Some Good, Some Bad And Some Dog-Ugly…

I. Soccer/Football/Futbol:

The big news in American soccer was the announcement by New York Red Bulls that they signed Thierry Henry away from Barcelona on a multi-year deal. Henry’s move to the States had been rumored about for well over a year, and he’s won every individual award, national and club championship of note. Next to David Beckham, Henry is probably the most recognized footballer on the planet. As was the case with Beckham a few years ago, MLS obtains another post-prime star that will help at the gate, while we continue to send our best and brightest talents over to Europe. If the American game continues to produce talents capable of playing in the world’s best leagues (EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, etc.), then sooner or later our best players will stay here.

Superliga Group Match 1: Revs v. UNAM Pumas (Club Universidad Nacional A.C.) 7/14/10:

After having played their best match of the MLS season, Revs opened the Superliga tournament portion of their schedule with a home date with Mexican powerhouse UNAM Pumas. Over the past few years, this tournament has proven to be a tough, hard fought series that usually spill over into ill tempers and rough stuff. Bobby Shuttleworth started in goal for New England, which was probably a wise idea considering Matt Reis is still coming back from an injury. With heavy rains hitting the Foxboro area earlier in the day, the pitch at Gillette was quite slick and the play was choppy and tentative in the early going. Mansally was involved in a heavy tackle early on, he was carded and Pumas made note of his number. Zach Schilawski scored on a corner from Perovic in the 18th to put the Revs ahead. Schliawaski was waiting for the ball at the left post and beat out two Pumas’ defenders to knock the ball home. Niouky then went down with a leg injury in the 28th, but was able to get back on the pitch moments later. Puma’s Fernando Espinosa fouled Mansally in the 30th and the Revs loudly protested for a card, but the referee figured it was payback for Mansally’s earlier challenge. Espinosa was finally carded in the 42nd, as the referee became fed up with his continual rough play. Shalrie Joseph was carded just before the half on a hard challenge on Luis Fuentes, but Revs kept the lead going into the half.

Nyassi came on for Mansally to start the second half and that move will give Revs a definite speed advantage on the left edge, Pumas countered by sending in their leading scorer, Argentine striker Martin Bravo for Jehu Chiapas. Marko Perovic had a nice shot in the 48th that Sergio Bernal turned away. Bravo appeared to have scored the equalizer in the 50th but the assistant referee had the flag up (a replay indicated that the goal should’ve counted). The Revs’ Kevin Alston was badly burned on the play and was fortunate that the goal didn’t count. The pace quickened and things became far more wide open, which didn’t necessarily work to the Revs’ advantage. Niouky’s blast in the 55th was deflected, setting up a corner that was bounced away. Moments later, Niouky was booked for a studs-up tackle on Juan Francisco Palencia, who was also booked for complaining that Niouky should’ve been tossed. In the 60th, Pumas’ Israel Castro had a great chance that Shuttleworth tipped over the bar. Revs knocked away the ensuing corner. Juan Cacho’s shot moments later went just wide as Pumas began really pressing the play in the Revs’ end. In the 64th, Pat Phelan came on for Joseph Niouky. Cacho was carded in the 68th for giving Phelan an elbow in the back of the head. In the 70th, Perovic was replaced by Seth Sinovic. Leandro Augusto hooked in a beautiful corner in the 71st but the Pumas’ forwards couldn’t advance. Moments later, Alston thought he was fouled, no whistle was called and Bravo picked up the ball and fired on goal, but his shot went just wide. Revs were playing on their heels at this point. In the 78th, Nyassi stole a ball, went into the box but couldn’t seal the deal as his shot went just wide. In the 80th, Pumas made another substitution as Javier Cortes came in for Oscar Rojas at center midfield, then Dante Lopez entered for Juan Francisco Palencia at striker. In the 82nd, Bravo had a corner that Shuttleworth leaped to save. The Revs’ defense appeared to be totally disoriented as Nyassi was carded in the 84th (dissent) and Pumas were pressing hard for the equalizer. In the 89th, Israel Castro fired on the goal that deflected off of Joseph and the ball hit the crossbar. Shuttleworth was out of position and Revs dodged another bullet. In stoppage time, Dante Lopez fired another shot but Shuttleworth turned away the ball. The Revs came away with the 1-0 win, but truth be told, they were more lucky than good.

Superliga Group Match 2: Revs at Chicago Fire 7/17/10:

Reis was back in goal as Revs traveled to Toyota Park in Bridgeview for the second leg of Superliga group stage play. Morelia wiped the Fire off the pitch in the first leg, winning 5-1. “La Maquina Roja” are a much better squad than that, so they should be really fired up to atone for such a dismal defeat. The Fire had to win to keep their tournament hopes alive while Revs simply needed a tie. The Fire and Revs have a long-standing dislike for each other that was evident in the chippy play that started things out, as three fouls were called in the first three minutes. The Fire then controlled possession in the Revs’ end over the next five minutes, earning a couple of corners that the Revs’ defenders knocked away. Mike Banner then hit the post in the 13th as everything seemed to be going Chicago’s way at that point. In the 19th, Marco Pappa’s blast was turned away by Reis. Chicago’s Wilman Conde was carded in the 22nd for a nasty forearm pop at Kevin Alston’s head. Nicol went ballistic on the sidelines. The Revs came back with a couple of shots on Sean Johnson in the Chicago goal, the first was a dribbler from Nyassi from 30 yards out, then Marko Perovic fired a shot that was deflected away. A few minutes later, Alston placed a shot on goal that Johnson turned aside. In the 36th, Chicago’s Peter Lowry had a shot from a corner that went wide left. Revs were using Nyassi’s speed from the right flank to create opportunities, as Perovic launched a long bomb that went wide right. Mansally then fouled Chicago’s Corben Bone, setting up a free kick that was deflected away. Chicago became aggressive just before the end of the half, committing two fouls, the second having occurred when Collins John tripped Reis as he attempted to clear a ball out of the box. The Fire then regained possession and Pappa had a great chance on Reis that curled away from the goal at the last second. The Revs’ Osei was caught out of position on the play and the team was fortunate to escape the first half scoreless. Chicago definitely had the better of things in the first half.

Brian McBride (a Revs killer) entered for Bone to start the second half. Additionally, the Fire replaced Justin Mapp for Krzysztof Krol and Tim Ward for Steven Kinney, so they’ve used all their subs for the match and better hope there are no injuries or red cards. In the 48th, Mansally put a knuckleball toward the goal that was tricky for Johnson to handle, but he knocked it out of danger. Chicago regained the momentum as Conde and Mapp fired shots on goal in the 53rd-54th. Mapp’s free header from Conde’s cross went just over the bar. The Prodigal Son, Khano Smith, entered for Mansally in the 62nd, bringing a little muscle to left wing over the final third. In the 65th, Kheli Dube came on for Zack Schilawski and Pat Phelan entered for Niouky a few minutes later. Smith hauled down Pappa in the 71st, which set off a flurry of fouls by both teams in the next few minutes. In the 73rd, Collins John attempted to get past Phelan into the box but was stopped on a beautiful tackle. Moments later, Kwame Watson-Sirboe turned the ball over in his end on a great pick by Dube, who found Perovic from 25 yards out, and Perovic rocked the ball past Johnson to put the Revs ahead 1-0 in the 77th. In the 85th, Chicago’s McBride popped one that went wide of the goal, but the assistant referee had the flag up. In stoppage time, Phelan and Lowry knocked heads going up for a ball. Phelan was able to get to his feet, bloodied but unbowed, but Lowry was down for the count. Both players eventually made their way to the sidelines and, after a lengthy period of injury time, the Revs walked off with a very nice 1-0 victory. Mike Banner had a tricky shot for the Fire right before the final whistle. It was the Revs’ first win at Toyota Park in three years. With six points in the group standings, they can afford to rest some of their regulars in the final group stage match against Morelia on Tuesday night. After the match, the Fire announced that they had signed the great Mexican striker Nery Castillo to a contract. Chicago had great luck with Blanco, so going twice to the same well may produce similar results.

Superliga Group Match 3: Revs v. Monarcas Morelia 7/17/10:

Two days before the final group stage match at home against Monarcas Morelia, the Revs made the surprise announcement that Steve Ralston decided to retire after Tuesday’s match. Ralston was an original MLS lifer (1996) and was one of the finest players in franchise history. He played in over 200 matches for the Revs from ‘02-’09 as well as being a big part of all four Revs teams that went to MLS Cup finals. He was the ultimate professional and tougher than dirt, playing through all sorts of debilitating injuries. He suffered a severe knee injury late last season and elected to sign with a non-MLS club in St. Louis for this season. Eventually, he made his way back to the fold in Foxboro, but was injured during a friendly with a Brazilian side during the MLS World Cup break. Rumor has it that he will now become a member of the Houston Dynamos coaching staff.

Revs returned home to Gillette for the final group stage match against Monarcas Morelia. They weren’t exactly greeted by a banged-out house. Monarcas smoked Chicago Fire 5-1 in the first group stage match and then had to settle for a 2-2 draw with UNAM Pumas on Saturday night, as they blew a two goal lead in the late stages of the match, Revs are already going to the tournament semis; the only question is whether they finish first or second in the group. A win or a tie will guarantee top spot in Group B.

Nicol made some changes to the starting XI as Shalrie Joseph and Sainey Nyassi were held out as they had reached their yellow card limit. Kevin Alston was also kept out and Ralston was not allowed to dress due to a “paperwork problem”. Thus he was denied a chance to say goodbye to the crowd. Yair Urbina started in goal for Monarcas, who moved the ball well in the early minutes. They were all over the Revs in the first 10 minutes, with four corners. Rafael Márquez Lugo had a great opportunity in the 14th as he picked up a loose ball in the box but fired it over the goal. Reis made a nice save of Luis Miguel Noriega’s low shot in the 17th. Moments later, Niouky was inadvertently smacked in the mouth at midfield and tried to milk it for a yellow, but the referee wasn’t buying the act. In the 27th, Revs finally had their first set piece, but Perovic’s free kick was deflected by Osei and went harmlessly wide left. Momentum began to shift in the Revs’ favor in the early 30’s. Morelia had started out like a house on fire and looked like they were running out of steam. In the 40th, Mansally rocked a shot from 40 yards out that went wide right. Morelia’s Adrian Aldrete received the first ticket of the night for taking down Mansally breaking down the right wing in the 43rd. Monarcas definitely had the better of possession in the first half, but their execution was not crisp otherwise they would’ve had a comfortable lead.

Rafael Marquez Lugo was carded in the 48th for squawking at the referee after he elbowed Mansally in the chest. Morelia came out with a decidedly more patient pace to open the half. Morelia made their first substitution in the 53rd, as Miguel Sabah entered for Miguel Sansores. Darrius Barnes was carded in the 57th for rough play. In the 62nd, Marko Perovic put the Revs ahead 1-0 with a beautiful line drive goal, picking up the ball on the left flank, carrying it near the outside of the box and launching a rocket that the goalkeeper couldn’t touch. Morelia came right back, as Lugo put two shots on goal that were turned aside by Reis. In the 73rd, Mansally was dumped inside the box with the ball by Aldrete. Why was no penalty called? Morelia changed Rodolfo Vilchis for Elias Hernandez in the 75th, then Vilchis was replaced by Aldo Ramirez just three minutes later. In the 79th, Romero's header was knocked away by Reis, then, moments later, Dube's breakaway chance was deflected away from the post. As the match entered the 80th, Revs were doing a nice job moving the ball, controlling possession. But as the match entered the final stages, Morelia had a couple of chances as a header from free kick went just over the bar in the 86th then a cross was intercepted by Reis in the 93rd. Revs hung on to win 1-0 to sweep the group stage and now have home field advantage for the semis. However, it was a shame that the Revs were unable to provide Steve Ralston with the sendoff he truly deserved. Perhaps their current hot streak may not amount to much once they return to the MLS schedule, but it’s certainly nice to see them play consistently well.

It’s Cash Cow Season…

…for Europe’s most prestigious football clubs—here in the States. With increasing frequency, Europe’s signature teams are electing to play the bulk of their preseason tune-ups here in North America, either in friendlies against MLS sides or against other European rivals. Man U has been playing all month to banged-out houses all over the USA and the revenues that they and other teams are hauling in are staggering.

Where there’s a potential mega-revenue stream to be tapped, the Fenway Sports Group will take notice. With the Red Sox out West, Fenway Park was the venue for a matchup between Scotland’s Celtic FC (“The Bhoys”) and Sporting Clube de Portugal (“Leões”). Fenway Park was a perfect venue for the Bruins-Flyers Winter Classic on New Year’s Day, so why not take a shot with a soccer game? It was a perfect evening for football and the Fenway crowd was at least double the size of those who showed up the evening before in Foxboro to witness the Revs/Morelia match. Sure, part of it was the novelty but part of it was also the fact that the quality of football was superior to MLS. The grounds crew did a fantastic job grooming the pitch. The only thing that was disorienting was trying to determine the configuration relative to the normal home plate view. The Fenway crowd was LOUD and appeared to be heavily pro-Celtic. It looked like a near sellout at the old ballyard. Mr. Kraft has to be looking in on this, and perhaps this may hasten the long-rumored efforts to build that “soccer specific stadium” close to metropolitan Boston sooner rather than later.

Sporting Starting XI: Patricio, Torsiglieri, Grimi, Tonel, Mendes (c), Abel, Vukcevic, Fernandez, Valdés, Veloso, Saleiro

Celtic Starting XI (4-4-2): Zaluska, Wilson, Mulgrew, Odea, Loovens, Brown (c), Sung Yueng, McCourt, Forrest, Samaras, Fortune.

The sides played tentatively in the first thirty minutes and there wasn’t much worth mentioning. The pace of play picked up significantly thereafter. In the 31st, Celtic’s Scott Brown picked a ball in Sporting’s end, fought off a defender and fired a shot from a tough angle that Patricio turned away. A few minutes later, Celtic’s Samaras took a lovely ball from McCourt but his shot went just right. Just before the half, Patricio made a nice save on a Celtic drive; Sporting came up field, Saleiro took a great pass from Matias Fernandez, beat the Celtic defender and shot into what appeared to be a wide open goal but a Celtic defender stepped in at the last second and kicked the ball out of danger.

Samaras nearly put Celtic ahead in the 48th as his header was tipped away by Patricio with a diving save to his left. In the 49th, there was some pushing and shoving as Celtic’s Brown committed a couple of rough tackles in Sporting’s end. He was booked but the call was questionable as the replay showed the Sporting player didn’t have full possession. After an hour having been played, the sides looked like they were in midseason form. In the 61st, a Sporting cross went wide of the net and a follow-up volley went over Celtic’s crossbar by six inches. In the 71st, Samaras was dumped as he broke toward the goal with the ball. The referree called a penalty, Samaras was given the honors and drove his kick low and to the right for the first goal of the match. The crowd erupted as if Big Papi hit a walkoff homer. Sporting had a decent chance a few minutes later, but a header from a cross was deflected wide left. In the 80th, Sporting’s Maniche rocked a shot that the goalkeeper made an acrobatic save. But Sporting had the momentum by that point. Hector Postica picked up a rebound of a header that hit the crossbar and headed it in to equalize in the 82nd. Celtic had a free kick in the 85th after yet another Sporting foul, but the kick was harmless. Postica had another great chance in the 87th that the goalkeep tipped over the bar with a leaping save. There were three minutes of stoppage time added and Celtic’s Forrest had a decent chance but his kick went high and to the left. The match then went to penalty kicks to decide a winner (at least they didn’t play two extra periods). Celtic won 6-5 on penalty kicks to the delight of the overwhelmingly Celtic crowd. Though the first 30 minutes were dullsville, man, the last hour was intense, hard fought and gave the big crowd every bit of their money’s worth. Congratulations to the teams and everyone at Fenway for putting on a terrific show. Somewhere, Brother Walfrid is smiling…

Piacenza has started training at Brentonico with a couple of friendlies in preparation for the upcoming Serie B season while Wrexham is already well underway in their pre-season, having defeated Vauxhall Motors 4-0 at Ellesmere Port on the 13th, losing 1-0 to Aberystwyth Town at Park Avenue Ground on the 17th, downing AFC Sudbury 3-2 at MEL Group Stadium on the 20th and playing to a scoreless draw with an assorted Liverpool XI on the 21st.

The Liga Mexicana Torneo Bicentenario Apertura 2010 season opened on July 24th and the opening Match day (Fecha 1) featured Pachuca-Club América at a virtually empty Nuevo Hidalgo in a driving rainstorm. Pachuca, led by their big-time goalkeeper Miguel Calero, took an early lead on an own goal by CA’s José Martínez Salas. Pachuca went up 2-0 on a penalty kick from Edgar Benítez in the 40th. By the second half, the pitch had deteriorated into a giant puddle. Benítez scored again in the 50th, then had a goal from a corner called back (both sides protested vigorously).


It is almost surreal watching Mexican futbol with the knowledge that the government corruption and barbaric animal narco-terrorists that have overrun the border areas resulting in over 25,000 murders in the past three-plus years. As much as I respect the athleticism of the Mexican game, I cannot help but feel such sadness for the innocent people caught in the crossfire, and how she weeps at the incomprehensible degree of bloodshed. Should you wish to pursue this further, I highly recommend the “Mexico In Focus” blog by Ana Lourdes Cardenas in the El Paso Times. (and if you’re not reading the EPT daily, you'll miss out on the most influential English-speaking voice on what’s really happening on the border).

II. Red Sox/Baseball:

The Second Half Begins…

The Sox started their most critical juncture of the year with four at home against Texas before going out west for 10 games. They will play 40 out of the next 42 days while the walking wounded filter their way back into the lineup (hopefully sooner rather than later). There are a couple of injury situations that have a common denominator worth discussing further. Jacoby Ellsbury has been out of the lineup for the most part since colliding with Adrian Beltre in an early season game in April. He suffered fractured ribs but the crux of the matter appears to be his contention that the Sox medical staff misdiagnosed his injuries and his distrust sent him off in search of a correct diagnosis. He went off to Arizona to recover for an extended period of time, far longer than was necessary in the eyes of some. While Pedroia and Varitek were with the team at all times, hobbling around on crutches, Ellsbury stayed away from the team. Youkilis then spoke up about his teammates’ wishes to have him closer to the team. When Ellsbury finally reappeared during the team’s recent visit to Toronto, he met with the press (with copious handwritten notes) to explain his version of events. To categorize this as bizarre would be an understatement.

The other incident involved the aforesaid Beltre, who tweaked a hamstring muscle on the final game in Toronto before the All-Star break and had to leave the game early. He was selected to the All-Star game in Anaheim, but based on the injury it didn’t seem like he would play. He insisted on playing and Yanks’ manager Joe Girardi put him in at third late in the game. By the time Beltre returned to Boston, he was unable to play in the series opener (he did subsequently appear in the lineup every day thereafter). Since Beltre’s contract expires at season’s end there was speculation that he played in Anaheim as a showcase for free agent shoppers next fall.

What’s (or who’s) the common denominator? Both Ellsbury and Beltre are represented by Scott Boras. It seems that half of the Red Sox roster is repped by Boras. He makes a lot of money for his clients, and with that we take no issue. However, once a client signs a contract with a club, the agent’s role should not be to micromanage the player in ways that may be counterproductive to or frustrate the club’s objectives.

Wake started the opener against Texas and got creamed to the tune of six runs in the top of the first. His final line was 2+IP, 8H, 7ER and runners on second and third. Robert Manuel stepped in and bailed him out of further trouble. The Sox countered with solo homers by Drew and Hall and lost 7-2. Friday night’s game had a little bit of everything, inexperienced pitchers for the Sox, a rain delay as well as Bengie Molina hitting for the cycle. The odds of one of MLB’s slowest players in history hitting a triple have to be astronomical. On Saturday night, the Sox needed a little late inning lightning by Youkilis to prevail 3-2 in extra innings. They needed a big outing from Lackey and he delivered the goods, but Jon Lester faltered on Sunday afternoon and Texas won 4-2 to close out the homestand in disheartening fashion.

The Sox then hit the West Coast for 10 games in 11 days, starting with three in the Oakland-Alameda Mausoleum, perhaps the most dreadful of all venues in MLB (now that the infamous BaggieDome is history). In the opener (7/19), Daisuke gave the Sox a big boost when he, Bard and Papelbon shut down the A’s 2-1. Eric Patterson tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly and Adrian Beltre followed with a long homer to center to put the Sox ahead for good.

In the second game of the series (7/20), the Sox faced Dallas Braden, who has really struggled since pitching a perfect game on Mother’s Day. The Sox scored a run in the top of the first when Youkilis doubled to the gap in left center, but Big Papi was nailed at the plate trying to score from first (“Slide, Papi, Slide!”). Mike Cameron hit a long double to left and scored on a base hit by Billy Hall. Scutaro doubled in Hall to make it 3-0 Sox, which is good considering Wake is on the hill. Darnell McDonald doubled off the wall in center, driving in Scutaro to make it 4-0. With Wake pitching, things can change in a hurry. He can sail along for an inning or two then the bottom drops out. Sure enough, a double followed by a walk and a hit batsman loaded the bases with only one out. Cust doubled in a pair, then a passed ball brought the third run and a sacrifice fly tied the score…The Sox ended up losing 5-4 in 10 innings. In Wednesday afternoon’s finale, Clay Buchholz returned from the DL and really struggled, going 4+, allowing five runs as the Sox lost 6-4. The Yanks and Rays each won, so the Sox head into Seattle for four games eight games back of the lead in the AL East.

The Sox moved on to Seattle for four games. Ryan Rowland-Smith (1-9, 6.18) started for the Mariners and got lucky right off the bat as the Great Ichiro robbed Ortiz of a homer in the first by leaping at the wall in right and snaring the ball as it left the yard. The M’s took an early 1-0 lead when “Mr. Chuckles” (Milton Bradley) walked, stole second, moved to third on a ground out and scored on a passed ball (Kevin Cash is simply not a competent major league replacement). But the Sox came back in the third when Cameron led off with a double to left and came home on Hall’s two-run shot. Scutaro then singled went to second on a passed ball (Josh Bard isn’t exactly the gold standard behind the plate, either) and scored on Ortiz’ line drive single to left.

John Lackey pitched a brilliant ballgame, carrying a no-hitter into the eighth before leaving with a 6-1 lead. The manager turned things over to Delcarmen in the ninth, who predictably imploded. Papelbon then entered but he was ineffective and wasn’t helped much by his defense (two errors by Hall) and the M’s ended up tying the score. It was one of the dog-ugliest innings of the year. Things looked pretty bleak for the Sox in the 12th when Okajima came on with the bases loaded and one out, but he was able to get out of the jam by inducing a couple of pop outs. In the top of the 13th, Eric Patterson hit a two-run double to the gap in center and the Sox prevailed 8-6. Winning ugly is still winning.

Josh Beckett returned from the DL to start on Friday (7/23) and gave the Sox another quality outing, allowing only one run over 5 2/3 innings as the Sox squeaked by 2-1 thanks to Bill Hall’s 7th inning homer to win. Scott Atchison picked up in relief of Beckett to pick up the win and Papelbon earned his 22nd save.

The real fireworks actually took place in the Mariners’ dugout in the fifth when Chone Figgins and manager Don Wakamatsu got into an altercation after Figgins failed to chase after Michael Saunders’ bad return throw to the infield, which enabled Cameron to take third. When Figgins returned to the dugout, the manager got on his case for the lack of hustle and Figgins took exception. Words were exchanged that led to pushing and shoving. The “peacemaker” in all of this appeared to be Milton Bradley. Figgins was replaced by Jack Wilson thereafter.

This is a radioactive situation with no winners. Figgins (who signed a big free agent deal with Seattle over the winter) has struggled all year, currently posting a 67+ OPS. He recently took his displeasure with the manager public after being dropped in the batting order. Wakamatsu will ultimately take the hit for the Mariners’ poor performance, which is a shame because he had an impeccable reputation as a bench coach for years before taking the M’s job in ’09 (when the team had a respectable 85-77 finish). This year has been an unmitigated disaster. In May, “unnamed players” squealed on Ken Griffey, Jr. to the media, alleging that the one-time superstar spent most games napping in the clubhouse. Wakamatsu publicly defended his player, but the well had already been poisoned. Griffey played in only 33 games this year before abruptly retiring. Griffey was one of the greatest players in Major League history, but injuries and Father Time caught up too quickly. If the malcontents in the clubhouse are players signed to exorbitant free-agent deals, then the inmates are running the asylum and Wakamatsu’s future as the manager has a very short shelf life.

Saturday night’s game (7/24) was the sort that made most reasonable fans wish they could put their foot through their televisions. Figgins was back in the lineup for Seattle, so it appears that cooler heads prevailed in the clubhouse. Jon Lester brought his ‘A’ game, mowing through the Mariners’ order like Grant through Richmond. David Pauley started for Seattle (and who can ever forget his major league debut for the Sox in Yankee Stadium in 2006—talk about poise under pressure) and pitched himself out of a couple of jams in the early innings. The Sox went ahead on a solo shot to Ortiz in the fourth. Meanwhile, Lester had a perfect game going into the sixth. With one out in the sixth, Jack Wilson hit a routine fly to center, a certifiable can of corn that Eric Patterson simply dropped and Wilson took second on the E-8. Ugh. Little Leaguers can catch better than that. Seattle’s next batter, Michael Saunders, launched a breaking ball deep into the rightfield grandstand and Lester unraveled from there. Seattle ended up winning 5-1 in utterly disheartening fashion. No one could pin the blame for this loss on Lester. He was outstanding, and the Sox had ample opportunities in the early innings to rout Pauley from the game, but the offense could not get the job done.

July 25th was induction day in Cooperstown and the Hall welcomed Andre “The Hawk” Dawson as a member. Dawson epitomized class both on and off the field in a 21-year career with the Expos, Cubs, Red Sox and Marlins. Like Jim Rice, there were many “purists” who did not regard Dawson’s complete body of work as worthy of induction. Nonsense. Considering that he played the bulk of his career with badly-damaged knees, it’s amazing to see the numbers he actually produced. Look at the numbers: He’s among only a handful of major leaguers with 400+ homers and 300+ stolen bases. In the early part of his career with Montréal, he was a holy terror—a five tool player who could do it all at the plate, on the basepaths and in centerfield (eight gold gloves). Playing on the rug at Stade Olympique eventually caused Dawson’s knees to break down and he left town for the Cubs where he had an MVP season in 1987, leading the NL in homers, RBI and total bases. He was absolutely adored in Chicago, where fans are miffed that his induction plaque has Dawson in an Expos’ cap. By the time he arrived in Boston in ’93 he was basically a DH, but did hit his 400th homer with the Sox although the ballclub was in the midst of a losing era. He finished up his career as an elder statesman with his hometown Marlins and was rightly enshrined as one of baseball’s all-time greats.

In Sunday afternoon’s finale (7/25), Sox fans were treated to another episode of The Daisuke Experience, where one never knows from one start to the next whether he’ll be an ace or a dud. Starting for the M’s was Doug Fister (3-6, 3.56) who was winless in his last seven starts. The anemic Sox offense could only muster a couple of hits off Fister in the first three innings. Daisuke’s control was maddening (65 pitches through 3IP) and he allowed a run in the third but was able to get out of a bases loaded jam. The Sox took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on three straight singles from Drew, Youkilis and Beltre. While Daisuke didn’t give up anymore runs, his high pitch count (110 pitches) necessitated his removal after six innings. Daniel Bard came on and escaped with only a harmless single. Lopez singled to lead off the bottom of the eighth and Bard was lifted in favor of Okajima (uh-oh). Smoak singled right away then Kotchman attempted to sacrifice but Okajima picked up the ball and threw to first too late, setting up bases loaded with nobody out. Michael Saunders then singled to right, driving in Lopez and Smoak and Seattle took the lead. Milton Bradley (pinch-hitting) bunted to first, the ball landed in no-man’s land, Kotchman scored and Bradley was safe (just as was the case last night, things unraveled in the blink of an eye). Jack Wilson singled to load the bases (still nobody out). Ichiro (who has a career .440 average with the bases loaded) bounced into a 3-2 double play and Okie-Doke was mercifully removed. From the fryin’ pan into the fire: Enter Ramon Ramirez (hey, it could’ve been Delcarmen). Ramirez caught Figgins looking, but the damage was done. At a certain point (like in May), the management should’ve concluded that this team’s Achilles Heel was the lack of effective set-up guys. Delcarmen, Okajima and Ramirez have been horrible all year. If this team fails to make the playoffs, the media and management will blame the plethora of injuries to starting pitchers and position players. The team played its level best with a depleted lineup, but it was the lack of a bridge to Bard and Papelbon that will be the undoing of this team. Aardsma (a guy who couldn’t pitch his way out of a paper bag when he played for the Red Sox) came on to close things out and the Mariners came away with a 4-2 win and a split in the series. These last two losses really hurt…on to Anaheim.

III. 2010 Saskatchewan Roughriders:

Roughriders’ Game 3 v. Edmonton (7/17/10):

“Centennial Celebration Day”

In honor of the team’s “centennial game” against Edmonton, the Riders eschewed their traditional green and silver for the original burgundy and black, which they wore from 1911-1947 as the champion Regina Rugby Club. The Riders came in at 2-0 and were looking to keep Edmonton winless to start the year. The Riders came in with a lot of confidence, but hopefully not overconfident with a divisional rival coming in looking to right the ship.

It was a perfect day for football in the prairies and another sold out house at Mosaic. Edmonton won the toss, but deferred until the second half. The Riders started out their opening drive at their 48 and picked up a first down on a completion from Durant to Bagg. The Eskimos’ D was able to prevent any further advance, so Congi banged in a 53-yard field goal and the Riders grabbed an early 3-0 lead. On Edmonton’s first possession, (starting at the 35) Ricky Ray was quickly able to move the ball into Riders’ territory (despite two penalties), picking up four five downs on their first nine plays. The drive stalled inside the 15 and Noel Prefontane knocked in a chip shot to tie the score. The Esks’ had no problem moving the ball through the air. From the Riders’ perspective it was more than a little disconcerting. On the Riders’ next drive, Cates banged the ball up to the 45, but Durant’s poorly thrown pass was intercepted by Chris Thompson at the 34. Ray connected with Fred Stamps on a beautiful fingertips catch at midfield. Edmonton’s drive didn’t go much further and Prefontane punted away with the Riders regaining possession at their 10. On the first play, Dressler had beaten his defender, but Durant’s pass went through his hands. The Riders started out their next drive with much better field position, at the 30 as the first quarter came to a close.

Durant was not sharp at all, as the Riders went two n’ out for the third straight time. On their next possession, Wes Cates ripped a run off left tackle and down the sideline for 83 yards, before being tripped up at the 2. From there, Hugh Charles went off left tackle and the Riders regained the lead at 10-3. The 13th Man then made their presence felt and the Esks’ offense couldn’t get untracked. After going two n’ out again, Sakoda’s punt got caught in the wind and Edmonton took over with great field position after a nice return at the Riders’ 29. Ray connected with Stamps over the middle at the 15. Ray was then sacked by Chucky Adams. Ray hit Stamps again at the goal line; Ray fumbled, the Riders recovered but the ruling on the field was that Stamps was down by contact. Reggie Whitlock carried it in from there and Edmonton tied the score at 10. A long completion from Durant to Rodriguez was wiped out by a holding penalty and Edmonton got the ball back in short order. Sakoda’s next punt carried only 14 yards and the Esks set up shop in great shape again. Prefontaine then beautifully angled a punt into the right corner of the end zone for a single (11-10) as time was running short in the half. From their 35, Durant was able to move the offense to Edmonton’s 40 on a couple of completions but the drive stalled there and (after a penalty) the Esks started out at their 35 with 38 seconds left. After Ray connected with Stamps on a pass to the Riders’ 40, Ray found former Patriot Kelly Campbell over the middle at the 10. Campbell was wide open in the end zone on the next play but dropped Ray’s perfect pass. (Now you know why Campbell’s a “former” Patriot). With one second remaining on the clock, Neil Prefontaine knocked in an 18-yard field goal and the Esks went in at halftime with a 14-10 lead.

Edmonton started out the second half at their 40 and were able to get the ball to midfield. The drive stalled there and Prefontaine punted away as the Riders started out deep in their territory. Starting from their 7, Durant ran for 14, connected with Getzlaf for 15, Dressler for 8, and Fantuz again for 31. Fantuz fumbled on the play, but he was ruled down by contact. A replay indicated that Fantuz’ knee had hit the turf before the ball was stripped away. A short run and an incompletion killed the drive, so Congi knocked in a 22-yarder to make the score 14-13. Edmonton moved the ball to their 46 before having to punt away. Prefontaine’s fumble was mishandled by Dorsey, who fumbled the ball out of bounds at the Riders’ 2. After two unsuccessful plays, Congi took a knee in the end zone for a safety and the Esks went back up by three at 16-13. A short kick gave Edmonton the ball at their 51. Ray hit Fred Stamps at the 30 and Whitlock carried for 5 on a pitch right. Whitlock’s next carry gained only two, so Prefontaine kicked at 31-yarder and the Esks went up 19-13. On the Riders’ next possession, Cates carried for 3, but Durant’s pass was dropped by Rodriguez and they had to punt away with Edmonton taking over at their 25. Ray then connected with Campbell to on two straight plays to move the ball out to midfield. From the Riders’ 50, Ray’s next pass was broken up by Tad Kornegay. Prefontaine’s punt landed in the end zone, so Dorsey conceded the single, and Edmonton took a 20-13 lead as the third quarter ended.

Durant connected with Wes Dressler for a first down and the Riders had some traction to open the fourth quarter. Charles then carried off left tackle for a first down into Edmonton territory. On second-and-10 from the 51, Durant’s pass over the middle to Charles went for 9, setting up a crucial third down. The chains came out and they were about 18 inches short. Szarka took it up the middle for 3 and the Riders were still alive. On the next play, Durant found Fantuz with a perfectly placed pass over the middle for a 43-yard strike, and with Congi’s point after, the score was tied at 20. Congi’s kickoff went into the end zone and the Esks conceded the single, putting the Riders back on top at 21-20. From the 35, Ray found Stamps across midfield for a first down, then Stamps leaped to take Ray’s pass at the 32. Ray was able to move the ball to the 24, setting up a third-and-2. Ray connected with Stamps over the middle for another first down at the 19. McCarty then ran it up the middle to the 10. On second-and-2, McCarty carried up the middle again, but he fumbled and the Riders’ Hawkins recovered. The fumble was caused by Sean Lucas stripping the ball from McCarty. Once the Riders regained possession, Rob Bagg carried on a reverse left for 40 yards to move the ball to midfield. Durant then bootlegged right to Edmonton’s 21. The drive stalled there, but Congi knocked in a chip shot and the Riders went ahead 24-20. On Edmonton’s next possession, Ray connected with Stamps again over the middle for a big gain, but Kornegay chased Stamps down and stripped the ball away from behind, the Riders recovered and time was running short. After the three minute warning, the Riders had to punt away again and Ray and the Esks’ offense started out at their 16. On second and 10 from the 30, Ray was sacked by Mullinder and Prefontaine punted away with 1:44 left on the clock. Cates plowed into the line twice. His second carry was less than a foot shy of a first down. Durant called his own number and the Riders owned the clock with less than a minute left. With the Eskimos having no timeouts remaining, Durant took a knee and the Riders walked away with a 24-20 win. The Riders offense did not at all play with any degree of sharpness and were fortunate that the defense was opportunistic in the second half. They may be 3-0, but numbers are deceiving. Edmonton didn’t exactly play like a winless team.

Roughriders’ Game 4 at Calgary Stampeders (7/24/10):

The Riders traveled to McMahon Stadium for an important date with the 2-1 Stamps. After his dreadful punting performance last week, Louie Sakoda joined the ranks of the unemployed and former NFL punter Eddie Johnson was signed as his replacement. There appeared to be a big Green contingent at McMahon, and the Riders would need all the moral support they could garner, seeing as they really struggled last week against Edmonton. The Stamps would love nothing better than to steal a piece of first place in the CFL West as the schedule nears the end of its first month. The Stampeders are led by 12-year veteran Henry Burris, whose CFL HOF bona fides has already been established. Like the great Damon Allen (1985-2007), he is as much of a threat with his legs as with his arm.

Calgary won the toss and the Stamps’ Deon Murphy returned the ball to midfield. Calgary’s Joffrey Reynolds ripped through the Riders’ line and Henry Burris had no problem moving the ball to the Riders’ 35. But Burris passed to Nik Lewis for a short gain, Lewis fumbled and the Riders’ Leron Mitchell recovered. The Riders’ first drive went two n’ out and after a punt the Stamps took over at midfield. Reynolds went off left tackle for 11, then took a Burris pass to the 30. From there, Burris found former Patriot PK Sam for 10, Arjei Franklin for 12, and finally, Sam again in the back of the end zone for the opening score of the game. Burris shredded the Rider D in 7 plays in 56 yards. The Riders’ Neal Hughes returned the ensuing kickoff to the 35. A dumb penalty by Calgary gave the Riders a 10-yard head start, but Durant threw a bad pass and he was intercepted by Dwight Anderson. The Stamps didn’t do much this time and punted the ball back to the Riders’ Dorsey, who returned it to the 15. Durant was able to move the ball to midfield where the drive fizzled and new Riders’ punter banged the ball deep into the Stamps’ end. A holding penalty on the return pushed the ball back to the 5. From there, Reynolds attempted a couple of runs into the wall and went nowhere.

The second quarter opened up with the Stamps punting away from their end zone. Another penalty by Calgary on the return gave the Riders decent field position. Durant connected with Dressler for 12 then over the middle to Bagg for 25. A holding penalty wiped out a big gainer on a completion to Fantuz, but Durant came right back and found Prechae Rodriguez at the 16. From there, Wes Cates carried off right end and banged it in to tie the score 7-7. Burris and the Stamps started out at their 44. Burris easily moved the ball to the Riders’ 41. From there, Burris’ pass to Sam was incomplete but Lance Frazier was flagged for pass interference, setting up Calgary in great stead at the 6. With first-and-goal, Burris threw a pass deep into the end zone but the only player near the ball was the Riders’ safety, James Patrick, who returned the ball back to the 15. The Stamps’ coach, John Hufnagel, was furious with Burris on the sidelines. Either a receiver took the wrong route or Burris simply threw a bad ball. Durant was able to move the ball to midfield on a series of passes and a bootleg. The offense got as far as the 40 where Luca Congi attempted a field goal, but his kick banged off the right upright and a dead ball was ruled. Taking over at the 20, Burris hit back-up RB Jon Cornish with a dump pass and Cornish made a nice gain to the 45. After the three-minute warning, Cornish then carried twice for another first down. From there, Burris tried to go for it all, but overthrew Romby Bryant on a post-left. Burke Dales beautifully stuck a coffin corner punt that went out of bounds at the 6. After two incompletions, the Riders’ Eddie Johnson punted out of his end zone and the Stamps set up shop at the Riders’ 40. On second-and-10, Burris aired out another bad ball into the left side of the end zone, and was intercepted by Patrick. But Fantuz coughed up Durant’s next pass over the middle and the Stamps took over at midfield with less than a minute left on the clock. Calgary couldn’t do much with the ball and Dales punted the ball back to the Riders. With seconds left on the clock, Durant was content to look for short gains and get into the locker room even 7-7.

Dominique Dorsey took the second half kickoff to the 35, where Cates carried up the middle for 9, but a busted play caused Durant to get dumped for a loss and the Riders were forced to punt away. On the first play, Burris went deep and connected with Romby Bryant over the middle for a 67-yard touchdown and Calgary went ahead 14-7. Harris just blew past the corner and simply had to reach to grab a perfectly placed ball. Durant was able to bring the Riders right back. He was able to connect with Dressler for 19, then Fantuz on a nice 37-yard catch and run play that brought the ball to Calgary’s 15 but the drive fizzled there and Luca Congi knocked in a chip shot to make it 14-10. Burris was then able to move the ball into Riders’ territory on a pair of completions to Deon Murphy and another to Cornish. Burris then hit Sam, who went out of bounds at the 25 and then he took an option left for another first down. But the drive stalled and Rob Maver hit a short field goal and the Stamps were again back on top by a touchdown. The Riders went two n’ out, punted away and after a decent return, the Stamps took over near midfield. After another beautiful punt by Dales, the Riders started out their next drive at the 7. On second-and-8, Durant bootlegged up the middle for a first down. But Durant was then sacked by the blitzing Juwan Simpson and the Riders elected to take a safety rather than giving Burris the ball back with great field position and the Stamps went up by nine. Starting at the 35, Burris bootlegged up the middle for 20 yards. In the third quarter, Calgary’s defense had a lot of success blitzing and hurrying Durant and otherwise making his life miserable.

The Riders started out their first drive of the fourth quarter at the 21. Durant mishandled a snap on the first play and nearly fumbled the ball away. On the second, he was almost picked off by Milt Collins. Dreadful. The Stamps started out at their 50. From there, Jon Cornish carried off right end, down the sideline for 50 yards (missed tackles!!!). On the next play, Burris connected with Bryant again, who rumbled into the end zone and the Stamps were ahead 26-10. Durant then put one up for grabs and Calgary’s Keon Raymond picked the low hangin’ fruit and the Stamps looked to turn out the lights. It took only four plays, as Joffrey Reynolds went off right tackle from 6 yards out and the Stamps were ahead 33-10. On the Riders’ next drive, they were able to move the ball into field goal range but Congi’s kick went wide right and Calgary conceded the single to make the score 33-11 with less than six minutes left. The night was over for Burris at that point, and his replacement, Drew Tate, carried down the left sideline for 40 yards. Two plays later, Tate found Nik Lewis over the middle at the 2, and he carried into the end zone. With the extra point, it was 40-11 Calgary. Durant was intercepted again by Collins on a long pass. Calgary regained possession deep in their end and were content to concede a safety rather than punt away. Down 40-13 with a minute remaining, the Riders started out at midfield following Dorsey’s return. Durant found Dressler in the left corner of the end zone for a 26-yard garbage time touchdown, 40-20. And that’s how it mercifully ended. In the second half, the Stamps did some serious ass kickin’ and deserved to come away with a big home win. It’s back to the drawing board for the boys in Green…

Condolences:

We send our sympathy to Coach Bill Cowher and his family on the passing of his wife.

Sympathies are also extended to the family of Ralph “The Major” Houk, former manager of the Yanks, Tigers and Red Sox, who passed away in Florida at the age of 90. Houk rose from a backup catcher to a War Hero to manager of some great Yankee teams during the early-mid ‘60’s. After three pennants and two World Series titles, he moved to the GM’s chair where some of his dealings were made popular in Jim Bouton’s “Ball Four”. By the time he reached Boston in 1981 (a strike-disrupted season), he brought some sanity to a chaotic ownership situation whose personnel blunders would set back the franchise for years. He was well-regarded by players and fans alike for his low-key manner. His teams posted winning records in three of his four seasons at the helm in Boston and he was there at the end of the Yaz Era and at the beginning of Roger Clemens’. Despite the turmoil that surrounded the ownership and the transition of players on the field, he was one of the better managers (312-282) in the modern history of the Red Sox.