Yes, the Bruins lost the season opener last night. But, hey, they put the banner up! How cool is that? Still a great night. And, of course, it's always a good night if Bobby Orr shows up. Enjoy the gratuitous banner shots.
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Results tagged “sportsredux”
Whatever ailed the Patriots a week ago in Buffalo vanished in a convincing 31-19 victory on the road against the Raiders on Sunday. Tom Brady reverted to his error-free play with an efficient 16-30, 226-yard performance that included two more touchdown passes. While Brady's interception-free game gets the headlines, the Patriots benefitted from a balanced offensive attack. Oakland led early, by a 10-7 score early in the second quarter. The Patriots, who gained 184 yards on the ground, scored the next 17 points thanks to rushing touchdowns from BenJarvus Green-Ellis (75 yards) and Stevan Ridley (97 yards), and a field goal from Stephen Gostkowski.
The Patriots are in Oakland and the team, and Boston's sports fans, need a win. The Pats, fresh off a surprising loss to Buffalo, need to find a defense to stop someone. As for fans, well, you were there last week and we're moving forward as Bill Belichick might say. We'll start with Tom Brady. He chopped that hair right out of his helmet and we hope he has met his yearly interception quota. He tends to respond well after having bad games. Brady is 4-1 in games after he throws four interceptions. He's 25-6 after a loss.
The Red Sox have begun the post-choke era on Thursday. Call it Heimlich Day. Terry Francona and Theo Epstein eulogized the team's total collapse of 2011 with some blunt comments to try and explain the 7-20, uhhh, effort in September. They started with themselves. "This year, we weren't at our best," Theo said. "I can say that about myself. Tito and I talked about it and I think he'd say the same about himself." He also said part of the post-choke analysis requires management to evaluate themselves to see if they should stay in their current jobs.
Well, the Red Sox season has come to this. Tied with Tampa Bay for the final playoff spot in the American League on the last day of the regular season. Both teams held serve on Tuesday as Boston escaped with an 8-7 win over Baltimore. Wednesday speaks for itself. "If you don’t want to show up (Wednesday) and play, you’ve got no pulse," Terry Francona said.
A lot happened on Sunday, sports fans. We found something good to lead-off with. Jacoby Ellsbury. The Sox speedy centerfielder saved the team after, we think, they were close to hitting rock bottom in Sunday's doubleheader. Ellsbury finished the games with a 5-11 performance with three home runs and five RBI. Ellsbury joined the 30-30 club, a first in franchise history. They lost game one, 6-2, and needed a three-run home run in the 14th inning from Ellsbury to win game two, 7-4.
Bostonist was rooting for a rain out Friday night. Have you ever seen a team more in need of an extra day away from baseball than your 2011 Red Sox? Seriously. We said on Friday we expected - hoped, really - Boston to be ready to take on New York for one last time this season especially because they're 6-0 in the Bronx this season. A two-day break before fighting to preserve a playoff spot should be a good thing.That's what we think, anyway.
September of 2011 will be one to remember for Red Sox fans. And after a gag-filled 5-16 month to date, that bad taste in your mouth won't make for a good memory. We've had errors, bad pitching and non-existent offense, at times, from a highly regarded and well paid team that should be better than they are. They might not be as good as the 20-6 July team, but, 5-16? Really? That brings us to today and the first of three games in New York against the Yankees, who just clinched the A.L. East. If these Red Sox can't find their best with three almost must-win games against those guys then they don't deserve a playoff spot. They're going to have to earn it this year as the Tampa Bay Rays are now two games back in the Wild Card. And the Angels are looming, too. Leave it all on the field, guys. Theo Epstein is doing that in the front office by almost trading for Mets pitcher and Springfield's Chris Capuano, apparently for one start.
Tom Brady, to the surprise of nobody, was named AFC offensive player of the week for the second week in a row. Brady, of course, deferred credit to the entire Patriots offense. Starting center Dan Koppen highlights a slew of injuries for the team. Koppen's broken fibula earned him a season-ending spot on injured reserve despite a slight chance he could return late in the season.
Last Monday, Bostonist figured we'd seen it all from Tom Brady. But, Brady was at his best again with three touchdown passes and 423 yards in a 35-21 victory over the San Diego Chargers yesterday in Foxboro. Brady is the first quarterback to ever throw for 400+ yards a week after throwing for over 500 yards. He had a quarterback rating of 135.7 against the Chargers.
The Red Sox pitching staff asserted itself with 15-strikeout effort, earning the Red Sox a huge 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays last night. The Sox last allowed three runs or less was in a 14-0 win over Toronto on September 6. The Sox were 1-7 in that stretch. Josh Beckett (13-5) pitched well in his first start since spraining his ankle, with a six-inning stint that yielded the Rays three runs in six innings on seven hits. Beckett struck out seven batters. Alfredo Aceves and Daniel Bard each pitched a scoreless inning in relief. Aceves had two strikeouts and Bard three. Jon Papelbon earned his 30th save with a scoreless ninth inning.
The Red Sox continued their month-long swoon on Thursday as Tampa Bay routed the home team by a 9-2 score. The Sox are now 3-11 in September and have fallen 4.5 games behind the Yankees in the A.L. East. The Rays have closed to within three games in the Wild Card race. A four-run outburst put the Rays ahead for good. Three runs in the seventh gave Tampa Bay a 9-1 lead.
Fourteen games remain in 2011 regular season and the Red Sox lead the Tampa Bay Rays, in town for four games, by four in the A.L. Wild Card race after a 5-4 loss to Toronto last night. If you thought Tuesday's rout of the Blue Jays ended their September skid, well think again. Yesterday, the Bruins finally signed Brad Marchand, the pesky rookie who developed into legit goal-scoring in the team's Cup-winning playoff run, to a two-year, $5 million contract.
We were reading something about Tom Brady being old this week. Brady looked as good as ever last night, leading New England to a 38-24 win over Miami that might have been one of the most one-sided 14-point wins you'll ever see. With the score tied at 14-14 in the third quarter, the Patriots routed Miami, 24-3, over the next 15 minutes to take a 38-17 lead with about six minutes left to play. Brady finished with 517 yards, or the 5th highest single-game total in league history, the 11th 500-yard passing game in league history, the most yards in franchise history, the most yards ever on Monday Night Football, and the most yards in a game since Boomer Esiason threw for 522 yards in 1996. Phew. He had four touchdowns, too, and an interception. We didn't forget.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft is ready for some football. “Thank God for NFL football," he said after a tumultuous offseason in which his beloved wife, Myra Kraft, died. The entirety of Patriots fandom might say the same thing without having as significant a reason why. We have another matter of hours until the Pats open the season tonight in Miami so the anticipation has more time to build on already high expectations after another unsatisfying playoff exit earlier this year followed a 14-2 regular season. Bill Belichick reloaded with two high-profile players, Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth, who you'd think didn't fit with his style. He did manage to keep 18 undrafted players on the 53-man roster, the third most in the NFL.
The Red Sox September slump continued in Toronto with a sloppy, 11-10 loss on Wednesday. Boston is now 2-5 this month and now trails New York by 2.5 games in the A.L. East. Tim Wakefield's seventh attempt at his 200th victory was not any luckier than the previous six tries. He allowed five runs on three hits, two hit batters, and three walks in five innings. The Sox offense again battered the Blue Jays pitchers with 10 runs on 14 hits. The Sox scored three runs in the first and four more in the fourth for a 7-5 lead. Jacoby Elsbury was 4-5 with a home run on three RBI. Marco Scutaro was 2-4 with three RBI. Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz each homered.
The Red Sox responded to a two-game mini-slump with a resoundingly one-sided 14-0 victory last night against the Blue Jays. Boston scored early and often with four runs in the first inning and 10 runs off of Toronto starter Luis Perez, who lasted just 2.2 innings. Boston pounded the Jays for 20 hits. David Ortiz and Marco Scutaro combined for an 8-11 performance with six RBI and five RBI. Scutaro was 4-5 (three doubles) with four RBI.
Texas had their way with the Red Sox on Friday night with a 10-0 rout and the Red Sox returned the favor yesterday by overpowering the Rangers, 12-7. An eighth-inning barrage highlighted by Carl Crawford's grand slam put Boston up 9-3. Crawford finished 2-5 with four RBI. Dustin Pedroia finished off Texas in the sixth with bases-loaded double that scored three runs. Boston's offense had 16 hits, a total that included four hits from Josh Reddick.
The Yankees bullpen allowed one hit in 3.2 innings in a 4-2 win over the Red Sox last night. After taking two of three games, New York trails Boston by just a half-game. Mariano Rivera earned his 36th save after holding off a rally in the ninth. The Sox loaded the bases in the ninth on two walks and a single. Adrian Gonzalez struck out to end the game.
CC Sabathia (18-7) beat the Red Sox for the first time in 2011 in a 5-2 decision on Tuesday. The Yankees now trail the Sox by .5 in the East. The Sox had plenty of chances to score with 10 hits off Sabathia during his six innings. They left, however, 16 runners on base on the night.
For the second straight night, the Red Sox messed up the Texas Rangers pitching staff with a thoroughly one-sided 13-2 romp on Wednesday. The Sox outscored Texas 24-7 in the last two games with 30 hits. Boston's assault featured 16 hits, three home runs, and at least one run in seven innings. Carl Crawford was the Sox biggest bat with a 2-3 effort, five RBI and a home run.
A makeshift Red Sox lineup provided enough offense for a slightly sharp Jon Lester to beat Kansas City, 6-1, on Sunday. Boston took three games out of four from the Royals and now trail the Yankees by .5 in the A.L. East. Lester (13-6) lasted six innings and threw 113 pitches. He allowed one run, three hits and four walks. Darnell McDonald (three hits, home run) and Ryan Lavarnway (two hits) combined to go 5-9 with two RBI as they filled in for Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz.
Tim Wakefield was denied his 200th win once again after Kansas City used an eight-run sixth inning rally to beat Boston, 9-4. Twelve Royals batted in the sixth as seven batters had hits and two walked. Wakefield pitched 5.1 and allowed four runs on nine hits. The Red Sox led 4-3 when Wakefield left. Matt Albers (4-4) imploded by retiring one batter out of the six he faced. He walked two and allowed five runs and three hits. Five K.C. batters had at least two hits. Ryan Lavarnway, Carl Crawford, and Dustin Pedroia each had two hits. Lavarnway had his first major league RBI.
Pitchers Andrew Miller and Alfredo Aceves held Kansas City to just four hits in a 7-1 victory, Boston's second straight in Kansas City. Miller pitched 5.1 innings and allowed three hits and one run. Alfredo Aceves allowed just one hit in 3.2 innings of work. Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered in the fifth to give Boston a 5-1 lead.
A suddenly depleted Red Sox lineup, without David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis took on Kansas City. Fortunately, they have Dustin Pedroia to bat clean up. Pedroia finished with three hits and three RBI in a 4-3 victory. His RBI single in the fifth inning was the winning hit. Josh Beckett (10-5) threw seven strong innings, allowing seven hits and and three runs. Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless eighth. Jonathan Paplebon earned his 29th save. Jason Varitek also had an RBI.
Boston won the opener by the score of 3-1 despite mustering only three hits. Jacoby Ellsbury belted a three-run home run in the third inning to provide all the support starter Jon Lester needed. Lester (12-6) allowed just - you guessed it - three hits in seven innings. He had eight strikeouts. The Sox lost to the Rays, 6-2, in the second game. The Sox got just three hits, one each from Ellsbury, Jason Varitek, and Jed Lowrie. Ellsbury and Varitek each hit solo home runs.
So much for that winning streak, Sox fans. Nick Blackburn allowed the Red Sox one run in 6.2 innings in a 5-2 decision on Wednesday. The Sox move on to Seattle on Friday. Jon Lester (11-6) pitched 7.1 innings and allowed four runs on eight hits and five walks. Lester left in the eighth after a walk and a double. Alfredo Aceves allowed a double, two singles and a walk as the Twins took a 5-2 lead. David Ortiz homered in the eighth inning to tie the score at 1-1. Marco Scutaro had an RBI single. Mike Aviles had a double and a single.
David Ortiz drove in the winning run with perha ps the shortest hit of his Red Sox (72-43) career, an infield single, in the seventh inning of a 4-3 win in Minnesota. The Sox have won four straight games and havea 2.5 game lead over New York in the A.L. East. Erik Bedard had no decision after five innings in which he allowed three hits and two runs. Bedard recorded six strikeouts. Darnell McDonald's two-run home run in the fifth that tied the score at 2-2.
David Ortiz finished 4-5 with three RBI as the Red Sox rallied for an 8-6 win over Minnesota, Big Papi's former team, on Monday. Ortiz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning as Boston tied the game at 5-5. In the ninth inning Ortiz and Saltalamacchia delivered consecutive RBI on a single and a double, respectively, for the 8-6 margin.