The Red Sox couldn't just lose, could they?

Yesterday was the perfect illustration why I don't consider all losses to be equal. Of course mathematically they all are. A 25-0 rout is as much of a loss as a 2-1 pitchers duel or a 10-9 slugfest or a blown save in the 9th.

But emotionally (and it is always dangerous to imply baseball has any emotions) losing a game that including a tremendous comeback only to blow it in the late innings is a nice punch to the throat.

When I saw the game was 4-1 late, I simply shrugged and thought "Sox don't have it tonight" and went back to work. Then I looked up and saw it was 4-4 after Youk's homer and I got pumped up.

A nice come from behind win, coupled with a Lester start on Thursday and the Sox could be back at .500 for the first time all year. And with a few more wins, the Sox could finish this miserable April with a winning record!

Then Bard coughed it up to old nemesis Vlad Guerrero. Suddenly the old punching bag known as the Orioles have won the series.

What could have been an emotional win turned into a kick to the cup.
And that was just for me sitting at a desk in California. I can't imagine what it felt like for the players.

Either way, I'm updating the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 5

April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.)
April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.)
April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.)
April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.)
April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 8

April 1 - 9-5 loss in Texas. (The Sox tie Opening Day in the 8th with an Ortiz homer only to have Bard implode and the Sox let up 4 in the bottom of the 8th.)

April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.)
April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.)
April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.)
April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro.
April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picke doff, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.)
April 26 - 4-1 loss in Baltimore. (Buchholz pitches tentatively and the Sox let Kevin Gregg of all people to close out the 9th.)
April 27 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (The Sox tie the game with a 3 run 8th only to have Bard lose it in the bottom of the 8th.)

-3.

And with each Daniel Bard loss, Jonathan Papelbon's bargaining position gets better.

Just win today.

Hey Rangers... Nice Killer Instinct

Seriously Rangers... I was all ready for a kick ass post about you guys. You had a 6-1 lead, Javy Vazquez knocked out of the game, Cliff Lee on the mound and notice was being served that there was a new sheriff in the American League.

Then when Jeter tripled, I thought to myself "Uh oh... I've seen this before."

And when the score got to be a 1 run game in the 9th I thought "Oh boy... they are going to take the lead."

But with the lead taken, the Rangers had the tying run on third with nobody out and Young, Hamilton and Guerrero coming up.

And they couldn't tie the game.

This was a monumentally stupid loss for the Rangers. The good will of the rally against Rivera last night was flushed down the toilet and they choked this one away.

Now this can be a learning experience or this can be confirmation that they aren't in the Yankees class just yet.

But teams with titles on their mind find a way to win this... and if need be find a way to tie the score in the 9th.

You know, like the way the Yankees won it in the 9th.

Hey Rangers... Nice Killer Instinct

Seriously Rangers... I was all ready for a kick ass post about you guys. You had a 6-1 lead, Javy Vazquez knocked out of the game, Cliff Lee on the mound and notice was being served that there was a new sheriff in the American League.

Then when Jeter tripled, I thought to myself "Uh oh... I've seen this before."

And when the score got to be a 1 run game in the 9th I thought "Oh boy... they are going to take the lead."

But with the lead taken, the Rangers had the tying run on third with nobody out and Young, Hamilton and Guerrero coming up.

And they couldn't tie the game.

This was a monumentally stupid loss for the Rangers. The good will of the rally against Rivera last night was flushed down the toilet and they choked this one away.

Now this can be a learning experience or this can be confirmation that they aren't in the Yankees class just yet.

But teams with titles on their mind find a way to win this... and if need be find a way to tie the score in the 9th.

You know, like the way the Yankees won it in the 9th.

Now THAT was fun

I knew I was going to write a blog post about this game... but it kept changing.

At first it was a good one about how Lackey stepped up and gave the Sox a great game when they needed it.

But then it turned into a bad post about how do you walk Vlad Guerrero to kickstart a rally? Vlad swings at stuff over his eyes and 4 feet UNDER ground. How can he POSSIBLY walk.

Then it turned into the frustration of a wasted Lackey outing and the fact that Cliff Lee was going to stampede to another Cy Young Award.

Then it turned into the Kevin Youkilis show with a 2 out RBI game tying hit...

Then it turned back into a teeth grinder with Mike Cameron's walk off shot caught. Finally Youk made it all worthwhile.

And time to update the tally.

DODGED A BULLET GAMES - 27

April 4 - 9-7 win against Yankees (On Opening Night, the Red Sox overcome a 5-1 Yankee lead with a game tying HR by Pedroia and a go ahead passed ball.)
April 10 - 8-3 win against Kansas City (Beckett out pitches Zack Greinke and nearly gets decapitated by a line drive.)
April 14 - 6-3 win in Minnesota. (Okajima gets Morneau to pop up with the bases loaded in the 7th and Papelbon wiggled out of a 9th inning jam.)
April 20 - 7-6 win against Texas. (Darnell McDonald introduces himself to Boston with an 8th inning game tying homer and a walk off hit in the 9th.)
April 21 - 8-7 win against Texas. (The Red Sox were down 4-0 early only to win it on Youk's 2 out 11th inning double.)
April 23 - 4-3 win against Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 3-0 lead but win it on Adrian Beltre's bases loaded walk.)

April 24 - 7-6 win against Baltimore. (The Red Sox score 6 in the 7th and hold off a late Baltimore comeback attempt.)
April 26 - 13-12 win at Toronto. (The Sox blow an early 5-0 lead but hang on for dear life in a slugfest.)
April 27 - 2-1 win at Toronto. (Buchholz holds the Jays down for 8 but it takes a bases loaded walk in the 8th to go ahead.)
April 28 - 2-0 win at Toronto. (Daniel Bard wiggles out of trouble in the 8th to help Lester shut down the Blue Jays and finish the sweep.)
May 4 - 5-1 win against the Angels. (Juan Rivera misplays Jeremy Hermedia's 2 out flyball into a 3 run game winning double)
May 5 - 3-1 win against the Angels. (Papi and Beltre homer and the Sox hang on despite squandering many potential rallies.)
May 6 - 11-6 win against the Angels. (Dice-K puts the Red Sox in a 4-0 hole before they even bat. The Sox bats respond.)
May 10 - 7-6 win against the Blue Jays. (Sox blow an early 2-0 lead, take advantage of some errors and hang on.)
May 18 - 7-5 win in New York. (Sox climb back from a 5-1 hole. A day after hitting a walk off homer, Marcus Thames drops a fly ball to start the winning rally for the Sox.)
May 25 - 2-0 win in Tampa. (Big Papi supplies all the offense as Papelbon wiggles out of a 9th inning jam.)
May 29 - 1-0 win against Kansas City. (Zack Greinke holds the Sox to one run, but they make it stick)

June 1 - 9-4 win against Oakland. (Lackey puts the Sox in a 4-0 hole but Victor Martinez goes 5-5 and the Sox score 9 runs late.)
June 2 - 6-4 win against Oakland. (Dice-K puts the Sox in a 3-0 hole before they come to bat, but come back thanks to Papi's homer.)

June 8 - 3-2 win at Cleveland. (With Papelbon unavailable, Okajima, Ramirez and Bard hang on to make a winner out of Wakefield.)

June 19 - 5-4 win against the Dodgers. (Sox make 4 errors, blow a late lead and let Manny homer, but they win it in the bottom of the 9th on a Pedroia single.)
June 20 - 2-0 win against the Dodgers. (Dodgers blow an early bases loaded scoring opportunity and allow Buchholz to settle down for the win.)

June 24 - 13-11 win in Colorado. (The bullpen lets up 9 runs in 5 innings, but Pedroia homers 3 times including with 2 outs in the 10th to win a wild and stupid game.)
June 26 - 4-2 win in San Francisco. (An injury running the bases takes Buchholz out in the second, but the bullpen and Mike Cameron's bat and glove win the game.)
July 2 - 3-2 win against the Orioles. (Wakefield gets the win and J.D. Drew homers twice, but it is Nava's 2 out 8th inning bloop that landed between three fielders that breaks the tie.)

July 11 - 3-2 win in Toronto. (Jesse Litch took a no hitter into the 6th but back to back homers by McDonald and Big Papi win the game.)
July 17 - 3-2 win against Texas. (Youk ties the game in the 9th off of Cliff Lee and wins it in the 11th with a sacrifuce fly)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 26

April 6 - 6-4 loss against the Yankees. (Scutaro's error leads to the winning run.)
April 7 - 3-1 loss against the Yankees. (Sox leave the winning run on in the 9th only to lose on Granderson's 10th inning homer)
April 9 - 4-3 loss in Kansas City. (Bard coughs up the lead, denying Wakefield a win.)
April 17 - 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Sox can't score with the bases loaded and nobody out in the 11th... lost it in the 12th.)
April 17 - 6-5 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox comeback falls a run short, leaving two on in the 8th)
April 25 - 7-6 loss to Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 4-1 lead, leave the winning run on second in the 9th, let up 3 in the 10th and could only score 2 in the bottom of the 10th)
April 30 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (Tejada ties the game with a 2 out 8th inning homer and wins it with a bloop in the 10th)
May 1 - 12-9 loss in Baltimore. (Dice-K and Wakes get pounded, wasting 2 homers from Ortiz and an early 4-1 lead.)
May 2 - 3-2 loss in Baltimore. (Varitek is thrown at home trying to score with 2 outs in the 8th. Sox get swept in the 10th.
May 12 - 3-2 loss against the Blue Jays. (The Sox rally in the 9th comes up a run short and Kevin Gregg gets an ugly save.)
May 15 - 7-6 loss in Detroit. (The Sox blow a 6-1 lead and lose it on a 2 out bases loaded walk in the 12th.)
May 17 - 11-9 loss in New York. (The Sox come all the way back from a 5-0 first inning hole to take a 9-7 lead in the 9th... but Papelbon lets up a 2 run game tying shot to A-Rod and a 2 run walk off shot to Marcus Thames.)
May 21 - 5-1 loss in Philadelphia. (Big Papi's bid for a game tying 9th inning grand slam is caught at the warning track.)
May 27 - 4-3 loss to Kansas City. (Dice-K walks the go ahead run in and lets another score on a wild pitch as the Royals no name bullpen shut down the Hot Sox.)
May 28 - 12-5 loss to Kansas City. (Sox blow a 3-0 first inning lead to be blown out in Fenway.)
June 3 - 9-8 loss to Oakland. (Sox lose a slugfest where two Boston runners are thrown out at home.)

June 6 - 4-3 loss in Baltimore. (Sox rally to tie the game in the 9th only to lose it on a small ball rally in the 11th.)
June 10 - 8-7 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow an early 5-0 lead and then after rallying in the 9th to take the lead coughed it up with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th)
June 13 - 5-3 loss to Philadelphia. (Sox 9th inning rally comes up short)
June 22 - 2-1 loss in Colorado. (The Sox waste a solid Lester start and twice leave the bases loaded.)
June 23 - 8-6 loss in Colorado. (The Sox batter Ubaldo Jimenez around but Papelbon lets up 2 homers in the 9th to lose it.)
June 25 - 5-4 loss in San Francisco. (The Sox strand 11 runners in the last 4 innings wasting a solid Wakefield performance.)
July 5 - 6-5 loss in Tampa Bay. (Sox spoil a 5-1 lead and 2 homers by Eric Patterson when Dice-K and the bullpen couldn't hold down the Rays.)
July 6 - 3-2 loss in Tampa Bay. (Sox bats go dead and Kevin Youkilis goes down to injury.)
July 7 - 6-4 loss in Tampa Bay. (Matt Garza comes out of the pen, shuts down a late rally as the Rays sweep the Sox.)
July 10 - 9-5 loss in Toronto. (The Sox give Lackey an early 5-3 lead that he couldn't hold.)

+1

With all the injuries and blown games and heart break of this season, they have stolen more games than they have blown.

And they are only 4 games out in the loss column for a playoff spot... and are on pace to win 92 games.

And this is a LOST year.

Now THAT was fun

I knew I was going to write a blog post about this game... but it kept changing.

At first it was a good one about how Lackey stepped up and gave the Sox a great game when they needed it.

But then it turned into a bad post about how do you walk Vlad Guerrero to kickstart a rally? Vlad swings at stuff over his eyes and 4 feet UNDER ground. How can he POSSIBLY walk.

Then it turned into the frustration of a wasted Lackey outing and the fact that Cliff Lee was going to stampede to another Cy Young Award.

Then it turned into the Kevin Youkilis show with a 2 out RBI game tying hit...

Then it turned back into a teeth grinder with Mike Cameron's walk off shot caught. Finally Youk made it all worthwhile.

And time to update the tally.

DODGED A BULLET GAMES - 27

April 4 - 9-7 win against Yankees (On Opening Night, the Red Sox overcome a 5-1 Yankee lead with a game tying HR by Pedroia and a go ahead passed ball.)
April 10 - 8-3 win against Kansas City (Beckett out pitches Zack Greinke and nearly gets decapitated by a line drive.)
April 14 - 6-3 win in Minnesota. (Okajima gets Morneau to pop up with the bases loaded in the 7th and Papelbon wiggled out of a 9th inning jam.)
April 20 - 7-6 win against Texas. (Darnell McDonald introduces himself to Boston with an 8th inning game tying homer and a walk off hit in the 9th.)
April 21 - 8-7 win against Texas. (The Red Sox were down 4-0 early only to win it on Youk's 2 out 11th inning double.)
April 23 - 4-3 win against Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 3-0 lead but win it on Adrian Beltre's bases loaded walk.)

April 24 - 7-6 win against Baltimore. (The Red Sox score 6 in the 7th and hold off a late Baltimore comeback attempt.)
April 26 - 13-12 win at Toronto. (The Sox blow an early 5-0 lead but hang on for dear life in a slugfest.)
April 27 - 2-1 win at Toronto. (Buchholz holds the Jays down for 8 but it takes a bases loaded walk in the 8th to go ahead.)
April 28 - 2-0 win at Toronto. (Daniel Bard wiggles out of trouble in the 8th to help Lester shut down the Blue Jays and finish the sweep.)
May 4 - 5-1 win against the Angels. (Juan Rivera misplays Jeremy Hermedia's 2 out flyball into a 3 run game winning double)
May 5 - 3-1 win against the Angels. (Papi and Beltre homer and the Sox hang on despite squandering many potential rallies.)
May 6 - 11-6 win against the Angels. (Dice-K puts the Red Sox in a 4-0 hole before they even bat. The Sox bats respond.)
May 10 - 7-6 win against the Blue Jays. (Sox blow an early 2-0 lead, take advantage of some errors and hang on.)
May 18 - 7-5 win in New York. (Sox climb back from a 5-1 hole. A day after hitting a walk off homer, Marcus Thames drops a fly ball to start the winning rally for the Sox.)
May 25 - 2-0 win in Tampa. (Big Papi supplies all the offense as Papelbon wiggles out of a 9th inning jam.)
May 29 - 1-0 win against Kansas City. (Zack Greinke holds the Sox to one run, but they make it stick)

June 1 - 9-4 win against Oakland. (Lackey puts the Sox in a 4-0 hole but Victor Martinez goes 5-5 and the Sox score 9 runs late.)
June 2 - 6-4 win against Oakland. (Dice-K puts the Sox in a 3-0 hole before they come to bat, but come back thanks to Papi's homer.)

June 8 - 3-2 win at Cleveland. (With Papelbon unavailable, Okajima, Ramirez and Bard hang on to make a winner out of Wakefield.)

June 19 - 5-4 win against the Dodgers. (Sox make 4 errors, blow a late lead and let Manny homer, but they win it in the bottom of the 9th on a Pedroia single.)
June 20 - 2-0 win against the Dodgers. (Dodgers blow an early bases loaded scoring opportunity and allow Buchholz to settle down for the win.)

June 24 - 13-11 win in Colorado. (The bullpen lets up 9 runs in 5 innings, but Pedroia homers 3 times including with 2 outs in the 10th to win a wild and stupid game.)
June 26 - 4-2 win in San Francisco. (An injury running the bases takes Buchholz out in the second, but the bullpen and Mike Cameron's bat and glove win the game.)
July 2 - 3-2 win against the Orioles. (Wakefield gets the win and J.D. Drew homers twice, but it is Nava's 2 out 8th inning bloop that landed between three fielders that breaks the tie.)

July 11 - 3-2 win in Toronto. (Jesse Litch took a no hitter into the 6th but back to back homers by McDonald and Big Papi win the game.)
July 17 - 3-2 win against Texas. (Youk ties the game in the 9th off of Cliff Lee and wins it in the 11th with a sacrifuce fly)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 26

April 6 - 6-4 loss against the Yankees. (Scutaro's error leads to the winning run.)
April 7 - 3-1 loss against the Yankees. (Sox leave the winning run on in the 9th only to lose on Granderson's 10th inning homer)
April 9 - 4-3 loss in Kansas City. (Bard coughs up the lead, denying Wakefield a win.)
April 17 - 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Sox can't score with the bases loaded and nobody out in the 11th... lost it in the 12th.)
April 17 - 6-5 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox comeback falls a run short, leaving two on in the 8th)
April 25 - 7-6 loss to Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 4-1 lead, leave the winning run on second in the 9th, let up 3 in the 10th and could only score 2 in the bottom of the 10th)
April 30 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (Tejada ties the game with a 2 out 8th inning homer and wins it with a bloop in the 10th)
May 1 - 12-9 loss in Baltimore. (Dice-K and Wakes get pounded, wasting 2 homers from Ortiz and an early 4-1 lead.)
May 2 - 3-2 loss in Baltimore. (Varitek is thrown at home trying to score with 2 outs in the 8th. Sox get swept in the 10th.
May 12 - 3-2 loss against the Blue Jays. (The Sox rally in the 9th comes up a run short and Kevin Gregg gets an ugly save.)
May 15 - 7-6 loss in Detroit. (The Sox blow a 6-1 lead and lose it on a 2 out bases loaded walk in the 12th.)
May 17 - 11-9 loss in New York. (The Sox come all the way back from a 5-0 first inning hole to take a 9-7 lead in the 9th... but Papelbon lets up a 2 run game tying shot to A-Rod and a 2 run walk off shot to Marcus Thames.)
May 21 - 5-1 loss in Philadelphia. (Big Papi's bid for a game tying 9th inning grand slam is caught at the warning track.)
May 27 - 4-3 loss to Kansas City. (Dice-K walks the go ahead run in and lets another score on a wild pitch as the Royals no name bullpen shut down the Hot Sox.)
May 28 - 12-5 loss to Kansas City. (Sox blow a 3-0 first inning lead to be blown out in Fenway.)
June 3 - 9-8 loss to Oakland. (Sox lose a slugfest where two Boston runners are thrown out at home.)

June 6 - 4-3 loss in Baltimore. (Sox rally to tie the game in the 9th only to lose it on a small ball rally in the 11th.)
June 10 - 8-7 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow an early 5-0 lead and then after rallying in the 9th to take the lead coughed it up with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th)
June 13 - 5-3 loss to Philadelphia. (Sox 9th inning rally comes up short)
June 22 - 2-1 loss in Colorado. (The Sox waste a solid Lester start and twice leave the bases loaded.)
June 23 - 8-6 loss in Colorado. (The Sox batter Ubaldo Jimenez around but Papelbon lets up 2 homers in the 9th to lose it.)
June 25 - 5-4 loss in San Francisco. (The Sox strand 11 runners in the last 4 innings wasting a solid Wakefield performance.)
July 5 - 6-5 loss in Tampa Bay. (Sox spoil a 5-1 lead and 2 homers by Eric Patterson when Dice-K and the bullpen couldn't hold down the Rays.)
July 6 - 3-2 loss in Tampa Bay. (Sox bats go dead and Kevin Youkilis goes down to injury.)
July 7 - 6-4 loss in Tampa Bay. (Matt Garza comes out of the pen, shuts down a late rally as the Rays sweep the Sox.)
July 10 - 9-5 loss in Toronto. (The Sox give Lackey an early 5-3 lead that he couldn't hold.)

+1

With all the injuries and blown games and heart break of this season, they have stolen more games than they have blown.

And they are only 4 games out in the loss column for a playoff spot... and are on pace to win 92 games.

And this is a LOST year.

Filling out my All Star Ballot

It's that time of year again... time to fill out our All Star Ballots and give the power to the people.

And with that power comes the insane picks that made Jason Giambi an All Star starter despite being benched on his own team in 2004... or mediocre Red Sox second baseman Mark Loretta being voted in as a starter in 2006.

It is a wonderful theory to have fans vote in players, but often times they will either simply punch in players that play for THEIR team, players they recognize or people who have had good first halves of the season.

So the staff here at Sully Baseball decided to fill out three All Star Ballots with three different sets of Ballots. And each one will have a different criteria for why each player is getting at least one vote.

I filled them out at Dodger Stadium this weekend with a little help from my friend, the Emmy winning writer and comedian Dan Cronin.

BALLOT ONE: The Players I WANT To See Play Ballot

I believe the All Star Game should be filled with players who are having a good year and will be exciting to see. By that I mean a STAR. If the National League is throwing Tim Lincecum on the mound, I want him facing down a star American League player... not someone that an egg head with a calculator tells me has a higher VORP than the league average.

Yeah I know Derek Jeter isn't having his best season... I want to see him face Halladay, Jimenez and Santana.

Is that subjective? Sure... but it's my ballot. You don't like it, get your own.

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

Catcher - ROD BARAJAS, Mets
His 10 homers leads all big league catchers.

First Base - ALBERT PUJOLS, Cardinals
He's had a bad May, but when the season is over, he'll be in the MVP discussion.

Second Base - CHASE UTLEY, Phillies
10 homers, .307 average and a 1.016 OPS gets the nod over Dan Uggla.

Shortstop - HANLEY RAMIREZ, Marlins
Let's see some hustle out there, Hanley!

Third Base - RYAN ZIMMERMAN, Nationals
A lot of good third basemen to pick from, I'll go with Zimmerman because he's done it over a full season.

Left Fielder - RYAN BRAUN, Brewers
His .324 average, .928 OPS and 30 RBI are among the lone highlights of this Brewers season.

Center Fielder -MARLON BYRD, Cubs
A solid center fielder hitting with power and a good average. A good Cubs signing? What are the chances?

Right Fielder -JAYSON WERTH, Phillies
If Andre Ethier wasn't hurt, he'd get my vote. Heck, Ethier might win the MVP. But for now, the healthy Werth with his .327 average, 1.048 OPS and 9 homers gets the nod.

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

Cather - JOE MAUER, Twins
The defending AL MVP is earning his dough with a .346 average and a .911 OPS

First Base - JUSTIN MORNEAU, Twins
Morneau leads the AL in hitting, OPS and is only 3 homers away from the home run lead.

Second Base - ROBINSON CANO, Yankees
A .335 hitters with a .956 OPS and 9 homers, Cano is becoming the next Yankee superstar.

Shortstop - DEREK JETER, Yankees
His stats will be there when the season ends. Who would rather see? Jeter or Yuniesky Betancourt?

Third Base - EVAN LONGORIA, Rays
Calm down Yankee fans. Longoria is putting up better numbers than A-Rod. Besides, I'm starting Jeter and Cano!

Left Fielder - CARL CRAWFORD, Rays
Hitting .322 for a terrific team is a smart move on his walk year.

Center Fielder - VERNON WELLS, Blue Jays
The comeback player of the year? 11 homers already to go with a .944 OPS.

Right Fielder - ICHIRO SUZUKI, Mariners
His .352 average, second in the AL, is the lone bright spot for the Mariners this year.

Designated Hitter - VLADIMIR GUERRERO, Rangers
Think the angels could use 10 homers, a .339 average and a .927 OPS?

BALLOT TWO: The First Time All Star Ballot

For some players, going to the Midseason Classic is old hat. For everyone on THIS ballot, it is their first time going and a chance to finally have the title All Star attached to their name.

Some of these names surprised me that they weren't All Stars. But, according to Baseball Reference they weren't... and why would Baseball-Reference lie to me?

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

Catcher - ROD BARAJAS, Mets
Yup, he is on two of my ballots. A smart move by Omar Minaya.

First Base - JOEY VOTTO, Reds
Leads all qualifying NL first basemen in hitting and OPS and has 10 homers to boot.

Second Base - KELLY JOHNSON, Diamondbacks
How does this guy have 12 homers already? And why did the Braves give up on him?

Shortstop - STEPHEN DREW, Diamondbacks
A playoff hero in 2007, Drew is flirting with .300 as a regular.

Third Base - CASEY McGEHEE, Brewers
He leads the NL in RBI and is only one behind Miguel Cabrera for the best in baseball.

Left Fielder - JOSH WILLINGHAM, Nationals
Has some power and a flair for the dramatic. He also has a .929 OPS as well.

Center Fielder -MARLON BYRD, Cubs
Like Barajas, is on both ballots. His signing slid under the radar last off season.

Right Fielder - JASON HEYWARD, Braves
Probably the first of many All Star selections.

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

Cather - JOHN BUCK, Blue Jays
The main piece in the Carlos Beltran trade is leading AL Catchers in homers... just not with the Royals!

First Base - KENDRY MORALES, Angels
I had to double check, but Morales is indeed an All Star virgin.

Second Base - TY WIGGINTON, Orioles
Not sure what position to put him in... but his 13 homers and .960 OPS deserves a spot on the team.

Shortstop - ELVIS ANDRUS, Rangers
Think the Braves are regretting the Mark Teixera trade?

Third Base - ADRIAN BELTRE, Red Sox
Nope, Beltre has never been an All Star before. His .335 average merits a spot now.

Left Fielder - SHIN-SOO CHOO, Indians
Think the Mariners could use his left handed swing with power now? Cleveland is happy to have him.

Center Fielder - AUSTIN JACKSON, Tigers
With Granderson hurt and Jackson hitting, not a lot of people are complaining about that trade now!

Right Fielder - JOSE BAUTISTA, Blue Jays
Did you know he was currently tied with Paul Konerko for most homers in the big leagues?

Designated Hitter - JOSE GUILLEN, Royals
Surprisingly, Guillen, with his 11 homers and 31 RBI, would be a first time All Star as well.

BALLOT THREE: The Anti All Star Ballot

The final ballot I like to call my "Sanjaya Ballot." Basically I am trying to find the absolute worst combination of players. Inevitably you will see there are players on the All Star Ballot who are barely even playing. They don't have a crystal ball handy when they make up the ballots so they don't know who is going to get hurt, stink up the joint or need psychiatric treatment.

So I found what I think is the best combination of players who are either off to awful starts, are hurt or got cut from their teams... and seeing one or two of these guys get elected might prompt baseball to reconsider the whole "Let Fans Vote" thing.

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

Cather - J. R. TOWLES, Astros
He has only 9 hits all year and he is hitting .191 with no power. But he DOES have 8 RBI... a pretty good hit to RBI ratio!

First Base - JEFF CLEMENT, Pirates
The Pirates thought they were getting a solid bat from Seattle, not a .180 hitter with 6 extra base hits.

Second Base - KAZ MATSUI, Astros
Remember when he was going to be the next big Mets star? Now he is the the latest unemployed Astro.

Shortstop - TOMMY MANZELLA, Astros
Another sub .200 hitter in the Astros lineup. His OPS doesn't bust .500... and neither will the Astros!

Third Base - ARAMIS RAMIREZ, Cubs
He has a hurt thumb, which would account for the .160 average and sub .500 OPS. Another unmovable Cub.

Left Fielder - CARLOS LEE, Astros
Yup. Another Astro. $19 million should buy you better than a .196 average, 5 homers and a .325 slugging percentage.

Center Fielder - CARLOS BELTRAN, Mets
The face of the Mets hasn't played a game all year. He's not even healthy enough to not swing at an Adam Wainwright pitch.

Right Fielder - MARK DeROSA, Giants
He was supposed to bring offense and versatility to the Giants line up. Instead he brought a .194 average, no power and a trip to the DL.

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

Cather - GERALD LAIRD, Tigers
He was never an offensive powerhouse... but a .155 average? .237 slugging? Yikes!

First Base - CASEY KOTCHMAN, Mariners
He used to flirt with .300. Now he is hitting .196. But his 3 homers almost is tops with the MarinerS!

Second Base - BRIAN ROBERTS, Orioles
The One time legit All Star wasn't producing before an abdominal injury sidelined him.

Shortstop - ADAM EVERETT, Tigers
A .197 average and .258 slugging percentage an All Star does not make.

Third Base - BRANDON WOOD, Angels
The perennial prospect is hitting .156 with an OPS of .381.

Left Fielder - MILTON BRADLEY, Mariners
To the surprise of nobody, he hasn't produced. He at least has asked for help.

Center Fielder - GRADY SIZEMORE, Indians
He's a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner. But this year he's hitting .211 with a .560 OPS, no power and languishing on the disabled list.

Right Fielder - MATT LaPORTA, Indians
The the Brewers sell the Indians a bill of goods? They certainly didn't sell them the slugger they thought they were getting.

Designated Hitter - PAT BURRELL, Rays
The Burrell in Tampa Bay experiment ended with his release after only 16 homers over a year and 2 months.



There you have it. Three ballots... three different thought processes.

Vote often. Vote insanely.
It's the American Way!

Sorry Vlad

I BURIED you the other day, and you come up with a 2 out, 2 run game tying and possible series changing home run.

I hope your pointing up is your way to say "Thank You God for blessing me with talent" and NOT meaning "Hey God, Sully trashed me on his Blog... go smite him a little!"

Vlad Impaled

Maicer Izturis is probably going to be the goat for tonight's game. Throwing an easy ball away and not taking the sure out at first base, costing your team the game will do that to you.

But the staff at Sully Baseball all agree the true goat is Vlad Guerrero.

In a 13 inning one run game, he left 8 men on base.

8!

How is that even possible?

I'll tell you how it is possible... you keep batting with the bases loaded and swinging at pitches that even Eric Gregg would have called a ball during the Livan Hernandez game.

He had the bases loaded, 2 outs and a tie game at one point... he swung at one pitch that he had to lunge over the plate to foul off and struck out with a ball in the dirt.

Hey Vlady, I know I shouldn't give advice to you, a former MVP, but here it is anyway.

When you find yourself lunging over the plate for a pitch, you should probably take it.
When you see a ball kicking up dirt faster than a gopher at Bushwood, maybe take it.

And if taking this pitches could mean taking the damn lead in a playoff game, then forget that whole free swinging reputation you have.

Just an idea.

(Isn't it great... against Papelbon he breaks the Red Sox backs, but against the Yankees he's 1-7 and was approaching double digits in the ole L.O.B. column.)

10 year veterans in search of their first World Series ring

The Sully Baseball “Who Might Get A Ring” obsession continues with a look at which veterans have a shot at a ring after 10+ seasons.

Which ever team wins in any year, there is inevitably a veteran who put in long years who finally won the big one… and it is hard to not smile when you see them win.

I remember being thrilled for former Red Sox hero Don Baylor when he got his ring in 1987 with the Twins.

It’s hard not to have goose bumps when you see Dave Winfield drive in the World Series winning runs in 1992… or Paul Molitor score on the Joe Carter homer… and even though he was hurt and not available, the White Sox win in 2005 must have been especially sweet for Frank Thomas.

And it isn’t always for the superstars. All time journeyman Mike Morgan finally got his ring in 2001.

And last year Jamie Moyer and Matt Stairs won it all with the Phillies.

Who will get the sentimental attention when the champagne pops this year?

Which player who made their debut at least 10 seasons ago will really cherish the final out, all the while looking at the rookie on the roster and think “You have no idea how lucky you are!”?

My criteria for this list is the following:

The players had to make their Major League debut in 2000 or sooner. (Sorry Hideki Matsui and Takashi Saito… I’m not counting the Japanese Leagues.)

If they missed some time due to injury, that’s fine, as long as their debut was 2000 or sooner. Rick Ankiel is on the list even though he had to go back to the farm to become an outfielder (and find an extra boost.)

They need to be in the organization now, even if they are hurt or won’t play. Lest we forget, Matt Clement and Royce Clayton got World Series rings in 2007 even though Clement played in as many games as I did that year and Royce Clayton’s only contribution was the funny “I didn’t get my taco” exchange with Coco Crisp.

There are four fomer MVPs and no shortage of former All Stars. The Dodgers have the most… the Twins have the fewest.

So let’s see who the sentimental favorites will be…

ATLANTA BRAVES

Tim Hudson – 11 seasons (Debut in 1999)
Greg Norton – 13 seasons (Debut in 1996)
Javier Vazquez – 12 seasons (Debut in 1998)

BOSTON RED SOX

Paul Byrd – 14 seasons (Debut 1995)
Billy Wagner – 15 seasons (Debut in 1995)
Chris Woodward - 10 seasons (Debut in 1999)

COLORADO ROCKIES

Jason Giambi – 15 seasons (Debut in 1995)
Todd Helton – 13 seasons (Debut in 1997)
Matt Herges – 11 seasons (Debut in 1999)

DETROIT TIGERS

Carlos Guillen – 12 seasons (Debut in 1998)
Aubrey Huff – 10 seasons (Debut in 2000)
Magglio Ordonez – 13 seasons (Debut in 1997)
Placido Polanco – 12 seasons (Debut in 1998)

LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM

Bobby Abreu – 14 seasons (Debut in 1996)
Kelvim Escobar – 12 seasons (Debut 1997)
Vladimir Guerrero – 14 seasons (Debut in 1996)
Torii Hunter – 13 seasons (Debut in 1997)
Gary Matthews Jr – 11 seasons (Debut in 1999)
Darren Oliver – 16 seasons (Debut in 1993)
Justin Speier – 12 seasons (Debut in 1998)

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Brad Ausmus – 17 seasons (Debut in 1993)

Casey Blake - 11 seasons (Debut in 1999)
Juan Castro – 15 seasons (Debut in 1995)
Rafael Furcal – 10 seasons (Debut in 2000)
Mark Loretta – 15 seasons (Debut in 1995)
Eric Milton – 12 seasons (Debut in 1998)
Guillermo Mota – 11 seasons (Debut in 1999)
Vicente Padilla – 11 seasons (Debut in 1999)
Jason Schmidt – 14 seasons (Debut in 1995)
Jim Thome – 19 seasons (Debut in 1991)
Randy Wolf – 11 seasons (Debut in 1999)

MINNESOTA TWINS

Ron Mahay – 14 seasons (Debut in 1995)
Joe Nathan – 10 seasons (Debut in 1999)

NEW YORK YANKEES

A. J. Burnett – 11 seasons (Debut in 1999)
Jerry Hairston, Jr. – 12 seasons (Debut in 1998)
Alex Rodriguez – 16 seasons (Debut in 1994)

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Paul Bako – 12 seasons (Debut in 1998)
Raul Ibanez – 14 seasons (Debut in 1996)
Chan Ho Park – 16 seasons (Debut in 1994)

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

Rick Ankiel – 7 seasons (Debut in 1999)*
Mark DeRosa – 12 seasons (Debut in 1998)
Ryan Franklin – 10 seasons (Debut in 1999)
Trever Miller – 11 seasons (Debut in 1996)
Joel Pineiro – 10 seasons (Debut in 2000)
Dennys Reyes – 13 seasons (Debut in 1997)

*Ankiel missed the 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006 MLB seasons.

This changes everything!

I kind of thought the best shot the Red Sox had to win was game 1...

But man, an entire October was changed in the course of 2 innings.

In the 6th with the Sox down 1-0... and I thought to myself "Man, I just don't feel it this year."

Then Jason Bay hit his homer and I thought "Holy Cats... we might win this game."

And then Ellsbury made that diving catch and I thought "They've got the swagger."

And then it happened...

Vlady Guererro turns a potential post season defining moment for the Angels into the leap off the couch moment for me.

Seriously... what the hell was he thinking? A shallow fly ball... the baseball gods let it drop and Vlady thought third?
That was a slow motion, end of a Die Hard movie moment where you can't believe the bad guy made such a fatal mistake.

First to third on a shallow pop... by a guy who has been hurt!

I went from conceding the playoffs to thinking about how the Sox can line up the rotation for the LCS.

I was so tense in that 8th inning that I walked down my street in South Pasadena and went to my gym where I watched the 9th inning running on a treadmill at 5 MPH.

It was either that or have me shove a bag of chips down my throat.

But suddenly winning the Wild Card works in our favor!
By playing the Angels, we get the schedule that allows them an extra day of rest.

Guess what?
It gives US an extra day too!

Suddenly the Sox have Papelbon with an extra day of rest with a day after that off!
So asking Paps for 5 outs in game 2 isn't outlandish.

Get 6 or 7 from Dice-K, mix and match with Delcarmen, Okajima and Masterson...

And suddenly the best team in baseball is on its heels.

And suddenly what looked like a short October... suddenly looks like I'll be promising lots of good things to my wife and kids in November... once the games are over.