Red Sox Baseball

Cindy Ferguson asked:


esday night marked a new low for the New York Yankees in their century-long rivalry with the Boston Red Sox. The game was their seventh straight loss against the Red Sox, the Yankees’ longest losing streak against Boston since 1912, when the Yankees were still known as the Highlanders.

The Red Sox won the game 6-5.

The Red Sox have been able to claim the American League East for four years, since 2004, and now it looks as if they’re going to have it for a fifth. The Yankees may have begun the season with big hopes for a division title and plenty of confidence against their longtime rivals, but their repeated losses against Boston seem to have squelched both entirely.

“They’ve definitely got the upper hand on us now,” Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon confessed after Wednesday night’s loss.

Definitely.

The Yankees bullpen has been absolutely overwhelmed, with starter Chien-Ming Wang the primary culprit. Wang, who brought the team 38 wins in the 2006-07 season and maintained a 46-15 record through 2008, appears to have lost control of the ball. Of 17 hitters faced, Wang allowed 9 to walk with balls, managing to retire only 8.

“His arm slot’s all over the place,” pitching coach Dave Eiland complained. “Sometimes it’s in the right place, the next time it’s too high, the next time it’s too low. If you have varying arm slots, you can’t command the baseball.”

In other words, Wang has no idea where his baseball is going to end up.

In the first inning, Wang threw 29 pitches; of those, he allowed one run but gave up three walks, two of which occurred back-to-back. The second inning brought another 29 pitches, and Wang gave up two runs on a single and two doubles. He tried to salvage the losses by striking out Kevin Youkilis and Jason Bay with sliders.

Then, at the bottom of the third, Wang handed Boston’s Mike Lowell a homer then allowed hits by David Ortiz and Mark Kotsay. He managed to strike out Nick Green before he was replaced by Phil Hughes.

In the last 5 starts, Wang has only managed to last a total of 13 1/3 innings. His earned run average dropped from 14.46 to 14.34. Nor is it clear that Wang will continue in the rotation.

“It’s definitely frustrating for me,” Wang admitted. “I haven’t thrown a good ballgame for a while.”

But Wang isn’t the only player who deserves the finger of blame. The New York team appears to have lost its focus. Alex Rodriguez been hitless in his last 13 at-bats and has gone 0-for-7 in the series. Derek Jeter has also gone 0-for-7.

The Yankees are holding onto a few glimmers of light: Mark Teixeria, who added four more hits on Wednesday – including a homer; CC Sabathia, a big lefty who is nearly unhittable; and Phil Hughes, who, in relief, besieged Tampa Bay on Monday, allowing only two hits in 63 pitches.

Sabathia is set to pitch in Thursday’s game against the Red Sox. He will be facing a lineup with the best on-base percentage in the American League, while his team will be facing a deadly Red Sox bullpen. The Yankees are desperately hoping to avoid another sweep.

AL

Rick Grantham asked:


What is the Black Sox Scandal

Black Sox was a name given to the eight White Sox players who were allegedly involved in throwing the World Series. In 1919, the scandal that almost cost baseball its integrity took place. This happened when some of the best Chicago White Sox players sat down with baseball gamblers to fix the World Series, losing it to the Cincinnati Reds.

The controversial scandal led to the banning of the eight men. Everyone who was involved in the scandal would have been rich if the word about it did not go out. However, it was difficult to keep it a secret. According to research, words came out because the gamblers needed to raise a large amount of money to assure the participation of the players.

When rumor was out, it was difficult to keep everything under control.

Who were involved?

Names of the players who were involved in the scandal surfaced. Although not confirmed, speculations pointed Arnold Gandil as the mastermind. Some said he contacted a gambler and initiated the possibility of the fix.
Other names included in the Black Sox scandal were Eddie Cicotte, Claude Williams, George Weaver, Charles Risberg, Fred McMullin, and Joe Jackson.

It was not difficult to lure the other players because of the lucrative offer. It would make them all rich in an instant. However, the clarity and extent of their participation is still hazy. There were questions about the involvement of Joe Jackson, who was one of the most popular players during that time. Decades after the scandal, the Black Sox said that Jackson was never present in any of their meetings to discuss the fix.

It was also a sad ending for the career of Buck Weaver, who did not have direct participation to the scandal. The others asked him to take part but he never agreed to it. His only fault was knowing about the scam and not telling the league about it.

What happened next?

After the banning, baseball became tough to the guys. The banning was not only from the league but also from the sport in general. The other players attempted to redeem their careers. However, there were threats that those who will have anything to do with them concerning the sport can forget about baseball for the rest of their life.

It was also rough for the Chicago White Sox fans. From a strong team, their team became one of the weaklings. They even experienced one of the longest World Series droughts, 1917-2005. This gave birth to the Curse of the Black Sox.

It was also a difficult time for baseball and baseball fans. The scandal has broken the trust they have for the game. It took a while before the sport gain the confidence of its fans back.

The Black Sox scandal is probably one of the lowest points in the history of baseball. What started to be an appealing endeavor for those who want to get rich easily has caused them their careers as well as the faith of the fans on the sport.



DORIAN

Daniel M asked:


Gotta love it… Red Sox fans rail on and on about how A-Rod is such a terrible person for taking steroids, and now it’s out that the best right handed hitter in Red Sox history, maybe even baseball history, was on the juice.

To be honest, Manny has always been my favorite Red Sox player, so this is pretty disappointing to me, but if anybody who is surprised about anybody being outed for steroids is obviously naive.

HOLLIS

sarianmark asked:

The rivalry continues…

ALAN

Georgie Porgie asked:


Ooops, the very last ASG at the old yankee stadium, and they have to see a Red Sox Manager manage the team. How does that make you feel?

MOHAMMAD

BostonNU asked:

A song during Red Sox vs Tampa Bay (Sweet Caroline)

NORMAND

SSJemmett asked:

A Red Sox fan with a video camera makes his way through the Yankee Stadium bleachers during 2004 ALCS Game 2, and the Bleacher Creatures show him no mercy. UPDATE: Credit for this video apparently belongs to MSheppardInNH.

WILLARD

Andrew S asked:


My son and I are extreme red sox fans, and we go to some games. But I would love to be able to take him to every game. The red sox blood must go on! What can I do to get on a list? Or does anyone know someone who would like to sell their tickets?

RICHARD

RedSoxfan1982 asked:


So Curt Schilling had decided to have the surgery that will end his season with the Red Sox, and may possible end his career.

What do you think about this?

I am a Red Sox fan and I love schilling I was sad to hear about it but I support him in whatever he decides to do.
I heard him say once that when he retires he wants to stay here in Boston with his family. He loves it here.

HANS