Around the Horn: Playing the Spoiler Role

Red Sox bloggers react to this weekend’s series

By Matthew Taylor

Here’s what they’re saying in the Mini-Me version of the Evil Empire after the Birds twice rallied for victories against the Red Sox to take this weekend's series at Camden Yards …

Red Sox Fan from Pinstripe Territory proclaims his team’s bullpen as the worst ever. Apparently he didn’t watch the Mother’s Day Meltdown in May.

Gagne, don't get on my bad side. I went into this weekend thinking we were just about guaranteed to stay even with the Yanks, minimum. With a good chance of gaining. And we LOSE TWO GAMES in the standings. Terrible job. And at various points of the eighth innings of the three games in Balty, we were up 5-1, 6-0, and 3-1. With the best bullpen in the whole wide world. And we only won one of those games. At least the game I went to in Baltimore was the fun one. Pics to come from Saturday.

Best headline awards go to The House That Dewey Built for “Cowboy, Up Yours” and Red Sox Monster for “Charm City my @#%*@%$.”

In the latter posting, Dan Lamothe writes: “Also, count on plenty of strange details about what life was like as a Red Sox fan in Camden Yards and Charm City, aka, Baltimore. I think you'll find that Massachusetts -- and Western Massachusetts, in particular -- were quite well represented.”

Ah, yes, the issue of Red Sox fans in Camden Yards. Going Full Circle celebrates the presence of “Red Sox Nation” in the typically modest fashion of a Boston fan. (Tongue planted firmly in cheek.)

I visited Red Sox Nation on Saturday, in what is known as the Sox' home away from home: Camden Yards in Baltimore. Based on tee-shirt observations, the visiting Sox fans outnumbered O's fans easily 4 to 1. And they definitely made their presence known. All those clap-clap "let's go, Os"? Appropriated to, "let's go, Sox." Kevin Youklis, the Sox 1st baseman up to bat, and the stadium erupts in loud "Youk" cheers, David Ortiz to the sounds of "Poppy." Not much mustered for the Os at the plate. Meanwhile, the video screen gamely played reruns of Cal Ripkin's induction into the Hall of Fame and career highlights.

It’s bad enough they invade our stadium, but can’t these great baseball fans at least spell Cal’s name right? Just to show it's not a bias thing, Full Circle spells Big Papi’s nickname like poppy seed.

Baltimore blogger The Loss Column offers a rallying cry for Birds fans in response to the rising tide of Red Sox folk at Camden.

Peter’s Red Sox Fever calls this weekend’s losses to the Birds, “the two worst losses of the year.”

Meanwhile, SawxBlog says it’s time to panic: “I wouldn't necessarily allow myself to call it panic before, but how we lost the two games in Baltimore this past weekend have helped me shed that monkey, and yes, panic it is.”

Over The Monster urges his fellow fans to “keep the faith,” but acknowledges, “As a whole, this series sucked.”

Not for Birds fans, it didn't.