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How Sweep It Is: Angels Exorcise Demons, Defeat Boston in Playoffs by Johnathan Kroncke Scribe Written on October 11, 2009 BOSTON - OCTOBER 11: The Angels were beaten. They had to be. Down 5-2 in the eighth inning and facing two stellar relievers lined up to close the game, they could only look to tomorrow and a Game Four match-up between Joe Saunders and Jon Lester. Or at least, that's what it looked like. But appearances can be deceiving. Once again, I must defer to the great linguist Yogi Berra who famously declared, “It ain't over 'till it's over.” Unbelievably,...

Top 9th: LA Angels - B. Abreu doubled to left, E. Aybar scored, C. Figgins to third - V. Guerrero singled to shallow center, C. Figgins and B. Abreu scored, T. Hunter to second

Sox prolonging the inevitable embarassment. Good for TBS, I guess.

Join in here to talk about today's playoff games. All times Eastern: Angels at Red Sox 12:07, Yankees at Twins 7:07 pm, Phillies at Rockies 10:07 Dodgers won entry to the NLCS yesterday.

OK, I'll start this one, too, just in case it gets interesting.Josh Becket vs. Jered Weaver.

Ted Williams' frozen head for batting practice at cryogenics lab: book BY Nathaniel Vinton DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Updated Friday, October 2nd 2009, 10:44 AM Head of Ted Williams was abused by employees at Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Ariz., whistleblower says. AP Ted Williams, who spent his entire career with the Red Sox, died in 2002 at the age of 83. 'Frozen,' by former Alcor exec Larry Johnson, makes shocking claims about how employees treated Ted Williams' frozen head. Take our PollCryonics: Critical or near-criminal? In "Frozen," Larry Johnson, a former exec at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation...

Workers at a cryonics facility mutilated the frozen head of Hall of Fame baseball player Ted Williams, the author of a new book alleges. In "Frozen," Larry Johnson, a former executive at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Ariz., describes how Williams' frozen head was repeatedly abused, the New York Daily News reported. The book due out Tuesday alleges gruesome behavior at the facility, where bodies are kept suspended in liquid nitrogen in case future generations learn how to revive them. Johnson writes that in July 2002, shortly after the legendary slugger died at age 83, technicians with no...

Just saw the tail end of the Sotomayor throwing out the pitch to Molina. I wonder if she underhanded it? Any video?

Curt Schilling, best known for his bloody-sock pitching heroics, may step up to the plate and run for U.S. Senate. The retired Red Sox [team stats] ace said today in a telephone interview with NECN that even though his “plate is full,” he’s been contacted to consider a run for the open seat held by the late Edward M. Kennedy. A Jan. 19 special election has been set by the governor to fill the post.

The Boston Red Sox honored the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy before their game on Wednesday night, paying tribute to a lifelong fan whose family was as much a part of Boston history as the team itself. The U.S. flag flew at half-staff at Fenway Park, where Kennedy threw out the ceremonial first pitch on opening day, 97 years after his grandfather, Boston mayor John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald christened the ballpark that is now the oldest in the major leagues. A lone Air Force bugler played "Taps" as both teams lined up on the baselines — a tradition usually reserved...

Boston's erstwhile slugging duo reportedly on list of 104 According to lawyers who spoke to the The New York Times, and whose names were not revealed, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are on the list of 104 players who tested positive in Major League Baseball's 2003 survey testing for performance-enhancing drugs, testing that was agreed to and conducted only on the condition that the results would remain anonymous. Ortiz and Ramirez were members of the Boston Red Sox at the time and helped the club end an 86-year streak in which they hadn't won a World Series. Results from the...

BOSTON – Tim Wakefield was in the weight room when Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell ducked his head in Sunday morning and said that the knuckleballer was wanted in Terry Francona’s office. The office door was closed when Wakefield arrived; when it opened, Wakefield saw a stream of teammates – Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Josh Beckett and Jason Bay – all walking out with All-Star packets for the July 14 game in St. Louis. Francona, with a solemn face, beckoned for Wakefield to enter. The charade didn’t last. Francona, a better manager than actor, cracked up, and...

Sen. John Kerry - stop talking about baseball! Forget his Sarah Palin “botched joke,” to coin a phrase. The night before he cracked wise about wishing that she, rather than Gov. Mark Sanford, had disappeared, the junior senator was down in D.C. in the Red Sox [team stats] broadcast booth during their road game against the Washington Nationals. Talk turned to Liveshot’s tossing out the first pitch of a Yankees game at Fenway during the Democratic convention in Boston in 2004. Perhaps you recall that limp-wristed toss? But, Sen. Kerry informed the NESN audience, it was not his fault. Just...

String of late singles sets up eighth win in as many meetings BOSTON -- Just when it seemed the Red Sox were in danger of finally losing a game to the Yankees, they startled their rivals with a riveting comeback in the bottom of the eighth, pulling out a 4-3 victory in a Thursday night thriller at Fenway Park. The Red Sox are 8-0 against the Yankees this season after sweeping them yet again. The last time Boston had swept New York three times in one season was 1974. Trailing, 3-1, entering the bottom of the eighth, the Red Sox...

BOSTON -- The much-dissected drought finally ended in the bottom of the fifth inning at Fenway Park on Wednesday night, when Red Sox slugger David Ortiz had his first Big Papi moment of 2009. All the pressure Ortiz felt from not hitting a home run in his previous 149 at-bats came to a satisfying end when the left-handed hitter leaned into a 3-1 pitch from Blue Jays lefty Brett Cecil and placed it just over the wall at the 379-foot mark in center field. It was a two-run blast for Ortiz, and a big shot of adrenaline for a packed...

BOSTON -- After 17 games in 17 days, the Red Sox finally got a chance to exhale amid the calm of Southern California. Manager Terry Francona's team spent Monday in full chill-mode, as they gear up for a six-game road trip that starts in Anaheim and ends in Seattle. If the Red Sox take any time out of their day for reflection, they are likely to feel pretty satisfied with what they've accomplished. Particularly over the last week -- and in a sense, since the season started -- very little has come easy for Boston's 2009 edition. Yet the Sox...

Dominic DiMaggio, the bespectacled Boston Red Sox center fielder who was overshadowed by his older brother Joe's spectacular career, died early Friday. He was 92. DiMaggio was surrounded by his family at his death at his Massachusetts home, according to his wife, Emily. She did not give a cause of death but said that DiMaggio had been ill lately. "He was the most wonderful, warm, loving man," his wife of 61 years said. "He adored his children, and we all adored him." DiMaggio was a seven-time baseball All Star who still holds the record for the longest consecutive game hitting...

BOSTON — Dominic DiMaggio, a seven-time All Star who still holds the record for the longest consecutive game hitting streak in Boston Red Sox history, has died at his Massachusetts home. He was 92. DiMaggio died at about about 1 a.m. on Friday, according to his wife, Emily.

BOSTON -- The Red Sox didn't just blow the Indians out with an overpowering bottom of the sixth inning on Thursday night. They also made history. By scoring 12 runs without recording an out, the Red Sox set an American League record. They also tied a modern-day Major League record, set by the Brooklyn Dodgers on May 24, 1953, in the eighth inning of a game against the Phillies. The previous AL record of 11 batters without an out was held by the 1925 Detroit Tigers, who did it in the sixth inning of a game against the Yankees on...

BOSTON, MA – NESN announced today that Red Sox color commentator Jerry Remy will take a leave of absence for an indefinite period of time so that he can fully recover from the effects of cancer surgery. “I want to focus on completing my recovery so that I can return to work without distractions or interruptions,” said Remy, adding that he had hoped for a more immediate return but experienced a setback due to an infection and subsequent case of pneumonia. Remy, a former smoker who underwent surgery for lung cancer late last year, said he hopes his experience will...

Chamberlain Brilliant After Getting Beat Up In First Inning, But Bats Fail Time And Again In 7-3 Defeat. BoSox Improve To 5-0 Vs. Bombers In 2009 The Boston Red Sox are 5-0 against the New York Yankees for the first time in 24 years, doing a lot better at the new Yankee Stadium than the home team. Jason Bay hit a three-run homer in a four-run first inning against Joba Chamberlain, and the Red Sox beat New York 7-3 on Tuesday night for a rainy two-game sweep in the first trip to their rival's $1.5 billion ballpark. "I think Jason...

Hundreds of irate fans - some who claim Yankee employees told them the game had been rained out - stormed away from Yankee Stadium before Monday night's game against the Red Sox even got underway and couldn't get back in, resulting in a an ugly scene at one of the ticket gates. With rain falling for hours and no start time announced until shortly before 9 p.m., hordes of fans began leaving the Stadium and heading home - some who said they had been advised that the game had been called by Yankee employees who walked the concourse holding pinstriped...

YANK STAR'S MOTHER IN METH STING Joba Chamberlain's mom is in a mound of trouble. Jacqueline Standley, the star Yankee pitcher's mother, was busted over the weekend for allegedly peddling meth to an undercover cop in their home state of Nebraska. The 44-year-old, disheveled woman was picked up Saturday night in her apartment, which is cluttered with homemade shrines devoted to her son. She was nailed for allegedly selling a 1-gram plastic baggie of methamphetamine for $110 to the cop in her Lincoln home Feb. 11. Standley was arrested on the felony rap after tests confirmed that the substance was...

CLEVELAND -- It would have been hard for knuckleballer Tim Wakefield to improve on his past two outings, but he gave it a go on Monday night. If his performance in the Red Sox's 3-1 win over the Indians wasn't better, then his standards of excellence are unreachable. For this was Wakefield at his finest, dipping and fluttering his knuckler throughout the night. Not that the quality of his outing at Progressive Field mattered to him, or to the Red Sox -- they cared only about the outcome. On that count, the entire night's performance was a masterpiece for the...

BOSTON -- It was a rivalry weekend in which the Red Sox provided countless forms of excitement for their fans. There was a walk-off win Friday night, a slugfest victory on Saturday and finally a 4-1 triumph on Sunday that included an electrifying straight steal of home by Jacoby Ellsbury. Just like that, the red-hot Red Sox swept the Yankees in this three-game set to run their winning streak to 10 games. Boston's first double-digit winning streak since a 12-game run from June 16-29, 2006, has come on the heels of a 2-6 start. Having completed a 9-0 homestand, the...

BOSTON -- A.J. Burnett was still snarling hours after Mike Lowell's three-run homer cleared the Green Monster on Saturday to give the Red Sox a seventh-inning lead, a blast that came two innings after the Yankees right-hander had thrown his final pitch of the afternoon. Left to stew in the tight quarters of the visitors' clubhouse at Fenway Park, Burnett had not even bothered to remove his uniform, instead choosing to collect his thoughts. He and the Yankees' early lead were both long gone by the time Lowell collected his sixth RBI of the game, helping Boston outslug New York,...

"Hi ya, young fella."Babe Ruth greeted Arthur Giddon as he did most 13-year-olds, even those in uniform. Giddon chatted with the Babe for a moment but tore himself away because he had a job to do. It was 1922, and as the Boston Braves bat boy, Giddon had to break out the bats, polish some spikes and otherwise outfit his players for that afternoon's game at Braves Field. Eighty-seven years later, on Saturday, Giddon will reprise his role for his now-beloved Red Sox -- as a special 100th birthday present, he will serve as the team's honorary bat boy prior...

Ace scatters two hits, notches 10 Ks to pace Red Sox BOSTON -- Josh Beckett not only came out firing, but he also departed with a 94-mph heater on the inside corner that Gabe Gross never even offered at. During an Opening Day that was just about how the Red Sox would have drawn it up, nobody stood out more than the ace, who brought back visions of 2007 with a dominant demonstration of power pitching in a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday. One Opening Day win against Tampa Bay will not immediately avenge last October's...

Opening Day will have to wait a day. The Red Sox called off today’s opener due to the forecast for heavy rain throughout the day. The game against the Tampa Bay Rays will be played tomorrow at 4:05 p.m., with all of the planned festivities intact. Tickets for today’s game will be good for tomorrow and gates will open at 2:05 p.m. “After consulting with our weather service and other professional meteorologists, it became apparent it would be extremely unlikely, if not impossible, that we could get a complete game in today so the decision was made to postpone until...

A baseball fan in Puyallup before he was a baseball star in Boston, Jon Lester’s appreciation for the sport extends to collectibles. Lester didn’t need to ask Tom Seaver for an autograph Wednesday at Safeco Field, where the Bellarmine Prep graduate was given the Hutch Award during a luncheon that found Seaver as its keynote speaker. Lester already owned a baseball signed by Seaver, as well as one signed by fellow Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan. Lester’s memorabilia assortment includes jerseys, bats and cleats. But if the 25-year old cancer survivor were to put his most precious baseball souvenir...

The Politico is reporting that Sen. Barack Obama told a crowd in Tampa Florida that he was “showing some love for the Rays,” as several members of which joined him onstage. Politico says the only problem with that is that earlier this month Obama declared his love for the Philadelphia Phillies. In baseball you can’t have it both ways – ask Gov. Bill Richardson when he declared his allegiance to the Red Sox and the Yankees, Richardson joked to NBC’s late great Tim Russert on the Meet the Press: "This is the thing about me: I can bring people together....

The last 2 years the World Series has seen expansion teams from Colorado and Florida.

The Boston Red Sox, down 7-0 in the 7th inning, score 4 in the 7th, 3 in the 8th inning, and one in the bottom of the ninth to survive in their series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The series now switches to Tampa for Game 6 on Saturday, and - if necessary - Game 7 on Sunday. Tampa now leads 3-2.

Came back from 7 down in the 7th to win in the 9th.

Next stop....THE WORLD SERIES....

Senator John McCain described the Red Sox as his "sentimental favorite" to win the World Series, shunning playoff teams in the crucial swing states of Wisconsin, Florida, and Pennsylvania. "I still kinda like the Red Sox," McCain said in an interview this morning on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" when asked about the Major League Baseball playoffs. "I have a sentimental favorite, look, I think they're going to do well now that my Diamondbacks have blown it." McCain added that the Los Angeles Dodgers should also go deep into October because they "have some pretty strong pitching." "I think it's very possible...

In simplistic terms, it is but four letters, two syllables that allow vowels to do all the work. Yet when the Los Angeles Times’ Bill Shaikin summons them in his lede today, following last night’s Game 1 win by the Red Sox, they carry with them such deep significance that there can be no better way to sum up what has to be classified as an overall feeling of impending doom ... “Uh oh.” Uh oh, indeed. Also acceptable would have been any expletive form of “^%$#,” “**$#,” or “*&^%$# -snip- After last night’s 10th straight playoff loss to the...

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Jason Bay hit a two-out, two-run homer off John Lackey in the sixth inning, giving the Boston Red Sox a 2-1 lead over the Los Angeles Angels in their AL playoff opener on Wednesday night.

Let's hear a little baseball chatter here! AL EAST Tampa Bay leads division by a game over Boston with the two teams squaring off in a three game series starting tonight. Yankees are in fourth, a half game behind the Blue Jays--and the last game at Yankee Stadium is set for Sunday night on ESPN. AL CENTRAL/WEST White Sox lead Twins by 1.5 games. Angels clinched the west and lead Texas by a mere 19.5 games. Curse of Hillary? The Obama campaign reminds me of the Yanks' fortune this year. Down down down Another close race in the NL EAST...

Carl Yastrzemski has had successful triple bypass surgery Tony Massarotti By Tony Massarotti Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - Longtime Red Sox [team stats] great Carl Yastrzemski has undergone successful triple bypass surgery and is now in recovery at Mass General Hospital, Yaz spokesman Dick Gordon confirmed a short time ago. According to Gordon, Yastrzemski actually was brought to Mass General yesterday after complaining of tightness and pains in his chest. The Hall of Fame left fielder underwent an array of tests before it was determined that he needed surgery, which took place early tonight at the hospital. The procedure took...

Baseball Hall of Famer Yastrzemski hospitalized By HOWARD ULMAN – 39 minutes ago BOSTON (AP) — Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, the last player to hit for the Triple Crown, was hospitalized for tests Tuesday after experiencing chest pains. The Boston Red Sox confirmed the 68-year-old Yastrzemski was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital and was undergoing evaluation and testing. The team said no further information was immediately available on its longtime great.

Spinners Get Politically Correct, Incorrect This Week Salute to the sensitive nature of political correctness, July 23-24  LOWELL, MA – The Lowell Spinners, Class A affiliate of the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, announced today that this week’s upcoming homestand against the State College Spikes, a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate, will salute both the sensitive nature of political correctness and incorrectness.   WEDNESDAY, JULY 23 – Political Correctness Night at LeLacheur Park. Returning for a second season, the Spinners will take measures to make sure nobody—including the players—leaves the ballpark offended. Players committing an error will not be identified for...

Manny Ramirez will not be in the starting lineup for this afternoon's series finale in Seattle. Red Sox manager Terry Francona said Ramirez showed up this morning and said his right knee was sore, an overnight development that the manager said caught him by surprise. The trainers had not communicated any issue to Francona after the game. "He showed up this morning, I wasn't ready for that,'' Francona said. "He said his right knee hurts.'' Francona then joked, "The (expletive) jaywalking, if you do it right, you won't hurt your knee.'' Ramirez told reporters his knee has been bothering him...

PORTLAND, Maine — Poor John McCain. Tonight was supposed to be republican presidential hopeful's night in southern Maine. A chance to make a blue state — Maine has voted for a democrat for president in the last four elections — a red one. But Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, among a handful of the most popular human beings who reside in New England, needed to get some at-bats about five miles to the north at Hadlock Field, home of the Red Sox Double-A affiliate Portland Sea Dogs. And with Ortiz followed all of the local sportscasters, news anchors and...

The Red Sox beat the Yankees on Friday in the Bronx, but that didn't seem to satisfy a group of rowdy young people in Falmouth who attacked a family driving home from a Fourth of July fireworks display. Their reason, police said: The car had New York plates, and their attackers presumed they were Yankee fans. As the annual beachside fireworks show was letting up about 10 p.m., traffic congestion turned side streets into parking lots as thousands tried to leave. The New York family was stuck on Worcester Court when police say a group started yelling at them, accusing...

Man held in Fourth of July attack By Ira Kantor Sunday, July 6, 2008 A 20-year-old man was arrested Friday night for allegedly attacking a New York Yankees fan with a baseball bat after a Fourth of July fireworks display in Falmouth. According to police, officers responded to 153 Worcester Court after receiving a report about a fight in progress. On arrival, officers noticed several youths, including Robert Donald Correia of Falmouth, bothering a family in its car because the vehicle had New York license plates. Police said Correia and others accused the family of being Yankees fans. The family...

Curt Schilling statement from his blog: 22 years ago June the Boston Red Sox picked a Freshman Pitcher from Yavapai Junior College (the best JC team in the nation btw!) in the 2nd round of the (Last!) January Draft. 3 World Series rings, 3k innings plus later, there’s a chance it’s all over. To all of the well wishers, thank you. To all of the anti-Schilling people, thank you. Both sets of you were inspiration and motivation to be whatever it is I was for 19 some odd years on a major league mound. I am set to have what...

During his 19 years as a pitcher in the major leagues, Luis Tiant became well known for "throwing smoke." Now deep into retirement, the 67-year-old is spending much of his time dealing in smoke of a more literal nature, as main pitchman for his own line of fine cigars. He and his son Daniel are now in their third year of selling El Tiante Cigars, a line of high-end stogies marketed to true aficionados. "They've been really good, we've been really lucky," said Tiant via cell phone as he headed to Kennebunkport, Maine, for a golf tournament with former President...

Sox take lead on #500 by Manny! The huge Red Sox contingent at Camden Yards celebrates

All-Star promo with David Ortiz as Babe Ruth irks NY OAKLAND, Calif. - Touchy, touchy, touchy. Like a colicky baby who’s also battling diaper rash, the 2008 Yankees can’t seem to stop bawling. Besides a good burp, they also need to grow up. As if sitting in last place in the AL East were not bad enough, the Bronx Bombers discovered on Thursday that after years of planning for this summer’s All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, they were the last to discover that a new “Call Your Shot” insurance-company promotion would feature the Red Sox [team stats]’ David Ortiz [stats]...