Heh, I'll put it here too!

Brett Gardner LF
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jesus Montero DH
Eric Chavez 3B
Russell Martin C
Chris Dickerson RF
Eduardo Nunez SS

From Gordon Eades:

"I don't know why you're standing here while I dress," said Crawford, who returned to the lineup and singled in four trips, "because when I'm dressed I'm leaving."

Questions? "Go ask the captain," muttered Crawford, directing reporters to Jason Varitek.

The press piranhas are chomping, and Crawford is their new Manny. The speculation is that Captain Facemask told Crawford to stop with the stiff neck crap and play. But it's just speculation.

[2] I've been listening to The Sports Hub from Boston via itunes radio. Good times. Good times.

[1] i left you a comment at the last thread! ; )

[4] Thumbs up to Full Sail Ale. I'd buy it again.

[4] =)

I'm not a alcoholic beverage drinker of any sort, but I've seen people react surprisingly well to Porkslap Ale...

(I'm more of a chocolate milk and arsenic-laced apple juice kinda guy...)

[3] Oh, the Sports Hub is much better than WEEI, good work. The afternoon guys are more interesting.

No drinking for me tonight. Have to be relatively clear headed later.

[3] Indeed!

[7] Porkslap OK in a pinch, but so far I'm enjoying Paulaner, Berkshire Brewing Co., and Blue Hills... all hefeweizens.

[5] oh, yay! that's really good to hear, man. i plan on buying sixers of the amber, both Friday and Saturday! : )

[7] don't forget root beer, chyll!

Hmmm.

Rain delay?

[8] Whoever was on an hour ago was touting the trade of Carl Crawford this off season. Ha. Good fucking luck with that!

[12] Hm, I wasn't listening, but that should have been Tony Maserati, by the timing. Kind of a high, testosterone-deprived voice, very excitable?

From LoHud:

About 20 minutes before the first pitch of the second game of today’s doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays, Yankees GM Brian Cashman called a press conference to announce the results from Phil Hughes’ MRI earlier today.

“He’s been getting better, but today they decided to be move proactive because he wasn’t getting better quick enough for them,” Cashman said. “The MRI showed that he has inflammation coming from an old injury in ’04, which was a herniated disc. It’s not considered serious. It would normally resolve itself just with some more time, but because of the time of year, we decided to go proactive and hit it with an epidural.”

[12] And as to the substance, right, they would have to pay half his salary or something. Similarly for trading Lackey. I know, they're really stuck with those two for years to come, it's awesome. And we knew Crawford was a white elephant! (Or is that the wrong metaphor?)

[14] Hm.
What does that mean, exactly, hitting it with an epidural? I thought an epidural was an anesthetic. (That's what it was when my wife was in labor!) Are they giving him cortisone through the dura, or what?

[16] From Wiki:

The term epidural is often short for epidural analgesia, a form of regional analgesia involving injection of drugs through a catheter placed into the epidural space. The injection can cause both a loss of sensation (anaesthesia) and a loss of pain (analgesia), by blocking the transmission of signals through nerves in or near the spinal cord.

The epidural space is the space inside the bony spinal canal but outside the membrane called the dura mater (sometimes called the "dura"). In contact with the inner surface of the dura is another membrane called the arachnoid mater ("arachnoid"). The arachnoid encompasses the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the spinal cord.

All-in-all, doesn't sound fun ...

[10] Ha, that's why I didn't say I wasn't a beer drinker >;)

[15]

And we knew Crawford was a white elephant! (Or is that the wrong metaphor?)

Albatross!! (Get em on a stick!)

[17] Makes sense. So anesthesia for labor, analgesic for sore back.

Probably not a lot of fun, but if it's effective then hey, simple procedure, feel better, everybody's happy (and everybody likes to play baseball).

[19] What flavors do you have?

Boom. Mark Reynolds takes Beckett deep. 1-0.

yay, baseball!

Sign him up!

Oh, Robbie.

[21] Whaddaya mean, it's a Red Suck; it only comes in one bloody flavor!

CC looks good early and then, Oh! Robbie Cano, right through the wickets.

[26] Oh all right. You don't have peanuts or something?

[12] Someone wrote in to boston.com proposing a straight up Crawford for V.Wells trade, said "I'm sure the Angels would take him". Hahaha!

Back later, following some other news at the moment..

[29] Crawford has three extra years on his deal. Aside from that, sure, the Angels would probably take him, don't you think? Wells is older, and they're probably fairly similar players otherwise.

But those extra three years, no way. The Red Sox are stuck with him.

Mark Reynolds has Beckett's number.

Wow! To load the bases! Wow!

Rob is getting mucho respect.
Okay, Jesus, go get 'im.

I can't believe that IBB. I actually believe Maddon is a good tactical manager.

And, it worked out. But it's a dumb move. I guess Maddon likes to do things, put his mark on the game. That's not a good trait.

So what's going on, anyway -- where the hell is everyone?

[34] Some rather dramatic news going on elsewhere.. check democracynow.org

[35] I know, my wife is following it and keeps updating me.

[34] You're in the Banter's 5th Dimension, where commentors who defy the "3 posts in a row" rule end up. It's a lonely and disorienting place where you usually end up talking to spherical objects called Rawlings. To get out of this dimension, you just wonder out loud where everyone else is and pay the root beer float.

Yeah, it's the post-clinch playoff spot night. I've had shit to do around the casa tonight. But I'm sure the threads will be thinner than usual until Game One of the ALDS.

[37] Whew. Cheap out. Not even one of those wheat beer things?

I didn't see Rod Serling. That would have been a tip-off.

Even Beckett can't stop the bleeding. They need Curt Schilling, or his doctor.

Yeah, their pretty flexible there...

[41] They're they're.

Curt Schilling already wrote them off from even making the playoffs. I doubt he's waiting around for that phone call...

43 Did he really?

[43] Too busy gaming and (comment removed dur to violation of Banter rules).

Shut-up, Zobrist.

[45] What, you can't say 'masturbating'? I think Alex is perfectly okay with masturbating.

But yes, Curt did say the Sox wouldn't make the play-offs. And he said he was fine with that, because they needed a fire lit under them, or some bullshit like that. He's such a blowhard.

Oh, I thought it was Beckett who gave up the go-ahead single to Vlad. It was Ace. But the base runners were Beckett's. Six ER for him tonight.

If only the Rays were playing someone else... This is my lament. Still, how demoralized will the Sux be in the ALDS?

It's so comforting to see Brett jogging over to field a ball.

FUUUuuuu

Goddam.
The gopher ball is CC's undoing.

[52] But you have mixed feelings about winning this game, no? :-)

Coney said the Wildcard "is clenched."

-- Beavis

[54] I sincerely regret my previous statement. CC needs #20!

[56] Well, he still has a shot. We have to score after America the Beautiful and the silent prayer and shit.

Jim Johnson takes the hill at Fenway to close...

I wonder if he comes from Wisconsin.

There are probably a double-digit number of crackas from Wisconsin named Jim Johnson.

Crawford grounds out. Two to go.

Scutaro grounds out. One to go.

0-2 pitch to Jed Lowrie...

Ballgame!

Fin

Crawford, Scutaro, Lowrie. Not a fearsome bottom of the ninth. This is the team that was ripping the cover off the ball mid-season.

Jeez, our guys are making it easy for Hellickson. So does CC come back out?

What's his count? He's setup for short rest for Game 1, right?

Sorry, 106, so hopefully he can finish the 8th

[68] That fly out to Gardner was pitch #111.

Damn, so either we clinch the Division or the Rays get within a game of Boston! (And it would be two games in the W column, even in the L column, right?)

No, I was a half game off. The Rays made up one of their games-in-hand today, of course.

Oi! That was close.

Still, they need this. And CC needs to come out.

Get him the fuck out of there. Duh.

Good move.

Hammer time.

Robertson is not going to get out of this one.

The fuck do I know?

HAMMERED.
Two nails with one blow.

[77] BOO-YA!!!!

Belth, you have a really bad track record on this particular issue! You gots to have faith in The Hamma, my friend.

For that, D-Rob deserves a W, wouldn't you say? So let's score four here.

I hope we can expect better out of you in CC's next start, LOL.

Seriously though, dude is amazing.

Nune again?!

81) If he blows one in the playoffs I will blame you. In the meantime, I cop to sucking the big one on this one.

fastballs v. Swish = Win

[85] No chance he gives up a run with the bases loaded. IIRC, that's where the magic of the Hammer began - in the 2009 playoffs.

As much as I want the Yanks to clinch the division, that's a foregone conclusion now, right? Am I wrong for wanting to see the Sox out of the playoffs, and thus would not mind (not desire but not mind) a Rays win in this game?

Not off the Hammer though, of course!

Yahoo! Good move by Girardi. Joe's had some good games recently.

[85] Hah! Yer on, AB.
D-Rob blowing one in the play-offs, like that could happen!

[87] Can't quite decide.
Yes, we will clinch the Division. But home field advantage is a step further. Still, it's almost done. And, it would be fun for the Sox to suffer more.

But I have to say, just from the standpoint of maximizing the Yankee victory chances, I think I would rather see Boston in the playoffs than Tampa! Those pitchers, they could mow you down three games in a row. How the hell are the Red Sox gonna beat us?

87) and 89)

You guys are a pair of fuggin jinxes!

LOL

Make 'em pay, Robbie!

Uh.
Pitching around Teixeira to face Robinson?

Maddon really likes to Make Moves.

Lessgo Robbie

Huh. The plan seems to be to pitch around both of them to face Jesus.

Okay, babies, time to face Jesus! It's Judgment Day!

Oh, let him hit. Come on.
Well, who do we have on the bench? No lefties, right? Posada I guess.

Yep.

Hip-Hip!

FUCKE YEAH, JORGE!

Hip hip!!!!!!