin notably refused to do so, muttering some crap about values.] The fact that they did, shows to my mind at least some more open-mindedness, or at least somewhat less of the homophobia that I find so appalling in most of these particular evangelical sects.)