Fenway Flashback: The Giant and The Dwarf

June 25, 2007
Safeco Park, Seattle
Giant Richie Sexson and Mini Dustin Pedroia

Hawaii Chair

Well, birthday ended with chills and a fever followed by the next two days on the couch in delirious fever state, watching loads of daytime tv. The gem was a clip of an infomercial featured on the Ellen show for a hoola chair.

You can view the rest of the infomercial and order yours at hawaiichair.com!

Birthday Blog

4am
Woke to puking dog. Had to chase him outside to avoid cleaning puke at 4am on my freaking birthday. Dog is obviously not going to celebrate my birthday. Also, found everything coated in snow. Of course it's snowing, because I hate snow and it's only my freaking birthday!

4:05am-4:55am
Lay in bed unable to get back to sleep.

4:55am
Fall asleep

5:00am
Alarm goes off

5:27
Got up and watch tv news to find out when snow will end. Instead find out that Martin Luther King Jr has upstaged my birthday this year and it's not even his birthday. Get very generous ebay gift card from very nice brother.

6am
Cramps come back. Day 5 of cramps... Cramps are mocking me. I am now sure that I will have 25 years of horrible cramps only to end up childless and alone. The irony is not funny.

6:20am
Get to work 20 minutes late. Greet the only student and realize I have on 45% of my voice. That'll come in handy later when I have to teach classes.

7:45am
Work on the final 2 tax forms. Stiff neck gets even worse. Sun comes out, but snow starts again.

9am
Birthday greetings from staff member, followed by the news that the snow will continue all week.

10am
Snow is heavy and steady. Go home and work on taxes.

2pm
Still snowing. Decide to hibernate

3pm
Still snowing. Head to work

3:30pm
Get to work. Snow stops.

5:30pm
Cupcake girl is a no show for class.

7:00pm
Home. Try to make popcorn, but only have enough for 1/2 cup popped. Plate breaks in microwave.

7:30pm
Get Happy Birthday email from ex about how happy and not alone he is.

7:49pm
Snow starts again...

Fenway Flashback: The Other Side of the Story

June 23, 2007
Petco Park, San Diego

Thanks to some terrible umpiring and some outstanding pitching, the Padres (back in their blues) beat the Sox 6-1. It was a Wakefield game, which brought Doug Mirabelli back to San Diego. San Diego was the team that Dougie was traded to and then traded back when Bard couldn't catch a knuckleball. We all know that Dougie came home to a hero's welcome with a police escort and all, but there are two sides to the story. That's the only benefit of these non-NESN games. I do get to hear the other side of the story. Apparently, Dougie talked smack about San Diego when he was there. He asked to be traded back to Boston again and again and complained about the San Diego fans and the role the team played in the community. So the Padres fans didn't much like him and we're as glad to see him go as we were to see him come home again. So poor Dougie didn't get a warm welcome from the southern California fans. And much to their pleasure, he didn't deliver offensively.... here is his first at-bat...

Don't worry, Dougie, Boston fans heart you! And we're glad to have you on board for 2008! =)

Fenway Flashback: Retro Day

June 22, 2007
Petco Park, San Diego

Apparently it's retro uniform day --at least in San Diego. The lousy announcers haven't explained a thing, so I have no idea why, but our Sox have shown up in San Diego wearing their old school grey and blues:

Tek looks a little weird with the tall red socks but they look pretty good overall. Well the Padres seem to have chosen the strategy of distracting the Sox with the ugliest uniforms in club history. Hell, these have to be the ugliest uniforms in MLB history:

And it looked like it might work. Dice-K walked the first 3 batters! He eventually got used to the uniforms and pitched a pretty decent 6 innings, holding them to only one run. Even though their socks looked like this:
And their batting helmets looked like this:
Like I said earlier, the announcers were rubbish. They didn't even mention that JD Drew was out of the line-up, let alone why. Then when Pena was removed from the game and replaced by Dave Murphy, they made the announcement, but didn't bat an eye.. or explain who the hell is Dave Murphy??

Thanks to good bullpen work by Lopez, DelCarmen, Oki, and Pap, the Sox won 2-1. The Padres had lots of opportunities but failed to capitalize. The highlight? Papi's picture on the scoreboard, done Mr. T style:

Nevada Votes Mormon

Wow! I knew there were a lot of Mormons here in Nevada. I know a few. Well, the ones I know aren't mormons anymore, but they were born that way and they all have a LOT of siblings. And I know the power of the Mormon vote. Hell, I watched Dancing with the Stars. The Mormon vote kept Marie Osmond in that game months longer then she should have been. So maybe it was naive of me to be surprised that Romney stole the show her in Nevada, winning the GOP caucus by a landslide. The Republicans sent so many folks to caucus, it caused logjams in many precincts here in Northern Nevada and set the whole day back almost an hour. And they were apparently all there to vote Mormon! Who knew!

Fenway Flashback: And I'm Still Cuuuckooooo for Coco Crisp!

June 20, 2007
Turner Field, Atlanta

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I LOVE LEAD OFF HOMERUNS! JD Drew hit one against the Braves to start a little first inning homerun derby... Drews run was quickly followed by none other than my new favorite Red Sox, Coco Crisp! The Braves intentionally walked Tek (huh?) to pitch to my little Coco Crisp. Did they forget he hit two homeruns against them just 2 games earlier? Well, they must have thought it was a fluke, but they were wrong. Coco is hotter than hot... Check it:

Not to be outdone, Big Papi hit a homer in the second and the homerun dancing began:

A couple of innings later, Manny joined in the homerun fun. And then even Hinske got in on the action. Here's a little clip of all those big swings.

And here's even more dancing. This clip is a little long as the announcers are just fascinated by Manny being Manny...

That said, the weirdest part of the night. Tavarez threw a 7 inning shutout.. i might be starting to like interleague play =)

Fenway Flashback: I'm Still Cuuuckooooo for Coco Crisp

June 19, 2007
Turner Field, Atlanta

Ok, there is ONE thing I do like about interleague play. I like watching Josh Beckett bat. It's really funny. He stands up there really stiff like he's not even going to swing, but then when he does swing, he can hit! Here he hits an RBI double to help his cause...

Look how smug he looks out there on second base. =) But the real highlight of this game was another amazing play by little Coco Crisp. Another unbelievable diving catch:

About the catch, Becket has this to say:
Yeah, those are my thoughts exactly! Lovelovelove me that Coco Crisp. I also love how Cora puts his fist up prematurely because he knows that if anything is in the same zip code as Coco, he's got it...Lastly, here's a cute little Manny being Manny moment that entertained the announcers:

Fenway Flashback: I'm Cuuuckooooo for Coco Crisp

June 18, 2007
Turner Field, Atlanta

It was the Coco Crisp show. Coco, of all people tried to save Schilling's ass in this game against the Braves, hitting TWO homeruns. Yes, you read that right, Coco Crisp hit TWO homeruns! But for me the highlight was this missed catch. I think Coco has got to be the most talented outfielder in baseball. I mean, really, he's a freaking ball magnet. He can catch anything. But he did miss this one, but in missing, he almost jumped over the centerfield wall, spiderman style. Check it...

I really love Coco Crisp. I love Ellsbury too, but I will really hate to see Coco go..

RIP

Sad news! I just found at that Worthington Foods (aka Kellogg) has discontinued my beloved TUNO =( =( It was the best (and only) fake tuna around. It will be missed....

Fenway Flashback: Father's Day

Have I mentioned that I hate interleague play? Well, the June series against the Colorado Rockies cemented my opinion. The only thing that made the series slightly watchable was the knowledge that the Sox will kick the crap out the Rockies in a few short months -- when it matters. Every Holliday hit had me thinking, 'whatever, he gets picked off in the world series' ;)... Then there was Beckett's first loss decorated with a grand slam. Bad bats and bad times at Fenway.

Then the strangest thing happened... JD Drew led off. I know, weird, huh? But it worked! The jolly green Giant came to town. It was the Drew-Pedroia one-two show. It was fantastic! The two went head to head to see who could get more hits and RBIs and Dustin won, going 5-5, including a homerun! The Sox won 10-2. Night 2 was a little tighter -- Manny hit a homerun for the only run of the night for either team. Who needs Barry Bonds when you have Manny! And finally it was Father's Day and the Bonds finally hit a homerun off Wakey. No matter, the Sox still won... The highlight for me was Donnelly getting dumped onto the DL and MANNY DELCARMEN getting the call. He didn't throw particularly well, but I know it's the start of good times in that Sox bullpen.

The other highlight was this tiny little clip of Little Papi taking BP...He's the cutest little guy ever!

A new twist on the steroid controversy...

look at those biceps!

When I read the New York Times headline "Prominent Entertainers Cited in Steroids Inquiry" I thought it was a joke -- a spoof of the Mitchell Report. Then I read the first paragraph and I was sure it was a joke.

Entertainers including the singer Mary J. Blige and the rapper 50 Cent are among thousands of people whose names are turning up in an investigation into obtaining steroids or human growth hormones, an Albany newspaper reported on Sunday.

But it's no joke. Mary J. Blige is now Mary J. Blige*. Yup, she gets an asterisk on her grammy award... Will she ever be voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? I wonder if Arnold is on that list?

Back By Popular Demand

Fenway Flashback: Jason Vartiek Messes with Andy Pettitte (4/27/07)

Now I'm definitely "sneaky" promiscuous

According to barstool sports, girls who wear Papelbon jersey's are the sluttiest. They are as crazy as the man himself. Girls who wear Beckett jerseys are "sneaky" promiscuous, especially in October...

I Want To Believe

I feel the need to chime in on this whole Roger Clemens fiasco....

First, on the 60 Minutes interview, I felt like Roger was pretty well-rehearsed and coached by his legal team. I have no doubt that they wrote the questions. It was a press conference with Mike Wallace's wrinkled face for decoration. Now despite seeming rehearsed, Clemens still came off defensive and a little smug. He has chosen to play the victim card here. He was wronged, yet nothing about his answers or his demeanor cried victim. He didn't elicit any sympathy from me and I WANT TO BELIEVE. I actually felt like A-Rod elicited more sympathy in his interview a few weeks ago. I felt like he was honest and human. I don't know what to think about Roger. I do think that his answers to the most important questions -- about taking a lie dectector test and about McNamee's reasons -- were not even close to adequate -- heck, those questions were not even close to answered. And Pettitte! Clemens and Pettitte were best buds and training partners forever and Clemens never knew Pettitte used. Seriously? That never came up in a conversation? Seems unlikely, huh? And why would McNamee tell the truth about Pettitte but lie about Clemens? BTW, major props to Pettitte for taking responsibility for his actions, though...

It was B-12. Yeah right. I think he could have pulled this one off if he had acknowledged the joke in Canseco's book. Canseco said that when talking about steroids in the clubhouse, they called them B-12 shots. But without acknowledging that yes that was a joke, but in my case it's real, Clemen's credibility is lost. He could have also said that he took B-12 shots. If there was something else in there then he certainly didn't know it. Play dumb, Roger. You'll be good at that ;)

The phone call.. Why?? Why did they release this? How does it lend any credibility to Clemen's statements?

Clemens telling mac that no one was on his line, yet he was taping it.. Tell me what you want me to do? and yet Clemens didn't say TELL THE TRUTH. At the same time, McNamee doesn't say BUT YOU DID IT! I don't know what to think of it. I really don't get why Roger didn't have an answer to McNamee's incessant WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? I thought the answer was pretty obvious. hmmm.. maybe tell them that you lied about me.

I don't know know whether Clemens is telling the truth or not. I doubt it, but who am I to judge? I do know that that I'm not impressed with the man that I've been watching on tv. I'm really really not impressed by his legal team, who are undoubtedly being paid a fortune and doing such a crappy job. And I don't think we'll ever really know the truth. But I know I'd feel much more satisfied if Clemens had fessed up rather than done such a bad job denying it.

Fenway Flashback: Julian Hits -- sorta...

June 9, 2007
Chase Field

I hate interleague play. I don't get why they do it and I despise the NL's lack of a DH. However, I was very interested to see Julian Tavarez bat. And the man did not disappoint. As entertaining as ever, this is Tavarez batting against the D-Backs...

Jason Varitek Might Kill Julian Tavarez, Yet Again

06/09/07

Here's another entertaining interaction between Varitek and Tavarez....

Fenway Flashback: Drew Who?

June 8, 2007
Chase Field (That's in Arizona)

Lugo hit a lead off homerun in the first inning against the D-Backs. Nothing says 'We're gonna kick your ass' quite like a lead off homerun. Love me the lead off homerun!

But this interleague game belonged entirely to JD Drew. I knew he had it in him! ;) JD's little brother plays shortstop for Arizona and I don't know if it was the sibling rivalry or the return to the National League but JD came out of his slump in a serious way. He hit TWO (yes TWO) 3-run homeruns and had another RBI to top it off. JD handed Beckett his 9th win (9-0) on a silver platter.

So here are the two homeruns, some gushing about the Sox (I love it when the opposing announcers gush about the Sox), and a little Drew brothers comparison AND if you watch closely you'll even see a little victory dance by Drew and the boys in the dugout! Sorry about the choppy editing. I haven't figured out how to smooth it out yet. That might be a good project of the snowy weekend...

Fenway Flashback: There Goes My Hero

June 07, 2007
McAfee Coliseum

I cried when I read the Mitchell Report. To be honest, I couldn't finish it. I had skipped to the part about Roger Clemens and part way through the detailed description of the injections to his ass, I had to stop. I loved Roger Clemens. I think I was born a Red Sox fan. I think it had something to do with my mother crossing state lines for an emergency C-section, just for me to be born in Massachusetts. I was meant to be a Red Sox fan. But Roger Clemens sealed the deal. Those years in the 80s and 90s when he threw dozens of Ks per game were the years when I was old enough to get it. I was playing ball and pitching and I couldn't have possibly had a more inspirational role model. I wore the number 21 for my entire pitching career.

I read Curt Schilling's blog about the Mitchell Report and I felt his words when he wrote about how the accusations against Clemens affected him -- how Clemens had inspired him and how it broke his heart to learn that Clemens wasn't quite the man Schilling had believed he was. It broke my heart too, Schill...

And that is why this lovely moment brought me to tears.

Curt threw 8 shut-out innings. No hits... At 40 years old... And after the Sox lost the first 3 games of the series and after Schilling had had several less than stellar outings... Here is the ninth inning. ..

Red Sox win 1-0 in a complete, one-hit game, by Curt Schilling.

Curt Schilling, unlike many who have come before, is a true hero. A great athlete and a great man... A great role model... He makes me proud to be a Red Sox fan and I am so proud he will retire as a Boston Red Sox. Thank you, #38...

Fenway Flashback: Double Trouble

June 4-6, 2007
McAfee Colliseum

I don't have cable and I live on the left coast. So before I figured out mlb.com, the only Red Sox regular season games I ever saw were against the As. There is a broadcast station out of the Bay Area that airs a mix of As and Giants games several nights a week. So I caught a bunch of these As vs Sox games last summer and while I was told that the Sox were great, I have to admit it was hard to see. What I did see, which I'm seeing again right now, is double play after double play after double play. It seems like everytime the Sox get a runner on, they end up hitting into a double play. So either the Sox suck or the As are a fantastic defensive team. It is nice to see these games from the hometown (NESN) point of view and in doing so, I came across this funny clip of Big Papi accidentally spitting on little Pedroia.

BTW, I have to admit that these As have to be about the best looking team in the AL... despite their nerdy white shoes. It took me some games to see past the glare of the white shoes -- but seriously -- Travis Buck, Dan Haren, Bobby Crosby, Eric Chavez, and that Swisher guy... i think i might pay more attention next year when those As games are on...

The highlight, by far, of the series (thus far) is Tito getting kicked out. Once he realized he was gone, he got rid of the gum and chew and really let 'em have it! I've never seen Francona quite like this: