Not too much to say about this one, mostly because I missed most of it, because...well, because I have a life, that's why, and I had other things to do. But I caught a little, not enough to post a picture and to write a long entry, but just enough to say a couple of things:
--Though he lost today, if Dempster strikes out 8 in five innings, and gives up one solid run and two on a little blooper just over the infield, then he'll win more than he'll lose.
--But he can't walk four and throw so many pitches that he's over 100 in just five innings.
--I didn't know that David Ross, the Sox's back-up catcher, is the catcher whose pitchers have the lowest aggregate ERA in the majors over the past few years. In other words, he's Varitek, but with a cannon for an arm, as he's also among the majors' best at throwing out runners. And he hit well tonight, too.
--Pedro's doing furniture commercials, for those of you still wondering if an athlete can sell out many years after he's retired.
--Losing 4-2 is a good loss, if there can be such a thing. Even the best teams, the 100-game winners, will lose 62. I'm not saying the Sox will win 100 games--they won't--but sometimes the other pitcher just pitches a little bit better, like tonight. Still a well-played game, one that didn't overly tax the bullpen.
--In fact, it was a well-played series. You don't try to win every game if there are 162 of them; you try to win every series. They did that, and in a hostile ballpark. Against a Triple-A major league team, sure, but you have to beat up on those.
--I'm getting comments left for me to moderate by INSKATES. It sounded suspicious, so I looked it up, thinking it may just be an online nickname for somebody. It's not; it's an online company that sells ice skates. So if you see it here, or elsewhere, let the blog owner know, and don't click on the link. The comment itself was oddly worded and a little suspicious.
--Bradley continues to impress. Victorino was maybe a little too aggressive, trying to come home on a ball that didn't get too far away, but that kind of an attitude towards the game will win more games than it'll lose.
--It's not sports-related, but I'll go there, anyway: Roger Ebert dying--I give that a thumb's down. I looked forward to his review of a movie sometimes more than I looked forward to the movie itself. The first Pulitzer-prize winner for movie criticism, his reviews of movies were often about more than just that movie. His reviews were specific, yet irreverent, very knowledgeable about theory and about the business, yet also free of jargon and very easy to read. Smart, and funny. Very down-to-Earth, filled with common sense and a real affection for movies in general. He will be missed.
