[Expletive] Rodeo

Buccholz is loading up. I'm about 90 % sure. Not just the pictures, but the various attempts at explaining on the Sox end that hasn't really explained anything. That's not rosin. The rosin they use in baseball is like tacky chalk. It's not shiny. And the tapping on the forearm and the dirty shirt that he apparently doesn't wash.

I have kind of missed mildly annoyed John Farrell. He hasn't said anything as great as "Sometimes he writes things like 'Let's go today' in his eye black" but it's been pretty good.


“It bothers me immensely,” Farrell said. “When someone is going to make an accusation – and in this case, on cheating because they've seen it on TV. He’s got rosin on his arm. And I think rosin was designed to get a grip.

“Fact is, the guy’s 6-0, he’s pitched his tail off. And people are going to point to him cheating? Unfounded.”

And the rumours about sign stealing and "Man in White" have been brought up again.


Buccholz is a great pitcher and has historically owned the Jays, anyway, so I'm not outraged, really.

The Jays didn't think it was that big of a deal, or they would've said something. Gibby says it's very common in baseball and not why the Jays lost that game. Red Sox side says, "No, not true. And the Jays suck!!!!"

The pearl clutching and yelling from the Sox media is the funniest stuff about this. The personal attacks, the "shitty trade" articles, the "Houston of the North" articles. This is less than a year since their adventures with Bobby Valentine, and texts messages to management from "Kelly Shoppach" using Adrian Gonzalez's phone, so they probably are enjoying something newly salacious to cover.

Jack Morris said he shared his suspicions with Red Sox catchers David Ross, who caught Buchholz on Wednesday, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia before Thursday’s game.

“I went up to Salty and I told him,” Morris said. “He said, ‘It’s dry in Boston, and I've seen him put water all over his pants.’ I said, ‘Salty this isn't my first [expletive] rodeo.’ He didn't know what to say to that, so we ended the conversation right there.”

So good. And Dennis Eckersley is hilariously outraged at Jack Morris. I'll be forever grateful that Roberto Alomar took him deep.

Basically what's been reinforced for me is that it doesn't matter whether the Sox are in first place or last place, their media is full of petty, reactionary writers. Miserable winners, miserable losers. And smug.

I'm not outraged that Buccholz was loading up. I just want my team to play better.

And that game last night, that extremely winnable but generally limp game, was brutal to watch.