Lester 2, Cancer 0

How does a man match a World Series clinching win?

By throwing a no-hitter, of course.

Jon Lester threw the Major's first no-hitter of 2008 and, in the process, showed Red Sox fans a glimpse of what kept him from becoming a Minnesota Twin. 130 pitches, 8 strikeouts and two walks later, Lester was being picked up by his catcher and celebrating like an eight-year-old girl who just got Hannah Montana tickets.

"It's something I'll remember forever," said Lester, who became the first Red Sox lefty to no-hit a team since Mel Parnell (you remember him, right?) did it on July 14, 1956. "A lot of excitement.

"I think I had more adrenaline going in the ninth inning than I had in the first inning, which I guess is normal for that situation," Lester said after throwing 130 pitches.

The thing that was most impressive about Lester's no-no, other than the fact that he didn't give up a hit, was his velocity, especially in the later innings. Lester topped out at 96 miles an hour on the last pitch of the game, striking out Alberto Callaspo swinging to finish the magic at Fenway. He finally showed us all a glimpse of what made him the Red Sox' most prized prospect.

In his return from cancer last season, Lester topped out at a modest 91-92 mph, not showing the mid-90's fastball that had Red Sox scouts and management drooling when they drafted him 57th overall in the 2002 draft. Things have changed this season though, as Lester has improved his velocity, finding the 92-94 range regularly and being able to dial it up a few extra notches when need be.

This can go one of two ways for Lester now: This can be another building block for him, another step towards becoming a top-of-the-rotation starter for the Red Sox for years to come.

Or (hopefully not) Lester can go the way of another former Sox prospect, Anibal Sanchez, and throw a no-hitter, followed up with almost nothing and being just another pitcher who got lucky one night.

I don't see the latter happening.

Hideki Okajima is Chopped Sushi Right Now

The Red Sox' left-handed savior in 2007 was born on Christmas Day. Yesterday, he did anything but deliver a present to Sox fans.

Former Red Sox Jay Payton took the second pitch he saw from Okajima, an 88-mile-an-hour meat ball down and in, and took it out of Camden Yards like it was on fi-yah to give the Birds a 6-3 advantage that George 'Straight brim' Sherrill would not relinquish.

Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe tells us of Okie Dokie's struggles when not starting an inning off fresh (link):

"So far this season, Okajima has treated inherited runners like junk you get rid of at a flea market: Of the 14 runners on base when he has entered to pitch, 11 have scored."

Gordo tells us that this percentage is worst in the majors. What's the problem here? Why the struggles with Okie this season?

The explanation is easy really. For the majority of 2007, Okajima came into the game in the eighth (or ninth sometimes) with a clean slate. No inherited runners.

Unfortunately, I have to compare him to Mike Timlin in 2006, because he was the same way. Start him off clean, he'll more often that not retire the side without an issue. Bring him in with runners on, you're in trouble. Why? I'm not sure. Chalk it up to a mental thing right now.

Let's just hope that Tito Francona will notice the trend and try his best to to get Okajima in the game at the start of an inning. The key is to build a better bridge to Okajima and Papelbon, and in order to do that, you need a lot of wood. Or, maybe the Red Sox just need another releiver to step up.

The much ballyhooed Manny Delcarmen could be an option, as long as he stops throwing "hit me, here I am" change ups, grows a pair, and steps up. Damn pitchers, always thinking too much.

Craig Hansen is another possible option. He didn't look too sharp yesterday, but he can (hopefully) find his groove at the major league level and be that seventh inning guy the Sox deperately need right now.

Dark Horse Alert! David Aardsma. If he can throw first pitch strikes with consistency, he can be a legitimate swing-and-miss type of guy and be a huge piece of the Red Sox' bullpen puzzle.

The bottom line is that Okajima has been used too much, too soon, and in some cases, in the wrong situations. It's not his fault, not the manager's fault, it's just that there's no one else trustworthy enough right now for Francona to go to. One of the three aforementioned guys must step up, or Okajima's downfall will be in June this year, not the end of August.

Signs of Armageddon

The past few years have served as a shift in the reality of American League East baseball. The Yankees reign has been challenged and subsequently taken over by the Red Sox, the Blue Jays are contenders and the Orioles... well, the Orioles still suck. But something happened a couple days ago that I never thought I would hear.

The Yankees, led by a Steinbrenner, are jealous of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Seriously.

After watching the youthful Rays sprint out to the AL East lead with 25% of the season in the books, the AL East is paying attention. The Rays swept the Sox a couple weekends ago in Tampa (followed by the Sox returning the favor in Boston the first weekend of may), and have the 2nd best record in the major leagues. But now... jealousy from the Bronx? Perhaps that is the most impressive thing about their season.

In an ESPN story titled "Hank wants Yankees to play more like Rays," Hank Steinbrenner is quoted as saying, "No question, the Rays are a hungry team. That's what our team has to get back."

This is the sign of armageddon...I'm convinced of that much.

The old Yankees, led by George Steinbrenner, would never utter such a phrase. The reason for this is that the Yankees believed that they were the best, and as a result, they played like the best. The air of superiority that they carried into every ballpark was annoying but effective. Mystique and Aura were no longer just strippers at Scores; instead, they were the 10th and 11th players on the field for the dominant MLB franchise. 

With the changing of the guard, however, the Yankees have lost their edge. Now, they readily admit that they just aren't very good. "We haven't done anything yet," Bobby Abreu said. "We haven't been on base and we haven't produced like a team."

Manager Joe Girardi added, "Hank's watched us all year long, and he's not happy. And I don't blame him. I'm not happy. Mr. Cashman's not happy, nobody's happy, and our players aren't happy."

Hold the phone, Joe - maybe Steinbrenner hasn't watched all year long. Steinbrenner didn't even attend the first two games of the series, but still felt qualified to voice his opinion that the Yankees needed to start earning their money. Shouldn't he do the same, and at least show up? Sure, he can watch the game on TV, but so can I. I don't think this will give him the insight necessary to start blasting his team in the media.

Steinbrenner's rants aren't the same as his father's. There aren't effective because in Hank's first few months in charge, he's ranted as much as his dad did in the final couple years of the World Series runs in the late 90's. Hank was running a horse stable last year, and has decided to treat his new ballclub the way you'd treat a horse lagging in the final turn - just keep cracking the whip.

However, the horse will start to get immune to the whip if it's cracked too much and become unmotivated. Perhaps that's what is happening in New York for the Yankees.

Josh Beckett Laughs at AJ Burnett and Carl Pavano

Three large contracts. Three power pitchers. Three former Florida Marlins. How did they turn out? Well, the pitcher who has had the most success is pretty easy to figure out, but it's really amazing to see the mediocrity of the other two (and in Pavano's case, mediocrity doesn't even begin to explain it)

In terms of the money ( which the Yankees and Red Sox could care less about and the Blue Jays are mildly concerned about), Burnett's contract is the biggest at $55 million over five years, with Pavano's four year, $39.95 million deal second and Beckett's three year, $30 million extension from the Sox the lowest of the three.

The Red Sox love the contract that Beckett is under, considering he was Cy Young Material in 2007 and led the team to World Series victory number two last year. The Blue Jays obviously hoped for sustained health and a learning curve with Burnett, both of which have not really happened. And the Yankees probably just wish to never hear the name "Pavano" ever mentioned again. Ever. Or anything that even remotely rhymes with it, for that matter.


Starting from the bottom up, Pavano was the biggest bust, by far. Five trips to the DL to go along with five wins in the Pin Stripes between 2005 and 2007. His NYY ERA? 4.77. Can you say monumental bust? You know what I mean. What do you think the chances are that the Yankees will pick up his $13 million option for 2009 when it comes up? What are the Vegas odds on that? Oh. And he has a no-trade clause in there too.

Burnett's deal has turned out better than Pavano's, but that's really not very hard to do, when put into perspective. Burnett has only made four trips to the DL in his Blue Jay career, all of which have been related to right elbow and shoulder soreness and pain. Burnett had 10 wins each in his first two seasons North of the Boarder, but he hasn't eclipsed 170 innings pitched in a season since he had 209 for the Marlins in 2005.

The biggest knock on Burnett has been his lack of progression from a raw, power arm to a pitcher who can pitch, not just throw the ball in the mid-90s and buckle your knees every now and then. Burnett allowed 23 dingers in 2007, the most of his career. Look at Beckett. He brought his long shot numbers down from 36 in 2007 to 17 in 2008.

Is Burnett a nice pitcher? Yes. Is he $13 million a year nice? Probably not.

The Red Sox may have traded away the best power-hitting short stop the league has seen since A-Rod in Hanley Ramirez, but what they received in return was well worth it: another World Series Trophy.

For all of the questions that surrounded Beckett's health and durability, they are no more. The Texan has thrown 200+ innings and started 30 or more games twice since joining the Sox. Unlike (luckily) Burnett, Beckett has grown as a pitcher. He turns his fastball over more, he's improved his curve ball, used it more intelligently and he is probably the one pitcher that every major league team would want in their biggest game of the season.

Beckett's Red Sox credentials: A 20-win season, a second place finish in the 2007 Cy Young race, a World Series ring, a newfound beer gut, and the claim to being the best of the three former Florida Marlins starters in the AL East.