Another Bataround!

Well, the other day against the Brewers the Sox suddenly rose up and put the game out of reach by sending ten men to the plate. Ten men? Nothing! Today against the Pads, the score was knotted at 3 after one of the Pads had tied the game with a 3 run shot in the 6th. Not to worry--our heroes came to bat in the 7th and after scoring the go-ahead run and then making two outs, exploded like a nuclear warhead. When the smoke had cleared, the line for the inning was 13 men to the plate and 10 runs (no typo) scored, the last 9 after two were out. Someone ought to tell the guys that BP is BEFORE the game starts, not during the middle of it.
Seriously, the Sox banged out 14 hits, which when coupled with 9 BB's adds up to a lot of opportunity. Gonzo was 3-5, including a double. Papi, Yoouukk and The Dustman each had run scoring two baggers. At this rate, Gonzo will own almost every offensive category available. He's now well over 60 ribbies, and leads the league in BA, Doubles, hits and RBI's. Way to go, Theo! He's followed closely by both Yoouuk and Papi in terms of RBI's as well. If all of this is not enough, the Hose had 5 guys hitting over .300 on the season. No wonder their team BA is MLB's highest!

Batting Around and Then Some!

Well, after losing yesterday, based entirely on Milwaukee's 1st inning, a game that Lester's post-1st pitching gave them a chance to win, the Sox came back with a vengeance! Starting in the 1st inning, they shot out of the gate like a scalded dog. The first six batters reached base, topped by Yooouuukkk's 3 run blast into the Monster seats, and by the end of the inning eleven men had gone to the plate and the Hose led six zip. Wake, meanwhile, was Wake. Over eight innings, he allowed just three hits and a single freebie, resulting in a game WHIP of 0.5. Although two of the three hits were solo shots, overall, he was in total command, even getting his season high in K's at six. When you're used to swinging at breaking balls in the mid to upper 80's and heat at somewhere north of 90, suddenly dealing with a diet of stuff that just about never exceeds 75, and often may be in the lower reaches of the 60's, is a task that's not something most hitters care to deal with. That's because, assuming the floater is moving and tumbling like it can, it's damn near impossible to hit. When you do, to make things worse, it's not often likely to get very far.

On the offensive side, the Hose bats started hot and continued there for most of the game. IN addition to Yoouukk's blast, Pedroia and Scutaro both drove the ball deep into the cheaps and the Hose tacked on a total of four doubles and a trey. Every Sox starter had at least one hit, and Jake, JD, Gonzo and The Dustman all had multi-hit games, Pedey getting three hits on the day. The hitting performance didn't hurt the stats races either. Gonzo added a pair of ribbies to his AL-leading total and Yoouukk picked up three to vault over 50 RBI's and move closer to the leaders in the league.

Three & Counting!

Well, with last night's dismantling of the Brewers the latest streak has reached three, and 12 of 13 for the Hose. As with many of the W's in the prior 9 game streak, this one was spread throughout the order. Gonzo was 3-4, Papi added three and homers were hit by Jake and Gonzo. Lackey started off like the Lackey of pre-DL, giving up an early four runs, leaving the score knotted at four, and looking like this was going to be a game of attrition to see who would be the last one standing. Kind of like Bastogne in WWII when Gen.McAuliffe told the Germs "Nuts", hung on and waited for Patton to break through. However, after the four early runs, Lack tightened up dramatically, retiring his last 14 batters in a row and only leaving after he was comfortably up 10-4 and eight innings were gone. The pen closed out the game and, with the Cubbies beating the Stripes in Chicago, the Sox had a 2.5 game lead again.

Sox WinBeckett Gem;Cup Comes Home!

Well, for those of you who've been following this blog for awhile, you already know that frequently when the Sox and one of the other Hub teams is victorious, we repeat the classic old Boston Herald sports headline. So, here we go--Sox, B's win! In fact, in the latter case, the Bruins really won--took home Lord Stanley's silver chalice for the first time in 39 years! Hail, Bruins!
Now for the Sox: they resumed their recent winning ways, beating the Rays four zip behind JB's sterling pitching. He threw a complete game one hit shutout, striking out six and walking absolutely....NO-ONE! Game WHIP was 0.11. All of the offense the Hose needed was provided by Yoooouuuukkk in the 7th. Three run HR and that's all that was needed by the Sox. It's fortunate too, as the Rays pitcher held the Hose to just four hits. But one of them was the dinger. JB's ERA dropped back below 2.0 as well.

What to Do?

Well, a few weeks since our last commentary, and I apologize. Part of the excuse was Paris was too beckoning to us. But we're back and here we go.
Got a question this past week from a long time client. She wanted to know why she should consider selling know if many national news stories indicate prices are dropping and, in some cases, hint at a second dip toward the bottom for the housing market.
My reply was simple. Nationally, there is a fair amount of evidence to support such a case. However, as always, real estate is more than anything else a case of Location, Location, Location. In our case, Location is Marin County--nowhere else! In its weekly stats showing sales for the County as compared with the same week one year ago, the I-J showed total home sales were pretty flat compared to a year ago. But average prices were up nearly 20% on the same comparison. This was for single family homes. Condos did show a drop, but the price stats on condos, overall, have frequently lagged those for single family homes.
So where does this leave you as a potential seller? Well, as you've seen me say many times here, with interest rates continuing at or near historic lows and lots of buyers out there with cash in hand and looking, this is definitely a good time to consider putting your home on the market.
One thing to consider about this: it's now mid-June. As we ease into the middle of summer, many folks go away for vacation, leaving their search for a little while. You may want to consider calling us to meet and give you some good ideas to help you prepare your home for the market with the idea of putting it on the market immediately after Labor Day. Homes will sell in July, but in August, the sale rate drops way off, rebounding really with a vengeance after the end of summer holiday. So, have a question? Thinking of selling, but not sure how or when? Give us a call! We'll gladly help you through the issues--and get you a great deal!

What to Do?

And You Thought The Patriots Didn't Play Until September!

Yup! Sixteen to four! What's that? It wasn't the Pats? Oh, well the score had me fooled for a moment there. I know the Hose have been thrashing their way through the AL East the past week, but with their 8th in a row, they outdid themselves--probably trying to make up for only scoring five last night. Today, they batted around twice, with Papi and Tek each driving a ball into the cheap seats. If that weren't enough, Gonzo got another ribbie, his eight straight game with one for a new personal record, The Dustman picked up three its to continue his climb to his normal level in hitting, and Scut had a quad! Yoouuk sat this one out at the request of Terry to get a little rest for a couple of days. Jake also got a pair of hits. Dusty's three included a pair of two baggers, and, coming with last night's contribution, it appears as if the one game off for a physical of the knee has been just the cure for ails him.
Pitching wise, Lackey had the second consecutive decent showing since coming off the DL. He went six, and while allowing all of the Jays' runs, also grabbed 8 K's for his best performance all year to date. He also only walked two. After he left, the pen, in the personae of Wheeler, Hottovy and Bowden each contributed a shutout inning, the first and last of the trio each being perfect.
The win extends the Sox' streak to a season high of eight in a row, and keeps them two up on Mr. Hankie's Yankees.