Stolen Items Traced to Late Yankee Owner

The case of the stolen baseball memorabilia now points to a man named Barry Halper (pictured), a Yankees minority owner, who died in 2005.

The Boston Herald reported today that Halper sold a contract from an 1879 player named E. B. Sutton in a 1999 auction. But the Herald discovered that the letter was part of a collection of letters stolen from the New York Public Library many years ago.

Halper also claimed in two interviews to own the will of Tommy McCarthy, a Boston NL player from the late 1800s. His will was part of a collection of wills from ballplayers that went missing from Suffolk Probate Court in Massachusetts. Many were returned in 1998, but McCarthy's never turned up.

Halper's former assistant says he has no idea where the will is.

This is part of the ever-widening probe by the FBI into stolen baseball memorabilia. I remember for years the local media here in New York would visit Halper's house in New Jersey (they were careful never to say his hometown to protect his privacy) and he would show off parts of his huge baseball collection.

I remember being really amazed by what he had: uniforms, hats, contracts, seats, autographed balls, and just about anything connected to baseball. His house was like a tour of the museum at Cooperstown. But now the feds at looking at his estate, and you have wonder how much of what he had was gotten under fraudulent purposes, and where ultimately the investigation will end up. Stay tuned.

Pig Pen

When you get a 4-0 lead after three innings against the lowly, light-hitting Kansas City Royals, you are supposed to win.

Not so last night, as the bullpen had a serious meltdown, as Manny Delcarmen, Justin Masterson and Ramon Ramirez all were awful, and let a 5-3 lead turn into an 8-6 loss at Fenway.

Brad Penny struggled through five innings, giving up three runs, but left with a lead. David Ortiz blasted his 11th dinger of the year and his 300th of his MLB career, and it was 3-0 after one. It looked like the Sox would coast into a win when it was 4-0 after three, but KC came back with three off Penny in the fourth.

Delcarmen allowed two runs, the first he's allowed since mid-June. Masterson gave up a homer to David DeJesus and two more runs in the four-run sixth. Masterson continues to struggle since that meltdown in Baltimore over a week ago.

The only bright note after Penny left was Daniel Bard, who struck out three of the four batters he faced in the final 1 1/3 innings of the game.

Some other nice signs in this game was Dustin Pedroia's three hits, his fourth home run of 2009 and two runs scored, and Kevin Youkilis' two hits and two runs scored. Dusty now leads the AL with 14 three-hit games. Papi's blast was his third in his last 19 at-bats, and he now has 44 RBI on the year.

The Red Sox are now 3-4 on this 10-game homestand against some of the weaker sisters of the AL. Kansas City is 13th in the AL in hitting and last in runs scored as well.

The All-Star break simply can't come any sooner. The Minnesota Twins rolled over like dogs against New York, 6-4, getting swept at home (and have lost all seven games to them this season), so the Red Sox and Yankees are tied atop the AL East today.

Jon Lester will pitch for the Red Sox tonight against the Royals, while New York opens a series in Anaheim against the Angels.

What Happens When You Mess With the Fens

Remember that Yankee fan who thought he was putting a "curse" on the Red Sox by putting some grass seeds from the new Yankee Stadium in the Fenway turf during a Phish concert earlier this year?

Well, Ian Ferris, the Vermont Yankee fan, has had to close his Hooters restaurant in his home state. The reason why is currently unknown. Here's more about it.

That's what happens when you mess with Fenway. Should have kept those seeds in your pocket, Ian. America's Most Beloved Ballpark always has a way of getting even.

According to the Sporting News

The number one ballpark in MLB is:


While number 30 is:

The Sporting News has just published its rankings of the MLB stadiums, and ranked America's Most Beloved Ballpark, Fenway Park, as the number one MLB stadium. Big shock, eh?

The rest of the top five are:
2. PNC Park, Pittsburgh
3. Wrigley Field, Chicago
4. Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore
5. AT&T Park, San Francisco

Funny, the new "palace" in the Bronx didn't crack the Top 5, but did come in number 10. Citi Field came in 18th.

And the parks you'd guess made up their bottom five:
26. Rogers Centre, Toronto
27. Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, Oakland
28. Land Shark Stadium (what?), Miami
29. Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis
30. Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg

No love for the domes at all. Here is the complete article from the Sporting News, for your enjoyment.

It's Not Just a Job, It's An Adventure

Seems like nothing at all comes easy with Jonathan Papelbon these days.

He opened the ninth with a walk and a single. When the ball left next batter Scott Hairston's bat, the flight of the ball made it look like 6-5 Oakland was about to happen. But the wind was blowing in and knocked the ball down, allowing Jacoby Ellsbury to catch it on the track in left-center.

That made it 5-4. One out later Kurt Suzuki single and that brought up the dangerous Jack Cust. On 3 and 2, Pap brought the heat and struck him out to end the game for his 22nd save and it gave the Sox a series win over the A's.

Yep, nothing comes easy with Papelbon these days. It's the 13th time this season that Papelbon has had to throw at least 20 pitches in an outing, and he's now walked 18 in 37 innings. It's way above his lifetime numbers.

At first it looked like another one of those frustrating nights, like Monday. Another Oakland rookie pitcher, Trevor Cahill, allowed just one hit over five innings. The Sox offense looked dead, making this kid look like another 20-game winner, and in bad need of the All-Star break. But finally Cahill faltered, giving up a mammoth blast to J.D. Drew, and two batters later, an equally prodigious home run to David Ortiz, his tenth of 2009, a three-run shot.

Tim Wakefield pitched another gutty game, as he went six innings, scattered ten hits and allowed just three runs. (It really should have been just one, as Nick Green missed second base on a DP attempt when Mark Kotsay whipped the ball to second to try to double up Bobby Crosby after making a great catch. The inning should have been over, but Oakland went on to score two more runs. Doesn't Green believe in tagging runners?) Wake was in trouble early, but pitched out of some tough innings for his 11th win of the season. A nice way to end the first half for him going into his first All-Star appearance.

Our old friend Nomar Garciaparra made another appearance last night in the eighth inning as a pinch-hitter. He received another rousing ovation, but didn't acknowledge it this time. He popped out to first on the first pitch. (We'll see him again at Fenway later this month, as the A's return for another four-game series.)

Kansas City comes into Fenway Park for four games this weekend to wrap up the first half, beginning with Brad Penny taking the mound tonight.

That's Why Beckett & Bay Are Going to St. Loo

It was a night for the Red Sox All-Stars last night.

Josh Beckett became the second Red Sox 10-game winner last night, as the Red Sox topped the Oakland A's, 5-2.

Jason Bay belted his 20th homer of the year that tied the game at 1 in the second. They added another run after that, on Nick Green's double play with the bases loaded. Beckett allowed a first-inning home run to Scott Hairston, but settled down after that.

The Red Sox added two more in the third, on Jason Varitek's single with the bases loaded. Dustin Pedroia dded an RBI single in the sixth to complete the Red Sox scoring for the night.

Beckett went 6 2/3 innings, allowed two runs on six hits and struck out four. The Commander is now 8-1 since the beginning of May with an ERA of 2.38 in that span. Hideki Okajima, Justin Masterson and Jonathan Papelbon were unscored upon after Beckett left, with Pap getting his 21st save.

New York won in Minnesota, so the Red Sox continue to lead the AL East by one game.

I Told You Someone Would Get Hurt

And lo and behold, we have a "winner" in the "Player Who Will Get Hurt Because of Those Stupid, Asinine Walkoff Celebrations Pool." And it is Ryan Dempster.

Apparently, Dempster was so eager to join in the celebrating of a Cubs "walkoff" win last Sunday against Milwaukee that he tried to jump over the railing of the dugout to join in on the fun, but caught his back leg on it and wound up breaking a toe, and is now on the disabled list, and will be out for one month.

Here's more on his injury.

I've been saying this for some time now, and very few people seem to notice. These idiotic "celebrations" after a home team wins an ordinary game in the ninth inning or extra innings are getting really out of hand, and I knew it was a matter of time before someone suffered an injury because of it. It wasn't what I thought it might be, in one of those "pileups" in the middle of the field, as teammates batter the hero with fists and more. But Dempster's injury was totally unnecessary.

And I guarantee you, it won't be the last one because of all the excessive celebrating going on.

Save it for your pennant or World Series win, guys.

Trivia Q&A: July 7

We had another huge crowd on Tuesday night, and we waited a little bit passed 9 PM, as there were also some "non-trivia" folks in the bar and we were concerned that they might be types who would just yell out answers when they heard the questions. Fortunately we had no problem once we got going.

23 teams came out to play, and the scores were generally pretty strong throughout the night. The numbers were better for the Q Train "Movies By Deacde Trivia" than they were for "US States Trivia." We had seven teams withing five points of the lead going into IQ Trivia.

And that round, we had one team run the table in getting 20 points, but the leaders, Dracula's Tree Forest (who led the whole night), got four of the five questions right and held on for a razor-thin margin of one point to claim the victory. Nice job guys.

Current Events
1. This music magazine, founded by Quincy Jones in 1993, confirmed last week they are shutting down.
2. Fredrik Reinfeldt, prime minister of this European country, became President of the European Council last week.
3. The Organization of American States suspended this Central American country from this organization on Sunday due to its ongoing political crisis.
4. Roger Federer set a new record for Grand Slam tennis wins last Sunday with his 15th at Wimbledon. How many times has he won the Wimbledon Men's singles' title?
5. Steve McNair, a former NFL QB who led this team to the Super Bowl in 2000, was found shot to death with a girl friend at a condo in Nashville this past Saturday.
6. Forbes.com recently ranked this world capital city as "The World's Most Fashionable City" in a survey of 10,000 people in 20 countries.
7. This Scandinavian country ended Estonia's eleven-year reign as champions of the annual "Wife-Carrying Competition" this past weekend, taking home both gold and bronze medals.

Answers: 1. Vibe; 2. Sweden; 3. Honduras; 4. six; 5. Tennessee Titans; 6. Paris; 7. Finland.

US States Trivia
1. In which US state is the world's largest outdoor amphitheater found?
2. Elias Howe, from this eastern US state, invented the first sewing machine in 1845.
3. In which southern state would you find Wake Forest University?
4. In which midwestern state is the College World Series played every year?
5. What state contains the largest indoor shopping mall in the US in terms of floor space, over 9.5 million square feet?
6. Which state has the oldest European settlement in North America?
7. What is the only state to have had the flags of six different nations fly over it?

Answers: 1. California (Hollywood Bowl); 2. Massachusetts; 3. North Carolina; 4. Nebraska (Omaha); 5. Minnesota (The Mall of America); 6. Florida (St. Augustine); 7. Texas (Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederacy and the US).

Movies By Decade Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. The Deer Hunter
2. Ghost
3. The French Connection
4. Ben-Hur
5. Glory
6. It Happened One Night
7. Goodfellas
8. Monster's Ball
9. Casablanca
10. West Side Story

Answers: 1. 1970s (1978); 2. 1990s (1990); 3. 1970s (1971); 4. 1950s (1959); 5. 1980s (1989); 6. 1930s (1934); 7. 1990s (1990); 8. 2000s (2001); 9. 1940s (1942); 10. 1960s (1961).

General Knowledge
1. What was baseball Hall of Famer Babe Ruth's first name?
2. W.C. Handy is considered "the father" of what type of music?
3. Gelato is an Italian type of what?
4. In 2001, President Bush dedicated the Justice Department building in who's honor?
5. How many US states have coastlines on the Pacific Ocean?
6. A cube has how many edges?
7. In the 1994 film "Forrest Gump," Forrest earns a football scholarship to what college?

Answers: 1. George; 2. blues; 3. ice cream; 4. Robert F. Kennedy; 5. five; 6. twelve; 7. University of Alabama.

IQ Trivia
1. What musical opens with the line "Wilkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome?" ( 3 points)
2. What is another name for the poisonous snake known as a water mocassin? ( 4 points)
3. In the human body, the main purpose of synovial fluid is to do what? ( 5 points)
4. In 1911, Harriet Quimby became the first American woman licensed to do what? ( 4 points)
5. The book and miniseries "Band of Brothers" takes its name from a line from what Shakespeare play? ( 4 points)

Answers: 1. "Cabaret;" 2. Cottonmouth; 3. lubricate joints; 4. fly a plane; 5. "Henry V."

Boston Stays Classy

For those of you who may have missed Nomar Garciaparra's return to Fenway and the reception he got at his first at-bat, here it is from the Red Sox postgame show, with thanks to my friends at Surviving Grady:

After 5 Years, Number 5 Returns

Was there ever any doubt?

Nomar Garciaparra received a long standing ovation from the soldout Fenway Park crowd on Monday, as he marked his first game in Boston since the trade in July 2004. It was one of those chills-down-your-spine moments, as Nomar came to the plate the crowd roared. And roared.

It went on for about a minute. Nomar also applauded the fans back (I don't think I've ever seen a player do that). He was clearly touched by the reception, which as all right-thinking Red Sox fans knew would be something special.

It's a shame to see such a great career go so far off the rails in five years. It was weird seeing a guy wearing #1 on the Oakland A's getting such a huge ovation. But Nomar will always be #5 in all our hearts.

Great job tonight, Sox fans. It made me really proud to be a fan. Thanks for the memories, Nomar.

The night would have really been something had the Red Sox offense had bothered to show up. The managed only two hits off some rookie named Brett Anderson in a putrid 6-0 loss. John Smoltz wasn't good at all, allowing five runs in six innings. It was simply the worst performance of the season by the Red Sox against one of the worst teams in baseball.

Enough of that. The night belonged to Nomar Garciaparra, and before the game he was interviewed by his old buddy Lou Merloni for Comcast SportsNet New England. It's an interesting chat, especially when Nomar says he was never offered a four-year, $60 million deal, which everyone believes he turned down in 2003.

Here is the interview, with thanks to Skip at CSNNE:

More on the Auction Letters

An article in yesterday's New York Times says that a letter that was used by a baseball historian may have indeed been stolen from the New York Public Library, and it's one of those letters that was pulled from an auction that was to be held on July 14th.

Check it out here.

States and Movies on Tuesday

To honor America's birthday (three days late though) on Tuesday night, the Special Category for Trivia Night will be "US States Trivia," seven questions about the 50 states of our great country, and every answer will be a different state.

The Q Train lightning round will be "Movies By Decade Trivia." I will give you a famous, Oscar-winning film and you will tell me what decade the film came out in (like '60s, '70s, '80s). You won't have to give me the exact year.

The Sneak Peek question for Tuesday is:
What baseball Hall of Famer Babe Ruth's first name?

We'll get going at or about 9 PM. The Red Sox are playing the Oakland A's at Fenway, and hopefully we don't go through what happened last week. We had another huge crowd last week, and it's really great seeing so many of the same folks coming out in such big numbers. The Mighty Quinn is always grateful. See you Tuesday night.

Smoltz Debuts. Nomar Returns.

The Red Sox avoided the indignity of being swept by the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park for the first time ever (yep, they've never swept at Fenway, and still haven't), as the hometown team rallied for five runs in the seventh and won, 8-4.

For the third straight day, the Sox opened with a 2-0 lead, only to see it disappear. And this time at the hands of Ronny Cedeno again, who hit a triple down in the right field corner with the bases loaded to get Seattle the lead.

Jon Lester looked shaky a good part of the game. He did strike out 10, but put runners on in just about every inning. David Ortiz, who homered in the first, singled in the tying run in the seventh with two outs, and after a run was walked in, Mark Kotsay singled in two. The last run scored on a passed ball. The Sox scored all the runs with two outs.

The bullpen shut down Seattle the rest of the way, and Justin Masterson got the win. New York won again with a Win Tunnel Special, a 10-8 win, bailing out Joba Chamberlain's ass once again. The Red Sox still lead the AL East by one game.

Tonight will be a special night at Fenway Park. John Smoltz makes his Fenway Park Red Sox debut against the Oakland A's. But that will be overshadowed by the return of one Nomar Garciaparra, who comes back to park he called home and left back in July, 2004. (The last games he played at Fenway was that memorable Yankees series that year, the one that included Slappy getting a gloveful of Jason Varitek and Bill Mueller's game-winning blast off Mariano Rivera. Remember Nomar's double early in that inning?)

Nomar will get the standing ovations he so richly deserves. It should be one helluva memorable night tonight.

UPDATE: The Red Sox put Jeff Bailey on the DL today, with a ankle sprain he suffered in Saturday's game. They brought up first baseman Aaron Bates, who will make his MLB debut tonight at first.

Six Red Sox Head to St. Louis

Six members of the Boston Red Sox will be heading to St. Louis for the All-Star Game on July 14th. Jason Bay and Dustin Pedroia were elected by the fans. That guy from New York (his name escapes me at the moment) beat out Kevin Youkilis at first, but Youk was added to the roster, as were pitchers Jonathan Papelbon and Josh Beckett.

Also on is Tim Wakefield, who will be making his first ever All-Star appearance, at the age of 42. He will be oldest player making his All-Star debut since Satchel Paige made his in 1952 at age 46.

AL manager Joe Maddon said that Tim got in because of "his body of work." Classy move, Joe.

Congrats, Wake. A well-deserved honor.

Here are the complete All-Star rosters for the American League and National League.

Theft and Baseball

I found an interesting article in the New York Times this past Thursday about the letters of baseball Hall of Famer and immortal Harry Wright, who played for the original Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1869, which were supposed to be auctioned off this coming Tuesday in St. Louis. They were pulled from the auction due to the fact they may have been stolen years ago.

MLB was hoping the letters, which were to be auctioned off by Hunt Auctions and are about some of baseball's earliest business practices, would bring around $50,000. But the FBI is now looking into the matter. The letters may have been stolen from the New York Public Library's collections over 20 years ago.

Things like this make you wonder just how much baseball memorabilia out there may have actually been stolen from other collections. It's a good article worth reading, so check it out here.

Lifeless on the Fourth

I really thought that Takashi Saito might be the sleeper pickup of the winter for the Red Sox, one of those moves that slips under the radar for the most part and, like Mike Timlin in 2003 and Hideki Okajima in 2007, who be a valuable addition to the Red Sox bullpen.

Oops.

Saito is turning into the Red Sox garbage time reliever, and yesterday seemed to take another step in that direction, as with the game tied 2-2 with one out, proceeded to walk the bases loaded. The Sox had to bring the infield in, and ex-Met Chris Woodward hit a cheap dunker over Dustin Pedroia's head to bring in the go-ahead run and the Seattle Mariners won, 3-2 on Independence Day.

I had to watch the game on MLB.tv (thanks Chris) because the game was blacked out outside New England thanks to those stupid Fox Saturday rules. (They couldn't wave that for the Fourth of July?) But there wasn't much to watch as the Red Sox looked pretty lifeless yesterday. Jason Varitek blasted a two-run shot in the second, and they left second and third to end the inning.

They got just two hits after that, and had only one real threat afterwards. Brad Penny pitched six strong innings and allowed just two runs and got the no-decision.

New York won in extra-innings over Toronto, so the Red Sox lead is now down to one game. Jon Lester takes the mound today as the Red Sox try to avoid a home sweep.

In Memory of Lou, and Uncle Billy

It was 70 years ago today that Lou Gehrig made his farewell speech to baseball, in-between games of a doubleheader on July 4. 1939, at Yankee Stadium. He was dying from an incurable disease called ALS, which has more commonly become known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Today, MLB will remember Lou at all ballparks with the speech, remembered as the "luckiest man on the face of the earth" speech, at all games today. All players are wearing a patch in Gehrig's memory: "4 ALS." (4 being his number, of course.)

Lou Gehrig, "The Iron Horse," was a man of incredible class and grace, and it is right that he is remembered today. He died in June of 1941, just days short of his 38th birthday. I also remember all other victims of that dreaded disease, including my uncle, Bill Reilly, who passed away from it in August 2003 at the young age of 57.

We miss you, Uncle Billy.

Here is a clip from YouTube of Lou Gehrig's farewell:

383

Tim Wakefield set the new mark for Red Sox pitchers last night against Seattle, starting his 382nd game in a Sox uniform, but couldn't come away with his 11th win of the year as Seattle took it in extra innings, 7-6 in 11.

Wake broke Roger Clemens' start record, and is still 18 wins behind the Texas Con Man and Cy Young's team record for victories. The night got off to a promising start, as the Sox bolted from the gate with two runs in the first.

Seattle scored three runs in the fourth to pull ahead, 4-2, and it stayed that way until the seventh, when J.D. Drew blasted a shot to center to make it, 4-3. But Jose Lopez took Wakefield into the Monster seats in the righth to answer it back and restore the two-run lead.

With two on and two out in the bottom of the frame, Nick Green hit a high fly that just missed going in the seats in left by about a foot, but it tied the game at 5. Both teams were stymied the next two innings, but the Mariners broke through in the 11th, on Rob Johnson's two-run double off Ramon Ramirez (who has been a lot more human lately after his hot start), as he hung a changeup that was whacked into the rightfield corner.

George Kottaras hit his first MLB home run with two outs to make it 7-6, but the game ended after Drew's single, and Dustin Pedroia's hard ground out to third.

Tim Wakefield gutted it out for eight innings, but it wasn't enough. Whether or not it costs him an All-Star berth, we'll find out tomorrow, when the rosters are announced. The Red Sox look to get even today, when Brad Penny takes the mound on Independence Day against Garrett Olson.

Happy Fourth

Hope all of you have a wonderful Fourth of July weekend.

From The Duke himself:

For the Fourth of July

I will be appearing tomorrow morning on "The Baseball Show" and their segment, "Web Sox Nation," chatting briefly about what's been happening on my blog this week. This will be my second appearance on the show by phone.

It will air at 9:55 AM on Comcast SportsNet New England. The show is also simulcast on WEEI radio, but the Web Sox Nation part is only available on TV.

Win Tek's July 4th Gear

Jason Varitek has worn some special special equipment the last few years on July 4th to honor America. It is, of course, red, white and blue. And this year after he wears them, he will auction off his mask, chester protector and shin guards to benefit The Saints Medical Center, and will also autograph them as well.

The tickets are $2 apiece, with a minimum order of five tickets. Tek's gear is not all that's being raffled off. The raffle winner will also receive four tickets to a Red Sox game, and will also receive a tour of Fenway Park (which I have also taken, and it is phenomenal).

The raffle has begun and you can enter it until 11 AM on August 3rd. The drawing will be conducted later that day. If you'd like more information about it and buy some raffle tickets, check out this link from the good folks at Celebrities For Charity.

Jason Varitek is also doing another charity raffle later in August as well. Tek will be auctioning off four tickets to the Red Sox-Yankees game at Fenway Park on August 22, and the winner of that raffle will also win a tour for three of Fenway Park, a $100 gift certificate to the Tresca Restaurant in Boston's North End, and an 8x10 photo of Tek. That raffle is also currently taking place and running until August 20th, when the lucky winner's name will be drawn.

Here is another link you can check out to enter the August 22nd game raffle.

"Ted Williams"

On Thursday afternoon I had the pleasure of being at HBO Studios in midtown Manhattan to attend a preview of the upcoming HBO special documentary, "Ted Williams: There Goes The Greatest Hitter That Ever Lived." I was there with my friends Chris Wertz and Pete Fornatale, and about 50 other folks to see the upcoming film that will debut on HBO on July 15th at 9:30 PM, the night after the All-Star Game.

HBO has made some very special sports documentaries, like those about the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Red Sox and their 2004 World Series win. But they have taken on a very complex subject with Ted Williams, and once again they have made a great baseball documentary.

"Ted Williams", which is narrated by Liev Schreiber and runs nearly 90 minutes, is a very fair and balanced look at his life, of course talking much about what an icon he was to Boston and all its loyal baseball fans. I was really impressed with the early footage of when Ted first got to Fenway, as a lot of the film is in color. His early life in baseball includes interviews with his longtime friends Johnny Pesky and Bobby Doerr, and writers Leigh Montville and Dan Shaughnessy discussed his relationship with the writers and fans, which turned sour as early as 1940, just his second year in Boston.

Ted grew up in San Diego, and his formative years were touched on by his nephew, also known as Ted Williams. He brought an interesting perspective, as I've never seen him interviewed before. A wide range of other folks talk about the Ted they knew, like Robert Redford, George H.W. Bush, Richard Ben Cramer and Bob Feller.

Of course, most of the film discusses his life with the Red Sox as he was becoming a superstar. His .406 season, 1941 All-Star game-winning home run, his Triple Crowns, his only appearance in the World Series, 1946 (his biggest disappointment in baseball) and his homer in his final at-bat (shown from a camera angle I've never seen before) dominate his baseball accomplishments. His military service is widely seen as something Williams was vastly proud of, and the controversy that surrounded him staying out of the Army in 1942 is touched on, as well as his combat service in Korea, where he flew 39 missions. Ted seemed to thrive on controversy, and just about every major one he was in touched upon.

Ted is shown as a "man's man" or "more John Wayne than John Wayne." His personal life with his wives and children show that he wasn't the best family man. But it also shows what a caring man he was, especially with children with cancer. Dan Shaughnessy discusses how Ted reached out to him and his daughter when she was diagnosed with leukemia when she was just six. He devoted countless hours for The Jimmy Fund, something that he kept quiet for the most part.

The film shows what a complex man he was: caring friend, competitive player and a man given to rages when things didn't go his way. He's shown as a man who mellowed with age, and how the Red Sox fans warmed to him more as he became an elder statesman. A very touching moment of the film was his 1999 All-Star Game appearance. Ted was not in good health, and Boston and MLB poured out their hearts to him and said their goodbyes. Tony Gwynn and Nomar Garciaparra, both Ted favorites, give their takes on the man they came to know and love.

His relationship with his son John Henry and daughter Claudia are at the heart of the conclusion of the documentary, as the decision to have Ted cryogenically frozen is talked about by his daughter, who steadfastly believes it was a "family decision" to do that and defends it, despite all the uproar it caused among Ted's fans.

The film is a wonderful look at a man who will forever be part of Red Sox lore. It's a must for any Ted fan, Red Sox fan, or anyone who appreciates good documentary filmmaking about baseball.

Marathon Weekend

The tradition continues.

One of my all-time favorite shows, "The Twilight Zone," has its annual Fourth of July marathon this weekend on the Sci-Fi Channel, and its a real marathon: nearly 72 hours worth! It begins at 8 AM on Thursday and runs until early Sunday morning.

There are two mega Twilight Zone marathons per year on Sci-Fi: Fourth of July and New Year's. (I like the fact that they are just about six months apart.)

I'm sure all of my favorites will be popping up along the way, and its still a treat to watch such a quality show, even though I've seen just about every one about fifty times.

If you'd like to check out my list of my Top 20 Favorite Twilight Zone episodes, click this link.

UPDATE: I discovered this morning that the marathon that began this morning was that tepid "Twilight Zone" series remake, the one that has nothing to do with Rod Serling. The "real" Twilight Zone marathon begins tomorrow afternoon, July 3, at 5 PM. Disappointing, but I'll be tuning in tomorrow.

And here is a clip from the original Twilight Zone, featuring the immortal Mr. Serling, doing an introduction about the series just before the pilot episode aired:

Isn't Payback Fun?

I have to admit after the Red Sox fell behind 5-1 this afternoon, I thought this was a game heading for the "L" column. The Red Sox looked like they were sleepwalking through this contest, one of those "it's been a long road trip, let's get on the plane and head home" games. They had just four hits in eight innings against Orioles rookie Brad Bergesen.

They needed to come out and play well after last night's debacle. Josh Beckett started off lousy and the Sox looked terribly disinterested at the plate all day. (Jason Bay really looked lost, as he struck out five times, and went 0-for-15 in the series.)

It was still 5-1 in the ninth when the Sox remembered it was still a game. Kevin Youkilis blasted a two-run shot. Closer George Sherrill of the O's then came in and got the next two outs before Jacoby Ellsbury singled and he walked the next two. And Rocco Baldelli had one of the biggest hits of the season, a seeing-eye single to center to tie the game at 5.

It stayed tied until the 11th, when Ellsbury doubled and moved to third on Jeff Bailey's fly to right. And Julio Lugo had his biggest hit of the year, a single to left to make it 6-5.

Jonathan Papelbon got Baltimore 1-2-3 to get his 20th save of the year and set the new Red Sox record for career saves, at 133.

As bad as the bullpen was last night, they were totally lights out today. The Orioles did not get another man on base after Ty Wigginton's homer off Josh Beckett in the fourth. Beckett, who was not on his game the first three innings, settled down and retired the last 12 hitters he faced. Daniel Bard (who struck out 4 of 6), Ramon Ramirez and Pap retired all 12 hitters they faced. Eight perfect innings to conclude the game. Amazing.

Simply the sweetest win of 2009, after the lousiest one last night. This team really showed me something today. Forget about last night's loss. It's ancient history.

Once again, the Sox win a series on the road, and they take six of the last nine away from Fenway. Now it's back home against the Seattle Mariners on Friday night, with Tim Wakefield going for number 11.

Baseball's Best Pen Melts Down

I guess it should have kept on raining.

The best bullpen in baseball had its worst game of the season last night. A 10-1 lead went down the drain in the last two innings, as Baltimore scored five in the seventh and five more in the eighth to win, 11-10. Everyone who followed John Smoltz was terrible. This game reminded me of June 4, 1989, a game where the Sox had a 10-0 lead after six innings against Toronto at Fenway, and wound up losing 13-11 in 12 innings.

It was awful but not the end of the world.

A number of things to keep in mind while trying to shake off this mess.

John Smoltz pitched four solid innings, and would have gone on longer had it not been for the 71-minute rain delay.

The Red Sox have a game on Wednesday afternoon, just hours after this terrible game ended, so they can get right back on the field and go forward. A win on Wednesday will cushion the blow of tonight considerably.

Josh Beckett, who has been sensational the last month, takes the mound, and surely won't be in a giving mood.

The Red Sox are 2 1/2 games up, as New York won last night.

The Sox can take yet another road series with a win on Wednesday.

The best bullpen can have bad nights. The Sox pen has been simply superb this year. But hopefully nothing like Tuesday night again. I hope they have a collective drink, shake it off, and come out slugging on Wednesday.

And of course, keep in mind this meltdown happened on June 30th, not in the month of October. It's not like they just blew a 3-0 ALCS lead...

Trivia Q&A: June 30

We had another huge crowd for Trivia on Tuesday, and I figured the special category might bring some more folks out. 23 teams were present and I figured the recently deceased Mr. Jackson would be a hot topic of team names. But as it turned out, it wasn't. Only one team had a reference to the departed Gloved One, and decorum prevents me from writing it here (sorry Keith).

The scores on Michael Jackson Trivia (which many folks were applauding when I announced it) were all over the map, but they were mostly in the 3-5 point range. It was a close contest all night, and first place was tied in every round (I can't remember that happening before).

Heading into IQ Trivia, it was extremely close, with six teams within three points of the lead. But the team of Ed McMahon Arm Wrestles Billy Mays in Heaven wound up the winners, as they were one of two teams that ran the table and got a perfect score in that round. They were in fourth going in, and wound up winning by five points.

My congratulations to Matt and his team on a terrific comeback win.

Current Events
1. This rock star recently sued Nike over copyright infringement, as a brand new pair of shoes recently released feature a pattern similar to a guitar he copyrighted in 2001.
2. This African country declared a state of emergency last week, and asked the international community to send troops to fight Islamic forces in the country.
3. This talk show co-host is currently being sued over accusations that she plagiarized another author's work in her best-selling diet book.
4. The organizers of the Academy Awards announced last week that they were expanding the number of Best Picture nominees in next year's Awards to this number.
5. Recently released secret files from the National Archives revealed that in WWII, Britain seriously considered dropping millions of these on German troops as the war neared the end.
6. Archeologists confirmed that they discovered recently in Germany the remnants of this musical instrument, believed to be the oldest one ever confirmed at 35,000 years old.
7. Iran and this country expelled some of each other's diplomats in the fallout of the recent Iranian election and the protests that followed it.

Answers: 1. Eddie Van Halen; 2. Somalia; 3. Elisabeth Hasselbeck; 4. ten; 5. poisoned darts; 6. flute; 7. United Kingdom.

Michael Jackson Trivia
1. Michael Jackson joined Luciano Pavarotti and Paul McCartney on a tribute album in the late 1990s to what person?
2. What celebrity is godfather to Michael Jackson's first child?
3. Michael Jackson's hair caught on fire while filming a commercial for what product in 1984?
4. Which Michael Jackson album is the best-selling double album of all-time?
5. What religion was Michael Jackson raised in?
6. What hit Michael Jackson song has Eddie Van Halen on lead guitar?
7. What was Michael Jackson's first solo Billboard number one hit single?

Answers: 1. Princess Diana; 2. Macaulay Culkin; 3. Pepsi; 4. "History: Past, Present and Future;" 5. Jehovah's Witness; 6. "Beat It;" 7. "Ben."

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. The five-mile long Mackinac Bridge is located in the state of Florida.
2. Kalium is another name for the element potassium.
3. Titan is the largest moon of the planet Jupiter.
4. The movie "Chariots of Fire" was set during the 1936 Summer Olympics.
5. Oleo is another name for margarine.
6. The Romance languages are descendants of Latin.
7. Eucalyptus trees are native to Australia.
8. Barack Obama is the 45th President of the United States.
9. The Genie company is best known for its line of products that opens garage doors.
10. The joule is a unit of measurement used to determine atomic weight.

Answers: 1. false, Michigan; 2. true; 3. false, Saturn; 4. false, 1924; 5. true; 6. true; 7. true; 8. false, 44th; 9.true; 10. false, energy.

General Knowledge
1. Gateau is the French word for what food?
2. In 1978, Israeli PM Menachem Begin won the Nobel Peace Prize with what other world leader?
3. "Isn't it rich, are we a pair?" is the opening line of what show tune?
4. If it is 4 PM in Boston, MA, what time is it in Anchorage, AK?
5. Leon Trotsky was banished from the USSR in 1929 for opposing what leader?
6. What is by far the best-selling genre in American publsihing, accounting for over half of all publishing sales?
7. England's Victorian Era took place during most of what century?

Answers: 1. cake; 2. Anwar Sadat; 3. "Send in The Clowns;" 4. Noon; 5. Josef Stalin; 6. romance novels; 7. 19th century.

IQ Trivia
1. What Caribbean island is home to Gustavia, the capital city named after Sweden's King Gustav? ( 4 points)
2. What rock star and his wife penned the 2002 cookbook "Kill It and Grill It?" ( 3 points)
3. The historical "Orange Free State" is found in what modern-day country? ( 4 points)
4. What Oscar-winning film was sarcastically called "Kevin's Gate" for much of its troubled production? ( 4 points)
5. The logo for the Broadway musical "Les Miserables" depicts what character as a little girl? ( 5 points)

Answers: 1. St. Barts; 2. Ted Nugent; 3. South Africa; 4. "Dances With Wolves;" 5. Cosette.

Lowell to the DL

The Red Sox placed Mike Lowell on the disabled list today, retroactive to June 28 with his ongoing hip problems. That means he will be out until the All-Star Break, and could be reactivated on July 17th, when the Red Sox open the second half in Toronto.

Jeff Bailey was brought up from Pawtucket, and will be in the lineup tonight, at first base and batting ninth. Kevin Youkilis will probably be playing third base most of the time while Lowell is on the sidelines.

132

Jon Lester was superb again last night in Baltimore, befuddling the Orioles for seven innings and allowed no runs on five hits as the Red Sox won easily, 4-0. He struck out eight, didn't walk a batter, and was in complete command all night.

J.D. Drew was the hitting star with a triple, single and home run to pace the attack. He hit a triple on the second pitch of the game off Jason Berken and Dustin Pedroia singled him in.

The next couple of innings the Red Sox left five men on base and didn't score, and looked like another one of those nights where they'd regret all the men they couldn't drive in. But in the fourth, they scored three, and it was capped by Drew's two-run blast to right.

The bullpen took over in the eighth, and Jonathan Papelbon came in with two out and two on, as Ramon Ramirez couldn't get the last out. Pap got Matt Wieters to fly to left, where Jason Bay, who was hitless all night, made a sensational sliding catch to preserve the shutout. The pitching continues to be sensational, as the Red Sox now have a 0.69 team ERA in their last four games.

It was an historic night for Papelbon, as his 19th save of the year was also his 132nd save of his career, tying Bob Stanley's team record. Stanley was also a starting pitcher, and many of his saves were also of the two and three inning variety back in the 1980s.

Lester is now 8-0 in his career against Baltimore, and 7-6 on the season. The Red Sox are now 5-0 versus the O's in 2009, and 5-2 on the current road trip. Their lead in the AL East is now up to 3 1/2 games. John Smoltz makes his second start of the year tonight against Rich Hill.

An Obvious Choice For Special Category This Week

Well, it's not the biggest shock in the world what the Special category for Trivia Night will be this week. I even had some requests for it, so never let it be said I don't listen to my audience.

"Michael Jackson Trivia" will be the category (and ironically, one of last week's IQ Trivia questions was on the same late entertainer). It will be seven questions on the life of the icon who just died last Thursday. (For those of you looking for Michael Jackson trivia, the Q&A will be published on this site on Wednesday morning, so check back.)

The Q Train lightning round will be "True or False Trivia."

This week's Sneak Peek question is:
Leon Trotsky was banished from the USSR in 1929 for opposing what leader?

We should get going around 9 PM. The Red Sox have a game in Baltimore tomorrow night, but that won't interfere with the festivities. See you then.

Another Road Series Won

Interleague came to thankful end on Sunday with the Red Sox dropping a 2-1 decision to the Braves in Atlanta yesterday.

The Sox ended the 18-game monstrosity with an 11-7 record, and won another road series. They ran into a hot rookie pitcher named Tommy Hanson, who pitched six solid innings in getting the win.

Brad Penny pitched his usual six innings and allowed just two runs, both solo homers, to Chipper Jones and Garret Anderson.

The Red Sox just couldn't get anything going against Hanson, who had flu-like symptoms but went out there and was terrific in getting his fourth win.

The Sox got a run with two outs in the ninth, as Jason Varitek singled in Kevin Youkilis, who cleverly broke up a double play that should have ended the game by retreating to first. But Jacoby Ellsbury struck out to end the game.

The Yankees humbling of the Mets again last night means that the Red Sox lead in the AL East is now at 3 games.

The Red Sox are now 4-2 on the road trip, and now move on to Baltimore for three starting tonight. Mike Lowell, who missed the series, returned to Boston to get an injection in his balky hip. It is still not known if he'll be placed on the DL because of it.

So Close, But No Cigar For U.S.

The U.S. jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the FIFA Confederations Cup Final in South Africa today, and it looked like an upset of historic proportions might be in the cards.

It wasn't to be.

Brazil, down by two at halftime, came storming back in the second half on goals by Luis Fabiano, who scored twice, and Lucio, the go-ahead goal inside the last seven minutes. It was a terrific match, and the Americans did themselves proud.

Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan scored the early goals for the Americans. Here's the full story from ESPN Soccernet.

Nice job, guys. No shame in losing to a team with the history of Brazil, who won their third Confederations Cup. They threw a mighty scare into the Brazilians, and earned a lot of respect in this tournament for sure.

Now, it's on to qualifying for a return to South Africa and the World Cup next June.

Tim Wakefield: All-Star

Did you ever think you'd see a blog post of mine with that title, in the Year of Our Lord 2009?

Tim Wakefield continues to make a strong case for being on the 2009 All-Star team, as he pitched six more magnificent innings over the Braves yesterday, and got his 10th victory of the season as the Sox won a 1-0 nailbiter in Atlanta yesterday.

Wake also tied Roger Clemens for the most starts ever by a Red Sox pitcher with 382. He is now 18 wins behind the Texas Con Man and Cy Young for the all-time team record for wins, as his victory yesterday was number 174.

He also joined Roy Halladay and Kevin Slowey as the only 10-game winners in MLB.

Simply amazing. Wake continues to be The Man.

The knuckler was dancing in Atlanta yesterday afternoon in the 95 degree heat, as Wake gave the Braves just three hits. Ex-Brave Mark Kotsay's RBI single in the sixth was the only run of the game, driving in Kevin Youkilis. The bullpen was its usual stellar self, as Manny Delcarmen, Justin Masterson and Jonathan Papelbon shut the Braves down the rest of the way.

The Red Sox remained four up in the AL East, as the Mets didn't bother showing up at Citi Field, getting only one hit and the Yankees won easily, 5-0.

Brad Penny takes the hill today, as the Red Sox go for the sweep and interleague comes to a merciful conclusion.

A Troubled Life

The news continues to be dominated by the death of Michael Jackson. You knew that when someone of his stature dies, there will be tributes for days and days, and not just in the print media but also on TV and radio.

His death reminds me a lot of the passing of Elvis Presley. Like Elvis, Jackson's death was sudden and unexpected. He also died a young man, and the reports coming out in the wake of his passing suggests that Jackson was as strung out on as much prescription medicine as Elvis was.

It's a shame that a man who had as much talent as he did, and was loved by millions of fans (like Elvis) dies like this.

Michael Jackson was also a troubled individual. Everyone knows about his strange behavior: dozens of operations, the pet monkey, the hyperbaric sleep chamber, etc.

We may never know the real truth as to exactly what happened with him. You know there will be books written by family, friends, famous authors and hangers-on. It will be a cottage industry, the way Elvis Presley turned into one after his passing.

What will be speculated on from now until eternity about him will be the sexual abuse allegations that were thrown his way in 1993.

A 13-year-old boy named Jordan Chandler and his father accused Jackson of that in 1993, accusing him of oral sex and masturbation with the boy. The boy famously gave a description to police of Jackson's genitals as the case was taking off. But by the beginning of 1994, the case was suddenly settled and the LAPD closed it, as Jackson paid the boy's family a settlement that neither could reveal (anywhere from $10 million to $25 million, depending upon who you believe).

Jackson said he just wanted the case to disappear, but why would anyone in their right mind, if they are totally innocent of these type of hideous charges, pay off someone to the tune of an eight figure settlement? To me, it was obvious that Jackson had something to hide, and it would all come out in open court if the case reached that far. Paying off the Chandler family was Jackson's only route, and it wound up costing him big time. (If I were a celebrity and someone hit me was false charges, I would fight it with every last dime I had to get my reputation back.)

He beat more sexual abuse charges in 2005, but the damage had been done a long time before that. There will always be those who will defend Michael Jackson vociferously as an innocent victim, and those who will always feel he was a pedophile who bought his way out of trouble. The truth maybe somewhere in the middle.

Whenever a controversial figure dies (like Richard Nixon for example), the focus is generally on what the positive accomplishments they did in life. When Nixon died, I remember the emphasis was on the positive things Nixon did as president, like opening the door to China and ending the Vietnam War. The Watergate scandal wasn't ignored, but it wasn't emphasized, either.

And with Michael Jackson, the emphasis will be on the joy he brought to millions of people around the world with his music: the Moonwalk, the Thriller album, etc. As it should be.

He maybe gone, but we haven't heard the last of Michael Jackson. Not by a long shot. His music will live on forever. And he'll be joining the pantheon of legends like Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and John F. Kennedy: those who died young but haven't left the American consciousness.

Rest in peace, Michael.

Beckett Continues His Ownership of the Braves

Josh Beckett continued his dominance of the Atlanta Braves last night, pitching seven shutout innings in leading the Red Sox to a 4-1 win in Atlanta last night. For 2009, he has pitched 16 innings against the Braves and allowed no earned runs.

I didn't see any of the game last night, which is an extreme rarity for me. I was with a dear friend for dinner and a movie last night. But as I was in the theater I was thinking that Beckett rolled them over last Saturday in a dominant pitching performance, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was doing it again.

Lo and behold, I was correct.

Beckett is now 6-0 in his last seven starts against the Braves, which goes back to 2005. (He was 2-5 against them from 2001-04.) Beckett was never in trouble last night, as Atlanta only got a man to third once against him.

He left the game after seven innings, for what was later said to be some "stomach turmoil." If anyone had some "stomach turmoil" I would have guess it would have been Beckett giving that to the Braves lineup.

David Ortiz continued his return to glory last night, hitting a bomb to right to break a scoreless tie in the fifth. The Sox also scored runs in the sixth and eighth, and the shutout was lost when Jonathan Papelbon gave up a home run to David Ross to start the ninth.

Beckett now is 9-3, and you'd bet he's making a strong case for the AL All-Star team right now. The Red Sox are now still four games up, as the Mets played like Mutts last night in handing the Yankees a 9-1 win at Citi Field.

"A Space Within"

Yesterday, I attended the opening of the new exhibit called "A Space Within," at the Center for Architecture on LaGuardia Place in Manhattan.

It is a complete look ahead of what will soon be appearing at the World Trade Center site, with animation, and also a look back at the rebuilding process at the site.

It's been a long and torturous process there for the last seven years, but progress is moving quickly, and I was impressed with what I saw.

Courtesy of the Huffington Post, here is a quick thirty-second look at what will be coming at the WTC site in the future:



The exhibition will be at the Center for Architecture (536 LaGuardia Place) until September 14 and is definitely worth checking out. I can only hope something truly magnificent and stunning will rise from ashes for all the 9/11 victims and their loved ones.

They certainly deserve it.

The Smoltz Era in Boston Begins With a Thud

I was hoping that John Smoltz could give the Red Sox five innings last night. Well, he did just that.

It was the five runs he gave up that I was hoping he could avoid.

A rough first inning put a damper on the debut of the future Hall of Famer. The Nationals broke out with four runs off him, after he got the first out. He clearly had trouble keeping the ball down, and the Nats were ready for it. The Nats, despite the woeful record, have a pretty decent offensive team and they showed it last night. Smoltz gave up five runs total, but did settle down after the lousy first inning.

Washington salvaged the last game of the series, 9-3. The Red Sox took two of three in the nation's capital, and I will certainly take that.

He walked one, struck out five on the night. It certainly wasn't the opening the Red Sox or the fans were hoping for, but it was just Smoltz' first start in nearly 13 months. Not an overwhelming success, but not a dismal failure either.

Smoltz' next start will be Tuesday night in Baltimore. The Red Sox lead in the East is now at four games, as New York won in Atlanta last night.

Josh Beckett will open the weekend series with the Braves in Atlanta tonight.