Game time: 7:05 pm

Scheduled starters: Barry Zito (8-6, 3.29) v. Josh Beckett (11-4, 4.75)

Boston weather: 1 pm observation at BOS: Wind out of the southwest at 8 mph, visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 5,000 feet, temperature 88F, DP 65F.

Forecast: A warm and muggy night is on tap, but there's no chance of rain. The wind should be out of the west to southwest at around 10 mph tonight; that's blowing out. It's possible that a sea breeze could set up along the coastal area this afternoon, and that will keep things a bit cooler in Boston than inland.

*MOJO* - BOS vs OAK - Explorers Day 1



The world was flat. Then Magellan sailed around it. Sometimes the entire world can be changed by the actions of just a handful of people, and the help of a little thing called "diversity". (In this case, "diversity" means an old, old wooden ship.)



We are not asking the Red Sox to change the world, just to change the current losing streak into a winning one. If Magellan can circumnavigate the globe, surely beating Barry Zito isn't that hard.


(bonus mojo points for anyone who can find a decent picture of the dragon from Eureka's Castle)

DirecTV blacking out pregame shows again. I know, no great loss...but still, I'm paying for this stuff. Anyone know what's up with that?

They're blacking out Fenway Friday. Will they black out the pregame again?

[codebox]Oakland Boston
------- ------

Pos Player HR RBI AVG. Pos Player HR RBI AVG.
--- ------ -- --- ---- --- ------ -- --- ----
C Kendall, Jason 1 22 .266 1B Youkilis, Kevin 10 43 .292
1B Swisher, Nick 21 53 .260 2B Loretta, Mark 3 37 .303
CF Kotsay, Mark 6 30 .248 DH Ortiz, David 31 87 .281
DH Thomas, Frank 19 47 .242 LF Ramirez, Manny 24 65 .303
LF Payton, Jay 5 32 .283 3B Lowell, Mike 12 48 .304
SS Crosby, Bobby 8 35 .238 C Varitek, Jason 9 41 .236
RF Bradley, Milton 3 8 .213 RF Kapler, Gabe 2 7 .355
2B Ellis, Mark 3 13 .215 CF Crisp, Coco 4 14 .269
3B Perez, Antonio 1 6 .102 SS Gonzalez, Alex 5 27 .279
P Zito, Barry (8-6, 3.29) P Beckett, Josh (11-4, 4.75) [/codebox]

I see the pregame show is once again blacked out. Why has this been the case the last two days?

They haven't blacked out other teams pre/post games. This is totally unfair.

DirecTV customer service is clueless as usual. Some BS about MLB mandating this. I tried to explain some things to her to no avail ;-)

Need to get to somebody higher up.

Maybe Boston is getting like the San Francisco Bay Area. Last night's A's - Red Sox game was JOINED IN PROGRESS by the radio station that carries the A's games. The station had to finish up some horse racing thing. But nah, I don't think so. Boston is baseball max-crazed; Bay Area is baseball apathetic.

Chavez not starting again tonight. You have to beat the A's in Boston with that lineup they're trotting out there right now. What, are we "playing down" to the competition lately? It's time to wake up the bats, guys!

Amalie Benjamin of the Globe is really damn cute. I've never seen her before.

Just spent 30 minutes on the phone with DTV. Standard BS (blackout, someone bought the broadcast rights, we don't know, lost it in the lights, etc). I told them the problem seems to apply to all baseball-related shows on NESN alone and the canned answers don't seem to apply. They said they'll have a manager contact me within 24 hours - we'll see. If so will advise...............

Yep, pretty much what I got as well. Once you get the 1st level CSR's outside of the canned scripts they're lost. Frustrating but somewhat humorous.

Same here fellas. Called them up and got the CSR. She mentioned that they were sorry but that blackouts do occur from time to time.

I responded by saying that this problem has never been the case until last night. And she said that there was nothing they can do and they are just following their agreement to blackout the programming. But it seems that most NESN orginal programming has been blacked out. The Remy's, Red Sox Classics, now this. I wouldnt have a problem if they blacked out Charlie Moore's Outdoor Fishing, but damn, at least give me the pregame show.

My wife just about has a seizure if the mad fisherman ever appears on our television.

I really thought DirecTV would have had this fixed before tonight.

I spent an hour with 3 different CSRs. The third one sounded experienced and seem to know what she was talking about. She said that NESN is totally in control of the actual blackout feed. Doesn't make any sense to me but I've E-mailed NESN(for the second time)about it.

Gee Don, thanks for telling me Nick Swisher had a career high in home runs last year. Being that it was his rookie year and all, I wasn't aware.

A good fielding play by Ramirez to keep that at a single.

After K' ing Thomas he starts Payton off with a pitch right down broadway. Well it could have been worse I guess.

Thank God Youkilis is still drawing walks as his batting average is sinking like the Titanic, 6 for his last 45 at bats. Ouch!

Dumb question: What happened to Eric Chavez? Is he on the DL?

walk - a rope- another rope- and ****

Rrrghh. Nice catch.

All three of those outs were crushed.

wow.

Manny will not come any closer to hitting one out than that. It was caught over the bullpen fence.

A's announcers said Chavez has forearm tendonitis, and probably won't play in the Boston series at all.

Well, that was a sucky way to start off a game.

WOW

What a catch

Did you see that catch that Coco made?

Coco has that catch down pat! Old stuff now.

Some good leather flashed on all those three outs by the Sox.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say any 2B with a pulse including college players and high schoolers would've gotten to the ball that Steady McSteadStead missed.

Thats what concerns me. His range seems limited.

Way to go Captain.

If either of our starting MIFers are extended, I won't be happy. Cora can come back as a reserve.

Nice hitting by Gabe.

I'd take both back, however, I would hope that Pedroia is both ready and here next year.

I hope they pursue Lugo, and overpay to an extent if need be. He's been an awesome basestealer (numbers and %-wise) and has excellent range. He's obviously not the OBP guy that Youks is, but I could live with him in the leadoff spot. Pedroia's D obviously becomes better at 2B.

Well that rally fizzled fast.

This would be a nice game to win, what with yesterdays blown game, and Contreras blowing through the Yanks.

Kendall packs a monster lip.

A good throw might have had him. Oh well don't give Thomas anything good to hit now.

ugh

Kotsay has to be the worst #3 hitter in the history of baseball, and you walk him with Thomas on deck. Brilliant, Joshua.

Damn, this is starting to become a concern.

Well the bats have to wake up from their slumber pretty soon.

Both runs on two out hits by the A's. Tacoma could give this Sox team a run for their money right now.

Thank god that segment was on Youks and not Loretta.

I could piss on a tree and eat the bark- DAMN-

Damn, close but !

Somebody beside Ortiz and Manny have to hit the ball.

jesus this is awful

Already 5 more LOB through just the first 3 innings. And I don't think getting into their BP is going to help any, either, at least not going by yesterday.

And Lowell Ks on ball four.

well, if anything, Zito already has 65 pitches. The point is that the offense is on vacation...

Did the all star break kill the offense, or was it the 19 inning game? These A's are not that good.