After a stretch of a week and a half playing the Bombers, we look back on these games, dissecting each game as to what went wrong and ways to improve our team game. One thing in particular that comes to mind was the game when Pedro was pitching strong into the sixth at the Stadium, but was taken out because Kerrigan and Jimy thought his pitch count was to high and that we are going to need Pedro down the stretch at the end of the season. Well, the coaches did get one out of two right. We are definitely going to need Pedro as October comes upon us, but taking Pedro out after six innings for throwing too many pitches is ridiculous. Who ever made up the idea of a pitchcount anyhow? The Sox eventually lost that game in the Bronx by the bullpen's ineffectiveness to shut down the bottom of the Yankees' lineup. I believe a pitch count is a term overrated in baseball. Did Cy Young ever have a pitch count in his days? For Heaven's sake, the man pitched every other day going eight to nine innings every outing. Obviously throwing too many pitches had no effect on Cy. His name would later be associated with the award given to the best pitcher in his each league for that year, respectively. There you have it. Pitch counts should be deleted from the minds of pitching coaches and instead, just allow pitchers to be competitive and try to win games for their club.

I don't know how you feel, but I believe managers treat their pitchers like they're the last people on earth, and that if something happens to them, they're doomed. Actually, this is pretty accurate. If we ever lost Pedro for the year, we'd be doomed from the playoffs. But, what I am trying to say is that pitchers aren't allowed to do anything. For example, there's a pop-up over the mound and the closest one there is the pitcher. But, the pitcher is taught not to try to catch it, but to get out of the way for the other fielders. This happened the other night when Wakefield was on the mound against the Marlins. There was a pop fly over the mound. The closest (and let me add, the easiest) play would be for Wake to make the play. But noooo, lets have Daubach run half way across the field, tripping over the mound to make the most possible difficult play. For Christ sake, pitchers are athletes too. That's the one thing I don't like about the American League, having the designated hitter. Pitchers can hit too and a prime example is Mike Hampton of the Colorado Rockies. The guy can hit. He has at least 3 or 4 homeruns already this season. That's extraordinary for a hitter who gets at-bats every five days. So, lets do away with this idea of pitchers being non- athletes and lets re-install pitchers hitting in American League ballparks.

What's this I'm hearing? Derek Lowe has the flu now too? This is getting out of hand. Duquette should post a sign in the clubhouse that says anyone who is sick shall not enter. This bug has affected Manny, Trot, Garces, and now Lowe. Let's put a stop to this sickness before every one gets sick and we'll have to call Teddy Williams out of retirement to play a few games. Well, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Craig Grebeck, please don't pick up the white courtesy phone. You are old and a very bad hitter. You make the hitting coach look bad also. Maybe that's the reason Jim Rice isn't the hitting coach anymore. The Sox need to stop protecting him because he brings veteran leadership to the club and drop him, so we can call up Lou Merloni who can actually hit. Doesn't this make alot more sense Dan (Duquette)?

If you have been watching the Sox games of late, you would have noticed that Manny isn't hitting the way he has shown before and isn't killing the balls that he hit for homers like earlier in the season. Don't get nervous fans. Manny isn't becoming a true bust. He is just recovering from being under the weather (see above) for a couple of days where he missed his first two games of the season. His timing is a little off, but surely he will regain that timing and continue to hit balls like his 491-foot blast at Skydome.

Here's a plan to ponder about. Let's get rid of all the veteran players who are on thin ice, barely surviving to stay in the major leagues. Such players as David Cone, Bret Saberhagen and Craig Grebeck. I don't take anything away from their great careers, but their prime years have passed. Cone is done. He had great years in New York, both with the Mets and Yankees. He won a couple of World Series and pitched a perfect game. Saberhagen just doesn't have it anymore in his rehab starts. Sabs had great years in Kansas City, winning the World Series and Cy Young Award in 1985. And Greback, you just can't hit anymore. He was never a great hitter, but a solid fielder and a consistent .270-.280 average hitter at Minnesota. So now they're gone and the new crops move in: Tomo Ohka, Paxton Crawford, and Lou Merloni. Ohka and Crawford both showed they could hold their own in the majors earlier in the season. For one reason or another, they are BOTH in the minors. Lou deserves to be in the majors. The guy comes to the majors and hits .375 over the course of 8-10 games and still is sent down to Pawtucket to make room for Greback, who was coming off of the disabled list. Merloni needs a fair shot in the big leagues and lets remember, Lou isn't getting all that younger himself, getting up to 28-29 year range. Ahhhhhhhhh that would be my dream team for the Sox this year. But, we know that would never happen, for this year that is.

Till next week, take care of yourself and watch those Sox.

MJS4163@aol.com