Stymied
Game 87: July 10, 2005
Red Sox (49-38), 1
Orioles (47-40), 4
L: Tim Wakefield (8-7)
W: Rodrigo Lopez (8-5)
S: B.J. Ryan (19)
Ba da ba ba ba! I’m not lovin’ it.
Except for the new pre-game segment, “The World According to Mike Myers,” that NESN premiered today. Myers was a much better left-handed pitcher to highlight than Wells. Wells might start spouting off about how being followed by cameras is like sexual assault or how rehabbing in the minors is like being in an internment camp or something. Instead, with Myers we got a lighthearted look at his superstitions. His humor and openness made his quirks seem more endearing than torturously compulsive, unlike some other player you might remember. Part of his ritual was that after he gets up the stairs (starting with the correct foot, of course), he needs to get knuckles from Francona. Then he has to put his mitt under the dot on the “redsox.com” sign. As he made his way to that spot, there was a guy sitting on the bench by the requisite space for Myers’s glove, and when he saw the lefty coming, he quickly got up and out of the way. I had suspected there was a bit of the showman in Myers; he enjoyed getting molested and adored by fans much too much in the World Series DVD for me to think otherwise.
Bill Mueller, well-documented as my favorite player, was featured on “Inside Your Sox.” The segment covered all the things I had written about the third baseman previously, but mentioned that he played in the Hawaii Winter Baseball League, something I didn’t know. I found a fan tribute page to the now defunct league that once featured Brad Fullmer, Gabe Kapler, Ichiro Suzuki, Mark Kotsay, Tadahito Iguchi, and Adam Kennedy. The site appears to have been a project for a Boston College student and it is no longer working. If this person (or someone who knows him or her) happens to read this, I’d be happy to provide the bandwith to host the site. Happily, another instructional league, the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League, made its debut in June with four teams: Waikiki Surfers, O‘ahu Paddlers, Hawai‘i Aliis, and the Kamuela Paniolos.
What about the game, you ask. I’m avoiding talking about it, if you must know. On the Red Sox side, there isn’t much to summarize offensively, just 4 hits. The only 2 of note were Nixon’s home run to right in the 2nd and Damon’s bunt single in the 9th to extend his hitting streak to 25 games. Lopez continued his dominance with an 8 inning showing, permitting only 3 hits, 1 earned run, no walks, 6 strikeouts, and that single home run. He threw only 94 pitches, our hitters blithely obliging him with overly aggressive first pitch swings.
Inexplicably, Wheels Ortiz stole second base with 2 out in the 9th and Ramirez at the plate with the score 1-4. Definitely something the designated hitter thought up himself. It was his first stolen base since 2002. Hey, now. He’s an All-Star. Got his game on.
Rafael Palmeiro is 9 for 55 against the knuckleballer with 14 strikeouts, but a great hitter will find a way. He solved Wakefield for once and homered to right in the 6th inning. The first baseman now has 2 more hits to 3,000 and the history books, but it won’t be at Boston’s expense.
On to the All-Star break and its myriad festivities, including the Futures Game.
