7:05 – Okay, well I’ve decided to live blog tonight’s game. Made the decision at 7:03, mind you. Had dinner, did a few things today…the plan was to sit back and relax tonight. But, heck, with Clement and Halladay on the mound, the Sox need all the good mojo they can get tonight! Hopefully I can bring it to them!
7:06 – The roof is open. Have no idea if that’s good, bad or if it even matters. Youkilis is starting off, Manny is back in the lineup, as is Coco. These three things make me happy.
7:07 – I didn’t have time to post my blog ‘rules’. Just so new folks know, the additions are at the bottom not the top, so you need to scroll down.
7:07b – Nice way to start the game. Youk gets a hit off of Doc Halladay. Niiice.
7:08 – This is me smiling. Mark Loretta just extended his hitting streak to 14 games (Youk’s streak is at 6 games)!!!!!!
7:10 – Why the he11 are Blue Jays fans booing Manny? Come on, folks. You’re Blue Jays fans. For crying out loud!
7:13 – Okay, Manny. Make him throw pitches. I guess that’s a good way to approach it.
7:14 – Or you could just strike out swinging with one out and two on…because, you know, that works too.
7:15 – Trot’s up. I can’t tell if it’s my television, NESN or just the way it reflects off the God-awful colors of that park, but his red shirt under his jersey looks fluorescent.
7:16 – And as they’ve done in the last three million games, the Red Sox strand two to end the inning.
7:18 – No Shea Hillenbrand in the lineup tonight. Aw, that’s sad.
7:19 – This is me sending Matt Clement good vibes. Good vibes. Good vibes. I will not be snide, I will not be snide, I will not be snide.
7:20 – Remy must be excited. The original "Santana Infield" is playing tonight:
Yo(Youkilis) Lo(Loretta) Go(Gonzalez) Lo(Lowell) Va(Varitek) – It thrills Remdawg that you can replace "Yo" with "Snow"(JT) and "Go" with "Co" (Cora) and have it still work. Remy cracks me up.
7:24 – So Clement gets the first two guys out, walks the next one and comes thisclose to walking Troy Glaus. Fortunately, Glaus is in on the plan to not make Matt Clement implode and pops up to end the inning. Thanks, Troy.
7:27 – Between it being a holiday and my deciding at the last minute to do this, I don’t expect many readers or comments tonight. In case you are reading this live, I try to save as much as possible…but I definitely do save each half inning.
7:30 – Coco is up with two outs. This is either going to be a really long or a very quick game. I’m so observant, eh? Bottom of the second coming up, still no score.
7:37 – Two outs and Clement gives up a double to Benji Molina. Ah, Matty…
7:40 – I love Mike Lowell. I love our infield. I hate this freaking Foxwoods commercial.
7:42 – I see Kellia and John have stopped by – very cool! Thanks, folks! Yes, Kellia, I am queen of the geeks! John, I hope you have a great time at Fenway. I like the Mets – they’re definitely a fun 
team to watch!
7:44 – Roy Halladay must wear those amber contacts that Mike Timlin wears. He has that same dark, beady look to his eyes that Timlin gets when he wears them.
7:45 – Halladay retires the first two of the inning. Okay, if we’re going to have it be a pitcher’s duel, let it be from BOTH sides, eh?
7:46 – Hey! Hey! Hey! Loretta is 2-2 off of Halladay!
7:47 – And Papi hits a ‘hot shot’ to Overbay to end the inning. Middle of the third and they’ve only been playing for 40 minutes. That’s practically unheard of for a Red Sox game!
7:51 – I kill me. I’m almost "afraid" to write anything about Clement. He has one out and just walked Alex Rios. So here I am, softly chanting "double play! double play!". I need help, I know. 🙂
7:52 – Or, throw the ball away and advance the guy to second. Good move, guys. That’s what I would have gone for as well.
7:53 – That play just became the first error Youkilis has made at first (his second on the season).
7:54 – Mike Lowell has been kept on his toes tonight. Checks back Rios at second and throws the runner out at first. Lowell has this killer ‘check back’ look. He can shoot some daggers out those pretty eyes.
7:55 – Vernon Wells is up. Dude doesn’t stink, does he? Come on, Matty, get him out. Make my not having a life tonight worthwhile, baby.
7:56 – For those of you who notice these things…is that soul patchy thing on Clement’s chin the start of his Abe Lincoln hair? He’s had it for a while. Maybe he decided against the Honest Abe look this year and is going for something different. Given that he just gave up a two-run homerun to Vernon Wells, maybe he needs to do something ELSE different. Two-run homer with two outs. That’s brilliant, Matt, just brilliant. I am now looking for the Derek Lowe face.
7:58 – Troy Glaus pops up and ends the inning. End of three, Toronto up 2-0. Okay, boys, time to pick up your pitcher.
8:01 – Manny gets the first out of the inning and NESN decides it’s time to see Tina Cervasio who says, possibly, the dumbest thing I’ve heard in a while. In regard to Roy Halladay: "Really not known that much in the U.S. because he’s playing here in Toronto…". Is this chick for real? So NO ONE in the U.S. knows who Halladay is because he plays for the Blue Jays? How the he11 does someone like that get a job like hers? (To answer my own question, see McCarver, Tim, Morgan, Joe or Berman, Chris…)
8:04 – While I’ll was ranting about Tina, Roy Halladay got another 1.2.3 inning. Oh, Clement should be fun this next inning.
8:06 – Which pitcher holds the record for wins at Rogers Centre? = Aflac question of the night. Is Roy Halladay too obvious?
8:07 – Matt Clement bounces back with three balls in a row. Way to suhk it up, Matty. (Dam, I said I wouldn’t be snide, didn’t I?) HEY Lyle Overbay has it at 3-2 now…come on, Matty!
8:08 – Clement gives up a homerun to Overbay. This is the point of the game where I say….remember the kid I said we should keep and trade Clement instead? HE knows how to shake off a couple of bad pitches. Clement, not so much.
8:10 – Clement gives up two more hits and another run. 4-0 Blue Jays in the fourth. Normally, this wouldn’t really bother me…but tonight, with Clement and Halladay pitching…we’re going to need some divine intervention.
8:12 – Have I mentioned that there aren’t any outs yet?
8:14 – A homerun and three doubles for Matt Clement before he gets his first out…lovely. Has it occured to anyone that Matt got hurt when he got hit against the Yankees? Anyone?
8:16 – I have this belief that Roger Clemens used to fake small injuries to get taken out of games where he was getting shelled, late in his Yankees career (don’t even get me started about the blister in 1986)…now would be a good time for Clement to do that if, in fact, he isn’t really injured. "Ah, my arm!!!! I think I twisted it! See the way it hangs there??? I need to be taken out of the game, Skip!"
8:19 – Clement is limping when he goes around the mound. Either he’s faking (which I honestly doubt) or he’s really hurting. He also just gave up another hit and two runs with only one out. But let’s keep him out there, Tito. Because what is 6 runs when you’re facing Roy Halladay?
8:20 – Okay, last reference of this kind tonight…how’s that Pena/Arroyo trade looking right now, Theo?
8:24 – Jermaine Van Buren just struck out Frank Catalonatto. Jermaine is a big boy. He could kick Vernon Wells’ ahse if he wanted to. 🙂
8:26 – That’s bull…why not wait until VanBuren actually threw the pitch before calling timeout. I hate that crappe. Just get him out Jermaine…just get him out.
8:27 – Way to go, Jermaine. Now it’s time for the rest of the team to pick it up. 6-0 at the end of four.
8:30 – Pat Hentgen has 49 wins at Rogers Centre (SkyDome)…if Halladay wins tonight, he’ll be tied with Hentgen. (Aflac trivia answer.)
8:31 – Mike Lowell, apparently, wants to get back to the hotel. Swings at the first pitch, gets the first out. Come on, Coco, get something started!
8:32 – And Coco hits his first homer as a Red Sox player!!!! Hey, I don’t care if the score is 6-1…it’s still "1"…breaking the seal is all we needed to do. The rest can fall into place now!
8:36 – Vernon Wells makes a fabulous catch! Ends the top of the fifth. Dam.
8:42 – "Here’s Greg Zaun with one out and one on" You know Donnie O loved making that rhyme! Well, Greg Zaun is now out. Yay.
8:44 – VanBuren gets out of the inning unscathed. 6-1 at end of five.
8:49 – Great. Hallady hits Ortiz in the knee. If he’s hurt, I’m flying to Toronto and bitchslapping that guy. Come on, Manny, make him pay for it.
8:50 – Here’s the deal. Do NOT mess with Big Papi. Manny will make you pay. 6-3, Blue Jays…Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy call that ‘getting back in the game’. We shall see.
8:54 – Mr. Double is up with a guy on and two outs. Come on, Mikey…show us what you have!!!
8:55 – Okay. Apparently, what you have is a line drive to Lyle Overbay. Guess you’re saving the good stuff for later in the game. 6-3 middle of the sixth.
9:01 – I’ve figured it out. Alcohol. I’ve had none tonight. Nor did I at the two Yankees games last week. I usually have a beer or two while live-blogging. Maybe I should crack one open? Oh, and nice double play, boys!
9:06 – Hometown boy Manny Delcarmen is coming in to pitch with two outs and one on. Let’s go, Little Manny!
9:09 – And Jermaine VanBuren says "Well, I could have done that!"…
9:09b – Vernon Wells ends the sixth. 6-3. Man oh man. Time’s a running out, boys.
9:13 – Certainly a good way to start the inning, Coco. Let’s keep it going, AGon.
9:15 – Seriously. Is it necessary to show a promo for "The Omen" DURING the game? Like the idea of 6/6/06 coming up doesn’t freak me out just a little?
9:16 – Okay, everyone who knew AGon was going to make an out without moving Coco over raise your hand.
9:17 – Youk, you’re at the site of your first major league homerun. Hows about you do that again, eh?
9:18 – I’m having a beer. It isn’t helping.
9:18b – Double play to end the top of the seventh. Grampu says "lovely".
9:24 – Little Manny has two outs and no one on. Where is Little Manny’s hair?
9:28 – Blue Jays fans are chanting "Boston Suhks". These are the same fans who barely showed up for the games when their team won back to back World Championships.
9:29 – Little Manny got out of the inning. Y’all are running out of time, boys.
9:31 – The Royals are beating the A’s 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning. Yes, this will be what I watch when the Sox game is over.
9:32 – Scott Downs is now on the mound for Toronto. Bwahahahaha! They’ve played right into our hands!
9:32b – And Downs hits Mark Loretta. That was brilliant. I think I am going to have to take a trip to Toronto and put the smackdown on a couple of Blue Jays pitchers.
9:35 – Downs walked Papi and Gibbons is taking him out. Oh, and the Blue Jays fans are booing Downs. They’re kidding, right?
9:38 – Manny is up. Does he have another homerun in him? Justin Speier is in for Toronto.
9:39 – That’s it, Manny, mess with him.
9:40 – If that called strike 2 was a strike, I’m Angelina Jolie. That’s all I’m saying.
9:41 – Swing. Miss. Sit down, Manny.
9:42 – Well, Trot, a pop-up is better than a double play. Guess it’s up to the Captain.
9:43 – JASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Three-run homerun to tie the game! Sorry, Roy, not tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9:44 – Jason Varitek only has two hits against Speier. Both happen to be homeruns.
9:45 – Mr. Double just hit another! This is fun!
9:46 – Now we have us a game, folks! 🙂 Jays are bringing in BJ Ryan.
9:48 – Ryan v Crisp with Mike Lowell on 2nd. Crisp makes the out…middle of the 8th and the score is tied at 6. I’ll take it. I’ll definitely take it.
9:53 – Whoa. Terrible call. Just terrible. Should have put up a bigger fight, I think. Egads.
9:54 – David Riske is on the mound for the Sox. As Remy just pointed out, VanBuren and Delcarmen really deserve some props for the way they pitched and for keeping the Sox in this game. And Molina gets his double eventually anyway.
9:57 – One out, guy on third. Come on Riske, make me stop thinking the things I am. Especially with whiny Shea Hillenbrand up at bat.
9:59 – Explain to me how, with a base open, you pitch to the guy who is, what, something like fifth in the league in batting? 7-6 Toronto. One out, guy on first.
10:00 – We can say it for real now (unlike the commercial they showed when Coco wasn’t even playing!) "Did you SEE that catch Coco made???"!!!
10:01 – Come on, David, one more out.
10:02 – I’m all for hitting a guy when you hit one of ours…but in the bottom of the 8th with one on and two outs? That isn’t defending your guys…that’s just suhky pitching. Riske is out, Foulke is coming in. God help us.
10:06 – Foulke got out of the inning. Top of the ninth and AGon is the first one up against BJ Ryan. Good golly, this has been a long freaking game.
10:08 – Contrary to the public belief of what a ‘typical’ Sox fan is…I am one. A typical Sox fan watches a game for all nine innings, believing their team can pull it out, even if they are losing the entire game. So I watch AGon get out and I watch Youk fall behind 1-2 to Ryan (and now strike out) and I still think there is some hope. And while I’m believing there is still hope, I’m also looking toward tomorrow thinking we can win it then too. Mark Loretta just flied out and the game is over. As Don Orsillo just said, it was a frustrating loss. But the guys really played their hearts out. Unfortunately, Matt Clement didn’t come to play. 
Here’s hoping, as strange as it sounds, that he’s hurt. Because, if he isn’t, then one of my commenters was right, and he just has no heart. (Or maybe just no more talent.) I truly hope that neither is the case.
No "Dirty Water" tonight, folks. Ah, well. We’ll get them tomorrow night. Leave it to Matt Clement to ruin my good run of live blogging.
Have a great night, folks!
32 comments for “May 29, 2006 – Live Blog 7 – Red Sox at Blue Jays”