4/21/07 vs. NY
Apr 21st, 2007 by Curt Schilling
As bad as not throwing well can feel in a game like tonight’s, the win negates pretty much any negatives you might otherwise take away. What a job by an entire cast of guys. Kyle ending the 8th by keeping the bases loaded and not letting the game get out of hand was the first big moment.
The rally to win it was fun to watch as well. How a left handed hitter can pull his hands in to hit Mariano’s cutter is way beyond me, but ‘Tek’s single was exactly that. Coco comes up huge by hitting the first pitch down the line, which surprised me that the Yankees we’re not playing no doubles right there. I am guessing that has more to do with how Mo pitches than the situation. For the second night in a row Alex gets a huge hit in a huge spot. That hit was a carbon copy of Gonzo’s floater in the 9th inning of game 7 of the 2001 World Series.
It always seems like you have to get that first come back win early to be able to get your fair share of them during the season. Coming back in Toronto the way we did was a huge lift (especially on travel day, the worst day of the season to lose) and then to come back of Mariano (who hadn’t pitched in 4-5 days I think) was a fantastic way to start off this series.
I was pretty fired up for this one. Even though you’ll find media on both sides of the aisle as to whether this ‘rivalry’ is big or not the fans pretty much guarantee that there is going to be electricity in either ball park. It’s certainly not the rivalry of the 70’s and 80’s because there aren’t many players that hate each other as there were back then. In fact there are very few I would guess. They have to write their stories, and there are about 500 of them in town every time we play each other so you’re going to read the gamut of stuff. It is a different series, even in April, when the game starts. I don’t think either team plays games before this looking at this series like people think we might, but we know it’s there because it is different once we start playing each other.
Comeback wins count as one, in any month they happen, so there’s no bigger lift now then there would be in June in my opinion, but winning like that, given the guys that made it happen, is a great one regardless of when it happens.
Warm ups went fine, nothing really good or bad. You could hear and sense the fans getting worked up which is always a good thing.
Game started with JD leading off and taking a FB in for strike one. Spotting the ball in to lefties early in a game is not something I’ve done well in the past but it’s starting to happen with more frequency now. The AB ended on a FB in that jammed him a bit for a grounder to 2nd. Jeter popped up a first pitch FB in and up for out #2 and Bobby finished the inning by hitting a ball hard to deep center for the last out. Command wise I felt very good, even with the few pitches I did throw.
Andy doesn’t look like he’s missed a beat. He is throwing a few more slow curves than I remember but he looks great and his cutter is still messing up right handed hitters. He made the 1st and 2nd quick innings by throwing DP balls both times which is huge early in a game.
Like everyone else, I knew Alex was on fire, well more than on fire but I am not sure what you’d call it. He’s hotter than hot. Watching his last few games has been pretty impressive. He is just not missing ANY mistakes and in addition he’s crushing some good pitches as well. I think there’s a major difference between a hot hitter, and a hall of fame hot hitter. Hot hitters still have holes, the latter don’t. I throw him three curve balls and get him to two strikes. I know he’s not looking for that many but the pitch feels good at the time and we get to two strikes on a call and a chase, The AB ends on a deep FB to right center but at that moment he shows me how locked in he is. I threw him a pretty well located fastball down and away, and with his butt out he still centered it and drove it to deep RCF. Jason flew out to left and Jorge to center in two pretty quick AB’s to end the 2nd.
The third started with Cano hitting a split off the end of the bat that got down just before Manny could catch it. I fell behind Cabrera and he lined a ball to center to put runners at first and second. I knew Doug would be bunting and was hoping to get on it fast enough to get the lead runner. With JD on deck that last thing you want to do is have a runner at third with less than two outs and a guy at the plate that does not strike out. Doug lays down a great bunt anyway. I need a strike out or a pop up, but either way JD needs to make an out or this becomes an inning that could get away in a hurry. I jam him but he hits it harder than I thought he could and the ball hits off the mound and scoots to Julio who has no chance to get the runner. I end up walking Jeter. Randy Marsh is a tough cookie. The hard part is he’s probably the nicest human being on the planet, but his strike zone tends to be very ‘hitterish’. He doesn’t ring up a lot of third strikes and his corners can be smallish. I thought a couple balls to Derek were strikes, but to no avail. The one thing Randy is, is consistent. You know going in that the plate isn’t going to be normal so you deal with it. The other guy has to make pitches too. I end up getting Bobby to check on a good split down and away to end the inning.
The fourth starts with a fastball in to Alex. The next pitch is where things come unhinged. I won’t go into detail about the pitch intention or the call but needless to say it was NOT supposed to be a fastball, knee high, down the middle. He crushes it. No need to even look, the sound is easily recognizable from guys that swing like that. Now I’m down 2-0 and just got beat by the guy I knew I had a plan I could execute and get out.
Jason chases a good split for the first out. Jorge hits a ball he’s hit 15 times, at least, off me. An end of the bat tailing fly ball to left that falls in for a double. Cano grounds out to first and Melky flies out to center to keep the game 2-0. Frustrating to say the least but I don’t allow that third run and feel good about ending the inning.
Two out walks, 0-2 hits, 4 pitch walks, the list goes on forever. Cardinal sins for pitchers lose games. Giving up runs with two outs and nobody on is probably one of the more dire sins you can commit as a pitcher. The fifth starts with Doug flying out to center field. Fenway was playing very big in center today, the combination of the park and the weather make it spacious on days like today. I freeze JD on a slider in for out number two and then the wheels fall off. I get Derek to two strikes and hang a split on the inner half, down, that he rifles to left. Bobby gets to 2-0 and hits a FB that catches way more of the plate than it was supposed to, to put runners on first and second. I start Alex off with a fastball strike, then split ball, then run a fastball up and in for strike two. Jason and I confer, with two choices on our minds I pick the wrong one. Looking back at the pitch it was not in that bad of a spot, to most guys, but as hot as he is, and as good as he feels, and as good as he is, he hammers it. The ball was about knee high and on the corner away and he hits it into our bullpen. Coco almost made the catch of the century and luckily didn’t break anything in the process. No real way to describe the emotional swing that happens at this point, needless to say it’s ugly.
Jason singles on a poorly located slider and Nieves ends the inning by grounding out.
We’d tied it at 2 on ‘Teks first homer (hammered into our bullpen as well) and I go out and give back 3, with two outs and no one on. Definitely a low point in the evening. I don’t want out of this game, still feeling like we are going to make something happen. However when you give up 5 runs on 8 hits in 5 innings you are pretty much ammo less in any argument you might want to put up to stay in. Thankfully Tito doesn’t visit me on the bench.
The sixth and seventh are quick innings. I feel like I had great command and locate just about everything as we work through all six hitters. I know I am done at the end of seven and John confirms it when I come in.
So basically I give this game away in a three hitter stretch in the fifth. Inexcusable mistakes and horrible execution put us behind a pretty big eight ball as they have Mariano on 4 days rest and Andy is still very sharp.
Obviously the good guys pull it out. Just a fantastic performance from Hideki in the 9th. I think he’s flown under just about everyone’s radar but I think that might stop happening at this point.
This is a game that 5-6 years ago I’d have been incredibly upset about. Now, not so much. I’m incredibly disappointed in how I performed, but the end result was a huge win. The bottom line is I started the game, and we won. Regardless of the fact that I had little to nothing to do with it, we won.
Say what you want about games and importance for April, or September, but the fact is they all count for one win, or one loss. Some wins are bigger than others, some losses as well. Beating the Yankees when trailing by 4 runs, hell beating ANY team when trailing by four runs in the 8th is a big win. Beating the best closer in the games history is a huge lift as well.
Common theory amongst many baseball people is that you win 50, you lose 50 and what you do in those other 62 is what determines the season. The last two nights we won games that should have been in the ‘lose 50’ column. That’s big no matter what day on the calendar it is, or who they happen against.
We won that is all that matters. You didn’t pitch that badly. No you weren’t great or even good but a win is a win.
I agree Kyle Snyder deserves huge props for tonights game (and I have been giving him credit everywhere) but I am most happy for Coco to do this on a night with traitor Damon in the park. The expression on his face got me teary eyed. Lets hope he can build on this.
Who do you think is a better closer at this point, Papelbon or Rivera?
What do you think is different about Alex this year? Is it because he’s thinner, doesn’t care since this is his walk year, has learned from his first 2 years NY? Did you handle Alex differently tonight knowing on the tear he has been on then in season’s pass?
What happened on that JD Drew steal? He was out by a mile.
Curt-
Not to get all “fanboy” but I really look forward to watching you pitch , and then getting your insight about what you did, and tried to do with each hitter. Good stuff.
What a great win tonight, looking forward to Beckett and Dice-K in the next 2 days..
Hey Curt, you look great in green, but tough one tonight…. A-Rod is on fire! So psyched you guys were able to come back and win. It was a consummate team effort that was definitely fueled by you coming out strong and shutting them down in the two innings following A-Rod’s 3-run bomb. And Kudos to Coco for literally going “over the top.” The VT emblems were extremely touching, too. A really, really exciting game to be at. I noticed that everytime you walk to and from the mound, you deliberately do not step on the first base line….why is that? A superstitious thing, an OCD thing?? Just curious…..
Cheri
Curt,
You pitched well, and made a few mistakes to a great hitter that is “in the zone”. He’ll cool off and the NY press will eat him up.
I was wondering what your opinion of the job Hideki Okajima did. Did he pitch his butt off or what? I mean, he had to face Jeter, Abreu, and A-Rod (and Thompson as well) and only gave up the walk. I mean, talk about a gutsy move by Tito that people will not give props for (and the press will malign). And Snyder was fantastic as well, not letting anyone score, but the first real pressure situation for Okajima, at Fenway, against the Yankees no less. Your thoughts are appreciated.
Vinnie in Okinawa, Japan
Curt, I was especially impressed at how well you battled today. It didn’t look like the split was working so well, so you made adjustments and ended up doing a great job. Rodriguez is just on fire, not too much to be done there. But in the end it didn’t matter, because you guys (can I say “we”? I live and die with the Red Sox) came back and took it to them.
Great Job everyone! Theres very little chance that I get much sleep tonight. What an awesome win!
I just wanted to thank you and the rest of the Red Sox organization for showing support for Virginia Tech by wearing our logo on the uniforms. I am a Boston native who recently graduated from Virginia Tech and was down on Yawkee Way watching the game tonight wearing my VT shirt. I was very excited and happy when I saw the logo on the uniform and basically proceeded to point it out to my friends every time it was shown. This was one of the few times that I have smiled and been happy over the past week and I was able to almost forgot about this tragedy. The comeback victory over the Yankee’s made it all the better. thank you!
I gotta say that the rally was hands down the highpoint of the night.
My neighbor actually thought there was something wrong with me when coco hit that triple and I started yelling and cheering.
do you think Mo has maybe hit some sort of wall, mental or physical. the man has been hands down the most dominant closer of our generation(I’m 28). and has done so for 10+ years…he has to eventually fade away. wich, as jack black once said, begs the question…is it better to burn out, or just fade away?
It was great to see Tek and Coco come through tonight. I’m sure it’s been frustrating for them to find a way out of their struggles. It definitely wasn’t your best night, but take away those two A-Rod HRs and you only gave up 1 run on 6 hits. Not too bad for a night where you didn’t have your best stuff.
It sure was nice to get a win like this though, where it seemed like everybody contributed.
Hi Mr. Schilling,
I have to thank you so much. I just finished watching the game tonight and it was an incredible game to watch. It was especially incredible for me because I haven’t watched a Sox-Yankee game outside a bar in almost 2 seasons, but thanks to you giving away MLB packages I got to watch this one and am almost more ecstatic tonight after the win than when I first found out that I won a package.
The cotest is so great and shows how much your fans mean to you that you wanted just a couple more to be able to see you pitch this season and it is greatly appreciated. Your charitable nature shined through again in how you treat your fans and I am a greatful one.
I also want to thank Mary Kirchoff who set everything up so quickly and was so helpful, even setting everything up on a Saturday morning for me.
Keep doing what your doing and pitching like your pitching because you put a lot of smile on peoples faces.
Thanks again,
Joe Deering
I’m just gonna say, 7 IP with 5 ER against the best offense in MLB… could be worse. It’s not exactly ’striking distance’, even for a lineup as heavy as the Red Sox is, but it’s not a blowout yet, either. Anybody would want better, but everybody fears worse. And, as it turns out, it was good enough to make the difference.
4: Theory on SoSH was that Lowell missed a sign for a hit’n'run, since, as you say, Drew didn’t get a stealing jump.
Curt,
Quick question. I know it was brought up on SoSH a lot, but A-Rod currently looks like he’s so comfortable in the batter’s box that he may as well bring a laz-y-boy chair and a pitcher of margaritas. Is there any reason why not to try and brush him back once or twice and make him think a little more?
Keep up the blog, it’s great to hear such informative answers to baseball questions.
The difference with Alex this year is, according to various scouts is that his mechanics were off last year. Maybe it was due to extra weight he put on last year, who knows. I think it was Kenny Singleton that pointed out that scouts said that Arod swung last year like his whole upper body was tied up.
Im a yankee fan, but not a homer. I do think Curt got squeezed on some calls. It was a tough loss for the yankees, the second one in a week. Hopefully we can bounce back, id be happy with winning one game in boston. We get Wang, karstans and Matsui this week, hopefully that can get us to rattle off some wins, instead of floating around the .500 mark.
Hey Curt,
It was one of those games, wasn’t it, where you didn’t pitch up to your capabilities but the team still pulled one out. A W is a W, as they say.
By the way, I am just curious about your after-inning routine of hopping over the foul line on your way back to the dugout. How long have you been doing that?
I guess the obvious reason for doing so would be to avoid bad luck huh? But what made you start doing it in the first place? Do you have other pre-game or in-game routines and habits that you follow?
Hey Curt,
A few things I noticed: THE only way to get Arod out is to jam him inside . I know I am not telling you anything you dont know, but guys like him, and Jeter is a perfect example, love to go to the opposite field. Both guys seem to feast on pitchers thrown to the outside half of the plate. I thought you did a fantastic job when he flew out to center in the first with the array of breaking stuff. One other thing about Arod is the next time you do face him, mix in more of the breaking stuff. Some hitters, like David, have an approach where, the harder you throw it the farther they hit it. AROD CANT HIT INSIDE CURVES! or changeups….
Anyways, the thing that I love about watching you pitch is that even on nights where you dont have your best stuff and your more or less just throwing, you still keep the team in the game. Most younger guys get shaken up and they lose it bad once they lose it. Im sure you went through a stage in your career early on where this was the case.
Keep up the great work Curt, I have a special feeling about this year. Tell Daisuke DONT THROW STRIKES TO #13!
So Curt…
Maybe I’m simplifying things too much, but with two exceptions, every homer A-ROD has hit this year have been fastballs away. AROD’s second at bat you are killing him with the inside pitch. The first on purpose, the second looked a little off target. Why would you then go back on the outside part of the plate with a straight fastball??? You haven’t moved him back. He’s still basically standing on the black, why through the ball anywhere other than inside??? Especially after the two brush back pitches Andy threw (the first hitting Youk, the second barely missing Lugo (maybe I can’t remember???). Isn’t that the time you need to go in tight and may AROD back away from the plate a bit?
While you did give up a couple huge dingers, great game tonight. The fact that you were able to eat up a couple more innings after the 3 run shot was as big of a factor in the game as anything else, as that game could have very easily become unmanageable.
Hey Curt,
Even though tonight wasn’t one of your better outings, you have no idea how much respect I have for you to be able to stay in there and battle the way you did and always seem to do. Most pitchers don’t go 7 strong if they’re having some of the trouble you were having tonight. If you ever have time, I’d really appreciate it if you could check out my blog @ http://www.mosox.wordpress.com. Again, congrats on being tough as nails as usual, and GO SOX!
-Rob Moriarty
Cape Elizabeth ME.
And, to healthbetold (comment #4), it looked like a missed hit and run sign by someone. I think maybe Drew, because that was a strange situation to hit and run in (down by 2, a dead pull righty batter).
That was an amazing game today. Good Job Curt, and keep up the great work.
I’m a Yankee fan. Needless to say I’m no fan of yours. And I’m not in a very good mood after that game. But I decided to see what you wrote on your blog, and I’m really impressed. Do you remember everything when you write about it, or have you watched the video? Your analysis of yourself, your team, and the Yankees is dead on.
I didn’t think you pitched poorly at all. The second home run was off a pitch that will hardly ever be hit out, but he’s driving those outside fastballs insanely well.
I don’t think the home plate umpire was particularly consistent for either side. It looked like he was squeezing the right side of the plate and expanding the left a bit, but it’s hard to tell from the “centerfield” camera. Umpiring has appeared to be pretty iffy so far this season, even in spring training. Do you think any umps read your blog to see what you say about them? Do you think it would influence how they call the games? I’d love to read an umpire’s blog. Would he admit the bad calls he made after each game?
Anyway, it really is impressive that you would take time to write all this and to be so honest with fans. I imagine it’s also a good way to let out some of your frustration after a bad game. I hope it catches on. Get other players to do it.
Curt, I mean this in the most respectful way, and apologize in advance if it doesn’t come across that way:
I was expecting to see ARod, while perhaps not buzzed at chin level, at least sort of…how to put this…made to feel less comfortable than he’s looked as of late. It seemed like it’s about time the guy gets put on his butt, or at least backed off somewhat. To me it didn’t look like that was even close to part of the plan tonight. (I suspect that has a lot to do with how dangerous it is to throw inside to a hitter of his prodigious gifts, not to mention his otherworldly hot streak).
But still, I think a lot of Sox fans were hoping to see you pull a bit of a Pedro and let ARod know that what may or may not be his “free ride” as of late has come to a screeching halt - you know, with “a little chin music, maestro, please,” if you know what I mean. Can you speak to the decision not to pursue that course and would you please have Beckett drill him for us (and by “us” I mean Sox Nation, Youks and Lugo) on Saturday? Look forward to your response.
Thanks!
I have to say I love this blog. I really appreciate that you take the time after a game like tonight’s to write about it for us. I feel priveledged to be a Red Sox fan (something I couldn’t always say). It seems like we never used to win games like this. It’s such a relief going into the late innings against the Yankees to know that we at least have a chance.
And how great does it feel to have a closer who has actually saved a game? I had barely finished celebrating Rivera’s meltdown in Oakland, and now this? I mean we have always had his number, but he doesn’t seem to have it this year. Do you think his cutter isn’t biting enough? Whatever it is, I’ll take it. Especially going into the weekend with Papelbon rested and Rivera suffering from confidence issues. So long as we can keep A-rod out of the record books I think we have a shot at a sweep.
So thanks again for keeping up with this blog, and I love your overhand curveball this year. You throw that pitch well and you really freeze guys, since I bet it looks like 95 mph heat coming at their head.
Great team win and that includes your pitching performance which included 6 straight outs and zero’s in the 6th and 7th and setting up the table for RS BP in the 8th and 9th. Which btw Andy was not able to do in the 7th and allowing RS to get in the NYY’s weak BP early.
After RS wins the Series again come to Hawaii and I’ll be your tour guide for you and the family. Hopefully I can encourage you to resign for a couple more years with the Sox for more good memories.
Hey Curt….awesome game. I feel lucky to be born and bred in Massachusetts and have a lifetime of Sox v Yanks games to watch. It’s always special. I agree with you about Hideki. Every time I watch this guy, he’s lights out. I think the ‘pen is going to be as big a lift to this team as anything this season. Save for two big flies to A-rod (the second of which was WELL on the outside corner and probably wouldn’t have been hit by anyone else BUT A-rod as hot as he’s swinging the bat) , you pitched a great game. Keep on keepin’ on. We’re gonna need you like a fat kid needs cake.
i doubt a pitcher like rivera has confidence issues, more like getting enough work issues
Well, all’s well that ends well, as the Bard wrote.
Oddly enough, I was enjoying the game but had an appointment. I left when A [CENSORED--Ed.] hit his second home run. I then drove into traffic angry enough to start a incident that would appear on the “11 o’clock news.” This was not helped by the fact that local radio in this backwater of the country did not carry the game or even updates. After an hour, I gave up, canceled, and drove home just in time to make the 9th inning and miss the all the excitement. Be that as it may, I am happy with the results.
So should you, and it seems you are. As much as nameless fans can give out cyber-comfort, here is some: you looked good for most of it.
I did at least see a Yankees fan walking on the street later. . . .
So, a cyber-”shout out” to [b]cq24[/b] for being a stand-up fan on an “Enemy Blog.”
What a game last night! Both my other half and me woke at 3.30 this morning (we are in the UK) to see the amazing comeback in the bottom of the 8th.
Excellent!
You’ll get em next time you pitch Curt, dont worry too much about last nights game.
This team is really coming together.-Role players like Gonzo and Kyle can make all the difference.-Too bad you didn’t have one of your better outings Curt but that Yankee line-up doesn’t allow for any mistakes.-I’m not worried about your performance-get em next time.
Lucky Lucky Lucky. At least you didn’t get the spot light, or should I say RED LIGHT!!! CHOW
“Today was a day Coco Crisp became a Red Sox?”
I so wish his caught the 2nd homer he almost broke his neck trying to catch. Lucky skinny guys like that are flexible. Sorry Curt, greens not your color.
Good luck today.
Hey Curt,
Not the best of outings last night, but it was still great to watch you work your butt off even without your best stuff. Seriously, I think there are few pitchers in the game who can do that. But still, there’s little anyone can do against the Yanks’ lineup other than try to contain the damage, let alone without their best stuff.
A-Rod’s hotter than chili, and we can only begin to imagine what Fenway would have become had Coco grabbed that bomb.
Coco was huge. If he and Tek continue their resurgence at the plate, we’ve got ourselves a very nice lineup. Drew is incredible - he’s the only guy who’s been hitting consistently all the time, against any pitcher. And Manny will go back to being Manny sooner or later…
Loved to see Okajima get the standing ovation. I wonder what it’s like for someone like him to be tossed in the middle of Dante’s Inferno just like that. He was amazing. He’s done so much, and flown under the radar most of the time. It’s great to know we have a reliable backup for Paps…I was getting kinda worried about his pitch counts in the last couple outings.
As always, your analysis is dead on. We should have lost the last couple games. Now we’ve gotta win the next couple.
Curt,
You guys are starting to look like 2004! I was thinking the whole game through that if you guys could come back in Toronto, you could do it at Fenway.
I thought that Coco’s supreme effort at that second homer was going to be a spark. I just loved the look on his face when he got that triple!!! Hang in there, Mr. Crisp. There are a lot of Red Sox fans who are pulling for you.
1 down and 2 more to go! This is what we live for!
Mike C.
Hey Curt, nice team win tonight. My question/comment is about Okajima. What exactly is he looking at when he releases the ball? His head is pointed directly down at the mound when the ball is still in his hand. Last night I kept replaying his delivery, and watched it in slow motion. Is this just because the force he puts in his delivery? Or are my eyes deceiving me?
Wow. What a GREAT game! I LOVE this rivalry-both teams are so talented, it brings the game to a much higher level. The emotional rollercoaster is a blast from the first pitch to the last…. for this fan, anyway.
That was a TEAM win. People stepping up. Keeping the drama on the field. EVERYONE contributing. I’m so happy for you guys- the clubhouse must have been a happy place to be for the last two nights. Good for all of you.
Quiet bats awakening, error-less defense, riviting pitching battles, a come from behind victory. TOO MUCH FUN!!!
I look forward to your follow-up blogging, Curt. A cup of steaming hot coffee and your game breakdown is a great way to start the day. Thank you. (My softball playing daughter is catching a double-header today, senior year in college makes it bittersweet- so I need to get a move on.)
You guys are excellent “memory-makers”. Congratulations to all.
Onward!
(PS-Glad to see there was no retribution nonsense after Youk was hit. Yay.)
Before Sox fans get hyped that Rivera is washed up, we should remember that he always is rusty in the beginning of the season and gets hot as the season progresses. I would love to see the trend continue though!
Good luck Curt!
“I freeze JD on a slider in for out number two and then the wheels fall off.”
Interesting. Remy’d called it a splitter in the booth, and I was sure it was a changeup. I guess that shows you what armchair quarterbacks are worth =)
Whatever it was, it was a pretty pitch. Striking Damon out is no mean feat.
re: A-Rod, yeah, hot doesn’t quite do him justice. I’d go with “nuclear”. However, even as a rabid Boston fan, even given his inexcusable antics in the 2004 ALCS, a successful, smiling A-Rod is good for baseball, and fun to watch. I think most of us should be rooting for the guy to hit 74 this season, if you get my drift.
I have to say, Crisp’s arse-over-teakettle tumble into the ‘pen was heartening to see. He hasn’t given us alot to cheer about, as fans, but that play was evidence that his whole heart’s still in playing the game the right way. I respect that. Here’s hoping he gets his groove back with the bat.
Good team win tonight, especially coming against a team as hot as the Yankees have been. Looking forward to seeing Josh up there, staring dudes down. And let’s hear it for the return of warm weather to the northeast! It’s about damned time.
It sure is a fantastic insight to be able to watch a game and get a voice from the field afterwards. It allows us, as fans, to see the game from a different perspective and start to look for things that we normally wouldn’t pay attention to (such as locations, missed locations, etc.) because before there wasn’t any way to know if what we thought/noticed was true.
You deserve a great deal of thanks for your efforts to help us understand the game more. Thank you.
With the sappy stuff out of the way, how do you feel about your velocity right now? Does it feel natural or are you easing into it/trying to extend to reach it? You made a comment earlier about “going to the well,” how much does this actually take from you physically? And how much does the situation/adrenaline/moment play into your ability to tap into that resource?
Games like last night’s are always a joy to watch. Though I’m sure you would rather have thrown a 2-hit shutout, you could find solace in the fact you gave up 0 runs to players not named “hottest-hitter-on-the-planet-Rod.” I’m not necessarily a Red Sox fan (DBacks fan here, thanks again for the best series in history), I’m rooting for you and the rest of the Sox this weekend.
Okay, one run, but I think I can be excused for commenting at 5am.
Curt,
This year feels so good so far, mainly because Tito has to scratch his head during the post game, to try to remember how many different players made a contribution to the victory. You going seven innings last night helped a lot! Life is good in RSN.
John Flaherty on the YES network stated last night that you really work the umpires. I think this is a good thing. The hitters work the umpires too. As long as it doesn’t get personal, this has to be a good thing. You mentioned the good umpires will often approach a player after the game and admit a mistake. Can you approach a home plate umpire the day after and say something like,…”Hey, in that tough inning last night, I think you missed a couple strikes there?” Do the umpires really control the dialogue?
P.S. Living here in Yankeeland, these victories are so much more sweeter!!!
Curt -
Big team W. Two mistakes to the hottest hitter in baseball. other than that, I feel you had a strong start.
Typical of how the first NY v. Boston series of the season starts; close game, key moments and clutch hits.
I really enjoy reading your blog. thank you for sharing your insight with the fans.
WHY NOT US AGAIN?? IF 25 MEN BELIEVE THEY CAN…THEY WILL
…and they DID last night!
Why the “reemergence” of the slogan this year and not in ‘05 or’06? Does it have anything to do with this supposedly being your last year here or is it just a general feeling you get from this particular team? A premonition prior to the start of the season?
Cheri
Curt, you’re a blowhard, but in all respects, I like to hear it. I’m glad Coco can get some credit for once. No one would be talking in a month about how hard he plays and the catch he almost made(and almost killed himself on.) What weighs more with you, how someone smacks the ball when you’re watching? or when someone goes all out when you’re on the mound?
Wins like these are exactly what the team’s offense needs to keep the line moving in future games. Coco must have felt vindicated after all the heat he’s taken for his sub-par hitting.
I have two words for my Red Sox;
Intensive battingpractice………..
Curt,
Nice work to keep the team in the game, and a bit WOOT to all the guys for coming back against Mo-Mo. Wow. And Okajima (is that right?)…I like him. Calm kid, throws strikes, seems to locate pretty well. Nice work.
My wife and my 8 year old and I were all high 5ing at the end of that one. Here’s hoping you boys can keep this going.
Seth Kerin
BTW I’m graduating in May, are the Sox looking for anyone to mesh/mash databases or numbers? (I’m a math major)
Curt, enjoying your blog. My husband and I are both life-long Cubs fans and didn’t think we’d ever become such fans of someone who never played for the Cubs. But back in early 2001, our oldest child was then 4 and getting to the point where he could really start following them game of baseball. Knowing that being a Cubs fan is a genetic disease, we were of course expecting him to declare his allegiance to the Boys in Blue. But NO.
Our son tells us at the beginning of the 2001 season that he doesn’t like the Cubs. It_broke_my_heart. After I called the hospital to make sure I took home the right kid, he then tells us that since snakes are his favorite animal, the Arizona Diamondbacks are his favorite team. I did want to turn him into a baseball fan, so we decided to keep tabs on the D’backs that season. At the very least it would be a good way to keep up with Cub-turned-D’back Mark Grace, right? And then the D-backs go on to win the World Series. Man, can the kid pick ‘em or what? I should take him to Vegas!
Well, how could anyone follow the D-back in 2001 and *not* become Schilling and Johnson fans? We don’t get to many games in person, but since that time, we’ve seen you pitch in person 3 times over 3 different states. That includes what I think is your greatest game (stats-wise): the 17K one-hitter in Milwaukee back in 2002.
We Cubs fans consider the Red Sox our American League brothers, so it was a thrill to see you guys win it all in 2004. One of my “I gotta do this before I die” things is to see a game in every major league park. (I’ve got about 10 down so far.) I turn 40 in July, so I’m using that as my excuse to get to Fenway. We, of course, want to catch a game that you pitch so we booked our stay for 5 games of the TOR/KC homestand, figuring that if you are healthy, you’re sure to pitch one of those games.
Here’s to a great 2007!
Elizabeth in IL
Hi Curt,
first of all congrats to you and the Red Sox, fantastic “TEAM” work! always exciting, especially the last 2 inninings of last night’s game! Curt I always love watching you pitch and you always give it your all!!! as hot as Arod is right now, I think you still pitched great! it has to be a little unnerving no matter how long you have been pitching to face that Yankees lineup. Today is my husband’s birthday and tomorrow our 18th wedding anniversary and looking forward to the last 2 games we will watch together! Go get ‘em Josh and DiceK!!!
Great game last night! The whole team really came through, and when the bottom of the order leads a rally like that, everybody’s got to be thrilled!…one question. Remy said you looked like you were battling for command (I can’t really tell from the TV, and I’m obviously not as sharp an observer as he is), and it’s clear that since A-Rod is such a monster right now, you wanted to be especially careful not to make any mistakes with him. Would you please give an account of both (or just the second) homer he hit, what your thoughts were with each pitch? They seemed like pretty good battles you had.
A win is a win in my book, and last night’s was one for the ages. Would it go against some unwritten baseball credo for Tito to order A-Rod walked every single time he comes to bat for the rest of the series since he is in this zone. I would guess we would come out ahead if we did. Or would it be bad for our pitchers psyches since I’ll bet all of you think you have the plan to get him out.
I’d have to think that Timlin was available last night but the Yankees have seen him about 400 times. Pure genius by Tito in that spot to put it Okajima for the save. The Yankees have never seen him and they really looked like they didn’t know what to expect. Probably time to give Coco a pass since he stepped up on Friday night. Hopefully this is the turning point for him. Don’t worry Curt, Borowski didn’t know where to pitch the guy the other day either.
What a game last night! Holy Smokes! What an amazing win! It was awesome to see Okajma come out & have such an amazing 9th inning. It’s good to know that we have someone else in the bullpen we can turn to in the 9th.
To this fan watching, it looked like you had some hard parts, but were able to come back from it each time. You werent as dominant as your last two starts, but as someone said earlier, 7IP with 5 ER is not a bad game. Kudos to the offense for that 8th inning–it was amazing!
I cannot wait until the games today & tomorrow.
Maybe not your greatest start Curt, but you proved to me that giving up is never an option. You could have come out after those five innings allowing five runs and just said the hell with it, we’ve already lost. Instead you went out there and threw seven innings, and held the Yankees at bay enough for the team to come back and earn a victory. You’ll truly a hero.
Today I started a game myself. I started well, but lost it a bit and ended up walking the bases loaded in back to back innings. Thinking about your grit on the mound helped me to bear down and not walk any of those runners there. The walks were unnacceptable, and not another was going to happen. I know that is the way you go about pitching, and you’ve definitely passed that determination along to at least one young pitcher.
-gd
Hey Curt, congrats on the team’s win. I was wondering if there was any serious thoughts of intentionally walking A-Rod, especially the at-bat where he got his second homer.I believe that would have loaded the bases but at some point you must have thought we can’t let this one guy beat us.
Hey Curt,
Interested in what you said about team momentum, maybe even something like team faith: “It always seems like you have to get that first come back win early to be able to get your fair share of them during the season.” I was thinking about the same thing last night when we won: in 2004 those wins just seemed to come during the second half of the season, and it just started feeling like something special–same same for the 2005 white sox, and alot of other teams that win the WS. Do you think these come from behind dramatic wins HAVE to happen early for them to happen at all? Whats the clubhouse feeling like on one of these teams that seems to comeback alot–I guess 2004, 2001 d-backs, 93 phillies? At what point in the season did you know you were part of something “special”?
Just wondering, what were you guys thinking when Cora came up last night–he always seems to be in the middle of something lately! That guy is amazing.
Finally, its such a pleasure watching you–I keep thinking how much we’re gonna miss you and esp games like last night when you retire. Talk about digging down and keeping it close for your ballclub to win–that game is lost if you come out in th 5th, or give up one or two token runs out of frustration at any point when it seemed iffy. If these young guys could take a page from your book, watch out!
Yes, I remember Gonzo’s floater. That was the moment when the world’s best closer discovered he was human. Just as I thought that nobody is 100% unhittable, Gonzalez got his hit. Gloriious! But sad for somebody with such a record as Mariano had. Maybe he too has mellowed a bit since then and last night’s loss was not as hard as the 2001 World Series.
What teamwork the Sox showed last night. And I agree you will get ‘em next time, Curt!
Hi Mr. Schilling,
Great Blog! Thanks for taking the time to do it.
It seems like some of the Red Sox staff has taken on the Dice-K approach to pitching. Instead of relying on your Fast Ball to establish your other pitches, you rely on your breaking stuff to establish your Fastball. Do you see that influence, and if so, what do you think about it?
Way to go guys! Curt, don’t worry too much about yesterday, you did very good, could be better, but A-Rod is on a roll right now. Next year, when you’ll be in members of the same team, hopefuly, you’ll remember last night as a classy showdown.
Now, what can i say? You made the RS Nation proud. What a comeback. Congrats to all of the guys and keep up the good work. Thank you for your time in this blog, means a lot to us. Take care!
A-Rod is carrying that team right now. I can’t wait until he cools off. Thankfully no one can keep up this pace…but wow. The only hitter I have seen carry a team like that is Big Papi!
You said something about being impressed that A-Rod was able to center his butt and give the ball a ride… I remember Pedro talking about getting the hitter out of balance with his location and speeds… Does the variations it a batter’s stance sometimes determine the pitch, speed, and location that you attempt?
Were you writing this in the dugout or what? When did you have time to do this last night? I know I was so wound up after watching the game I couldn’t sleep, I just HAD to watch espn AND the replay on NESN. I can’t imagine what you must feel like being a part of it! I must admit I was pretty down after the 7th but WOW what a comeback!!!!! I know I write this every time I post but again…this blog is great, THANKS!!!!
“but as someone said earlier, 7IP with 5 ER is not a bad game.”
Well, yeah, it is. I think Curt would say the same. However, everyone has bad lines from time to time - and going up against A-Rod right now might be a lock for any pitcher to put up some crooked numbers.
Anyway, it’s all about what his final line looks like after our World Series parade in November, am I right?
Hey Curt-
That game last night was fantastic. Great team effort.
So, I was just wondering. What was that you said when Rodriguez hit the first HR?
// Inexcusable mistakes and horrible execution… //
No kidding. It was all I could do not to throw the remote right through the plasma. Unacceptable. In your little notebook, write 100 times on A-Rod’s page “no fastballs down the middle.” Pettitte threw smarter pitches to Pedroia, for crying out loud.
Wednesday. Baltimore. Make ‘em look foolish.
Curt- I didn’t read all of the replies above so forgive me if this has already been mentioned. They kept mentioning last night on NESN how comfortable A-Rod is at the plate, that’s what everyone kept saying “wow, he’s just so comfortable up there”. As a pitcher isn’t there something that you can do about that? Someone needs to come inside on him and soon last night someone (Piniero?) threw him a curve and he jumped away like a school girl. Bust him in, maybe make a little contact and he’ll fold up like a beach chair. That will be the end of his “hotter than hot” streak. He’s a wuss. Thanks and I love and appreciate the time you spend on this blog. GO SOX!!!
The Sox are on the way. Looks good so far.
Re “I was pretty fired up for this one. Even though you’ll find media on both sides of the aisle as to whether this ‘rivalry’ is big or not the fans pretty much guarantee that there is going to be electricity in either ball park. ”
Living in VA last night I had a choice of networks to watch; but, only YES or ESPN for HD. So it was ESPN in the 8th or 9th inning Dusty Baker asked the others in the booth if it was always like this. They told him yes. Said he had never seen so much excitement. The fans the players he knew he was watching the best fight the best. He said he now understood why Red Sox yankee was the best rivalery in baseball.
You have the right of it. This is baseball at its best! and we have 18 more to go! GO SOX. You will win your share and the help you are giving the younger players is impossible to calculate, all to the plus side of winning.
Hey Hoss!
I’m in YES purgatory here in Westchester, NY and wanted to run a few questions based on Kaye & Flaherty’s comments…
Marsh was tight with the zone last night and you were clearly frustrated with some calls. Kaye said that often the ump will tell the catcher to go out to tell the pitcher to cut it out. As you are a veteran, does this often happen to you?
In A-Rod’s 2nd at bat, Tek set up outside and #13 swung and missed on a FB riding up and in for strike 2. Flaherty said you missed your target, but with men on, it looks like you might have been trying to cross up A-Rod if he was getting signs from Jeter at 2nd. Which was it, and do you ever (aside from ‘Tek rotating signs) concern yourself with ways to cross up the hitter with men on?
After the ‘Tek/A-Rod skirmish in ‘04, what happens at the plate when A-Rod comes up? Do they exchange pleasantries or is there lingering animosity there?
Flaherty said you are not “one of the most popular guys in the league”. Could you comment on what you think he means by that? (Not that it matters to us in the Nation one damn!)
Many thanks!
curt, it was overlooked in the post-game shows, but you gutting out two more innings after that top of the fifth was a crucial move, too. and something only the toughest of veteran pitchers can do. thank you.
Like most people have said, this is a great thing you’re doing and I really think that it’s something that other athletes should definitely look into. I am a lifelong red sox fan born in Maine so it bred into me. I moved to south jersey when i was 11 and quickly became a fan of the phightin phils. 92 was a tough year but 93 was phenomenal. That year I became a fan again because I was always more worried about playing ball than watching it. Darren Daulton was my favorite player because he had my name although spelled Dalton(first name) How is he doing, I hope better because I know that he was going through a tough time. Do you guys still talk, Kruk, Lenny, Dutch etc. Anyway, when things went south in philly and I moved again to connecticut where the love of the sox engulfed me again and all through high school and into to college I thought that you would be a perfect fit Boston. I’m glad that you were able to return, I think you have a good sense in what is right to do and what isn’t. I know this is a business but it’s nice to see people make decisions knowing that they will build a legacy in one town. I still remember you saying that it would be more interesting to go to boston to take down the yanks and win the series than going to new york and join a long line of guys who have won multiple series. You will stand out in history for making the right decision. Unlike Damon, who I think was a god in Boston and he went over to a team where he’s just another bat. Bad decision I think but no grudges held. I saw that you wrote about clemens and I am in total agreement. He has a decision very similar to you back in november 03. What choice he makes will not decide if he goes in the hall but there is a decision that would put him back in a place where legends live. Like you said, it just makes sense. I hope he doesn’t let some idiot GM ruin what many fans are thirsting for. But we’ll see what happens. Sorry so long but this is my first blog ever, so thanks to you for letting me get my opinion out there.
also, thanks for the pwnag3 on damon.
Way to blog, Curt.
I see where the CHB got in a dig in his column today where he said you needed an editor more than a pitching coach. Ernest Hemingway once said that a writer needs a built in Sh- - (ends in t) Detector to keep himself from writing foolish things, and it seem like the CHB did not come equipped with one of those. Talk about needing an editor (and a coach)!
A wins a win, and you started the game, the team won the game, and it was a big one, a come from behinder, so I’d count that one as a quality start and a learning experience on which to build something for further on down the road. You will get to face them again.
I loved the way you settled down, maintained your composure, and ate up a few more innings aftere the damage they did. Not every pitcher can do that. Some melt down.
It is a team game and we saw some good things from a lot of your teammates, Tek, Cora, Crisp, Synder, Hideki, Papi Lowell, Drew.
And how about that Tim Wakefield leading all starters in ERA and in quality starts! I hope he keeps it up.
how come your “bloody sock” stayed red, is it just me or is it a known fact that blood turns a brownish color when it hits the air……..do u have “super blood” or are u just a phony????? im gonna go with phony,one reason for that is because before the 2004 season u were photographed wearing a yankee hat because u hoped to be traded to the yankees, then when u got to boston u professed how much u hate the yankees(u went as far as wearing a “Yankee Hater” hat with the interlocking YH instead of NY)……..i understand that you are a red sock and that the yankees and the red sox are the biggest rivals in sports, i just do not understand why u have to be a total phony????
Hey Curt,
What to players think about the policies that control what games are shown on TV in different markets? Are they aware of how fans are being screwed over and don’t care, or is there nothing players can do about it?
For example, I have exhausted all of my options in trying to watch today (Saturday’s) game, the broadcasting rights to which have been purchased by FOX. However, here in the midwest, FOX is showing the Cubs vs the Cards. MLB.tv has the Sox/Yanks game under national blackout. I’ve also been to a couple of different bars in the area with Satellite TV and the baseball package and none of them are able to get the game either.
For a matchup as popular as the Sox and the Yanks, how is this possible? It’s outrageous to me that MLB makes contracts which deliberately exclude fans.
Sadly, this same phenomenon happened to me every time the sox games were taken by FOX last season. It’s a small consolation that at least this year MLB.tv subscribers can listen to the blackout games with audio only.
I just wanted to thank you guys for wearing the VT on your hats and jeseys last night. I’m a Civil Engineering Student at Virginia Tech, and it broke my heart to see you guys think of us. Is there any way that I could get one of those jerseys? I would do what ever it takes! My school email is ashg@vt.edu, just let me know what I would need to do. I’m stuck in Blacksburg for a year until I graduate, but no worries, I will be back in Boston within a day of graduation.
Take Care,
Ashley Galloway
Virginia Tech Student by day, Red Sox Nation Member 24/7.
Mr. Schilling, you’re a great pitcher, and like all of us a human being. I was as proud of your performance on the field last night as I have been since you joined the Red Sox.
I hope you’re as proud of yourself as we are of you.
Curt,
Great series so far. I know it’s only April, but I am very pleased with everything you guys are doing. When Cora blooped the ball over Jeters head to score Coco, Gonzo came to my mind immediately. I could almost see it in Rivera’s reaction that it was familiar to him as well!!!
I am very excited at how well the entire pitching staff is doing. You’ve got a great chemistry and synergy going with the corps. I think Julian has done very well in the 5th spot. Sure his ERA might be a bit high, but he’s going pretty deep into the games, which is great for the pen. Okajima looks to be a great lefty closer and I think will help the team greatly as the season goes on.
It’s been a real treat to see you guys score 14 runs the last 2 days and only 2 home runs are in that mix. Everybody is contributing and producing runs. Great to see the whole team contribute and look forward to see that continue.
Regards,
Chris
It was still a great game even if it wasn’t your best outing! Any win against the Yankees is great!!
Also another gem today!!
i read your lips when arod turned your neck. you said “truck” (wink wink)
anyhoo, thanks for the win
sly
Hey Curt and the rest of the nation.
Looks like there is only one Hideki San in baseball right now and am I glad we have him. Tough Tough kid, great movement on the splitter, looks almost or better! ( dare I say) than yours. 2 out of two with a little bit of mo going our way. I’m so happy for both Coco, and moreso for Alex Cora, who is proving not only to the nation but the rest of the major leagues, that he is a starter ANYWHERE in baseball. His smarts, and accumen at the plate ( knowing how to lay down a GOOD bunt) is worth 100 ARods. Hate to say it but give Dustin a bit of bench time to regain his swing and confidence, and play Alex Cora everyday. It’s best for the team. He just makes the bottem of the lineup, a “small ball” team, that can manufacture a LOT of runs before the big boppers get up.
BTW.. you pitched okay, nothing to be done about unhittable cheese being hit. and you looked TERRIFIC in the 6th and 7th. As good as I’ve seen you spot the fastball and your splitter was filthy nasty.
To all the team… ATTABOY!!! Lets go get the third with the Dice Man!!
Curt,
Again, I’m a die hard Yankee fan.
Upset that the Red sox stole one last night, and that The Yankees couldn’t steal one tonight (Saturday).
Quick question:
After you, Trot, “Double Chin” Varitek, and a few others had run your mouths about A-Rod, Arod came back and owned you in your first relief opportunity a couple years ago with the Moon shot, and again dropped 2 missiles on you last night.
Thanks for once again volunteering your opinion and having to eat your words.
Mission 27.
Good Job last night Curt, not the best ive seen you do but it was nice. Coco almost reached that fly ball, but he came threw in the 8th big time. Nice job all around you were locating the ball good A rod is just onm a good streak but he’ll get in a slump sooner or later and once those boo birds get out at Yankee stadium towerds A Rod theres no sign of him doing good for awhile, anyway good job last night and cant wait to see you pitch next game!
i’ll admit it, i turned the radio off. i was checking my phone for box scores at the bar, and i gave up on that, too.
someday, i may learn my lesson.
i didn’t post after i saw you, but i wanted to say i saw you vs. the rangers here in TX…. i got to watch some of your warmup tosses and drills, which i’ve never been early enough to a game to do that.. it was a fun game, and those TX people wouldn’t know cold if it kicked them in the teeth!
Question: papelbon’s outstanding performance was giving the rangers’ fans FITS, and a couple of fights nearly broke out. i wonder if Pap knows the effect he has on the away audience??
So now we’ve taken the first two…..What I’d like to hear about are your thoughts on the bottom of the lineup starting to put it together. JD Drew was an 0-pher, but the rest of the team picked him up. And what about Big Papi?
I say the bottom end starts to come around, Lugo and Youk see alot of pitches and cause havoc on opposing teams rotations, and the middle does the business. Keep this up and there will be more parties on the St. Charles.
And you, Mr. Schilling, will be enshrined like Larry Bird and Bobby Orr. A legend.
Congrats to the team on another win! If I may:
______
brianm2302:
“how come your “bloody sock” stayed red, is it just me or is it a known fact that blood turns a brownish color when it hits the air”
Blood does not turn a brownish color when it hits the air; it rather WILL look like this as it soaks into a fabric and separates as in chromatography as demonstrated here:
http://www.fenwaynation.com/SchillingSock.jpg
They will cover this in chemistry class and human health which, apparently, is taught after English composition and grammar.
Nevertheless, nice to know the Yankee wound still has not healed.
______
Regards that, kudos to the Yankees fans who have been respectful in their criticism.
Kudos to the Mod(s) for posting even the trolling comments; no one can say that this is only a “fan-boy” site.
–J.D.
Great win, proud to be a sox fan.
hey you kept us in it and i think A rod is a phony but he is dinging everybody now, not just you….i am glad you guys are winning these games w/ the yanks shorthanded coz that wont last forever… i am sure you werent happy w/ shaughnessys editor comment today…you can definitely write better than he could ever pitch…jd drew has been a surprise…we need our big 3 starters to stay healthy plus Papelbon, manny, papi, vtek, jd and i think the red sox will be a force this year…good luck your next start..leo warren Nh
I have to say…. YOU GUYS ARE GREAT !! I love seeing the Sox beat the Yankees in the late innings….Making the big comeback. This has been a wonderful series, Keep it up!!!!
Another awesome game today! It was good to see the hits coming again & very good to see Coco Crisp come alive at the plate!
Re: the response from Ashley, the Virginia Tech student–I hope all of you there at VT know that the country is praying for you & is in awe at the strength and character you all have shown. It was extremely cool to see that the Sox honored Virginia Tech with the logo. It definately brought some moisture to my eyes. I hope you get a shirt!
I have a question for you. When you have an outing where you’re rocked for a couple of home runs like yesterday, how hard is it for you to regain composure & focus to go back and get to work with the next batter?
Thanks as always for taking the time to do the blog & to answer questions.
i really dont think u did that bad friday against the yankees it was just 2 pitches that got away thats all plus we won and thats all that counts. i ttyl PEACE AND GO SOX
Curt… I agree with a few posters regarding your performance. It’s encouraging to see you keep the team in the game on a night when you didn’t have your best stuff.
I can see why some people think you should be pitching A-Rod inside and not letting him slap those outside corner fastballs out. It always amuses me when pitchers try to come high and inside to Ortiz and put it right in that upper sweet spot he has in his swing to pull it out. Being that 10/12 of A-Rod’s HR’s so far have been on that outside corner FB, I can imagine Yankees fans thinking the same thing when he got a piece of that pitch that ended up in the pen.
I think we all hope A-Rod opts out after 07 and comes to Boston. I think it’s funny that all these commentators never bring things up like the arm-slap to Arroyo in 04… but I can only imagine what the Sox would be if A-Rod was here. Then you can get rid of Manny or let him go peacefully, sign Jones or Ichiro and have a Yankee caliber lineup with a far better pitching staff.
I have one question for you… Do you ever notice the lack of respect the Sox get, specifically people like Ortiz? When A-Rod gets a few walk-off’s, ESPN rolls the footage for about 3 hours straight, flipping out, praising him, praising the yankees… it seems to me that Ortiz has done this consistently for almost 4 years now. I know he has gotten respect and is considered one of the best hitters in the game, but I dont remember ever seeing that much attention given to his triumphs in mainstream media other than boston media. I feel like all the “analysts” flip out about sub-par national league teams and the Yankees and I dont understand why the Sox get so little respect to all these “professionals”. Do you think its unjust? Truthfully, I even thought the rest of the country’s reaction in 04 was a little weaker than it shouldve been considering the historical significance of what you guys did.
Curt,
Again, me, The Yankee fan.
I want to apologize for my previous comment (#81).
I was a little bitter after the Yankee loss.
Thanks to you and the moderators for not being a biased blog, and letting everyone have an open forum.
I don’t think you pitch at the Stadium next weekend. I’ll admit I’m happy about that. =o)
I look forward to another summer of Yankee/Red Sox face off.
Take care,
Mission 27.
Curt, my wife will drive up to Boston and smack you around if you don’t honor the request in post #75. If I were you, I’d be gettin’ that jersey in the mail brother!
Also, I thought you might like to hear that I am a reformed Yankees fan. I live in a part of Connecticut that is kinda split both ways. When I married a Red Sox fan, I use to read a book while my wife watched the Red Sox, but over time, they just kinda grew on me as I sat next to her with my book. I swear I had no intention of becoming a fan but what can I say? After I attended my first game, forget about it, I was hooked. I even got my father to attend a game and he was mucho impressed with the fans and how they stayed right to the bitter end of a crushing defeat, but there is no “hope” for him, he’ll always be a Yankees fan, he even wore his hat to Fenway park. He has some pretty funny stories about turnpike toll booths “turning him away” and “refusing” him entry into Massachussets. Fight the good fight Curt, and get on that post #75.
Happy Earth Day!
Curt,
Just stumbled on to this blog and needless to say I am fascinated by your in depth recap of the Yankee game.
It is great that you are doing this, and as a fan I just wanted to say that I appreciate you taking the time. It confirms what I have always believed about you, namely your class and your ultimate love for the game.
Keep things rolling. You are pitching very well, and the team looks good.
Thanks again! I will keep reading throughout the year.
tim
Hi Curt,
I am wondering if you know that the Navy ROTC midshipmen who were in the color guard the night you pitched were given standing room only tickets for the game. What is worse is that Marines who have just come back form Iraq were also in the standing room only section, fighting the crowd, in their uniforms, for a view of the game. I know you have nothing to do with this and I am a HUGE FAN of yours, but I wish that the Red Sox management would acknowledge the fact that we have a voluntary militay and these brave soldiers and are willingly putting their lives on the line for this country. It would be nice if there was a section reserved for the men and women who want to watch their beloved Red Sox when they have a break from their tours of duty and training. Thank you for providing a place for me to state my feelings about this.
Curt,
You’re the man. I’m a huge fan. I hope you pitch great all year long. You’ve been pretty damn good this year so far (except that first start I guess). I think you’ll have a great year. I hope you retire as a Red Sox and I hope you keep endorsing good political candidates. I hope you stay in New England after retirement. Maybe you can get a job with ESPN and move to Bristol and be my neighbor!! Then run for governor and cut our taxes!!!
It irks me a bit when the New York media say that if Rivera was pulled they would have won. Clearly the Sox line up was getting to Pettitte. Clearly Rivera is the class of the Yankee releavers. Who the heck else were they going to put in? They forget that Rivera was intially (in 1996) a set up man. The Red Sox are a better team at this piont clearly, even with the free agent liden batting line up the Yankees have.
The team chemistry that seems to building in the Sox excites me. I think his team has demontrated that they are the real deal..a world series contender. I also like the fact that there are a lot of conservatives (like me) on this team. Besides you there is Timlin, now Drew and maybe Manny too (ha ha). I hope (and it seems) that Manny will make the decision to stay with the Redsox beyond his current contract. He’s such a great hitter and a cool cat to boot.
Have a good week…
Curt,
It’s refreshing to hear your comments about how the win pretty much negates anything that happened on the mound. I’m bringing my bro to Fenway tomorrow (Apr 22), going with 3 other Yankee fans to Yankee Stadium (Apr 28), and back to Fenway (May 1) to see you guys take on the A’s. Hopefully you guys complete the sweep tonight against the Yanks. Nothing like getting those guys when their down! Every game counts, even this early! You and the other pitchers have what it takes to do great things this year!
P.S.
NOTHING was better than watching you guys come back on Fri and beat NY again on Sat with a die hard Yankee fan. It made my weekend!!!
I thought Coco broke his back on that one. Please tell him to stop watching the Nixon archives. i would really have thought that it was a good idea for Tito to sit him for the Beckett game since now that Coco is warming up at the plate he deny injuries like the black night in MP’s the holy grail.
I’d LIKE to see Tito play both Wily Mo and Cora for Sundays game, maybe that could help Dice-K’s run support issues thus far. I know that He’s run up against some aces but maybe sending him out there with the best possible offensive line-up NOW gives him a better leg up. I know that people son’t want to see Wily Mo get the ABs or starts that he needs but I like to see it this way. When Coco is out on contact he’s largely going to hit ground balls which might equal two out. If Wily Mo is out by contact there is a SIGNIFICANTLY larger chance that its going to be on the warning track and thereby possibly a sacfly. Occam’s Meat Grinder states that “all strikeouts being equal, the meaty guy is going to give you more offensive potential”
Goodluck today guys!
Curt I’m a graduating senior from Virginia Tech and a life long Sox fan. I noticed a few guys had the VT logo on the side of the green hats for Friday night’s game against the Yanks. Do you know where I could find one of those hats?
Curt,
Great effort Friday. Turned out to be one for the ages again. Really appreciate your work, but my post will get a little off target. It does, however, pertain specifically to the game on 4/21 against the Yankees.
Sometimes in life, people just don’t know where to turn. Sometimes people would like to help themselves, but they just don’t know how best to go about doing it. This is the story of a few empassioned Red Sox fans living in the small ski resort town of Aspen, Colorado. No sympathy for someone living in Aspen, you say? Well, it’s not like we’re living here collecting out trust funds. We’re living here working our asses off to try to enjoy a better life than the craziness of big-city living that we knew before we came here, but I digress…
There is a war going on. Among the unfortunate reality of real wars, I by no means intend to say that this is quite as serious, but it is a serious matter with regard to the basis of our economic process, the free market economy. We live and work here, but we are still loyal Sox fans. We deserve to see the “out of market”, as they’re called, Red Sox games. Why do we deserve to see the games? Because we are willing to pay for them, and because it’s technologically feasible for the games to be served to us. That’s it. That’s the basis for our deserving to see the games. In a true free market situation, the demand is recognized and the supply is directed as needed to fulfill the demand. If the first guy doesn’t recognize the demand or doesn’t have the means to fulfill the demand, then the next person does it.
Fox is monopolizing Saturday baseball in America, and quite frankly, what Fox is doing is so unamerican in so many ways, it’s distubring. First of all, there’s the free market thing. We have NO alternative for seeing the games when Fox broadcasts the Saturday games on Fox East. In Colorado, we get the Fox West games, not Fox East, so we are NOT ALLOWED TO SEE THE SOX PLAY ON SATURDAY AFTERNOONS when Fox broadcasts the games on Fox East. I have DirecTV. I subscribe to MLBTV. I happily pay in every way that a consumer can pay to get the games. Even so, I could not get the Sox / Spanx game 4/21 because Fox East is blacked out here and because MLBTV even blacks out the game when Fox has it. This happens every year now. Why, when we live in a time that they can just turn on or turn off a channel with ease, can we not get these licensing issues worked out in the contracts so that the distribution of the product is fair? Oh and second of all?.. It’s just unamerican, damn it! No Sox on Saturday afternoon during baseball season? C’mon!
Here’s what we ended up doing. Since our local watering hole has the same problem getting the game, the local Sox and Yanks fans are all there freaking out. My buddy is working the bar there and calls me to see if I can get the game. No, of course not. Neither can he. Everyone calls DirecTV in a frenzy, but those requests fall on deaph ears because DirecTV just points the finger at Fox. In fact, the customer service folks at DirecTV are frustrated by it too, so they just give out addresses and say, go ahead and write letters to these addresses…
WNYW (Fox East)
1500 Harbor Blvd.
Wehawken, NJ 07087
(201)384-3292
KTTV (Fox West)
1999 South Bundy Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310)584-2000
DirecTV Inc.
PO Box 6550
Greenwood Village, CO 80155
Anyway, I’m here listening to the game over the MLB.com gameday audio, and I’m texting the play-by-play to the bartender at Little Annie’s in Aspen. He’s reading it to the crowd at the bar. It’s insanely comical. They are of course on the phone with people at the game and back home, but this is ridiculous! You can’t see Papi’s Pesky Pole shot on streaming audio. You can’t experience Beckett dealing gas on a cell phone. You can’t capture that look in Papelbon’s eyes with a text message. If ther is anyone out there with the desire and means of getting the word out for people like us we sure would appreciate it. We all send letters and emails and phone calls to DirecTV and Fox, but they never reply. Nothing gets done. There are a lot of fans out who love the game, and who keep coming back year after year, but we’re trying to figure out why we’re being treated like this. Ok, so it’s not exactly like we’re victims of ethnic cleansing or some other horrible atrocity of humanity, but it’s still pretty unamerican when we can’t watch our favirite team play baseball on a Saturday afternoon during baseball season sitting here with a hot dog, an apple pie and a Chevrolet (hey, how did that get in there?) in the good old US of A. (Cue God Bless America here.)
Anyway, just throwing that out there, otherwise, nice job on Friday. Good luck Wed at Baltimore, and of course good luck to Daisuke and the guys tonight against the Empire.
- Chris, Aspen, CO
Curt,
You should the Nation again what makes you a big game pitcher. It wasn’t your best outing but you pitched deep into the game and ate up some innings. You simply battled the whole night. The rest of the guys picked you up and it was a great early season win. Great job!
Well this is kind of cool!! Hard to believe I am writing a comment on Curt Schilling’s blog!! My fingers are crossed for a sweep of the Yankees tonight. I think the one thing Dice-K hasn’t had in his last two outings was run support from the offense. If we combine his pitching with good offense in tonight’s game…it’s in the bag. FYI…great game the other night, Curt! Not sure if you check out other people’s blogs but mmine has a lot to do with the Sox. Here’s the link if you ever want to visit. http://360.yahoo.com/dwintle
I have a blog bet with a Tigers fan this season. Please don’t make me end up wearing a Tigers hat in my blog picture!!
I am watching the basbell game now. Dice-K just hit A-Rod with a pitch. Is it Japanese culture to tip your cap after hitting someone, because that is what he did?
Good game Friday Curt!!!