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It's too smokey to go outside today, so I thought I'd get some computer work done. First though, I just had to post my 10 second copyright violating clip of Manny hurdling little Ellsbury, but I remembered that both my youtube and aol accounts were deleted. I check on redlasso (who are kind enough to fight the copyright fight for me) but of course they don't have nesn, so they don't have the footage for me to clip. So I search on for a new video server. I come across a few that might work for a while, until the inevitable happens... more importantly though, I came across a site called hulu where you can watch tv shows and movies for free. It's so cool. They stream almost instantly and go full screen -- real full screen without headers even! The choices are clearly limited, but I don't have cable and so this hulu thing is the coolest thing I've seen in sometime =)

My favorite moment

Alhtough I did enjoy the hit parade that was last night's game, I got the best laugh from this Manny moment when he hurdled little Ellsbury to avoid a collison out there in left center. Here's the copy that is totally owned by nesn and illegally posted by me:

Answering the call...

Extra Bases reported that Manny was seen in the scoreboard, escaping the sweltering sun at Fenway yesterday during a pitching change. I know it's not unusual for Manny to be seen in the scoreboard. What was unusual this time, is that he was seen making a phone call. Lol. Manny got his bat back and his sense of humor =)

In more cellphone news, Extra Bases also reported that Mike Lowell was caught stealing -- a cellphone, not a base! When asked about it, Lowell said he only stole the phone because there were no peanuts or nachos to steal. He said he's always on the look out for peanuts and nachos. Would have been even funnier if he stole a beer! There are video clips of the snatch on the Extra Bases blog.

And most importantly, the batting gods smiled upon the struggling sox lineup last night and gave every slumping sock his swing back. Even long after the game was one and everyone, especially Jerry Remy, wanted to go home and kick back a cold beer, they kept on hitting and hitting and hitting. This game will definitely be used as an argument in favor of allowing to teams to forfeit their at-bats.... Here's hoping the boys can keep the hitting going right through the weekend as the Orioles come to town.

Personally, I've been buying into all the all-star hype, getting all psyched up for another all-star game, forgetting that I hate all-star snooze-fests. I've been a little bit stressed about what exactly I'm going to do with myself over the 3 off days, though. And then I remembered that the All-Star break isn't a national holiday and I don't actually have any days off! Still don't know what I'm going to do without ballgames to watch!

Damon's near catch

video courtesy of espn

I'm starting to love redlasso

Unfortunately redlasso doesn't cover all networks (like NESN, for instance). But here's hoping. In the meanwhile it does cover FOX and as always there are laughs when Francona does a live dugout interview:

TWIB Bloopers: Seriously funny

My first attempt at clipping on redlasso:

More bloopers from bugs, bees, squirrels, skunks, and sprinklers:

redlasso gives hope

I've been kicked off both youtube and uncutvideo for copyright infringement. How the heck am I supposed to blog about baseball without video clips?? It's just not right. Well, the folks at redlasso.com must have had the same problem because they've created a system in which you can clip from tv and embed it in your blogs. I'm test-driving it right now (with today's game). It's not exactly intuitive but I'm sure I'll figure it out. Sooner or later...

The Porn Stache

I had heard the rumors, but I hadn't actually seen it for myself. But there it was, Jason Giambi's porn star mustache:. I love the slew of fans mocking it, I mean, showing their support, I think.

I like Yankee fans so much better than those (Devil) Ray fans....

yet another argument for instant replay...

This is not a catch, although I was thoroughly convinced at the time:

Damon was really convincing. He even convinced himself, but look closer:

See? The ball was definitely not in the glove. (I really like this picture because you can see Damon's foot in the air. It's too bad he got hurt, otherwise the whole thing would have been really funny!)

Now, this, on the other hand, is a catch, although Wally Bell was thoroughly convinced that it was not:

See? The ball was definitely in the glove. I'm sure once instant replay is a part of the game I will have a long list of complaints, but I do believe it's time has come...

Captain America

I have no idea how Beckett could concentrate looking at that ridiculous chest protector. Maybe he was trying to throw at it instead of the glove. But it's all good because it's being auctioned off for charity.

And the hits keep on coming...

I love you, A-Rod. You are so stinking funny... really... now news (I use the term lightly, as this story came from tmz) is reporting that Madonna has brain-washed the batter. tmz.com reports:

"I don't recognize the man he's become," Cynthia Rodriguez told a pal, according to the New York Daily News. "I feel like Madonna is using mind control over him. ... Today he's very cold and calculating." Still, say pals, Cynthia is still in love with the slugger.

Maybe she'll brain-wash him into not choking in the post-season ;)

Thank you, A-Rod!

I just wanted to thank A-Rod for his off-the-field antics. Madonna divorcing her husband. A-Rod visiting Madonna late at night. A-Rod visiting Madonna the day after his baby was born. A-Rod's wife shacking up with Lenny Kravitz. Laughs. I really felt sorry for A-Rod's wife there for a minute. I mean, he went to Madonna's the day after the baby was born. Not cool. But if she's really shacking up with Lenny Kravitz, clearly, she's won!

It's been a long painful road-trip for the sox and the pessimism of those long 86 years is starting to come back, in my mind, at least. So thank you A-Rod for a moment or two of levity!

Record Breaker

In Sunday's game in Cincinnati, little Jacoby Ellsbury quietly broke the Red Sox record for steals in a rookie season. And yes, it's only June. In his first at bat, Ellsbury hit a single to left, landing himself on first base. The Reds young pitcher is apparently slow to throw home, so Jacoby stole second on the first pitch for his 32nd steal of the season, breaking the club record of 31 which was set in 1908. And almost immediately after, he took off for third with another successful steal. I often think he's getting cocky when I see him take off almost immediately, but at 33 for 36, he deserves to be cocky. The boy can run.

Don't It Make My Black Eyes Blue...

Decorated with blue eye black for fathers' day, the Sox were obviously told that money would go to save their daddies from prostate cancer for each home run hit. So the boys stepped up and JD Drew (of course) delivered. Surprisingly, so did almost all of the little guys, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, and Coco Crisp. As a result, $84,000 was donated to prostate cancer research.

aol hates me, as they have locked me out of my account and deleted most of my videos :( so I'm taking a break from videos. I'd love to make a video of this damn Lakers intro which is currently making me a little nauseous and flashing back to Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson. I haven't watched basketball in years, but I'm going to watch this one, just to cheer against Kobe Bryant. Bryant, when asked to comment about Schilling's comments about him, replied GO YANKEES. Haha. BEAT LA BEAT LA BEAT LA. I swore I could hear the Sox fans chanting it in Cin city.....

It Ain't Over

Pap made it clear that there will be more drama to come in the days ahead for the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays. The Sox go to Tampa at the end of the month... seatbelts fastened... I'm having trouble keeping the rotation straight, but it looks like it'll be 4, 5, 1, or Wakey, Dice, and BECKETT. =)

Coco speaks

I have to admit I was really worried about Coco when the whole of the Rays dugout landed on top of him. And the big guys thowing punches. I was surprised when he came out of the pack not bleeding. And afterwards he had this to say:

“I charged the mound. I feigned it like I was going to go to first base, just to get Navarro off me a little bit, and just charged the mound,” Crisp said. “He tried to hit me with a haymaker. He missed. I threw a punch. I pretty much missed. And the rest, went down to the ground… like the scratches on my face were people trying to scratch like we were playing football or something, like little girls, trying to scratch out my eyes. I move one hand down, scratch me right here [points to scratch to the right of his nose].“

“After that, people were trying to pull my hair like little girls. Instead of throwing some real punches or something like that… I’m down on the ground, I mean the fight’s pretty much over baseball-term wise. You wanna come in late, and throw some extra blows and get your little blows in, that’s cool. I’ll cover up. It’s all good, trying to pull some hair. It’s all right. It was between me and Shields that time and everybody tried to get their little blows in I think even more… he was unsure if he really wanted to hit me or not it seemed like, but ‘cause he didn’t really hit me hard."

Thursday Night Fight Club

Coco dodges a punch from Shields
I couldn't figure out what to title this blog....Kevin Youkilis plays right field. Again.... The only team I hate more than the Yankees. .. In this corner, wearing the red socks: Cocovelli Crisp...The Sox turn on themselves. .. Manny not being Manny... A little toooo much testosterone at Fenway park.... The craziest game I've ever seen.... It's not even a full moon.... I heart both Chris Carters... What the H$@@??!?!? .... THe Red Sox steal back the limelight from the Celtics.... Cash plays DH while Youk plays RF... Lowell makes an error!!.. Timlin Rules!... Hell freezes over...

What an adrenaline rush. JD Drew still rocking the #3 spot. A 3-run homer for Manny. A bench clearing brawl. The starting pitcher tossed in the 2nd. Our centerfielder tossed...A game ending injury for Ellsbury (the back up center fielder). Kevin Youkilis in right field. Again. A first major league hit for another Chris Carter.... a whole bunch of catches for Chris Carter... A fight between Manny and Youk?!?! ... Whew!!

I often fall asleep during the last few innings of games and have to watch them the next morning. It's not that the games are dull. It's that I get up at 5am. Nonetheless, I fear I might not sleep at all tonight. The Sox-Rays game is an adrenaline roller-coaster. The best and worst of baseball all rolled into one never-ending game that's conflicting with the Celtics game, even though it was moved up in order to not conflict. Woah, I can't remember such a wild game as this. It really started Wednesday night when Coco Crisp was blocked diving into second on a steal and hurt his thumb. He retaliated a few innings later by taking out Iwamura who was covering the bag.

So the first innning, Dustin Pedroia gets hit and takes his base. It has no meaning to me. Yet... JD Drew is loving life at number 3 and gets a hit. 2 are on. Manny hits 503. A 3-run homerun. He hit it right over the monster. In fact, some guys in the parking lot retrieve it. I launch off the couch. Life is good!

Then the 2nd inning, Coco Crisp leads off. I ran to the bedroom during the commercial break to get some laundry. I heard a lot of cheering and no announcing. I run back in. HOLY CRAP!!! Huge pile of players. I rewind... 2nd pitch to Coco, Shields throws directly at his thigh. Coco shakes his head like he knew it was coming. Then he charges the mound. Shields winds and throws a punch but Coco dodges and gets a punch in to the shoulder. Complete choas ensues. It may well be the best brawl I've seen. It'll be way funnier when I stop being mad...

I gotta say that I can't not believe the nastiness from Carl Crawford and Johnny Gomes. They were not at all involved in the original issue, yet they come in and start punching a pinned Coco Crisp in the head. Gomes got caught and tossed. Crawford will sure share in the suspension. The suspension concerns me because we are short one maybe two outfielders... but we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.
The beautiful moment of the brawl: Coco popping out of the pile between someone's legs and not bleeding. That and that dodge of the first punch, his boxer dad must be proud. It had to be done. This fight was going to happen and it was genius for Crisp to get it over with in the first inning -- before Lugo and/or Pedroia got hit -- before Shields got deep into the game. So the Rays lose their starter and the Sox lose their centerfielder. No worries... Our left fielder (Ellsbury) is also a centerfielder and we've just called up a rookie left-fielder, so Manny can DH.

So I'm reeling. I'm so excited to witness the stupidity of the Rays that they'd throw at Crisp in his first at bat. I've seen times when our starters wanted to throw at someone but refrain because of the threat of suspension or the threat of losing the games. But the Rays don't have this sense. I'm prepared for a huge blowout ballgame. Bring it!!

And it goes well. Not super-well, but well enough until. gASP! Ellsbury makes a superlative catch but rolls his wrist ala JD Drew in the process. CRAP. Francona is out to check. CRAP. He takes Ellsbury out of the game. On any other day this would be not the biggest deal. A bummer for sure, but today... Coco Crisp is already ejected and Manny is the DH so he can't move to left. The Sox are, once again, forced to put Kevin Youkilis in right field. Oh brother. This is quickly becoming a nightmare. Ladies and gentlemen, announcing, from left to right, your Boston Red Sox outfield... CHRIS CARTER, JD Drew, and KEVIN YOUKILIS. Oh, God, help us!

Okay, it all seems okay. Lester is pitching really well, so that helps the Sox make it through the next few inning then WHAT THE ??@?$?@$ A brawl in the dugout??? In our dugout?? What?? between Youk and and and MANNY???? Don't be ridiculous! What did Youk say he was a better outfielder than Manny?? Check it, Manny full on, has to be restrained:

Unbelievable. Rendered speechless, Don and Jerry have no choice but to turn on one another:

It reminds me of an X-Files episode where the moons and stars and birthdates aligned to turn friends to enemies. It was probably written by the other Chris Carter...

I remember reading about Chris Carter during spring training. I liked him immediately since he shared a name with the X-files creator. The article set him up as the guy who had nothing going for him but worked harder than anyone. He was on the field at first light still there well after the sun had set. I liked him. And here he is.. and lucky for Youk, the Rays hit ball after ball to left and Chris Carter proved he is awesome and Youk didn't have to prove anything. Eventually Youk had to catch a few and did so just fine. He's a dirtdog, afterall.. And after all sorts of more mild drama, Timlin pitched an inning and 2/3rd (i think) of shut out ball. Manny out with his hamstring. Cash in to pinch run... Youk got hit by a pitch but all really was well (enough) and the Sox won 7-1. I was hoping for 20-1 but I'll take whatever I can get. The Tampa Bay Rays have officially moved to the top of my most hated team list thanks to the unpunished, Carl Crawford. Watch out, Crawford. The Sox never forget...

The real highlight of the game: Coco Crisp got a standing O from the Fenway Faithful when he got kicked out of the game for fighting. God bless you, Coco Crisp....

X-Files: I Want To Believe

I've wanted to believe that there would be an X-Files movie for years now and it's finally on the way!! Xfiles.com now has a trailer up and some photos. The premiere is schedule for July 25th!

How does he do it?

I feel for catchers. I can't imagine squatting for 3 or more hours a day for a 100 days or more of the year. But I've noticed that Tek actually squats down to rest when he's on base! It's like he's more comfortable in a squat than he is standing up! I wonder if he squats to watch tv in the off-season ;)

m-l-b-dot-t-v

so MLB.tv has started sprinkling the commercial breaks with their own ads. Yes, I pay to see the games on MLB.tv and StiLL get commercials for MLB.tv. Messed up. The commercials are mostly a smattering of MLB players saying keep watching MLB.tv. They've been adding lots of players lately which, I suppose, is supposed to make the words MLB.tv less boring. And honestly, hearly A-Rod struggle with the pronunciation, is less boring. However, Coco Crisp is the latest and greatest addition. Listen to how he adds the line with style. I've heard it 100 times and it still makes me laugh. I'm cuckoo for Coco Crisp.