Golf is good, golf is great, it on early, and it is on late(thanks to TNT). Like most of my other golf posts . . . I have no idea who is going to win this tournament(because Tiger is not playing well). Here are my thoughts on the 2009 British Open Championship.
- Miguel Jimenez will not win the Championship.
- Tom Watson will not win the Championship. It would be the most unbelieveable win since Jack Nickalus won The Masters in 1986. I hope that Watson does win and at least stays in contention.
- Ben Curtis is sneaky good and has won The Open . . . In case you forgot.
- Tiger Woods will not win but will play/score better than anybody else in the last three rounds.
- Steve Stricker is one of my favorite players. He will choke on Saturday afternoon, come back and play very well on Sunday but will not win the Championship.
- Boo Weekly is totally out of his element.
- John Daly is playing out of his mind. What sauce is he on? I say guacamole sauce based on his sweater/suit combo today.
- James Driscoll, local hero here in Easatern Massachusetts, is +6. He needs to play well tomorrow in order to make the cut. He will have to overcome the weather which is suppossed to be rainy for the rest of the week.
- Retief Goosen is another of my favorite golfers. He is playing well and has not won a major in a while.
Sleepers: Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The Red Sox and Keys to Making the Playoffs
The 2009 version of the Boston Red Sox has been great so far. The Red Sox are three games up on the New York Yankees and six and a half games up on the Tampa Bay Rays. They have been great even in the face of several injuries and a sub-par record against the Rays. Here are the keys to the Red Sox making the playoff(not-necessarily win the Division).
1) The Red Sox have to go at least 7-8 in the 15 games they have against the Yankees and Rays.
2) If Jed Lowrie and Mike Lowell are healthy then they should split time with Nick Green. This will allow Green to continue his good play and keep all of them from getting injured.
3)The Red Sox need Clay Buckholtz to pitch the rest of the season as the third starter. The team can get through the season and make the playoffs without Buckholtz but they need an effective third starter to win in the post season and Clay should be their first option for the third starter. Here is why: Daisuke is injured and will be ineffective for the rest of the season. Wakefield is effective in the regular season but cannot be counted on in the playoffs. I think the last time he pitched a key inning in the playoffs was 10/16/2003 whe he gave up the Homerun to Boone. Brad Penny has not pitched more than 5 innings all season and cannot be counted on when pitch counts go up in the playoffs.
4) If Buckholtz is a bust or implodes after a few starts then the team needs to make a trade for a very good starter. The market for startes has not materialized yet but their should be some decent options as the trade deadline approaches.
5) Lets say the club cannot find a decent third starter in the market. . . The Red Sox should move Justin Masterson into the rotation and make a trade for a top notch reliever.
In conclusion, the Red Sox are in great positon to make the 2009 Playoffs if they can split their remaining games against the Yankees and Rays. If the team and the ownership of the team want to win the World Series they will have to make a trade to either improve the offense or make a deal to improve the starting rotation or the bullpen. The good aspect to all of this is that the Red Sox have set themselves up to fill their weaknesses with players currently on the roster. As a result, they will only need to make one trade, as of today, to position the club as the team to beat come October.
1) The Red Sox have to go at least 7-8 in the 15 games they have against the Yankees and Rays.
2) If Jed Lowrie and Mike Lowell are healthy then they should split time with Nick Green. This will allow Green to continue his good play and keep all of them from getting injured.
3)The Red Sox need Clay Buckholtz to pitch the rest of the season as the third starter. The team can get through the season and make the playoffs without Buckholtz but they need an effective third starter to win in the post season and Clay should be their first option for the third starter. Here is why: Daisuke is injured and will be ineffective for the rest of the season. Wakefield is effective in the regular season but cannot be counted on in the playoffs. I think the last time he pitched a key inning in the playoffs was 10/16/2003 whe he gave up the Homerun to Boone. Brad Penny has not pitched more than 5 innings all season and cannot be counted on when pitch counts go up in the playoffs.
4) If Buckholtz is a bust or implodes after a few starts then the team needs to make a trade for a very good starter. The market for startes has not materialized yet but their should be some decent options as the trade deadline approaches.
5) Lets say the club cannot find a decent third starter in the market. . . The Red Sox should move Justin Masterson into the rotation and make a trade for a top notch reliever.
In conclusion, the Red Sox are in great positon to make the 2009 Playoffs if they can split their remaining games against the Yankees and Rays. If the team and the ownership of the team want to win the World Series they will have to make a trade to either improve the offense or make a deal to improve the starting rotation or the bullpen. The good aspect to all of this is that the Red Sox have set themselves up to fill their weaknesses with players currently on the roster. As a result, they will only need to make one trade, as of today, to position the club as the team to beat come October.
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