John_Lackey's Blog

02
Aug
Manny Out, Tex In

Dropping into the Yard to weigh in on two of the big trades this week - Manny to Dodgers and Tex to the Halos. No real way to replace Manny, he's one of the best hitters in the game. I'm definitely glad he's out of the AL, the guy owned me. Glad to see him go, will not miss facing him. I could be throwing my best stuff and he will square up on it. The guy is amazing. I guess it was time for them to part ways. Jason Bay is solid but there really isn't a way to replace Manny. It's awesome getting Big Tex. He can swing it for sure. Got to face him several times when he was with the Rangers and was amazed at his talent. Getting a hitter the caliber of Mark is a perfect fit into this lineup. Can't wait to see the damage he will do the next couple of months. We all know what type of player this guy is so we were all ecstatic when we heard the news. At the same time, tough to see Kotch go. He was rock solid over at first base and is going to be a good player for a long time, but as you all know you have to give up something good to get that in return. I like the move. Tex is an impact player. The long ball can change the game in a heartbeat and that's what he is capable of. He drives in runs like crazy too. Impact player for sure. Thrilled to have him. With the bats and the pitching it doesn't seem like we have any weaknesses. We just need to stay healthy, focused and consistent.
21 Comments
29
Jul
Made a run at it

Sending this one in from Boston. Nice to get a win at Fenway tonight. Made a run at a no-hitter but really just wanted to win the game. The no-hitter would have been nice, but whatever, we're about winning games. It's probably a good thing I gave up a hit on a curveball which is probably my best pitch. If I'm going to lose it I want it to be on my best pitch. I can sleep on that. One of the keys tonight was that I was throwing strikes a lot early. I was really challenging guys. My fastball was locating pretty well all night and I kind of mixed in my breaking stuff later on in the game. The first pitch strikes were definitely significant. I was challenging guys with my fastball early on and pretty much throughout the game. I was lucky enough. Some guys hit balls at people and things just kind of kept rolling for me. I was asked how this compared to the one hitter I had against Oakland and I would say I had better stuff that night. I definitely had a better breaking ball that night, had a lot more strikeouts so I guess my stuff in that one was more dominating, you'd say. Happy we got the win tonight.
69 Comments
15
Jul
Experiencing the All Star Game

I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't a little disappointed that I got hurt early in the season. If I had stayed healthy who knows maybe I'd be at the All Star Game with my teammates. There is no doubt that New York is a special environment. Every living Hall of Famer is there so there is no doubt the atmosphere is sweet. It is going to be a great experience. I told our guys, especially Joe and Ervin to just take it all in, get to all the parties and have fun. It's their first time and I'm sure they're enjoying it. I had a great time last year. San Francisco did a great job. It was funny because Frankie and I got booed when they introduced us because of the World Series stuff. There is a lot more to the All Star game than you think, especially when it is your first time. They had this entire room filled with stuff for all of us to sign for sponsors, for other players, for charity - it took two days to get through it all. They have you doing something all the time so there really isn't much time for yourself. They definitely keep you busy. The homerun derby was cool, but the best part is meeting guys from the other teams. You compete against these guys but you don't really know what they're like off the field. When I got there Manny came across the clubhouse and gave me a big hug like we'd been friends for ever. It really caught me off guard, but he was a cool guy. Getting to know all those guys was great.
31 Comments
12
Jul
Renewing the rivalry

It seems like ever since I've been in the big leagues that the Angels and A's have been in 1st or 2nd in the division so there's definitely a little rivalry going on here. It's not like some of those football rivalries, like Texas-Oklahoma or USC-UCLA, but they are definitely a team we look at and always want to play well against because they're always in the race. For a few years there when they had guys like Tejada and Chavez and drums in the outfield it felt like a Friday night football game to me. But it's died down a little since then. There's definitely more red in the stands these days. The Halo fans are everywhere. As an opponent you do have to give the A's front office some credit. They have made deals that have been unpopular with fans but a lot of those deals have really worked out for them. They have brought in some young players that have been really productive. Someone asked me how the Rich Harden trade was going to impact the division. I don't know how big an impact it will have on them because he hasn't pitched much anyway. Everyone in the league thinks he's one of the best when he's healthy, but he hasn't been healthy. But if the trade works the way these other trades have worked for them then the A's will be in the race until the end. That's why we always want to play well against them. They got the first one. Hopefully we'll get the next two.
11 Comments
07
Jul
Our Trip to the White House

Wanted to wait to post this when I got some photos and finally did. One of our guys took a couple nice shots I'd thought I'd share. One of the days we were in DC, a few of us players (Reggie Willits, Justin Speier, Robb Quinlan) and staff got a tour of the White House, mostly the East Wing and some of the West Wing. I really had to pinch myself because it was surreal. I guess since 9/11 they don't do public tours so I definitely felt privileged to be there. We got a chance to see the Oval Office and the Rose Garden during our visit back in 2003 after we won the World Series but this time we spent about two hours there. Our tour guide was a former sniper with the secret service. This guy was great, knew all the ins and outs to the White House and gave us some great insight. He took us down to the basement where there is a bowling alley. I got to roll a ball and left three pins standing. You know I would have picked up the spare but we each threw just one. Parts of the White House were closed because the President was visiting with the Prime Minister from Vietnam. We saw all the formal rooms which were very regal looking, the red room, the blue room and the green room. We also saw the Oval Office and some of the other rooms in the White House. The whole time I kept thinking about how many famous people had stepped foot in this building and how many important and private discussions regarding our country took place. I had a sense of pride walking through there as an American citizen. It truly was an experience of a lifetime. Thanks for reading the blog y'all. Got the Rangers tonight.
14 Comments

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Manny Out, Tex In

Made a run at it

Experiencing the All Star Game

Renewing the rivalry

Our Trip to the White House

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