SZ638
BY JIM DAWSON
AUGUST 29, 2016
NO LEAD IS SAFE – KEEP SCORING
Now that the Red Sox starting rotation has been performing well (except for
Eduardo’s and Wright’s hiccups), the players will need to keep scoring because the
relief staff can’t spell ‘relief’.
As a Red Sox fan, one thing I noticed about their arch rivals – the New York
Yankees. The Yankees, once they got a lead, would keep adding to it. Everyone
remembers the home run by Bucky ‘Bleepin’ Dent off ex-Yankee Mike Torrez. But
the margin of victory in that one game playoff in 1978 was provided by Reggie
Jackson’s home run.
It helps that the Red Sox are 1 st in MLB in scoring runs (704) and RBI (673).
However there are games that the Sox hitters have gone into a collective funk,
especially against soft tossers. In those games, you would hope that a little
creativity would be used, whether it’s a hit and run, stolen base, sacrifice, etc. And
Manager John Farrell – it’s OK to steal a base, but have the guy go on either the
first or second pitch so as to give your batter a chance for a hit.
That relief staff is a mess right now, though Buchholz, of all people, has lent some
stability to it. This Ziegler lefty-right thing isn’t as important to me as using
Ziegler in a clean inning as much as possible. Barnes (too many walks), Ross, Jr.
(too many hit batters and mislocation), and Tazawa (break glass only when behind
several runs) have all contributed to this mess. Farrell at least seems willing to use
Buchholz in late innings and at highly important moments. Joe Kelly might help,
though I’d give that car a few test runs first.
Next up the Rays, a pesky bunch who somehow won 2 of 4 games vs. Boston.
This team is very unpredictable. There have been some ugly losses. But they needto go on a run. The injury bug (one self-inflicted) hit Andrew Benintendi just when
he was sparking the team with his play. That catch in RF at the Trop to rob Steven
Souza Jr. Wow! A bookend to Mookie’s catch last year going over the bullpen wall
to rob Chris Davis. Now they need to spank the Rays.
PATRIOTS
Well the education of Jimmy Garoppolo continues. He didn’t look too bad on that first
drive starting with good field position. It wasn’t his fault that Gostko missed a 30 yard
FG. But Garoppolo almost threw an interception (to Keuchly) and was careless with the
ball just before half when he fumbled (White recovered).
When Tom Brady came in (1:56, 1 st Qtr) the team seemed galvanized as he immediately
hit Aaron Dobson for 37 yards on his first play. It would lead to a Gostko 25 yd. FG.
And on the next series Brady hit Chris Hogan with a 33-yard TD. Hogan may turn out to
be an important addition to the offense. He was targeted 6 times with 5 catches. BTW
Martellus Bennett was targeted 4 times with no catches.
The next two series Brady survived and when he was sacked, it was Garoppolo time
again. However neither of them could muster a 3 rd down conversion (a woeful 1 for 13
on the night). It took Jacoby Brissett to do it on a 3 rd and 3 when he threw a 12 yd TD to
DeAndre Carter.
That offensive line is still a work in progress but In Scar We Trust. Thuney seems set at
LG. Cannon played better at RT than Solder did LT. Andrews is set at center (sorry to
see Bryan Stork go). Karras, Kline and some of the walking wounded will fill in.
Garoppolo seemed shaky, unsure where to go. The O Line gave up 2 sacks and 5 QB
hits. They need to pass block well and open holes for runners.
The Defense, which will have to carry the team in Tom’s absence, was quite good. 3
INTs in the 1 st half against a not too shabby QB in Cam Newton. Chris Long’s drop into
the middle tipped ball to McCourty was beautiful to watch. Carolina was only 5 for 17
on 3 rd down. Trey Flowers had a sack, 2 tackles, 4 assists (6). Markus Kuhn was 1/3 (4).
The D got 7 QB hits but just the one sack. The elusive Newton avoided a couple.
Next up a meaningless game (unless it’s your last chance to make the team) as long as
no one prominent gets hurt. Garoppolo will get more seasoning. They need to support
him with a running attack and short passing game. The Garoppolo Era is about to begin.
BULLETS
• Larry Lucchino brought back architect Janet Marie Smith to throw out the opening
pitch at a recent PawSox game as a Women and Baseball honoree. Ms. Smith helpeddesign Camden Yards and refurbished the Braves’ Turner Field as well as Fenway Park.
Lucchino brought her in to do Camden Yards and Fenway. It’s my hope that she is near
the end of her tenure with the Dodgers, and can design whatever improvements are
deemed necessary to upgrade McCoy Stadium.
• Congratulations to the Endwell, NY team that beat South Korea to win the Little
League Championship. It did end well for Endwell.
• The Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe (8/28) has interesting Patriots’ stats: Pass coverage,
Defensive pressure and OL/RBs pass protection errors. They afford information not
usually supplied. If Howe continues it, Pats fans will have more insight, and Howe will
be required reading much like Mike Reiss.
• Howe mentions how formidable the Pats pass rush has been even without Rob
Ninkovich and Jabaal Sheard. Sheard will be back soon, Nink later (hope so). What I
noticed against the Panthers is that the Pats D Line got good penetration even when just
rushing four men.
• Nice 60-yard return by rookie Cyrus Jones. He looks like the nickel back as well. Jones
being able to do punt returns should free up Edelman and Amendola and help avoid
injuries to them.
• 3B Rafael Devers (.280, 11 HRs, 70 RBI) Salem A and 2B/3B Yoan Moncada (.307, 4
HRs) were both elected to the post season Carolina All-Star team (per Julian
Benbow/Globe – 8/28). Moncada, now at Portland (.286, 11 homers, 27 RBI, 8 steals)
could be the 2 nd Portland player to jump right to the Red Sox with the September callups.
• Went to see LHP Brian Johnson at McCoy. Never threw higher than 90. No help.
E-MAIL
It's Murray Head. I only know it because I listen to the original Broadway recording of
Jesus Christ Superstar, pardon the pun, religiously.
Matthew Dawson
Very good. One Night in Bangkok and Superstar. I have the 1975 LP which has Say It
Ain't So, Joe. - Z
Murray Head-"Say it ain't so Joe"-I saw Murray as Judas in Superstar
Ken Forestal
Very good, Ken, Murray Head it is. I have the Say It Ain't So LP and always loved that
song - Say it ain't so Joe. - Z
Sportzine is available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve LenzTHE
HOT CLUB
Tom Bates was in the house and after I greeted him warmly, I kidded him about the Hot
Club no longer having the smallest bathroom on the East Coast. I had to ask him about
how you got the lion’s head in the sink to spew water. He explained – put your foot
under the sink. Voila!
Charlie Clancy, who works at Providence College and also on the Boston College
football team’s chain gang (measuring first downs). Charlie is thrilled that BC is playing
Notre Dame in Dublin, Ireland, and he will be there as a member of the chain gang.
Charlie said, “A guy that works for Dominicans is taken to Ireland by the Jesuits.”
When Mike Module and I were talking about the 1986 World Series, I mentioned that
my daughter Cara had a girl friend whose mother was related to ex-Red Sox manager
John McNamara. McNamara was heavily criticized for leaving in gimpy kneed and bad
ankled Bill Buckner (in the 10 th inning! Game 6). Cara learned that McNamara still
won’t talk about it.
Overheard at the Hot Club: I was in the Kent County Courthouse and got on the
elevator. There was a guy in handcuffs with a police officer and I recognized the guy
from a past transgression. As I got off the elevator, I called back to the guy, ‘Glad you
beat that sodomy rap’. The looks on the faces of the others on the elevator, well...
LAST ISSUE’S QUIZ ANSWER
So who was the English actor and singer most recognized for two international hit songs
that came from musicals (one went to #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The other reached
#14). He also had a hit album in 1975 (which contains one of my favorite songs). He
still performs as both an actor and a singer. Well Ken Forestal and Matthew Dawson (no
relation) both had it right – Murray Head or Murray Seafield Saint-George Head to be
exact. His biggest film role was in Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971).
THIS ISSUE’S QUIZ
This soul and r&b great died a tragic death two weeks before the release of one of
his greatest hits, a song that has become an anthem. Had 30 top 40 hits. Name?
AUGUST 29, 2016
NO LEAD IS SAFE – KEEP SCORING
Now that the Red Sox starting rotation has been performing well (except for
Eduardo’s and Wright’s hiccups), the players will need to keep scoring because the
relief staff can’t spell ‘relief’.
As a Red Sox fan, one thing I noticed about their arch rivals – the New York
Yankees. The Yankees, once they got a lead, would keep adding to it. Everyone
remembers the home run by Bucky ‘Bleepin’ Dent off ex-Yankee Mike Torrez. But
the margin of victory in that one game playoff in 1978 was provided by Reggie
Jackson’s home run.
It helps that the Red Sox are 1 st in MLB in scoring runs (704) and RBI (673).
However there are games that the Sox hitters have gone into a collective funk,
especially against soft tossers. In those games, you would hope that a little
creativity would be used, whether it’s a hit and run, stolen base, sacrifice, etc. And
Manager John Farrell – it’s OK to steal a base, but have the guy go on either the
first or second pitch so as to give your batter a chance for a hit.
That relief staff is a mess right now, though Buchholz, of all people, has lent some
stability to it. This Ziegler lefty-right thing isn’t as important to me as using
Ziegler in a clean inning as much as possible. Barnes (too many walks), Ross, Jr.
(too many hit batters and mislocation), and Tazawa (break glass only when behind
several runs) have all contributed to this mess. Farrell at least seems willing to use
Buchholz in late innings and at highly important moments. Joe Kelly might help,
though I’d give that car a few test runs first.
Next up the Rays, a pesky bunch who somehow won 2 of 4 games vs. Boston.
This team is very unpredictable. There have been some ugly losses. But they needto go on a run. The injury bug (one self-inflicted) hit Andrew Benintendi just when
he was sparking the team with his play. That catch in RF at the Trop to rob Steven
Souza Jr. Wow! A bookend to Mookie’s catch last year going over the bullpen wall
to rob Chris Davis. Now they need to spank the Rays.
PATRIOTS
Well the education of Jimmy Garoppolo continues. He didn’t look too bad on that first
drive starting with good field position. It wasn’t his fault that Gostko missed a 30 yard
FG. But Garoppolo almost threw an interception (to Keuchly) and was careless with the
ball just before half when he fumbled (White recovered).
When Tom Brady came in (1:56, 1 st Qtr) the team seemed galvanized as he immediately
hit Aaron Dobson for 37 yards on his first play. It would lead to a Gostko 25 yd. FG.
And on the next series Brady hit Chris Hogan with a 33-yard TD. Hogan may turn out to
be an important addition to the offense. He was targeted 6 times with 5 catches. BTW
Martellus Bennett was targeted 4 times with no catches.
The next two series Brady survived and when he was sacked, it was Garoppolo time
again. However neither of them could muster a 3 rd down conversion (a woeful 1 for 13
on the night). It took Jacoby Brissett to do it on a 3 rd and 3 when he threw a 12 yd TD to
DeAndre Carter.
That offensive line is still a work in progress but In Scar We Trust. Thuney seems set at
LG. Cannon played better at RT than Solder did LT. Andrews is set at center (sorry to
see Bryan Stork go). Karras, Kline and some of the walking wounded will fill in.
Garoppolo seemed shaky, unsure where to go. The O Line gave up 2 sacks and 5 QB
hits. They need to pass block well and open holes for runners.
The Defense, which will have to carry the team in Tom’s absence, was quite good. 3
INTs in the 1 st half against a not too shabby QB in Cam Newton. Chris Long’s drop into
the middle tipped ball to McCourty was beautiful to watch. Carolina was only 5 for 17
on 3 rd down. Trey Flowers had a sack, 2 tackles, 4 assists (6). Markus Kuhn was 1/3 (4).
The D got 7 QB hits but just the one sack. The elusive Newton avoided a couple.
Next up a meaningless game (unless it’s your last chance to make the team) as long as
no one prominent gets hurt. Garoppolo will get more seasoning. They need to support
him with a running attack and short passing game. The Garoppolo Era is about to begin.
BULLETS
• Larry Lucchino brought back architect Janet Marie Smith to throw out the opening
pitch at a recent PawSox game as a Women and Baseball honoree. Ms. Smith helpeddesign Camden Yards and refurbished the Braves’ Turner Field as well as Fenway Park.
Lucchino brought her in to do Camden Yards and Fenway. It’s my hope that she is near
the end of her tenure with the Dodgers, and can design whatever improvements are
deemed necessary to upgrade McCoy Stadium.
• Congratulations to the Endwell, NY team that beat South Korea to win the Little
League Championship. It did end well for Endwell.
• The Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe (8/28) has interesting Patriots’ stats: Pass coverage,
Defensive pressure and OL/RBs pass protection errors. They afford information not
usually supplied. If Howe continues it, Pats fans will have more insight, and Howe will
be required reading much like Mike Reiss.
• Howe mentions how formidable the Pats pass rush has been even without Rob
Ninkovich and Jabaal Sheard. Sheard will be back soon, Nink later (hope so). What I
noticed against the Panthers is that the Pats D Line got good penetration even when just
rushing four men.
• Nice 60-yard return by rookie Cyrus Jones. He looks like the nickel back as well. Jones
being able to do punt returns should free up Edelman and Amendola and help avoid
injuries to them.
• 3B Rafael Devers (.280, 11 HRs, 70 RBI) Salem A and 2B/3B Yoan Moncada (.307, 4
HRs) were both elected to the post season Carolina All-Star team (per Julian
Benbow/Globe – 8/28). Moncada, now at Portland (.286, 11 homers, 27 RBI, 8 steals)
could be the 2 nd Portland player to jump right to the Red Sox with the September callups.
• Went to see LHP Brian Johnson at McCoy. Never threw higher than 90. No help.
It's Murray Head. I only know it because I listen to the original Broadway recording of
Jesus Christ Superstar, pardon the pun, religiously.
Matthew Dawson
Very good. One Night in Bangkok and Superstar. I have the 1975 LP which has Say It
Ain't So, Joe. - Z
Murray Head-"Say it ain't so Joe"-I saw Murray as Judas in Superstar
Ken Forestal
Very good, Ken, Murray Head it is. I have the Say It Ain't So LP and always loved that
song - Say it ain't so Joe. - Z
Sportzine is available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve LenzTHE
HOT CLUB
Tom Bates was in the house and after I greeted him warmly, I kidded him about the Hot
Club no longer having the smallest bathroom on the East Coast. I had to ask him about
how you got the lion’s head in the sink to spew water. He explained – put your foot
under the sink. Voila!
Charlie Clancy, who works at Providence College and also on the Boston College
football team’s chain gang (measuring first downs). Charlie is thrilled that BC is playing
Notre Dame in Dublin, Ireland, and he will be there as a member of the chain gang.
Charlie said, “A guy that works for Dominicans is taken to Ireland by the Jesuits.”
When Mike Module and I were talking about the 1986 World Series, I mentioned that
my daughter Cara had a girl friend whose mother was related to ex-Red Sox manager
John McNamara. McNamara was heavily criticized for leaving in gimpy kneed and bad
ankled Bill Buckner (in the 10 th inning! Game 6). Cara learned that McNamara still
won’t talk about it.
Overheard at the Hot Club: I was in the Kent County Courthouse and got on the
elevator. There was a guy in handcuffs with a police officer and I recognized the guy
from a past transgression. As I got off the elevator, I called back to the guy, ‘Glad you
beat that sodomy rap’. The looks on the faces of the others on the elevator, well...
LAST ISSUE’S QUIZ ANSWER
So who was the English actor and singer most recognized for two international hit songs
that came from musicals (one went to #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The other reached
#14). He also had a hit album in 1975 (which contains one of my favorite songs). He
still performs as both an actor and a singer. Well Ken Forestal and Matthew Dawson (no
relation) both had it right – Murray Head or Murray Seafield Saint-George Head to be
exact. His biggest film role was in Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971).
THIS ISSUE’S QUIZ
This soul and r&b great died a tragic death two weeks before the release of one of
his greatest hits, a song that has become an anthem. Had 30 top 40 hits. Name?
posted by jdawson59 at 3:19 PM
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