Not a pretty sight. The Red Sox started interleague being swept by the Snakes, went 5 and 4 in Colorado, Atlanta and San Diego, got swept by the Dodgers before heading back east.

I do believe that as of tonight, they've moved half a game back from the Yankees. To quote Derek Lowe, "if you look at our track record in interleague play, we [stink]".

Back to Fenway, boys. It's still only June. Manny's off the DL as of tomorrow. Duquette is gone. All good things. Now it's time to play some ball.

Sorry for the double post. It was just announced that the Red Sox are bringing Padres LHP Alan Embree back to Boston with them.

Embree's got a great record as a reliever, reportedly hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 19 appearances over 18 1/3 innings. A leftie with an ERA 0.94. Pissa.

[quote]Originally posted by redsoxbreath:
I do believe that as of tonight, they've moved half a game back from the Yankees. To quote Derek Lowe, "if you look at our track record in interleague play, we [stink

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Yep, Yankees move into first by a half game for the first time since mid-April. It's a long season, but it's nice to see the Good Guys back where they belong. If they continue playing the way they've played the past month or so we should be printing post-season tickets soon. That may be bad news for the Sox, since it seems likely the wild card winner will come from the AL West.

Sheesh! those games against the NL teams were downright painful to watch sometimes. If the Sox starting pitcher was on his game, the Sox lineup wasn't, and vice versa. But the pitching in June was pretty decent. The problem really was the anemic offense. When half your lineup is slumping, including pretty much zero offense from the first base position (all of Clark's, Daubach's, and Offerman's hits combined for the month of June could prolly be counted on one hand), it's awfully tough to win games. When Manny comes back (Tuesday vs. Cleveland), it might take some of the pressure off the guys who are decent hitters who happen to be slumping (Daubach, Nixon), but there's no saving the likes of Tony Clark and Jose Offerman.

I don't know about the WC coming out of the AL West. Sure, Anaheim, Oakland, and Seattle are all very good, but they'll spend the rest of the season beating up on each other (not to mention Texas, not exactly a pushover) while the Red Sox have a lotta games left against the creampuff AL East (not including the MFYs, of course).

Munson Man, I don't believe even a Yankee fan in good standing should refer (straight-faced) to the pinstriped aristos as "the Good Guys."

I was marveling, listening to the last game of the Yanks-Colorado series, at how Charley Steiner has cloned John Sterling's style of noxious Bronx triumphalism... Yankee fandom/media fawning is baseball's own jingoism.

Gosh, Bill W, is it rooting for the Mets that has made you so bitter, or vice versa? Cause and effect? Nature or nurture?

Seriously, total devotion to the team you love is the essence of fandom, methinks......

I love how non-Yankee fans are convinced they, or fans of their team, would act any differently if their team was as successful as the Yankees. I wouldn't classify myself as a Yankee fan, but there is certainly an interest among baseball fans throughout the country. How else do you explain the Padres, a last place team that has been to the playoffs and the World Series, setting a record for attendance for a 3-game series? Answer: The Yankees were in town.

As for Charley Steiner, I didn't hear what he said, but I imagine its similar to what went on with the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics-Success Breeds Respect.

Frank Castillo charged 3B umpire Bill Welke for calling a balk during the game at San Diego last Wednesday, today was fined and suspended for five games.

"(Welke's) foot got in the way. Hopefully I don't get suspended for that. He made it look worse than it as." I dunno Frank, I've had sex standing further away than that...

Good time for Embree to step in.

George, I know and understand that the Yanks are the biggest road draw... As for the myriad reasons for Yankee hating -- and the insufferable qualities unique (in MLB) to Yankee FANS -- hell, entire books have been written on that, and perhaps one day I'll add one. (Nothing personal, some of my best friends are...)

Yankee homerism as embodied by their radio team is typified by these lines I heard: "The Yankees are like vampires, you can't kill them, they ALWAYS come back" (this in a game they finally lost in 10 innings)... I know it's hyperbole, but irritating nonetheless. Like the absurd "you-have-to-see-him-every-day" argument used to oversell the defense of Jeter, the third-best all-around shortstop in the AL.