Bling and Emotion: A Powerful Combination

Sorry Detroit, this game was over before it began.

From the moment that Bill Buckner, somehow still beloved in the baseball-blanket that is Boston, threw out the first pitch after fighting off tears, the Tigers were done. If ever there was an afterthought of a win, this was it.


Consider the fact that Daisuke Matsuzaka passed up on Ring Ceremony commemorating his first World Series title to get in more bullpen work. Consider the fact that Manny Ramirez was smiling and chatting with fans before the game, instead of hanging out in Manny-land in the dugout. Consider the fact that Kevin Youkilis' beard is already nearing midseason form.

OK, that last part is completely irrelevant. Still, you get the idea.

On an afternoon when Boston resurrected the spirits of its gleaming baseball history and ever-emerging global culture to commemorate a second championship in four years, the Red Sox winning was less in doubt than HOW they would manage to do it. The answer to that, friends, is with a little bit of unnerving of the Detroit - maybe the hoopla got to them a little bit, a year after they raked in some AL champion rings? - and a lot of overpowering pitching.

All told, Red Sox pitchers struck out 11 in nine innings. Daisuke Matsuzaka had one of his best outings since coming to America, going 6 2/3 while walking four (the last leading to his exit) and striking out a whopping seven. He left the Tigers' lineup flailing, which is saying something for a group that was touted as one of the best since the '27 Yankees before the season started. Since then, of course, they've found a puzzling way to start 0-7. Nonetheless, WMYM doubts that Placido Polanco, Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Guillen and Pudge Rodriguez forgot how to hit in the last week. You never know, but it seems like a stretch, doesn't it?


Well, if you just went by this afternoon's results, you might believe they had. Consider their stats: only Polanco got a hit, and his was a single. All four struck out at least once, with Pudge whiffing twice. That's pretty solid work against a pretty powerful lineup.

But we digress right? This was all about the bling, the rings, the 28 round brilliant-cut diamonds channel-set around the bottom of the bezel, the inlaid Sox, the two different right sides of the ring for players tenured before or after 2004, the ....

Oh, forget it. The rings have some serious rocks. And they're crazy shiny. 'Nuff said. Let's talk grades.

STARTING PITCHING: √+
Dice-K was dealing. Matsuzaka was marvelous. Insert whatever cliched and catchy superlative you want here. Clearly, for the second straight start, Dice-K looked an awful lot like a front of the rotation ace, in control and at times toying with hitters. That's strong stuff, and it means a lot against this lineup - even if it is a bit banged up - than it did against the A's. Admit it, it's the truth.

MIDDLE RELIEF: √+
To say that this afternoon was huge for Manny Delcarmen is an enormous understatement. Sure, it's crazy to think of any one outing as a particularly big deal this early in the season, but Delcarmen was positively rocked over the weekend in Toronto, and he's had major confidence issues in the past. The last thing the Red Sox needed was Little Manny plopping down on some baseball Frued's couch and talking about growing up in Boston and how that's created a complex when the team struggles to find a reliable "get us the hell out of this monstrous jam!!" power reliever. Delcarmen proved he could definitely be that man today ... as long as he doesn't have to pitch to Frank Thomas.

CLOSER: √+
Anytime Hideki Okajima gets to finish off a game and spell Jonathan Papelbon, thats a good sign for the bullpen. For all we know Papelbon may have been too busy cutting beef jerky with his new World Series ring anyway. Still, Okie was terrific in relief of Delcarmen, and the extra work probably didn't hurt him after an incredibly quiet Canadian weekend. Here's hoping he enjoyed some Cadbury's delictables while in the Toronto airport. Sweet how the stock the British chocolate instead of the Nestle crap up there, isn't it?

LINEUP: √
So, here's what he know: ManRam still loves to hit in Fenway. J.D. Drew is on fire. Kevin Youkilis is back to slapping the ball around the park. Coco Crisp may finally be realizing that Boston can't deal him unless he hits a little here in relief spells first. Oh, and Big Papi's power doesn't seem to be quite juiced up yet. Awful close, but maybe a little under the weather early on. We'll try to add the hitting charts in later so you can judge for yourself. Still, five runs against the Gambler and a pretty mediocre-bad Detroit bullpen is good, not great. Sufficient, not excellent. Call WMYM out on it if you disagree.

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