I've always been frustrated that my good friend, JForce, always found an excuse, year after year, for not being able to be on our Sunday league baseball team. "I'm in a kickball league" he says. Kickball? Over baseball? C'mon. Who outside of the majority of elementary school students across the nation plays kickball?
Apparently a lot of people. And I must admit after watching this clip, I'm kinda wanting to play a little myself. It's all about hitting it on the bounce, I remember, and the crackly concrete we played on made for plenty of bounces. And who can say no to a sport that allows for legally throwing something at an opposing player...
So Force, I hear, is the captain and star pitcher for his team, "Chicks Like It Tickled" (um, an acronym, perhaps?). Congrats on an undefeated season guys.
Charles Rocket 1949-2005
 I wasn't sure who this guy was when I read the report that he'd died. The article mentioned something about him being on SNL (another tragic SNL death) and being thrown off and banned after dropping an F-bomb on live TV. So I looked and found a picture of this guy and, low and behold, he was one of those actors who you've seen in a bunch of movies prompting you to say "oh, it's THAT guy".  After looking at his IMDB filmography, I was reminded of where I'd seen him before; some notable roles included those in "Dances with Wolves", "How I Got Into College" (I actually saw this in the theater...), "Short Cuts", "Dumb and Dumber", and my personal favorite, "Earth Girls Are Easy". This last one is one of the most underrated movies of all time, featuring an all-star cast including Geena Davis, Jim Carrey, Jeff Goldblum, Damon Wayans, and the other, not-downtown Julie Brown. You can't beat alien slapstick in primary colors, now can you? This movie also holds a special place in my heart, as it was what I saw the very first day I hooked an entire day of school. I went to the Copley mall with this kid named Eric (I don't think I ever saw him again), saw a couple of older girls (maybe 14 or 15 years old) and, with a pre-adolescent burst of hutzpa asked them to come watch that movie with us. They agreed, provided we paid for them to get in. We did, and no sooner had we gotten into the old Copley theater than the girls "went to the bathroom", never to be seen again.... Maybe we should have taken them to see Batman instead...
 | Ah, Liam. Old Man. Oldie. Happy 30th to ya pal.
Whaddaya know, you're old... |
 Well, its over, and I have no complaints. There will of course be plenty of complaining on radio shows and discussion boards all winter...rants about how Terry Francona couldn't manage a lemonade stand, or about how much "Millar sucks" (walking out of Fenway tonight I heard that exact quote at least 15 times), or about how overpriced Damon will be or how bad our pitching situation is (plus or minus a Papelbon)...we'll hear it all. Blow off some steam, sure, but I contend there is no need for complaints. I was reminded again tonight of how much of an impact (finally) winning a World Series had on me. I was sort of disappointed, but I've been much lower in years past. Hell, after Game 3 of last year's ALCS I was ready to give up on anything baseball related whatsoever, and cursed my father for ever introducing me to the whole thing in the first place. But not this time. No, not after what happened last year. I wish they won, of course, but they didn't, and for the first time in my life, I'm OK with that. (damn, I DO wish they won, though).
The Red Sox did have their chances. It was nice to see Manny's and Ortiz' bats come around, and it would have been even better if the Sox put men on base BEFORE any of those precious few Freddy Garcia mistakes. After Manny's second shot, the Red Sox managed to load the bases with a pinch-hitting Varitek coming up with nobody out. It looked like a great situation with the then-tying run only 90 feet away and the Captain at the plate. Some long at-bats, but no runs. Not a walk, a hit by pitch, not even a sacrifice. Definitely frustrating. That particular inning hurt even more after the White Sox elitely manufactured an insurance run in the 8th with a leadoff double, a sacrifice bunt to 3rd, and finishing with a suicide squeeze for good measure. Although we have seen these guys come back from these kinds of deficits before, they just couldn't pull it off this year. Damn. Damn damn damn...
Finally, an anecdote: throughout the game there were these two Chicago fans about 8 rows in front of us who, much like many of us would do if the roles were reversed, would stand up and cheer after every good White Sox play. When Konerko hit the 2 run job, however, they stood up and TURNED AROUND...obviously a move that requires some kind of response. It was my distinct pleasure, along with the old man, to start a directed "1917" chant just for them for them. I must admit, it felt a little weird to be one of the people who jeer fans of a team that hadn't won a World Series for over 80 years (not even a postseason series!), but it was definitely effective. Sit down.
After the last pitch, the old man and I stayed seated for a while watching everyone leave and the grounds crew start their work. I looked over at him, then the wall and outfield. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the flag moving, then realized what else was happening: the 2004 World Series Championship banner was being lowered for the last time at Fenway.
I look forward to watching the next one go up.
There are a few things in life I think worth seeing at least once...I never thought half of an American alligator hanging out of what used to be a 13-foot python would be one of them. The python was clearly eating with its eyes and ate so much it burst, and to this I can relate (minus the bursting part). Thankfully I never had a pizza or a chicken sandwich trying to claw its way out of me.
read the article on Boston.com
I hope this is some kind of hidden metaphor for the Sox...a sign if you will. Maybe the python is the White Sox and the alligator is the Red Sox. Just when the python thought it was going to swallow the gator whole (which no one would have predicted), the gator comes clawing back, ultimately defeating the confident python when it seemed there was no hope left of doing so.... I just wish the metaphorical alligator survives the experience.
I know it looks bad, but we've all been here before. It seems as though every year the Red Sox' backs are up against one wall or another. I believe they will win Friday, and also Saturday, forcing a Game 5.
How many times can the Graffanino error possibly be shown? I swear, it's video fodder for everyone in the country who misses talking about the "curse", particularly those in and around New Jerk City who can't throw in enough Buckner references. Sorry, Graffanino is no Buckner and that game was no Game 6 of the World Series. It was a game changing play, but Wells still gave up that homer himself, and the Boston bats couldn't produce ONE run in the 4 innings after that. It was a tough loss, that's all.
At least the Yankees lost too. I love it when A-Fraud blows a big play. Talk about anti-clutch!
The Red Sox have the best home record this year, and the White Sox have the best road record. Wakefield has been our best pitcher, and with any other knuckleballer, I think it'll come down to what side of the bed he "Wake"s up on Friday morning.
Hopefully it's the "I'm gonna throw a 2-hitter" side.
It was only Game 1.
It's this time of year that I forgo and kind of usual morning radio show in lieu of WEEI. Everyone can't believe Francona's decision to stick with Clement as long as he did (or Millar for that matter), nor can they see any kind of logic in bringing Arroyo in for the 8th as opposed to the 4th (we saw Bradford instead). Might Francona be thinking that BroYo may get the nod for (a potential) Game 5 and wanted to get him a little work? I'm sure Clement is a nice guy and all, but this IS the postseason, and the Sox can't afford to let buddy-buddyness dictate their series strategy. Why WASN'T Olerud out there? I heard someone rattle of Millar's (good) career statistics against Contreras as a reason. Problem is, that was when Millar could break double digits in homers and reach 51 RBI, and from when Contreras was with the Yankers, who had no idea how to coach him. Contreras is a GOOD pitcher now, and Millar is a SLUMPING hitter. That move I disagree with...stupid.
All of this of course comes close on the heels of questioning the Red Sox ALDS roster, and their choice to keep only 10 pitchers, with Machado essentially taking the place of DiNardo, who would have made 11. Is this an attempt by the management to show the starting pitchers that they have confidence in them? Francona and co. threw the game out when it was 8-2, but still managed to use 1/2 of the bullpen in the process.
I keep telling myself, it was only Game 1. Tonight we win and all is right with the world again.
 For those who still say clutch hitting is a myth, try watching a Red Sox game or two, particularly when they are in a pennant race or a postseason. There's this guy, his name is David, who has a knack of coming up in big situations and producing. He was at it again last night, first slamming an 8th inning homer to tie the game, then tagging a Batista fastball up the middle, just to the left of the shift, knocking in Johnny Damon from 2nd to win the game. Looks like all that directed energy business was at work last night at Fenway... now just 3 to go at Fenway against the Yankers to see if we win the division / go to the playoffs for what would be a club-record 3 years in a row.
I feel like I've seen this before....
Great article by Eric Leskowitz at Boston.com today.
This article comes just in time, too, as we'll need to give the Red Sox all the directed positive energy we can muster this weekend (and hopefully into the next week too).
F the Yankers.
So Mary and I go to Six Flags New England yesterday as part of her birthday weekend. With the exception of the overpriced food ($7 for a slice of cheese pizza), I knew it was going to be a good time; I completely revert to adolescence when it comes to things like amusement parks. The Scrambler, frisbee rides, waterslides, and of course roller coasters...many many roller coasters. In fact there were more there yesterday than I ever remember; something like 7 or 8. We got there and knew we wanted to hit up each one of them.
Things were going well; the weather was perfect and the park wasn't too crowded (thanks to something called "The Big E"). We went on a couple of coasters right away, including "Superman", the biggest and longest coaster in the country, which I had been on but Mary hadn't. Then we move over to one of my favorites, the "Mind Eraser".
Much like the drink by the same name, this coaster has been known to scramble one's brains and cross one's eyes (minus the straw). This coaster has it all...twists, turns, loop-dee-loops, and a whole lotta jerking around and not knowing where the ride will take you next. Even though I'd been on it multiple times, it never gets old and I'm always thrilled. This time, however, I got more of a scare than I bargained for.
You sit down in a seat suspended from above and with your feet dangling, and like any ride that involves high speeds and upside-down sections, there is a pressure-controlled safety harness that comes down over your shoulders. After a very long wait in line, Mary and I hop into our seats, and then one of the attendants made his rounds ensuring everyone was securely "buckled in". This guy gives my harness an extra push, shoving it in one click further than I was able to, giving Mary a small chuckle and me a small reminder that there are certain parts of my body that one shouldn't put too much pressure on. "I don't want you falling out, now." she smiled, and while I appreciated the concern, I definitely scoffed at the idea of that happening...
The ride started, and as soon as we entered the first loop, I heard a "click" and felt the harness release a notch...
My hands grabbed the handles on the harness faster than I could think of what to do. I imagined for a moment the worst case scenario, then thought it must have been that extra push the attendant gave. Maybe he didn't fully get to the next notch?
As we finished the first loop and went into a twist, it happened again: another "click" and another degree of safety gone...
At this point I clamped my legs underneath the seat and thought of all the movie and TV scenes I'd seen of roller coasters gone wrong. The one that stuck out in my mind (don't ask why I remembered THIS at THAT time) was one of the opening scenes from the remake of "House on Haunted Hill" where a roller coaster goes flying of the rail and into the air, sending all the riders to certain death.
I tried to remember if there was another safety measure: a seat belt, metal pin...something. Needless to say, I was as tense as a stone. As the roller coaster ride of my life went on, I tried to come up with a plan in case the harness came loose. Was I to hold onto the handles as best I could? Reach out and try to grab the seat in front of me? Let go and take my chances with the fall?
Finally the ride came to an end. As macho as I may portend to be, I realized I was genuinely scared. That shit was f#!&@ scary.
I told Mary about what just happened to me, and she agreed it would be wise to let someone know. So, after everyone got off and shuffled away down the exit ramp, I pulled one of the attendants aside and in a low voice, so as not to alarm anyone, informed him of what transpired and what seat I was in. As we walked off, I saw that attendant go over and tell the operator, then watched as that operator subsequently told everyone to get off the ride. They spent the next 20 minutes or so examining the seats, then ran the ride once with one of the attendants in the seat in question, guinea-pig stylee (that makes sense!).
As Mary and I walked away from the scene and I related to her more of what I'd just experienced, she turned to me and said the best thing I'd heard all day:
"How bout a ride on the Ferris Wheel?"
 Happy Birthday sweets...I hope you like your gifts.
Nice hoodie!
I thought this interesting enough to post:
ADIOS, or Automatic Distillation of Structure
This raises questions about language, and (very) indirectly, about how one thinks. People have been in search of patterns to how we think about things for centuries; how far away from that are patterns to how we communicate with each other?
Of all of the baseball-related things I've had the pleasure of experiencing first-hand over the years, the 2005 Opening Day Ceremonies at Fenway Park had to be one of the best...right up there with the 99 All-Star Game fanfare (with the last appearance of Ted Williams at Fenway and some mammoth Mark McGuire homers) and games 4 and 5 of last year's ALCS against the New York Chokers, er, Yankers. These guys really know how to do it here, and what we saw there truly lived up to at least my expectations.
Some had to complain, however, as has become the nature of the Boston Sports fan...more specifically the Boston Sports Radio personalities. Granted, the song written by Terry Cashman, "Teddy Ballgame", wasn't exactly the catchiest tune on the planet, but I think most nay-sayers simply missed the point here. Stop complaining...the Sox won the series.
I knew the Red Sox would pull out all the stops for this one. What a treat it was to see the banner raised, Boston sports all-time guys like Orr and Russell throw out the first pitches, and of course the distribution of the rings, particularly the one that went to Johnny Pesky. Standing ovation, no question. Tear in the eye, no doubt.
Other highlights worth mentioning: the uproarious applause and sarcastic standing ovation given to Mariano Rivera upon his introduction. He was cool about it, grinning ear to ear, and even gave a wave to the crowd...Joe Torre also got a loud ovation, though I got the sense it was much more on the genuine side, which was nice. Things are different around here now as far as the hatred of the Yankees is concerened; they have been defeated, in a major way, and it seems as though the fans are now actually allowing for a bit of respect to be shown to at least one of our most hated rivals. The comical highlight of the day came when, during a moment of silence for the recently deceased Dick Raditz, a fan on left field VERY clearly shouted "A-Rod, you SUCK!", a comment heard by apparently 90% of the people there and that led to a round of chuckles and gaffaws.
Oh, then the Sox beat the Yankess...always a great way to start the home season...
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