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Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez

July 27, 1975

New York, NY

Height: 6-3

Weight: 225 lbs.

Age: 31

Pronounced: Rod-RI-guez

AVG .371
HR 12
RBI 30

OBP .431
SLG 1.048

SportStatisfaction
stats from ESPN.com

Oft-maligned, heavily-compensated Yankees 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez had another monster night yesterday against the Sox, presumably converting some of the haters down in the Bronx to properly supplicating A-Rod toadies, but I’d like to point out one thing: as usual, when it really matters, A-Rod never gets the big hit at the right time.

Sure, this year he’s won a couple of games with walk-offs. But we all know that the reason that Yankees-Red Sox is so amazing isn’t that the teams are so much better than the rest of the league–they’re not–but rather that these games are about a psychological edge for the playoffs.

Jose Alexander Cora

October 18, 1975

Caguas, Puerto Rico

Height: 6-0

Weight: 200 lbs.

Age: 31

Pronounced: N/A

AVG .333
HR 0
RBI 3

OBP .385
SLG .583

SportStatisfaction
stats from ESPN.com

The Sox had it in ‘04, courtesy of the Captain and his skill at fisticuffs. They have it when it comes to Mo Riviera, now a broken shadow of his former self against whom a comeback is an exciting possibility, not an inevitable impossibility. So, even though A-Rod cranked two homers last night, they don’t count in any statistic that really matters, because they never seem to come in the games that really matter.

Last night, that honor belonged to Alex Cora, a guy who almost never seems to have the statistics, but always seems to do the most efficient thing at the best possible moment. His bloop single put the Fenway Faithful into a frenzy of energy that Okajima fed off of to cap a truly momentous win.

alex cora, alex rodriguez, homer, rbi, red sox-yankees, red sox, yankees, fenway, 4/20/2007

It’s really coming down heavy now. As if that weren’t enough, I also just found out the Red Sox game is officially cancelled today. Not really surprising, considering the forecast for Boston included a 100% chance of rain all day. I’m off for Chinese food now-I’ll be returning by 1:30pm to take the next picture…

april snowstorm, chinese food, red sox, weather, postponed

Jeffrey Charles Weaver

August 22, 1976

Northridge, CA

Height: 6-5

Weight: 200 lbs.

Age: 30

Pronounced: N/A

REC 0-1
SV 0
ERA 31.50
WHIP 4.50

SportStatisfaction
stats from ESPN.com

Thanks to the not-so-stellar pitching of one Jeff Weaver (check out the sick-nasty ERA), the Sox had an easy romp through home Opening Day yesterday, crushing the Mariners 14-3. The game wasn’t serious for long-by the time the Mariners had recorded an out, the Sox had put up a crooked number and were well under way to more.

This game was the offensive breakout that Sox fans had been waiting for. J.D. Drew broke out his home run swing, victimizing Weaver en route to a 3-RBI game. V-Tek basically doubled his batting average with a solid 3-hit performance, and Beckett was, well, the nail in the Mariners’ coffin, mowing down hitters after being staked to an early lead. But most important was the arrival of the offense, a relatively quiet force in spite of the gaudy appearance of the lineup on paper. Of course, the beginning and end of the season is when pitching really matters, as the cold weather and early shadows affect hitters’ ability to see and hit the ball. In that department, the Sox are stacked, with Schill, Dice-K, and Beckett leading the charge, and Papelbon providing the ‘inevitable’ conclusion to games. Now that the offense has shown signs of what it could be, I’m content to wait until August to watch the bats go nuts.

red sox, mariners, red sox vs mariners, beckett, weaver, opening day

Joshua Patrick Beckett

May 15, 1980

Spring, TX

Height: 6-5

Weight: 222 lbs.

Age: 26

Pronounced: BECK-it

REC 1-0
SV 0
ERA 1.80
WHIP 1.20

SportStatisfaction
stats from ESPN.com

Coming off a masterful performance in his last start, Josh Beckett will take the mound against the Seattle Mariners today in the Red Sox’ Fenway opener. Today’s game is scheduled for 2:05pm, meaning it happens in the middle of the work day. Now, I know the Sox never have a problem filling Fenway, let alone on Opening Day, but for those of us in the New England area, this means we can’t even watch MLB.TV on our computers, since we’re blacked out. I think it’s time for NESN to start streaming over the web to paid cable or satellite subscribers.

Jonathan Robert Papelbon

November 23, 1980

Baton Rouge, LA

Height: 6-4

Weight: 230 lbs.

Age: 26

Pronounced: PAP-ill-bon

REC 0-0
SV 2
ERA .00
WHIP .00

SportStatisfaction
stats from ESPN.com

Turning back to the game, I think it’s paramount that the Sox offense gets going soon, especially with the mostly quality pitching the team’s been getting this season. With the exception of Schilling’s first start, and the obvious and not unexpected Tavarez debacle, the starting pitching has been solid, and Papelbon’s first save was a masterful one. Barring any injury or fatigue, Papelbon is the kind of closer that makes you relax in the ninth inning. He’s got the passionate anger and cold fury necessary to end a Major League game, and his pitches have that rare Mo Rivera quality: they look like they should be hittable, but hitters keep missing them, until it clearly isn’t an accident or luck.

jonathan papelbon, josh beckett, red sox, schilling, tavarez, sox offense