Farthing
| Game 20: April 28, 2009 | |||
| Red Sox | 8 | BS: Takashi Saito (1) L: Javier Lopez (0-2) | 13-7, 1 game losing streak |
 Indians | 9 | W: Kerry Wood (1-1) | 8-13, 1 game winning streak |
| Highlights: In the entry under scapegoat, there is a cross reference: see Lopez, Javier. As hideous as his game- and streak-ending error was, it paled in comparison to Brad Penny’s performance: 2⅔ innings, 7 hits, 7 runs, 4 earned, 3 walks, 1 strikeout, 1 home run, and he lost the lead three times. Amazingly enough, Anthony Reyes’s line was worse. This is a family blog, however, so I won’t expose the tender sensibilities of the young and impressionable to his line. | |||
As early as 2004 William Safire was calling for the obsoletion of the penny. That year the 26-year old Brad Penny pitched between Florida and Los Angeles as he, Hee Seop Choi, and Bill Murphy were traded to the Dodgers for Juan Encarnacion, Paul Lo Duca, and Guillermo Mota. In the first inning of his second start in Dodger blue Penny injured his arm. He rehabbed and returned in September for just three more innings before he found himself on the disabled list again. For the Dodgers that season he started three games and pulled down a record of 1-2 over 11⅔ innings. He was a non-factor in the playoffs, as was his team, which was eliminated by the Cardinals in the NLDS 3-1.
There’s not even a cent sign on computer keyboards. Cashiers leave out dishes of pennies because it is not worth the time it takes to count them. The pitching namesake of the coin should be treated similarly. Terry Francona, save Brad Penny for a rainy day.
If a statue is ever made of Theo Epstein, it should be embellished with a variation on a theme by Emma Lazarus.
Give me your tired, your hard impacts,
Your aching hamstrings yearning to breathe free,
The wretched herniated discs, your blooming cataracts.
Send these, the spineless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my pen to sign the golden contracts!
The Dodgers used to be the Red Sox West with Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Lowe, and Manny Ramirez. Now Boston is Dodgers East with Brad Penny and J.D. Drew.
Tonight the Red Sox have the chance to win their first road series of the season. Drew and Kevin Youkilis are both riding pine, replaced by Jonathan Van Every and Jeff Bailey. Go Pawtucket!
