Via the Post -

At least somebody isn’t afraid to talk trash about a cross-town rival.

“I can’t wait to face those chickens,” Mets closer Frank Francisco told The Post when asked about playing the Yankees in this weekend’s Subway Series at Citi Field. “I want to strike out the side against them. I’ve done it before.”

Before Francisco could elaborate on his “chickens” comment, after the Mets’ 4-3 victory over the Orioles on Wednesday, he buttoned up.

“I think I’ve said too much already,” he said.

There you have it — a blast of bluster from the Mets as they attempt to regain some of the respect they lost two weeks ago when the Yankees swept them three games in The Bronx. Francisco didn’t appear in any of those games, but has a long history facing the Yankees as a member of the Rangers and Blue Jays.

And, yes, for the record, he has struck out the side against the Yankees. It came on May 21, 2004 when Francisco, pitching for the Rangers, struck out Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi — the three batters he faced in the seventh inning.

Francisco’s Mets teammates were more reserved in discussing the upcoming Subway Series, but it’s clear they are confident after sweeping the Orioles three games at Citi Field.

“I think we can play with [the Yankees],” Scott Hairston said. “I don’t see why we can’t play the way we did in the Orioles series. We know they have a really good lineup and pitching staff and so do we. It’s going to be a fun series.”

The Mets (38-32) would love to end a troubling pattern of getting swept a series before sweeping the next. They were swept three games by the Yankees before rebounding to sweep the Rays and then lost three straight to the Reds before handling the Orioles the last three games.

“We’d like to get a win playing [the Yankees],” Ike Davis said.

Just a win would be fine?

“Anything — beat them one time,” Davis said. “I don’t like not beating a team in a season, so it’s our chance to get a ‘W’ off them.”

I was at the Saturday night game when the Mets played the Yankees in the Bronx this season. I remember looking at the Mets line-up that night. Their first baseman was hitting a buck-sixty. Their number five hitter (Murphy) had zero homeruns on the season. And, their starting shortstop was a 30-year old bench player journeyman. That’s like spotting the other team 12 easy outs in the game…and the Yankees still barely won that game.

The Mets may have been swept in the Bronx. But, they proved that they can play with the Yankees and they should put up a fight in Citi Field. But, Francisco needs to keep his mouth shut. Comments like that are never good to make…

Via Andrew Marchand -

The apprehensive 13-year-old approached Keith Hernandez. Like any other kid meeting his idol, a “super nervous” feeling rushed though his body. Finally, with his courage up, the youngster addressed the player he had spent so many nights watching on TV.

“You are my favorite player,” Alex Rodriguez recalled saying. “I hope to be drafted one day.”

The funny thing about that chance meeting in 1988 is that Hernandez remembers it, too. Hernandez, the former MVP, was rehabbing a hamstring injury at Florida International University when this kid — who had yet to hit any of his 640 homers — walked up to him.

What sticks out most in Hernandez’s mind was not Rodriguez’s “imposing physique,” but his intensity.

“He was very intent to listen,” said Hernandez, now an analyst on the Mets’ network, SNY. “He asked questions.”

Rodriguez has shown some chameleon tendencies during his career, claiming this place or that place was always his dream spot. But, in reality, on the eve of the latest Subway Series, Rodriguez knows it wasn’t Texas, despite the money, or the Yankees, despite the history, that tugged at his heart.

It was the Mets.

Growing up in Miami in the ’80s, there were three main outlets for Rodriguez to watch baseball. There was WGN for the Cubs, WTBS for the Braves and WOR for the Mets.

He didn’t have much affection for anyone at Wrigley. He loved Dale Murphy during the years that preceded the Braves’ glorious run in the ’90s. But A-Rod’s favorite team was the Mets, cemented by the fact that they added Hernandez in 1983.

“Him and [Gary] Carter were the finishing two pieces of furniture to create the perfect house,” Rodriguez said. “And they got the championship in ’86.”

Fourteen years later, the Mets would return to their next World Series. By that time, A-Rod, just 25, had already nailed 241 homers — 79 more than Hernandez had in his entire 17-year career.

Rodriguez, on the verge of hitting the market as possibly the most celebrated free agent in baseball history, famously showed up at Shea Stadium for the Subway Series, hoping he would emulate his idol and one day lead the Mets to a World Series title.

Rodriguez wanted to be a Met so bad that one person close to him still insists he would have taken less than the $252 million the Texas Rangers ended up forking over.

Instead, in the first of A-Rod’s many public relations disasters, a back-and-forth between his then-agent, Scott Boras, and the Mets resulted in the Mets failing to even bid on A-Rod. All he got from his favorite team was the “24-plus-one” tag pinned on him like a scarlet letter by then-GM Steve Phillips.

I knew about the crush that A-Rod had on Mex. The first time A-Rod wore white spikes in an All-Star game, he said that he did it because Hernandez did it as well.

I wonder how things would have played out different, for the Mets, Yankees, Red Sox and A-Rod, had Rodriguez signed with the Mets instead of the Rangers. That would have been very interesting.

If you look at the Mets last four series, they have swept or have been swept.

.
So, what’s going to happen in this upcoming series with the Yankees? Are the Mets going to sweep this one, or, are they going to get swept? Or, will it be something else?

Katie Sharp, who is great at this stuff, shares the following on New York’s two teams as they face-off for the first of three this evening:

It’s no secret that the Yankees live and die by the longball. The Yankees lead the majors with 84 homers and have scored more than half of their runs via home runs. They are 0-12 when they don’t go yard –- they’re the only team in MLB that hasn’t won a game without a home run — and 31-13 when they do homer.

[The Mets] leads the majors in OPS in Close and Late situations.

The Yankees have the worst outfield defense according to Defensive Runs Saved, and only the Tigers have converted fewer groundballs into outs than the Yankees this season.

Nobody on the Mets has been better in clutch at-bats than [Kirk] Nieuwenhuis. He leads the team in go-ahead or game-tying hits in the seventh inning or later, has an OPS near 1.000 in high-leverage situations, and also boasts a few web gem-worthy, game-saving catches.

I wonder how much of these type things will come into play during this series?

Who’s better right now, the Yankees or the Mets?

I don’t think either team will sweep this weekend series.  But, it’s going to be a close call on which team wins two of the three games.  It may come down to Saturday’s game.  (I’ll be there – and, yes, of course, I pulled the Hughes game.  Ugh.  But, maybe he’ll surprise me?)

What do you think?  Which team is better now?  Who has performed better this season to date?  And, what’s your prediction for this weekend series?

Straw likes the Mets and O’Neill takes Yankees.

Mike Silva once looked at this.

Ditto Lisa Swan.

Who do you think would win?

From Theo Epstein today -

Football legend Bill Walsh used to say that coaches and executives should seek change after 10 years with the same team. The theory is that both the individual and the organization benefit from a change after so much time together. The executive gets rebirth and the energy that comes with a new challenge; the organization gets a fresh perspective, and the chance for true change that comes with new leadership. This idea resonated with me. Although I tried my best to fight it, I couldn’t escape the conclusion that both the Red Sox and I would benefit from a change sometime soon.

With this thought in mind, my assistant general manager, Ben Cherington, and I discussed how best to finish preparing him to take over as general manager, likely after the 2012 season, and how to ensure that the Red Sox could maintain continuity within our talented baseball operations group. Those steps were important for me before I could begin to feel comfortable making a transition. This summer, when ownership and I first discussed Ben as my successor, the Red Sox were stable, thriving, and talented enough in the big leagues and in the farm system to compete as one of the best clubs in baseball this year and for many years to come.

Then, September happened.

All of a sudden, we found ourselves needing to pick a new manager, a decision with long-term implications and one best made by someone who could lead the Red Sox baseball operation for the foreseeable future. Then the Cubs asked permission to interview me. The Cubs – with their passionate fans, dedicated ownership, tradition, and World Series drought – represented the ultimate new challenge and the one team I could imagine working for after such a fulfilling Red Sox experience.

So, knowing my time as the general manager was drawing to an end, I had a decision to make: stay one more year and do my best to conduct the manager’s search under less than ideal circumstances, or recommend the succession plan, allow Ben to run the search process, and join the Cubs. I wrestled with leaving during a time when criticism, deserved and otherwise, surrounded the organization. But Walsh’s words kept popping into my head, and I recalled how important it was for me as a relatively new general manager to bond with Terry Francona during the interview process back in 2003.

I totally agree with the notion that there comes a time when it’s best for the individual and the franchise to move on – after they have been a manager or front office executive for a long time. Too bad the Yankeees and Brian Cashman don’t understand this concept.

The latest Theo Epstein story via the AP -

Theo Epstein is leaving the Boston Red Sox after a remarkable run that included two World Series championships. He’s joining the Chicago Cubs to see if he can bring success to another team steeped in history and starved for a title.

The 37-year-old Epstein became the president of baseball operations for the Cubs on Friday night after resigning with a year left on his contract as general manager of the Red Sox.

With Epstein at the helm, the Red Sox ended an 86-year World Series championship drought in 2004 and won the title again in 2007.

Cubs fans can only hope he will do the same thing on the North Side where the Cubs are looking for their first title since 1908. Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts fired GM Jim Hendry in July after another disappointing season, although Hendry stayed on the job for an extra month.

The teams negotiated for more than a week over compensation the Red Sox would receive for letting Epstein out of his contract. In the end, they decided to put off that issue, saying it would be resolved in the near term.

The Red Sox are expected to announce assistant GM Ben Cherington as Epstein’s replacement. Boston, which collapsed in September and missed the playoffs for a second straight year, must also find a new manager to replace Terry Francona.

One of the first chores in Chicago is the future of manager Mike Quade, who led the team to a 71-91 record in his first full season. He has another year left on his deal.

Various reports say the Cubs are also interested in hiring San Diego Padres general manager Jed Hoyer for that position where he would be reunited with Epstein. They worked together in Boston.

Epstein will reportedly receive a five-year deal worth about $18.5 million to overhaul the baseball side of the Cubs’ front office.

In a joint statement, the teams said they would hold news conferences on Tuesday with the Cubs introducing Epstein and with the Red Sox announcing his successor — likely Cherington.

Remember a few years back when Cashman was upset because some fan sent him an email that said “You’re no Theo Epstein”? I wonder how Brian feels now that Theo is a team president and gets to oversee a G.M. (instead of being one)?

Actually, this is a shame. Because, as I have written in the past, Brian Cashman would be an excellent team president. But, as long as Randy Levine is around, that’s not happening in Yankeeland.

Via a letter to SI –

Isn’t it ironic that the Red Sox spent $161 million building a team around the concept of sabermetrics, yet G.M. Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona blame Boston’s epic collapse not on statistics but on the lack of good old team chemistry? Where is the algorithm for that?

Dan Haulman, Lebanon, Pa.

Well said, Dan. Well said.

Bosox say it ain’t so…

The Boston Red Sox today issued the following statements regarding the allegation about drinking in the dugout during games in the 2011 season. Additionally, former manager Terry Francona has asked that the team release a statement on his behalf.

JON LESTER: “The accusation that we were drinking in the dugout during games is completely false. Anonymous sources are continuing to provide exaggerated and, in this case, inaccurate information to the media.

JOSH BECKETT: “I cannot let this allegation go without response; enough is enough. I admit that I made mistakes along the way this season, but this has gone too far. To say that we drank in the dugout during the game is not true.”

JOHN LACKEY: “There are things that went on this season that shouldn’t have happened, but this latest rumor is not true, and I felt that it was important to try to stop this from going any further.”

TERRY FRANCONA: “In 32 years of professional baseball, I have never seen someone drinking beer in the dugout.”

PRESIDENT/CEO LARRY LUCCHINO ON BEHALF OF THE BOSTON RED SOX: “Tonight our organization has heard directly from Jon, Josh, John, and former manager Terry Francona. Each has assured us that the allegation that surfaced today about drinking in the dugout during games in 2011 is false, and we accept their statements as honest and factual.

“As we continue our internal examination to fully understand what went wrong in September, 2011, we appreciate these strong and clear statements from our players.

“It is time to look forward and move forward, rather than allow a reckless, unsubstantiated accusation from ‘anonymous sources’ to mislead the public.”

No mention regarding if these statements released by the Red Sox were made at the Cask ‘N Flagon…

Via Alex Speier -

Red Sox principal owner John Henry, in an appearance on CBS Radio, said that the signing of outfielder Carl Crawford to a seven-year, $142 million contract was a decision driven purely by baseball rather than concern about declining TV ratings. Indeed, Henry suggested that the Sox were convinced that the drop in NESN ratings was the result of changes to the people meter that measures TV audiences. That being the case, Henry said that the decision to sign Crawford was driven by a desire to improve the competitiveness of his team.

Indeed, Henry made clear that he opposed the signing, but that he deferred to the desire of baseball operations to add a player who could impact the team’s on-field competitiveness.

“[Crawford was] definitely a baseball signing. In fact, anyone involved in the process, anyone in upper management with the Red Sox will tell you that I personally opposed that,” said Henry. “We had plenty of left-handed hitting. I don’t have to go into why. I’ll just tell you that at the time I opposed the deal, but I don’t meddle to the point of making decisions for our baseball team. … It wasn’t a PR move. Neither was the [Adrian] Gonzalez signing.”

…I don’t have to go into why. I’ll just tell you that at the time I opposed the deal, but I don’t meddle to the point of making decisions for our baseball team…

Maybe Crawford was “too street” for ol’ John Henry? And, yes, I’m kidding.

Via Pete Abe -

David Ortiz is threatening to go play for the Yankees.

“That’s something I gotta think about. I’ve been here on the Red Sox a long time, and I’ve seen how everything goes down between these two ballclubs,” he said in an interview with ESPN’s Colleen Dominguez. “It’s great from what I hear. It’s a good situation to be involved in. Who doesn’t want to be involved in a great situation where everything goes the right way?”

Ortiz hit .309 with a .953 OPS this season. He had 29 home runs and 96 RBIs. But would the Yankees actually want him? Ortiz turns 36 next month and has played a total of 12 games in the field the last three seasons.

Jorge Posada, a pending free agent who is likely to retire, was the primary DH for the Yankees this season. But in 37-year-old Derek Jeter and 36-year-old Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees have two players who could see increasing time as the DH.

Jeter was the DH 10 times this season, the most in his career. Rodriguez also was the DH 10 times. Mark Teixeira, who will be 32 in April, was the DH nine times.

In addition, the Yankees have young slugger Jesus Montero, a defensively challenged catcher whose primary contribution could be as the DH next season.

As for the Red Sox, Ortiz said was “too much drama.”

“I have been thinking about a lot of things. I don’t know if I want to be part of this drama for next year,” he said.

Someone should tell him that the Yankees already have a #34 with a bad contract…

Some story, huh?

Maybe Francona will now do a book with Tom Verducci called The Red Sox Years?

Just don’t ask a Yankees vendor to sell it to them.

How many Red Sox pitchers can you spot in the video?

Great stuff from Red Light Schilling on the state of the Boston Red Sox, via ESPN -

ESPN Boston baseball analyst Curt Schilling was on ESPN Boston Radio with Adam Jones on Friday afternoon…

[Schilling said,] “The days of the manager running through the clubhouse and turning stuff over and fearing guys into performing is gone in baseball. It’s been gone for a long time. The smarter managers understood it before a lot of the other managers did: You need players that will police themselves and police each other. We always had that here.

“It’s very clear, when you look around this team, you’ve got some guys—the Pedroias, the Ellsburys, the Papelbons, the Variteks—they’re not guys who are going to stand up in the clubhouse. That’s not their makeup. That’s the big piece. You can’t have a guy be that because he’s your best player. You have to have a guy, multiple guys in the clubhouse who do that, regardless of what their batting average or ERA is. That’s the challenge.

“Doug Mirabelli was a tremendous clubhouse presence. He wasn’t an everyday player, but Doug Mirabelli was not afraid to talk to anyone based on their status on the team. Orlando Cabrera’s first week in this clubhouse, he marched back to Manny Ramirez’s locker and, literally, they almost got into a fight because Manny asked himself out of the lineup. Orlando said, ‘Listen, no, you’re playing.’ Mike Lowell, another one. Those guys, I don’t know that they have those guys.”

The Red Sox might as well start from scratch, says Schill, because they’re be [sic] losing the one guy with the makeup to handle that clubhouse.

“I would argue that with this… group of players in this market, that Terry Francona is one of the few guys that can manage this team,” Schilling said. “If you’re going to get rid of him I think you have to blow it all up.”

Schilling also called Adrian Gonzalez’s comments blaming injuries, schedule and “God’s plan” for the team’s collapse “embarrassing” and an example of the type of excuse-making that he doesn’t think is tolerated by Sox fans.

“God’s plan was to put a test in front of him that they did not pass, in my mind,” Schilling said. “Don’t embarrass yourself and disrespect the game, the organization and the fans by making excuses.

Have to admit, I like what Schilling is saying here. And, as much as I love and respect Sabermetrics, this is a huge part of having a winning team, in my opinion, having enough “character” guys on the roster. That was a huge part of why the Yankees did so well from 1996 to 2001. New York had such players in the clubhouse.

Here’s the story.

Good for him. No need to stick around there now, after this season. He’ll get another job in a heartbeat. There are a lot worse people managing big league teams. He can help a lot of teams.

Down to their last out. Against Papelbon.

Sweet.

I know it was against the Yankees B-team in the field and the bottom end of New York’s bullpen. But, really, coming back from 7-0 in the 8th to get within a run…and then that Johnson homer with two outs and two strikes in the ninth?

That’s just crazy…fairy tale stuff.

After that, to be candid, I was just hoping that Scott Proctor would serve up BP fastballs in the tenth inning and get the game over with…it means nothing to the Yankees…and better to get it done, shower, hit the road and get out of town…since you have to start the LDS on Friday.

Via Pete Abe -

If there’s a play-in game tomorrow, who pitches for the Red Sox?

How about Bruce Chen?

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is reporting today that the Red Sox are investigating trade possibilities at this late hour to find a pitcher for a possible Game 163.

The particulars:

• Any traded player must have cleared waivers already.
• The player would not be eligible for the postseason roster, having been obtained after Aug. 31.
• The Sox would have to find space on the 40-man roster.

Chen, 34, is a well-traveled lefty from Panama who is 12-8 with a 3.98 ERA this season. He has not faced the Rays this season but was 1-1, 0.92 in six appearances (two starts) from 2007-2010. Over 19.2 innings he allowed six runs (2 earned) on 11 hits with six walks and 17 strikeouts.

Wow. Imagine having to play a do-or-die game to make the post-season and starting a guy who you just traded for…

That’s bad.

It’s funny.

Some think that Russell Martin’s 7th inning At Bat on September 1st this year was the beginning of the end for the Red Sox this season.

And, now, Martin’s 6th inning At Bat today just might have been the spark that got the Rays into the post-season this year.

The dude is like Zelig or something.

I soooooo wanted Adam Jones  to take Pucker Face Papelboob downtown in the 9th tonight…

Bummer.

So, if the Red Sox blow it this year, does “9 & 24″ become the new “1918″ chant?

You know..a nine game lead with 24 games to play…

Like the Mets with 7 and 17 in 2007…

Great stuff on the choking Sox from Nate Silver today -

After beating the Texas Rangers on Sept. 3, the Boston Red Sox were 84-54. Although half a game behind the Yankees in the American League East, the Red Sox had a nine-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays for the wild card and roughly a 99.6 percent chance of making the playoffs.

Since then, however, the Red Sox are 5-16, and following their loss to Baltimore Monday night, their lead over the Rays has evaporated into a tie.

The season isn’t over, of course, and the Red Sox do have one big advantage: their games Tuesday night and Wednesday are against the 68-win Orioles, while the Rays are playing New York. But there is obviously the potential for a catastrophic collapse.

There are different ways to measure the magnitude of pennant race collapses. One approach, which I’ve used in the past, is to calculate a team’s playoff probability after every game of the season, and to see which team had the highest probability of making the playoffs but failed to do so.

By that standard, the Red Sox collapse — if it comes to fruition — might rank as high as the second or third worst of all time, rivaling that of the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers and the 2007 New York Mets. It wouldn’t be quite as bad, however, as that of the 1995 California Angels, who had in excess of a 99.9 percent chance of making the playoffs on Aug. 20, 1995, when they held a 9-and-a-half-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the A.L. West, and were 12 games ahead of the Yankees for the wild card, but missed the playoffs after finishing their year 12-26.

Not all these collapses were created equal, however. The 1951 Dodgers, for instance, played well enough down the stretch, going 25-24 over their final 49 ballgames, but were caught by the streaking (and possibly cheating) New York Giants, who went 39-8 over their final 47 games.

The problems facing the Red Sox, on the other hand, are mostly of their own making. Tampa Bay has not even played all that well: they are 15-10 in September, but if not for their 5-1 record against the Red Sox, they’d be a pedestrian 9-9.

I think this does get lost in this story sometimes. The Rays are not making a charge. It’s all on the Sox. They’ve really earned this one…major league choke job.

Via Jerry “I’m Not Dead!” Izenberg -

The Yankees’ current Triple-A franchise is anchored in the twin cities of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, an area in northeast Pennsylvania that has always supported baseball on some level. But the Yankees organization decided that PNC Field, the Triple-A team’s home park, is in desperate need of renovation. The job will take all of 2012.

And back in New York, management came up with a magnificent public relations idea. Newark had been the bellwether of all Yankee minor league teams dating as far back as when Jacob Ruppert was paying Babe Ruth’s salary across the river. Newark, through horrendous mismanagement, has seen its minor league team dissolve.

Newark has a ballpark. With that in mind, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman visited the city’s Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, which does need work. He met with Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo. Together, they hammered out an agreement that could be done for the least money.

To understand the mechanics of what followed, you have to understand that Major League Baseball has a 90-year-old Supreme Court ruling giving it an antitrust exemption. The Boy Scouts of America have no such exemption. The NFL, NBA and NHL have no such blanket exemption. Chains of cloistered nuns or Trappist monasteries do not have an antitrust exemption.

Under baseball’s rules, the exclusivity of the Yankees and Mets territory is shared. The Yankees called the Mets and asked permission to put their Triple-A team in Newark for only a single year.

The Mets declined.

The Yankees tried again. They pointed out that it was only for a single year.

The Mets declined again.

The Yankees tried once more. They repeated that this was just for a single year. They said that if the Mets agreed for just that one season they would offer an evergreen matching proposal. In essence, they would give the Mets the same shot if they had a team with a minor league park in jeopardy, no matter how many eons into the future.

The Mets declined, saying their organization would only do something like that with mutual and immediate reciprocity as they did when the Yanks put a minor league team in Staten Island and allowed the Mets to do the same in Brooklyn.

But those were permanent moves. This was only for a year, the Yankees argued. They also offered a permanent waiver if a similar situation ever arose for the Mets. In addition, there was Yankee money involved in this final offer.

And once again, the Mets declined.

Today, DiVincenzo thanked the Yankees for their consideration and Brian Cashman, the Yankee GM, for his “professionalism.” But he could not hide his obvious disappointment:

“Unfortunately, the Mets exercised their territorial rights to block this temporary partnership and have prevented the chance for baseball fans to come to Newark and Essex County to watch players in minor league baseball’s highest classification on their way up to the major leagues. It would have rejuvenated interest in one of the highest levels of the sport in an important urban area.”

One of the concerns that influenced the Mets was their belief that a minor league team in Newark might have weaned potential Mets fans away from the affluent New Jersey suburbs.

Man, are the Mutts looking like big league arse-holes for making this call. And, if I’m the Yankees, I file this one away – but never forget it. And, the first time that they have the chance to screw the Mets in the future, the Yankees should call upon this memory and stick it to the Mets…right between the ears.

Extra, extra, read all about it -

The Boston Red Sox are face-to-face with a destiny no one wants: the biggest September choke in baseball history.

The Sox were nine games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays at the end of play on Sept. 3, a lead that seemed insurmountable.

No team has ever blown a nine-game that late to miss the postseason. But now that lead is gone.

The Sox lost 6-3 Monday night to the Orioles at Camden Yards. That defeat, paired with the Rays’ 5-2 win over the Yankees, leaves the clubs deadlocked at 89-71 with two games left in the regular season.

Boston has lost 17 of its last 22. It has pitched horribly, played unsound defense and Monday night looked like it even had the baseball Gods lining up against it.

And, more from Gordon Edes -

The Red Sox are now looking directly into the same abyss that previously consumed the ’51 Dodgers, ‘64 Phillies, ’69 Cubs, ’78 Red Sox and ’07 Mets, teams that took the Perp Walk of Shame after epic collapses.

Silent John W. Henry, who hasn’t been heard from at all during this hellacious month, is liking soccer more each day.

So, what would be better – seeing the Red Sox blow this over the next two games, or, seeing them fight to force a tie and then see them lose a one-game playoff on Thursday?

As much as I would love to hear laments over Reid “Bleeping” Brignac from Red Sox Nation, I’m thinking I want Boston to lose their next two games and choke on it. How about you?

I was at this game tonight.  Had to leave after 9 innings – since my daughter has school tomorrow and I have a loooooong day planned at work.  We left the parking garage around 9:50 PM and got home in about 60 minutes.  That’s an all-time record.

Once home, I had some things to take care of…and it’s now 11:28 PM and they’re still playing.  Top fourteen and Scottie Proctor is in…

Doesn’t matter at this point.  Even if the Red Sox win, they had to empty their tank, and then some, to get it done.  They’ll be on fumes now.  The Yankees did their job with this series.  It’s perhaps the most proud that I’ve been of them all year.

Of course, it would be sweet if the Yankees win this one.  That would break Boston’s back, for sure.

I can give it a few more minutes.  But, 5:15 AM comes early.  So, I may have to read about this one in the morning.

As great as it is to see the Boston Red Sox tank this September, standalone on it’s own merits, I must admit that I’m also digging how much it’s bringing cause for the media to resurrect and mention what the Mets did in 2007.

Via the boys at MLB.com -

Russell Martin’s views on the American League Wild Card chase won’t win him any buddies in Boston, but his sentiments should gather plenty of support in the Bronx.

Martin said on Thursday that he’d love to see the Yankees play spoiler this weekend at Yankee Stadium and try to knock the reeling Red Sox out of the postseason completely.

“Anything to get the Red Sox out would be awesome for me,” Martin said. “They’re coming up next, so it’ll be fun.”

Asked why he felt so strongly, Martin responded, “Because I hate the Red Sox.”

A career Dodger before this season, Martin said that his first season in pinstripes formed a healthy disdain for the team’s AL East rivals.

“Of course it’s this year,” he said. “They are fun to play against just because they have a quality team and are gritty and play hard and stuff, but I’d love to see them lose. … I guess it just comes with the territory, you know? When you wear the pinstripes, you just kind of learn to be that way, I guess.”

The Red Sox were one of the teams Martin considered signing with last offseason, along with the Blue Jays. But Martin thought the Yankees were more aggressive in their pursuit, convincing him to ink a one-year, $4 million deal.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi seemed to be amused by Martin’s comments.

“I don’t ever like to fuel anything, that’s the bottom line, but boys will be boys,” Girardi said.

Of course, this will all change if the Red Sox offer Martin a $8 million contract for next season…

Heyman is right – he’s one heckuva G.M.

He doesn’t fit the profle – in terms of background – that I usually like to see from my G.M.  But, you cannot ignore what he’s done on such a slim dime.

I’d love to see him swap payrolls with Cashman and see what each of them could do in reverse environments.  Now, that would be fun…

At the close of business on August 31, 2011, the Boston Red Sox had a 1.5 game lead on the Yankees and a 9 game lead on the Tampa Bay Rays.

And, in the 20 days that followed, Boston lost 15 of 20 games. 

Yes, the Red Sox went five and fifteen.

Man, if Boston blows this thing…it’s going to be great.  This is even better than when the Red Sox folded in August of 2006.

I have tickets to one of the games at the Stadium when the Red Sox come to town.  And, boy, will it be a pleasure not to have to listen to Red Sox Nation up in the Bronx.  They should be real quiet by then…