Name Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury
Born September 11, 1983 Birth Place Madras, OR
Age 24 Weight 185 lbs. Height 6-1
Bats Left Throws Left Experience 1 years
College Oregon State Draft 2005 1st Round (23rd pick) Boston Red Sox

Salary 2008: $406,000

Jacoby Ellsbury is one of the fastest players in all of baseball
he currently leads the league in steals heading into the all star break and
is a candidate for rookie of the year. He already has broken the Red Sox rookie single season record for steals.

Ellsbury is one of few native americans in the major leaugues
Jacoby started off his career with 25 consecutive steals without being
caught only two shy of the record to begin a career.

Josh Beckett Poll
Jonathan Pabelbon Poll
Daisuke Matsuzaka Poll
Mike Timlin Poll
Hideki Okajima
John Lester Poll
Clay Bucholz Poll
Tim Wakefield Poll
Manny DelCarmen Poll
David Aardsma Poll
Javier Lopez Poll

David Ortiz Poll
Manny Ramirez Poll
Kevin Youkilis Poll
Jason Varitek Poll
Jacoby Ellsbury Poll
J.D Drew Poll
Coco Crisp
Dustin Pedroia Poll
Julio Lugo Poll
Mike Lowell Poll
Kevin Cash Poll

Your starting pitcher gives six solid innings and is unhittable but we have a problem skipper our precious pitcher is approcahing the one hundred pitch mark? Well of course we have to take him out statistic show pitchers are far less effective when they reach 100 pitches. Who came up with this crazy concept and why 100 pitches because it is a nice round number? If managers are doing it to protect the arms of these pitchers how do you explain all the former mlb players who could throw until their arm fell off. Do we expect to see todays pitchers pitching two or three more years? What is the sense of having a million dollar arm if you can only pitch a little more than half the game and then rely on your bullpen to come through each and every night. Imagine if the NFL employed the same concept? Can you imagine Bill Bellicheck going to Tom Brady we need to pull you Tom you just made your fiftieth pass of the game we need to protect your arm for the future. I believe it was the great coach Herm Edwards of the New York Jets ok well not so great coach once said ” you play to win the game”. I think that’s the way it needs to be in baseball and forget about this stupid pitch count.

Unfortunetly it was the final game of the series capping off the sweep of the Red Sox for the second time and pushing the Tampa Rays ahead by 3.5 games. This was the first time I have seen a sell out crowd a Tropicanna Field and this time there were more Rays fans than Red Sox fans. Just goes to show you if you build a winner they will come, who would have thought the Tampa Rays would be in first place at the All Star break?

I was actually more excited about this series than the Yankees series. The Yankees seem to have lost their swagger and baby Steinbrenner is as obnoxious as his dad. How great would it be if the Sox and Rays make the playoffs and the Yankees fail. I can’t think of anything sweeter.

With two men on base Kevin Youkilis hit a deep fly to left field. Johnny Damon leaped and caught the ball. Well not exactly he caught it till he hit the left field wall. The ball popped out of Damon’s glove and landed on the four inch wide wall and sat there for at least two seconds. The ball rolled off the wall into fail ground. Johnny Damon sat up not knowing where the ball was. A Yankee staff member started yelling and pointed to the ball, that was resting on the ground behind Damon. Damon got the ball and threw it in. Kevin Youkilis ended up with a triple and two RBI’s, tying the game.

Johnny Damon makes great catch

Johhny Damon did make a great catch before hitting the wall. Unfortunately he got injured and had to leave the game with a bruised shoulder.

Johny Damon hits wall ball pops out

Ball rests on top of wall

Yankee staff points to ball

Catch all the game summary’s and scores at Red Sox Game by Game scores

For photo’s and more information see Red Sox Chat forums

Catch all the game summary’s and scores at Red Sox Game by Game scores

For photo’s and more information see Red Sox Chat forums

The Good
J D Drew - Who I vote as MVP so far 14 home runs, batting average .308, 45 RBI;s, OBP .414. With David Ortiz out he has stepped up big.
Kevin Youkilis - Many big hits, 13 home runs, .303, 47 RBI’s, .374 OBP
Jocoby Ellsbury - 34 stolen basses a Red Sox rookie record, batting .275 Causes opposing pitcher massive headaches.
Dustin Pedrioa - This scrappy player teams up with Ellsbury and delivers a one two punch. He seems to always move the runners along, very patient at bat and will foul off pitches wearing down the opposing pitcher. Batting .289, 7 home runs.
Manny Ramirez - Hit career home run 500. I put him in the good because the Red Sox would not be in first place without his heroics in the first three weeks of the season. Batting .291, 15 home runs, 49 RBI’s. He has been either very good or very bad.
Mike Lowell - Has lots of big hits despite being on the disable list early in the season has two grand slams.

Pitchers
Justin Masterson - Got his chance when Buchholtz got hurt and has been great so far. A record 4-1 and a 3.43 ERA
David Aardsma - Coming on strong, in his last seven one inning relief appearances he hasn’t given up a run, while striking out 12. Has a 2.52 ERA and a 2-1 record.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - a 8-1 record and 3.68 ERA gets him on this list. He got shelled in his return froma 15 disable list. Batters are batting only .213 against him, his down fall has been walks pitching 65 innings with 41 walks.
Manny Delcarmen - Another pitcher that has really come on strong. After a shaky start he has turned it around. In his last 10 relief appearances (11 innings total) he hasn’t given up a run, while striking out 12, giving up four hits, three walks. He has a 3.38 ERA.
Jon Lester - If this man can keep his walks down he will be a great pitcher. Lately he has done just that. Has a 6-3 record, 3.13 ERA and one no hitter.
Jonathan Papelbon - Has been good with 23 saves, but has four blown saves. Two of the blown saves came with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Has an ERA of 2.08, opponents batting average .197.
Bartolo Colón - Currently on disable list, has been huge wit all our pitcher injuries this season. Has a 4-2 record and a 4.09 ERA.
Javier López - Another reliever that has come on strong giving up only one run in his last ten apperances. Has a 2-0 record and 2.45 ERA.

The ok:
Coco Crisp - Playing more with all the Red Sox injuries is turning it around.
Sean Casey, Alex Cora, Brendon Moss, Kevin Cash are all playing good, just didn’t make the good list because of playing time.
David Ortiz - Had a dreadfull start was comming on when he got hurt. Still has a lot of big home runs 13 and 43 RBI’s.
Tim Wakefield - This old pro keeps it up and maybe belongs in the good. Spots a 5-5 record, 3.88 ERA.
Josh Beckett - Not as strong as we would like, but to his credit the Red Sox haven’t given him a lot of runs.
Craig Hansen - This man has not luck, I think he could give up three infield hits in a row. He’s got to get his walks down.
Hideki Okajima - Not the same pitcher as last year especially of late. Record 2-0 and a 3.00 ERA.

The Bad
Jason Varitek - Batting only .231
Mike Timlin - He has been terrible the whole season
Julio Lugo - To many errors leads the league with 16 errors

One of the biggest concerns has been injuries
They have had countless injuries and surprising the Red Sox have done this good so far.

Currently out:
David Ortiz - Torn tendon sheath in left wrist
Bartolo Colón - Back stiffness
Curt Schilling - Shoulder surgery out for the season

Curt Schilling said today that he was having season ending surgery on Monday. He said “they have to relocate his bicep muscle and may have rotator cup surgery as well, if I don’t have the surgery, then my career is over and if I do then my season is over”.

He was asked about the tragedy “hey I know somebody at age 26 in stage 4 of cancer giving her 6-9 months to live that’s a real tragedy, I’ve had a successful career and this is nothing, I don’t care if I come back, at age 41 who knows”

He said “I played 22 years and have pitched ver 3000 innings so there is no tragedy here” Also added “If I do come back I will have to work five times as hard as I have ever done before, rehabilitating”

I think his career is over, age 41, 22 years in the big leagues, a couple of World Series rings, there’s not a lot to accomplish at this stage. I just wish I got all the money he got this season for not pitching.

More on Curt Schilling

Red Sox Game by Game scores

How sweet it is when you do it at home in front of a screaming sell out crowd.

The ninth inning began with the sell out crowd standing and cheering Lester on (lots of pressure here). Lester started out by walking German, Pena grounded out to third, DeJesus grounded out to first for the second out. Then to the plate came Callaspo to the plate, again with the crowd going crazy he threw a 93 MPH fastball. Callaspro trying to make contact missed the fast ball game over.

Jon Lester clinched his fists and Jason Varitek ran out to Lester picked him up and gave him a huge hug. The rest of the Boston Red Sox players stormed the mound congratulating Lester on his no-hitter.
Kansas City Royals had only one ball that looked like it was going to drop in for a hit. In the fourth inning Guillen hit a line drive to center field. Thank god for Ellsbury speed, running hard he dove and made a great catch preserving Lesters no-hitter. At the time it didn’t seem important, but we know now how important it was.

Asked of Lester “What are you going to get for Jacoby Ellsbury’s for his catch in the fourth inning?”

With a big smile he said “I don’t know we’ll work something out.”

Jon Lester has seen some ups and downs. While pitching for The Boston Red Sox he had a car accident and after some tests because of back pain (thought to be related to the car accident) it was found to be a rare non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, blood cancer. In less than a year after chemotherapy, he pitched the last game of the 2007 World Series against Colorado, winning and completing a Boston Red Sox World Series sweep. Now he can add a no-hitter to the list.

Some facts about last nights no-hitter

The Red Sox now own the last two no-hitters thrown in the majors. The last one was September 2007 by teammate Clay Buchholtz in his second major league career start.

Jason Varitek holds the record catching four no-hitters. The others being Clay Buchholz, Hideo Nomo, and Derek Lowe.

The Boston Red sox have thrown second most no-hitters 18, Los Angeles Dodgers have the most with 20.

Mel Parnell was the last lefty for the Boston Red Sox to throw a no-hitter in 1956.

Ninth inning summary:

Lester walked two batters, nine strikeouts, no hits
Pitches-strikes - Jon Lester 130-86
Ground balls-fly balls - Jon Lester 11-7
Batters faced - Jon Lester 29