Young Whisky

How about a peated malt whisky from Oregon, which is not a town in Scotland, but is actually a state on the west coast, near the Pacific Ocean? And how about a malted whisky that’s only three years old, but is still remarkably tasty? The whisky I’m referring to is McCarthy’s, distilled at the Clear Creek distillery in Oregon. I really know nothing about this whisky, other than the fact that Ben at White House recommended it to me, and then what little I’ve learned about it from drinking it, and reading its label, along with the Clear Creek web site.

So here’s what I can tell you. It tastes pretty darn good. It’s not Macallan or Highland Park, but I’ve had several malts that don’t have the flavor of this upstart. I recall tasting Deanston, for example, or some of the much-too-mild Glenlivets, which don’t begin to match up to the malty character of this whisky. The Clear Creek folks say they are making a peated whisky, in the style of Islay malts, but McCarthy’s has more of a hint of peat, than any overpowering peaty flavor. In other words, it’s not Lagavulin or Laphroaig either. But to say that a whisky is not Macallan or Lagavulin isn’t necessarily to criticize the whisky. In fact, that McCarthy’s even aspires to be compared to these malts speaks well of the care and effort that the distiller has taken in introducing this malt to the market. According to the label, it spends some time in Oregon wood barrels, and who knows what that’s supposed to taste like, or why anyone even cares about that, but there is a bit of a woody character to the whisky. More importantly, after it’s been in the barrel longer, once they have enough product to be selling ten or twelve or fifteen year old McCarthy’s, it ought to be a hell of a whisky.

Here’s the big thing, as far as I’m concerned. It wasn’t that long ago, during my lifetime in fact, that American beer was lousy – bland, homogenized, uninteresting. Today, while it might not be as good as what one can find on tap in Prague, domestic brews are often better than the European product that gets imported into this country. Same for wines. I recall when domestic wines couldn’t hold a candle to their European counterparts, but no longer. So maybe before too long, we’ll have small distilleries in this country making whisky that matches up to the storied Highland malts. After all, our better bourbons are among the world’s best spirits. So try to find a bottle of McCarthy’s, because for the foreseeable future, I don’t think it will show up behind the bar at, say, P.F. Changs.

Young Blood

David Ortiz hasn’t played a game in June. Schill hasn’t played a game in 2008. Manny has been in and out of the lineup, and at various times this year, Beckett, Lowell, Dice-K and Buckholz, have all been on the disabled list. Yet as the season passes the half-way mark, the Sox have maintained their .600 record, and remain competitive for a spot in the post-season. So how have they managed to do so well this year?

How about the job Justin Masterson has done? Going 4-1, with an ERA below 3.5. Or Jon Lester, now 6-3, but with a single loss over his last 14 starts? Over that time, Lester has arguably been the best pitcher on the staff. Right now, with the exception of the ageless Wakefield, the rest of the Sox starters are all in their 20s. A couple aren’t yet shaving. In fact, were Wake to get hurt, after Buckholz returns from the DL, the Sox could send a five-man rotation to the mound, with Beckett at 29 being the old man on the staff. And the same is true in the bullpen, with Pap, and Delcarmen, and Hansen, and Aardsma all still under 30. The tough part will be keeping this staff together in the years to come, as these kids become free agents,

That’s not to suggest that the Sox haven’t been producing at the plate. The first half of this month, Drew was on fire. He’s cooled off over the last week, although he did have a three-run homer last night, but despite the quiet week, is batting almost .360 for the month. However, his hot bat has kept the opposition honest, and prevented anyone from loading up on right-handed pitchers, with Ortiz not playing. Pedroia too has been hot in June, batting .333 for the month, but with 26 hits over the past two weeks. Pedroia, of course, is another kid; and the Sox threaten to win Rookie of the Year two years in a row, with Jacoby Ellsbury in center field. Which leads me to the next observation: Manny has been filling in at DH, with Papi hurt, and that has put Drew, Coco, and Ellsbury in the outfield together. That’s a pretty good defensive outfield, and considering Drew’s production this year, as well as the fact that Coco has come alive at the plate, the Sox have enhanced their defense without really giving up that much at the plate. The real tricky part is figuring where to put Manny and Papi in the same lineup. Can’t really be done, given that Sox also want Youk and Lowell in the same lineup. Otherwise, Papi could maybe play first, and Manny DH. So it looks like the defense will suffer, although really, a bit of a defensive sacrifice is well worth the advantage of having Manny and Papi batting back to back in the middle of the lineup.

But the point is that the young guys have made the difference for the Sox this year. And we didn’t even mention Jed Lowrie, or Chris Smith, or this knuckleballer Zink down at Pawtucket.

The Coronation

It wasn’t so much a victory as a coronation. Early on, it might have seemed close, but the Celtics were tied with the Lakers midway through the first period, even though they started 3 for 15 from the floor. Twenty per cent. And yet, when the quarter ended, they were up four, not down twenty-one. That huge run in the second quarter left them up by twenty-three at the half, and although Dwayne Wade pronounced it over, and was ready to present the trophy to the Cs even before the final half was played, I kept thinking that we had seen a twenty-four point deficit erased, on the road, in this very series. So the start of the second half would set the tone.

Forget about it. When the Lakers showed no signs of life coming out of the locker room after half-time; when the lead was pushed to thirty in the third; it became clear that it was all over, that it was just a matter of letting the clock run down. The final quarter was like a party, first with the Cs dancing all over the Lakers on the court, and then with the big three celebrating along with Doc Rivers in front of the bench.

I was pleased with the performance of the Celtics’ fans. Out in LA, even when the Lakers were playing well, the crowd seemed tepid. Like the big deal might be which celebrity you got to sit near, not how the team was doing on the court. And worse, when the Lakers gave up huge leads in games four and five, the crowd went silent. Silent. It was louder at the opera a week ago. By way of contrast, the Celtics fans were up all night, chanting “Defense, Defense”, even late in the third period when their team was up by thirty. Every one of Ray Ray’s threes led to an eruption; chants of “MVP” or “Beat-LA” sounded all game long, until the crowd serenaded the Lakers Good-Bye in the fourth. By then it seemed no one was sitting, not even with a forty point margin.

I also found the Celtics’ intensity and drive a welcome relief from the blasé attitude that permeates many NBA games. Yet that intensity did not lead KG or Pierce to scream at their teammates when things weren’t going well. Kobe’s tantrums get excused as leadership, but what kind of leader chews out his team publicly when things go wrong? Does anyone scream on Kobe when he misses seven shots in a row? Or how about Vujacic pouting all the time, on the court after Posey hammers him, or on the bench after Phil yanks him? I also can’t buy into Kobe playing the role of daddy for his little girls, as if he’s making a Coke commercial every time a game ends. It looks so staged and phony to me. Maybe he is a good dad, who knows? And maybe he did read that stupid Harry Potter story to his girls after his team tanked in Game Four. But to me, all of this seems like nothing more that a self-absorbed guy, trying to endear himself to an alienated public.

Here’s the final thing, for all the conspiracy theorists out there. The Finals were stained, for the first couple games, by new allegations that refs had fixed playoff games in years past. Especially the Lakers’ dramatic comeback win over the Kings in the western Finals. (Just like the Lakers to win by cheating, don’t you think?) Well, last night, as the Celtics won their 17th championship, on June 17, with Pierce scoring 17, and number 17 – Havlicek- in the Garden (or whatever it’s now called), Joey Crawford reffed the game wearing, you guessed it, number 17. Is that a sign, or what? I like that 17 is a prime number, and that two 17s add up to Pierce’s number. And we could probably go on all night this way, but instead, I think I’ll go celebrate, once more, and this time with Macallan’s 17. That should be the new official whisky of the Boston Celtics, even though it’s Scotch, not Irish. At least until we break out the Highland Park 18. Does that make sense?

Springbank 15

Susan bought me a bottle of Springbank 15 for Father’s Day. I had tasted Springbank about a year ago, when Danny had a bottle, but it’s not a malt one easily finds out and about. Too bad for that; this is some great whisky.

Springbank is a Campbelltown malt, which apparently is a rarity today, after most of the Campbelltown distilleries have closed. I’m gathering that Campbelltown is actually a peninsula, somewhere on the west coast of Scotland, and not far from Islay. Springbank has a big taste, with more peat than the highland malts, but not the overpowering peat of some of the more famous Islay whiskies. The taste is reminiscent of Highland Park, with a touch of peat underneath a strong malty flavor. The peat is not the distinctive characteristic; rather, it’s the big full malty flavor. Jackson calls it sophisticated, and I can agree with that. But then he goes on to talk of vanilla, Dundee cake, and new leather?? What is that? Anyway, the 15 is bottled at 92 proof, meaning it’s not chill filtered. There’s a bit of a bite, but really, I’ll take the bite with the big taste.

Jackson gives it a 90, which I think is well deserved. It’s a little pricey for a fifteen year old malt – maybe ten bucks more than a bottle of HP 18, and I can’t say it’s any better than the HP. So then this is not a whisky for everyday drinking; it’s not the first choice when you’re reaching into the cabinet. But for something a bit distinctive, with a rich full flavor, let’s say after a good steak dinner, Springbank is a welcome addition to the liquor cabinet.

Respect for JD

Everyone remembers J.D. Drew’s grand slam in the sixth game of the ALCS. Back at Fenway, down 3 to 2, facing Carmona, the Sox might have found themselves in a tight spot. But once Drew staked them to a four run lead, and Schill settled down, it was a one game series. For many fans, perhaps your author included among them, this one hit redeemed what had been a mostly disappointing season. But the truth was that Drew had busted out of his slump long before Game Six. Last year after Labor Day, he batted .342, but his first few months at Fenway had been so bad that this turnaround was close to invisible, at least in the stats. His numbers had been so bad that even a great month merely made his season mediocre, at best.

This year, however, Drew has been earning his 14 extra large. He’s been hitting consistently all season, and playing solid out in right field; but more importantly, with Papi on the DL, Drew has single-handedly supplied the Sox power from the left side of the plate. In June, with David sitting, Drew has batted .519, with four homers, ten RBIs, and ten runs. That’s an average of two runs produced every day. Like today, for example. He brought in the first run when he was hit by Bedard in the third inning; and he scored the second and winning run with a solo home run in the sixth. Not to mention that he took a home run away from the Mariners with a leaping catch in front of the bull pen early on. That’s plus three runs from JD alone. A pretty good day’s work.

My only question is this. His name is David Jonathan Drew. Why isn’t he DJ Drew? How did they end up with JD instead of DJ?

I know that the big pitching story today was Masterson, holding the Mariners to a single run, and earning his third win. But the guys I think we need to show some respect to are the relievers. The bull-pen seems to be settling down after a real rocky start this year. Hansen threw a scoreless inning today, the sixth straight appearance when he did that. Earlier in the year it was time to hold your breath every time Hansen came into the game. Either that or turn off the computer/TV/radio/whatever, and just assume that the lead had been lost. During this recent stretch, he’s lowered his ERA to 4.3. Not great, but much better than the sevens and eights he was posting earlier. Pap and Okajima were both terrific today, using only 14 pitches between them, to get the last six outs. Pap got through the ninth with only five pitches. How’s that for efficient? Both have had their ups and downs, but on most days this year, they’ve remained virtually unhittable. Pap has converted 18 of 20 save opportunities; and if not for that four-run meltdown in B-More, Oki would have an immeasurably small ERA. (About the size of Gaimbi’s thong I would guess.) The weirdest year so far is being turned in by Delcarmen, who has posted a 2.77 ERA away from home, but a six spot at Fenway. What’s especially weird is that Delcarmen is a Boston kid; he’s throwing at home, probably in front of family and friends, and he’s apparently freaking out. Either that or his girlfriend is wearing him out every time he comes back to Boston. Are we talking Jessica Simpson here? Aardsma and Lopez have kept their numbers solid this year; Timlin has worked his way down from triple digits to below six. Not great yet, but Tito probably figures he just needs a few innings out of Tim in October; that’s all.

So while the team is banged up; while the lineup has changed almost daily; and while the pitching staff features our number six and seven starters, Sox have continued to play .600 ball, and as far as I’m concerned that’s the magic number. .600 will get anyone in the AL into the post-season this year. So despite all the shuffling in the lineup, and even without all the starters in the game for most games this year, Sox remain right on course.