Varitek hits Grand Slam #2 of his Career!

[FlashGordon]

Going 1 for 4 is hardly shoring up the offense.

Loretta did more for the team today than Varitek.

Sorry but a grand slam doesn't compensate for his offensive dropoff this season, he's still batting .247. Frankly the only thing keeping him in the #6 slot is his tenure with the team. Throw Loretta in that spot and he would have been dropped down in the order a few weeks ago. Lowell deserves Varitek's spot at #6 in the batting order.

Oh gimme a break. It's May! You aren't going to get many nail-biting, season determining games let alone grand slams, this early in the season. Take it for what it is: Varitek, Red Sox team captain and generally poor hitter with the sacks full, hit a first inning grand slam. HOORAY! If he does it again in September, you're free to join in.

[Mattingly]

That's what I like about the Tek and Red Sox in general--no curtain calls. Makes me like the Yankees even less when they come out like that.

Sometimes I get a bit embarrassed when there are too many curtain calls. Of course, I feel the opposite when my guys aren't scoring any runs at all, but Tek does keep his head down, doesn't do the lazy celebratory jog thing, and when he scores, he's running very quickly, so he gets props.

I'm starting to wonder now how many teams give lots of curtain calls.

[SoxSon]

Oh gimme a break. It's May! You aren't going to get many nail-biting, season determining games let alone grand slams, this early in the season. Take it for what it is: Varitek, Red Sox team captain and generally poor hitter with the sacks full, hit a first inning grand slam. HOORAY! If he does it again in September, you're free to join in.

I wouldn't bother, Flash. You're talking to the same guy who wrote this about Damon in the "Bitter Rivals" thread:

You can have all your dellusions about loyalty and loving the fans, but any idiot with half a brain would choose New York over Boston.

I still can't believe he wrote it.

[Mattingly]

I wouldn't bother, Flash. You're talking to the same guy who wrote this about Damon in the "Bitter Rivals" thread:

I still can't believe he wrote it.

As the chief rankler in the Rivals thread, I couldn't believe he'd written it either.

Right now, I can only congratulate Jason very gracefully, and cross my fingers that he's gotten that nasty thing out of the way prior to his Bronx visit.

[efin98]

I wouldn't bother, Flash. You're talking to the same guy who wrote this about Damon in the "Bitter Rivals" thread:


I still can't believe he wrote it.

Actually it was about Mirabelli.

If you are going jump all over me, at least get your facts straight.

[efin98]

Oh gimme a break. It's May! You aren't going to get many nail-biting, season determining games let alone grand slams, this early in the season. Take it for what it is: Varitek, Red Sox team captain and generally poor hitter with the sacks full, hit a first inning grand slam. HOORAY! If he does it again in September, you're free to join in.

That's what I take if for. It was a great hit and provided the foundation for the win. However the game was still in doubt until the 5th inning so I don't get too enthusiastic about it.

I'm more happy with the double by Nixon and Lowell to break the game open and with the pitching staff for putting it out of reach.

I'm more happy with DiNardo's first ever win in a Red Sox uniform, one of the longest streaks by anyone on the Red Sox without a win- ever.

[SoxSon]

Actually it was about Mirabelli.

If you are going jump all over me, at least get your facts straight.

The "fact" in this case, while admittedly wrong, is irrelevant.
If you're going to come straight out and say that NY is a better place than Boston to be a baseball player, at least acknowledge that you did say it, and don't divert attention. In my mind, that's about as strange a comment as I've ever heard from a Red Sox fan, never mind a Red Sox fan in the "Bitter Rivals" thread.

The focus of this thread, though, is Varitek's grandslam. It's a big deal because we love the team, and we support when our players do well. It's also important because Varitek has been struggling, and I'm assuming that we all want him to break out of it. It's important to celebrate the accomplishments of our ballclub, even if we feel that those individual accomplishments may not be the sole cause of a team win.

[FlashGordon]

That's what I take if for. It was a great hit and provided the foundation for the win. However the game was still in doubt until the 5th inning so I don't get too enthusiastic about it.

I'm more happy with the double by Nixon and Lowell to break the game open and with the pitching staff for putting it out of reach.

I'm more happy with DiNardo's first ever win in a Red Sox uniform, one of the longest streaks by anyone on the Red Sox without a win- ever.

Then by all means, please start a thread about them. If you feel that there are other more notable issues that deserve accolades, then generate a thread. I'm not sure if you are trying to diminish the value of Jason's Grand Slam or just taking issue with my choice to start a thread about it. Either way, you still come off pretty negative about a positive event in a game that was a win and should itself be a positive.

I started this thread for my own reasons. In a lot of ways, Varitek is the bell wether for this team. When he hits poorly the team itself is usually struggling (or at least relying heavily upon hitters 1-4), and when he hits well the team is usually doing well. Mind you not because he's the offensive engine, but because as the #6 hitter his streaks usually indicate how the order is doing top to bottom. I'm not going to claim that Jason will start batting cleanup or anything. He's the captain, a great catcher, and starting off a little cold this year. I hope that his GS is a sign that the spark is coming back, especially because he doesn't tend to do well when those opportunities do present themselves.

[efin98]

Then by all means, please start a thread about them. If you feel that there are other more notable issues that deserve accolades, then generate a thread. I'm not sure if you are trying to diminish the value of Jason's Grand Slam or just taking issue with my choice to start a thread about it. Either way, you still come off pretty negative about a positive event in a game that was a win and should itself be a positive.

I said it was nice but nothing major.

Sorry if that is negative but it's the God's honest truth. Ask Jason if he would rather have that hit or the win, he will say the win. If he doesn't make a big deal about it, I don't think a big deal should be made about it.