DHL Dan LXX - Off The David Price Bandwagon?

Talk about speculation! We're nearly two whole weeks away from this matchup, but that doesn't prevent Shank from casting doubt about one particular game:

David Price has come up big but we need to see him vs. Yankees, and other thoughts

Picked-up pieces while wondering if Tom Brady will jump up on the couch — Tom Cruise style — when we see his interview with Oprah . . .

Give him credit - this is a 21st century pop culture reference!

■ Let the record show that the much-maligned David Price won the two biggest games of the Red Sox season thus far. After the Sox lost the first two games of a four-game series against the Houston Astros two weeks ago, Price stopped the bleeding, winning a duel against Justin Verlander. Thursday night, when we were beginning to think the Sox can only beat the Orioles, Price beat Felix Hernandez and the first-place Mariners, 2-1. He’s 6-0 with a 2.64 ERA in his last seven starts, and the Sox have won all seven games. He has not lost since the carpal tunnel syndrome nonsense in New York. The Sox next play the Yankees in New York the weekend of June 29-July 1. We need to see Price in that series. My math (such as it is! - ed.) has him lined up for the series finale. It will be unfortunate if the Sox maneuver things to keep Price away from the Yankees.

Second guessing before the game actually takes place - now that's trolling for you!

■ I loved the late Jerome Holtzman, but he contributed to the decay of modern baseball by inventing the “save.’’ It’s an overrated stat. It’s putting Trevor Hoffman in the Hall of Fame this summer and it has produced Craig Kimbrel, who is a different pitcher in save situations vs. non-save situations. With a three-run lead, a clean ninth inning, and a cast of Orioles and Rays coming to bat, Kimbrel is one of the best pitchers who ever lived. He strikes out more than half the hitters he faces. In non-save situations, it’s a different story. Kimbrel is in his walk year. He wants saves. But Alex Cora needs to forget about the bogus soft saves and use Kimbrel to get the big outs. And Kimbrel needs to be on board with this.

It's obvious to me that some people are born to complain about damn near everything. Shank is one of those people, fortunate enough for him to get paid doing it. Read on for more bitching and moaning.