Happy Birthday Liam

Happy birthday Liam...how old are you again?

Sox-Angels 2007 ALDS...it's o-v-a

I would be remiss if I didn't comment on the recently completed ALDS between the Red Sox and the Angels.

Sweep.

Three games, three Sox victories. To use the phrase Angry Bill made famous in "Still We Believe", "it's ova, o-v-a, ova".

Fine with me. It'll be just fine to see Josh Beckett throw in game 1 of the ALCS, thank you. The Angels looked down coming into the game and looked completely flat after the back-to-back homers by Papi and Manny. So much for small ball.

As for the other ALDS, there seemed to be three general schools of thought: those that wanted to face the Yankees in the ALCS, those who didnt, and those that were intentionally and consciously neutral. Well, the argument has become moot as of last night, as the mighty Yankees were sent home after the first round of playoffs for the 4th consecutive year. Sorry fellas. Anybody need a manager?

Next stop, ALCS game 1. Bring it, CC.

Sox-Angels 2007 ALDS, Game 2

What a night. As BostonDirtDogs so perfectly put it, it was "Manny being Papi". He (and everyone at Fenway and watching at home) knew it was gone right off the bat, and even after seeing lots of replays I'm still not sure where it went.

I'll tell you this, though: Manny spent so much time at home with his arms up in celebration, admiring his bomb over the wall, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if he takes one in the ribs Sunday in Anaheim.

Besides the Manny shot that won the game, there were some other plays and happenings of note:

• Obviously Daisuke wasn't on point last night, and I think credit is due Terry Francona for taking him out when he did. We often hear people call up sports radio to complain about some move the manager made (or didn't make), and I think Tito deserves a tip of the cap for how he handled his pitching staff yesterday.
• J.D. Drew came up big in the 1st to drive in 2 runs early. Though finishing with only one hit on the night, he made it count. Finally.
• Mike Lowell got the sacrifice fly in the 5th to tie it up. As usual, Lowell came up big for the Sox in a clutch situation, and I really hope to see him stay here next season.
• One batter before Lowell in the 5th was Manny, who for all intents and purposes should have made the 2nd out in the inning on a foul pop fly first base side. One thing TLM and I didn't know about from where we were sitting in the bleachers was just how close (and subsequently pivotal) the play was. As the ball came down some guy behind us was yelling "Be a good fan. Be a good fan.", and in fact this kid (Danny Vinik) was. He JUST robbed Jeff Mathis of the catch.
• That play happened just in front of Steven King. Spooky? No, coincidence, but still of note.
• As Okajima was warming up on the mound, we all heard some dance song being played and it took us a bit to figure out what we were hearing. Eventually we heard something being spelled out and it wasn't long before we could figured out it was "O-K-A-J-I-M-A". That's right, Okajima has his own song. You can listen to it below, but be prepared, it gets stuck in your head for hours.

Sox-Angels 2007 ALDS...made it

So I finally made it, and was happy to be present for TLM's very first playoff game. The Red Sox won last night, thanks to some timely hitting, a few stellar defensive plays, and an absolutely phenomenal pitching performance by Josh Beckett.

...and yes, we'll be watching the first game of the other ALDS series today. Though a Sox-Yankees ALCS would be nice, I will never, ever root for the Yankees, ever. So go Tribe!

Sox-Angels 2007 ALDS...someday

TLM is at Fenway, and I'm sitting in my car in one of the worst traffic jams I've ever been in. Impatience on the part of drivers and incompetence on the part of the BPD trying to direct traffic have together combined for standstills, gridlock, and nightmarish backups for blocks in every direction.

There go the fly-by jets, indicating the end of the national anthem. Maybe someday I'll get there...maybe even by tomorrow if I'm lucky.

Dirty Water - Standells

In anticipation of the upcoming (and hopefully very successful) 2007 Red Sox postseason run, I give you this video of the Standells performing "Dirty Water" (not sure where). At first I thought there was just bad camera work, as the first 30 seconds or so seemed overly focused on the drummer, smiling and mumbling the words along. Then I realized he was the lead singer...ah, the early days of lip-syncing.

Also of note: apparently the lyric "lovers, hookers, and thieves" was changed to "lovers, buggers, and thieves", complete with the drummer delivering a knowing smile after momentarily covering his mouth with his arm. Maybe it's the subsequent "ah, but they're cool people" [in possible reference to hookers] that turned the network execs off...or maybe they just really wanted to find a way to get the word "buggers" in there.

Happy Birthday M!

Happy birthday TLM! (not the other M in the picture)

Talk Like a Pirate Day - Here We Arrrrr Again

Well, it's hard to believe another year has passed since the last observation of the International "Talk Like a Pirate" Day (and our 100th post), but today's the day yet again, and though I'm not with the other landlubbers I work with today, I'm sure they're annoying whoever is around them with a fair amount of aye's, ye's, matey's, and the perennial yaaaaaaaaaaar's. Of course, no Talk Like a Pirate Day would be complete without the "Pirates Life for Me" song stuck in your head, so here you go:



To commemorate this year's version, I've embedded below something about Pirate Flags I made in an RIA called the workBench, put out by TRintuition (who happen to be giving away free accounts right now). It took me all of 10 minutes to make, and that's only because I went to the trouble of finding all the images etc. I'll guess that most people can generate basic, blog-ready content in much less time than that.

If you do sign up, tell them The Neoteric sent you!

9/11 - How Can We Ever Forget?

No long or complicated diatribe here. It's been 6 years since that day we remember all too well. We have our own stories, complete with vividly detailed timelines, and have shared these with countless others since that day in 2001 and countless more to come.

Forget the politics and conspiracy theories, and just remember what happened, how you felt, and those people we lost whom you may have known on that, the scariest and saddest day in our generation's collective life thus far.

Cat in the Sink

TLM and I found this on YouTube today...


Update 9.19.07
This just got a new tag: time waster (I realize now that's all it really is)
 

It's Official

TLM and I are officially tying the knot. We spent a nice few days in Cape Cod and, after making sure to get the blessings of her parents, I found myself on bended knee Friday night, trying to get through something I had been preparing in my head all week. The good news is I did get the question out. The great news is that she said yes.

Clay Buchholz's No-Hitter

TLM and I got a very pleasant surprise Friday night (as did all of Red Sox Nation) as Clay Buchholz punched through 3 rotations of the Baltimore Orioles lineup without letting up a hit. That's right...in his second major league start ever (and TLM and I were lucky enough to be at the first), the kid threw a no-hitter.

Buchholz struck out 9 and walked 3 to became the 16th Red Sox player to officially throw a no-hitter, and the first rookie to do so (though I think one could make a case for Devern Hansack in 2006). The closest thing to a jam came in the 5th when he led off the inning with back to back walks to Millar and Huff, then got Moore to strike out swinging, House to ground into a fielder's choice, then Payton to fly out to right, stranding Millar at 3rd. At this point both TLM and I noted the lack of hits on the part of Buchholz, and the excitement grew exponentially every inning from then on.


Though some people were leaving their seats as late as the 8th inning (???) it seemed as though everyone there knew what was happening. The feeling in the stands was electric and the most intense I've experienced since 2004. Somewhere during the 9th there was a low-pitch roar that, though almost inaudible, hurt the ears of everyone in our section. At one point a few melonheads in short right field tried to start a "Yankees Suck" chant and were immediately silenced by everyone within earshot, testament to the collective understanding of the importance of what was taking place.

Go Buchholz. Now all we have to do is wait for the Red Sox management to replace the guy in favor of Julian Tavarez...

Monticello

Well, it's been a while, and a lot's happened. The Sox are clinging to what is now a 6 game lead over the Yankees, Merv Griffin has passed away, and ABC family has a new show called "Slacker Cats" which, though funny, should by no means be thought of as a family show.

Also, since my last post TLM and I went to Charlottesville, Virginia for a wedding held in the chapel of the University of Virginia. Somehow, I convinced not only TLM but also two of her younger siblings to get away for a while before the wedding and go to visit Charlottesville's other attraction: Monticello.

Monticello was the residence of our 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson. I'd heard of it before in an architectural context from a friend (uh, who's an architect), and I'd had it on my "list of places to see" ever since, partly because of what he told me, but also because of the enthusiasm with which he described it. Designed entirely by Jefferson, he called it his "essay in architecture", and its first incarnation was heavily influenced by the building of ancient Rome, complete with columns built of solid stone. After a trip to Paris, he returned with some new ideas, and incorporated features like skylights and a dome over the front of the house, which we were told was the first on an American house. All in all, Monticello and its surrounding plantation grounds were designed, constructed, and remodeled over a 40-year period.

"Inside and out, Jefferson incorporated design elements from famous buildings of antiquity" - Monticello Guide for Visitors

It was a hot day (I think it was close to 100 degrees) and we couldn't wait to get inside. The tour was informative, albeit fast paced. Among the interesting features the tour guide pointed out were the many clocks Jefferson owned, something unusual for the day because of their intricate workings (as well as something I can relate to). We also saw dumbwaiters built into the sides of the fireplace in the dining room, said to be the first of their kind. My personal favorite was Jefferson's alcove bed (also a French-inspired feature), placed such that Jefferson could get out on one side to enter his bedroom and get out the other to enter his study (then called a cabinet). The length of the bed was something like 2 inches more than his height, making it a tight fit by today's standards.


photo from monticello.org
One final note: during the tour, the guide glazed over the fact that Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, was also a slave owner, and simply referred to these facts in combination as a "paradox" to be pondered for a long time to come. Though I commend the tour guide for realizing this was something important to bring up, I feel as though it was intentionally condensed to one sentence, perhaps for fear of tarnishing Jefferson's legacy. Who knows.

All in all, I recommend visiting Monticello if you find yourself in the area. Just make sure the temperature is under 100 degrees.
 

The Bonds Novelty is Already Over

Boy, that was quick. All it took was one more home run, and the novelty has already worn off for me. I'm officially back on the "Barry Bonds is a cheater" bandwagon, and am very interested in what will come of the George Mitchell report, which may be coming soon, and with some bad news for Barry if I'm reading Bud Selig correctly.

I saw the related cartoon below in the Boston Globe today, and thought it was post-worthy. (cartoon by Dan Wasserman)

Congrats to Barry Bonds

Well, it finally happened. Barry Bonds broke the all-time career home run record last night by hitter number 756 with a full count and one out in the fifth inning off of Washington's Mike Bacsik.

I gotta say, I feel differently about it than I thought I would.

I'm happy for the guy. For as much grief as he gets for being by all accounts an a-hole, I'm truly happy for him. Selfishly, by the way, I'm happy I got to see it in my lifetime. As the difference between Bonds's and the baseball legend Hank Aaron's home run totals grew smaller, and the hype around the record and Bonds's alleged steroid use grew more insidious, I was one of those fans who thought that whoever caught the ball should pull out a sharpie and draw a big asterisk on it. I thought the record would be tainted, and that all future baseball fans should know that this record was broken by a player in a time that will become known as the "home run era", or in the eyes of many today, the "steroid era".

After seeing the home run and the subsequent trot around the bases and in-game ceremony at the plate, including a scoreboard message from Hammerin' Hank himself, I found myself not feeling cheated at all. Regardless of how the Balco hoopla turns out, I saw #756...and Barry Bonds is the all-time home run champ, no asterisk required.