Dice-K

Can you believe it? Two consecutive quality starts by Dice-K; two consecutive starts without giving up a single run! After going seven shutout innings against the Jays on Patriots Day, Dice-K returned to the mound Saturday night, and threw eight shutout innings against the Angels, in their park. Tito had pulled Dice after seven innings and only 89 pitches against the Jays. But on Saturday, he allowed Dice to go eight complete, and to toss 115 pitches. The result was nine Ks, three walks, and best of all, a single hit. I don’t think there was a baserunner beyond second base all night. As a result, his ERA plummeted to around four, having been up in the stratospheric range only a week previously. What a turnaround!

In truth, these are the kind of numbers everyone had hoped for, when Dice first signed back in 2007. And even though he occasionally showed some brilliance over the past four years, too often, even when he had his good stuff going, he had to come out of games early. His pitch count would get away from him; or he would walk too many guys at critical stages of the game. (Think of Game Three in the 2007 Series.) I know that two great starts don’t mean he will have a great season; and I know there remains some concern about his durability over the course of the entire season - with thirty some starts. So maybe Tito will have to give him some rest occasionally. Or maybe we won’t worry about durability right now; maybe we’ll just be glad that he is helping the Sox dig their way out of that deep hole in which they found themselves at the start of the season. Everyone can worry about how strong Dice will be in September, once we get to September. Hopefully, it will matter in September. But let’s worry about it then, not now.

Yesterday, the Sox completed their sweep of the Angels with another outstanding start, this one from John Lackey, who for some reason, hadn’t shown us much of anything before yesterday. But Lackey continued the string of great performances by the starters, going eight shutout innings. Over the past nine games, including six on the road, Boston is 8-1, and no starter has given up more than two runs. Their collective ERA over that stretch is around one.

As this string of good pitching continues, it appears to confirm John’s theory of contagious pitching. It all started with Beckett and Lester, and then spread next to Dice-K. If yesterday indicates that it was spread to Lackey, and really Buckholz has been close this year, even if he’s off his 2010 form, and the pitching bug spreads to the entire staff, that will certainly help the Sox live up to their 2011 potential. Right now, they want to get their heads above water, the water level being .500. If they can get back to .500 after their atrocious start, then we can being to reassess this season. But first things first; right now let’s just continue the good pitching against the Orioles this week. Then we can think about the rest of the season. Go Sox.

Pitching is Contagious

A week ago, as the Sox sat 2-10, with nothing going for them in 2011 other than Josh Beckett, John suggested that pitching was contagious; that really Beckett and Lester had been pitching well, even though Lester wasn’t getting any wins; and that soon enough, the other starters would catch on, and we’d be getting good performances from the entire rotation. But whether that was true or not, I was still worried that the home stand was coming to a close, and that the Sox would soon embark on another road trip, this one including two series on the West coast, where they rarely perform well. And I know they’re in the midst of that road trip, and still in the AL cellar, but for now it’s worth noting that John’s prediction was right on.

The last trip through the rotation, every starter pitched well, and Boston dropped a single game, when they were shut out in the opener at Oakland. But even that night, Lackey pitched well, going six innings and giving up a single run. In fact, the only starter to surrender more than one run this past week was Beckett, who gave up two to the Angels, when he made a single bad pitch, which Tori Hunter sent over the center field wall for a two-run homer. Still, Beckett went eight innings; the bullpen was solid that night, and the Sox scored twice in the eleventh to pull out the win. Beckett’s ERA remains under two; Lester’s is only around two and a half; and over the past seven games, the starters’ collective ERA is barely above one. Big turnaround.

The pen has been performing better as well. Pap has picked up saves in the last three games; he now has five for the year. But more important was the fact that last night he actually looked stronger, and threw more efficiently, than he had in his previous two outings. Pap needed only twelve pitches to get through the ninth, even though he had thrown over twenty on each of the previous two nights. Bobby Jenks still looks shaky, but he had a couple decent appearances over the past week. He threw a scoreless inning in the first game against the Angels, when the bullpen kept Boston in the game until they could score a couple in the top of the eleventh. Bard too has pitched well during this stretch; and if those three can stay consistent, Boston will have a better chance to hold leads, especially when the starters can go seven or eight, as three of them did during the past week.

It’s too early to get overly excited; and who knows how they’ll perform in the five remaining road games before they return to Fenway. But right now, a .500 record is within their sight, and even with the atrocious start to the season, they’re only five games out of first. I know that baseball is a streaky game, but I’m hoping that this week’s trip through the rotation was not an aberration, but an indication of how the starters can perform in 2011; and if that’s the case, maybe they’ll be able to put this lousy April behind them. And maybe the rain and snow will stop as well, and we’ll even get to see the sunshine. And then we might have a summer we can enjoy after all.

Beckett

There’s not much to be excited about this April. As of this Monday, even after their huge three game win streak, the first winning streak of more than one game in 2011, the Sox are still in the cellar of the AL East, with about the worst record in the American League. But despite all the team’s problems, there has been one bright spot – Josh Beckett looks as good as he’s looked since his overpowering post-season in 2007. Remember how he single-handedly kept the Indians at bay until Boston’s bats came alive in Game Five of the ALCS? And how no one, not the Angels, not the Indians, not the Rockies, could get anything going in the post-season against him? Back then, when Beckett started, you could mark it down as a W.

The best indication that Beckett is on his game is the strikeout-walk ratio. Last two games he has 19 Ks, and only three walks. As a result, in his last two starts, he’s gone fifteen innings with a single earned run. And he kept the Sox from opening 2001 with a dozen losses.

Sunday, Lester got his first win. He’s actually pitched pretty well, and just didn’t get run support. But if Lester remains consistent, it looks like the Sox have at least a two-man rotation. And if John is right that the good pitching is contagious, then maybe we’ll see Buckholz, who really was their best pitcher last year, return to form, and then they’ll have three decent starters. I still think Wake can contribute – can step back into the starting rotation and win games for the Sox. And I was about to say that I don’t hold out much hope for Lackey and Dice-K. But then, on Patriots’ Day, when the Sox usually play well, Dice went seven shutout innings, one hit, only 89 pitches. It would be an understatement to say I was surprised. Shocked would be closer to the mark. Still, three consistent starters, if they can stay healthy, one inconsistent starter who occasionally throws a dominant game, along an occasional strong outing from Wake, can perhaps get Boston back into the race for the AL East. (By the way, has anyone noticed what Masterson is doing for the Indians? What would this rotation look like with Masterson instead of Lackey?

But hold on, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. As I said earlier, even with their three-game winning streak, Boston still finds itself in the cellar. So first off, let’s just win a few games, then maybe win a couple series, and also try to avoid any more four and six game losing streaks. And then we can begin to think about who’s ahead in the AL East. Go Sox.

An Even Uglier Start to the Baseball Season

Before the season opened, pundits seemed to forget all about last year, as so many of them picked Boston to win the Al East, or the AL pennant, or even the World Series. And then, of course, the Sox went to Arlington to open the season against the team that actually played in last year’s series, and got swept. Bad start.

What was worse, was the fact that they opened 2011 just as they had played most of 2010, without an effective bullpen. Bard blew a save after Boston had rallied on opening day. Then in game two we were reminded that the starters hadn’t given the pen much of a cushion last summer. Lackey opened 2011 pitching worse than he had most of last year, and that means he was awful, because he was typically pretty lousy throughout 2010. His first start this year, he couldn’t get through four innings and let in close to ten runs. Game three Buckholz looked bad, Pap gave up a run, and the Boston bats went to sleep, as the Rangers got out their brooms. Bad.

OK, so Texas was hot, and they did win the pennant last year. But then, the Sox went to Cleveland and without going through all the gory details, let’s just sum it up by noting that they got swept again. By the Indians! That’s worse. Way worse. And so 2011 opened with the Sox going 0-6, and generally looking pathetic. There were a couple optimistic notes hidden deep inside this losing streak. One- Lester pitched a great game in Cleveland – seven shutout innings, but the Sox could not managed to support him with even a single run. Two – Papi looks better in April than he has for the past couple years. So I hope that’s an indication that he will not need until August to warm up. Three – Pedroia is back, hitting well and serving as the team’s sparkplug. Except there is no gas in the engine right now, so the spark plug has nothing to ignite.

It’s a long season, and I figure that the bats will come alive at some point. But what about the pitching, especially the bullpen? Is there any indication that they will round into form? It’s particularly troubling that the two highly paid free agent signings – Dice-K and Lackey – look like they should be throwing down at Pawtucket. I mean, why not just hang onto Lowe and Arroyo, and save a couple hundred million bucks?

Early indications are that the Haters Ball will be hosted in Rochester for the foreseeable future. Speaking of which, the Ball is scheduled for the third weekend in June, so readers need to make their plans now. The present plan is to hope that the Cs are still playing ball late into June, so we can ignore the Sox for the next couple months, and give them time to get their act together. If that fails, there’s always whisky.

An Ugly End to the Hoops Season

No, I’m not talking about last night’s game, when UConn and Butler combined for 41 points in the first half. Everyone kept talking about how great UConn’s defense was, and they were intimidating Butler in the lane, but how many open shots did Butler miss? Still, it was a bit of redemption for the Big East, and it’s odd to think that we beat the national champion on their own court this year. Of course, it would have been better for the Orange to have played like that in March, and not in February.

In any event, the ugly game to which I refer was the Sunday night debacle against Marquette a few weeks ago. That was the game when the Orange shot 55 percent from the field and still managed to lose. Perhaps it was their 18 turnovers, most of which were unforced, just sloppy ball handling or inattentive passes, that kept them away from New Jersey. Or maybe it was just that they had struggled like this too often all through the winter. In fact, we all knew this night was coming; from November on we could see that the team lacked the consistency they would need to get deep into the NCAAs. I figured all along that the logical end to the season was either the second round, or at best, the sweet sixteen. And I preferred them to lose a close game to Marquette, than to get blown out in the sweet 16 by someone like Carolina. At least now we can tell ourselves that with only a few less turnovers, or maybe with a couple more threes, we could have seen another game or two. And if we feel that way all summer, then it’s easier to look forward to next fall.

What also didn’t help on that Sunday night was that Jackson was neutralized, scoring only seven points, and even more surprisingly, grabbing only four rebounds. All season he had been a rebounding machine, but in neither tournament game did he get his double double. He did score 23 in the opening round, and I recall that Indiana State had no answer for him. However, on Sunday night, he was taken completely out of the game. Last year, that would have left Rautins and Wes open on the perimeter, and they could have done major damage, but we had no one to fill that role this year. In the end, aside from Jackson, we really had no consistency and no leadership.

What about next year? The backcourt remains the same, unless Waiters transfers. Rumors have it that he is on the outs with Boeheim, although his tournament minutes do not give any indication of that. And although they’ll miss Jackson, there will be another year of experience for CJ Fair (who so reminds me of Josh Pace), Joseph and the explosive Southerland. In addition, DeShonte Riley returns, and there is another highly touted recruit at the center position, but based on this past year’s disappointments down low, let’s reserve judgment on how much of a difference that will make.

Of course, I won’t be in Section 108 to cheer them on, nor will the guys on either side of me. I will have almost three grand more in my pockets, which ought to allow me to buy plenty of good whisky to enjoy while I watch the games at home, or at the bar in the Chophouse, or who knows where else. Just not behind the bench. Sorry folks, but even for a life-long fan like me, there was a breaking point. Anyway, that’s all the Orange news you’ll get to read for a while. And like we used to say in the Nation, wait till next year.

PS: we’ll return to whisky news and baseball in the next postings.

Whisky Lovers Live Large

Every summer, the Whisky Lovers gather in our back yard for the culinary high point of the season: the Whisky Lovers Ball. Red meat; red wine; some smoked seafood from the Bullet; cigars; and of course, good whisky. But Friday night, for the first time, and one hopes the first of many such occasions, the Whisky Lovers gathered for a wintertime Ball. Scheduling difficulties had postponed the Wintertime Ball until the first day in April, but even though the calendar suggested springtime, here in Rochester, it still felt like winter.

Where else to convene the wintertime Ball other than the Chophouse? And why confine ourselves to a couple courses, when Janine and the Chophouse staff could whip up seven courses with wine pairings? And so, we sat for five hours, through the aforementioned seven courses, and tasted a selection of wonderful wines to accompany what can only be described as a spectacular dinner. I know I’m going overboard with the superlatives here,but really, there’s no other way to describe the meal we had.

Let me hit the high points for all my readers. The second course was a grilled quail and smoked duck breast salad, accompanied by 2005 Hitching Post – Highliner Pinot Noir. This was the pinot about which the movie Sideways made such a fuss. And, I’m pleased to report, with good reason. We have become fans of Carneros Pinots, but Hitching Post comes from Santa Barbara, an area well south of Napa – in fact, as far as I can tell (and I know almost nothing of California geography) close to LA. But what’s the difference? This pinot was excellent. More earth, more character than most Californians; closer to the taste of a Burgundy.

The best pairing of the evening was a pan seared foie gras, with poached pear, served with an outstanding Gewürztraminer. We’ve always been a fan of Gewurtz, which I find more interesting than most whites, but this wine was unquestionably the best we had ever tasted. Apparently Gewürztraminer translates as sweet and spicy, and this combined more of those two tastes than the usual offering. We found the spicy lingering in the finish of the wine, just like a good lowland scotch; and the sweet came from the particular vintage, when according to Janine, a touch of botrytis had developed, causing the grapes to shrink; the sugar content to grow; and the wine to have a bit more sweetness. It may not sound as though it was appropriate for the foie gras, but in fact, the pairing was spot on. The best of the night. And that’s saying a lot for a table full of red wine lovers.

The entrée course was veal three ways, hash, osso bucco, and chop, accompanied by two vintages of Beaucastel Chateauneuf-de-Pape. 2005 and 2008. The latter was a bit green and tannic, but the 2005 was terrific, big and earthy, a deep rich Rhone, my favorite region on the planet. The Chateauneuf was excellent with the rich flavor of the osso bucco, which in my opinion needs to be added to the Chophouse menu. It’s not a summertime dish, so I may not persuade them to do that until the fall, but I plan to work on it.

We had a dessert course paired with a sweet wine from Chianti, something different for sure. And then we polished off the evening with some scotches from my own collection. Chophouse has good whisky, but I thought this dinner merited something other than the usual offerings. So I Ballechin #2, Bladnoch, Talisker 175, and Van Winkle 20 for Dr. Ron. Janine put out a tray of cheeses, chocolates, candied nuts, and who knows what else. By then, I was on a liquid diet.

Today, it feels like spring, so our thoughts will soon turn to the barbeque pit, the Bullet, and the many opportunities we’ll have all summer to fire up the grill. But for the end of winter, what better way to celebrate than five hours at the Chophouse with fabulous food and wine? It almost enough to make me look forward to next winter’s lousy weather.