All Lester, All the Time

Boy, WMYM picked an awful good time to take a couple days off on the road, didn't we?


Instead of a pair of dreary victories over the Royals, exactly what we were predicting while tossing back a couple Cal-Tor breakfast tacos at BWI airport two mornings ago, Boston's young pitchers delivered: 1) An electric no-hitter from a recent cancer survivor and, 2) A virtuoso second-MLB outing from one of the most promising sinkerball pitchers in years.

Well, that went well.

So, now that WMYM has spent the past 36 hours dwelling over all that was the wondrous performance from Jon-Jon - a guy that has both been included in prospective Johan Santana trade talks and been slammed around in a pair of outings earlier this year - we've decided to take stock in what everyone else has been saying about his no-no, a game which marked the second no-hitter by a young Boston pitcher in eight months. Clay Buchholz got plenty of attention for his dazzler against the Orioles last September, but, understandably, the hype around Lester's game has been even more high-pitched.

There's a good reason for that: Boston has a special connection with this pitcher, with good reason. He's a cancer survivor in a city full of medical research and professionals. He's a cancer survivor in a city that identifies with fighters, from Paul Revere to Paul Pierce, the latter's self-induced knife wound not withstanding. The bond is so strong, and Lester's drive to stay and contribute to the organization so devout, that GM Theo Epstein all but openly hoped for Santana to get dealt away from Boston and the Bronx just so he could hold on to his young pitchers. After a no-hitter and 6.2 innings of one-run ball, that doesn't look like the worst turn of events in recent Red Sox history.


That's WMYM's take on one historic night at the Fens. For what it's worth, here's everyone else's:

-- Just Say No: Gordon Edes, Boston Globe -- Gordo delivers another terrific game story on a terrific night for Red Sox fans. No surprise that he finds a unique way to deliver a game that was nothing but a surprise.

-- Lester Adds a Historic Chapter: Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe -- It's not a bad column, but it's a very Shaughnessy column, i.e., seems a bit lazy and obvious. Take that for what it's worth as you will.

-- This Star Had Big Supporting Cast: Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Boston Globe -- Nice companion piece by a writer who's not so used to the baseball climes, particularly in nailing down the key moment of Jacoby Ellsbury's spectacular fourth-inning grab.

-- The Heart of the Matter: Nick Cafardo, Boston Globe -- Cafardo delivers the underlying truth that WMYM referred to earlier in this post: This no-hitter just meant more because of what Lester means to Boston.

-- Farrell Had an Eerie Feeling: Gordon Edes, Boston Globe -- There were a lot of angles Edes could have taken with this Red Sox notebook, but he finds another unique niche in tracking down the Boston pitching coach's reflections on his own bid for a no-hitter earlier in his career. An interesting take.

-- Sox Can Count on Lester: Michael Silverman, Boston Herald -- After word leaked out about the organization's concern over Buchholz's pitch count in his no-hitter last September, it's pretty natural that a pitch count story would slip out in the aftermath of Lester's 130-pitch epic. Silverman delivers it.

-- Jon Lester's Father Couldn't Bear to Watch His Son on Television: Larry Stone, Seattle Times -- The title is too long and direct, but Stone crafts a nice follow-up piece about the most direct human impact of Lester's feat.

-- Red Sox Staff Delves Into No-Hit Mentality: Rob Bradford, Boston Herald -- A truly terrific, comprehensive look at how the Red Sox front office and coaching staff are trying to find ways to capture the mentality of no-hit stars. It's a strong look at a unique angle of the story, and it encapsulates the more-scientific way the Red Sox staff tries to operate. Terrific idea, terrific story.

-- Armstrong a Fan of Lester: ESPN.com -- It's not exactly groundbreaking stuff, nor is it particularly inspired, but ESPN.com's connection with Lance Armstrong on Lester's no-no is yet another take on his stunning performance.

-- Lester Traveled Hard Road to No-Hitter: Sean McAdam, ESPN.com -- The ProJo columnist and ESPN contributor fires off a strong retrospective on the cancer survivor's road to glory, a second-time over. He did, after all, earn the clinching win of the World Series in October.

-- Lester's No-Hitter Part of an Amazing Tale: Jerry Crasnick, ESPN.com -- Crasnick follows some of the same storyline as McAdam, which is what happens when a national network is as big as ESPN. Still, his take resonates with some unique notes it's own, too.

-- Lester Adds No-Hitter to Unbelievable Tale: Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports -- Alright, we admit it. Part of the reason for posting this link was the use the exclamation point at the end of Yahoo! Still, it's another fairly predictable yet eminently readable column on Lester's exploits.


 

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