Say it ain't so, Mo!

I don't like the Yankees. While there are very few players on the team that I actively dislike as individuals, I don't like them as a unit. However, there are some players from the Bronx that I do like (please don't abandon my blog in disgust), and Mariano Rivera tops that extremely short list.

By all accounts, Rivera is a stand up guy: he shows up on time every day, does his work better than anyone else, takes care of business and his body, and is generally friendly to his teammates, opponents, and fans. Mariano Rivera is like the popular kid in high school that you want to hate because they are just so good at everything and everyone loves them - but you can't, because they're genuinely too nice to loathe.

I've been convinced for several years that Rivera is some sort of android, a well-oiled machine who picked up the ball, threw perfect pitches, recorded three outs (almost never more), and nailed down the save and the win for the Yankees.  Mariano Rivera turned every Yankees game where they were leading into an eight inning affair, because he didn't just slam the door on his opponents, he locked it, barricaded it, and tossed away the key.

I was out at a diner with some friends at about 1 o'clock this morning (it's finals time), and I saw SportsCenter interviewing Derek Jeter.  I thought it was late, even for being in Kansas City, but I shrugged it off, thinking it must have been an extra inning game - and then I saw the replay of Rivera being carted off the diamond in a field car.

The sound on the TV was off in the diner, so I Googled "Mariano Rivera" on my phone, and I found out the horrible truth.  The best closer in baseball had sustained a serious injury, not doing what he did best, but doing his usual pre-game warm-up: shagging flies in the outfield (and by all accounts, he was rather impressive at that, too).

Now the reports are in, and Mo is out with a torn ACL.  He's done for the season and possibly his career.  I've dreamed of hearing that Rivera was going to call it quits - a Rivera-less Yankees team is one that's much easier to beat. But not like this.  I wouldn't wish an injury like this on my worst enemy, and certainly not someone like Rivera, whom I respect a great deal.

Mariano Rivera deserves to retire after celebrating a save, not going after a fly-ball in batting practice.  Not every baseball great gets to have an epic homer or three-pitch strikeout in their last appearance, but if anyone deserved that honor, it was Rivera.

But Mariano always says the right thing: "If it's gonna happen like that, at least let it happen doing what I love, you know? And shagging flies, I love to do. If I had to do it over again, I would do it again. No hesitation. There's reasons why it happens. You have to take it the way it is and fight, fight through it. Now we have to just fight."

Say it ain't so, Mo.

Happy 100th Birthday to America's Most Beloved Ballpark!

One hundred years ago today, the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Highlanders on the very first Opening Day at Fenway Park.  There's been a lot of turmoil between now and then, but Fenway remains the center of baseball in Boston.

I know there are a lot of fans feeling jaded about the Red Sox lately, given the way last season ended and the way this one has begun.  People are feeling more attached to the nostalgia of Fenway than to many of the players on the team - and even that feeling has been cheapened by the never ending attempts to monetize the 100th Anniversary. You can buy bricks, shirts, hats, fan photos, and who knows what else.

But aside from the shameless attempts at profit, there's something magical about Fenway Park. You can sit in the same (uncomfortably small) seat your grandfather sat in and watch baseball on the field where Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Jim Rice used to patrol.  There's something special about a manual scoreboard and the lack of between-innings gimmicks that own the day at many other MLB parks (ahem, Yankee Stadium, I am looking at you).

Yes, the prices are much higher than they used to be, and the players are (as a rule) overpaid - but Fenway Park has remained relatively static through the years. Sure, there are seats on the Green Monster now, and many of the once-wooden seats have been traded in for plastic, and there are more video boards than in yesteryear. But the Park is a living piece of history. According to team officials, it has about 40-45 more years of safe occupancy, and then the Red Sox will have to move out forever.

I'm sure they'll get a shiny new ballpark, where all of the seats face the infield, and where there aren't any beams to obstruct your view, and with a capacity much larger than what we're used to.  I don't know about you all, but I fully intend that when the time comes, I'll be that crotchety old lady who won't shut up about the way things were better "in my day."

That's what is so special about Fenway: this IS the ballpark of your grandparents - with a few small changes. It's creaky and old - but it's ours.

Sadly, I'll be missing the festivities this afternoon - both live (because I couldn't afford tickets) and on television (because I said I would work Trinity baseball before I checked the timing). Oh well, that's why NESN invented Sox in 2 at midnight... I can stay up until 2am on Spring Weekend, right?

I'm betting on Lester

Lester will target the strikezone just like he targeted the deer/boar/whatever on this hunting trip.

After two fantastic starts that sadly ended in Red Sox losses, Jon Lester will take the mound tonight at friendly Fenway, looking for his first win of 2012.  Meanwhile, the 2011 American League Champion Rangers will trot out Colby Lewis, who has a win and a no-decision so far this season.

You all know my opinion of the "win" statistic: it's kind of like the cubic zirconia of baseball stats, shiny, pretty, but mostly worthless.  A lot of wins look nice, but since you can be charged for a loss while giving up one earned run in nine innings (or an unearned run, for that matter), and earn a win after giving up fifteen runs in five, wins and losses aren't a great way to test a pitcher's caliber.

That being said, Colby Lewis is a talented pitcher, with 15 strikeouts and a sparkling 1.42 ERA so far this season (stats accrued against the White Sox and Mariners, but still impressive). Last year Lewis helped to anchor a pennant winning rotation after the departure of Cliff Lee (with the help of new-Angel CJ Wilson).  However, Lewis does have a history of struggling against the Red Sox, with just 2 wins and three losses with an ERA of 5.01 in his career against Boston.

On the other hand, Lester's one loss and 2.40 ERA  so far this season come at the hands of the Tigers (against AL Cy Young and MVP winner Justin Verlander, no less) and the up-and-coming Blue Jays.  Over the course of his career, Jon Lester has a 3-1 record with a 3.48 ERA against the Rangers.

Add to these statistics the fact that Lester has been pretty dominating so far this season - even if the number in the "win" column doesn't back that up.  I also think it's safe to say that Lester's teammates are itching to get him a win after failing to do so in Detroit and Toronto.  Lester is a popular - if reserved - man in the clubhouse, and it's clear his teammates hold him in high esteem.

I see an early hook for Lewis tonight - the Sox took the weekend and teed off against the Rays (with the exception of yesterday morning) scoring 31 runs to the Rays' 12 in four games.  The bats have been heating up in Boston, and the way Lester has been going, he won't need that much run support to come out victorious.