This injury could not have come at a worse time for the Sox, as Clay Buchholz continues to nurse a sore back, and John Lackey (5-8, 7.47 ERA) continues to get hit around like batting practice. The pitching staff will have to continue to get good performances from Josh Beckett, Andrew Miller, and Tim Wakefield in the meantime.

While there may be no hope for Lackey, who has faced questions about injuries himself, the rest of the staff has been solid. Alfredo Aceves, who has been up-and-down, will also get a few starts. In other Sox injury news, there is LF Carl Crawford and his hamstring. Crawford seemed to finally be putting it together before he pulled it, and will most likely return at Baltimore in a couple of weeks. His addition could help compensate for the lackluster J.D. Drew, who could be pushed out of the lineup by Josh Reddick in the final year of his deal. Many question if Drew has check out already and is alreasy retired in his own mind. Marco Scutaro also continues to play decently in the absence of oft-injured shortstop Jed Lowrie.

 Even though the Red Sox had a horrendous start to the year, and have had numerous injuries that would kill the chances of a lesser team, they are in prime position to return to the postseason. As long as Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, and Kevin Youkilis stay hot, they should be able to stave off the Tampa Bay Rays, who seem like the only legitimate threat at the Sox’ chance at the Wild Card.

Vikings WR Randy Moss

During his time in New England, Randy Moss was a force to be reckoned with.  In 2007, he set the single-season NFL record for touchdown receptions in a season with 23.  Over three-and-a-quarter seasons with the Patriots, he amassed 259 receptions, 3004 receiving yards and 50 touchdowns.  Moss gave the Patriots a deep threat like they had never seen in their team’s history.  And now he’s gone. 

Like a shooting star, he has passed through the Boston sports scene and is gone forever.  To many fans, having such an iconic figure for this amount of time felt like a dream, to which we have now awaken.  Did it actually happen? 

Now that this dream is over, and Moss has been moved to the Minnesota Vikings for just a 3^rd round pick in the 2011 draft, reality will start to set in.  There is no one on the Patriots, let alone in the NFL with the possible exception of Houston’s Andre Johnson that has the physical skills to replicate Moss. 

Despite his apparent lack of effort that every Belichickian sycophant in the Boston media will swear by for their own livelihood and access, his mere presence on the field commanded respect, attention and multiple defenders to open up the passing game for the Welkers, and Hernandez’s of the world. 

Moving forward, this is no longer an elite offense.  For every talking head in this city that longs for the days when Deion Branch, David Givens, Troy Brown and company were just simple complimentary cogs in the machine, they need to realize that those days are over, and unless you have elite talent in the passing game in today’s NFL, you’re not winning championships.  Not to mention their defense isn’t nearly as good as it was in that era.

Look at the best teams in the NFL – New Orleans, Indianapolis, Green Bay – all of them are oriented at threatening the homerun in order to open up other parts of the offense.  The lemmings will tell you that the Patriots offense will now be predicated on two-tight end sets and the running game.  Really?  2 TE’s in every formation?  A running game led by future hall-of-famers Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead? 

The fact of the matter is that the Patriots are a worse team today than they were yesterday.  Sure, Moss had his apparent spats with the team.  Guess what, this happens in every profession, but you deal with it for your most productive employees.  Not everyone is treated equally.  They could have made it through the season and dealt with it, instead they chose to do it “their way.”  Unfortunately they can’t see the forest from the trees, since their way hasn’t done much for them lately.

Red Sox OF Ryan Kalish

The Boston Red Sox were essentially spectators at the trade deadline rather than a buyer or seller.  Team management believes that the solutions to the teams woes – bullpen, not enough offense from OF – can be addressed with solutions that are internal.  They began with addition by subtraction.  LF Jeremy Hermida was designated for assignment, and RP Ramon Ramirez was shipped to the San Franciso Giants for minor leaguer RP Daniel Turpen. 

Hermida was hitting just .203 at the time of his designation, and had been an absolute butcher in the field, botching numerous routine plays.  Ramirez, who was acquired from Kansas City for Coco Crisp after 2008, had a 4.46 Era in 2010, falling well below the expectations he had set in the first half of 2009, when he was very reliable.

In Hermida’s place steps outfield prospect Ryan Kalish, who was called up Saturday just before the 4:15 start at Fenway.  Kalish, who had 13 HR and 25 SB between AA Portland and AAA Pawtucket got his Major League career to a good start, as the 22 year old went 2 for 4 with an RBI Saturday and picked up another RBI in Sunday’s win as well, both against the Detroit Tigers. 

Kalish will be depended on much more to come as Mike Cameron went on the DL today and will more than likely have abdominal surgery to end his season.  Daniel Nava was called up today and will be in Boston until Jacoby Ellsbury returns, which could be this week.

As for the bullpen, the hope is that Michael Bowden will be called up to help the Sox, as he is being converted to a relief pitcher in Pawtucket, as is lefty Felix Dubront, who made a few spot starts for the Red Sox in July which yielded mixed results.  That help needs to come sooner than later, as another lead vanished in yesterday’s near debacle, with Jonathan Papelbon blowing yet another save.

As the Red Sox sit 5.5 games in back of the Tampa Bay Rays for the Wild Card and 6.5 behind the Yankees, many things have to go right.  The good news is that they will have their cracks against both these teams in the nest two months, with 6 games vs. Tampa and 7 vs. the Yankees, 4 of which come this weekend at Yankee Stadium.   While it is still too early to count them out at this point, they certainly have their work cut out for them.

Struggling Red Sox RP Hideki Okajima

During their current West Coast road trip, the Boston Red Sox need for bullpen help has never been more present than it is right now.  While the offense has been silent lately, help is on the way as Victor Martinez will be back this week, Jacoby Ellsbury is on a rehab assignment, and Dustin Pedroia isn’t far from coming back.  There are no such reinforcements in sight internally for the Red sox.

Following Hideki Okajima’s horrendous performance yesterday – 2/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 inherited runner scored, and a blown save – one would think that a move would be coming very soon.  Okajima’s outing, combined with Manny Delcarmen’s brutal outing on Thursday – 4 batters faced, 0 outs recorded, 2 H, 4R, 1 BB – against the Seattle Mariners, the worst hitting lineup in the American League at a .233 batting average -has made the bullpen a priority at the trade deadline. 

It is June 26, and hope for a playoff berth is slipping away with by the day as the team continues to blow leads late, make crippling errors (see: Bill Hall and Eric Patterson), and get next to no production from their outfield.  The Yankees and Rays are taking full advantage as they continue to win easily against the dregs of the American League, which is something that this Red Sox team seems to have a hard time with between Oakland and the Mariners on this trip.

The road will not get any easier.  The Red Sox begin a 3 game set at Anaheim vs. the Angels tonight.  Tonight, they will have to face the newly acquired former Cy Young winner Dan Haren, who was absolutely thieved from Arizona for a struggling Joe Saunders and a pupu platter of questionable minor league prospects in a trade yesterday afternoon.  If they do not take 2 out of 3 from the Angels to salvage a .500 record for this trip, it may be panic time.

Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis

As the Red Sox bandwagon limps into the 2010 All-Star break with 2 broken wheels and a seizing engine, the team still finds itself in decent shape, with a 51-37 record, 5 games behind the Yankees and 2 behind the Rays for the Wild Card.  Not bad for a team with 12 players on the disabled list. 

In comparison, last season a healthy Red Sox team found itself with a 54-34 record at the break, 3 games ahead of the Yankees for the AL East lead, but one that they would eventually relinquish.  For the Red Sox to be only 3 games off last year’s pace with the number of injuries they currently have is nothing short of remarkable. 

To put it in perspective, 4 of the 6 Red Sox selected to play in the 2010 All-Star Game in Anaheim cannot play due to injury.  Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Clay Buchholz, and Adrian Beltre – who strained his hamstring just yesterday – will not play.  Jon Lester and David Ortiz are the only Red Sox healthy enough to play for the American League, which has won 12 in a row, if you throw out the embarrassing tie in the 2002 All-Star Game.

It could be said that no team needs the All-Star break like the Red Sox do, who in addition to the aforementioned infirmary all-stars, are currently missing ace Josh Beckett, CF Jacoby Ellsbury, captain C Jason Varitek, 3B Mike Lowell, OF Jeremy Hermida, and RP Manny Delcarmen.  Also, OF Mike Cameron – who is fighting through an abdominal tear – and SP Daisuke Matsuzaka have also battled injuries this year as well.

The ability of the Red Sox to be where they are now is a testament to the front office and manager Terry Francona, who has deployed numerous replacements that not many had heard of including CF Darnell McDonald, LF Daniel Nava, SP Felix Dubront, 2B/OF Eric Patterson, as well as veterans IF/OF Bill Hall and C Kevin Cash. 

While the Red Sox will apparently be getting healthier as time progresses, they will have their work cut out for them following the break.  They will host Texas for a 4-game set at Fenway, which is sure to include one game against the newly acquired ace Cliff Lee. 

They will then embark on a 10-game west coast road trip, (which is never easy) with 3 games at Oakland, 4 at Seattle, and 3 at the Angels and then host the Tigers (3) and Indians (4) before heading to Yankee Stadium for a 4-game weekend set. 

If the Red Sox can break even on the west coast trip and win both series at home before heading to the House That Jeter Built, they will still be in good shape.  For this to happen, John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka must earn their keep, the front office must bring in another bullpen arm to buttress Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard, and some of the other pieces must get back into the fold as well. 

As Boston fans we want to see this team as the 2004 Patriots, who battled a ridiculous amount of injuries on their way to a third Superbowl title, rather than the 2006 Red Sox, who had an equal amount of freak injuries, but fell out of the race in August after being swept at home in a 5-game series by the Yankees.  By the time the series in New York is over on Monday August 9, we will know exactly where this team stands.

Bruins Draft Pick C Tyler Seguin

The Boston Bruins have been very busy this offseason, and seem to have been successful in plugging some of the holes that plagued them during their historical collapse in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia Flyers.  After the losses of David Krejci and Marco Sturm during that series, the lack of scoring depth was a glaring problem.  So far, although it is still relatively early in the offseason, the Bruins have addressed this problem via the draft, as well as through trade.

When looking to add instant offense, it always helps to have a surefire talent fall into your lap at second overall.  With this pick, which was acquired from Toronto for Phil Kessel before last season, the Bruins selected 18-year old center Tyler Seguin from the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL.  Seguin, who is expected to contribute immediately, has been often compared to Detroit Red wings Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman.  Seguin tied for the lead in OHL scoring with 1^st pick Taylor Hall with 106 points.

Many including myself chastised the Bruins for dealing Kessel last season without getting anything to replace him for that season.  It appears that the Bruins will get the better end of the deal, as they also have Toronto’s 1^st round pick in 2011 as well, but obviously Kessel is a gifted scorer and Seguin has yet to play an NHL game yet.  As of this moment however the Bruins have the upper hand, but time will tell.

The Bruins added another explosive piece in former Florida Panthers LW Nathan Horton.  Horton, who was acquired in exchange for defenseman Dennis Wideman, is a legitimate scoring threat.  The third overall pick in the 2003 draft, Horton has averaged 25 goals a season for the past 5 years, and one could argue that he did this with a lack of talent surrounding him.  The 25-year old’s work ethic was questioned down in Miami, but now that he has been shipped to a hockey hotbed and is surrounded by talented veterans, Horton is relishing the opportunity to shine.

On the defensive side, the Bruins resigned defenseman Dennis Seidenberg to a 4-year deal.  Seidenberg was sorely missed during the Bruins’ playoff run, as he was injured with a lacerated wrist, but was an integral piece late in the regular season n helping the B’s climb their way into the 6-seed.  A full season of Seidenberg on the blueline should be an upgrade from Wideman, whose play was erratic at best during his time in Boston. 

The Bruins still have some work to do this offseason, namely on the blueline, but is still early.  They have an important trade chip in goalie Tim Thomas, who had his job taken from him thanks to an impressive rookie campaign by Tuukka Rask.  If the Bruins can acquire a top-4 defenseman for Thomas, and keep Marc Savard on the roster, they will be a legitimate threat to go deep in the playoffs in 2010-11.

Jake & Joes

The two of us stare up at the newly built restaurant from the parking lot at Jake & Joes in Norwood, located conveniently right off the Auto Mile. I had first saw this new restaurant when I was taking my daily drive to work. Working on the Auto Mile has its perks, car central, plenty of restaurants, and more. The manager of Jake & Joes entered our dealership and handed out invitations that offered a free appetizer, four free entrées, and free drinks. So, needless to say, I couldn’t turn down a free meal! We arrive at Jake & Joes Wednesday night for their grand opening. The parking lot is packed, so we think, first night of an opening usually leads to some chaos in service.

However, immediately when we entered the restaurant, we were greeted with a warm hello and seated. The walk over to our table featured a walk through historical sports moments highlighting the best in Boston sports with Memorabilia from the Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox, and the Bruins. To compliment the sports feel they feature 9 TV’s on each side of the bar (1 monster 50 inch TV!) They have plenty of TV’s dispersed throughout the restaurant to ensure you don’t miss a beat in the Boston sports world. With it being a sports bar it surprisingly wasn’t as loud as your typical bar setting, which was a plus for conducting conversation!

Onto the food! My fiancé and I ordered the Chicken Quesadilla to start and for the Main Event we ordered the Chicken Under The Brick (Joe’s Way) and The BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich. Our waitress Jessica was very responsive, witty, and friendly. She brought over our drinks in a flash and within 10 mins (expected time) we had our Quesadillas arrive. The appearance was mouth watering…

… they were very full, colorful, and waiting for the first bite. Analyzing the Quesadilla we spotted the tender Pulled Chicken, Diced Tomatoes, Fresh Cilantro, Diced Jalapenos, Onions and Monterey Jack Cheese. All of this was bundled into the warm flour tortilla and was served with sides of Sour Cream, Salsa and Guacamole. The first bites quickly lead to the dish being consumed! Very pleased, granted it’s a Quesadilla, but a fine one at that!

After the Appetizer was demolished, our Entrées followed within 5 minutes of consumption. My Chicken was the reason the food had taken awhile (they do mention in the menu that the chicken takes at least 15 minutes to cook,) but when the dish was placed down in front of me, it appeared to be worth the suspense. The dish featured Mashed Potatoes, Fresh Vegetable of The Day (Mixed Vegetables,) and the Chicken (Very generous Portion.) I cut the Chicken and you could tell how delicious, moist, and tender it was going to taste! The potatoes were very filling with the garlic, butter, and pan gravy (a little dry without the gravy.) The Pulled Pork was ok (very basic) and the size of the sandwich was less than impressive, the onion rings were not very good (tasted more like a Chinese Chicken Tender – Very Greasy.) The deserts were good, but nothing over the top spectacular (Not freshly baked treats, which isn’t a total loss because remember it is a sports bar after all.)

Long story short, I will eat at Jake & Joes again and would eat at this sports bar without question over a chain like the 99 Restaurant. Make sure you sign up for the free MVP awards when you go there and you’ll get a point per dollar spent, discounts on food, and $15 free on your birthday!

Rating: 3.8/5

Location:

475 Providence Highway
Norwood, MA 02062
(781) 349-4880

http://www.jakenjoes.com/

Price: House Bread Sticks $2.99; appetizers, $5.99 to $14.99; main courses, $8.99 to $18.99; dessert, $5.99 to $8.99. Extensive Wine and Beer List.

Details: Open 11:30 am for lunch daily; kitchen closes 11:00 pm except Thursday-Saturday 11:30 pm. Full bar open till 12:00 am.

Rating is based on food, service and ambience, with price taken into account in relation to quality.

Red Sox CF Mike Cameron

Despite the fact that the Boston Red Sox seem to be dropping like flies, they remain just 2 games behind the hated Yankees for first place in the American League East.  After today’s game at the Giants, the Red Sox head home to face the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles.  They will be happy to get out of San Francisco alive at this point. 

In what can be described simply as a freak injury, second baseman Dustin Pedroia could be lost for up to two months after breaking his foot when he fouled a ball off of it in Friday night’s game.  Pedroia is an irreplaceable piece of both the offensive and defensive picture, and will be sorely missed.  Hopefully the Sox can tread water with Bill Hall at second, who has been below average at best as an outfielder.  Here’s to hoping he doesn’t butcher too many double-play balls in the next few weeks.

Clay Buchholz suffered a scare in yesterday’s game, in which he pilled up lame running the bases.  Thankfully it turned out to be just a hyperextension of the knee, and Buchholz should be good to go for his next start, which should be Saturday at home vs. the Orioles.

Elsewhere in the Red Sox infirmary, there is a one Jacoby Ellsbury, who is still apparently not close to resuming baseball activities in the wake of what must be the most horrific rib injury ever suffered by a professional athlete.  

Ellsbury broke his ribs the first week of the season after colliding with third baseman Arian Beltre.  He made an attempt at a comeback about a month ago but went back on the DL after just 3 games.  Maybe we’ll see him sometime before 2012, get well Jacoby.  Good thing you didn’t use your 4.3 40-yd dash time to make a play as a wide receiver, because things such as hangnails are generally not seen as serious injuries in the NFL.

On the other side of the spectrum, Mike Cameron continues to gut his way (no pun intended) through an abdominal tear, playing just about every other game.  Cameron put his body on the line, making a spectacular catch in the 8^th inning yesterday to save extra bases on a shot from Giants 3B Pablo Sandoval.  Cameron also supplied the offense, smashing a 3-run bomb.

In the face of adversity, the Red sox have managed to find ways to win.  They have had a great month of June, going 16-8, helping to circumvent their slow start.  Hopefully, the impending return of Josh Beckett and the continued success of Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz will help them stay afloat until Pedroia’s return.

Red Sox RP Hideki Okajima

The bullpen woes of the Boston Red Sox have come to the forefront. After their 4-3 loss last night at the hands of the Kansas City Royals, the dependability of the relief staff has come into question.  No Red Sox starting pitcher has figured into a decision yet in the first 4 games of the 2010 regular season. 

Last night’s culprit was Daniel Bard, who was the unfortunate victim of a 2-run broken-bat, bloop single by Royals center fielder Rick Ankiel in the bottom of the 8^th inning which erased the Red Sox’ 3-2 lead, and a quality start by Tim Wakefield.  One of the two runs was charged to Hideki Okajima, whom Bard relieved in the 8^th.  Okajima in his 3 appearances thus far has looked very shaky to start the season, as he has allowed a total of 6 baserunners in just 2 innings of work for a putrid WHIP of 3.00. 

While they have not been too detrimental to the cause as of yet, the fact that the Red Sox brought Scott Atchison back from Japan after a 2-year stint, and picked up lefty-specialist Scott Schoenweis off the scrap heap goes to show that there was not much stock put into improving the bullpen this off season, despite the organization’s mantra of run prevention for 2010.  They have also failed to address the issues regarding Manny Delcarmen, whose velocity is clearly down from past years.  Delcarmen has had arm issues in the past, as he has Tommy John Surgery as a minor leaguer. 

Both John Lackey and Wakefield have posted quality starts with nothing to show for it.  They have done their part in putting the Red Sox in a position to win ballgames.  The Sox have invested a lot of money into their starting rotation recently, but it may as well be a waste if the bullpen cannot support the rotation to help provide it with wins. 

While it is still very early, do not be surprised to see some shakeup in the bullpen.  It is no secret that the Yankees and Rays have superior offenses when compared to the Red Sox.  In the particular case of the Yankees, who are adept at working counts and grinding a starting pitcher into an early exit, the need for a steady bullpen is a necessity.

Red Sox SP Josh Beckett

Coming off a 17- win campaign in 2009, Beckett was in the club option year of his 3 year-$30 million deal that he signed after being acquired via trade from the Florida Marlins following the 2005 season.  He was slated to become a free agent after this season.  Had he tested the free agent waters this fall, popular opinion is that he could have secured a C.C. Sabathia-esque deal in the neighborhood of $200 million.

Even though his performance last night against the New York Yankees was disappointing, with 5 earned runs allowed in just 4.2 innings, Beckett remains one of the best big-game pitchers in baseball.  In 13 career postseason starts, he is 7-3 with 99 strikeouts, a 3.07 ERA and 3 complete game shutouts.  He also owns two World Series rings; one with Florida in 2003, and one with the Red Sox in 2007. 

As long as they stay healthy, the Red Sox will now have arguably the best pitching rotation in baseball for at least the next 4 years.  This could also give the team flexibility to explore trading younger, more inexpensive starting pitchers such as Clay Buchholz in a potential blockbuster for someone like the Padres’ first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who has been long rumored to be headed to Boston. 

A move like this would also open up a spot in the rotation for Daisuke Matsuzaka who is currently on the disabled list with a neck issue.  Given their financial obligations to Matsuzaka through the year 2012, it is highly unlikely that many teams would want absorb his contract. 

Buchholz’ miniscule contract dictates that his trade value is high, and he could be dangled at the trade deadline if the Red Sox offense proves to be unsatisfactory. Others might argue that you can never have enough pitching, and Buchholz is needed as insurance if 45- year old Tim Wakefield’s back begins to act up again, or if Matsuzaka’s neck injury proves to be a long-term problem. 

Regardless if a trade occurs or not, the fact is that the Red Sox took a giant step today in ensuring their viability in the AL East for the immediate future.  They are built to win for this season as well as years to come.  There aren’t many lineups in baseball who will be excited to face the 3-headed monster of Beckett, Lester, and Lackey in a playoff series for the next few seasons.  With this rotation, come October, the Red Sox will have an excellent shot to return to the World Series.