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Tom Strange
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This evening at The BOB (aka Chase Field), the Big Unit passed the Rocket in career strikeouts. Johnson stands alone in second place, still more than 1000 Ks behind Nolan Ryan.

Game still in progress, tied 2-2 now in the bottom of the 6th inning against the SF Giants who are playing without Bonds in the lineup thus far tonight.

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Dbacks won the game, but no decision for The Unit... who remains at 284 career wins (I think).

Apparently, the Rocket is scheduled to start for the Yankers on Saturday... and The Unit looks to start again on Sunday.... so, the number two spot on the strikeout list could go back and forth for a while this season.

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I thought his name was "the beeg unit"... do you just call him "the unit" in deference to your days as a cub reporter? ...seein as how he's not too friendly to reporters...

No...no disrespect intended. He's not unfriendly to the media so much here in AZ... I know when he first came here several years ago, he got kinda testy with one or two local tv sports guys and in NY he got into it with reporters setting the tone for his two years there... but nothing significant lately. I suppose I just was saving keystrokes (being lazy?)... or perhaps just figured everyone who follows baseball would know who I was referring to.

BTW, it looks like we're NOT going to see a Johnson-Schilling throwdown. Schilling misses facing the Dbacks, and Johnson is scheduled to start against Dice-K on Sunday.

Dbacks won again... a not so bad 1-0 game... Bonds only PH, and of course drew a walk... because they weren't going to give him anything to hit.

Oh, and on further review, my post Jun 5 at 8:18pm (MST) cites the "Big Unit"... I considered the two posts essentially together, so by reference, the Unit was the "Big Unit."

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So the Sox roll into Rocky and Simon land tonight

Its been a June swoon so far,(losing 5 out of 7) which was more or less predictable (I said a few pages back that the April/May Sox couldnt go on forever...).

Schillng pitched a real masterpiece just when it was needed yesterday in Oakland, no hitting the A's for 8 2/3rds, before shaking off Varitek and then allowing the only hit of the game in a 1-0 win. A needed win and why he makes what he makes...

he can have the rest of his life to play "What if I hadnt shaken off Varitek" now....

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True.

I know

What if? What if?

What if Ted Williams didnt miss 5 years?

What if Steve Bartman didnt go to that game?

What if alot of things....

--------------------

The Sox announcers played by the 'rules', going in very round about ways and never daring utter the words "no hitter", during the whole game. The girlfriend finally figured out what was happening in the ninth and said " Gee-He's got a nohitter!"

I cringed-

then right then --Bam-hit to right--I could have crowned her.

I had tried to explain the traditions and rules while it was happening but she didnt get it----Im pretty sure it was her fault.

What if?

Edited by mstar1
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Well... just had first pitch, Davis to Lugo, at Chase Field at the marquee match up series of the weekend... BoSox visit the Snakes.

Lugo launched a 3-2 cutter for his 4th HR of the season.

Sox 1

Dbacks not yet batted.

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Well... just had first pitch, Davis to Lugo, at Chase Field at the marquee match up series of the weekend... BoSox visit the Snakes.

Lugo launched a 3-2 cutter for his 4th HR of the season.

Sox 1

Dbacks not yet batted.

What'd I tell you guys about JD against the Dbacks...? Well, he's in the lineup and hit a HR... it's now 4-0 Sox.

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What'd I tell you guys about JD against the Dbacks...? Well, he's in the lineup and hit a HR... it's now 4-0 Sox.

JD finishes the night 3-5, 2 HR, one double, and a career high 7 RBIs in the game. Not sure why, but he is incredibly comfortable playing against the Dbacks.... and this goes back to before his brother became the Dbacks SS.

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You were spot on with your assessment last winter on Drew--A hot April, then he has been batting somewhere around .160 since May 1st

---one 7 RBI game moves him from 17 RBI to a semirespectable 24 for the year but doesnt tell the whole story

....even though Lugo homered I have to think we are in the market for a new SS, leadoff hitters that bat .217 dont cut it, and he hasnt been such the whiz fielder as advertised...

the sox have been going through SS's like water the last few years...

Nomar,

Orlando Cabrera,

Hanley Ramirez,

Edgar Renteria,

Alex Gonzalez

I'd like to see what their combined stats are about now..

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freakin' stRangers... they play with my heart... Brewers ahead 4-0 going into the bottom of the ninth... Coco Cordero appears (22 for 22 this year)... sits down the first two batters... yep, two outs, four runs... hello win column! Can we play the national league some more? whoopee... two in a row!

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Well, today (Sunday) Jean and I are going to possibly the only game we will go to all season. Cards vs Angels. Few days ago I noticed that the Angels had the best record in the majors. They've taken the first 2 games of the series, so I'm sure the Cards will try extra hard not to get swept.

Good thing is, our tickets are right behind home plate a little to the 3rd base side, lower deck. I'll be wearing a tie dyed shirt (blue, yellow, and green) so when right handed batters are up (Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero, hint hint) I could very well be visible in the crowd. Should be a good time.

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I'll be watching for the Johniam highlights on baseball tonight!

......

StrangOne--perhaps just perhaps the StRangers have reversed strategies this year, and folded at the beginning and will have the late season rush......4 runs in the ninth...sounds like its too soon to tune out just yet.....

...first hidden ball trick Ive seen in awhile the other night....that was sort of fun

...Rock is it just my imagination. It looks/sounds like 2/3 Sox fans down in AZ this weekend, the papers up here are calling it "Fenway in the desert"

DiceK vs The Unit today will hopefully be a good one...

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starman... you know it's like that everywhere "they" go... freaking nation! bandwagoners if you ask me... most of 'em anyway...

I really think the "work the pitcher" approach Washington brought with him from Oakland has messed with their heads a lot and reaped disastrous results (so far)... the key, at least it seems to me, to their offense all of these years has been how aggressive they've been at the plate... which has seemed to be their only hope as lame as the pitching has always been... this is where pitchers come to die... and we always seem to make the wrong decisions on which ones to keep (latest example is Chris Young to San Diego)...

Let's see if the two they took in the first round this year can be spoiled as well...

...and would somebody please buy the team from Hicks?

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Until the Angels 'got good' a few years ago, it was like Yankee Stadium west whenever they came to town. While it was 'comforting' to see the NY gear at the game, I never liked the idea of a visiting team overwhelming a home town crowd. If I ever go to a game in Kansas City, I want to experience Royals fans, not transplanted Yankee , Sox or whoever fans.

I'm off to Dodger Stadium-playing the Blue Jays of all people , today.

I love day games ( so long as I have some shade). Lots of sunshine, and time to digest the Dodger Dogs.

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that sounds like alittle bit of heaven to me...are you in the all you can eat seats I was reading about?

....

regarding sox fans..some..well ok.. many have shown up in the last few years because it is all of a sudden 'cool' to be a sox fan, but a lot are transplants. Boston is a college town and a mountain of people catch the enthusism and fever while they are here then land wherever they land. It is sort of amazing to me to see a good Sox contingent no matter where they go, since I remember going to games with just a few thousand people (but that was a few years ago..)

Even pop culture is pickin up on it

Heres Todays Doonesbury

db070610.gif

Edited by mstar1
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I'll be watching for the Johniam highlights on baseball tonight!

......

StrangOne--perhaps just perhaps the StRangers have reversed strategies this year, and folded at the beginning and will have the late season rush......4 runs in the ninth...sounds like its too soon to tune out just yet.....

...first hidden ball trick Ive seen in awhile the other night....that was sort of fun

...Rock is it just my imagination. It looks/sounds like 2/3 Sox fans down in AZ this weekend, the papers up here are calling it "Fenway in the desert"

DiceK vs The Unit today will hopefully be a good one...

A former Dback, Luis Terrero (I think that's his name, he was pretty much forgettable) fell for the hidden ball trick, I think it may have been in the VERY forgettable 2004 season. That pretty much ended his chances of making much of a career here in the desert... it wouldn't have, however, if he had been better all around.

On the BoSox fans in Phoenix... I don't know about 2/3, but there are a healthy number of locals here from New England and retain loyalty to the Sox (a couple of other teams enjoy similar groups, particularly the Cubs and the Mets), AND apparently... as was noted on the local TV broadcast (in HDTV!) last night (by Daren Sutton (Don Sutton's son) and Joe Garagiola SR, who fills in on weekends at home when Mark Grace is out of town on assignment for Saturday Fox broadcasts) that there appeared to be plenty of Sox fans that made the trip, in part because they can't get tickets at Fenway, due to it always being sold out.

Last night, it looked like Stephen Drew was going to turn the tables on big brother JD... Dbacks led much of the game... but Sox tied it in the 8th and won on a sacfly in the 10th... the younger Drew hit a 2 run HR over JD in right field. Dbacks rookie starter Micah Owings threw a very good game... the bullpen couldn't hold it. Owings is going to be a star, if he stays healthy (not that he would be prone to injuries, any more than anyone else... it's just that every pitcher has that risk). He has the makings of a long and dominant pitching career. Last year, Owings was undefeated at AAA Tucson and pitched the AAA championship game (and won)...

And I DO expect a good game today. For the last month, Johnson's been good for 6 solid innings. As long as he doesn't over extend himself, he'll likely do well against the Sox.

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Thankfully we have an afternoon game today so I'll get to see it, These games in the west are brutal for us people on the other side of the country, after 3 in Oakland, which didnt start until 11PM or so, I missed most of the last 2 nights. NESN (The Sox network) replays them at 8AM, but its just sort of a little too odd to watch an entire with breakfast for me!

I have it on now--looks like no JD against the Unit, maybe you'll get to see the fielding adventure that is Wily Mo Pena

.....and Im glad to see you back Mr. Strange I was worried for awhile....when THE day comes, it will all be worth it--I guarantee-you're not the first person to have to live through this BS

Edited by mstar1
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I don't sit in the 'all you can eat' pavilion. I don't need to gorge myself on Dodger Dogs and Nachos, and the horrors of what the restrooms must be like by the 7th inning is too much drama for me.

I also don't care to sit in the outfield looking in. I was sitting in my area of choice-loge level, third base side. It costs a bit more, but I'm usually able to glom some decent tickets, and justify it by not having many other 'vices' to spend money on.

Dodgers got hammered 11-5. 50,000 fans turned into 20,000 by the 7th inning. No problems getting out of the lot today.

If the NL west had to play the AL east all thetime they'd be run out of the league, based on this weeks performances. The Dodgers looked flatter than a pancake today.

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Mr Rococo

are you watchin?

2-1 AZ bottom of the 7th, both DiceK and RJ are gone

We got us a game

The last name's BALBOA, there friend! :biglaugh:

Yes, the Dbacks salvage a win against the best team in MLB thus far this year. I believe I (sorta) predicted the series would go 2-1 in favor of the Sox. I believe the "prediction" went something like this: The Dbacks will be lucky to win ONE game against the Red Sox. (that's why I said, 'sorta')

And yes, I was watching. Both starters get a decision. For the Big Unit, it's win number 284 in his career. I understand that the Dbacks remain tied with San Diego for first place in the NL West. Obviously, the BoSox still have a huge lead in the AL East.

Both starting pitchers lived up to their reputations. Both pitched very well.

Now the Dbacks go on a mission to assist your Red Sox in their title quest. It's on to the Big Apple.

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Go get em==yanks are on a roll (6 in row)and the sox are floundering....having lost 7 of 10

that was the worst managed game I remember seeing out of Francona in some time..

(Bunting in the 8th to get to his two worst hitters, when both Ortiz and Drew were available???)

Anyway--Your guys capitalized, go get em in yankeeland--

.....

LOL on the 7th inning bathroom visuals, I thought all you can eat was sort of a strange promotion

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Go get em==yanks are on a roll (6 in row)and the sox are floundering....having lost 7 of 10

that was the worst managed game I remember seeing out of Francona in some time..

(Bunting in the 8th to get to his two worst hitters, when both Ortiz and Drew were available???)

Anyway--Your guys capitalized, go get em in yankeeland--

Well, both bat from the left side... which explains why they weren't in the starting line up (even though Davis, who started Friday, also throws left). It could have been that Dbacks were ready with their left handed specialist (Slaten)... but he's still just a rookie.

.....

LOL on the 7th inning bathroom visuals, I thought all you can eat was sort of a strange promotion

One would think that the seats would need to be wider also! :blink:

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