D-Day Approaching For The Nation

Pretty much sums up all my emotions currently.
(espn.com)

Well folks, the season is at its crossroads. That loss needless to say left a bloody taste in my mouth and had me almost go Keith Moon in my room. With a 4-7 record since the break and playing .500 ball for the month, I suddenly don't feel so hot about this 2009 Red Sox team. My feelings of melancholy have been made worse due to the Dice-K rants, our .250-hitting power hitter wanting Mega Millions jackpot-type money and the recent performances of Papelbon, which have been as fun as a stomach pumping. To top that off, it seems like Nicky Green's mediocre defense has reared its ugly head, taking him off his walk-off pedestal that has been keeping him away from the Boston criticism machine lately. Tonight, we have to face Brett Anderson, the young kid who the Sox made a fantasy baseball icon by baffling us to the tune of 2 hits. The Sox need a catalyst, and bad. I've been bouncing around the Internet trying to catch up on the latest rumors on what Theo and the Sox organization are up to. I am sweating bullets here as the fury from last night's loss still remains in my system (Plus it's like 85 degrees in my room. Might be time for some AC.). So before I write probably the most disproportionate entry I have ever written, I will have to talk some soccer to cool myself down before I get to the nitty grit.

Benvinguts Ibracadabra!
(img.alfonsojimenez.com)

Recently, Team Barça touched down in Los Angeles for their 12 day West Coast tour. The tour includes three games against Beckham's Galaxy, the Seattle Sounders, and Chivas. While it isn't Real Madrid or Valencia, the 7th team trip to America gets me more pumped for the season that's to come. For this excursion, the defending champions of Europe bring with them a new addition, world-class footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic. 55,000 gathered at Camp Nou Monday to be the first fanatics to witness the Swedish star don the Barça colors for the 1st time. Being a new fan to the team, I can't help but feel the excitement that has carried through this move. With this transfer, Barcelona gets a player who is extremely gifted with the ball and has displayed his marvelous talent on the stage of three countries (including his Swedish national team). The transfer adds a diverse element to Barça's attack, which already has playmakers such as Iniesta, Xavi and Henry to name a few. It's also a bonus when the player is so psyched and enthused just to be on the team. Gone as a result of the transfer, is Samuel Eto'o, a striker who was just as large of a part of the club's success as any other player in the last half decade. His 108 goals with Barcelona along with his two brilliant performances in the Champions League Finals in '06 and '09 will surely be missed. My only concern is Ibrahimovic's knee, which has been a recurring problem over the past few years. He is 27 years old, which isn't exactly a baby in soccer years. Many wonder how Zlatan's body will hold up during the length of a 5 year contract. In the meantime, he still has to maintain his reputation as an acrobatic dynamo on the pitch in order to help Barça achieve additional success. The factor that might off set the injury in the end is Barça's depth, which not only has young forward Bojan Krkic waiting in the wings, but also have other star players to carry the load of a grueling season. Anybody who has ticket connections in the West Coast, you know my number!

Will this Doc heal the Sox?
(gamblingiq.com)

Aaaaaah yes, ladies and gents. Welcome to the nitty grit. I have a nugget of truth to share with all of you, and it ain't pretty. However, I believe that there is hope only if the party I am referring to takes some action within the next couple of days. That nugget: The Red Sox will NOT make it to the playoffs as they are right now. We just came off a loss in which we allowed 21 hits to the worst hitting team in the American League, while blowing a three run save situation with two errors in the 9th. Baserunners ran wild on our catching, which only gives me more nightmares about our next battle with the Rays. Over the past couple of months, so many holes have been exposed on this team, from a lack of a threatening presence in the lineup to our mediocre defense. Papelbon hasn't been lights out this year either, which changes the way I look at the strength of the Sox bullpen nearly every day. Like I have said to many, it is imperative that the Sox create some kind of catalyst, a trade, a fight or something. I'm not encouraging Mets craziness, but show us some life! But since I'm forcing myself to write this to find the bright side, I'm gonna do just that. In fact, just this afternoon, The Phillies decided to go the alternate route and acquired Cliff Lee from the Indians. Many analysts and beat writers now wonder if that makes the Sox the front runners for Doc Halladay. You probably know from my past entry that I am favoring a deal for offense over pitching due to the fact that I'm still haunted by having only 3 hits in Game 7 of last year's ALCS. However, not only would Halladay's arrival to Fenway make me do 1,700 back flips, but it is making more sense by the day. Think about this: Who is the true 3rd starter of the Red Sox? You can never predict Wake, even after his pre-injury success this year (Also has a 9.89 ERA in the postseason since '04). Brad Penny has only 2 wins in the past two months, while not completing 7 innings of work in a single start during the entire '09 season. Matsuzaka is as good as lost due to his recent negative ramblings of the Sox conditioning program for pitchers. Between the differences of the Japanese and American methods of strength building, combined with the article I found stating that a curveball maybe better for the arm than a fastball, I don't know what to think of pitcher development anymore. All I know is that Daisuke most likely will not be physically or mentally ready should the Sox make a postseason run. As for Smoltz, I flew out of that bandwagon so fast, I still have the scars of road rash all over my body. What possessed me to think that a 42 year old National League pitcher coming off shoulder surgery would consistently get batters out? He has faced teams like Baltimore, Kansas City, Oakland, and the "Natinals", and has got rocked nearly every time (Remind me to bring a tranquilizer for myself when he pitches against the Rays or Yanks). And my favorite piece of bait Clay Buchholz (yawn) still has not wowed anybody since coming back to the bigs. Don't mind me paraphrasing from the Seinfeld gymnast episode, but the Sox must realize that Buchholz can bring us to the threshold to the magical world of sensual delights that most teams dare not dream of. It seems like the national sentiment is slowly heading my way on this issue, as Steve Phillips encouraged the Sox to pull off the Halladay move on the air with Mike & Mike in the Morning, as well as a Jerry Crasnick article detailing some of the most famous trade chip prospects who didn't pan out. With Halladay, we could fix that 3 starter problem by compiling indisputably the best 1-2-3 starting combo in the majors, making the postseason a lock (granted that the Pope personally blesses the lineup to boost run support). With Victor Martinez, we could have a switch-hitting power bat who can play the roles of catcher, 1st base and DH, helping out Lowell, Ortiz and the recently declared beat-up Varitek get some much needed R&R. Martinez may be the most vital pick up not only for his production, but he can turn around the attitude of a clubhouse that has turned Yankee-like this year. The fact is that the Sox need to make a move more than any team right now (as I'm witnessing a 5 run 1st inning by the A's). After all, there are two football seasons quickly approaching.

Mochaman's Fantasy Baseball Report
- Bubba Gump Shrimpz - 122-84-18 (1st, Steroid Freaks' Anonymous, .5 UP)
Coming off a tough loss last week, and a rough start for this week. Just like the Red Sox, the team could benefit from one more quality pitcher or impact bat. Hanging on first, but barely as the 2nd place P-Mac has been on fire. Probably waited too long to make a Josh Hamilton trade, which could cost me the opportunity to improve by trade before the Aug. 2nd deadline. Hoping Kendry Morales can carry the load.

- Mocha Sox - 69-84-7 (10th, Yahoo Public 38095, 20.5 GB)
The run of 5 straight series has ended, but only 10 games outside the playoff bubble. Got beat on a few offensive categories, but the pitching helped out by the Buerhle perfect game. Justin Upton has been a beast since I acquired him by trade. Probably the team I'm least worried about heading into the next couple of weeks.

- Firehawks - 69-79-12 (9th, Yahoo Public 162279, 22 GB)
Came up reeeeeal small against the 1st place team (0-8-2), putting me further into a tailspin. Have lost 3 of the last 4 series. Offense has picked up a bit but not enough to win categories. Only 6.5 GB from playoff contention, but lacking the kind of punch to make huge strides in the standings. May have to make a big move for a bat soon (Sounding painfully familiar).