Sportscolumn - mlb_bos

[MLB] Strike Three on Cancer

Jon Lester stood tall upon the mound at Jacob's Field Monday night to battle the Cleveland Indians, but in reality, the battle has already been won. Different emotions running through his mind, Lester tightly gripped the ball in his left hand, knees shaking, ready to capture the moment. Butterflies in his stomach, Lester starred down at his catcher Jason Varitek, took a deep breath, and fired his first pitch.

Strike one. The voice of the umpire calling that very first strike had been echoing in Lester's mind for almost 11 months. The young south paw had his rookie year cut short after being diagnosed with a treatable form of lymphoma. Lester's doctor informed Red Sox nation that this disease was life threatening, but could also be cured if treated correctly.

[MLB] Boston: Bean, Beer, and a Buffalo

"I have just returned from Boston. It's the only thing to do if you find yourself up there."
-Fred Allen, (1894-1957) comedian

I don't eat New England clam chowder or Boston éclairs. I don't wear the color red at all during baseball season. I weasel out of business trips that involve a Massachusetts destination. The city of Boston, to me, is no different than mint chocolate chip ice cream, margaritas, or "The Lord of the Rings." I don't care how universally popular they are: I've tried 'em, and I hate 'em.

[MLB] Spring Training and the Future of Red Sox Pitching

I can still remember the day I stopped being a baseball fan. It was the day Tony Tarasco's career was snatched away by a boy named Jeffrey Maier. It was the day that my beloved Orioles led the AL East wire to wire only to fall to the Yankees. The Yankees became a dynasty of champions. The Orioles became a dynasty of losers. Baseball was never the same for me. Innocence lost around the time I turned 11. I'll tune in for a couple playoff games if the teams are interesting or the game is close in the late innings but the love is lost. I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Somehow ten years later I find myself watching a Boston Red Sox spring training game. Flipping channels I saw that Daisuke Matsuzaka was pitching. Apparently hype does work. The hundred million dollar myth from Japan had piqued my interest.

[MLB] Direction of the Red Sox

I wonder about my favorite team, wonder where they are going. On one hand, they told me they wanted to get younger, save some money by developing their own players. Since Theo Epstein took over in 2002, he wanted to replenish the minor league system through the draft, have a constant influx of players to the major league roster. It might appear as though they have, I mean they are ranked in the Baseball America Prospect Handbook as the 9th best minor league system in the major leagues. But from their recent moves, I know better.

[MLB] Red Sox look to be all smiles when October comes

Coming into the 2007 season the Boston Red Sox are going to be trying to forget about last year and focus more on a new ending that looks very much like 2004. This off-season they prove to be a team on a mission to build towards making a run in the playoffs. With the acquisitions of numerous pitching talents they seem to be listening to the age-old phrase, "Pitching wins Championships".

[MLB] Slugger? Yes. Attention Seeker? Probably Not.

By Rob LaBrie

As if Manny Ramirez wasn't unpredictable enough, now he's so unpredictable, we can't even predict his unpredictability. What?

[MLB] SAY GOODNIGHT TO THE BAD GUY

Here's a major point of contention of mine. Concerning the rivalry, our great theater featuring the Red Sox and Yankees, battle lines have been drawn. We've painted mythical pictures, illustrations of villainy and courage, of conviction and cowardice.

[MLB] 20 Years Later, Bill Buckner is Still the Wrong Guy

By C. Eric Lincoln

Two months ago I sat down to write much of the following column about Bill Buckner after a conversation with Tim Teufel, an old Met and an old friend. We had talked about anything and everything, and then our chat turned to Game Six--- that Game Six--- 20 years ago on October 25, Mets versus Red Sox. I asked Tim Teufel about Bill Buckner and Tim said he felt "terrible" for the guy "since it wasn't his fault anyway."

Bill Buckner is a good and decent man who was caught standing in the way of history which threw him under its oncoming, intractable path. History has somehow blamed Bill Buckner for the Red Sox loss of that World Series, and for one of the biggest blunders in Series history. So 20 years later, crawl back in time with me once more, and examine the images of that moment. The truth is out there. There may be goats and villains. But Bill Buckner isn't one of them.

[MLB] It's Time to Free Bill Buckner

By C. Eric Lincoln

The New York Mets have had a weekend-long celebration marking the 20th anniversary of the team that defeated the Boston Red Sox in seven games to win the 1986 World Series. This was the World Series that truly gave rise to Red Sox Nation, one grieving and often surly nation under a futile and unfair baseball god. A Series that raised the question of whether or not the Red Sox were cursed by the great Bambino or Harry Frazee or a cadre of otherwise bit players who toiled for the evil empire, the New York Yankees. The only person cursed, however, as a result of the 1986 clash, was Bill Buckner. And its time to free his name of a terrible lie once and for all.

[MLB] The 2006 Red Sox - Let's be Realistic

The Red Sox are not making the playoffs this year. Anyone who's watched them over the last month knows that this is a .500 team against the American League.