Red Sox With 100 Left

After tonight's game in Washington, the Red Sox will have 62 games under their belts, meaning 100 left in the season. Seems like as good a time as any to take a look at the season so far, and where it seems to be going.

Even as one of the biggest Sox fans I know and yet perpetual Sox worrier, I gotta say I like what we've put together. Emotionally I've got my feet up on the table and my hands behind my head, taking it all in. Not only because the first place throne is embedded with a fluffy five game cushion, and not only because we are currently 17 games over 500, but because of the way everything seems to be gellin' right now. We like Magellan, we're so gellin'.

The leading factor so far for our overwhelming success has been the pitching. It started a bit questionably with our two aces, Beckett and Lester, kinda sorta forgetting the season had actually started. Two and a half months later, Beckett has channeled his 2007 playoffs self and Lester looks every bit as good as he ever has. Between them and a resurgent Tim Wakefield (on pace for a 10-12 win first half and a horrifying All-Star snub) and an increasingly reliable Brad Penny, our first four starters cannot be matched.

A big question will be answered tonight in John Smoltz's first start, but lets not put too much at stake if he doesn't dazzle in the spot where Dice-K's cadaver has been stored. The Smoltz issue will play out like LOST, we may get an answer tonight, but odds are, good or bad, it will open up doors to new questions. Not only is Clay Buchholtz (extremely) patiently waiting in Pawtucket but Justin Masterson can always be remolded into a starter.

Meanwhile our bullpen is unquestionably the unsung hero our the 2009 campaign so far, and one Theo and the boys should be the proudest of. While the Yankees wasted hundreds of millions (literally!) on starting pitching that has gone 11-8 with an ERA around 4, the Sox front office spent a fraction of that to acquire reliable, proven closers like Takashi Saito and Ramon Ramirez, and working on homegrown talent like Daniel Bard and Michael Bowden. Come the trading deadline you'll hear how all of the contenders are looking for bullpen arms, all of them except us.

Running down the lineup, we can all agree that we're getting unbelievable production from Jason Bay, Ellsbury, Nick Green, Youkilis, Lowell and Varitek. That leaves JD Drew who is right where we want him, Jed Lowrie who has been hurt most of the year, and Rocco Baldelli who hasn't had much chance to shine. The only two guys who haven't lived up to our astronomical expectations are Big Papi and Pedroia. Papi has been a true enigma, but recently looks like the David Ortiz of yore (the good yore, after he stunk for the Twins), and even Pedroia has begun to heat up.

Some other things to look forward to:

• Sox are 15-5 in the last seven series against five teams with records better than 500.
• Sox are 13-4 against the current 3 other AL playoff teams so far with all 4 loses coming on the West Coast. Have I mentioned we dont have to go West anymore this year?
• Sox have a pretty steady lead in the American League and since the AL doesn't lose All Star Games, we can just chalk up home field for the World Series. Oh yeah, have I mentioned that we're 25-10 at home this season?
• And last and certainly not least, there's that little matter of the Sox being 8-0 against the Yankees this year.

I'll be there tonight for game 62, rooting for the Sox with 75% of the crowd in DC, and starting to get used to this free and easy feeling. I would sum up my feelings more succinctly, but pregame beers and cornhole wait for me at Nats Stadium.

MTV's The Duel Season Ender

There's television, good television, and, if you're lucky, "Do not delete recording" television. Most of this season of MTV's The Duel 2 was barely television. There was a distinct lack of partying, night-vision hook ups, backstabbing, and any competitive drama after the Artest-ian melee between CT and Adam eight minutes into the season. Instead we were inundated with lame confrontations, contrived relationship disputes, and a player competing for diaper money. Yawn.

The final episode finally raised the bar, with a surprise extra duel, including the first full contact male duel. (And it was outstanding, with Brad pulling maybe the greatest and smarted competitive move ever, in throwing Landon's ring. Truly genius work from a guy who spelled T-H-R-O-N in a spelling bee challenge two weeks earlier.) And while the final challenge was par for the obstacle course, there were some great take-away moments. Rachel's wire-to-wire victory was nothing short of impressive, even if it was predictable, and even if she might have the anatomy to compete in the men's side too. Evan's reaming out of Brittni was both hilarious and typical d-bag Evan. And Mark's commitment to Aneesa showed class and character usually absent from the entire MTV network. You know the rest: the winners got oversized checks (one of the top 10 best things in life), the credits rolled, and then, and only then, did the show take its first steps into "Do not delete recording" territory.

Following the season finale, MTV aired an aftershow, The $#!t They Shoulda Showed, which is perfectly named. The hour long season retrospective with hysterical confessionals and video of the things we really wanted to see all season; the parties, hook ups, black outs, and silly time wasters that humanize the cast.

The main reason that the show was such a success was that it feature Issac in all of his drunken glory and comedic brilliance. If MTV were smart, they would have him live in the house for the inevitable next go around and not compete, only provide debauchery and commentary. Between Issac's epic black outs, his character 'Samuel the Cat', his Flava-Flav costume complete with black-face, and blunt honesty make him the uncontested MVP of the season.

Meanwhile, the aftershow also shed light into what the contestants do during the days, which was the first time we'd really seen how much fun the house can be. It's easy to rip these steroid-pumped meatheads for being dumber than the Kicker iPod docks door prizes, but they have some unbelievably creative ways to party and pass time. The mustache, the cardboard box game, the fashion show, the oneses, Evan and Mark's "Apartment Party" are all examples of things they really should have shown. (And honestly, why didn't they? Did they not want more shows and more revenue? Come on Bunim-Murray, you're better than that.)

Anyway, there's so much more packed into the hour but I dont want to ruin all the fun. It's MTV so it airs almost everyday, so I suggest making a DVR date. If all this hasn't been enough of a sell, I give you two more words: Pube Tacos.

Meanwhile tomorrow night comes the grand finale to the roller-coaster of a season, The Reunion. Maybe we'll finally get more video of the Adam/CT fight. Maybe we'll finally find out if Landon is gay. Maybe we'll get some insight into why Aneesa looked like such a crack-whore in the aftershow. Either way, the momentum from the Aftershow last week makes this must-see-tv and more potential "Do not delete recording" television.

Summer Goals for Everyone

Flipping your calendar from May to June feels good in the same way crossing something off a to-do list does; while largely insignificant, its highly psychologically rewarding. June means summer and that means girls in sun dresses, the meat of the Red Sox season, Sam Summer on draft, the lowering of inhibitions, and if you're lucky enough, wearing shorts to work. Here's the thing about summer, it goes by quick if you don't make the most of it. You can fly through June-July-August like pitchers fly through the Ortiz-Varitek-Lugo part of the lineup, so lets set some goals (we can keep the bar low) in hopes to get the most of the time of the year. 

1) Drink and eat outside as much as possible. The main reason: Everything tastes better outside. Whether its a tailgate, a bbq, an outdoor table at a restaurant, a patio or rooftop bar, or a picnic (do girls read this site?) a breeze and fresh air really goes a long way. Poetically, there's definitely something serene about the absence of walls, and more practically the people watching is stellar, especially with ogle-hiding sunglasses. 

2) Catch up on a past series of television (or three). All the good stuff is over by now so take the time to pick up on something you've missed. Thanks to On Demand and DVD's there are a couple ways to make up for lost time. Some often overlooked series: AMC's Mad Men, Showtime's Californication, and my deep deep sleeper, Starz's Party Down. But by all means if you live in aWi-Fi configured cave and haven't tried Lost, Arrested Development, or How I Met Your Mother (start with season 2), now is your chance. 

3) Get active. So maybe its hot out and a run isn't feasible, but there are still lots of choices from a beer softball league to shooting hoops to playing golf without a cart. I'm gonna get preachy here for a second: I happened across the ole high school yearbook last week and we're all noticeably fatter now mainly because our outdoor activities are becoming increasingly seldom. Summer is our chance to get in better shape, maybe get a tan too. Like they say in Knocked Up, "We didn't say lose weight, I might say tighten. Just like toned and smaller." Look, this isn't an intervention but dont sleep on summer's opportunities to get out and play.

4) Go away. Ideally a road trip is the best bet because it incorporates seeing somewhere new, bonding with others, inevitable problem solving, and blasting Summer of 69 with the windows down. Miles logged are far less important than the journey itself. Road trips be themed as in ballpark tours, reunions with college buddies, golf trips, beach weekends, the Shawshank Redemption trail or sporadic, haphazard stops. Road trips work because the process is usually greater than or equal to the results and like when the pizza guy shows up on late night Cinemax, the possibilities are endless. 

5) Knock out the summer staples early. Lightning round: A lawn concert, a beach trip, a few games of cornhole, a baseball game at a new stadium, a new set of flip-flops, a summer fling (nobody likes a prude!), a messy meal of crab or lobster, a top-40 song you like wayyyyy too much, a book that wouldn't sniff a scholastic reading list, and a last-minute day off from work.

Is Dwight Howard Over-Rated?

Dwight Howard has become an iconic NBA figure with his monstrous dunks, Superman costume, and childlike enjoyment of the game. Its always hard to crap on a guy you like (and I really like Howard and his swagger), but isn't Dwight Howard overrated?

Looking at the Celtics Magic series its hard not to see him that way, especially looking back at game five. I know Howard is a dependable double-double every night of the season; I know he fills out every inch and pound of his 6' 11", 265 pound frame; I know his dunks can make you involuntarily rise from your seat. However its the things Howard can't do that have left the bigger impression on me.

The biggest problem is that he can't score in an offensive set, at least not with Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis guarding him. His game fiver effectiveness was minimal, even worse than his stat line says: 37 minutes, 5-10 FG, 17 reb, 4 TOs, 12 points. Let's start with Dwight Howard's meager 12 points, which came on five baskets. Three of those five hoops came on offensive rebound putbacks or fastbreak dunks, meaning 40 percent of his baskets (only two hoops in 37 minutes!!!) came from offensive sets. Here's who else had two baskets in offensive sets: Brian Scalabrine. Here's who had five baskets in offensive sets: Stephon Marbury. (And in case you were wondering, of his 31 field goals, only 20 of them are from offensive sets, making him pretty harmless in a halfcourt set.) Seems to me that a solid box out from Perk (6'10" 280 lbs) or Big Baby (6'9" 285 lbs) would cut his already limited offense by about a third.

Howard called out Stan Van Gundy after game five for not getting him the ball enough especially down the stretch. Again, another Howard boo-boo. While Van Gundy looked like MacGruber trying to get the bomb out of the missile silo during the fourth quarter, Howard's lack of touches ranks extremely low on the list of errors (listing said mistakes would put me over my imaginary word count).

Now you might counter that Dwight Howard is known for his defense too, and that's a good point since he was the defensive player of the year. Howard's 11 blocks are the same number that Perkins has had in less time. He may have the edge in steals but Howard's shot changing ability is apparently matched by our rarely praised center. Oh and don't forget Howard's turnover margin is disastrous, with Rondo being the only Celtic dishing out more mistakes than him.

In the end, clearly a team that has Dwight Howard is lucky to have him, but in this playoff series I am underwhelmed. He should have been the one major advantage the Magic have over the Celtics, especially with Garnett on the sideline, and yet has been neutralized by Perk. We're talking about a guy who was first team All-NBA against a guy who was our worst starter heading into the playoffs. I'm sure Van Gundy's game plan isn't helping him, but eventually a star exerts himself on the game, instead of the letting the game exert itself on him.

Cant Win Em All

Statistical truth: Its very hard to win a basketball game when your opponent shoots lights out from the three point line in the first half and you are running on tired legs. That's not an excuse, its a statistical truth. It's also hard to win a basketball game when your two players who step it up the most are Brian Scalabrine and Stephon Marbury. (Seriously how great was Scalabrine? His intensity on defense and hustle and knack for open shots on offense was the driving force behind the Celtics second half energy.)

The good news? For a team that looked fairly overmatched for most of the game, the C's kept it close, kept it interesting, and kept the faith. We can look at it as something to build on or something to pack up after. "Get busy living or get busy dying, you damn right." If we had let the Magic continue that early second half beatdown, it would have been easy to quit or say the Bulls series was enough. Basically the team could have pulled a Shaughnessy. Instead they stared down the deficit and the deficit blinked. Now this series doesn't seem so daunting.

Four simple tactical changes that could turn the series real quickly:

1) Take advantage of the mismatches on offense. Ray Allen wasn't great but you have to work him on Reddick more than we did. Calling Reddick a defensive liability is like calling swine flu a medical inconvenience. Same goes with opening the floor for Rondo against Alston; let Dwight Howard sink down and open up shorties for Perk and Big Baby. When you dictate the play, advantage you.

2) Go at the basket. In the first half we didn't and because of it we were down by 18 at the half, didn't shoot a single free throw, and the Magic committed only three team fouls. In the second half we did go at the hoop and drew fouls, were awarded free throws, and made legitimate scoring runs.

3) Intangibles, intangibles, intangibles. We have edges in playoff experience, game closers, and intensity. We're the defending champs, which doesn't score you any extra points on the scoreboard, but adds motivation and pride. And maybe the biggest edge we have is in team chemistry, although the five drunk yuppies singing "Just a Friend" in the Heineken commercial seem to have more chemistry than Magic starters. By the way that commercial kicks ass and sends a good message; they can't show it enough.

4) Take Big Baby out after three fouls with 11 seconds left in the half. It's that easy. And while we're here, no more big men wasting fouls on shoddy picks, reach ins, or soft and-one fouls.

5) Manage the runs. Call it the Pepto-Bismol strategy but this game was won by the team that was able to withstand the other team's offensive runs, and the Magic 3-point surges outlasted ours. It starts with Rondo being less haphazard with the ball when we're streaking and also means not getting frustrated if Pietrus and Alston hit a few buckets in a row (by the end of the game the Magic shot only 33% from downtown). Finally, it means taking advantage of a coach commonly dubbed a "Master of Panic" by his own players.

Let's stay positive. We were down 0-1 to the Bulls too, and by now we know that this is a marathon, not a sprint.