Jerry, This Could Be the Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship
What a difference a day makes. Thursday night, the Sox were getting shut out by Roy Halladay and Friday Javy Vasquez was shutting down the Jays. The difference? Jerry Owens.
Owens had two critical hits against the Blue Jays last night and in the process, woke up the slumbering bat of number two (literally lately) Tad Iguchi. Not since a 100% healthy Scott Podsednik in 2005 had the Sox had this kind of threat at the top of the lineup. The kid can fly. Injured grinder Darrin Erstad doesn't have close to the speed Owens has. And speed was the difference in the game last night.
I hope that last night's game was a wakeup call for Sox GM Kenny Williams. The heart of his order, the big bashers went 0-15. And as much as I love Thome and Konerko, the time may be right to consider an overhaul for next year. The Sox could use a few more gap hitting, fairly fast players in place of the one dimensional and glacier slow lineup they have now. I hope that the new connection between Owens and Iguchi jump starts the boppers.
Today, it's Jose Contreras coming off a terrible outing in Minnesota.
Lightning Round
Owens had two critical hits against the Blue Jays last night and in the process, woke up the slumbering bat of number two (literally lately) Tad Iguchi. Not since a 100% healthy Scott Podsednik in 2005 had the Sox had this kind of threat at the top of the lineup. The kid can fly. Injured grinder Darrin Erstad doesn't have close to the speed Owens has. And speed was the difference in the game last night.
I hope that last night's game was a wakeup call for Sox GM Kenny Williams. The heart of his order, the big bashers went 0-15. And as much as I love Thome and Konerko, the time may be right to consider an overhaul for next year. The Sox could use a few more gap hitting, fairly fast players in place of the one dimensional and glacier slow lineup they have now. I hope that the new connection between Owens and Iguchi jump starts the boppers.
Today, it's Jose Contreras coming off a terrible outing in Minnesota.
Lightning Round
- I have MLB Extra Innings and have had to endure the Canadian version of the first two games (ay!) The lead broadcaster for the Jays, Jamie Campbell, has to have the dorkiest hair ever. And to add insult to me having to watch the Toronto broadcast, they had Dave Stieb on during an entire half inning. Stieb joins Paul Splintorff and Johan Santana in the all-time Sox tormentor hall of fame. I think lifetime he was something like 15-1 against the Sox.
- Jerry Reinsdorf does his impression of Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs in a phone conversation with Ozzie Guillen (I don't acknowledge the Jackson Browne version, sorry. Turntable hit.)
It just keeps getting worse for the Cubs. Maybe Carlos Zambrano and Michael Barrett ought to take a lesson from these two Oregon State coaches. In any case, Zambrano will have no problem with the paper work.- Kids, the Indians are for real and this is their year.
- Game three of the Stanley Cup Finals is tonight on NBC. Bet that new Entertainment chief is wringing his hands.
- Gary Sheffield says if he doesn't get his three game suspension cut down by appeal, he's going to expose a conspiracy in baseball. What, that guys who are chronic bitchers and noted ump baiters get suspended when they throw bat handles at umpires? That's not a conspiracy, Shef. That's reality.
- Dale Earnhardt Junior increases his stock by winning the pole for Sunday's race at Dover. And , look. It's Michael Waltrip!
- Larry Coker a good coach with a solid background, who is waiting for his next opportunity and can't wait to get back to work. There are all kinds of cool people here on the beach and all of us want only one thing: To leave immediately.
- Scotland Yard has ruled Pakistan Cricket Coach Bob Woolmer, whose team played far below expectations in the world tournament and the next day was found dead, died of natural causes. Lou Piniella continues to monitor the situation.
- If you are a Cub fan, you are no doubt looking for something else to occupy your mind, so here are some way too early bowl predictions. I thought Arkansas was particularly interesting, as if it comes true, Houston Nutt will be run right out of Fayetteville.
- A teacher sues students over a You Tube movie with Teddy Bears, one bearing the teacher's name. The suit claims trauma. The lawyer claims 50%.
- The state of Alabama joins other southern states and apologizes for slavery. This is so wrong. Look, I abhor slavery and I am a big proponent of civil rights, but this is a wasted PR stunt. It's like G Dub apologizing to the British for ruing their tea or decedents of the Spanish crown apologizing for the Spanish Inquisition. If you want to apologize for something, apologize to the people you set the dogs on and sprayed with the fire hoses. Some of them are actually alive to hear it.
- A Polish man awakens after a nineteen year coma to find the tanks are gone. I know this has the makings of a good punch line, but it's a true story.
- 26 wedding guests sue they were injured in a bus crash on the way to the reception. Videos prove they were all dancing and having a good time at the wedding. Oops. Hope the lawyer worked on retainer and not on contingency or he may have to cancel his order for a new Jaguar.
- I smoke you now because I can't smoke you later. The Gubernator inhales against the law.
- Here's a way to blow up the cliché meter: A commencement speech made up entirely of lines from sports movies.
- Something to exercise your brain: Star Wars Character, Ball Player or Thai food?
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