In the latest edition of sports Tonight’s "The Rundown", Michael Felger is joined by Andy Gresh (in for Gary Tanguay), WEEI.com’s ROb Bradford, and producers Kevin Miller, Nate Long, and Koon Lam to talk about two key issues. First, they discuss whether or not the Pats make the playoffs and how much the view of the season depends on it. Second, it’s everyone’s favorite topic; will Manny Ramirez sign with the New York Yankees.
Speaking of Manny Ramirez, time for another shameless plug. Be sure to watch "Manny Being Manny: The Final Days in Boston" Christmas night at 8pm on Comcast SportsNet after the Celtics/Lakers game and Postgame Live.
Check out this behind-the-scenes look at Mohegan Sun’s Sports Tonight exclusively on Comcast SportsNet.com!
Jonathan Papelbon joins Tanguay and Felger live from Anaheim before the ALDS against the Angels begins.
How well do fellow bullpen mates Javier Lopez, Justin Masterson, and David Pauley know their closer?
The only real way to tell was to play our version of "The Newlywed Game" on Comcast SportsNet.
Your game-show host, Gary Tanguay (honestly, is there a better choice out there?) asked our panel several personal questions about the man, the myth, Cinco Ocho.
We have seen him dress like a woman and pretend he is Patrick Swayze, now it’s time to find out his dog’s name, his favorite beverage, and his last real job.
Tune-in to Comcast SportsNet on Wednesday at 6:30pm and then back here online for a video of Jonathan Papelbon from his earlier years that you do not want to miss. Gary Tanguay and Michael Felger will show you the video in the world broadcast premiere at 6:30pm on Mohegan Sun’s Sports Tonight with the exclusive weekly interview with the Red Sox closer. Then you can watch the entire video, along with uncut portions not seen on TV.
All we can tell you is that Papelbon went through a couple of costume changes and looks to be a dead-on Patrick Swayze impersonator. You can see David Ortiz and others thoroughly enjoying this in the clubhouse before Tuesday night’s game.
Gary Tanguay tells the story of how this all went down with the Papelbon’s.
UPDATE: Check out this video for a quick preview.
Jonathan Papelbon talks with Gary Tanguay and Michael Felger on Mohegan Sun’s Sports Tonight on Aug 27th about a meeting with his bullpen mates, how the new additions have fit in, and his final games at Yankee Stadium. "Cinco Ocho" says it is a "love-hate" relationship with the New York faithful.
In his weekly interview with Comcast SportsNet, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon tells Gary Tanguay and Greg Dickerson about the difference in the clubhouse, and also comments on Ramirez’s most recent "Manny Being Manny" episode where the former left fielder for the Sox was delayed in taking the field for Joe Torre’s Dodgers. Cinco Ocho also talks about the crazy high scoring game against the Rangers.
Check back on WickedGoodSports.com later this week as Papelbon tells us some of the Olympics events he would like to see and who on the Sox would contend for a gold medal.
Are the New York Yankees a real threat? Do they have the firepower to derail a sailing Tampa Bay Rays squad and a streaky Boston Red Sox club? Do they have the will and inner determination to focus on baseball? The answers to these questions are no, no and are you kidding me?
The 2008 New York Yankees are currently 55-45 and 3 ½ games out of first place. They are ranked seventh amongst big league squads in team batting average (.269) and 13th in runs scored (469). They sport a team ERA of 4.00, which ranks 12th amongst big league teams and boast a total of 704 strikeouts, which positions them 10th in all of baseball.
What I want to focus on though is if the Yankees are a real threat to either the Sox winning the American League East pennant or the Wild Card spot. Personally, I feel that the main flaw in New York’s game is the constant intoxicating focus on third baseman Alex Rodriguez, catcher Jorge Posada’s demise and their evident inability to keep their arms healthy.
Out of all these things, I feel that the team’s pitching staff is their biggest weakness, although the chemistry amongst the men held captive by the pinstripes on their shirts is also a problem. However, the fact that starting pitcher and ace Chien-Ming Wang (foot), starting pitcher Phil Hughes (rib), starting pitcher Humberto Sanchez (elbow) and starting pitcher Carl Pavano (elbow) are all seriously injured is a testament to the durability of a team built on pure greed and lust. That’s why they won’t catch us.
bullpen / Getty Images" class="imgcaption floatr" style="float: right;" />Losing three straight games to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim was not the way I envisioned the Boston Red Sox to commence post All-Star break festivities. Losing two leads was not the way I thought the Sox would fair in two of the games, but as of late, the bullpen never fails to disappoint.
My Boston Celtics lull is starting to wither away, and my focus on the Red Sox is now at the forefront. I am focused on this team and like many of you; I think that their bullpen may be what halts them from winning another World Series.
The Sox being outscored 20-8 by the Angels was tough to take, it nearly ruined my weekend, but I don’t feel that hope is lost just yet.
The Sox are a potent offensive force despite what many of you feel. They rank at the top of Major League Baseball in batting average (.280), third in runs scored (503) and second in OBP (.355) and slugging percentage (.448). They are graced with five offensive All-Star caliber players in second baseman Dustin Pedroia, designated hitter David Ortiz, first baseman Kevin Youkilis and outfielders Manny Ramirez and J.D. Drew. Bottom line is they have the offense to mash at a champions pace.
However, like all empires, there is always a weak link, and unfortunately for the Sox their weak links reside in their futile bullpen. Bullpen reliability is what wins championships, look at how nasty the Angels’ pen is.
As you can see in the caption under the picture above, the NY Daily News once again shows its objectivity pinning the AL "blowing" the lead last night on Papelbon and not on the very bad throw by Dioner Navarro to allow the NL to take a 3-2 lead. Check out the video below as Gary Tanguay and Greg Dickerson talked with Cinco Ocho live from Yankee Stadium before last night’s game. Apparently Jonathan’s pregnant wife had things thrown at her during the parade in the afternoon.
There comes a time as a Sox fan when you sit down and look back at the teams that weren’t as fortunate to win it all like the ‘04 and ‘07 teams. Honestly, the Red Sox had many players that have come and gone in the past, but the following take the cake. Some were decent, most were bad, but they all have one thing in common. In the end, they all are irrelevant. So we present to you The Top 20 Most Irrelevant Red Sox Players In The Past 20 Years.
(in no particular order)
Enjoy.
| Lee Tinsley, OF, 1994-1996
Tinsley was used a trade-bait for the Red Sox in the mid-90’s. He was traded from Seattle to Boston, then to Philly, and finally back to Boston for his second stint. The outfielder never lived up to the hype. He was drafted 11th overall in the 1987 Amateur draft. He currently coaches first base for the Arizona Diamondbacks. |
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Thoughts from a week that brought us the birth of a baseball dynasty—or at least a team that will challenge in the AL East for the next month or so before sputtering out and finishing the season 10 games behind the Red Sox and Yankees…
"One Positive Thing About Baseball" of the Week: DVR Made Easy
So let’s say you’re watching a Celtics game, and you realize you forgot something at the store, or maybe you have to go pick up your dinner, switch your laundry, take the dog for a walk. You pause the TV, leave the house and try and get back as soon as possible, and when you do, you’ve got your work cut out for you. You’ve missed about 20 minutes of time, which in basketball means multiple possessions, a lot of hoops and potentially a huge swing in momentum. You have the conversation with yourself:
OK, should I try and catch up?… No, it’s cool, I’ll just fast-forward through commercials… but what if someone calls or texts you from the TV future and spoils a big play that you’d rather see live?… OK, I just won’t answer my phone… that’s stupid, what if you fast forward through foul shots as well. That’ll make up some time… all right, that sounds good… but wait, I kind of like the stats they show during foul shots…
You know how it goes. It’s a mess and brings far too much stress than you need when you’re already watching a stressful game. Anyway, with baseball—and especially the Red Sox this season—you go to the store, and 20 minutes later you’ve missed like six pitches. There’s so much painful downtime, you hardly need to pause it at all.
Note: And yeah, I’m desperately trying to find ways to be positive about the Celtics not playing another meaningful game for four months.
Thoughts while uncomfortably waiting for Darrell Arthur to be drafted…
Three Random Draft Observations of the Week
*Worst comment of the entire night (paraphrased here):
"Hey, guys, did you hear that Doc Rivers Gatorade shirt went up on EBay this week and someone bought it for $50,000? I mean that’s great, but get a life!" –Stuart Scott
Stu, you are soooo right. I’ve always considered rapists, pick pockets, ambulance chasers and people who donate 50K to benefit children’s charities to be society’s biggest bottom feeders.
*Eric Gordon looks like a combination of Jay Williams and Steve Erkel if said Jay Williams/Steve Erkel combo constantly looked constipated.
*When you hate someone for as long as I’ve hated Stephen A. Smith, you surrender all hope that you’ll ever enjoy his presence on any given broadcast. But as weird and wrong as this feels to say, I enjoyed Stephen A. Smith last night.
He asks real questions, sugar coats nothing, and for some reason, players are comfortable enough with him to actually answer. Those post-pick interviews could have easily been as cookie cutter as a third grade report card, but SAS kept it pretty legit. From asking DJ Augustine about Raymond Felton, Gallinari about getting booed and Russell Westbrook about the knocks on his ability to run the point, I thought he did a surprisingly decent job.
And on that note…
The Three Best (hilarious) SAS interviews of the night:
1. Joe Alexander: Only because his awkward intensity sounded exactly like Joe from Family Guy.
2. Brooke Lopez: Only because his clothes and grace were reminiscent of the giant from Big Fish while his voice was Mr. Larson from Happy Gilmore.
3. Darrell Arthur: Only because at one point SAS said this sentence on national TV: "Darrell, now we goin’ to Doris, who’s down there wit yo mama!"
Note 1: When Brook and Robin Lopez’s were choosing a college, do you think they took into consideration the fact that Stanford had already sent a pair of identical twin seven-footers—Jason and Jarron Collins—to the league? It can’t just be a coincidence that the NBA’s only two sets of freak twins of the last 20 (or more) years went to the same school, right? Maybe Stanford has scientists engineering these dudes the same way the Chinese government created Yao.
Note on a Note: Here’s something weird about Jason and Jarron Collins. Not only are they identical twins, but over the course of their seven year careers they’ve averaged an almost identical 4.4 and 4.3 points per game. Granted, Jason’s played about 100 more games and made two appearances in the Finals but still, for their numbers to be so similar is kind of eerie.
Note to the Third: I usually like quirky athletes—I enjoyed watching Ricky Williams give interviews with his helmet on, love Jesper Parnevik’s pants and used to laugh at Jonathan Silverman’s character in Little Big League—but the Lopez brothers are the exception to the rule. There’s something about them that I absolutely hate and I can’t imagine how awful it must have been for the other Stanford guys to put up with Brook and Robin over the last two years. I think the fact that they won’t be together anymore is the best possible scenario for any team that has to put up with their weird BS, but I still don’t foresee them becoming anything more than gigantic—literally and figuratively—and freaky pains in the ass.
Check out this story for confirmation
I’d love to see Brook plop himself down next to Vince Carter on the team plain and strike up a conversation about the time Peter Pan saved the Lost Boys.
Segue.
"Random List of the Week"
I was relatively indifferent on the Yi for Richard Jefferson trade. First, there’s not a team in the league I care less about than the Bucks, and second, in the last year the Nets have become more irrelevant than the latest hard copy edition of Encyclopedia Britannica.
Anyway, here’s the one thought I had: I’m happy Vince Carter is getting what he deserves again—the leading role on a garbage, going no where team.
It’s funny to say this now, because Vince was one of the most entertaining and likable guys in the league when he first started. He was on everybody’s short list of favorite players. Now he’s a disgrace.
Mike Felger on Mohegan Sun’s Sports Tonight asks to see Cinco Ocho’s typical reaction to a blown save.
Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon (aka Cinco Ocho aka Milli (or Vanilli?)) talks with Mike Felger about his music likes and dislikes. Papelbon starts off the discussion by talking smack about Manny Delcarmen, his partner in crime.
Click here to see Paps and Manny Delcarmen perform "Blame it on the Rain".
Check out the latest web only edition of Jonathan Papelbon’s weekly interview with Gary Tanguay of Comcast SportsNet.
This week, we answer some emails from fans about little brother Josh (who is pitching in the Sox minor league system), being a bullpen pirate, and the joy and wonder of doing his laundry.
If you have an email for Cinco-Ocho, click here and fill out the form. As you can see, no questions are off limits.
You can also watch more exclusive videos with Jonathan, including the latest one from last week’s Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight where Pap comments on his ranking as one of the hottest couples, right here…only on ComcastSportsNet.com!
