Those Other NY Ballplayers

Thusfar, this blog has been pretty (completely) Mets-heavy. As I try to get my feet wet with getting back in writing, I'm gonna try some new stuff on this blog to see how it works. I can tell that so far it's been perhaps a little diehard-intensified, with the casual fan sometimes getting lost in the shuffle. I appreciate all the feedback I've been getting from you guys, and I'm gonna try everyday to make this thing as readable and entertaining as possible.

With that in mind, I think now's the perfect opportunity to temporarily shift the focus of the blog. The Mets are 3,000 miles away geographically, and they are that far away metaphorically as well in New York's baseball scene. For the next four days, it's the latest installment of Red Sox-Yankees. For some fans, (sometimes me included) BOS-NYY has a "stop hyping it so much and wake me up in September" feel to it. But for now, this thing has a whole bunch of ramifications on a whole bunch of levels. So rejoice, Yankee fans (Sox Nation, too.) For the first time in the short and non-storied history of the blog, we turn to the American League East for a preview/analysis hybrid that's sure to please the masses.

First, game one tonight. If I had to choose just one game of the four to watch, there is no question it's tonight. In the first bold perfiction, (perfect prediction--just thought of it, not sure if it's used and I will get a cease and desist from someone. I will keep you updated) I say without a doubt that whoever wins tonight will take at least 3 of 4 in this series. Not the boldest statement, but the consequences are huge. If the Yanks win 3 of these games, they erase the disgusting "0-8" mark that has delighted the Sox fans all summer long. They also take a meaty 4 1/2 game first place lead. If the Sox take 3, they will have rolled into Yankee Stadium and turned a 2 1/2 game deficit into a 1/2 game first-place lead. Quite a feat. Furthermore, they may drive A-Rod and Kate Hudson into couples therapy, as Rodriguez tries to comprehend an unfathomable 1-11 record against the Red Sox that would carry through until the end of August.

So the perfiction states whoever wins tonight will do some serious damage on their opponent, be it in the standings or psychologically. For me, it comes to down to one guy. The lights-out reliever-turned mediocre starter-turning into a perhaps awesome starter-whose first name sounds like a species of chameleon. Tonight we see if Joba Chamberlain is for real. The 7-2 record looks rock n' roll, but the guy struggles in his home park, especially with his control. He is 0-1 against the Sox this year, and it's usually never a good sign when you go just 11 innings overall in 2 starts against a team. But Joba might have found his mojo, as he rolls into this series after 3 tremendous starts.

Like Joba, this Sox team is changing. But they aren't going the right way. There's only so much you can nitpick when the team is only 2 1/2 games out in a real tough division. Lord knows the Mets would give a few bench players' limbs for that right about now. But it's been almost 2 months since the Sox and Yanks faced off, and last time they did, Boston was in 'best team in baseball' mode. Their starters were great, the bullpen was lights-out, and Jason Bay was nothing short of Optimus Prime. Looking at Boston's post All Star break performance, I see a lot of beating up on Baltimore and ho-hum games against everyone else. A moderate fall down to earth was inevitable for Bay, but he blew right past earth's surface and started plummeting toward the core with that .192 July batting average. And now we're hearing he will miss both tonight and tomorrow's games with a bum hamstring (not good in terms of the perficiton.)

With J-Bay out of commission, David Ortiz will really have to show up this series. Lord knows it will get ugly tonight, in his first Yankee Stadium appearance since his reported appearance on the 2003 performance-enhancing drug list (also referred to in the Bronx as Christmas in July.) This is coupled with the agony that Fenway Park bestowed upon A-Rod in his first Boston appearance since his own allegations. While Ortiz's 2003 partner-in-crime (a term perhaps becoming literal as far as baseball's integrity) is now a Dodger, he's got a new sidekick with Victor Martinez. Boston's new acquisition as been everything they could have asked for in a deadline deal. He is thrust into his first Yankee-Red Sox circus and could just be Boston's X-factor.

The Red Sox definitely have the unfavorable pitching match-up tonight, but maybe Smoltz can get that veteran moxy working in the heat of this rivalry. Look for the Sox to do everything in their power to jump on Chamberlain early, and try to rekindle some 0-8 Yankee jitters with a lead. If they can't, Joba will only get more and more confident in his stuff, and it will be tough sledding later in the game. Either way, it should be real fun to watch. And the blog's thoughts are with you, Ortiz. It'll only get easier after tonight, and even tonight will be easy if you plant one on that short porch in right. Enjoy the game.