I am a Boston Red Sox fan and have been since I was a kid. The 2004 ALCS will go down as the greatest series in the history of sports and it is something I will never forget. I will never forget that team either. Big Papi, Manny, Johnny Damon and his caveman hair, Kevin Millar, Veritek (when he wasn't a corpse), Arroyo and his cornrows, Pedro and of course Schilling and his bloody sock. That team was amazing and it was fun to a fan.
The 2010 Red Sox on the other hand are boring. Since this season started I just haven't been excited about a single Red Sox game. Right now I don't even care if they make the playoffs or not. They aren't a team but more a collection of players.
David Ortiz has lost his cuddly appeal. Now it seems like the only reason he hits home runs is to stick it to all the fans that gave up on him at the beginning of the year. JD Drew is a zombie and has yet to show a hint of emotion and looks the same whether he is striking out with the bases loaded or hitting a walk off double.
Jacoby Ellsbury has been out all year and hasn't been able to provide any excitement. Youkalis is on the DL now and is done for the season. Beltre is gone at the end of the year and freaks out whenever anyone touches his head.
Even the pitchers aren't exciting. I love the way Jon Lester and Clay Buckholz pitch but they don't hold a candle to Schilling and Pedro. Dice K refuses to throw strikes and makes a baseball game last longer than the Boston Marathon and John Lackey us just so ugly I can't even watch games he pitches in HD for fear my TV will explode.
Basically I don't like these guys. They are all business and don't appear to be having any fun on the field. This is why I have watched more Jays games this season then ever before.
I love the Toronto Blue Jays team. I mean yeah they have scrubs like Lyle Overbay that have the personality of a doorknob but at least he is fun to make fun of. Call him Mildly Overpaid or Wildly Overpaid and it makes up for his cadaverous attitude.
This past weekend is the perfect illustration of what I am talking about. The Jays swept the Rays in one of the best 3 game series I have ever seen.
Game 1 the Jays won 2-1 thanks to some amazing pitching by Brett Cecil and a rare shutdown performance by Kevin Gregg. The game winning run was scored on an error and there were only 9 hits in the game but it was still exciting.
Game 2 was the exact opposite. The teams combined for 28 runs and 29 hits as the Jays won 17-11. JP Arencibia made his MLB debut and went 4-5 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI. It was the first time someone has done that since 1900. It was amazing to watch. I was moving out of my apartment in Waterloo during the game and made sure the TV and cable box were the last things to be packed up. Awesome baseball game.
Game 3 featured one of the most dominant pitching performances in MLB history. Brandon Morrow struck out 17 batters and gave up only 1 hit (a weak grounder to 2nd base that Aaron Hill should have had) in a 1-0 win. I watched most of that game at the gym with a group of about 15 other people who would stop working out and come watch the TV whenever Morrow was pitching. The reaction to the hit by Longoria in the bottom of the 9th inning was hilarious.
Random Gym Guy - "Hill better buy Morrow a f*cking Rolex for blowing that play"
Random Gym Guy #2 - "If it were me I'd make him buy me a couple hookers"
All of these moments were great but my favorite moment of the weekend involved Jose Molina. Molina hit a single on Sunday and on the 1st pitch got a running start from first base and stole second standing up. Needless to say it was his 1st stolen base of the year and one of the funniest moments ever as the fans gave him a standing ovation and all the guys in the dugout were cracking up. Ricky Romero fell off the Gatorade container he was laughing so hard.
That's why I hate this Red Sox team. They will never have a moment like that. The closest they have come is when they touch Beltre's head and he flips out. This Jays team is awesome. They may only be 6 games above .500 but they are fun to watch. They have a youthful energy about them that makes you want to support them.
What is there not to like about the 2010 Blue Jays? All they do is hit home runs every game. Jose Bombtista goes yard almost every at bat and Adam Lind and Aaron Hill might be batting .224 and .213 respectively but they either get out or hit a bomb so its exciting. Even Vernon Wells is hitting jacks this year and not being a complete waste of a line up spot.
Even the guys who don't hit home runs are awesome. Fred Lewis steals almost every time he gets on base and Yunel Ecobar was a brilliant addition that plays sweet defense and adds another young guy in the clubhouse.
People who live in Southern Ontario should count themselves lucky that they get to see so many great baseball games on TV instead of watching Red Sox games which are like watching an accountant at work.
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