Kevin Millar - 15 - 1B/RF
Week 16 - 19-25 July 2004

Kevin Millar was the poster boy for the “Cowboy Up!” attitude of the 2003 Boston Red Sox but his image had suffered through the first half of this season. His batting average was well below par, his power numbers were pathetic, and he looked like he was struggling to find his footing in the field. However, July has been a different story for Millar; at first base, he has made some excellent defensive plays, robbing some sure hits and assisting in key double plays. He has also shown remarkable improvement at the plate, showcased in the last week of play. After an 0-for-4 performance in his only game in Seattle, Millar went on a tear, finishing the week with 14 hits in his last 20 plate appearances (a .700 average), driving in 11 runs and crossing the plate nine times. He also hit six home runs, including three in a losing effort on Friday night, after hitting just five before the beginning of the week. His efforts helped raise his batting average from .273 to .297 and his slugging percentage from .389 to .461; hopefully, his numbers will continue to improve through the remainder of the first half as he and his Boston mates battle for a playoff spot.

First off, I’m going to apologize right away because this column is nothing more than personal therapy so that I can get something off my chest that has been bothering me for at least eight years and counting. Well, actually, it’s not as if I’m losing sleep over this, but every time the situation rears its ugly head once more, the stabbing pain in my brain returns. In the end, I hope that, if I accomplish nothing else, I will be able to relax the next time I am forced to deal with this matter.

I’ve reached the breaking point with having to endure Red Sox games that are broadcast by the FOX Sports Network on Saturday afternoons. Granted, the game I watched between my beloved Boston nine and the New York Yankees was a “classic” if you were rooting for the Sox. You had both teams trying to out-slug the other, whether it was with the bat or with the fist, and the emotions swung in all directions for the players and the fans. In the end, Boston won in dramatic fashion off ever-steady New York closer Mariano Rivera, who surrendered a one-out, game-ending, two-run home run to light-hitting Bill Mueller to give the home team an 11-10 victory.

However, what made it most unbearable for this Red Sox fan, besides the edge-of-your-seat drama, was the two idiots squawking in the broadcast booth. I’m referring to play-by-play announcer Joe Buck and color analyst Tim McCarver. These two have been ruining my afternoons for the better part of the last eight years or so, especially when the main entrée happens to be the Red Sox and the Yankees. They have to be, bar-none, the worst broadcast tandem in sports. They offer nothing but inane chatter for three straight hours or more.

I’ll start with Joe Buck, son of legendary, Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Buck. I don’t want to sound trite, but I believe that the only reason that he has this gig is because he is the son of a legend; in short, he is average at best. His attempts to induce the dramatic in his calls seem to fall flat and he repeats the same tired clichés over and over.

Then again, Buck is not even half as bad as his two-bit partner-in-crime, Tim McCarver. The former catcher played for 21 seasons in the major leagues and you would think, with all that experience, he would be able to offer more insight and depth to the game. Instead, he points out the obvious and rambles on and on about nothing in particular; I once heard someone likening him to a kindergarten teacher explaining how to tie your shoelaces. I also cannot count the number of times that he makes a point only to have it discredited almost immediately; he’ll second-guess the effort a player is making only to then watch the player make a great play in the field or punch a timely hit down his throat.

Together, these two just pollute the airways, whether they are calling a regular season game, the All-Star Game, or the playoffs. They are the essence of FOX baseball coverage, which spends more time fooling with cutting-edge graphics and goofy sound effects then trying to develop the formula of a successful broadcast. The game seems more like an opportunity to promote the newest reality show or the next Simpsons episode and less like a chance to watch and enjoy some afternoon baseball.

I think that it’s time to give the weekend baseball broadcasts back to NBC or have ESPN broadcast all the nationally televised games; let FOX concentrate its efforts on other sports like football and NASCAR. I don’t know how soon the contract runs out, but perhaps my fellow baseball fans can start a collection to buy out the remainder of the agreement. Surely, I can’t be the only one who feels a headache every time I have to watch and listen to these broadcasts; otherwise, I’m just going to have to kill my television, turn on my radio, and enjoy the games as my grandfather did.

Pedro Martinez - 45 - RHP
Week 15 - 15-18 July 2004

The Red Sox started the second half of the season with a whimper, getting hammered 8-1 in Anaheim at the hands of Jarrod Washburn and the streaking Angels, winners of four straight. So it was up to Martinez to answer the call and get Boston back on the winning track and, much to the surprise of Fenway Fanatics everywhere, he did just that and more. Reverting to a form that has not been seen in some time, the Dominican Dominator started the night throwing some high heat and registering his fast ball in the mid-90s on the radar guns. Despite battling with an incosistant strike zone created by home plate umpire Matt Hollowell, Martinez managed to hold back the Angels, limiting the home team to just two runs on five hits in six innings of work. With his efforts, Martinez earned his tenth victory of the season, second only to fellow starter Curt Schilling; we hope to see many more performances like this from Pedro in the second half and beyond.

Johnny Damon - 18 - CF
Week 14 - 05-11 July 2004

No one was more unhappy to see the All-Star break arrive than Johnny Damon. Damon’s Disciples are still salivating over the week that he enjoyed back home at Fenway Park after the Red Sox went 1-5 on the road. In all six games at home last week, Damon had a least one hit; on Monday, he matched a career high by collecting five hits in his first five at-bats. For the week, Damon batted an amazing .545, raising his average from .291 to .321. In every game, he scored at least one run, reaching the plate an amazing 11 times, and is second in the American League in runs with 70; on Thursday night, he scored all the way from first base in the last of the tenth inning to give Boston as extra inning victory over Oakland. He drove in eight RBI, raising his season total to 46, and hit three home runs, including two on Friday night against Texas and one that tied the score on Sunday. It’s hard to imagine that he’ll keep up this pace once baseball returns to its normal schedule, but what a week it was for Johnny Damon and his loyal disciples!

Well, you certainly cannot look back on the first half of the season and wonder if it would have been the Yankees that were seven games back at the break and thinking wild card had the Red Sox had the lineup that was drawn on paper by Theo Epstein during the off-season. However, even as it stands, Boston enjoyed what, for many teams, would have been a successful first half: ten games above .500 and poised to make a run at a playoff spot in October. There are 76 games left to play in the 2004 season; as we enjoy the All-Star break, we look back on the studs and duds of the first 86 games.

Team MVP: Manny Ramirez
First runner-up: Curt Schilling

Even though this is his fourth season in Boston, it almost seems like we are meeting Ramirez for the first time, and the faithful are enjoying his company. The suddenly easygoing left fielder is enjoying a banner year: his .344 batting average, 26 home runs, and 77 RBI are tops on his team and have him at or near the top of the American League leader board. Not only is he a legitimate AL MVP at this point, he has a chance to become the first batting Triple Crown winner in nearly forty years. It’s hard to imagine that he was nearly sent packing over the winter; never have the cheers been louder when he comes to the plate or he makes a sensational catch in left field.

Team Goat: Derek Lowe
First runner-up: Kevin Millar

Perhaps he feels that he is being picked on, but Lowe has certainly not carried himself well enough on the field to be worthy of a multiyear deal that his agent, Scott Boras, is looking to get him this off-season in the $11 million per year range. His ERA of 5.57 is one and a half runs per nine innings higher that Tim Wakefield’s as a starter. His seven wins do not look good next to eight losses in seventeen starts. It’s true that his defense has not always been there to support him; the 21 unearned runs scored against him are the most on the team. Still, he should be doing better than this and he knows it; hopefully we will see him turn things around in the second half.

Biggest Surprise: Pokey Reese
First runner-up: Johnny Damon

When Boston signed this two-time Gold Glove winner, they knew that they should expect greatness in the field and he has not disappointed. If you went through a reel highlighting the ten best plays of the first half by the Red Sox defense, we’re certain that he would be in better than half of those. With a career .250 batting average, you would not expect him to contribute much at the plate, but he has driven in 26 and scored 50 runs. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that we will see him anywhere but in the number nine spot in the lineup and, with Nomar Garciaparra back from injury, his playing time will be limited, but everyone knows how valuable he’s been to this team; those cheers for him whenever he comes to bat are backed with respect for his efforts.

Biggest Disappointment: Cesar Crespo
First runner-up: Byung-Hyun Kim

He was given ample opportunity to prove his worth and, by his own admittance, he blew it. In 79 plate appearances, Crespo batted .165 while driving in just two runs, never walked, and struck out 20 times. Perhaps you can argue that, given his limited playing time, he never had a chance to find his groove. Explain then how Doug Mirabelli, with seven less plate appearances, hit .306 with seven home runs and plated 17 runners. Sorry, but when you wear a major league uniform, you have to player like you belong.

Second Half Outlook
Let the good times roll!

It’s well known by anyone who had followed Boston this season that, after a 15-6 start, the Red Sox barely maintained a .500 pace (33-32) while New York surged from 4-1/2 games back at one point to seven games ahead in first place. The second half is not going to be any easier as Boston will play 24 games in 25 days following the All-Star break. This includes a trip out west, then three games in two days at Fenway against that pesky Baltimore, followed by a weekend home series against the rival Yankees, then ended with two weeks on the road against Baltimore, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, and Detroit.

At the moment, they also stand one game ahead of Oakland in the wild card race. Knowing that, it doesn’t mean that Boston could not pile on the wins in the second half and surge past New York into first place in the AL East. However, the point is to make it to October and perhaps the collective energy of the Red Sox is better spent trying to stay ahead of the wild card rivals. They have enough strength in the starting lineup and depth in the bench that they should be able make a run for that elusive World Series title.

As a side note, don’t forget that this might be the last chance to see Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, two recent Red Sox legends, playing in a Boston uniform. Without a doubt, one or both of these fine players will be gone at the end of the season. Say what you will about them, but they have enjoyed some sensational years here and are have contributed mightily to the recent success of the Red Sox. We don’t know yet just how much we will miss either of them.

Curt Schilling - 38 - RHP
Week 13 - 28 June - 04 July 2004

For the Red Sox, it was unlucky Week 13 in the regular season as they dropped five of six and were swept in New York. Imagine, then, what it must be like for a player like Curt Schilling, who can only help his team every five starts. On Wednesday, he reportedly got into an argument with Scott Williamson after the reliever took himself out of a game due to a nagging injury; Schilling himself has battle with a sore right ankle all season but has refused to rest. When he finally got the ball in his hand on Saturday, he made the most of his opportunity. Schilling posted his eleventh win of the season with a complete game effort over the Atlanta Braves, allowing just one run on six hits while striking out ten. It was also his sixth win in his last eight starts, making him by far the most successful pitcher to date this season with the Red Sox. He also earned a trip to Houston next week to pitch in the All-Star game and may be given the nod by American League manager Joe Torre to start for the AL squad. It may be hard to swallow the recent slide in the standings, but we know of at least one pitcher that isn’t ready to toss in the towel.