Boston Red Sox

Mike Port apparently needs to read the umpires' report before making any kind of determination of what should happen to Todd Tichenor, a fill-in umpire in yesterday's Boston Red Sox vs Minnesota Twins game.

There's no need for Port too look at the report, Tichenor messed up majorly and clearly has shown why he's usually umpiring down in AAA and even that seems too good for him now.

All the events occurred in the seventh inning as well. 

This Column Originally Published on GetOutofMyBallpark.com

Warning: This post written under the influence of Big League Chew.

Can you ever have enough starting pitching?

For some Red Sox fans, yes.

In Brad Penny's last start against the Twins, he pitched 5.1 innings, giving up three runs and striking out seven for the win. Immediately following that outing, speculation began to fly that Penny was expendable as the Red Sox had a "surplus" of starting pitching.

Penny has certainly pitched better as of late. And with the dominant Triple-A performances of Clay Buchholz and the imminent return to the majors by John Smoltz, the Red Sox do appear to be well-stocked with starters.

"More Days in First Place. More Days in First Place. More Days in First Place."

That’s Boston’s sports radio WEEI mocking a robotic Dan Duquette after the 2001 season, when the ‘Duke’ proclaimed that the Red Sox spent ‘more days in first place’ than that the New York Yankees.

Through 154 at-bats, David Ortiz has as many triples as he does home runs.  Uno, one, un, or uno again.

Ortiz hasn't been big thus far in the 2009 Boston Red Sox campaign, and since it's officially after Memorial Day, it's no longer "too early" to pose the question:  Is David "Big Papi" Ortiz done?

In short, no.  Big Papi will hit at least 20 home runs this season.

But even I would be mad if that was the entirety of the article.

When John Smoltz came to Boston, my first thought "Another Schilling?"

Yes, at first I was wondering if John could be what Curt Schilling was in 2004, when he led the Sox into the World Series even though he was an aging veteran who had already had his glory years.

Well, I might be off. My heart started sinking a little when I saw he still wasn't ready in late May.

Its hard to believe that we paid 5.5 million dollars for John Smoltz, the 20 year veteran who spent his glory days with the 1990’s Atlanta Braves.

It's a sight that is tough to swallow for Boston Red Sox fans.

For years, David Ortiz has been a symbol of power, a symbol that struck fear into opposing pitchers' hearts. Fenway Park would erupt every time he stepped to the plate, and Ortiz would gladly give us a chance to cheer, delivering clutch hit after clutch hit.

He was a trademark in the 2004 playoffs, helping the Red Sox beat the Yankees after being down 3-0 in what some describe as the greatest year in Red Sox history.

It's a sight that is tough to swallow by Boston Red Sox fans.

For years, David Ortiz has been a symbol of power, a symbol that struck fear into opposing pitchers hearts. Fenway Park would erupt every time he stepped to the plate, and Ortiz would gladly give us a chance to cheer delivering clutch hit after clutch hit.

As the ball sailed off David Ortiz's bat into one of the deepest parts of Fenway Park Wednesday night, it marked the end of a very emotional journey: for Ortiz, for the fans, and for the media who had made hitting that first home run such an important achievement.

If you are reading this blog, you undoubtedly are familiar with the nonstop coverage that has followed Ortiz's lackluster offense this season. Everyone has an opinion about what is "wrong" with Big Papi, and the story of the first home run took on a life of its own.