May 27, 2007
Ranger ballpark
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
YES Men
I told you that I like the men over at the YES network even though they are Yankees... check out their commentary about the umpire. It's very funny --
Monday, December 17, 2007
Fenway Flashback: Who Loves Mirabelli??
May 21, 2007
Yankee Stadium
Well it comes as a surprise to me, but I have to say if I can't watch a game on NESN the YES Network is the next best thing. Yes, that's the Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network. Isn't that crazy??
Although the men of YES are clearly Yankees, they are quite respectful of the Sox. I especially enjoy John Flaherty, a former catcher, who actually made his way up through the Red Sox farm system and bounced around the majors before he became a Yankee. Flaherty has only been out of baseball for a few years, so he played with most of the guys out there and gives great insight into what's going on in their heads -- or at least what would be going on in his head. Maybe it's his Sox background that influences the whole staff, but the YES men are far more fair and respectful than other regional networks (like the evil MASN).
Flaherty can't say enough about Tim Wakefiled. Like many catchers, knuckleballs freak him out. He gushes on and on and on about Mirabelli.
Laughs! I especially like that he quotes Varitek as saying Dougie has the perfect personality for catching knuckleballs because he doesn't really care that much. That's funny...
Overall the Wakefield game was pretty rough. Again we gave him no run support. Do you think that the boys are watching the knuckleball while they are in the field, then when they get up to bat, they don't even remember how to swing? Something is definitely wrong with the Sox bats on Wakey's nights...
A few nice memories from the night though -- first there must be nothing scarier in the world than Papi running at you full speed. Especially if your teeny little Jeter:
And here's a nice defensive play by Manny. Yes, you read that right -- a defensive play by Manny! I just really love the look on his face when he gets up, like he's as surprised as anyone..
Yankee Stadium
Well it comes as a surprise to me, but I have to say if I can't watch a game on NESN the YES Network is the next best thing. Yes, that's the Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network. Isn't that crazy??
Although the men of YES are clearly Yankees, they are quite respectful of the Sox. I especially enjoy John Flaherty, a former catcher, who actually made his way up through the Red Sox farm system and bounced around the majors before he became a Yankee. Flaherty has only been out of baseball for a few years, so he played with most of the guys out there and gives great insight into what's going on in their heads -- or at least what would be going on in his head. Maybe it's his Sox background that influences the whole staff, but the YES men are far more fair and respectful than other regional networks (like the evil MASN).
Flaherty can't say enough about Tim Wakefiled. Like many catchers, knuckleballs freak him out. He gushes on and on and on about Mirabelli.
Laughs! I especially like that he quotes Varitek as saying Dougie has the perfect personality for catching knuckleballs because he doesn't really care that much. That's funny...
Overall the Wakefield game was pretty rough. Again we gave him no run support. Do you think that the boys are watching the knuckleball while they are in the field, then when they get up to bat, they don't even remember how to swing? Something is definitely wrong with the Sox bats on Wakey's nights...
A few nice memories from the night though -- first there must be nothing scarier in the world than Papi running at you full speed. Especially if your teeny little Jeter:
And here's a nice defensive play by Manny. Yes, you read that right -- a defensive play by Manny! I just really love the look on his face when he gets up, like he's as surprised as anyone..
A-Rod vs. Katie
A-Rod was on 60 Minutes last night, interviewed by Katie Couric. No part of my brain can even venture to guess why they chose Couric to do the interview. She was worse than awful. Couric tried to be hard hitting in her questions, but failed to get much of a response from Rodriguez. Like most athletes, his answers were short, answering yes or no whenever he could. Couric failed run with it, and try to draw out his answers. Instead, she simply went on and read her next question. She didn't even read them well. A-Rod was pretty stoic through most of the interview. The big focus was, of course, whether he'd ever done steroids, which, of course, he said had not. I don't know whether I believe him or not. But this I do believe:
"I've never felt overmatched on the baseball field. I've always been a very strong, dominant position. And I felt that if I did my work as I've done since I was, you know, a rookie back in Seattle, I didn't have a problem competing at any level. So, no."
A-Rod showed a led ittle humility and honesty when he was asked about his post season play ("I stunk"), about getting booed by Yankee fans ("It's awful. It's terrible."), and about interrupting the World Series with his announcement about leaving the Yankees ("nightmare"). The blame for a lot of A-Rod's problems can easily be traced back to Boras and Alex did express disappointment in that relationship, but he didn't seem like he had the balls (or is it brains?) to unload the Anti-Christ.
Overall, A-Rod came off a little dumber than I expected. I expected him to dance around questions like he danced around base paths, but he's not quick witted enough to do that. He also came off more honest than I expected. I thought he'd be defensive and cocky. Almost makes me want to believe him... another thing that I do believe though -- when showing Katie his trophy room, he said he'd trade it all for a world championship...
read the transcript of the 60 Minutes interview and watch some video clips here.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Fenway Flashback: The Sun Comes Out
May 19, 2007
It rained and rained and rained in May in Boston. Faced with their second rain out, the Sox faced their second day/night double header, this time against the Atlanta Braves. They ended up playing both games in the rain and the result was the longest, most painful double-header, I've seen. It took me the entire week to watch. The Sox won the first one 13-3. The highlight was an unnecessary grand slam by Mike Lowell. I began mocking to National League to anyone who would listen. Then I ate my words, because the Sox were shut out in the second game 14-0. At least i think it was 14. I wasn't paying that close of attention. I was busy praying for it to end. That game marked the first start that Beckett missed because of that pesky blister. Devern Handsack took the mound and wasn't as bad as I thought. I'm guessing he would have been better if he'd been throwing to Tek, but the double-header-ness forced Mirabelli into a rare, non-Wakefield start. The highlight of that second game was this:
"Rem-Dawg have your colonoscopy with us. GI girls heart the Sox."
May 21, 2007
The sun came out and the Sox redeemed themselves in their final game against the Braves. Because they used 4 pitchers in 3 days with those double headers, they called up yet another pitcher from the PawSox. Welcome Kason Gebbard. Not only did he look hotter than hot, he exuded big league confidence and racked up strike outs.
(Further research indicates that Gebbard is now a Texas Ranger)
Gebbard's outstanding performance made me wonder why the Sox feel they need to buy Santana for $20M per year. The Sox no longer need to buy success. They've got what it takes to build an empire from the draft up. But we need to keep our little rookies, like Ellsbury and Lester, and give them the time they need to become worthy of superstar salaries like Santana. Let's build an empire based on hard work and loyalty . It's exactly what baseball needs right now...
It rained and rained and rained in May in Boston. Faced with their second rain out, the Sox faced their second day/night double header, this time against the Atlanta Braves. They ended up playing both games in the rain and the result was the longest, most painful double-header, I've seen. It took me the entire week to watch. The Sox won the first one 13-3. The highlight was an unnecessary grand slam by Mike Lowell. I began mocking to National League to anyone who would listen. Then I ate my words, because the Sox were shut out in the second game 14-0. At least i think it was 14. I wasn't paying that close of attention. I was busy praying for it to end. That game marked the first start that Beckett missed because of that pesky blister. Devern Handsack took the mound and wasn't as bad as I thought. I'm guessing he would have been better if he'd been throwing to Tek, but the double-header-ness forced Mirabelli into a rare, non-Wakefield start. The highlight of that second game was this:
"Rem-Dawg have your colonoscopy with us. GI girls heart the Sox."
May 21, 2007
The sun came out and the Sox redeemed themselves in their final game against the Braves. Because they used 4 pitchers in 3 days with those double headers, they called up yet another pitcher from the PawSox. Welcome Kason Gebbard. Not only did he look hotter than hot, he exuded big league confidence and racked up strike outs.
(Further research indicates that Gebbard is now a Texas Ranger)
Gebbard's outstanding performance made me wonder why the Sox feel they need to buy Santana for $20M per year. The Sox no longer need to buy success. They've got what it takes to build an empire from the draft up. But we need to keep our little rookies, like Ellsbury and Lester, and give them the time they need to become worthy of superstar salaries like Santana. Let's build an empire based on hard work and loyalty . It's exactly what baseball needs right now...
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
The Next Great American Band
It has turned out to be a good show, despite being on FOX. Clearly it is fueled by Johnny Resnick and the outstanding Clark brothers. If you haven't seen the show, RUN to MSN and watch their performances. They are the grown sons of an evangelist and they have the power of the gospel in them. One plays steel, one mandolin, and the last sings and plays either fiddle or acoustic. They are phenomenal and if they don't win, the show is a complete joke.....
now i must get back to reading that damn mitchell report.. 90 pages in and snoring..
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Mitchell Report
aahhhhhhh. that's my sigh of relief. I just skimmed over the pdf file (mlb.com/mitchellreport) and the only sox on there were Eric Gange and Brendan Donnelly. Not liking either of them, I am perfectly fine with the fact that they were called out. Rumors that Tek was going to be on that list had me shaking all morning.
I actually suspected that Donnelly might be named since the Sox failed to sign him last night....
The report, itself, is tedious. The players named aren't listed, but each is given a section describing the evidence against them. I tried to read the bit on Clemens but I couldn't get through it. It had me tearing up...
I very much like what Mitchell has to say. He places the blame on the organization and culture within and not on the individuals. Individuals are forced to decide between being lesser than their illegal drug using counterparts or using drugs themselves. This is not a decision that anyone should be forced to make. It is the responsibility if Major League Baseball to keep young men from having to make such a decision.
Mitchell also emphasized that this is about the future of baseball and letting go of the past. Amen...
I actually suspected that Donnelly might be named since the Sox failed to sign him last night....
The report, itself, is tedious. The players named aren't listed, but each is given a section describing the evidence against them. I tried to read the bit on Clemens but I couldn't get through it. It had me tearing up...
I very much like what Mitchell has to say. He places the blame on the organization and culture within and not on the individuals. Individuals are forced to decide between being lesser than their illegal drug using counterparts or using drugs themselves. This is not a decision that anyone should be forced to make. It is the responsibility if Major League Baseball to keep young men from having to make such a decision.
Mitchell also emphasized that this is about the future of baseball and letting go of the past. Amen...
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Papi Slippers?
I'm taking this break from worrying about the Mitchell Report to bring you Julian Tavarez' feet....
he was wearing them in the dugout on May 19th...
he was wearing them in the dugout on May 19th...
Papelbon Day
Centerfield is profiling a player a day as an advent calendar. Today is Papelbon and I haven't laughed that hard in a long time so go here and check out all the funny pictures and videos.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Fenway Flashback: Hinske Who?
May 17, 2007
First, here is the classic 5-2-5-1-6-3 run down executed picture perfectly by the Red Sox. Their little league coaches must be proud!
You know, I missed the drama that went on when the Sox acquired JD Drew, so I was not automatically biased against him. I actually find myself kinda liking him. Sure he strikes out more than he should but so does Manny. He does a good job in right field and seems to have good relationships with his teammates. And he's kinda cute ;) And like a player who'll do anything to get the fans to stop booing him, he tried to take one for the team, throwing himself hard into the bullpen wall. Unfortunately he came up without the ball and with a sore back.
So Hinske started in right field and the Tigers hit ball after ball in his direction, all falling in for hits. It had me really missing Drew. I'm not sure the results would have been any different, but Drew does quietly cover a lot of ground out there in right. But then Hinske did this:
Holy crap! He thought he was Coco Crisp out there... I love Hinske!! Oh don't worry he was okay... in fact, a few innings later Hinske did this:
The Red Sox won and Hinske became my new favorite player!
First, here is the classic 5-2-5-1-6-3 run down executed picture perfectly by the Red Sox. Their little league coaches must be proud!
You know, I missed the drama that went on when the Sox acquired JD Drew, so I was not automatically biased against him. I actually find myself kinda liking him. Sure he strikes out more than he should but so does Manny. He does a good job in right field and seems to have good relationships with his teammates. And he's kinda cute ;) And like a player who'll do anything to get the fans to stop booing him, he tried to take one for the team, throwing himself hard into the bullpen wall. Unfortunately he came up without the ball and with a sore back.
So Hinske started in right field and the Tigers hit ball after ball in his direction, all falling in for hits. It had me really missing Drew. I'm not sure the results would have been any different, but Drew does quietly cover a lot of ground out there in right. But then Hinske did this:
Holy crap! He thought he was Coco Crisp out there... I love Hinske!! Oh don't worry he was okay... in fact, a few innings later Hinske did this:
The Red Sox won and Hinske became my new favorite player!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Fenway Flashback: Remy Rocks
May 17 2007
It was a long 3 hours between games of the double header and someone got a little giddy...
It was a long 3 hours between games of the double header and someone got a little giddy...
Fenway Flashback: Before the Rain
May 15 2007
In a dismal loss, the Red Sox again demonstrated a complete lack of run support for Tim Wakefield (although it might be that Detroit's young Verlander is close to outstanding...). However, there were a few defensive highlights to note. First was Manny's throw to Mirabelli:
and then there was Mirabelli's juggling act:
In a dismal loss, the Red Sox again demonstrated a complete lack of run support for Tim Wakefield (although it might be that Detroit's young Verlander is close to outstanding...). However, there were a few defensive highlights to note. First was Manny's throw to Mirabelli:
and then there was Mirabelli's juggling act:
Fenway Flashback: Dice-K's Complete Game
May 14 2007
Daisuke Matsuzaka finally showed fans what all the hype (and money) is about. He threw a complete game, giving up only one run on a homerun... The Sox beat Detroit 7-1... fantastic!
Friday, December 7, 2007
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
The first major winter storm hit the Reno-Tahoe area last night and look what it did to the city:
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Fenway Flashback: Mothers Day Miracle
May 13, 2007
First of all it's Mothers Day and the boys are wearing pink wristbands and batting with pink bats. Manly men in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness is the sweetest thing ever...
Lowell is out of the starting lineup and the Sox lineup looks a little like they are handing over the game before it begins. But then again, they have Beckett on the mound. Maybe they assume that with the run support that Josh has been getting, it doesn't matter who is playing defense. With Lowell out Youk is on 3rd and Hinske on 1st. Cora's at 2nd and the rest as usual.
Beckett gives up a couple runs in the first but is awesome thereafter. He racks up strike out after strike out. But then after the 4th disappears into the clubhouse and Snyder starts warming up in the bullpen. ???? Word comes back that Beckett has a avulsion on his finger. Got it? Not a blister.. an avulsion. (Had to look up the spelling on that one). It means that skin tore away. Not a blister because that would be bad. Beckett has a bad history of blisters. Skin tore away. That's supposed to be better.
Well, although statistically the Sox bullpen rocks, I think it's only because the starters rock and the bullpen doesn't have that much to do. And Oki and Paps are able to handle the task easily. In other words, the Sox seldom actually rely on Snyder, Lopez, Romero et al. With Beckett out after 4, the Sox turn to the pen and they give up runs here and there, allowing 3 more runs. In the meanwhile, the Orioles pitcher, Guthrie, is quietly awesome. He pitches a shut-out right up into the 9th. Not big overpowering pitching, not lots of Ks, but the Sox can't manage to even get a runner to 3rd through 8 and 1/3. Then this happens...
Not that big of a deal when you have a 5 run lead and you are throwing a shut out. And it's not like Guthrie walked Crisp to first, the catcher made an error to no fault of the outstanding Guthrie. Yet the Os manager made the unfortunate (for him) decision to pull Guthrie for no reason. I mean, up until that point, the game was dull -- REALLY DULL -- maybe he fell asleep and saw Coco on first and freaked? Nonetheless, he pulled Guthrie and the Os pen came on to save the day and made me realize why our sad bullpen (did i mention we went through 4 pitchers in the innings after Beckett?) has such outstanding stats. The Sox loaded the bases and scored and scored and scored and scored again. With 2 outs, the tying run on 3rd and the go-ahead on 2nd, and Lugio at bat, this happened...
and i am proud to be a Boston Red Sox fan yet again.....
First of all it's Mothers Day and the boys are wearing pink wristbands and batting with pink bats. Manly men in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness is the sweetest thing ever...
Lowell is out of the starting lineup and the Sox lineup looks a little like they are handing over the game before it begins. But then again, they have Beckett on the mound. Maybe they assume that with the run support that Josh has been getting, it doesn't matter who is playing defense. With Lowell out Youk is on 3rd and Hinske on 1st. Cora's at 2nd and the rest as usual.
Beckett gives up a couple runs in the first but is awesome thereafter. He racks up strike out after strike out. But then after the 4th disappears into the clubhouse and Snyder starts warming up in the bullpen. ???? Word comes back that Beckett has a avulsion on his finger. Got it? Not a blister.. an avulsion. (Had to look up the spelling on that one). It means that skin tore away. Not a blister because that would be bad. Beckett has a bad history of blisters. Skin tore away. That's supposed to be better.
Well, although statistically the Sox bullpen rocks, I think it's only because the starters rock and the bullpen doesn't have that much to do. And Oki and Paps are able to handle the task easily. In other words, the Sox seldom actually rely on Snyder, Lopez, Romero et al. With Beckett out after 4, the Sox turn to the pen and they give up runs here and there, allowing 3 more runs. In the meanwhile, the Orioles pitcher, Guthrie, is quietly awesome. He pitches a shut-out right up into the 9th. Not big overpowering pitching, not lots of Ks, but the Sox can't manage to even get a runner to 3rd through 8 and 1/3. Then this happens...
Not that big of a deal when you have a 5 run lead and you are throwing a shut out. And it's not like Guthrie walked Crisp to first, the catcher made an error to no fault of the outstanding Guthrie. Yet the Os manager made the unfortunate (for him) decision to pull Guthrie for no reason. I mean, up until that point, the game was dull -- REALLY DULL -- maybe he fell asleep and saw Coco on first and freaked? Nonetheless, he pulled Guthrie and the Os pen came on to save the day and made me realize why our sad bullpen (did i mention we went through 4 pitchers in the innings after Beckett?) has such outstanding stats. The Sox loaded the bases and scored and scored and scored and scored again. With 2 outs, the tying run on 3rd and the go-ahead on 2nd, and Lugio at bat, this happened...
and i am proud to be a Boston Red Sox fan yet again.....
Rock on Foo Fighters!
The Foo Fighters are the proud nominees of FIVE Grammy Awards!
The Hard Rock Performance category cracks me up. They are up against Ozzy! Now I really can't believe that FF would bother to do a show here in Reno. But I am even more grateful...
U2 got a nod for "Windows in the Skies" for best POP Performance by a Group and for "Instant Karma" for best ROCK Performance by a Group. Very interesting. I wonder who decided that Windows was pop but Karma is rock??
Springsteen got some noms, as did Eddie Vedder for his single off the Into the Wild Soundtrack and Chris Cornell for Casino Royale. Who knew that Song from a Soundtrack would be such a killer category with two of the all time best Rock vocalists, Vedder and Cornell. Did that category used to be all about Celine Dion?
The whole list of nominees can be found here. BTW, did you know that POLKA Album is a category!?!? So is Best Album Notes!
Record of the Year (The Pretender)
Album of the Year
Hard Rock Performance (The Pretender)
Best Rock Song (The Pretender)
Best Rock Album
The Hard Rock Performance category cracks me up. They are up against Ozzy! Now I really can't believe that FF would bother to do a show here in Reno. But I am even more grateful...
U2 got a nod for "Windows in the Skies" for best POP Performance by a Group and for "Instant Karma" for best ROCK Performance by a Group. Very interesting. I wonder who decided that Windows was pop but Karma is rock??
Springsteen got some noms, as did Eddie Vedder for his single off the Into the Wild Soundtrack and Chris Cornell for Casino Royale. Who knew that Song from a Soundtrack would be such a killer category with two of the all time best Rock vocalists, Vedder and Cornell. Did that category used to be all about Celine Dion?
The whole list of nominees can be found here. BTW, did you know that POLKA Album is a category!?!? So is Best Album Notes!
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