Sunday, May 29, 2005
The Adventures of Reb & Jere - *hotel stalking*
I got up at 7am yesterday, and still I failed to catch an early enough train to stake out a good spot at the Riv. If Jere had even been awake when I called from the train at 10:45, I'm sure he would've told me what a "terrible job" I had done. Oh, well. I didn't really care about the Riv, anyway; the real purpose for my trip to NYC will reveal itself shortly.
I don't think I need to review the game with you people. There was so much joy in that game, I wouldn't know where to start, anyway. At whatever time I checked in the 4th, the formerly coveted Carl Pavano had already thrown 91 pitches. And it only got better from there. Jere decided to show me his red sox movie during a commercial, and when we looked up, Edgah was jogging into home. "I think that was a grand slam," I told Jere. Chan, lackluster yankee fan, was sitting there watching, dead silent. So yeah, we missed it. And Chan let us. (terrible job, Chan!) From there the game was pretty much garbage time, but after watching so many hit parades on our relievers, it sure was nice to see it happen to some other team, and even nicer to have that team be the yanks.
Once the game was over, it was time to enact the plan. When jere brought it up a couple weeks ago, I was all for it. As the time approached, however, and it appeared we would actually go through with it, I became increasingly uncomfortable with the idea. I am not a groupie. I have never read The Inquirer or Star, and couldn't care less about the personal lives of celebrities. I love our players, and very much enjoy ogling some in particular for their looks and/or personas on the field, but I am a baseball fan, people. It's cool that we know where they're staying, and therefore can actually see them, but it's also really sad that they can't go in or out of their hotel without being mobbed, mostly by scumbags who are selling their autographs on e-bay and star-struck crazies who don't know where to draw the line.
I told this to jere, and he apparently felt the same way... and yet we went anyway. After all, we knew where these guys were. Don't we have a responsibility to our readers to provide as much extra sox stuff as we can find?
We got off the subway, and as we were walking to the hotel, jere saw a bus that looked like the kind the sox were using. We tried to see what we could through the tinted glass as we walked past. For just a moment I got a good angle, and what I saw was unmistakable: Matt Clement's chin. Sure enough, the bus pulled to the hotel's side entrance, and we were there to see it unload. It was mostly coaches, but I did get that teaser I posted last night, and also this one of Captain Cheese-head:
Alan Embree
After that, jere & i walked around the corner to the hotel's main entrance. We definately felt a little weird, and tried to keep our distance from the obvious money-mongers, particularly one with a shirt reading "Mother Fucker." (nice.) Jere had seen him on Friday, and said he was a real jerk.
We ended up talking to a guy who's name we later found out to be Milan. Milan is Indian in heritage, but was born in, you guessed it, Milan, Italy. He said he had been seeking autograghs since he was a kid. He showed us one from Liza Minelli he got just the other day. Milan acted like he didn't know what was going on, or what the sox did while in town. As the evening wore on, he occasionally made comments to indicate otherwise. One thing I can say for sure, the man knows how to get an autogragh, and he was nice enough to take us under his wing. I surely would have been content to get pics like this one all night:
hmmm. what is Bronson smoking? And why didn't he give any to me?
But Milan asked Bronson to take a pic with me. Here I am waiting for that to happen, as Bronson indulged autograph seekers:
Bronson was very friendly. Here he is signing autographs with me in the backround.
Milan cut off Bronson's head. Oh, well... he got better at it. That's Jere, by the way, in the backround.
hey, I know most of you have never seen me before... you'll just have to take my word for it. Jere will back me up, too. The reason you've never seen a pic of me before is that I'm not too photogenic. I almost NEVER look good in pics. But who cares how I look... this is all about the players.
Some players were super accommodating, like Bronson. Most were friendly and tried to give a few autographs while getting to a car. Others just high-tailed it, like Mike Myers:
Myers walking briskly through a small mob to get to a car.
By the way, that's Milan in the foreground. I really ought to have gotten a real pic of him....
Francona's troubles started in the lobby, and had little patience for it by the time he got outside. Not that I can blame him, and still, he was very nice about signing some autographs, but this is the only decent shot I got of him:
Tito thru the lobby window
Didn't even think that one would turn out. Here he is mobbed at the car door:
Tito signing autographs
Timlin kept coming out and going back in again... but didn't really sign any autographs. He told the security guy he wanted a car to Peter Luger's.
Mike Timlin
Eventually he & Tim Wakefield came out, shuffling both their wives through the crowd and into the car.
Timmy & wife
Clement was one of the more accomodating ones:
Clement signs autograph for little boy
Me & Mattie
Mattie struck me as fairly shy, and perhaps a bit flustered by the attention. I'm not sure why he was trying to flag down his own cab... the security guy eventually ended up doing that for him.
Matt Mantei surveys the scene
Mantei endulges the crowd
Just my luck, this is the photo where I look most retarded.
Keith Foulke was doing the in-between thing, signing a few autographs as he tried to get to the car he was sharing with Mantei, and cracking me up the whole time. Dude is funny.
Foulkie
Wade Miller was with them, too, but I couldn't really get close:
Wade being mobbed by people who probably don't even know who's autograph they were getting.
Jay Payton tried to get through unscathed, but I got him to take a photo with me:
Me & Jay Payton
Unfortunately, some crazy was all over him the next minute, and jere said he was pissed, and smiled really fakely for a pic with her before getting the hell out of there.
Poor reticent Renteria sat in the lobby for a long time, waiting for a private car. He was so nervous about the crowd, the security guy made us clear the sidewalk, even though he didn't come out for a long time. I felt bad for him.
Edgah finally gets his car
By then, the show was pretty much over. Milan had taken off a bit earlier, but gave us his contact info. I hope he checks our blogs and leaves a comment or two... he was a nice guy, and he helped us out a lot.
My camera shuts itself off after it's been on awhile, so I wasn't always ready. A couple guys were too quick for me:
Schilling arrived at the hotel with family in tow, and quickly shuffled them through to the door.
Johnny & Michelle Damon got into a white stretch limo.
Also in a white stretch limo, Bronson CAME BACK. Jere & I decided enough was enough, we didn't want Bronson to see us still hanging around there. Besides, we were getting cold and hungry.
Unfortunately, I saw hardly any of my faves:
1. Theo... I highly doubt he's staying at the same hotel, anyway.
2. Captain. Someone told us they saw him & Billy Mueller leave before we got there. Milan thinks 'tek is a jerk... not surprising from the hotel-stalking point of view. I'm sure you know I hold Captain in very high regard, and I certainly don't blame him for being annoyed at autograph seekers lying in wait on the hotel sidewalk. The man is all business, and always ON on the field... that's all I care about.
3. Billy - left with 'tek.
4. KY - where the hell was he?
5. Bronson - you KNOW I saw him.
6. Trot - saw him coming off the bus, but didn't get a pic. Never saw him come out.
7. Bellhorn - maybe he was with KY.
8. Millar - apparently never came back to the hotel. Good thing I didn't wear my Harley Davidson boots just to impress him.
9. Manny & Ortiz - they never came back either. Probably hangin' with Manny's family or something.
Despite all my great pics, I'm extremely jealous of the video still jere sent me on Friday. I've saved it as my backround. If HE doesn't post it by tomorrow, I WILL.
Anyway, I hope they all ended up having fun last night; they deserve it after yesterday. I know we can't expect a repeat of THAT, but let's hope they're well-rested and on top of their game tonight.
I don't think I need to review the game with you people. There was so much joy in that game, I wouldn't know where to start, anyway. At whatever time I checked in the 4th, the formerly coveted Carl Pavano had already thrown 91 pitches. And it only got better from there. Jere decided to show me his red sox movie during a commercial, and when we looked up, Edgah was jogging into home. "I think that was a grand slam," I told Jere. Chan, lackluster yankee fan, was sitting there watching, dead silent. So yeah, we missed it. And Chan let us. (terrible job, Chan!) From there the game was pretty much garbage time, but after watching so many hit parades on our relievers, it sure was nice to see it happen to some other team, and even nicer to have that team be the yanks.
Once the game was over, it was time to enact the plan. When jere brought it up a couple weeks ago, I was all for it. As the time approached, however, and it appeared we would actually go through with it, I became increasingly uncomfortable with the idea. I am not a groupie. I have never read The Inquirer or Star, and couldn't care less about the personal lives of celebrities. I love our players, and very much enjoy ogling some in particular for their looks and/or personas on the field, but I am a baseball fan, people. It's cool that we know where they're staying, and therefore can actually see them, but it's also really sad that they can't go in or out of their hotel without being mobbed, mostly by scumbags who are selling their autographs on e-bay and star-struck crazies who don't know where to draw the line.
I told this to jere, and he apparently felt the same way... and yet we went anyway. After all, we knew where these guys were. Don't we have a responsibility to our readers to provide as much extra sox stuff as we can find?
We got off the subway, and as we were walking to the hotel, jere saw a bus that looked like the kind the sox were using. We tried to see what we could through the tinted glass as we walked past. For just a moment I got a good angle, and what I saw was unmistakable: Matt Clement's chin. Sure enough, the bus pulled to the hotel's side entrance, and we were there to see it unload. It was mostly coaches, but I did get that teaser I posted last night, and also this one of Captain Cheese-head:
Alan Embree
After that, jere & i walked around the corner to the hotel's main entrance. We definately felt a little weird, and tried to keep our distance from the obvious money-mongers, particularly one with a shirt reading "Mother Fucker." (nice.) Jere had seen him on Friday, and said he was a real jerk.
We ended up talking to a guy who's name we later found out to be Milan. Milan is Indian in heritage, but was born in, you guessed it, Milan, Italy. He said he had been seeking autograghs since he was a kid. He showed us one from Liza Minelli he got just the other day. Milan acted like he didn't know what was going on, or what the sox did while in town. As the evening wore on, he occasionally made comments to indicate otherwise. One thing I can say for sure, the man knows how to get an autogragh, and he was nice enough to take us under his wing. I surely would have been content to get pics like this one all night:
hmmm. what is Bronson smoking? And why didn't he give any to me?
But Milan asked Bronson to take a pic with me. Here I am waiting for that to happen, as Bronson indulged autograph seekers:
Bronson was very friendly. Here he is signing autographs with me in the backround.
Milan cut off Bronson's head. Oh, well... he got better at it. That's Jere, by the way, in the backround.
hey, I know most of you have never seen me before... you'll just have to take my word for it. Jere will back me up, too. The reason you've never seen a pic of me before is that I'm not too photogenic. I almost NEVER look good in pics. But who cares how I look... this is all about the players.
Some players were super accommodating, like Bronson. Most were friendly and tried to give a few autographs while getting to a car. Others just high-tailed it, like Mike Myers:
Myers walking briskly through a small mob to get to a car.
By the way, that's Milan in the foreground. I really ought to have gotten a real pic of him....
Francona's troubles started in the lobby, and had little patience for it by the time he got outside. Not that I can blame him, and still, he was very nice about signing some autographs, but this is the only decent shot I got of him:
Tito thru the lobby window
Didn't even think that one would turn out. Here he is mobbed at the car door:
Tito signing autographs
Timlin kept coming out and going back in again... but didn't really sign any autographs. He told the security guy he wanted a car to Peter Luger's.
Mike Timlin
Eventually he & Tim Wakefield came out, shuffling both their wives through the crowd and into the car.
Timmy & wife
Clement was one of the more accomodating ones:
Clement signs autograph for little boy
Me & Mattie
Mattie struck me as fairly shy, and perhaps a bit flustered by the attention. I'm not sure why he was trying to flag down his own cab... the security guy eventually ended up doing that for him.
Olerud arrived at the hotel while most everyone else was leaving. Kindof makes you wonder if he had been catching up with his old cronies...
John Olerud & me
Matt Mantei surveys the scene
Mantei endulges the crowd
Just my luck, this is the photo where I look most retarded.
Keith Foulke was doing the in-between thing, signing a few autographs as he tried to get to the car he was sharing with Mantei, and cracking me up the whole time. Dude is funny.
Foulkie
Wade Miller was with them, too, but I couldn't really get close:
Wade being mobbed by people who probably don't even know who's autograph they were getting.
Jay Payton tried to get through unscathed, but I got him to take a photo with me:
Me & Jay Payton
Unfortunately, some crazy was all over him the next minute, and jere said he was pissed, and smiled really fakely for a pic with her before getting the hell out of there.
Poor reticent Renteria sat in the lobby for a long time, waiting for a private car. He was so nervous about the crowd, the security guy made us clear the sidewalk, even though he didn't come out for a long time. I felt bad for him.
Edgah finally gets his car
By then, the show was pretty much over. Milan had taken off a bit earlier, but gave us his contact info. I hope he checks our blogs and leaves a comment or two... he was a nice guy, and he helped us out a lot.
My camera shuts itself off after it's been on awhile, so I wasn't always ready. A couple guys were too quick for me:
Schilling arrived at the hotel with family in tow, and quickly shuffled them through to the door.
Johnny & Michelle Damon got into a white stretch limo.
Also in a white stretch limo, Bronson CAME BACK. Jere & I decided enough was enough, we didn't want Bronson to see us still hanging around there. Besides, we were getting cold and hungry.
Unfortunately, I saw hardly any of my faves:
1. Theo... I highly doubt he's staying at the same hotel, anyway.
2. Captain. Someone told us they saw him & Billy Mueller leave before we got there. Milan thinks 'tek is a jerk... not surprising from the hotel-stalking point of view. I'm sure you know I hold Captain in very high regard, and I certainly don't blame him for being annoyed at autograph seekers lying in wait on the hotel sidewalk. The man is all business, and always ON on the field... that's all I care about.
3. Billy - left with 'tek.
4. KY - where the hell was he?
5. Bronson - you KNOW I saw him.
6. Trot - saw him coming off the bus, but didn't get a pic. Never saw him come out.
7. Bellhorn - maybe he was with KY.
8. Millar - apparently never came back to the hotel. Good thing I didn't wear my Harley Davidson boots just to impress him.
9. Manny & Ortiz - they never came back either. Probably hangin' with Manny's family or something.
Despite all my great pics, I'm extremely jealous of the video still jere sent me on Friday. I've saved it as my backround. If HE doesn't post it by tomorrow, I WILL.
Anyway, I hope they all ended up having fun last night; they deserve it after yesterday. I know we can't expect a repeat of THAT, but let's hope they're well-rested and on top of their game tonight.
Edit: I've notice that people are still hitting this post from search engines. Be sure to check out our more recent adventure.
# posted by Rebecca @ 12:41 PM 
Comments:
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I'm envious. had this whole big plan to go hang ut at the hotel bar where the Sox were last week when they were here in Toronto, but then they made me mad all week. In retropect, I should have gone, but... c'est la vie.
# posted by 
: 6:11 PM
: 6:11 PM
I was smiling and happy for you both for making this great opportunity for yourselves until...until...the Jay Payton photo! That's when the jealousy really set in. He is inching his way up to the top of my Red Sox list and there you were touching shoulders!
It sounds like you guys had a dreamy sort of day.
I ran into Pedro at Starbucks on Newbury Street 2 years ago and got his autograph. It was the day after all that strike nonsense was resolved. It was totally random and not nearly as cool as your stalking experience.
A friend and I attended the DVD Release Party at the Wang last year and I was hoping for a Theo sighting, also. No such luck.
It sounds like you guys had a dreamy sort of day.
I ran into Pedro at Starbucks on Newbury Street 2 years ago and got his autograph. It was the day after all that strike nonsense was resolved. It was totally random and not nearly as cool as your stalking experience.
A friend and I attended the DVD Release Party at the Wang last year and I was hoping for a Theo sighting, also. No such luck.
Andrew- there's always september. they probably weren't in the mood this week, either.
WCSG- yeah, one of the few bene's of being closer to an "away" city is catching them all together like that, but in Boston you have a random chance for it any time. A friend of mine was at Bob's in Watertown last September, decked out completely in sox gear, looked up at Mike Timlin was right there, looking at her.
Jay was so nice to pose with me. I feel guilty about it, as it provided that psycho the opportunity to put her paws on him.
Samcat- glad you came by to see those; figured you would like them. Very cute pic of you in your wolverine gear, there.
And THANKS, triple thanks, for your tigers this weekend.
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WCSG- yeah, one of the few bene's of being closer to an "away" city is catching them all together like that, but in Boston you have a random chance for it any time. A friend of mine was at Bob's in Watertown last September, decked out completely in sox gear, looked up at Mike Timlin was right there, looking at her.
Jay was so nice to pose with me. I feel guilty about it, as it provided that psycho the opportunity to put her paws on him.
Samcat- glad you came by to see those; figured you would like them. Very cute pic of you in your wolverine gear, there.
And THANKS, triple thanks, for your tigers this weekend.
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