Slapped around

The Red Sox got their asses handed to them Monday night in an embarrassing 13-5 loss at the Giant Bedpan, aka Yankoff Stadium, dropping the 1st of 3 game with the now first place Bronx Bums.

Things started bleakly for the Sox (is that a word?) when in the 1st inning, while the shift was on for Jason Giambi, a wild pitch allowed Melky Cabrera to take 2nd and then 3rd, which was empty from the shift. If that wasn't enough, Sox Catcher Jason Varitek made a week attempt to cover 3rd and then lost a footrace for home as Cabrera scored the Yankoff's 1st run. If you haven't seen the play here it is: (Keep in mind the catcher running around like a headless chicken is going to start the All Star game)



From there Josh Beckett fell apart. In the 2nd Beckett allowed a string of sharp hits (almost all on fastballs) beginning with a single to Jorge Posada, then a single to Robinson Cano, then the three-run homer to Andy Phillips (Who?). Bernie Williams and Miguel Cairo then singled followed by a RBI single to right by Judas Damon, then a 3 run shot by Giambi. To top it off Beckett walked Double Play-Rod before being pulled from the 8-2 game.

The loss is even more disturbing for Beckett since he was rocked last Tuesday by the Blue Jays in Toronto, giving up 7 runs, 10 hits, and a career-high 4 home runs.

*Oh yeah, and two more things:

1. UB wonders if the Yankoff fans realize how silly it looks having their players do curtain calls after every home run. A curtain call for a player should not happen this much. It should happen after someone hits for the cycle or completes an unassisted triple play (like John Valentin). Last night Andy Phillips and Jason Giambi gave the little hat tips after 3 run homers. Phillips played 27 games the last two years, before injuries got him in the lineup this year, with a .167 batting average and one home run. After a home run he should be sitting his ass down and keeping his mouth shut. And Giambi looked like an idiot doing the curtain call after the 2nd 3 run HR of the inning. If the pitcher has given up 6 strait hits and 4 runs before you come to the plate and you put one out, it may have something to do with how crappy he is playing and less on how you are playing. Perhaps the single dumbest game by game event at Yankoff Stadium, next to those nimrods who do the cheering lineup to start the game. And it is not just a Yankoff bashing thing. At Fenway the fans who start the wave when the Sox are trailing 5-2 should be shot by the same firing squad...

2. This one is actually to all ball parks except Wrigley Field: No more throwing the ball back after a home run. You pay all this money for food and tickets etc and when you become the 1% of fans during the year to catch a home run ball you throw it back on the field like the official scorer is gonna take the runs off the board. Guess what, they aren't and you're an idiot. If you want to do it at Wrigley, fine. They started it and half those fans don't know anything about baseball anyway they just show up for the beer and day games. If you want to do something cool with the home run ball after the visitor hit a home run, then give it to a kid on your way out.