SB Nation User Blog: crabchowdah

JRHL Standings Update

crabchowdah — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:39:48 -0000

Since WM hasn't posted this yet, chowdah's got your weekly update!

GARTNER
TEAM	W	L	T	PCT	GB
Polar Bear Rebellion	20	12	8	.600	--
Don't Toews Me Sombrero	20	15	5	.563	1.5
Harrisonburg Dukes	18	21	1	.463	5.5
Williamsburg Face Wash	16	20	4	.450	6
Champaign Ice Beagles	11	24	5	.338	10.5

LABRE
TEAM	W	L	T	PCT	GB
Two Prongered Assault	26	11	3	.688	--
My Jokes Getzlafs	24	13	3	.638	2
Team Pervertedlyslow	18	17	5	.513	7
Prestige Worldwide	18	20	2	.475	8.5
The Royal Tenenbaums	13	21	6	.400	11.5

HUNTER
TEAM	W	L	T	PCT	GB
Natty's Ice	23	16	1	.588	--
Set Sail For Fail	20	19	1	.513	3
Deb's Goon Emporium	16	16	8	.500	3.5
Disgruntled Goats	15	22	3	.413	7
Dale City Magi	13	23	4	.375	8.5

LANGWAY
TEAM	W	L	T	PCT	GB
Gould's Grinders	21	13	6	.600	--
Two Bit Crew	23	15	2	.600	--
Ice Warriors X	22	15	3	.588	0.5
Winnipeg Jets	12	22	6	.375	9
Let's Go Whalers!	11	25	4	.325	11

I think I managed to do that without screwing up the formatting too bad. Yay me!

My Day in Baltimore

crabchowdah — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:23:36 -0000

I went to the Red Sox game today, and have some notes to share about things that aren't seen in the box score. After all, there are plenty of other recaps out there.

And Now, an Assorted Chocolate Box of Game Notes (Wait, what?):

I had seats behind home plate. They were in the 5th highest row in the park, but still behind home plate. (Actually, high up seats have a pretty good view)
It was "Youth Sports Day" at Camden Yards. A kid had been randomly selected to throw out the first pitch. He was a member of the Columbia Clippers, who I swam for in the '07-'08 season. The pitch appeared to be right down the middle (well, close enough for a first pitch. It was better than most.)
The weather was sunny and comfortable, and the game started pretty much right on time.
The woman who sang the National Anthem and God Bless America was an opera singer. (Just wondering- why are only guys asked to take off their hats for the anthem?)
There were LOTS of Sox fans, a decent number of O's fans, and some fans of various other teams, but there were some nearly empty sections in the stands (mostly the upper deck near the outfield).
I overheard people near me talking about which cities didn't know much about baseball. One of them had once been keeping score when a fan of another team asked her what she was doing. She answered "Keeping score" , to which the other fan replied "You can do that?!?" They had just mentioned Seattle not being baseball-knowledgable, so I think the story is probably about Mariners fans.
Seen in the stands: a Dave Trembley jersey, a sign reading "Bird's the Word", and a beachball being played with in the seats down near the RF line.
There was a stand outside the stadium selling Sox and O's stuff. It was relatively reasonably priced, and my mom bought me a two-piece Sox swimsuit. Seriously.
I had a pit beef sandwich from Boog's BBQ. It came with a side of Boston baked beans.
After Tek K'd to end the top of the 9th, some little kid shouted "Yay, we won" , though I'm not sure what team the kid was rooting for.
After giving up the HR to Luke Scott, Dice-K went behind the mound and appeared to be playing with the infield grass or something, and there was some delay. Was he just stretching during a commercial break (like a goalie)?
Relish won the hot dog race. If you've been to Camden Yards in the past few years you should know what that means.
Ya know how people sometimes try too hard to pronounce Spanish words and names (they say it with a fake accent, basically)? The O's PA announcer was doing that.
In today's edition of "This or That" (again, a video played on the scoreboard during commercials), more Orioles voted for James Bond than Austin Powers.
Lastly, I bought a 16 month Orioles calendar to benefit the Maryland SPCA. It has adorable pictures of O's players (and Aubrey Huff) posing with dogs and cats.

GO SOX! We probably won't win the division, but we're hot right now and the Yanks (whom we play after going to Kansas City) are cooling off. Let's keep it going!

Sox sign Jose Iglesias

crabchowdah — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:17:05 -0000

Sox sign Jose Iglesias

Yay? Boo?

Roster Expansion?

crabchowdah — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:32:19 -0000

(First off, I suggest reading this article if you don't already have a reasonably strong understanding of how MLB September call-ups work. It's a few years old and is against roster expansion, but does a good job of explaining the process.)

I'm just curious as to if the NHL would ever try something like MLB's September roster expansion. There are many complications to this idea, but something could possibly be worked out. A major obstacle is that minor league hockey seasons don't end before the NHL's season. Also, there's the basic fact that baseball and hockey are very different sports and have different roster rules. But (yes, I love to start sentences with but/and) it still seems remotely plausible (insert Bettman joke here). Thoughts?

Not quite Sox-related, but.....

crabchowdah — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:16:15 -0000

Not quite Sox-related, but.....

Remember hearing about Roger Clemens' son Koby? Well, he's making a name for himself in the minors.

Tim Wakefield to miss next start

crabchowdah — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:10:37 -0000

Tim Wakefield to miss next start

Wake will miss his scheduled Tuesday start due to more back discomfort

Minor Lines 8/21-23: Chowdah?!?

crabchowdah — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 03:29:41 -0000

For those who haven't already heard, USG couldn't access the internet over the weekend. I saw this as my chance to attempt to do the Minor Lines, something I'd wanted to try. I admit that I'm not an expert on the minors, but I'll do my best.

While the Red Sox spent the weekend losing a series to the Yankees, their farm clubs were busy, uhhh, farming? Anyway, here's how the teams and players in the Sox organization did:

8/21

Pawtucket Red Sox- They salvaged a five-game home series with a 2-1 win over Rochester. The story of this game was that Tim Wakefield pitched very well in his final rehab start. Recap, Box

W- Wakefield 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
L- Juan Morillo
S- T.J. Large

Josh Reddick 1-4, RBI
George Kottaras 1-3, BB, K
Bubba Bell 1-2, 2 BB
Aaron Bates 1-3, BB, GIDP, E
Angel Chavez 1-3, R, K
Chris Woodward 0-2, R, BB, K
Dustin Richardson .2 IP, 2 K, BB
Javier Lopez .2 IP

Portland Sea Dogs- Their game vs. Harrisburg was rained out and made up 8/22

Salem Red Sox- The Salem Sox were blown out 0-11 on the road against Potomac. The P-Nats scored all of their runs in the first three innings. Recap, Box

W- William Atwood
L- Stephen Fife 1+ IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 2 K, 4 HR

Che-Hsuan Lin 1-4, 2B, A
Michael Jones 0-3, BB
Anthony Rizzo 1-3, BB
Tim Federowicz 1-4, 2B, PB
David Mailman 0-3, BB, 2 K
Josh Papelbon (aka our closer's brother) 4.1 IP, 4 H, K. An excellent job of long relief.

Greenville Drive- Rainout

Lowell Spinners- Lowell recovered from an early deficit to beat Auburn 16-7. Recap, Box

W- Michael Bugary
L- Jamie Lehman

Wilfred Pichardo 3-4, 3 R, 2 2B, 3 RBI, BB, 2 SB, GIDP
Derrik Gibson 1-4, R, 3 RBI, BB
Ryan Westmoreland 1-4, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB

Gulf Coast League Red Sox- Suspended game against GCL O's to be completed on 8/26.

8/22

Pawtucket- The PawSox continued their homestand against Lehigh Valley, and lost 0-3 in 11 innings. Recap, Box

W- Jason Anderson
L- Large

Reddick 0-4, BB
Bell 1-4, BB, K
Jeff Bailey 0-4, BB, K
Brian Anderson 0-5
Mark Wagner 0-3, 2BB
Bates 1-5, 2K
Woodward 0-3, BB, K
Gil Velazquez 1-3, S
Adam Mills (A fellow Marylander!) 7 IP, 3 H, BB, 4K
Marcus McBeth 1.1 IP, BB, H
Hunter Jones 1 IP, 2K, BB

Portland (Game 1) The Sea Dogs blew a late lead to lose to Harrisburg, 5-4 in seven innings. Recap, Box

W- Atahualpa Severino
L- Chad Rhoades
S- Drew Storen

Ryan Kalish 1-4, R, K
Daniel Nava 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, K
Jon Still 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K
Lars Anderson 0-2, 2 BB
Luis Exposito 1-4, 3 K
Jason Place 0-2, 2 K, BB
Ryan Khoury 0-1, K, 2 BB
Yamaico Navarro 0-3, GIDP

Portland (Game 2) In the second game of the doubleheader, Portland never had a lead at all, as they lost 1-3 to Harrisburg, also in seven. Recap, Box

W- Bradley Meyers
L- Ryne Lawson

Nava 0-3
Kalish 1-3, K, A
Jorge Jimenez 0-3
Still 0-3
Khoury 1-3, 2B, R, 2 K
Place 2-2, RBI, CS, A
Navarro 0-2

Salem- Rainout

Greenville (Game 1)- The Drive scored all six of their runs in the top of the second inning as they beat West Virginia 6-3 in seven. Recap, Box

W- Brock Huntzinger
L- Brian Leach

Shannon Wilkerson 3-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, K
Ryan Dent 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, 2 K, SB
Ryan Lavarnway 1-4, 3 K
Will Middlebrooks 2-4, R, K
Chris McGuiness 0-3, R, 2 K, HBP (Greenville debut)
Oscar Tejeda 1-2, RBI

Greenville (Game 2)- Greenville held on to beat West Virginia 8-6 in seven. Recap, Box

W- Leandro Marin
L- Gabriel Alvarado

Casey Kelly 1-3, 2B, R, BB, K
Lavarnway 1-4, R, RBI, K
Middlebrooks 1-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K
Wilkerson 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
McGuiness 0-3, R

Lowell- Beat Oneonta 5-2. Recap, Box

W- Jordan Flasher
L- Jose Siso
S- Kyle Rutter

Pichardo 2-4, 2 RBI, BB, K
Westmoreland 1-3, 3B, R, BB

GCL Sox- No game.

8/23

PawSox- Lost 4-2 to Lehigh Valley. Recap, Box

W- Joe Savery
L- Billy Traber 4.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, K, 2 HR
S- Jack Taschner

Reddick 0-3, RBI, BB, 2K, PO
Wagner 1-4, R, K
Bailey 2-4, K
B. Anderson 0-3, K, HBP
Dusty Brown 1-3, RBI
Bates 0-4, K
Chavez 1-3
Chris Carter 0-1
Woodward 0-2, BB
Kottaras 0-1
D. Richardson 1.1 IP, H, BB, K, PO
Charlie Zink 2.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, WP, HBP

Sea Dogs- Jorge Jimenez hit a walk-off single in the tenth inning to send Portland to a 3-2 victory over Harrisburg. Recap, Box

W- Bryson Cox
L- Justin Jones

Nava 0-3, 2 BB, K
Khoury 0-5, 3K
Jimenez 2-5, RBI, K
Still 0-4, 2 K
L. Anderson 1-3, R, BB, 2 K
Exposito 3-4, HR, K
Place 0-3, RBI, 2 K

Salem Sox (Game 1)- Salem won 3-1 in seven. Both teams scored all their runs in the sixth. Recap, Box

W- Seth Garrison
L- Adam Carr
S- Derrick Loop

Lin 0-2, 2 BB
M. Jones 1-3
Rizzo 0-2, R, BB, K
Federowicz 1-3, 2B
Chih-Hsien Chiang 1-2, 3-run HR, BB

Salem Sox (Game 2)- Potomac beat Salem 14-2 in seven innings. Recap, Box

W- Trevor Holder
L- Jose Capellan

Mailman 0-4, K
M. Jones 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB
Rizzo 0-3, K

Drive- Greenville scored the first run, but lost 4-1 in WV. Recap, Box

W- Aaron Pribanic
L- Caleb Clay
S- Casey Erickson

Kelly 0-3, BB, K
Lavarnway 1-3, HR, BB, K
McGuiness 1-3, BB
Tejeda 2-4, K, SB

Spinners- Lowell routed Oneonta 12-2. Recap, Box

W- Jose Alvarez
L- Jose Diaz

Pichardo 2-3, 4 R, 2B, 2 BB
Gibson 1-1, 4 R, 3 BB
Westmoreland 2-3, 2 R, 2B, 3 RBI, BB

GCL Sox- Lost 1-2 to GCL Reds. Recap, Box

W- Luis Machuca
L- Manuel Rivera
S- Marcos Molina

Reymond Fuentes 0-3, K
Seth Schwindenhammer 1-4, K
Boss Moanaroa 1-3, 2B, K

Yes, I know I went WAY overboard on this, and it's kinda confusing to read. But I'd like everyone to take a moment to appreciate the effort USG puts into Minor Lines.

Curtis Granderson writes about the Youk-Porcello incident

crabchowdah — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:49:36 -0000

Curtis Granderson writes about the Youk-Porcello incident

From Curtis' blog via Big League Stew.

Scoreboard Watching Thread 8/17

crabchowdah — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:04:23 -0000

Yep- it's an off-day Gamethread. It's an experimental idea.

While the Sox have a day off before they continue their playoff hunt in Toronto, some of the teams that affect them are in action tonight. If the Rangers lose to the Twins tonight, Texas is tied with us in the Wild Card. If the Yankees lose to the Athletics, we're only seven games back in the East. Since these games give us a chance to gain ground while remaining idle, this is a thread for scoreboard watching and discussing the Sox (and it may possibly include some randomness as well). Essentially, it's a normal Gamethread, except that Boston isn't playing a game.

The most important game: Twins @ Rangers, 8:05pm. Francisco Liriano takes the mound against Tommy Hunter. This was supposed to be a breakthrough season for Liriano, but he has a 5-11 record with a 5.39 ERA. However, he pitched well in both his most recent start and in his only start against the Rangers this season. Hunter, another young pitcher, has a 5-2 record with a 2.26 ERA.

Also important: Yankees @ A's, 10:05pm. A.J. Burnett vs. Brett Tomko. Burnett has had a pretty solid season (10-5 with a 3.71 ERA), with a somewhat higher road ERA (4.09). Tomko was just DFA'd by the Yankees, and will hopefully, for the Sox' sake, get revenge.

Other games: D-Backs @ Braves (Atlanta won 9-4), Angels @ Orioles, Brewers @ Pirates, Giants @ Mets, Royals @ White Sox, Cubs @ Padres, and Cardinals @ Dodgers.

News: Tigers get Aubrey Huff, Smoltz officially released, and Tonight is the deadline for signing draft picks.

Looking ahead at the rest of the schedule

crabchowdah — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:30:10 -0000

After losing to the Tigers, the Red Sox are 65-49. They're a half game ahead of the Rangers in the Wild Card, but are tied in the loss column. They trail the Yankees by six games (pending the outcome of tonight's game) for the division, and are up four games on the third-place Rays.

This month (August) is considered the make it or break it month for the Red Sox, with most games being against teams in strong contention. The Sox started off the month by winning a couple of games from the Orioles, but things quickly turned bad with a six game losing streak against division rivals Tampa and New York. But thanks to taking three of four from the Central leading Tigers, the Sox would be in the playoffs if the season ended today, and they have some confidence back. The losing streak served as a wake-up call, and the brawl fired them up.

Breakdown of Remaining Games

There are 48 games left in the season, and 26 of them are against teams within four games of a playoff berth. Of those 26, half are at home and half are on the road. Of the other 22 games, 12 are at home. To make the playoffs and possibly have a shot at winning the division, the Sox need to (re)prove that they can beat good teams, but also fatten up on the bad teams.

Series-by-Series Breakdown

@Texas, 8/14-16: This is the most immediately crucial series, as the winner takes a lead in the wild card race. After taking 9 of 10 from last year's Rangers, Boston is only 1-5 against this year's version (aka the version with better pitching). The Sox can't win the season series, but they can widen their lead over Texas.

@Toronto, 8/18-20: After an off-day, we head up to Toronto for a three game set. Despite not trading Roy Halladay, the Jays are out of contention and have essentially given up on their season. But they are still an okay team, and playing in Rogers Centre is something the Sox seem to struggle with.

New York, 8/21-23: The Sox get their first shot at revenge since the four game sweep at Yankee Stadium. We need to return to our early season dominance over the MFY, and Fenway is a good place for that. The Yanks may be hot right now, but they're not invincible. We can do it.

Chicago, 8/24-27: The Red Sox play the White Sox for four games at Fenway. The other Sox are 58-57, but only 2.5 games behind Detroit. Even though Chicago is barely over .500, they are an important opponent for Boston down the stretch, as we have eight games remaining against them and both of us are fighting for our playoff lives.

Toronto, 8/28-30: We end August with the first three of six remaining home games against the Jays, followed by an off-day.

@Tampa, 9/1-3: The Sox head to the Trop to begin September, hoping their struggles against the Rays (and in domes in general) don't continue. As of right now, the Rays are four back of us in the wild card.

@Chicago, 9/4-7: The last four Sox vs Sox games of the regular season are at US Cellular Field.

Baltimore, 9/8-9: Boston comes home for two games against the Orioles. Baltimore is resiliant and has some good players, but these are games that we need to win. The O's have struggled mightily since the break, and the Sox hope to continue their winning ways against Baltimore.

Tampa, 9/11-13: The Red Sox play Tampa for the final time in the regular season. An interesting detail about this series is that it is between two off-days, and thus players needing rest won't affect the series as much.

Los Angeles, 9/15-17: The first-place Angels, another big AL rival, come to town. They lead the AL West by 4.5 over the Rangers, and are 4-2 against us this season.

@Baltimore, 9/18-20: The Sox go to Camden Yards to finish the season series against the Birds.

@Kansas City, 9/21-24: Boston continues their road trip at Kauffman Stadium against the Royals. After a decent start, KC is contending for the #1 draft pick.

@New York, 9/25-27: The Red Sox play the Yankees for the last time in the regular season. This is also their last road series. This road trip is very important because the first seven games are against bad teams that they should beat, and the last three are their last chance to gain ground on the Yanks head-to-head.

Toronto, 9/28-30: Our penultimate regular season series is at Fenway, against the Jays.

Cleveland, 10/1-4: We finish the regular season by hosting the Indians. These four games against the disappointing Tribe represent a somewhat lucky end to the schedule. If the playoff races come down to games this late in the season (which is highly possible), we have the advantage of playing a bad team at home for four games.

And after all this, (hopefully) the playoffs.

(Full schedule can be found here)