The Sox opened the game with an early 5 run lead, helped along by Rios 2-run single in the top of the 2nd.  As the Indians tried to battle back, Rios put another hurting on them with a solo shot in the 6th to make it 6-3.  Then, in the bottom of the 9th the Sox closer Jenks could not hold the 3-run lead, allowing the Indians to tie it up and send it to extras.  The Sox would hold on to win however, with a 4-run explosion in the top of the 11th.  rios had a run scoring double in that inning, and the Sox would go on to win 10-6.  On the day Rios was 5-6 with a home run, 3 runs, 4 RBIs and a walk.

The sox will need his bat, even with the addition of Manny Ramirez, if they hope to catch the Twins in the AL Central.  With 1 month to go and a 4 game deficit to make up, the Sox have as good a  chance as any team to make the playoffs.  For now, Alex Rios wins the “Stat Line of the Night”.

With two outs in the top of the ninth inning and the score 17-4, Prince Fielder was at the plate just looking to get out of this nightmare of a game.  Earlier in the game, Manny Ramirez was hit by a pitch, and Dodgers pitcher Guillermo Mota was out for revenge, despite what the scoreboard displayed.

His first pitch to Fielder ran right inside and plunked him on the hip.  Mota was immediately ejected and Ramon Troncoso, who was warming up in the bullpen, came in to record the final out.  Once that happened, Fielder charged down the dugout steps and headed straight for the Dodgers clubhouse:

He knew the location of the Dodgers clubhouse because it’s near a weight room used by visitors, so Fielder hustled past fans and reporters toward the door, yelling obscenities. A number of his teammates caught up with Fielder in time to usher him back to the visitor’s side. [MLB.com]

I guess it isn’t just the Dodgers fans who are getting themselves into trouble these days with opposing teams.

It would have been great to see (or at least hear) what would have happened had Fielder made it to Mota.  It may have looked something like this.  In case you don’t remember, that is the same Guillermo Mota who beaned Mike Piazza a few years back, then ran away as a crazy-eyed Piazza chased him around the park.

There is no telling whether any discipline will be handed down from the league as a result of this incident, but you would have to believe that they will look closely into the actions of the Dodgers and manager Joe Torre.  After all, what is a pitcher doing warming up in the ninth inning with two outs?  Seems like someone was getting ready in case their pitcher got ejected.

Hat Tip – [MLB.com]

The rivalry between Boston and New York is an intense one.  New York held the upper hand for much of the ’90s with the Yankees taking home the World Series championship on a consistent basis (’96, ’98, ’99, ’00).  Then the tables began to turn as the New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, and Boston Celtics brought home three, two and one league championships respectively, compared to the single Super Bowl won by the New York Giants in 2008.  Now the people of NYC have something to cheer about again, and it has nothing to do with the success of their teams.

With the news of Ortiz and Ramirez being booked for steroid use just one year prior to the Red Sox 2004 championship, Boston now has yet another taint attached to one of their city’s trophies.  The New England Patriots Super Bowl victories became the subject of scrutiny following Bill Belichick and the NFL’s famous “spygate”, which resulted in fines and the loss of a first-round draft pick for the Pats, who were taping opponents’ defensive signals and they also recorded footage of the St. Louis Rams walk-through practice prior to Super Bowl XXXVI.

Following Alex Rodriguez’s admission to using steroids, fans in Boston couldn’t be happier.  Their number one enemy was now an easy target.  Now these recent developments have certainly turned the tables, and amateur singer Ryan Parker has just the solution to Boston’s cheating:

Gather up all the trophies, and throw them in the sea!

As for the Boston Bruins, no controversy there.  Of course, you need to win for people to accuse you of cheating.  Maybe they should consider following in the footsteps of the Pats and Sox.

Here is the anthem for a Boston cheat party.  Enjoy!

Hat Tip Video – [Ryan Parker Songs] Via [Extra Mustard]

During yesterday afternoons game between the Padres and the Houston Astros, the top of the ninth inning was interupted by a large number of bees.  Umpires put a halt to the game, sent the players off the field, and a bee keeper was called to the stadium to take care of the Padres new buzzing friends.  After performing a little dance, he went to work, spraying some sort of  bug killer, which appeared to be quite effective judging by the large number of dead bees he was seen scooping up off the floor (video after the jump).

After he was finished taking care of the problem, the bee keeper left to a standing ovation and the game resumed.  Everything seemed to work out well but don’t be surprised if the Padres have PETA lining up on their front steps today to protest.  They will likely find themselves along side the Manny protesters.

I guess baseball doesn’t settle for bee mascots attacking players, like in soccer, so they go for the real thing.  Just too bad they were a day early.

Some of you may be headed over to that game but can’t quite think of a catchy phrase to put on you giant bristle board.  Well look no further.  Here is a list of five possible things you may want to to scribble onto your anti-Manny signs:

5. “It’s Just Another Case Of MANNY CHEATING MANNY”

"It's Just Another Case Of MANNY CHEATING MANNY"

4.  “Now Entering MannyWood. Cheaters Welcome.”

"Now Entering MannyWood. Cheaters Welcome."

3.  “MANNY ROID-MIREZ”

MANNY ROID-MIREZ

2.  Manny Ramirez Career, Stats: 533 HRs* / 1745 RBIs* / .315 AVG*

Manny Ramirez Career Stats

1.  “Welcome To MannyWood, Bring Your Own Syringe”

"Welcome To MannyWood, Bring Your Own Syringe"

The party started early, with tickets flying out the sales window as citizens of the small town were jacked to see the cheating LA Dodger.  Unfortunately, Manny’s performance on and off the field were not all that impressive.

Apparently Ramirez has taken a cue from Alex Rios’ notebook and was not interested in sticking around to sign some autographs.  He did sign an older woman’s ball, but there was one fan who was not too pleased.  During a report from KRQE News, the man stated that having Manny there was great and all, but he expected the slugger to at least stick around and sign a few balls (1:00 mark of clip).

Ramirez ended up going 0 for 2 at the plate.  Unfortunately there was no fan waiting for him after the game to tell him, “with the way you played tonight Manny, you should be lucky someone wants your autograph.”  Maybe that will have to wait until he visits Toronto.

So what did Boggs have to say when asked if these juiced up freaks belong in the Hall of Fame with him?

“You’re cheating the game, you’re cheating yourself, you’re cheating your family, you’re cheating your friends, you’re cheating your fans, and you’re cheating Americana and apple pie, baby. Because if you can’t do it at 60 feet, 6 inches, you shouldn’t be playing the game.”

Great job by Boggs here, although he could have gone of on his rant a beer or two earlier.  He likely should have refrained from the karaoke singing finale as well.  At least he seemingly received a better reception that Jeremy Roenick at the NHL Awards ceremony in Vegas last night.

We need more players from the past speaking out against the likes of Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa.  With the game already tainted, they should at least feel the need to preserve the shrine in Cooperstown.

Here is Boggs’ rant and some karaoke afterward.

Hat Tip – [Deadspin]

It is no secret that many of the sluggers from the ’90s were using steroids or other PEDs.  So why does everyone get so excited when another story like this breaks out?  Manny Ramirez may have come as a bit of a surprise.  A-Rod as well.  But we all knew about Sosa, and the best part is now he can’t even hide behind his poor English-speaking abilities.

Reports came in yesterday from the New York Times stating that Sosa was among the 104 players who tested positive in the MLB’s anonymous 2003 survey.  Sosa is now the fifth player of the top six home run hitters since 1994 to be linked to PEDs.  He joins Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro.  The only one on that list who remains untainted is Jim Thome.

So where does this take us?  Nowhere really.  It seems like just another case of “tell me something I don’t know.”  Sosa can no longer hide behind his lies and it is with great hope that his name never enters the baseball hall of fame.  How sad is it when the only person we can seemingly believe in baseball is Jose Canseco.

[Fox Sports]

Would Danica Patrick take performance enhancing drugs for a victory?

In an interview with Dan Patrick (yes, the names may get a bit confusing) for sports illustrated, Danica was asked that very question.  The conversation went a little something like this:

Dan: “If you could take a performance-enhancing drug and not get caught, would you do it if it allowed you to win Indy?

Danica: Well, then it’s not cheating, is it? If nobody finds out?

Dan: So you would do it?

Danica: Yeah, it would be like finding a gray area. In motorsports we work in the gray areas a lot. You’re trying to find where the holes are in the rule book.”

Since the comments went public, Danica has taken back her comments, but does she really mean that?  It is amazing what some people would do to win.  Now the only question is do you applaud such efforts that show how much desire one has to win, or do you frown upon these cheaters.  I would choose the later, and hopefully in the future Danica does too.

Either or next time I see Danica Patrick, I’m gonna ask her if she can sign my chest!!

Hat Tip – [Deadspin]

Clemens was interviewed by phone today on ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike in the Morning,” choosing to do so in response to the book’s release.  The topics they spoke about include the steroid accusations, the book, ARod, Manny, and polls indicating fan opinions.  Here are some of his comments:

When asked about McNamee’s accusations, he stated, “He’s never injected me with HGH or steroids.”

Clemens now works with a communications firm, which helps him deal with the issues he is facing from steroid accusations.  Regarding this he said, “They came in and said, ‘You need to get your story out about all this garbage that is being said.’  It’s important for me to do that. I’ve seen excerpts of the book and they’re completely false. … You know, guys, it’s piling on. It’s hurtful at times. But I’m moving on.”

When asked about Manny’s suspension, Roger replied only that it helps prove “the testing program we have set up in Major League Baseball is great.”

And about ARod, “I wish him the best, tell him to move forward, continue to do what he’s doing.  But I hope none of the things that he took or anything like that hurt his body to the point where it would hurt his career.”

Clemens also reminded Mike & Mike about his work with kids and college athletes. “Everywhere I’ve gone and gotten the opportunity to speak to young kids or college kids, I take a lot of pride in telling those boys to get after it and do things the right way and take care of your body, because I know how I did it; I know how hard I worked.  For some of that to come in question, of course it’s hurtful. But it’s not going to break my spirit.”

And about fans poll reactions to whether he has been truthful in his denial of using HGH or steroids, he stated:

“All I can do is speak the truth and from my heart to them.  That’s all I can do.  I know what your polls say, (but) I’ve been getting great responses everywhere I’ve gone in the cities I’ve traveled to. All I can do is be me and give them the message I just told you about that steroids are bad for these kids. You don’t want to have anything to do with them the way they tear your body down.”

“But I can’t defend a negative. When you’ve got somebody that’s out there that is really just crawling up your back to make a buck – which is what this is – other than speaking out, what else can you do?” [FoxSports]

So let the games once again begin.  We should expect to hear the quotes get tossed around the next couple of days, or even weeks now that steroids has once again become the hot topic of the MLB.  It’s just a shame that the real stories of the 2009 baseball season have to be overshadowed by juiced men and liars who refuse to come clean.  It’s not fair that the Zack Greinke’s and Ryan Zimmerman’s will not get their proper attention because of the Roger’s and Manny’s of the league.

In a fair world, the biggest story today in the MLB would be the return of A.J. Burnett to Toronto to battle Roy Halladay and the division leading Blue Jays.  Its time to focus on the clean, and let the dirty live in their own filth.