Respecting the Enemy: Boston Red Sox

Too often in sport and in life we are negative. Too often we are hateful and too often we focus on bad stories. When I started this site, I wanted to point out the good guys in sport. However, I too sometimes fall into the captivity of negativity. I have posted my fair of negative stories as well. Here in America though, we are better than that. We do not need to physically fight for our team in sports. It is not necessary to hurt others to get our point across. While disagreeing with somebody, we can be civil and we can show respect. Therefore, I decided to do a little project.

This project was to point out likable things about the sports teams that I cannot stand. I decided to pick the three professional sports teams that I disliked the most and point out three brilliant people in their organization. Three people that I would love to have in my organization. Three people that I respect. I will say why I do not like that organization, but also point to brilliant people in that organization. This will be done for the Seattle Seahawks, the New York Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox.

First, we did the Seattle Seahawks. Then, we did the New York Yankees.
Today we discuss the Boston Red Sox and their bandwagon nation.

The Red Sox must have really done something to pass the Yankees on my disliked teams list. This fanbase is so incredibly annoying to me. I will admit that I actually at one time felt bad for the Red Sox and their "curse." There was a time that I thought if the Red Sox win one, maybe they will stop being such miserable sad people. Then they won....

After the win in the 2004 World Series the Red Sox Nation has been out of control. Everybody is all of a sudden a Red Sox fan. People that never knew one person on the Red Sox are all of a sudden diehard fans that were long suffering. Red Sox Nation is the biggest bandwagon of all-time it is unbearable.

Not just that, many of their fans are just rude. They try to take over stadiums and boo fans of the home team. I was at a Red Sox-Rays game in Tampa in High School and they shouted at kids and would not stop with the "Let's Go Red Sox" and said this is Red Sox Country. They call Camden Yards "Fenway South" and are just rude to fans there as well. At an Orioles-Red Sox game I was once kicked by an elderly woman for cheering on my team striking out David Ortiz in the 9th inning to win the game. Can you imagine a fan from any other fanbase in America do that? I can not.

Speaking of David Ortiz, he is the least likable athlete in sport for me. Ortiz took steroids. He was on the 2003 list, was implicated elsewhere, and was player X in the Mitchell Report. How Ortiz gets a pass absolutely blows my mind and drives me crazy. This guy is not a good example and he is the face of the Red Sox franchise. It really makes the team difficult to like for me.

However, even though I dispise the Red Sox, it is not all bad. There are a few likable people in the organization.
Here are some people I currently like for the Boston Red Sox.

Koji Uehara

The Baltimore Orioles are the team that brought Koji Uehara over to the United States. Koji was a great Oriole too and he contributed to the team. Most Orioles fans loved Koji. None of us can forget either that the Koji trade to the Texas Rangers is what brought us Chris Davis. Without Koji, we don't get Chris Davis and his 53 homer season. In addition to Chris Davis, we were able to get Tommy Hunter in that trade.

After the trade to Texas, Koji clearly wanted to be an Oriole still. He wanted to come back. This guy asked to come back when he was a free agent. The Orioles were not willing to pay what Boston was willing to pay for Koji. That cannot be held against Koji. Uehara wanted to be an Oriole, loved his time in Baltimore, and got us Chris Davis. Nothing but love from the Birdland faithful for Koji despite which team he ends up on.

Stephen Drew

There is one other automatic forgivable for being on a team I do not like. One being Koji's situation and this one being the former Nole connection. Stephen Drew is one of the best baseball players in Florida State history. The only baseball player I have seen play for FSU that was better as a Seminole than Stephen Drew was Buster Posey. Stephen Drew was absolutely incredible for the Noles and did nothing but produce. The guy was simply fantastic for Florida State.

Because of his production for Florida State and the fact that he is a Seminole, I vowed to always support Stephen Drew. Therefore, even though he is a Boston Red Sox I still love me some Stephen Drew. Not as much as when he was with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but I am still a fan of Stephen Drew.

Brock Holt

This last one is not to the same extent as the first two. However, I must admit it. I really like the way Brock Holt plays baseball. I hate that he is a Red Sox, but I like Brock Holt. The guy plays with so much energy and intensity and really brings something to the lineup. This is a guy I would like to end up in Birdland in a few years. I hope he keeps playing this way in years to come.

-Noland

Orioles Beat Down the Red Sox

The Orioles made the Red Sox look like a bunch of chumps last night. Well, the Red Sox are a bunch of chumps, so it had to happen, but it was nice to see anyways. There is no team I love to see my Orioles destroy more than the Boston Red Sox. That Red Sox nation is the most annoying nonsense in sports. Time for that to be nipped right about now. The final score was 7-1. That is a beatdown. Good pitching, good hitting, good everything.

The offensive charge was led by.....Mark Reynolds. Wait, is that right? I am still in disbelief. Reynolds seemed to have found his power stroke last night. If he can start doing this kind of thing about once a week, we are going to be tough to beat. I really hope he found his stroke. Reynolds hit 2 home runs last night. The two bombs brought Reynolds total up to 11 for the season. He is over 30 most seasons, so to get to that number he has to get incredibly hot. This certainly is a good start with two homers in one night though. The Orioles needed those homers as they helped the O's stay atop the wild card standings. In fact, Baltimore is tied with Tampa Bay atop the wild card standings now. No more being the second wild card. They are 6 games behind the Yankees, who they hope to catch by the end of the season.

Another big bat came from the unexpected source a couple weeks ago, but expected now. That's right, Omar Quintanilla hit another massive homer onto Eutaw Street. On the bounce, it actually hit the warehouse. This guy is a playmaker! It was Quintanilla's 3rd Oriole home run already. This guy is a keeper. DD picked him up for scraps. Great pickup DD!

Chris Davis was also 2-3 with an RBI and Matt Wieters had an RBI. These guys provided the rest of the offense, past Reynolds and Quintanilla.

The pitching staff was again terriffic. Last night's starter was the great Wei Yin Chen. Chen made a quality start and looked impressive in the process. 6 innings with only one run given up. Very impressive from Chen. This guy certainly looks to be our #1 starter in the postseason if we finish this thing and make it.

Darren O'Day was especially impressive today and continues to show how valuable he is. Not only did he extend his scoreless innings streak and look impressive, but he was absolutely dominant. O'Day struck out 3 in his innings. 3 outs all strikeouts. That is quite impressive out of the pen. O'Day now has an ERA of 2.45. This guy may be the most underrated player on the team. He has just been lights out lately. As a fan personally, I love the sidearm action. Chad Bradford was my favorite bullpen arm when he is here and O'Day is my favorite outside the big 2.

The big 2 didn't pitch yesterday, but another Duquette acquistion did. Matt Lindstrom pitched a scoreless 9th and lowered his ERA to 2.43. That Guthrie trade is looking better everyday.

JC Romero made his Oriole debut last night as well. He gave up one hit and no runs in 1 innings to finish with an ERA of 0.00. I wonder how long it will stay there. Very solid debut for Romero. Romero was brought in because Troy Patton had to go to the DL. Steve Johnson was also recalled in place of Miguel Socolovich. No word yet on when Johnson's next start will be.

-Noland

Why Does Ortiz Get A Pass?

Yesterday, David Ortiz hit his 400th career home run. The majority of those home runs are extremely tainted. His whole career is tainted in my opinion, but from most people he gets a pass. This is evidenced by his inclusion in the all-star game. My question is why is everyones career tainted who used steroids except for David Ortiz.

David Ortiz was a decent player in Minnesota. He had 10 total home runs his first 3 seasons in the majors. After that, Ortiz had 10 homers in 2000. Following that season he had 18 homers, and then finally 20 homers in 2002. Then he signed with Boston....

Once Ortiz signed with Boston, he hit 31 home runs in his 1st year and became Big Papi. Then he hit 41, 47, and 54 in the next three years. There was no precedent for that. Additionally, Papi added a ton of muscle mass. Sure he got fatter too, but look at the size of his arms after those 1st three seasons compared to the start of his career. Then look at how much bigger the arms got once he went to Boston.

But because he said vitamins caused a positive test in 2003, we are supposed to believe him. WHAT?????

He actually tested positive, Bonds didn't. Yet Bonds is vilified and Ortiz isn't. Any person with common sense can see that they both took. Fact is, Barry Bonds was just a better baseball player. Not convinced yet...read on.

The New York Times reported Ortiz was on the 2003 list. He was named. Former teammates have said he took. Ortiz wanted to apologize for the distraction though when he found out. He didn't want to apologize for the roids, just the distraction. This is insane!!!

Then comes the bogus Mitchell Report. This report was a waste of time and money. It was conducted by an admitted Red Sox fan and only listed Yankees and Orioles other than previously known users. Yes it named Petite and Clemens who weren't known before as users, but Mitchell also found two Red Sox that used. Did he name them??? NO! We now know it was Ortiz and Manny, but why do we continue to hide Ortiz's use. It does not make sense.

Ortiz was released by the Twins before he signed with Red Sox. He wasn't that good, and then all of a sudden he is one of the top 5 hitters in baseball and nobody suspects anything. REALLY?

Why does this guy continue to get a pass? Is it because he is a member of the Sox? Are we trying not to upset the bandwagon Red Sox Nation fanbase? This whole thing makes no sense to me and I think Ortiz should not be included in this all-star game because of his use. David Ortiz is the player I dislike most in MLB and it is 100% because of this issue.

-Noland

Who Has The Best Record in Baseball?

It would be the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles are 19-9 behind the best bullpen in baseball. A bullpen that got a boost yesterday from their DH. Say What? Yes, designated hitter Chris Davis came in from his DH spot to pitch the 16th and 17th innings yesterday. Oh, and he pitched those innings without giving up a run. What an unexpected pleasant surprise. The bullpen did terrific again yesterday, but they are battered from their sweep of the Red Sox. This sweep included multiple extra inning games. Everyone in the bullpen is taxed so a move had to be made.

P Stu Pomeranz is headed to Baltimore from Norfolk. Pomeranz has given up two runs this season, but more importantly for the O's he hasn't pitched since Friday. They need a fresh arm down there. Pomeranz is not on the 40 man roster though so a corresponding roster move must be made. The expectation is that Wada will be transferred to the 60 day DL clearing a spot for Pomeranz. Luis Exposito is expected to be sent down to Norfolk to clear a spot on the big league club. Stu, this bullpen needs innings and is pitching pretty amazing. Let's keep this going. For those wondering, Stu Pomeranz was signed to a minor league contract in spring training. These depth moves pay off.

-Noland

Orioles Win 17 Inning Thriller

Chris Davis picked up the most bizarre stat line ever in the Orioles win. Davis went 0-8 in this game, but he managed to be the hero. How is that? Davis picked up the win throwing two scoreless innings for the Orioles. Yes, Chris Davis pitched in this game and threw two scoreless innings. He has not pitched since High School, but managed to come through in the clutch. You got to give it up to Chris for coming through in a tough spot. The guy was a stud out there on the mound. Where did this come from?

Baltimore ran out of pitchers because Tommy Hunter had a horrible outing and couldn't get through the 5th. It did not help that the game went 17, but it all worked out in the end. I'd be ok with Hunter going down for a reliever for a few days. If someone in AAA took his turn in the Baltimore rotation, that would be ok. For now the bullpen needs an arm. We should be able to expect some sort of roster move in the next 24 hours.

The bullpen did a terrific job tonight. Even Kevin Gregg threw two scoreless innings. That was absolutely huge. Jim Johnson, Pedro Strop, and Matt Lindstrom also pitched two scoreless. Lindstrom and Johnson still are perfect on the year. These guys have been lights out, and Orioles fans hope it continues. Jim Johnson should be in line for an all-star appearance if he keeps this up.

This game was not only won by pitching. JJ Hardy had an absolutely huge game. Hardy was 5 for 8 with two home runs. He had 12 total bases in this game! Yes, 12! Hopefully, this is the beginning of a hot streak from Hardy.

Adam Jones also had an amazing game. Jones was 3 for 8 including his 8th home run on the season. That home run put the Orioles up for good in the 17th. Can't get much more clutch than a 3 run homer in the 17th. Once again, Jones is having a monster season for the Orioles. Robert Andino also homered for the Orioles. Andino continues to impress me with his effort and attitude.

What a game! Go O's!

-Noland

Orioles Sign Tejada (Again) and Today's Lineup

If Miguel Tejada passes his physical on Monday he will head to extended spring training in Sarasota, FL. This will be the third time that Tejada will sign with the organization. His most notable stint started in 2003 and ended with him being traded for Matt Albers, Troy Patton, Luke Scott and more. Tejada's last stint ended in him being traded for Wynn Pelzer who was recently released. In 2004 Tejada hit .311 with 34 homers and 150 RBIs. That season was Tejada's best in Baltimore and perhaps his best as a pro. This move is just a depth move for the Orioles, but they are not satisfied with their infield defense. That defense has been worst at 3rd base where Mark Reynolds has been awful. I doubt he starts in Baltimore, but you never know, the Orioles sure do like the guy. I personally am not a fan of Tejada and his steroid usage, but whatever.

The Orioles lineup is pictured here. Flaherty leading off and playing in left is certainly the biggest change from the norm. Mark Reynolds is once again in at third base. Let's hope that he doesn't get hit too many balls and continues his recent hot streak with the bat. Let's also hope Johnson is getting hits because he may be the reason Tejada is rejoining the organization.

-Noland

Orioles Beat Red Sox in 13

Last night, the Orioles played the Red Sox in a wild 13 inning game. However, the Orioles did score 2 in the 13th to win 6-4. The Orioles had a big lineup shuffle last night to accompany the victory. Robert Andino led off the game and went 1 for 4. Andino's average now sits at .337 which is best on the team. Wieters went 2 for 4 as the DH and managed to hit a triple. The ball must have been hit really hard for Wieters to leg out a triple. The normal Orioles catcher also scored 2 runs. Wilson Betemit was in left last night and hit 6th. He got a hit, drove in one, scored once, and walked 3 times. Chris Davis hit in his normal spot and went 2 for 6.

None of those stories are the biggest at the plate though. Mark Reynolds had by far his best game hitting. Reynolds finally hit his first home run. Reynolds also went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs. Unfortunately, for the Orioles he also had a costly error that helped put them in extras. I say once again, hitting only for Reynolds.

Wei Yin Chen did not have his best pitching performance, but the bullpen was spectacular. Lindstrom, Strop, Ayala, Patton, and Johnson each pitched at least a perfect inning. Strop, Ayala, and Patton each went two innings perfect. Patton ended up getting the win and Jim Johnson picked up his 8th save on the season. What a tremendous job the bullpen has done thus far. An amazing change of pace from the O's.

Additional notes: Nolan Reimold was officially placed on the DL which is why Andino led off the game and why Betemit was in left. The Orioles decided to bring up catcher Luis Exposito who played a bit last night. Brian Roberts also appears to be coming along nicely. I recommend you check out the School of Roch for more information on him.

-Noland