Why Was Joe West Only Suspended One Game?

The Vine above is everything you need to know about this incident wrapped up in seven seconds.

Let's start off with a quiz. Name as many Major League umpires as you can in 10 seconds. Go.

I managed to come up with Angel Hernandez, C.B. Bucknor, Dan Bellino, Jim Joyce, and Joe West. Why did those names come to mind so quick? Because they're all terrible.

Now, Joyce has been exonerated since he ruined Armando Galarraga's perfect game, but he is still a name that sticks out. When an umpire can get through a three-game series without most people knowing his name, not only has he done his job, but he has done it damn well. Umpires are responsible for facilitating the game, not dictating it.

As for those other guys... Hernandez nearly got a standing ovation during a game...after he had been hit by a line drive. Bucknor doesn't know how an out should be recorded and makes third strike calls on strike two. Bellino once threw out Adrian Beltre for joking around with his former teammate Felix Hernandez.

But let's focus on West for a minute. Sunday afternoon, the Phillies were enjoying a three-run lead going into the ninth inning when they brought in closer Jonathan Papelbon. Pap isn't the most well-liked guy in Philadelphia, never mind throughout baseball, so when you give up four runs in front of the hometown crowd and go on to lose the game, the walk back to the dugout isn't going to be a stroll in the park. So because Papelbon is an idiot, he decided to forgo even a sarcastic hat tip and just go straight to the crotch grab. His explanation is gold, though.

"This is baseball. I had to make an adjustment and I did it, and by no means am I directing anything at any fans. When I'm out there and in the moment, the fans are irrelevant to me. I don't see them, I don't hear them. To me, this is pretty stupid to be totally honest with you."

Not sure if it helps that he called the fans irrelevant...

Papelbon was suspended seven games, which was a combination of the ridiculous gesture and getting a little too close to West during the ensuing argument. We've seen some players in the past make some questionable contact with umpires, but why is there such a gap between penalties for the player and the umpire?

West received just a one-game suspension after he grabbed Papelbon by the jersey and brushed him off to the side when he decided he didn't want to hear what the already-ejected hot head had to say. Papelbon deserves the seven games, there is no doubt about it, but why is it that West can grab a player and get off virtually scot-free?

Cowboy Joe has had a history of hogging the spotlight, over the years, and has repeatedly been voted one of the worst umpires by MLB players. His actions Sunday can just be tacked on to the ever-expanding list of reasons why umpires need to be held more accountable for their actions. If umpires can't be ejected, why are they allowed to get in the faces of players and even initiate the arguments?

The league is giving them free range to handle the situations as they see fit, and if grabbing a player's jersey means the umpire "handled himself appropriately," as MLB VP Joe Torre phrased it, then the problem is only going to get worse.  Baseball needs to start analyzing the incidents that lead to these heated exchanges, identify who could be considered at fault, and hand out equal punishments, regardless of position within the game.

What Happened to Ceremonial First Pitches?

Since the dawn of the game, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, or "first ball" as it was originally known, has been a mainstay in baseball. President William Howard Taft was the first American president to perform the ritual on Opening Day in 1910, and President Ronald Reagan was the first to throw from the field in 1988 (normally, the throw came in from the President's seat, hence the term "first ball").

Since 1910 our Commanders-in-Chief have been stretching out for the first toss to kick off the new baseball year, but it took until 1993 before President Bill Clinton hit the catcher's glove on the fly from the mound. Over the years there have seen some gems, like the video at the top of President George W. Bush firing a perfect strike after Sept. 11, 2001. That thumbs up move gives me chills every time.

In more recent memory, the chills are a direct result of painful excuses for first tosses by hack celebrities. If you don't know how to properly throw a baseball, then maybe your first attempt at it shouldn't be 60 feet, six inches away from home plate in front of a packed Major League stadium.

Kind of like this...



Bad first pitch ceremonies are plaguing baseball games. ESPN seems to think that 50 Cent's first pitch at a Mets game is the best thing going since sliced bread, and I'm surprised they haven't slapped their new "Instant Awesome" tag on it by now.

No one goes to the game to see someone throw a "funny" first pitch.  Its flat out obnoxious, and I can't figure out why celebrities (is Miss Texas a celebrity?) are lining up to embarrass themselves.  Its not even a good gimmick to get people to the games since the majority of fans either aren't in their seats yet or just don't care who is tossing it out.

Carly Rae Jepsen of "Call Me Maybe" fame threw an atrocious first pitch at Tropicana Field before a Rays game, but nobody batted an eye because Rays fans are idiots who have no idea what baseball is and they just thought that was ball one to the first batter.  Joakim Noah had to take a do-over at a White Sox game.  When will this nonsense end?


As much as I want to hate the video of the girl from "The Ring," throwing out the first pitch at a Japanese baseball game, its gold.  The umpire brings her out, she's pitching to a live batter, then after throwing a ball outside, she just dies real quick.  But you know what, she had solid form, good arc on her eephus, and threw it 50 feet further than everybody I've mentioned in this post except Bush. EVEN CHRISSY TIEGEN GAVE A STRONGER EFFORT, AND SHE WAS HAMMERED.

Instead of reading "Teigen" her number 40 jersey read "Nuggz" because ordering 40 chicken nuggets was her go-to drunk food move.

Bottom line is baseball somehow needs to get the ceremonial first pitch back on the map. Stop parading in these jokers who couldn't hit the ocean if they fell out of a boat. You don't need to light up the radar gun or catch the batter snoozing with a backdoor slider, either, just get me someone who can go out there and play catch.

Will MLB's New Padded Caps Play a Role in 2014?

Major League Baseball has approved the use of padded caps for the upcoming 2014 campaign. The protective headgear will be fair game for pitchers who choose to use the newest safety feature in an attempt to decrease the severity of an injury should they be in the sports' scariest situation - a comeback line drive.

In September of 2012, then-Oakland A's pitcher Brandon McCarthy was struck by a ball off the bat of Los Angeles Angels infielder Erick Aybar. The impact triggered internal bleeding and forced McCarthy into emergency surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain. McCarthy has since returned to the mound for the Arizona Diamondbacks, but even after learning about the allowable padding for pitchers, he has stated that he will not be using it.

"Nobody wants this to work more than me," he said. "But we tried to take this as far as we could and see if its something that could work, but it just wasn't there."

McCarthy has several issues with the cap, the most glaring of which was it's failure of the eye test.

"It's just too big," he said. The cap is a half-inch thicker in the front, and an inch thicker on both sides above the ears. With the added protection, the hat will cause problems on a hot day and it will not fit how a normal cap would.

These may not seem like particularly egregious issues, but to a baseball player, trust me, this could wind up having a much more adverse effect on a pitcher. Baseball players are some of the most superstitious beings on the planet. Left-handed pitchers in particular rank just a few percentage points of strangeness behind Russian hockey goalies.

"You can't pitch a day game in St. Louis wearing it, or a day game in Baltimore. I've thrown in it in optimal conditions, inside where it's cool, and your head gets itchy. If your head moves a tick, you feel it. You notice it."

Nationals pitcher Chris Young has also shared in the horrifying experience of a head-high comebacker (good but scary link to some of the worst incidents since 2008). "Look, if there's something out there that meets the safety standards and is not going to hinder performance, guys will wear it," he told ESPN's Jayson Stark. "Guys do care about safety now. Everyone is starting to understand the importance of brain injuries and head injuries, and nobody is more at risk than pitchers.

"But, I'm not overly optimistic."

Luckily, these sorts of occurrences are still a rarity in the sport. Young is spot-on in saying that no player is more at risk than a pitcher. If a batter draws the short straw and takes an errant fastball to the head, at least he has a helmet on. Pitchers have what, one-sixteenth of an inch of material, plus maybe some lettuce to protect themselves? Every pitcher wishes that there was some way to know he could be safer on the mound, but the fact still remains that if this is something that is going to hinder performance, pitchers will simply be unwilling to don the new lids.

The MLB may be at an impasse, because looking at the options, there are not many paths to travel down when looking for a hat/helmet hybrid that wouldn't be visually gaudy. But for now, at least they have taken the initiative.

There are players who would wear it.  I just went to Google search Matt Clement.  I typed in 'Matt Cl-,' and auto-filled after his completed name was "hit in head." There are pitchers who's hearts are still in the game, but all it took was that one unlucky line drive to take their heads out of it.

As of now, I see this new safety feature having a far greater impact on past incidents than it will have in preventing future ones.  Maybe players will experiment with the caps in Spring Training, but only time will tell if these protective hats are to have a role in Major League Baseball.

Yankees Land Tanaka... and Find Themselves in More Trouble Than Ever.

Earlier today the New York Yankees made some waves by signing Japanese ace Masahiro Tanaka to a seven year $155 million dollar deal. The 25 year-old right hander is coming off a season in which went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA for the Japanese Series title winning Rakuten Golden Eagles.

The Yankees hope that Tanaka can sure up a starting rotation that is projected to feature CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, and Ivan Nova. The Yankees missed the playoffs last year for the first time since 2008 largely because of a lack of depth in their starting rotation. Yankees starters boasted only a 55-62 record and landed in the bottom half of the AL in most statistical categories.

Tanaka figures to go a long way in alleviating the Yankees starting pitching woes. While he is unproven, Japanese pitchers have experienced success in the majors during the past couple seasons. Yu Darvish of the Texas Rangers has established himself as one of the best pitchers in the league. His 29-18 record over the past two years is impressive and his 277 strikeouts this past season were tops in the league.

Hisashi Iwakuma's continued emergence this year helped to Seattle Mariners establish themselves as a potential threat in the AL West. Iwakuma's 14-6 record showed continued improvement from his 9-5 mark in 2012 and his 2.66 ERA was good for third in the AL.

Darvish and Iwakuma have emerged as two of the best pitchers in the AL.

Even ex-Red Sox great Daisuke Matsuzaka found relative success over a somewhat tenuous stay in Boston. While most fans remember the anxiety and frustration that came along with Dice-K they tend to forget his 18-3 record in 2008.

The questions that must be asked then is will the addition of Tanaka be enough to get the Yankees back into the playoffs? Taken out of context the Yankees off-season looks to be one of the best in recent years. In addition to Tanaka the Yankees also signed catcher Brian McCann and outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran. Any time your team is able to add four perennial all-stars it generally bodes well for your post-season prospects. This could not be any LESS true for the New York Yankees.

Am I the only one who thinks that GM Brian Cashman has forgotten how the game of baseball works? Brian you can only have three outfielders playing at once. Yeah, Beltran and Ellsbury are good additions, but what about Ichiro Suzuki? What about Alfonso Soriano? What about Brett Gardner? Yes, you have a DH position to fill, but McCann, shortstop Derek "yeah Jeets" Jeter and first basemen Mark Teixeira are all coming back from injury plagued seasons and will likely be inserted into that spot to prevent overuse and further injury. On a team where every projected starter is over the age of 30 the DH position will be more of a revolving door than an established position.

The excess of outfielders is not necessarily a bad thing in of itself, but when coupled with a complete lack of anything resembling a major league infield it becomes a real problem. This is no slight to Jeter or Teixeira, who have proven that they were elite players, but both have significant health issues, Jeter in particular, and have seen substantial drops in production over the past several seasons. Taken in conjunction with the suspension of third baseman Alex Rodriguez and the loss of second baseman Robinson Cano (who led the team in EVERY MAJOR OFFENSIVE CATEGORY) and the Yankees infield is more exposed than a thermal exhaust port on the original Death Star.

Many Bothans died bringing Cashman this information.

What's more troubling is that Cashman has done NOTHING to rectify the Yankees infield problems. (Yes I would love to insert the Mugatu clip right here, I won't, but you get the idea.) Cashman's strategy as a GM has been throw money at big name guys and hope that the Yankees problems go away. To a certain extent it has worked, the Yankees playoff record is impressive, however lackadaisically throwing cash around will eventually come back to bite you when your team has no depth to speak of and the free-agent market doesn't offer what you need.

While they may be one of the largest markets in the league the Yankees need to embrace a rebuilding strategy if they want to meet with long term success. Think about the great Yankee teams of the late 90s and early 00s. These were teams founded on home grown talent. Jeter, Soriano and Cano all came up with the Yankees during this period. Additionally the Yankees' farm system gave rise of guys like Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada just to name a few. Over the past several seasons the biggest player to come out of the Yankees farm system has been Nova, who looks to be an above average major league pitcher at best.

We're watching a dying giant. A glutinous fiend that has fueled itself on unsustainable investment and constant growth while simultaneously neglecting to establish a strong foundation upon which to build. It's not too late, Cashman can change his tactics, accept that his team needs a season or two to rebuild and begin to invest in player development and young talent, or he can continue to irresponsibly spend money on the biggest available free-agent on the market regardless of how this individual fits into the Yankees' system.

The Yankees franchise is going in one of two directions, the signing of Tanaka may help delay the inevitable, but at some point Cashman and the Yankees have a decision to make. Will they continue to blindly through money at their problems and ultimately deny themselves long term success, or are they willing to bite the bullet, accept that the dynasty is at an end and rebuild for another dynasty five years hence? Only time will tell, but unfortunately for Yankees fans it's not looking good.

(Feel free to read this as an allegory for America's dependence on fossil fuels and lack of investment in clean renewable energy.)

Winter Meetings Day 1: Halladay Hangs 'Em Up, Three Managers Immortalized

Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings began Monday in Orlando, Fla. today, and given the flurry of moves across the league already, these meetings should provide us with plenty of fireworks soon enough.

Day 1 was full of mixed emotions.  The first news of the day came from the expansion-era committee of the Hall of Fame, who elected managers Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre to baseball's highest honor.  The three managers have combined for 7,558 wins and eight World Series titles.

The next move was expected, but saddened most across the baseball world: Roy Halladay officially retired.  He signed a one-day contract with the team that drafted him, the Toronto Blue Jays.  Halladay pitched for the Jays from 1998-2009.

And don't worry, the rumor mill is still pumping out news left and right.  The Diamondbacks are looking at acquiring White Sox ace Chris Sale, even though Chicago has not made it clear they are willing to move Sale.  

Matt Kemp and his camp believe that a trade is forthcoming from the Dodgers, but no teams have stepped up their interest.

The Yankees and the Braves have shown interest in Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija, but some reports indicate a high asking price for the right-hander.

Mike Carp has been drawing some serious interest from other teams, as has Stephen Drew.  

We will keep an eye on any potential deals and rumors throughout the Winter Meetings, so be sure to check back.

2014 MLB Season Starting to Take Shape with Flurry of Early December Moves

Major League Baseball has been an absolute merry-go-round the past 72 hours.  Every team with the exception of the Milwaukee Brewers has made some sort of move since December 1.

The biggest news of December so far has been the Jacoby Ellsbury signing by the New York Yankees, a deal worth seven years and $153 million.  Unbeknownst to Red Sox Nation, an understudy of Johnny Damon for years, Ellsbury will now be playing the lead role of Judas in 2014.

But this offseason hasn't been all bad news! When I look at the list of transactions, what's move stands out to me as one of the best?  The Chicago Cubs signing former Red Sox and Blue Jays great Eric Hinske as their first base coach.  Great clubhouse guy, and if this isn't one of the best catches you've ever seen, I'll eat my hat.

Reigning World Champion catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia has signed a three-year, $21 million deal with the Miami Marlins, barely after the sun sank on the day the Boston Red Sox secured A.J. Pierzynski for next season.  The Houston Astros inked Dexter Fowler in a deal with the Colorado Rockies as they begin their quest out of the basement and into mediocrity.  The Oakland A's have shipped my boy Jemile Weeks over to the Baltimore Orioles for closer Jim Johnson, leaving Grant Balfour to sit in his house circling 'wanted' ads in the paper.

Balfour, along with Carlos Beltran, Shin-Soo Choo, Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano remain some of the biggest free agent names left.  But players such as John Axford, J.P. Arencibia, Sam Fuld, Ronald Belisario and Garrett Jones find themselves unemployed at the moment as their respective teams have declined to offer them new deals for the upcoming year.

And the ol' rumor mill is still churning up stories faster than you can say "expanded instant replay."  Boston has been pursuing Matt Kemp, the Detroit Tigers are looking to lock up Joe Nathan as their new, sane closer. The Seattle Mariners are now the frontrunners in the pathetic bidding war for Cano/Jay-Z's desired 10-year, $300 million contract, tipping their hand that they are willing to exceed $200 million.

As they say, when the weather cools down, things start heating up.  I don't know who says that, but I've definitely heard it before.  Though there have been some significant signings already, the 2013-14 offseason is just kicking into gear.

Big Egos Require Big Contracts

To me, the most disturbing thing about the Jacoby Ellsbury trade is not the fact that he’s leaving the Red Sox after their textbook Cinderella World Series run, nor is it that he went to the New York Yankees, of all teams.  The most disturbing thing is the sheer size of his new contract and a trend that is starting to spiral completely out of control in professional sports.

Star athletes need to be validated by their contracts.  Athletes have come to view their contract size as the ultimate mark of success in their sport.  It’s not the number of championships they win or awards they receive.  It’s not even their individual statistics or records.  In the end, all they really care about is how much they get paid doing it.

I lose a lot of respect for an athlete who holds out for a bigger contract.  When an athlete holds out, he shows both his teammates and the fans that money trumps all.  It is made quite clear that money is more important than the success of his team and the support of his fans.

What’s worse than holding out on your team for more money, is abandoning them for more money; and worse than that is heading over to a rival team in pursuit of your big pay day.

The issue is that these athletes aren’t looking for these bigger contracts to help them feed their kids or to help them pay their bills.  They don’t need that extra $10 million, on top of what’s already a multi-million dollar deal, to provide for their families.  These bigger contracts are all about their ego.

When one of these superstar athletes retires, nobody remembers the size of their contracts. No fan ever looks back on a player’s record-breaking career and recites their pay rate.  When being considered for the Hall of Fame, the amount of money made during their time in the league holds no weight.

Therefore, when star athletes are getting seven-year contracts worth $153 million (like Ellsbury's), I guess the real purpose of such exorbitance is just to make them feel better about themselves.

DJ Big Cat Joins the Team!

Three if by Strike has been doing some big things over the past couple weeks. Max and Span have both hopped on board and are writing up a storm. We're generating more posts than ever, you're loving them and we're just getting warmed up.

Like the Sox we're looking to add some veteran depth to our rotation with our latest move, the acquisition of Jaime De Pena, aka Big Cat, aka DJ Big Cat, aka Gato Grande, aka "a mouse under a blanket".

Hailing from Yonkers, New York, Big Cat is a baseball aficionado, holding down 1st base for the Emmanuel College baseball team for several years and also earning accolades for his work on the Fenway Park Grounds Crew. Additionally, Big Cat adds some much needed basketball knowledge to the blog (because believe it or not the Celtics are still a team). DJ Big Cat should also provide a nice balance to Span and Jon's country loving ways with his own musical tastes.

Finally, Big Cat will be running Three if by Strike's twitter account. Start following us at @ThreeifbyStrike if you aren't already and let us know what you think. This is just a taste of what the Big Cat has to offer, the kid is a fashion guru, a cool customer with the ladies, can talk sports for hours, and did we mention he can dance?

Yasiel Puig Needs to Shut His Mouth

He's arrogant, but he's good.  Or maybe it's 'he's good, but he's arrogant.'  Bryce Harper was sent down during spring training when he was first coming up because he was emotionally unfit to handle life in The Show. Yasiel Puig hasn't been shown the door in similar fashion, but that's probably because the Dodgers desperately need him to crawl back into the playoff picture.

Anyone who is going to sit there and argue Puig is not a good player is off their rocker.  Puig is an unbelievable player who hit just under .500 in his first 100 major league at-bats.  He throws guys out from the warning track. He's good.

By now I'm sure everyone has seen the video of him running into Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero at home plate from a game in early July.  Is it a huge deal? No.  But its a concrete example of how instead of playing a hard-nosed style, he just plays like a punk.  He blatantly ignores the third base coach Larry Bowa, and tries to score when he had no shot.  He doesn't slide and he doesn't try to bowl over Montero, instead he just leans in and tries to give him a forearm shiver. Poor move.

Montero, and a few other members of the D-backs organization have expressed their displeasure with the Dodgers standout.  Luis Gonzalez, a D-backs legend after he helped them win the World Series in 2001, approached Puig after a game and spoke to him in Spanish about his background and the game, but Puig did not once acknowledge Gonzalez's presence.  What does Puig say to all the haters?

“That’s my game,” Puig said Thursday. “I’m going to play my baseball the way I play. We don’t like the way [Gerardo] Parra plays or the way Montero plays, but we don’t go to the press or anybody and talk about how we don’t like it, because we’re more reserved.”

Wait...so you don't go to the media, per the quote from said media? Okay, got it.

However, there is one thing I agree that Puig said after those comments.

“I learned to play that way as a kid,” he said. “I always like to play aggressive and always try to put on a show for the fans. They come to spend their time and lose sleep watching us play. It is one, to me, of the more emotional things in baseball.”

Can't hate that mentality.  But if it leads you to think that you're bigger than the game, you're doing something wrong.  Oh, and leave it Jay-Z to sit back and inflate the 22-year-old's ego by attempting to lure him to his joke of an agency Roc Nation Sports.

Good Match-ups Key to Sox Early Success

This years Boston Red Sox have been a huge surprise. Currently sitting a half game back in what most people would consider the toughest division baseball, the Sox have succeeded despite shipping superstar players like Nick Punto (Oh, and Adrian Gonzales, Carl Crawford, and Josh Beckett). On paper this year's Sox are not nearly as talented as last year's team was and yet their performance leaves no question, the 2013 Sox are a better team. The question is then, how are they doing it?

The answer is actually a very simple one. General manager Ben Cherington has acquired players who fit a particular role and manager John Farrell is putting those players in positions where they can succeed. A huge component of this practice has been placing hitters in match-ups they can consistently win.

Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is a prime example of this approach. Salty is a switch hitter but traditionally has hit better from the left side of the dish than the right (this year he's hitting .160 from the right and .289 from the left). While last year the Sox utilized Salty as an everyday player, this year he has started primarily in games against right-handed pitchers and his batting average is a healthy .260 as a result. And it's not just Salty, either. Daniel Nava has faced primarily righties, is hitting almost .300 and is third on the team in both home runs and RBIs. Even Mike Carp is hitting over .300! Mike Carp!

While there are certainly a number of other reasons for the Sox success including a remarkable starting rotation, an unprecedented level of team chemistry and Koji Uehara's emergence as arguably the most likeable player on the team, the utilization of players in situations where they can succeed has allowed the Sox to excel.

There are those who may argue that this isn't Sox baseball or that moneyball doesn't work but this team is reminiscent of the '04 team that had Dave Roberts stealing bases and Doug Mientkiewicz stealing baseballs. It's a long season, but if the Sox can stay healthy and continue to utilize players intelligently this team is a legitimate contender and a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

Sox Win 6-5, Send Alfredo Aceves Down to Triple-A

The Red Sox got a big win on the field Wednesday, beating the Oakland A's 6-5.  But it was Sox fans who got the bigger win when they heard the news of Alfredo Aceves' departure from Boston to Triple-A Pawtucket.

The Red Sox bats lifted Jon Lester to a 6-5 win, matching the A's three-run fourth inning and following it up with a three-run fifth.  The other two runs for Oakland were split between Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara.  To wrap the game up, Andrew Bailey struck out the side in the ninth giving the Sox their 14th victory on the season.

Lester has already earned his fourth win in 2013.  It took until June 16 of last season for him to notch four.

As for another Red Sox starter, Aceves will not be given a chance to earn a win anytime soon for Boston as he was sent down to Triple-A Pawtucket following Wednesday's game.  The team has given him a 72-hour window to report to the minor league affiliate, but some signs are pointing towards a potential deal in the works.

Aceves got smacked around by the A's on Tuesday night, giving up seven earned runs in 3.1 innings -- the shortest of his career -- and placed the blame on the weather conditions and a hole dug in the mound by opposing starter Bartolo Colon.

"It's hard to figure out what you're going to get out of Alfredo on a given day," manager John Farrell said following the rough outing.  The Red Sox will call up Ryan Lavarnway to fill the roster spot until John Lackey returns from the strained bicep his pitching arm;

Red Sox Go 1-2 Against Royals, But Bring Much Needed Normalcy Back to Boston

On Friday night, the Red Sox were set to return home to Fenway Park for the first time since the Boston Marathon bombings. A tribute to the victims and first responders was set for the pre-game ceremonies, but a suspect on the loose and almost all of the Boston-area's law enforcement in Watertown for the manhunt to bring him to justice, the game had to be postponed.

The 19-year-old suspect was captured alive that night, bringing a sense of joy to Boston that had been stolen from the city on Monday.  The Red Sox held their first home game on Saturday afternoon, and with it came the emotional pre-game ceremony.  There were images on the scoreboard showing the marathon when it was like any other Marathon Monday that slowly transitioned to chaos and sadness.  There were images of the first responders and police officers, as well as the victims of this senseless attack.

But what changed between Friday's tribute to Saturday's were the images of the manhunt in Watertown, which brought loud cheers and a sense of pride, knowing that our men and women in uniform had once again, made us safe.  What changed was David Ortiz's return to the lineup, bringing with him a speech to not only the crowd but all of Boston, that got the city back on its feet.

In Saturday's game, Clay Buchholz dazzled again, going eight innings and giving up two runs, finishing with an ERA of 0.90 on the season.  It was a Daniel Nava three-run blast into the Sox bullpen (caught by Koji Uehara) that lifted the Sox to victory over the Kansas City Royals, setting up the perfect ending to an amazing and emotional day at the ballpark.

Sunday was a day-night doubleheader, but did not go the way the hometown crowd wanted.  There was still that different feeling in the air, a sense that this crowd was coming together not only for their team, but for themselves and their city.  Game one ended 4-2 in favor of the Royals, while bonus baseball was played in game two only to see Andrew Miller walk in the game-winning run in the 10th inning.

The highlight of game two was Allen Webster's first start of his major league career.  He gave up three runs, two of them earned, off five hits with five strikeouts in six innings.  Two of those hits were home runs, but he showed, at age 23, he's ready for The Show.  He was not afraid of hitters, as just a couple innings into his night, he was getting hitters down 0-2 with ease.

With the return of baseball, Boston has been restored.  Next, Fenway Park will welcome the Oakland A's, who have lost three in a row to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Red Sox Pitching Staff Leading the Charge

The Boston Red Sox have won five games in a row, to push their record to 10-4 and put themselves as one of the four teams in the majors with 10 wins this season.

The last time they won five in a row? June 16-21, 2012.  But even though last year's team showed strings of greatness, they are nothing like the 2013 Red Sox.  We can actually like this team.

At this stage in the season, having only seen 14 games out of these guys, it is tough to know if the Red Sox are for real or if they are playoff contenders just yet.  But one thing fans can take solace in is that at the end of the day, win or lose, they are watching a great group of players who show up to the ballpark ready to play for their city and have some fun.  At a time like this, nothing could matter more.

One department of the team that is benefiting from this "fresh start" in 2013 is the pitching staff.  Eight out of the 13 pitchers who have taken the mound are boasting a sub-2.70 ERA, with a workload ranging from three to 22 innings pitched.  Two standouts have been starter Clay Buchholz and relief master Koji Uehara.

Buchholz has won all three of his starts, giving up 11 hits, 10 walks and one run, while striking out 23 and holding batters to a .149 average over 22 innings, a team high.  Uehara has gotten through 6.1 innings while giving up just a single hit, striking out seven and holding opponents to just .050.  Oh, and he's only thrown 69 pitches in those seven appearances.

Of course, it hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows.  The new "closer" Joel Hanrahan has been placed in the 15-day disabled list, citing a hamstring injury.  He has given up six earned runs in 4.2 innings for a 11.57 ERA.  Alfredo Aceves, a reliever-turned-starter when John Lackey was forced on the DL following a strained bicep in his pitching arm, has picked up a win in two starts, but has given up 18 hits -- five of them home runs -- and 10 runs in 14.1 innings for a 6.28 ERA.

Much has been said about John Farrell coming back to a familiar pitching staff and how these pitchers have needed a stronger leader than they have had since his departure, and it appears to be paying dividends.  The starting rotation holds a 7-2 record, striking out 98 batters in the 14 games through Wednesday night.

Tigers Beat Mariners In 14-Inning Game Featuring 40 Strikeous

Records on records last night in Seattle.  Detroit's Max Scherzer and Seattle's Felix Hernandez took the hill inside Safeco Field last night, and led a pitcher's duel for the ages.

For the first time in Safeco Field history, both starting pitchers struck out 10-plus batters.  For the first time since 2001 -- when the Padres and Giants faced off -- two pitching staffs have combined for 40 strikeouts in one game.  For the first time since 1992, two starters have struck out at least 12 batters and allowed one earned run or less.

For the Tigers, they needed another great pitching performance as their bats struggled again.  They became the first team in MLB history to win back-to-back games despite their batters striking out at least 16 times per game.

The game was a 1-1 tie after the ninth, and bonus baseball lasted until the 14th inning.  The Tigers added a run to take a 2-1 lead, but in the bottom of the inning, the Mariners weren't going quietly.  With Justin Smoak standing on first, Dustin Ackley roped a double down the right field line.  Smoak was attempting to score from first, but an excellent relay got the ball to Tigers back-up catcher Brayan Pena as the Mariners first baseman came barreling in. 

Pena, seen in the video above seemed shaken up by the hit, but held on for the Tigers win.

Carlos Quentin Charges Zack Greinke, Breaks His Collarbone

Tensions boiled over in San Diego on Thursday night.  Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke plunked Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin in the elbow during the bottom of the sixth inning, and Quentin was none too happy about that.

Benches cleared as Quentin bull-rushed Greinke, actually breaking the pitcher's collarbone in the process.  According to Quentin, he was pushed over the edge when Greinke said something to him as he was instructed to take his base.

"That was the final straw," Quentin said, although what was actually said between the two in unknown.

Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis wrapped up Quentin and took him down as the mob moved in.  Along with the enraged batter and "instigating" pitcher -- as the umpires officially ruled it -- Matt Kemp and Jerry Hairston Jr. were ejected from the contest.  Kemp and Hairston came into the pile of players and, according to Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, when Kemp learned that Greinke suffered an injury, he "kind of lost it."

The Dodgers would eventually win the game 3-2, but although the game ended, there were still scores that needed to be settled.  In a hallway between the two clubhouses, Kemp and Quentin met face to face and had a not-so-friendly exchange, which had to be broken up by teammates.  As the two were separated, the last thing said from Kemp was a loud, "we'll see..."

The two teams will square off again in Los Angeles on Monday.  There has been no word on suspensions or fines yet from the altercations.

Supporter Submission - First Pitch Woes

There is a long history of  intersport crossovers with quarterbacks playing baseball. Many people know that Tom Brady was actually drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1995 but turned it down to play football at Michigan. Dante Culpepper was drafted by the New York Yankees before deciding to air it out to Randy Moss and Cris Carter. Even John Elway actually played for the minor league affiliates of both the Yankees and the Kansas City Royals. The list goes on and on.
  
It makes sense that quarterbacks would thrive in baseball, throwing mechanics in both sports are fairly similar and, while some may argue otherwise, the pace of the games is actually fairly similar with frequent stoppages defining both. It's not surprising then that those individuals who excel in one of these sports, excel in the other.

So when you consider all of that, recent Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel should have had no problem tossing out the first pitch at the Texas Rangers game this past Sunday in Arlington, right? Aside from throwing up the Longhorns sign during his spring break in Cabo San Lucas -- and in the process alienating just about every Texas A&M fan in the country -- Manziel is arguably the most beloved man in Texas besides Ross Perot. 

During his freshman year Manziel threw for over 3,000 yards and rushed for another 1,000 breaking an SEC record and taking A&M to their best season in years. Unfortunately, it seems as though his nickname “Johnny Football” is short for “Johnny Football.... only, and exclusively football.” 

After watching the video above, the only thing that can come to mind is the call of famed (fictitious) Indians broadcaster Harry Doyle, “Juuuuuuuust a bit outside.”



Fortunately Johnny need not worry. In a bizarre one-up attempt, former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson channeled his inner Mariah Carey at Wednesday's game between the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays.

Vlad Guerrero Signs with Former Team of Jose Offerman, John Rocker

The Long Island Ducks have finally inked a former Major Leaguer who won't cause fans to go running from the park.  Vladimir Guerrero has signed with the Independent Atlantic League team at age 38.

The Ducks have a brief but very interesting history of signing former major league talent.  In 2005, they picked up John Rocker who had a history of controversial comments...

"I'd retire first. It's the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the 7 Train to the ballpark looking like you're riding through Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It's depressing... The biggest thing I don't like about New York are the foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?"

So there's that, which resulted in New York fans throwing golf balls and batteries at him when he entered the game from the bullpen.  And speaking of physical assaults, Jose Offerman was on the 2007 roster when he was hit by a pitch from Bridgeport Bluefish pitcher Matt Beech and proceeded to knock out catcher John Nathans with his bat.  His next move was to charge the mound, swinging the bat violently and succeeded in breaking Beech's hand.

Guerrero has no such history of being a loose cannon, and the only "insane" thing he is capable of is hitting a ball that has bounced in the dirt or one that is above his head.  

Guy Allows Home Run Ball to Hit (Presumably Now Ex-)Girlfriend in the Face

We've seen balls hit into the stands caught by beer cups, guys on their cell phones (check out who wrote that last article), and fathers holding their children.  Then we've seen balls that have caught unsuspecting girlfriends in the arm or now face when their chivalrous boyfriends move like guys from "The Matrix" to get out of the way.

Before we start to make fun of this loser for not being man enough to catch a ball with his bare hands, let me just say that this should in no way lend support to the argument for wearing a glove to a game at his age.  But seriously, if the odds of getting struck by lightning are more in your favor than catching a foul ball or home run, how could you just let one go without making an effort? 

Even the girlfriend has a hand in the vicinity, but the guy is practically at the concession stand by the time the baseball arrives.  Just a poor showing all around by this guy.  He takes a girl to a ballgame, gets some awesome seats right on the center field wall, and all she has to remember the night by is a bruised cheek bone.  Sweet.

Oh, and yes, I believe that's a blog record for most hyperlinks in one paragraph at the top, there.

Jackie Bradley Jr. Takes Family to Applebee's to Celebrate Opening Day

As if I wasn't looking forward to Jackie Bradley Jr. becoming my favorite player enough, the man draws a key walk to start a Red Sox rally on the team's way to a 8-2 win over the Yankees, then takes his family out to dinner in Times Square to celebrate.  What restaurant do they choose?

The Bee's.

“We all went out to Times Square and just hung out,” Bradley said. “My family’s never been to Times Square, so I wanted to show them what the big city, bright lights has to offer. We all went out to Applebee’s and just enjoyed ourselves, and came back and hung out.”

A veteran move by the 22-year-old who had just made his Major League debut a few hours prior.

Bradley brings an easy-going philosophy to the ballpark every day that could sound lackadaisical at first, but given his performances this spring and on Opening Day, he's just the type of player this year's team needs.

"I'm a pretty relaxed guy," he said.  "I like to chill, take it on.  If I get down 0-2, what's the worst that can happen?"

And when Bradley went down 0-2 in his first at-bat, he was as cool as the other side of the pillow, drawing a walk against Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia which helped ignite a four-run rally.  Along with the praise from Red Sox Nation, "JBJ" has received numerous texts and calls of congratulations from players like J.D. Drew and David Price, and even country singer Darius Rucker.

Red Sox Prove 2013 is a 'Whole New Ballgame,' Beat Yankees 8-2 in Season Opener

The Red Sox are 1-0 on the 2013 season, beating the New York Yankees 8-2 in Yankee Stadium on Opening Day.

The Red Sox drew eight walks and smacked 13 hits, while Jon Lester and the Sox bullpen held the ailing Yankees to two runs on six hits. Lester went five innings, striking out seven while giving up both runs along with five hits. 

The relief corps combined for four innings of one-hit baseball, with Koji Uehara, Andrew Miller, Andrew Bailey, Junichi Tazawa and Joel Hanrahan taking the hill.  Uehara needed just five pitches to get three outs in the sixth, and Bailey, Tazawa, Miller and Hanrahan hit 95, 96, 97 and 98 miles per hour on the radar gun respectively to shut down the Bronx Bombers.

The Sox hit .333 with runners in scoring position on the day, with stellar performances by Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino and Jose Iglesias.  Ellsbury went 3-for-6 with a triple and two RBI and Victorino added a couple knocks with three of his ribbies coming while there were two outs in the inning.  All three of Iglesias' hits stayed in the infield, but they'll look like line drives in the box score.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia managed to work three walks against Yankees' pitching, and crossed the plate twice as a result.  The much anticipated debut of Jackie Bradley Jr. saw the 22-year-old follow Saltalamacchia's lead, drawing three walks and knocking home a run as he grounded out to Robinson Cano.  Bradley made his first Major League start in left field Monday, a position he has never played until roughly a week ago in Spring Training, and made a circus grab tracking down a Cano blast just shy of the left field wall.

The Yankees didn't have too many bright spots in their first game of the new campaign, with one of the few coming when Francisco Cervelli slapped a two-run single off Lester in the fourth inning.  C.C. Sabathia gave up four runs on eight hits, but managed to strike out five.

The two teams will play again Wednesday night, and my confidence in this club is growing every day.  The offense looks like they're having fun and the pitching staff has taken on a whole new mentality.  Despite Monday's Yankees not being the team they will be at midseason due to injuries, it always feels good to beat them.  The Red Sox lost their final eight games of 2012, and are off to what looks like a hot start in 2013, crushing a Yankees pitching staff and excelling in all areas of the game.

Go Sox.