Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Just Checking In
Two Papi walkoff's later, we're still BLAZIN' and the NY Mets are comin' to town. I'm really looking forward to this one. I'm pretty busy up in NESN territory this week, but I'll find a way to watch.
And by the way, this guy's clearly a skankees fan- and right on par with the skankee-fan arrogance and idiocy. He thinks we are going to boo Pedro? ridiculous.
And by the way, this guy's clearly a skankees fan- and right on par with the skankee-fan arrogance and idiocy. He thinks we are going to boo Pedro? ridiculous.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Tryin' to Stay HOT in the Rain
Great. FOX sent out their "best" broadcast team to torture us this afternoon. At least they don't even have the option of a New York game to switch over to. That's right; The Red Sox are playing in TV's at least halfway down the Atlantic coast today.
Maybe they'll fit it in. I hope so, since it's already raining down here in CT; Sitting around in front of the telly is my activity of choice for the next three hours. Plus it'll great to pounce on a wife-beater like Myers at his peak point of distraction. And from what I've seen so far of this game (no outs yet), that's what we're gonna have to do.
Maybe they'll fit it in. I hope so, since it's already raining down here in CT; Sitting around in front of the telly is my activity of choice for the next three hours. Plus it'll great to pounce on a wife-beater like Myers at his peak point of distraction. And from what I've seen so far of this game (no outs yet), that's what we're gonna have to do.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
A Surge of Positivity
Welcome to the rotation, Jon Lester.
I got home late, but saw his last two innings. The kid's got the fist-pump down, that's for sure, and he's starting to earn it. Who knows when/if Wells and Clement will ever make it back from the DL, but if the day ever comes, surely Beckett will have a blister or something and Lester will by then be firmly entrenched in our every-five-day expectations.
So our boys have continued to demonstrate the clear superiority of the American League. Less than a week after my woe-is-me negativity posting (thanks MattySox for reminding me that it could be so much worse- we could be Royals fans!), we are riding a six game winning streak, the likes of which has not been seen before by the 2006 Red Sox. IN JUNE. Hopefully we can get the mop out this weekend to extend it.
Like everyone else in this corner of the world, I'm really looking forward to next week's series, and I'm glad to see Jere's prediction of a celebration of the 1986 team coming true (right down to the date. Terrific Job.) If you're still not into celebrating the 1986 team, you might enjoy this short clip. If, on the other hand, you're up for re-living the moment -again- you're either a Mets fan or a masochist or desperately seeking to re-enact the joy of October 27, 2004 -which will never happen, but have fun trying- check out this re-enactment of "the inning" in RBI Baseball. Both links courtesy of our cyberspace informant, Jay from LA.
Meanwhile in the dark recesses below Fenway, Theo and his crew of young number-crunchers continue to work their best keyboard fingers to the bone. Not satisfied with their latest salvage from the scrap heap, some discussion with the tribe has yielded yet another new pitcher. Yes, folks, we now have our very own Johnson, and despite the urgency with which he was sent packing by Cleveland, I betcha he's randier than Randy. After all, do our scouts know pitching or what? Check out this recently drafted pitcher...
The obvious temptation here is to worry like crazy over what we'll do with all these extra arms once our old guys come back from the DL, but these things have a way of working themselves out. Take the Peña/Kaplar situation: if Trot's not ready for his annual DL stint by then, maybe we can finally get rid of Willie Harris before he rots the spot on the bench he's farting away on every night. Oh, did I say that out loud? No Willie, of course I didn't mean you. I'm talking about silly Paris Hilton - who let that dumb bitch into the clubhouse, anyway?
I got home late, but saw his last two innings. The kid's got the fist-pump down, that's for sure, and he's starting to earn it. Who knows when/if Wells and Clement will ever make it back from the DL, but if the day ever comes, surely Beckett will have a blister or something and Lester will by then be firmly entrenched in our every-five-day expectations.
So our boys have continued to demonstrate the clear superiority of the American League. Less than a week after my woe-is-me negativity posting (thanks MattySox for reminding me that it could be so much worse- we could be Royals fans!), we are riding a six game winning streak, the likes of which has not been seen before by the 2006 Red Sox. IN JUNE. Hopefully we can get the mop out this weekend to extend it.
Like everyone else in this corner of the world, I'm really looking forward to next week's series, and I'm glad to see Jere's prediction of a celebration of the 1986 team coming true (right down to the date. Terrific Job.) If you're still not into celebrating the 1986 team, you might enjoy this short clip. If, on the other hand, you're up for re-living the moment -again- you're either a Mets fan or a masochist or desperately seeking to re-enact the joy of October 27, 2004 -which will never happen, but have fun trying- check out this re-enactment of "the inning" in RBI Baseball. Both links courtesy of our cyberspace informant, Jay from LA.
Meanwhile in the dark recesses below Fenway, Theo and his crew of young number-crunchers continue to work their best keyboard fingers to the bone. Not satisfied with their latest salvage from the scrap heap, some discussion with the tribe has yielded yet another new pitcher. Yes, folks, we now have our very own Johnson, and despite the urgency with which he was sent packing by Cleveland, I betcha he's randier than Randy. After all, do our scouts know pitching or what? Check out this recently drafted pitcher...
The obvious temptation here is to worry like crazy over what we'll do with all these extra arms once our old guys come back from the DL, but these things have a way of working themselves out. Take the Peña/Kaplar situation: if Trot's not ready for his annual DL stint by then, maybe we can finally get rid of Willie Harris before he rots the spot on the bench he's farting away on every night. Oh, did I say that out loud? No Willie, of course I didn't mean you. I'm talking about silly Paris Hilton - who let that dumb bitch into the clubhouse, anyway?
L'il Alex Cora
Let's all take a moment to appreciate a guy who spends most of his time wondering if he'll get to bat at some point in the game.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Stayin' Alive
To clarify, I didn't mean to be negative in my last post. It's just so easy to get down in baseball when things are really not that bad. By the end of last week, it seemed as if our boys might not ever win again ::Braves fans roll their eyes:: but the June Swoon is not as bad as it could be. At the time of this post we are above .500 for the month AND we just extended our flimsy lead over the skanks to two whole games.
Kyle Snyder was, in fact, downright decent last night. Sure, he gave up a run/inning at first, but he settled down into two scoreless ones. He had a very nice curveball, and I was actually a wee bit sad when they took him out. After all, who would've expected the effectiveness of our bullpen would hold up through four innings sans the great Pappy? It remains to be seen what will happen to Kyle, who a million years and four surgeries ago was once a first-round draft pick with loads of potential. Just last week he was tossed aside like garbage by the worst team in baseball, but today he basks in the overglow of a win in his new home, Fenway Park.
In other news, J.T. Snow finally turns in a uniform that barely ever got scuffed with dirt. Comments by our fearless leader imply a trade may be in the works, and more exciting roster moves loom on the horizon. (Note that Kyle's killer curveball seems to have re-bolstered my confidence in theo... not that I ever doubted him, mind you.)
And then there's Gabe. There's almost no words for that man. But he has words for us: (via the Globe)
Do you people realize how often skankee fans tell me how un-classy we are? I know, I know, they wouldn't know classy if they hit it with their SUV, but try explaining that to them.
Kyle Snyder was, in fact, downright decent last night. Sure, he gave up a run/inning at first, but he settled down into two scoreless ones. He had a very nice curveball, and I was actually a wee bit sad when they took him out. After all, who would've expected the effectiveness of our bullpen would hold up through four innings sans the great Pappy? It remains to be seen what will happen to Kyle, who a million years and four surgeries ago was once a first-round draft pick with loads of potential. Just last week he was tossed aside like garbage by the worst team in baseball, but today he basks in the overglow of a win in his new home, Fenway Park.
In other news, J.T. Snow finally turns in a uniform that barely ever got scuffed with dirt. Comments by our fearless leader imply a trade may be in the works, and more exciting roster moves loom on the horizon. (Note that Kyle's killer curveball seems to have re-bolstered my confidence in theo... not that I ever doubted him, mind you.)
And then there's Gabe. There's almost no words for that man. But he has words for us: (via the Globe)
``We have the best, and, to be more specific, the classiest fans in all of sports," said Kapler, who took Trot Nixon's spot in right field and batted eighth against the Nationals last night. ``And the reason I say that is because they recognize and care about hard work as well as people, human beings. Contributions [from players] other than superstars. They recognize every player on the roster.
``They recognize contributions from guys like Alex Cora, and, in the past, from a pitcher who would get one out. They always seem to recognize effort. I'm just blown away by their consistency and their knowledge of the game."
Do you people realize how often skankee fans tell me how un-classy we are? I know, I know, they wouldn't know classy if they hit it with their SUV, but try explaining that to them.
freakout
"holy..."
I just looked at the "expanded standings". The Tigers have won 46 games. The White Sox, 44. The Mets have won 43. Boston is in 4th with 39. Seven games behind the tigers (no offense, sam; I love 'em, I really do) after a SWEEP? I wanna cry.
Can't I just be happy we're ahead of the skanks? Or that we scored six runs tonight with two outs?
No. No, I can't. Not with our starting pitcher tomorrow night having only one other start, in which he was shelled. theo help us. (oh that's right; this was your move.)
I just looked at the "expanded standings". The Tigers have won 46 games. The White Sox, 44. The Mets have won 43. Boston is in 4th with 39. Seven games behind the tigers (no offense, sam; I love 'em, I really do) after a SWEEP? I wanna cry.
Can't I just be happy we're ahead of the skanks? Or that we scored six runs tonight with two outs?
No. No, I can't. Not with our starting pitcher tomorrow night having only one other start, in which he was shelled. theo help us. (oh that's right; this was your move.)
Saturday, June 10, 2006
FOX Finally Does the Right Thing
Jere & I have been highly amused this season by the many FOX 61 commercials we've seen on NESN. I had even planned to write them an e-mail about how this might backfire as anti-advertising to real sox fans. You see last year, just like many, many times in previous years, when given a choice between Red Sox and Yankees games for their game of the week, FOX-61 in Hartford chose Yankees... EVERY blippin' time. And the good folks down here in Southern Connecticut get screwed AGAIN.
So today when I realized that the young Jon Lester's Major League debut would be on FOX, I feared I might not even be able to order it on MLB.TV. I will be babysitting my nieces, you see, as the sis and bro-in-law will hopefully be watching the A's beat the ever-lovin' snot out of their beloved bombers.
The biggest drawback to the extra innings package is that you can't take it with you. As it turns out, that's not such a big deal today... FOX-61 has come to its senses. Maybe they had enough of hate mail and bomb threats. Maybe they got rid of the evil Steinbrenner mole who had been skewing their viewer statistics. Maybe they were forced to sign a contract of faithfulness in order to advertise on NESN. To whatever tipped the scales, I am grateful, and I also think I might send an e-mail of appreciation. If you are watching today's game on FOX-61, I encourage you to do so as well. Usually people only write in to complain, so a flood of positivity over the Sox game might ensure many more to come.
So today when I realized that the young Jon Lester's Major League debut would be on FOX, I feared I might not even be able to order it on MLB.TV. I will be babysitting my nieces, you see, as the sis and bro-in-law will hopefully be watching the A's beat the ever-lovin' snot out of their beloved bombers.
The biggest drawback to the extra innings package is that you can't take it with you. As it turns out, that's not such a big deal today... FOX-61 has come to its senses. Maybe they had enough of hate mail and bomb threats. Maybe they got rid of the evil Steinbrenner mole who had been skewing their viewer statistics. Maybe they were forced to sign a contract of faithfulness in order to advertise on NESN. To whatever tipped the scales, I am grateful, and I also think I might send an e-mail of appreciation. If you are watching today's game on FOX-61, I encourage you to do so as well. Usually people only write in to complain, so a flood of positivity over the Sox game might ensure many more to come.
Friday, June 09, 2006
A Needed Boost
I was out tonight, at a place called the Seagrape, which is commonly too snobby to put on the Mets game, let alone the Sox. Tonight they didn't have a choice, and this "yankees" bar erupted in the sixth when A-rod missed a tough bounce for the go-ahead (winning) run. That Alex Gonzalez... I can't rank on him in good conscience, despite his failings to reach the Mendoza line. Surely his defensive play has saved more runs than Edgah had driven in at this time last year, and he does STEP UP for the skanks. I think this may have been lost to my companions, as the failure of the other Alex seemed to be at least half the joy for the crowd I was surrounded by tonight.
An inning later, after the Captain's three-run pad to the lead, the Mets game was suddenly and surprisingly airing on half the tv's. I was relaxed at this point, but still had the game in the corner of my eye through the 3-pitch A-rod strikeout in the ninth. "I hate A-rod," said my favorite Mets fan, at this point.
"I don't hate A-rod," I told him honestly. He's too pathetic to hate, in my opinion. "I hate Gary Sheffield." I didn't think this night was going to get any better until just now, when I saw the "Hell, No" ticker scroll by the info on scary gary's upcoming wrist surgery. He will be "out indefinitely." Poor guy. *sniff* ::stifles chuckle... but not convincingly::
Yes, upon coming home (quite toasty) I have flicked on yankees encore just in time to see the two-inning rally once again, this time with Michael Kay's invaluable comments in the background. (Although I must admit he's much better this year) And thank theo, yankees encore just moved straight from the top o' seventh to the bottom of the ninth, the only other part I really wanted to see. It did not escape me the first time around, by the way, that Pappy walked Melky Cabrera. Not my favorite person recently; how 'bout you? So, so sweet, though, to see the pop-up by Damon and back-to-back K's on Mr. Super-Human-Growth-Head & Prince Purple-lips. I suppose we wouldn't have that were it not for the walk. Pappy did that for our added enjoyment, methinks.
Well we did deserve it, after those last two games.
That's the last of the great rivalry for awhile. The press will have to hype up Phillies-Mets and Pale-Ho's-Tigers and Cardinals-Reds for a few months now. (yes, that was win #8 for our boy Bronson tonight, for those still keeping tabs) At least we have the Mets coming to Fenway soon; I get the impression that series might re-define NY-Boston scalper prices. I'm completely incoherant, glued on the Time-Life 70's Music Explosion commercial, and need to go to bed like two hours ago, but I think those last two sentences demonstrate the Nation's love for our players even when they've moved on... anywhere but the Bronx, Johnny. (you may have gone yard tonight, idiot, but your replacement got twice as many RBIs on one base hit. get used to being shown up by Coco; I think you'll be seeing that alot in the future.)
Aye, time to cut me off. (um, three hours ago, I know.)
An inning later, after the Captain's three-run pad to the lead, the Mets game was suddenly and surprisingly airing on half the tv's. I was relaxed at this point, but still had the game in the corner of my eye through the 3-pitch A-rod strikeout in the ninth. "I hate A-rod," said my favorite Mets fan, at this point.
"I don't hate A-rod," I told him honestly. He's too pathetic to hate, in my opinion. "I hate Gary Sheffield." I didn't think this night was going to get any better until just now, when I saw the "Hell, No" ticker scroll by the info on scary gary's upcoming wrist surgery. He will be "out indefinitely." Poor guy. *sniff* ::stifles chuckle... but not convincingly::
Yes, upon coming home (quite toasty) I have flicked on yankees encore just in time to see the two-inning rally once again, this time with Michael Kay's invaluable comments in the background. (Although I must admit he's much better this year) And thank theo, yankees encore just moved straight from the top o' seventh to the bottom of the ninth, the only other part I really wanted to see. It did not escape me the first time around, by the way, that Pappy walked Melky Cabrera. Not my favorite person recently; how 'bout you? So, so sweet, though, to see the pop-up by Damon and back-to-back K's on Mr. Super-Human-Growth-Head & Prince Purple-lips. I suppose we wouldn't have that were it not for the walk. Pappy did that for our added enjoyment, methinks.
Well we did deserve it, after those last two games.
That's the last of the great rivalry for awhile. The press will have to hype up Phillies-Mets and Pale-Ho's-Tigers and Cardinals-Reds for a few months now. (yes, that was win #8 for our boy Bronson tonight, for those still keeping tabs) At least we have the Mets coming to Fenway soon; I get the impression that series might re-define NY-Boston scalper prices. I'm completely incoherant, glued on the Time-Life 70's Music Explosion commercial, and need to go to bed like two hours ago, but I think those last two sentences demonstrate the Nation's love for our players even when they've moved on... anywhere but the Bronx, Johnny. (you may have gone yard tonight, idiot, but your replacement got twice as many RBIs on one base hit. get used to being shown up by Coco; I think you'll be seeing that alot in the future.)
Aye, time to cut me off. (um, three hours ago, I know.)
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Let's Get Out of Canada
So our boys pulled that one off. And to think ::hangs head sheepishly:: I was afraid to watch. Silly me.
The ferocious Tigers of Detroit continue to roll over and mew helplessly with the skanks in town. Pathetic. Last night they failed to take advantage of a grossly depleted lineup, dropping their fourth game in a row, with three of those gifted to the bombers. Maybe Jeter, Damon and Sheffield will all be out for a game we play them in. Think so? *Eh NO, Peg*.
Anyway, I did see some of that game, and must hail the impressiveness of our young studly arms. See, I totally missed the Pauley start (which, from what I read, seems like quite the frightening adventure) but the VB/DC tag team is workin' it. Maybe by the end of the season we can get enough young arms up so we don't need the z-boys.
I was starting to really like Wily Mo out there. Now it looks like he'll be taking a little break from us rabid fans...It sounds like this could hold Wily back all year. Fortunately it comes at a time when Coco has made it back to the lineup and Kaplar looks to be about a week away. What is it with this revolving outfield? Ah, well. Not as bad as the skanky situation, at least. The timing of these injuries seems to be working out in a roster-room-favorable way.
I took a peek forward in the rotation, mostly to stress myself out. Who will we be putting out there on the 6th to face the skanks? To make matters worse, we have a double-whammy on the tenth (make-up game v. Rangers) and no day off until the 12th. That's three games we don't have a starter for: the 6th, 10th, and 11th. Not cool. Today's day off is in the wrong spot. Rocky roads ahead, kids; brace yourselves. We'll need some offensive potency like last night to get through this stretch.
The ferocious Tigers of Detroit continue to roll over and mew helplessly with the skanks in town. Pathetic. Last night they failed to take advantage of a grossly depleted lineup, dropping their fourth game in a row, with three of those gifted to the bombers. Maybe Jeter, Damon and Sheffield will all be out for a game we play them in. Think so? *Eh NO, Peg*.
Anyway, I did see some of that game, and must hail the impressiveness of our young studly arms. See, I totally missed the Pauley start (which, from what I read, seems like quite the frightening adventure) but the VB/DC tag team is workin' it. Maybe by the end of the season we can get enough young arms up so we don't need the z-boys.
*
I was starting to really like Wily Mo out there. Now it looks like he'll be taking a little break from us rabid fans...It sounds like this could hold Wily back all year. Fortunately it comes at a time when Coco has made it back to the lineup and Kaplar looks to be about a week away. What is it with this revolving outfield? Ah, well. Not as bad as the skanky situation, at least. The timing of these injuries seems to be working out in a roster-room-favorable way.
I took a peek forward in the rotation, mostly to stress myself out. Who will we be putting out there on the 6th to face the skanks? To make matters worse, we have a double-whammy on the tenth (make-up game v. Rangers) and no day off until the 12th. That's three games we don't have a starter for: the 6th, 10th, and 11th. Not cool. Today's day off is in the wrong spot. Rocky roads ahead, kids; brace yourselves. We'll need some offensive potency like last night to get through this stretch.
