A few quick things about the game I saw at Fenway last night:
--A slight step forward for the 4-1 Buchholz, but his ERA plummeted from 9.09 to 8.31. When an ERA drops to 8.31, things are still not going well.
-- 11 baserunners in 6 1/3 innings also does not inspire confidence.
--Rabbits and saucepans.
--The consecutive sellout thing is now officially a joke. Time to show it the door.
--I can prove this in a few ways, not the least is that I've been to Fenway three times now this year, and I've seen quite a few empty seats each time. They fill up, but not all of them. Last night, a few seats beside us and in front of us were empty all night. That simply was not the case a few years ago.
--Anyway, another proof that the place isn't selling out: I got into Uno's at 6pm and was sitting and eating by 6:15pm. That's unheard of, that we could get in there so late, and wait such a short time.
--Another: concession and bathroom lines were short and moving quickly.
--Another: our favorite parking garage had lots of empty parking spaces when we arrived at 5:45.
--Another: Fenway was very subdued all night long, even though the Sox had the lead early. Just not a positive, or full, crowd.
Now the game, and other things:
--It was probably the longest 8 1/2 inning game I've ever seen: just three minutes short of four hours.
--Reason: Every batter, on both sides, had a 3-1 or 3-2 count on him, and every pitcher, on both sides, took a few minutes to deliver each pitch. Haven't they been taught the value of pace and rhythm?
--There were 14 total walks given, but it seemed like 24.
--Adrian Gonzalez had a Little League moment last night, as he got caught snoozing at second base late in the game. He was caught so far off the bag that the second baseman had to wait a moment for him to approach it so he could tag him out.
--Last night's game was the kind of game that bad teams win. The games they lost to the Royals and Tigers were the kinds of games that bad teams lose.
--Umpiring last night could've been better, especially behind the plate.
--Middlebrooks looks like the real deal to me. It's early, but I see what I see.
--Beckett and Youk need to go while they still have value (provided Youk gets off the DL). I think less is more here.
--Jose Iglesias is another solid trading option, especially to a smaller team. He can't hit his weight, but he's Gold Glove right now. In other words, a Royals or Astros player.
--Dan Wheeler didn't look much different from last year. Here's to hoping he does much better, not the least because he's from around here.
--I hear that the Sox bullpen has been doing much better, but I still hold my breath when any of them come in.
--Who's to like on this mediocre team? Besides Pedroia, Ortiz, and maybe Middlebrooks? A friend of mine pointed out that not only is this a bad team, but there's almost nobody to root for on it, no obvious personalities. No Pedro, or Johnny Damon, or anyone like that. Aviles might enter the mix soon, but even that says a lot. (AGon gets a pass from me, as he's just a very, very quiet personality.)
--Speaking of Johnny Damon, who could've known that he and Derek Lowe would play for the same team, The Cleveland Indians, eight years later?
--Bailey's absence hurts more than Ellsbury's. The Sox are fourth right now in most offensive categories--including nosehairs. The Sox led the majors in most offensive categories last year and the year before, with a patchwork offense most of the time.
--Last night was Buchholz's first quality start this year, despite the 4-1 record. (The quality start stat, like the save stat, needs to go.)
--The roads on and near the Emerald Necklace need breakdown lanes.
--Gonzo's very good stats are just as quiet as his personality right now. He very quietly reached base in all of his PAs last night.
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