It's the Sox vs the Yanks. Get Excited Like This Guy...

Ran across this video on Barstool Sports earlier today. It's simply too good to pass up given the circumstances. The Sox need to go into the Bronx and show the Yanks they're still a factor in the AL East, and this is just the guy to get us excited.

ITM note: Is this guy a dead ringer for Dennis Eckersley or what? Long lost brother maybe? This also could be what T Murph will look like 20 years from now in the bleachers.

The Sox continue on their road of mediocrity while the Yanks have lost 5 of 8 (yet remain 5.5 games ahead of the Sox). Boston is sending Dice-K to the mound to try to set things right, while the Yanks run out their best arm in Phil Hughes....yes, Phil Hughes. Studly numbers right now.

Regardless of records, implications and general significance, it's the Sox vs the Yanks in the Bronx. Let's fight.

(yes, this is ITM being somewhat optimistic, we're going to give it a few more tries before throwing our hands up and ordering shots at the bar).

Heidi Watney: The Real Key to Success

Boston's pitching has been horrendous. The numbers put them squarely at the bottom of the AL in nearly every category.

The bats, save for a few late inning heroics, have been scary silent.

Defense? Haven't seen it.....certainly not tonight.

Long relief? No chance.

Ellsbury was just diagnosed with a hairline fracture in 4 of his ribs.

6 wins, 10 loses...really?

Things are not going well for the Sox.

But the biggest problem isn't listed above, it's Heidi. Boston's sideline superstar (and Red Sox Nation morale-booster) has been MIA of late. Today, we finally learned it was a result of a concussion. She's been told to lay low and not work for a while. Imagine the headache she must have after being concussed and watching the Sox for the past week or two?

I haven't been able to get through watching two innings without wanting to repeatedly kick large objects.

Clearly the team, and the fans miss her ummmmm, passion. She's an essential contributor to the organization, and without her, the team doesn't have the ability to compete with the league's best.....or, in tonight's case, show any element of being a quality team itself.

Feel better Heidi, the Sox need ya.

And oh, we do too.

(if you didn't notice, this was my attempt at not blogging with complete anger tonight. I needed something to somewhat divert my attention from that pathetic offensive showing)

Spring Training in Italia? Sì Per Favore

This story actually ran in the Globe yesterday, but letting it go without mention would be like being in the batter's box with a three and one count, only to watch a 87 mph meatball go right down the middle.

Now I know some people see playing spring training baseball games in Southern Italy as "unamerican" and even, "unitalian", but that's certainly not my take.

We already make a big deal about going to Ft Myers for spring training in March now, imagine going to Sicily in March, warm weather, the Italian culture, Mediterranean women, amazing food, and Red Sox baseball. "Ma, per me, come un Vicino, è una bella cosa" (but, for me, as a Vicino, it's a beautiful thing).

...Perhaps we should also consider the idea of expanding the game's appeal, yadda yadda yadda.

After reading the article I immediately called ITMgal, who informed me that if I'm taking her to Italy it's not to watch baseball. No matter, I know that other Vicino's along with T and Joe Murph (Irishness aside) will be joining should my utopia world should it occur.

Also, can you imagine Pedroia in Sicily? There would be no middle ground. He'd either get himself killed, or be an immediate icon on the island.

Who can I call to support this? Obama? Let's get this done. Maybe I'll draft up a memo of ITM's support.

What are your thoughts on this? Unamerican and taking away from the smaller southern cities in the US? Or a complete utopia?

(ITM note: keep in mind, it's not for all of spring training, just a few games...i'm not trying too hard to sway your opinion with that statement)

ITM: Going Around the Horn

Quick lunchtime post to help me get through another rain-filled Monday.

-Dice-K just wrapped up a simulated game at the minor league facility. He threw 62 pitches and struck out seven over three innings of work, allowing two hits. The media is giving him the thumbs up and waving their Japanese flags, but I'd like him to do it in a game against some major league talent....not 18 year old kids.


-I can't figure out how Josh Beckett can't be offended by the rumors that the Sox will not go past 4 years in their extension offer. When you consider the AJ Burnett deal as the benchmark, and the 5 year, 82.5 million dollar package to bring Lackey to Boston, you have to assume Beckett is drooping some mean F Bombs and breaking stuff throughout the entire state of Texas. Perhaps it's a negotiating ploy, but if they're unwilling to go the extra mile to lock up Beckett, consider him gone (and possibly to the Yanks).

Please remember:

-Beckett is two years younger than Lackey

-He's had a comparable injury history

-He has better overall numbers than both Lackey and AJ (both regular and post season)

-He's been the ace of your rotation and leads by example, taking Lester under his wing

-He put us on his back in 2007 and carried us to a world series championship



Since when have the Sox become amazingly risk averse? Maybe being burned by all the current dead money on the books has caused them to act irrationally.....but to me, this is a slap in the face to our ace.



-I've been striking out in my efforts to find a Jose Iglesias t-shirt jersey thus far, any help would be appreciated. Maybe ITM just needs to get on the ball and make our own?



-The Rangers are reportedly still interested in Mike Lowell. I had someone in my office try to convince me the Marlins or some other NL team will grab him.....Seriously? With no DH there is no chance he goes to a NL squad. Mark it zero, next frame.



-For a list of the offseason improvements made to Fenway, check out the Herald's article here. Also, read the comments to the story and you'll think that all Red Sox fans are pathetic whiners. In fact, read the comments to any Herald article and all you'll see are complainers. Annoying.



Alright, lunch is over, back to the grind.



6 days.....Go Sox.

A Love/Hate Relationship with Spring Training (and the city of Boston)

Today's monsoon got me thinking about Ft Myers. Eventually my mind wandered to last year when T Murph and I stayed at a Ft Myers pub a few rounds too long and he decided to climb on top of a huge satellite TV truck (which seemed like a great idea to both of us at the time), only to end up with some kind of questionable crap all over him (he says it was tar, I say it was guano).

Anyways, I digress. The spring is young, the Sox have yet to even annihilate BC, yet I find myself already complaining about how long Spring Training is.

I know I'll be down South in just a few weeks so I really can't complain, but we're talking about "Professional athletes" who "need" nearly two months to get ready to do their day jobs. Most players, fans, and owners agree it's far too long, so when will uncle Bud do something about it?

Maybe it's because there are suckers like us here at ITM who spend dumps of money to head down there and watch these guys take hundreds of grounds or cover first off the mound.

It's an amazingly drawn out process that involves the veterans (see JD Drew) requiring rest and watching nameless rookies or minor leaguers (see #96 in your Red Sox manual) on the diamond.

Call it current anger with Boston's current weather, call it a random soap box rant, I don't care, I just wish they'd shorten things up by two weeks and stop playing significant games in the snow of late October and early November.

They are the boys of summer after all.

ITM Note: Typed this on the bberry on the T while experiencing "switch problems"...followed two stops later by "disabled trains".... for the second day in a row. The Bostonian anger grows.

ITM Breaks Down, Punches Ticket to Ft Myers

If you've been following ITM at all over the off season you know two things.

1-We've been pretty lazy in updating the site

and

2-We swore off going to Spring Training this year. From the leftover feeling of disgust as a result of October 2009, to the general disapproval of this off season's moves, we weren't going. No way. Not this year. Not after what the Red Sox have done to us.

Well you now know this, we're complete suckers.

A week ago I got an email from Joe Murph saying "come on man, I needs this" (in regards to going to Ft Myers). We talked it over, I was an amazingly easy sell....and when Boston got another 6 inches of snow last night, we pulled the trigger and bought the tickets.

We'll be spending four days in Ft Myers in an attempt to soak up as much sun, baseball, and adult beverages as possible. I'd like to think we'll capitalize on lessons learned from last year (i.e., not getting lost in the ghetto during the middle of the night and continuing to walk around half in the bag), but let's be honest, we won't. With any luck, one of us won't get licked in the face by a drunken cougar this year.....however I offer no promises.

Honestly though, we hope to check out the minor league facility/players, travel with the team to a few road games, and ultimately take in around four spring training games.

Suckers or not...Go Sox.