Aug 17 - Millar and Kay Crap Out Once Again

The guy is slugging just .286 on the road and .267 against lefties – so why did Terry Francona start Kevin Millar last night against Nate Robertson at Comerica? I guess loyalty trumps sabremetrics in Tito’s version of Moneyball. So how did Millar reward Tito's loyalty last night? Well, he went hitless and made an error. Tito, loyalty is one thing but this is getting downright ridiculous.

Michael Kay had a classic Kayism last night at the end of the Yankee debacle down in Tampa. As Scott Proctor was walking in the winning run, Kay went out with this doozy: ”And that will bring in the winning run, giving Tampa a big win, FOR THEM . . . “ For them? How much more condescending can Kay get? Sure, it last night was a nice win for Lou’s losers, but beating the Yanks has been fairly routine for Tampa this year (eight up and only four down). Such talk has become the norm for Kay who never misses an opportunity to patronize the rest of the league. The next time Mike puts down Tampa, he should remember that he happens to host a talkshow on a station that is basically the Tampa Bay Devil Rays of sports radio in New York. In fact, I’ll take Tampa after the all-star break (16-8) over Michael’s putrid ratings at 1050 ESPN.

I listened to Mo Rivera’s post-game Q&A last night and it just confirmed that this is just about the most classy guy in baseball. I don’t make a habit of complimenting Yankees too often, but I’ll make a special exception for Mo. This is a humble and dignified guy who never makes excuses. NEVER! You hear that Randi – NEVER. He is a straight shooter who admits to his mistakes and rarely seeks the spotlight. Mo is the only Yankee who I truly wish played for the Sox, and that has nothing to do with the fact that the Sox bullpen has more holes in it than the Iraqi Constitution.

With Curt Schilling auditioning as a pitchman for Exxon’s new high-octane fuel, isn’t it about time the Sox consider taking a shot with one of the long lost Hansen brothers? Craig has been unhittable over a small sample at Portland, (another scoreless outing last night), and perhaps its time to take the first round pick out for a test drive. I realize the Sox don’t want to screw with his confidence and pitching in the AL EAST is a lot different than pitching in the Big East, but all reports indicate that this guy could help out this year. A friend of mine has scouted Hansen on several occasions and says he has a better slider then anyone who pitches for Boston at the big league level. If that is the case and Schilling continues to struggle, I think Hansen should get a chance. Who knows, he just may turn out to be the next Huston Street or Chad Cordero.