Clutch Carl To The Rescue Again

This night sure didn't start off good.

I was making my way back from another of my acting gigs when I checked my cell on the subway and saw the score of the Red Sox game after one inning was 4-2 Oakland. I thought that Clay Buchholz' back problems must be more severe than we know.

Buchholz allowed six runs in 4+ innings, and when I saw Bobby Jenks in the game with the A's up 6-5 in the seventh, I thought the A's would be adding to their lead for certain.

But with first and third and one out, he got a double play to end the inning. And the Sox loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning. Jed Lowrie popped up, and I thought we'd see yet another squandered opportunity. But Carl Crawford muscled a single to center to score two and give the Red Sox the lead back. (BTW, Allan at Joy of Sox has an article about the opportunities the Red Sox have wasted this season. They lead the league in "squanders.")

Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a long home run in the eighth, and Jonathan Papelbon got his 11th save and the Red Sox ended the four-game losing streak, 8-6.

New York's loss to the Angels means the Red Sox are 1 game back in the AL East.

BTW, today's game is at 1 PM, as the Red Sox moved it from 7 PM so Sox/Bruins fans could watch Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight. But I just checked and today's game is NOT listed on the MLB package. I won't be a happy camper if this is true.

"All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records"

Actor Colin Hanks, son of Oscar winner Tom Hanks, is currently putting together a documentary called "All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records", and to the say the least, I can't wait to see this when it comes out.

Colin is appealing to folks to help him get his film off the ground, and he needs $50,000 by July 15th to make it a reality. He's almost there, as the last time I looked, he's just $10,000 short of his goal.

Here's a video by Mr. Hanks talking about the film:


So, if you'd like to help him out and make the film a reality, you can go to his page at Kickstarter.com and make a donation, from $1 on up.

Good luck Mr. Hanks, and if you need someone to appear on camera to tell some interesting stories about working at Tower Records Greenwich Village, don't hesitate to send me an email.

Junk From Weiner

The congressman is bringing lots of pride to us fellow Brooklyn Tech alumni these days, wouldn't you say?

The 2011 Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame Class

The Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame announced their inductees for 2011, and six men will be going in: MLB Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan, Big Ed Walsh and John McGraw, Yankee trainers Gene Monahan and Steve Donahue, and singer Terry Cashman (best known for the song "Talking Baseball.")

The induction ceremonies will take place on Tuesday, June 14th at noon at Foley's NY Pub and Restaurant, where the Irish American Hall of Fame is located.

These six legends will be joining the following men, who have been inducted into the Hall since its founding in 2008:

"Starting Nine" and Subsequent Inductees

The “Starting Nine” inductees in 2008 were: the late Mets and Phillies reliever Tug McGraw, NY Yankee announcer John Flaherty, sportswriter Jeff Horrigan, NY Mets groundskeeper Pete Flynn, retired sluggers Mark McGwire and Sean “The Mayor” Casey, Kevin Costner, star of Field of Dreams and Bull Durham, legendary owner-manager Connie Mack, and longtime official scorer and sports columnist Red Foley.

2009 inductees were: Walter O’Malley, longtime Brooklyn and LA Dodgers owner (Executive category); sluggers Steve Garvey and Paul O’Neill (Players category), Jim Joyce (Umpire); veteran sportscaster Vin Scully, and Ed Lucas, a blind reporter who has covered the Yankees and Mets for four decades.

2010 inductees were: Tim McCarver, veteran TV analyst and former player; Bob Murphy, longtime Mets announcer (Media category); Michael “King” Kelly, the game’s first superstar (Hall of Famers and Legends category); Yankees GM Brian Cashman (Executives category); Bill James, famed statistician and an advisor for the Boston Red Sox (Executives category).

Foley's is located on West 33rd Street in Manhattan, right across from the Empire State Building and it's a cool sports bar. Check out their website or Facebook page for more information.

The End For Dice-K In Boston?

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reported tonight that Nikkan Sports in Japan is saying that Daisuke Matsuzaka has elected to have Tommy John surgery performed on his ailing right elbow.

It would end his 2011 season and possibly a big part of the 2012 season. He's a free agent following next season.

No definitive word yet on Rich Hill's injury. He left Wednesday's game clutching his left elbow, and an MRI was performed on Wednesday evening. More should be known on Thursday.

Marty Foster Needs a Seeing Eye Dog

How could Foster, the second base ump, miss this tag that Dustin Pedroia made on Juan Pierre today? (Photo is from the Boston Globe.)

From this angle, it doesn't appear Foster was blocked off on the play. The level of umpiring incompetence in MLB continues to amaze me.

Why Can't The Red Sox Beat Chicago At Home?

Well, that wasn't too embarrassing, was it?

Swept at home by the lowly White Sox, 7-4. They haven't beaten Chicago at Fenway since late 2009, a span of seven straight games. A rotten umpire's call at second that ended up costing the Red Sox two runs seemed to portend a miserable day at the yard.

Now we have 48 hours to stew over this before Oakland comes in. Wonderful.

Nothing To See Here Folks. Move Along.

It got ugly in a hurry at Fenway on Tuesday night, and just when I started to think Alfredo Aceves might possibly have some future as a fifth starter. Silly me.

I had Trivia Night to distract me a bit, but 10-1 became 10-7 in the last two innings, and the Red Sox nearly got the tying run to the plate. Crap.

The Sox go into Cleveland and Detroit last week, the AL Central's two best clubs, and take 5 of 7 and look awfully impressive doing it.

This week they host the going-nowhere-fast White Sox at Fenway and drop the series to them, and are looking down the barrels of a sweep on Wednesday afternoon.

I'll figure out baseball one of these days.

Trivia Q&A: May 31

It was an historic night in the five-year history of my Trivia Night, as we tied the record for most teams, as 26 of them came in. It didn't look like we'd come close, but the folks kept coming in as the time to start approached. Thanks to all of you for making that possible.

The Current Events numbers were a bit on the low side, but they picked up with the next two rounds, as they were both strong rounds. It was tight heading into IQ Trivia, with two teams tied and three points separating the top six teams.

But the team of How Dare You, Benedict Gorman! (We Love You Anyway) got 4 of the 5 questions correct and went on to a six-point win with 48 total points. Nice job as usual, guys.

Second place went to Rubber Bumper Baby Buggerers with 42 points, and third went to Rusty Trombone with 40.

A reminder to everyone that we will be doing a special night of Trivia on Sunday, June 5th, at a special time as well: 7:30 PM. We will return to Tuesday nights in two weeks, June 14th at 9 PM. And we return there to stay.

The Sneak Peek will be up on the blog here on Saturday.

Best Team Name: My Teenage Daughter Ran Away From Home and Took The Car With Her. A Big Reward For The Car.

Current Events
1. This past Sunday, Malta became the last country in the European Union to legalize what?
2. Jeff Conaway, who originally gained fame as a regular on what ABC sitcom, died last week at the age of 60.
3. The 37th G8 Summit was held last week in what European country?
4. What superstar actress is currently under fire for giving her support to a planned government carbon tax in her native Australia?
5. What New York congressman claims he was the victim of an Internet hacker he says posted a lewd picture of him on his Twitter account?
6. Jim Tressel, head football coach at what Big Ten football school, resigned this past weekend after a 5-month scandal involving a cover-up of his Players' violations?
7. Hackers attacked the official PBS website this past weekend, leaked passwords and published a false story that dead rap stars Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls were alive and living in what Pacific nation?

1990s Trivia
1. In 1991, who became the first country singer to enter the US pop album chart at number one?
2. In 1999, what Keanu Reeves film became the first DVD to sell one million copies?
3. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement sought peace in what country?
4. Val Kilmer played what rock superstar in a 1991 Oliver Stone-directed film?
5. What childhood disease did just 312 Americans have in 1993, an all-time record low?
6. What MLB team won division titles every year in the decade of the 1990s, except 1990 and 1994's strike season?
7. Madonna won a Golden Globe award for Best Actress for what 1996 film?

Dead or Alive Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. John Glenn
2. Isaac Hayes
3. Zsa Zsa Gabor
4. Dennis Hopper
5. Kirk Douglas
6. Tony Curtis
7. Vanessa Redgrave
8. Ernest Borgnine
9. Ike Turner
10. Abigail Van Buren

General Knowledge
1. What is the last letter of the Greek alphabet? ( 1 pt)
2. Kiev is the capital of what European country? ( 1 pt)
3. What is the collective term for a group of geese? ( 1 pt)
4. According to the New Testament, what color was the robe Pontius Pilate's soldiers put on Jesus? ( 2 pt)
5. What was the name of the dog on the hit TV series "Frasier?" ( 2 pt)
6. "Bad Medicine" was a 1988 number one hit song for what rock band? ( 2 pt)
7. What size were the shoes that an Iraqi journalist threw at President Bush during a press conference in 2008? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. What Oscar-winning actor founded and led Hollywood's original Rat Pack? ( 4 points)
2. The Stephen King short story "The Body" was the basis for what feature film? ( 4 points)
3. What singer-songwriter wrote Manfred Mann's number one hit song "Blinded By The Light?" ( 3 points)
4. In April 2003, at the age of 33, which man became the oldest number one tennis player in the ATP rankings? ( 4 points)
5. What 19th century American literary classic was originally going to be called "The Pathetic Family?" ( 5 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. divorce; 2. "Taxi;" 3. France; 4. Cate Blanchett; 5. Anthony Weiner; 6. Ohio State; 7. New Zealand.

1990s Trivia
1. Garth Brooks; 2. "The Matrix;" 3. Northern Ireland; 4. Jim Morrison; 5. measles; 6. Atlanta Braves; 7. "Evita."

Dead or Alive Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. alive; 2. dead (2008); 3. alive; 4. dead (2010); 5. alive; 6. dead (2010); 7. alive; 8. alive; 9. dead (2007); 10. alive.

General Knowledge
1. omega; 2. Ukraine; 3. gaggle; 4. purple (I also accepted "scarlet"); 5. Eddie; 6. Bon Jovi; 7. ten.

IQ Trivia
1. Humphrey Bogart; 2. "Stand By Me;" 3. Bruce Springsteen; 4. Andre Agassi; 5. "Little Women."

One-Third The Way Done

The 2011 season is now 1/3 completed for the Red Sox, and it fell on Memorial Day. They are 30-24 at this juncture. They are on a pace to win 90 games, but I think if they avoid losing 10 of 12 twice more, they should easily reach 90 wins.

Jon Lester clearly didn't have it last night, and he struggled mightily in Chicago's 7-3 win. He threw a season-high 127 pitches, and Terry Francona is surely facing criticism from many quarters as to why he left him in the 6th inning with the bases loaded and two outs and the score tied.

Lester's final pitch of the night was a bloop double that brought in two runs by Alexei Ramirez. Dan Wheeler came and immediately gave up a two-run single to Carlos Quentin.

Adrian Gonzalez hit his 10th home run of 2011 off former Padres teammate Jake Peavy. Dustin Pedroia singled in two runs and that sums up the Red Sox highlights for the night.

New York won in Oakland so the Red Sox are tied for first place in the AL East.

Splitsville

The Red Sox split the two games they played on Sunday. And I'll take it.

David Ortiz hit his first pinch-hit home run since 2003 in the ninth inning of Game 1 to give the Sox a 4-3 win in the opener. Six innings from Clay Buchholz, and he left the game tied at 3 after giving up a two-run shot to Brennan Boesch. He had back tightness and a blister on his toe, but is expected to make his next start on Friday against the A's.

They ran into a buzzsaw in Game 2 in Justin Verlander, and got just four hits in getting shutout, 3-0. Josh Beckett struggled through six innings, but allowed just two runs.

Can't say I was too distraught over it, as they completed taking three of four in Detroit, and a 5-2 road trip.

The Red Sox are one game up on New York and 1 1/2 games ahead of Tampa Bay, and they return home to face the White Sox tonight. Jon Lester goes for his 8th win.

And a Happy and Blessed Memorial Day to you all, especially to those who serve and their families.

Trivia's Back On Tuesday (At Least For This Week)

Trivia Night returns to its regularly scheduled day and time this Tuesday, May 31st at 9 PM. We've been moved around due to the Boston Bruins and their successful playoff run. But it will be nice to return to Tuesdays for a change.

And this Tuesday, the Special Category will be "1990s Trivia," seven questions about the final decade of the 20th century. The Q Train lightning round will be a category we haven't done in a while: "Dead or Alive Trivia." I will give you the names of ten famous celebrities and you have to tell me if they are still walking this earth or not right now.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
What is the last letter of the Greek alphabet?

And just when you thought it was safe to return to Tuesday nights, we have to shift again next week, once again due to the Bruins Stanley Cup Finals appearance, and the Red Sox series with the Yankees. Game 3 of the Finals will be Monday, and the Sox take on the Yankees Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. So that means that we will have Trivia Night that week on Sunday night, June 5th, at a special time of 8 PM. We had some positive feedback last week with that special time last Thursday, so I hope many of you can come out on Sunday night, as well as this coming Tuesday at 9.

I Hate Day-Night Doubleheaders

The Red Sox-Tigers Saturday night game was rained out tonight (I wouldn't have seen it here in NYC anyway because of inane Fox and their regional coverage), and it will be made up tomorrow as part of a doubleheader.

No, not a single admission DH, but one of those asinine "day-night" doubleheaders. Game 1 starts at 1PM, while the second will begin at 7.

And there's a BIG problem with that, Sox fans. Game 2 will be the first Red Sox game in nearly ten years that will NOT be broadcast anywhere.

No, not in Boston, New York, Detroit or anywhere else. NESN can't show it. Fox Sports Detroit can't show it.

It is another of those idiotic rules baseball has for TV. ESPN has "exclusive" rights to the 8 PM game on Sundays (and that time is still too late to begin a game on a Sunday night, so don't get me started on that subject). No game that starts less than three hours before ESPN's game begins can be broadcast, even into the clubs' own home markets.

Having day-night doubleheaders at all is just milking the fans in my opinion. Owners trying to squeeze every last buck out of the fans. When there is a single-admission DH, it is always a rare thing now. (And of course, no one even schedules doubleheaders anymore.) I would love to see a rule made that every team can only have ONE split-admission doubleheader per season. Every other one must be single admission.

I know. I'm dreaming.

And if something special happens in Sunday's second game (a no-hitter, a triple play, someone hits four home runs, etc.), it won't be recorded for posterity.

Is it really asking too much to play a "classic" doubleheader tomorrow, guys? If they had scheduled the second game to follow Game 1 directly, it would be on the local TV outlets.

ESPN Ruins Baseball, too.

UPDATE: The second game of today's day-night DH WILL be broadcast on NESN tonight at 7 PM. Enough Red Sox fans complained, and MLB and ESPN gave in. If the weather cooperates, New England will see Game 2.

Yankees of England Go Belly Up

European Champions League Final from Wembley: Barcelona 3, Manchester United 1.

So United, take your 19 English championships, your arrogance and entitled attitude and shove 'em.

Nice work, Barca.

Go Liverpool.

Alone Again (In First). Naturally.

Another night. More runs.

Once again courtesy of the red-hot Carl Crawford.

He and Jacoby Ellsbury both took Rick Porcello over the wall as the Red Sox whipped up on the Tigers, 6-3. It was a two-run shot, and Crawford is now 9 for his last 12 at the plate.

Tim Wakefield, who will pitching in MLB long after I meet my Maker, went seven strong innings, allowed two early runs, and struck out two. It was win number 181 in a Red Sox uniform for Wake. Just 11 away from the club record.

He and Alfredo Aceves have been some 4-5 starting combo since John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka hit the DL. They are 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA in their last four starts combined. Nobody's in a rush to see Lackey or Dice-K any time soon.

It's now 12 of 14 for the Sox (and the two losses were the 8th inning meltdowns to the Cubs and Indians). New York lost to Seattle last night 4-3, as the Mariners scored all their runs on infield groundouts. Sox lead New York by 1 and Tampa Bay (who won) by 1 1/2.

Clay Buchholz takes the mound in Detroit tonight at 7, in a game I can't see because as usual "Fox Ruins Baseball" and hijacked it for their regional prime-time coverage.

And good luck to Bill Buckner, who debuted as Brockton Rox manager on Thursday night, and Billy Buck's boys got a 3-1 win.

First

Talk about kicking ass and taking names.

The Red Sox were doing it once again on Thursday afternoon in Detroit, as like on Wednesday against the Indians in Cleveland, they laid two touchdowns on the Tigers. 14-1.

Wow.

Carl Crawford had his second straight four-hit game, had another triple and three RBI as the Red Sox scored five in the second on Max Scherzer and never looked back. Alfredo Aceves was very good, going six innings, allowing just the one run and struck out six. Not bad for a number 7 starter.

Jacoby Ellsbury blasted his fifth home run of 2011, and newly-called up Josh Reddick (Darnell McDonald went on the DL with a quad injury) had three hits and three RBI (and nice to see him wearing a more normal number now: 16).

The only thing I was afraid of was the weather calling the game before five innings. But the rain held off until the 8th and the game was called after 7 1/2 innings.

OK, technically the Red Sox aren't in first, as New York is two percentage points ahead. But the Sox have more wins then they do (28-27) and only the Indians (30) have more than the Red Sox right now in the AL.

And the Red Sox are NO games back right now.

Let the carnage continue.

Trivia Q&A: May 26

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Two Touchdowns

I worked as an extra on "Boardwalk Empire" on Wednesday at Ft. Tilden Park in Rockaway (playing a veteran of the Spanish-American War; it was a cool gig), so I missed all of the Red Sox-Indians finale at Cleveland on Wednesday.

It was another one of those days where I checked my cell phone for updates. As lunch was getting started, I saw the Red Sox were up 2-0. When lunch was finished, I saw they were up 7-0, having scored all the runs in the first inning!

I've got a good feeling about this, I thought.

I didn't check again until the game had ended, and it was a 14-2 rout.

The Bomb Squad was out for the Red Sox, with Dustin Pedroia (two hits in the first innings including the dinger), Carl Crawford (who also had four hits), Jarrod Saltalamacchia (boy is he hot right now) and David Ortiz all going over the wall.

Every starter had at least two hits except Jed Lowrie, who went o-for-5.

Jon Lester went six innings, allowed just three hits and struck out seven in getting his seventh win.

Kevin Youkilis and J.D. Drew did not play, and Youk says he will play against the Tigers in Detroit on Thursday afternoon. New York's win kept the Red Sox 1/2 game back in second place after today's romp.

Let's Go Back To The '80s On Thursday

We're having a special Thursday edition of Trivia Night on Thursday, and at a special time of 8 PM. And our Special Category that night will be "1980s Trivia," seven questions about that decade we all miss. And the category will be multiple choice as well, especially for those of you who don't miss it at all.

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

The Sneak Peek question is:
Which of New York City's boroughs has the largest current population?

We get going at 8 PM. Just doing something different this week. There are no Bruins playoff games or even a Red Sox game, as they play in Detroit that afternoon. So I hope many of you can make it out on this special night.

Finally, A Win In Cleveland

Josh Beckett brought back some very pleasant memories of the 2007 ALCS with a terrific performance over the Indians in Cleveland, as the Red Sox went on to a 4-2 win. It was the first Red Sox win over the Tribe in Cleveland this year after four straight losses there.

Beckett went 6 2/3 innings, allowed just one run. The Tribe had runners on in every inning but one, but Beckett was his steely self and allowed just a single run in the second. He struck out six and walked three.

The big blow of the game was Jason Varitek's home run in the seventh. It was a line shot that hit the foul pole and scored David Ortiz in front of him. Tek also had a fine night behind the plate, as he threw out two runners attempting to swipe second. (Haven't seen that in a mighty long time.)

Rich Hill was solid in relief of beckett, going 1 1/3 innings and allowed just one baserunner. Jonathan Papelbon allowed a solo home run in the ninth, but got his ninth save of 2011.

The Sox have now won 9 of 11 and remain 1/2 game back as New York won, but Tampa Bay's loss puts the Sox now in second place.

Dustin Pedroia sat out tonight's game but figures to play in the series finale against the Indians on Wednesday.

And Dennis Eckersley, never one who is shy about expressing his opinions, had some choice words for A's closer Brian Fuentes, who did a big time rip job on Oakland manager Bob Geren.