After last night’s preponderance over the Kansas City Royals, you can bet Jacoby Ellsbury was flexing his muscles in the clubhouse mirror, aspiring to look like Arnold before his 6th run at Mr. Olympia in South Africa.
It was Ellsbury’s towering 3-run blast that helped spur the 8-2 Red Sox victory.
For the past couple months, Ellsbury has been sleeping with the fishes. During the hiatus, from June 1 - August 2, we witnessed his batting average drop from .298 to .258. In that time-frame, he stole just 9 bases.
As the post-Manny era began last week, Ellsbury’s resurgance could not have come at a better time. Two nights ago he stole his first base since July 1 and last night came a rare home run for the young Oregon native — his first off a southpaw in his career. Ellsbury’s last home run came on June 15th during an interleague game with the Cincinatti Reds. He cracked that home run off Homer Bailey, the Bronson Arroyo, Jered Weaver, and Tim Lincescum look-a-like. (What is it with these pitchers and their stupid, little haircuts?)
Who knows what factors may have benefited the return of Jacoby Ellsbury, but one factor might be the arrival of one Jason Bay. The vibe in the clubhouse has to be soothing since the departure of Manny Ramirez. Jeff Passan at Yahoo Sports said it best when he stated in his most recent column:
“One week A.M. – After Manny – and the Boston Red Sox have survived. Jacoby Ellsbury is playing cribbage. David Ortiz is leafing through Us Weekly. Mike Lowell is scrolling through his iPhone. The only tension in the room comes from the bands pitchers use to strengthen their arms. Everything, if not copasetic, seems awfully close to normal.”
It’s amazing what one man’s departure can do for a clubhouse.
I’ll admit it, I was first to question how legit Jason Bay would be in a Red Sox uniform, but so far, so good. Even though it’s been a quick sample-size, I’ve come to accept the fact that Manny HAD to be traded, and the Red Sox did the best they could do given the circumstances. I’m now a Jason Bay fan — maybe he’s not as overrated as I thought.
As for Ellsbury, the past two night we’ve seen him steal 2 bases and launch a home run to straight away center field. What has he been drinking?
I’ve heard milk does a body good, but if he were to speak to Arnold, he’d say “milk is for babies, real men drink beer.”
Whatever it is, we hope Ellsbury can stay on track.
