Random Thoughts (August 12, 2007)

I have been away since last Saturday and haven't been able to watch/read too much in the sports world... So Barry Bonds is now the all-time homerun leader. A few thoughts on Bonds: 1. He's obviously a steroid abuser. 2. He's obviously not the only baseball player who uses steroids. 3. Most people hate Barry because he's arrogant and a jerk in public (I can't speak to how he is in his private life but I bet it's not much better) and they use the steroid excuse to really hate him. 4. Before he apparently got on steroids -- probably after the 2000 season -- Bonds was already a first ballot Hall of Fame player. What really upset me about Bonds breaking the record is that he didn't hug his own son when he crossed home plate after blasting No. 756. His son squeezed him but Bonds did his point to the sky routine. What a jerk... Could the Red Sox sweep the top three positions in the American League Rookie of the Year vote? There is a lot of baseball to be played but Dustin Pedroia (.330 BA, .403 OBP, .851 OPS, 36 RBI), Daisuke Matsuzaka (13-8, 3.59 ERA, 159 K's, 158 IP) and Hideki Okajima (3-1, 1.11 ERA, 4 saves, 52 games, 19 holds) are the top three rookies in the A.L. as of today. As for the trophy, I would vote for Pedroia. Nothing against either Matsuzaka or Okajima but I consider their time in Japanese professional baseball to make them veterans, even if MLB doesn't also show them that same level of respect... Even though they are Milton's rivals in the Bay State League, I will be cheering for the Walpole Little League team as they advance to Williamsport for the Little League World Series... I caught the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox victory over the Cotuit Kettlers in Cape Cod League action while in Dennisport last week. The Red Sox pounded Cotuit, 7-1, and are favorites to win their second consecutive CCL championship sometime next week... My only mistake at the game was purchasing (and consuming) a Y-D Backstop Grille "Triple Play." The fare was a bag of Cape Cod potato chips (excellent as always), a can of Moxie cola (disgusting) and a perfectly cooked cheeseburger, served on a slightly grilled powdered donut from Dunkin Donuts (tasty but horrifying to think about). Sorry if this last paragraph was too Peter King-like but I had to share that experience... I love the fact that Terry Francona supports his players, like when he tried to excuse Eric Gagne for blowing the Red Sox 5-1 lead in the eighth inning Friday night in an eventual 6-5 loss to the Orioles in Baltimore. Francona said that Gagne needs time to adjust to pitching in a set-up role after being a closer for the last six years. But what I love even more is Gagne saying there is no excuse for his poor performance and that he knows he has to step up and pitch to his capabilities... Looks like Josh Beckett (15-5, 3.24 EA, 140 K's) could join either Pedroia/Matsuzaka/Okajima as members of the Red Sox to take home hardware after the season. Beckett -- who has totally erased the bad memories of his sloppy 2006 Boston debut -- is the front runner to win the Cy Young award... Enjoy Entourage tonight...