Jacoby Ellsbury

As I watched Jacoby Ellsbury steal home against the Yankees Sunday night, I thought to myself: "This pretty much sums it up." An aging Andy Pettitte forgets to deliver from the stretch, letting a youthful Ellsbury elude another future Bingo regular, Jorge Posada's, tag at the plate. Would Justin Masterson have made the same error? The two ballclubs could not be headed in more opposite directions. Every year, the Red Sox seem to call up another hyped prospect, while the Yanks continue to overpay for limited talent, and shun their farm system.

Continue reading "Red Sox continue to steal away Yanks' future"

cent and (the over 40 crowd’s gonna kill me for this) not so recent postseason history.  Jacoby Ellsbury found last season’s October stroke, going 3 for 5 (he also reached base on a fielder’s choice and on an error) with two stolen bases, one phenomenal catch in centerfield and a correspondence of at least 5 text messages between sis and myself discussing how cute and handsome he is while he’s doing all of this.  And while Ellsbury certainly was the best looking part of tonight’s game, his stat line is just the beginning of a complete portrait of dominance on a baseball diamond.

Continue reading "Same as it Ever Was"

tell me if you recognize anyone."

Exhibit A: The Red Sox lineup, circa April 2008
CF - Jacoby Ellsbury
2B - Dustin Pedroia
DH - David Ortiz
LF - Manny Ramirez
3B - Mike Lowell

Continue reading "Law and Order"

Rookie centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury spent the first few months of the season running circles around opposing pitches and catchers, disrupting the rhythm on the mound the minute he reached first base. I still remember a few instances where he'd swipe second and third - on consecutive pitches. Just nasty.

Continue reading "Stop Sign"

We all saw Coco Crisp soar through the air and crash into the centerfield wall in Anaheim the other day. We were all in awe of the catch he made - the latest in a long line of remarkable highlights - and we all shouted out loud in our living room even though nobody but family members and perhaps a dog or two were present. (It's OK to admit it. You know you did it).

Continue reading "Serving Coco at The Trading Deadline"

Did you see that thing bubble up on poor Youk's face yesterday? What did it take, like, 15 seconds? He misplayed a throw and - BAM - his cheek blew up like a balloon. I wish I could describe the phenomenon with some sort of medical jargon, but I can't. Instead I found myself starting at the TV, mumbling outloud to nobody, repeatedly - Look at Youk's face! I thought maybe he and Manny had another sparring match between innings. What's perhaps most amusing is that the injury was suffered by our gold-glove first baseman, he of the longest errorless streak ever at the position, during warm-up tosses prior to the top of a frame. The dude handled everything hit and thrown at him for more than a full year - scorching liners and off-target throws alike - and lets one of his teammates tag him during break time. He looked like Rocky Balboa at the end of the first Rocky movie.

Continue reading "Kevin Youkilis is smuggling golf balls in his face"

Like the rest of Red Sox Nation, I really like what I saw in Jacoby Ellsbury's play last season and think he's the one to roam Fenway's center stage in 2008. But was it enough to turn Coco Crisp into Coco Crust?  I'm not sure about that yet.  Jacoby's a speedster with pretty good defensive skills, a so so arm, and an exciting bat, but did we see enough to anoint him to your everyday center fielder?

Continue reading "Coco vs Ellsbury: The Center Fielders of Attention"