For Love of the Game.

The Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO serves an important purpose and teaches an important lesson. Mike Cameron, who was there last night for the Legacy Awards, had this to say about the museum:

"The first time I came here, the first thing I wanted to do is come out on the field [an exhibition in the museum]. But you have to understand the history of what these players represent and what they went through. When you walk through here and you see their suitcases and the beds they had to sleep in and the sacrifices they made just for the opportunity to stand 60 feet 6 inches away and chase a little ball around and get dirty. These were people that genuinely cherished the game, day-in and day-out."

It would appear, though, that the museum is in financial trouble. It would be a shame if the museum had to lessen the availability of their message because of the economy. It would be a tragedy if they had to do the same because of office politics.

Happy Talk.

Baseball Prospectus has an interview with Justin Masterson. He continues to come across as a ridiculously sweet, caring individual and, as arrogant as it possibly is, I continue to feel the need to protect him. He talks about the trade and how Francona was on the verge of tears when he told him, being closer to home, and his hope for this season's Cleveland team.

I really think that Sweetums would be a perfect nickname for Masterson, especially if he were to try to grow out his hair again. The people of Cleveland need to get on it.

Going Home.

Yesterday, Tim Wakefield's golf tournament kicked off in Florida.

And last night Dustin Pedroia went home to Woodland, CA to help raise funds for improvements to a baseball field.

Number Eighteen: Kismet.

1946. 1967. 1975. 1986.

Perhaps, it's a little Puritanical to wallow in those years of failure; a psychologist might insist that it was unhealthy. It seems important, though, to remember who we were and just how good things are now. Those were teams that just weren't quite good enough or lucky enough. They were teams that broke your heart and tested your faith.

1946: The Sox had won game one, lost game two, won game three, lost game four, won game five, and lost game six. If they were to continue with their pattern, then they should have had game seven in the bag. Going into the eighth inning in St. Louis, however, the Cardinals led 3-1. Rip Russel pinch hit for the Sox and got a single. Catfish Metkovich pinch hit and hit a double, which moved Russel to third. Wally Moses struck out. Johnny Pesky lined out. Down by two, tying run in scoring position, and two outs, Dom DiMaggio tied the game with a double. But hurt his hamstring on the play and had to be pinch run for. Ted Williams ended the inning with a popfly to second.

Bottom of the eighth. Enos Slaughter started it off with a single. Sox pitcher Bob Klinger then got two outs, a popfly he handled himself and a fly ball to left. Harry Walker came to the plate and hit a double to centerfield. Remember that Dom DiMaggio, who was an excellent centerfielder, had been removed from the game. His replacement, Leon Culberson, wasn't the fielder DiMaggio was and didn't have his arm. He threw the ball in to Pesky and Pesky threw home but Slaughter, who had been booking around from first, got there first.

That's not to say, of course, that the Sox didn't have their chances in the ninth inning. They led off the inning with a pair of singles and had the tying run at third with one out. But a foul ball off first and a ground out brought on the winter for the 1946 Red Sox.

1967: The 1967 Sox didn't do their best Keystone Kops impression during the World Series. There was no gaff that made it's way into bedtime stories throughout New England. The Sox lost game one, won game two, lost games three and four, and then won games five and six. And facing St. Louis' Bob Gibson in game seven, they were just out pitched.

1975: 1975 brought the return of the bumbling World Series Sox. Luis Tiant cruised to a complete game shut-out in game one. Bill Lee had allowed one run in eight innings in game two when he allowed a double to start the ninth inning. Dick Drago was called upon to relieve him and got two outs; then he gave up a single to tie the game and a double to blow the save.

Game three was all about Carlton Fisk. He got the first hit of the game in the second inning when he hit a home run. The Reds took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run home run from Johnny Bench. They added on in the fifth with two more home runs off of Rick Wise and a Joe Morgan sacrifice fly to make the score 5-1, Reds. The Sox got one back in the sixth on a Fred Lynn sacrifice fly and another back in the seventh on a Bernie Carbo home run. They tied it in the ninth, 5-5, on a two-run shot by Dwight Evans. In the bottom of the tenth inning, the Reds had a man on first and attempted to sacrifice him over to second. It was a bad bunt; the batter, Ed Armbrister, was lallygagging in the base path, Fisk's throw on the force out sailed over Rick Burleson's head, and the runners were on second and third with no outs because Armbrister wasn't called out on interference. The Reds won on a Joe Morgan single.

Luis Tiant came to the rescue again in game four, throwing a complete game for a 5-4 win. Game five didn't go as well; the Reds won 6-2. Game six returned to Fenway and the Sox lived to see another day in twelve innings thanks to a Bernie Carbo home run, a spectacular Dwight Evans catch and a relatively famous Carlton Fisk home run.

The Sox came up short again in game seven. The Sox scored three runs in the on a Yaz single and two consecutive bases-loaded walks. Bill Lee made it through six and two-thirds before tossing an eephus pitch that ended up in the stands and bringing the Reds two runs closer. They tied it in the seventh on a Pete Rose single. And won it in the ninth on a Joe Morgan single.

1986: Game one at Shea Stadium in 1986 was a pitchers duel; Bruce Hurst and Ron Darling traded zeros allowing one unearned (by Darling) between them. In game two, Clemens kept the Mets at bay while Dwight Gooden gave up six runs in five innings. Game three didn't go quite as smoothly as Oil Can Boyd gave up four runs in the first. The Sox couldn't match Ron Darling in game four and ended up losing 6-2. Bruce Hurst came to the rescue in game five, keeping the Mets to two runs in a complete game effort.

Game six was unfortunate. It was a sloppy game to start with; there were five errors between the two teams. Roger Clemens gave up two runs in seven innings and going into the bottom of the eighth the Sox had a 3-2 lead. Calvin Schiraldi relieved Clemens. He gave up a single, a bunt single, a sacrifice bunt, an intentional walk, and a sacrifice fly to tie the score. Okay. Fine. Whatever. We go to the top of the tenth. Dave Henderson hits a home run--Sox have the lead. Spike Owen strikes outs. Calvin Schiraldi strikes out. Wade Boggs doubles and Marty Barrett singles him in--the Sox lead is 5-3. Bottom of the tenth. Calvin Schiraldi gets two outs. He then gives up a single, and a single, and a single. Score: 5-4. Bob Stanley comes in to relieve Schiraldi. Stanley throws a wild pitch to Mookie Wilson and the score is tied. With his balky knees Bill Buckner should have been pulled for a defensive replacement. Bob Stanley doesn't get over to cover first and Wilson's single becomes infamous.

Game seven started out promisingly enough. The Sox scored three in the second and the Mets didn't tie the game until the sixth inning. Schiraldi gave up a home run in the bottom of the seventh, a single, an RBI single, and a sacrifice bunt. Joe Sambito in an effort to relieve Schiraldi gave up two walks to load the bases and a sacrifice fly before getting a ground out to end the inning. Mets lead 6-3. The Sox made some noise in the eighth; in the form of a single, a single, and a two-run double by Dwight Evans. Score: 5-6. During the bottom of the eighth, Darryl Strawberry hit a home run and Jesse Orosco had an RBI single. Final score: 8-5.

I am not a glutton for punishment. It's good to remember these things. Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm going to go drown my sorrows.

Corrections.

Baseball Prospectus has decided that their PECOTA rankings from the other day were incorrect and has issued a revised version. They changed the AL East to move Boston and New York into a tie for first place (93 wins) with Tampa falling to third (92 wins). But all three teams are still neck and neck and neck.

I've also corrected the date in my original post.

The Steel Driving Award.

Jacoby Ellsbury may have chosen to not attend the Legacy Awards at the Negro League Baseball Museum tonight to collect his James "Cool Papa" Bell Award but there will be a representative of the Red Sox there. Mike Cameron will be receiving the John Henry "Pop" Lloyd Award for baseball and community leadership. Congratulations to him.

Number Nineteen: Carlton Fisk.

Carlton Fisk was a once-in-a-lifetime talent. He could do it all; he could hit, he could run, he could call a good game, he was as tough as a bear, and he was durable as all get out--the man caught regularly until he was forty-three and hung around until he was forty-five. He made the All-Star team eleven times.

In 1972, he hit .293 with twenty-eight doubles, nine triples, and twenty-two home runs. He was recognized with the Rookie of the Year, fourth place in MVP voting, a gold glove, and his first All Star appearance for his efforts that season. The image of him willing that ball fair in the 1975 World Series is iconic.