Knockaround Guys

(Photo from Yahoo! Sports)

So...do you think George Kottaras knows where he is right now? Or did all the wild pitches/passed balls/getting knocked into next Tuesday render him incapable of rational thought? Like, if you asked him how many fingers you were holding up, would he say "yellow?"

Poor George. It's happened to many before you, young man. True, it's not the knuckleball you were forced to tangle with last night and, truth be told, you've done an admirable job of that so far this season. But perhaps no one told you about Matsuzaka's penchant for wildness or his never-ending quest for equality as he doles out walks to the entire ballpark. You couldn't have known.

And then, there was the collision at the plate with Carlos Gomez who, if a recent series between the Twins and Yankees is to be believed, has a bit of a fighty streak in him. You done well, sir, to not only hold onto the ball but to absorb the hit and make the out. We're not certain, but we think we could feel Jason Varitek sitting in the dugout and cringing. He's 37, you know. His veteran bones can't quite take that kind of licking anymore.

That said, 'Tek? Please come back to us. We'll cushion the home plate area with bubble wrap if it'll help. Only don't go away again.

All in all, a frustrating game. Despite Papi's better efforts, Denard Span felt like being a big mean jerk and catching all fly balls hit his way which, really, is just inconsiderate when a guy's trying to get going. But I'm sure Papi wouldn't want anything handed to him anyway. Though, do you suppose it's okay if I give him a hug?

And Jason Bay hit a home run. As that is what Jason Bay does. Our pale little Canadian is steadfast, that's for sure.

Day game today. Beckett goes at 1:10. Perhaps he will have had quite enough of this wild pitch business and will throw nothing but BBs all day. Here's hoping. For us and for Jason Varitek's knees.