A Farewell to #34

Balls of All Sizes has been pretty quiet in the past 17 months but there are certain people who just deserved to be memorialized. David Ortiz is one.

Well... the Red Sox 2016 season came to a screeching halt on Monday after a horribly lackluster performance in the ALDS losing three straight to the Terry Francona-helmed Cleveland Indians and with it, the hallowed career of Mr. David Ortiz... Big Papi... #34. This loss was incredibly disappointing for a team that led the majors in runs per game, total runs, hits, doubles, RBI, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS and total bases. They had three players finish in the top 10 for batting average for crying out loud! But after winning 19 games in September (including an 11 game winning streak), they hobbled into the playoffs with silent bats and a pitching staff lacking confidence.

But this story isn't about the Red Sox failure to perform... this story is about a career so magical it was very nearly unbelievable. This story is about a guy who was released by the Minnesota Twins at the age of 27 and given a one-year contract with the Red Sox on the word of Pedro Martinez. This story is about a guy who went on to become the heart of Boston.

When Big Papi arrived in Boston for the 2003 season, the Sox had been relegated to 2nd place behind the powerhouse (and extremely annoying) New York Yankees for several seasons in the midst of winning three consecutive World Series. Painful with a capital P. And 2003 wasn't any less traumatic when Aaron Boone hit an ALCS Game 7 walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th to send the Sox home. But it was only Ortiz's first season. Clearly, the best was still yet to come.

Who knows what happened during the winter of 2003-04 with Big Papi, but he was a greatly improved player in 2004. And we all know how that season ended... An amazing ALCS where the Sox finally got revenge on the Yankees by coming back from a 3-0 deficit for a trip to the World Series. Ortiz won the ALCS MVP after batting .387 with 3 home runs and 11 RBI. The Sox went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals and win their first World Series in 86 years. Goodbye, Curse and Hello Blessing... a blessing in the form of a Big Papi!

David Oritz went on to spend the next 14 seasons delighting Red Sox Nation. A 10-time All-Star, 6-time Silver Slugger winner, and the most important title of all, 3-time World Series Champion. I've been a Red Sox fan my whole life and I often wondered if they would ever win just ONE more World Series so THREE has been a dream come true. He hit 541 total home runs landing himself at #17 on the all-time list sandwiched between Mike Schmidt (548) and Mickey Mantle (536). Not too shabby.

In 2013, Ortiz unofficially took back the city of Boston after terrorists bombed the finish line of the Boston Marathon and not only inspired the community but sparked a team of bearded ballplayers to rally around their broken city and propel the team to their third World Series Championship. Why? Because this is our f#@*ing city!

And then on November 18, 2015, his 40th birthday, Big Papi announced his retirement. Sadness and disbelief settled on the Red Sox fandom. And we all wondered... has he lost his edge? Is he no longer confident in his ability to hit the ball as he once did? Or maybe he's just tired of the aches and pains associated with a twenty-year career...

Ortiz spent the 2016 MLB season on a farewell tour but also showed NO signs that he was a forty-year-old in his final season. He finished in the top 10 in batting average, bashed 38 home runs (the most by any player in his final season), led the majors with 48 doubles and tied for 1st in the American League with 127 RBI. So WHY ARE YOU LEAVING US BIG PAPI?? *sobs*

He was giving a hero's sendoff from every ballpark he visited in his final season with the pinnacle being his final game at Fenway Park. The city of Boston announced they would rename the Brookline Bridge the "Big Papi" David Ortiz Bridge... The Red Sox announced they would retire #34 at the beginning of the 2017 season... Maine native and 3rd base coach Brian Butterfield presented the entire Ortiz family with custom #34 LL Bean Boots... And he was basically offered any job in the Red Sox organization he wanted. A very emotional goodbye for everyone.

There's so much of Big Papi that I'll miss. His presence... big and bold and loud. His smile... bright and warm and welcoming. His heart... passionate and open and devoted. I'll miss his stride to the plate, the spit, the clap, the slow trot around the bases and the salute to his late mother as he crosses home plate. I'll miss that sparkle in his eye that told me he was just an all around great guy. I'll miss that energy he brought to the ballpark in every at bat. And I'll also miss that I probably missed any chance of getting a Big Papi hug... *sniff*

It was the ultimate walk-off. Good luck, Big Papi and thanks for the many memories. xoxo

Day 211: No One Could've Picked that Game Four Ending

See what I did there? Picked... Sorry, I couldn't resist. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, you must be currently residing under a very large rock. It was the pick-off heard round the world. Red Sox closer, Koji Uehara, snapped a throw to first base that found Cardinals rookie, Kolten Wong, leaning the wrong way for the final out of game four. Red Sox win 4-2, series tied 2-2.

It was a finish that the Red Sox needed. After falling victim to that horrible obstruction call the night before, they needed an equally dramatic finish to game four. One that found the boys of Boston on the winning end. And that's exactly what they got.

But let's just say the road to that final out in the ninth was nothing short of heart attack inducing. The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the third, the Sox came back and tied it up in the fifth. And then the magic happened in the sixth. With two outs in the inning, Dustin Pedroia singled to center. David Ortiz then followed with a walk—one that appeared to be unintentionally intentional. (Who wouldn't? The guy was batting .727 at that point in the series!)

Jonny Gomes, who found out he was playing only an hour and a half before game time, followed... desperate to break out of his 0-for-9 World Series slump. Cardinals relief pitcher Seth Maness threw a steady stream of sinkers to Gomes, but on a 2-2 count, he left that last sinker just a tad high and Gomes made him pay. Big time. He launched a line drive over the left/center fence for a three-run (and eventually game-winning) home run. Sox up 4-1.

Then came the stress. Like most of the close games throughout the post season, I felt nauseous every time a Cardinals' bat connected with a pitch. I felt barfy each time a Cardinals' runner reached base. And I felt the bile rise in the back of my throat when they scored a run to cut the Sox lead to 4-2. With each passing inning, my knees started shaking violently as I sat nervously on the couch.

The bottom of the ninth finally arrived and it was Koji Time. An out... a single... a pinch runner... another out and then it happened. The thing no one wants to see. Carlos Beltran at the plate representing the tying run. Oh shit. I almost couldn't watch. But then... well... see above. There's nothing better than a pick-off to end a game that leaves Beltran standing there at the plate... helpless and alone.

That win, my friends, means one very important thing. This World Series will be headed back to Boston!

Day 210: Obstruction is a Stupid Rule... if You're a Sox Fan.

You could hear the collective groans as outraged Red Sox fans across New England watched the play over and over again wondering what the hell went wrong. I'm not going to lie, I was pissed off too—so pissed I couldn't fall asleep. The obstruction call in the bottom of the ninth inning of game three gave the Cardinals a walk-off win and a 2-1 series lead. And it left Sox fans violently shaking their fists at their televisions.

I spent the next several minutes after the call trying to make myself believe that somewhere, somehow, it was Will Middlbrooks that had been obstructed. That Allen Craig held him to the ground so he couldn't go after the errant throw. Or maybe Craig took a dive and Middlebrooks was just an innocent bystander. But I knew I was grasping at straws—the rule is pretty clear.

MLB Rule 2.00 states:

OBSTRUCTION is the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner.

Rule 2.00 (Obstruction) Comment: If a fielder is about to receive a thrown ball and if the ball is in flight directly toward and near enough to the fielder so he must occupy his position to receive the ball he may be considered "in the act of fielding a ball." It is entirely up to the judgment of the umpire as to whether a fielder is in the act of fielding a ball. After a fielder has made an attempt to field a ball and missed, he can no longer be in the "act of fielding" the ball. For example: an infielder dives at a ground ball and the ball passes him and he continues to lie on the ground and delays the progress of the runner, he very likely has obstructed the runner.

When you really sit down and think about it, it wasn't an obstruction call that lost that game for the Red Sox. It was the Red Sox who lost that game for the Red Sox. In a scenario similar to what happened in game two, Jarrod Saltalamacchia (like Craig Breslow) maybe should've just held on to the ball. Although pitchers are notorious for not being able to throw to any other base but home plate. Remember Julio Tavarez? He would toss the ball to first under handed so as not to overthrow the bag.

But Salty really has no excuse. He's a catcher. He's paid to throw the ball accurately to all bases. He's trained to make crazy snap throws to first from his knees or gun out would-be base stealers at second—all this with a whole lot of equipment impeding him. So yeah, the obstruction call totally sucked, but should the Sox really have been in that situation in the first place? Third base isn't that far away—Salty has the tools to make throws that hit the required target. This throw was wildly errant. Not really the best time to get a case of the yips.

Or do you blame Will Middlebrooks? Granted, it was a tough throw to field as it tailed away from him towards shortstop, but he was also cold, having just come into the game to replace fielding phenom Xander Bogaerts. Maybe Xander handles that throw cleanly, maybe he doesn't. There will always be that question...

It was a play that started out so brilliant with Dustin Pedroia making a diving play to his right and throwing out the lead runner at home. And ended so horribly with an obstruction call allowing the winning run to score. Just add it to the list of crazy World Series plays for the Boston Red Sox. Also, maybe David Ross should catch tonight.

Day 200: Now THIS Game is Crucial, Red Sox Nation!

So the ALCS is knotted up at two games a piece. Right now, it's best out of three, people. One team has to win two of the next three games to make it to the World Series. Regardless of who wins tonight, the Tigers would be forced to win the series on the road, and the Sox can clinch it at home. In this case, I like the Sox... but home cooking doesn't necessarily win you games.

If you're looking at just hitting, on paper the advantage goes to the Tigers. The Red Sox couldn't hit their way out of a paper bag right now and are collectively batting just .186. Mr. Clutch, David Ortiz, is batting .067 for the League Championship Series. He has just one hit, albeit a big one—a game tying grand slam in game two that tied the series. But overall, the bats are eerily quiet. I don't like it. If it's this frustrating to me, I can only imagine what these guys are feeling.

Now if you're looking at pitching, well, Detroit has the advantage there too. They've struck out 53 Red Sox batters in just 35 innings pitched. Do the math—that's 1.5 strikeouts per inning or 13.5 times per game. That's some crazy shit. The Sox struck out the just over 1,300 times during the regular season, placing them eighth in the major leagues which averages out to eight times per game. And the Tigers have only allowed 24 hits in those same 35 innings. That math is depressing.

Normally, it's the game sevens that are considered crucial—d'uh, that whole do or die thing. But I'm going out on a limb and saying that game five is the pivotal one in this series. It could mean either momentum for the Tigers going back to Fenway Park, or confidence for Boston as they return home. I'm also sure that if this does go to seven games, I'm going to come back and say that game seven is pretty crucial too!

Game five won't be an easy task for either team. The Red Sox will have to face Anibal Sanchez who pitched six innings of no-hit ball back in game one—a painful 1-0 Detroit win. Jon Lester, who was on the losing end of that misfortune, will attempt to quiet the Tigers' bats that seem to burst into action in game four.

I keep telling myself that if Boston loses this ALCS, I'll be ok with it. I should, right? I mean who ever thought in a million years they'd even be in this spot right now. Who could even dream up the idea that the Red Sox would be able to field a competitive team after a disastrous 2012? A part of me is just happy to be here... but the other part of me... the rabid, lifelong fan in me... wants to WIN WIN WIN!! WIN IT ALL!! So no, I don't think I will be ok with losing this series.

PS: Holy CRAP, it's day 200!!!