Filed under: things
a brief hiatus if you will. but i intend to be back for good this time. i need to keep on top of all things bo sox. billy wagner? we shall see what prosperity he brings to bean town. maybe we will see him with an alpaca or two on the commons…
in other news, my twin sisters are about to leave for college…one leaves this weekend, headed to Simmons (in Boston) and the other leaves the following weekend — bound for Suffolk. I am super excited for them and can’t wait for my first visit!!
Josh Beckett has been brilliant lately…Yesterday was (hopefully) a fluke. And Beckett was angry with his performance yesterday…Homerun and all…
“It’s a shame,” said Beckett. “Your team scores you six runs and you can’t hold them to less then that. Pretty horrible.”
…If the Red Sox had won the game, Beckett would have been all too happy to break down the mechanics of his swing. But in defeat, he looked like he swallowed some sour milk when asked about the blast.
“Why would I want to talk about that? All it did was help us lose the game,” Beckett said. “I’d like to talk about the other things I did to help us lose the game.”
Although, I do like what Tito had to say…
“Beckett hits one out and we’re right back in it,” said Francona. “Regardless of how that inning before went, we’re OK. It just didn’t work out very well the rest of the day. The last two hours weren’t as good as the first two.”
i have a special place in my heart for beckett\’s wickedly dry sense of humor and on the heels of his suspension, he does not disappoint:
Here he is talking about Mike Scioscia\’s thoughts that he should have shown more remorse after throwing \”at\” Abreu:
“I don’t really feel like I did anything. It’s unfortunate,” Beckett said. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do. Am I supposed to go give him a hug? I wasn’t really in a hugging mood right then. I don’t really know what they wanted me to do.
They made their own judgment on it. I had two umpires tell me that I handled it great. One of them publicly said that. The other one told me twice, once when I was coming off the mound and once right afterwards.”
seriously, a hug would have been awesome. Next time Josh, next time.
for love of the game.
so, its finally over. we must say good bye to curt schilling. evidently he announced his retirement on his blog, but thanks to MLB.com sending out a text message announcing it, the 38 Pitches website has crashed. so here is what i can say without reading his official post:
thanks for the years Mr. Schilling. you weren’t always a fan favorite, but you sure kept everyone talking and you kept people on their toes. and thanks to you and your wife shonda for all of the great charity work you have done in new england. hopefully you will keep on with that since you plan to stay in medfield, eh?
once i can log onto his blog i will be back with a more thorough response.
**Okay, so I have read his blog, and I thought it was a good way to say goodbye. I think that Curt has made himself extremely open to fans, and whether you agree with the things he says or does, he has allowed himself and the fans to have open communication, something that I feel has helped curt carve out a place in the hearts of red sox fans every where. I have to repost a part of his message that I think best sums up the curt schilling that I know:
“The game always gave me far more than I ever gave it. All of those things, every single one of those memories is enveloped with fan sights and sounds for me. Without the fans they would still be great memories, but none would be enduring and unforgettable because they infused the energy, rage, passion and ‘feel’ of all of those times. The game was here long before I was, and will be here long after I am gone. The only thing I hope I did was never put in question my love for the game, or my passion to be counted on when it mattered most. I did everything I could to win every time I was handed the ball.”
Not only does this sum up schilling in a nut shell, but this is the way that all players should feel/act. I may not always agree with schilling’s ideas/opinions, but I respect the man for the way he plays the game, the way he carries himself and the message he relays to young players.
Take care Mr. Schilling and don’t be a stranger to baseball.
for love of the game.
can anyone explain to me why its a such a big deal that papelbon expressed his feelings about having manny leave the red sox organization? obviously, he isn’t going to have the nicest things to say — manny caused an incredible disturbance in the red sox club house and now that he is gone, it seems the disturbance has followed him. was calling ramirez cancer a little extreme? yes, probably, but does it make his point, most definitely.
I think one of the best points pap’s made was that it just seemed like such bull that manny was trying to pull. Take these comments from redsox.com: “Yeah, because you know how much he could help your team,” Papelbon said. “You know how much this guy could really help your team, and he’s not. He’s sitting out against No. 1 starters, doing this or that. You ask him what knee hurts and he goes, ‘Oh, I don’t know which one today’s going to hurt.’ Give me a break. And he thinks it’s a big joke. Well, we’re out here trying to win ballgames, not figure out which one of your knees hurt.”
I think with these comments just being published now, it makes it look like papelbon and the red sox are dwelling on the situation, but come on this was from an interview he did in december. back in december the wound was still raw from the let down they had experienced with manny. there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that manny was a key part of the red sox organization for his entire career there, but he was also a thorn in the side of the red sox throughout his career with boston. let’s take spring training for instance…i can remember ONE season where manny showed up on time and in good spirits. he looked healthy and he looked like he actually wanted to be in fort meyers. every year prior he claimed a death in the family, a health crisis, or some other natural disaster that would keep him from attending spring training until nearly part way through. and that pattern continues even now that he has “found happiness” in LA. In my opinion it was part of his plan all along to drag out his contract signing so that he could stay away from spring training for the beginning of the spring. and to top it all off, when he finally signed and managed to drag his ass to ST he was scratched from his first start because of a “tight hamstring”! OH PLEASE! maybe if you had gotten off your ass this winter and done what you are supposed to do to get ready for the season you wouldn’t have to worry about tight hamstrings. I don’t mean to pick on mr. ramirez, but you are getting paid $20 mil this year to play a GAME! get to work in february like everyone else and take it seriously man. but as you and i all know, that’s just manny being manny, man.
maybe papelbon was right, he is cancer to a clubhouse. a big malignant tumor that the doctor’s can’t ever fully remove. good luck LA…you’re going to need it.
for love of the game.
Filed under: things | Tags: dodgers, frank mccourt, joe torre, manny, spring training
i like how manny didn’t sign with anyone until part way through spring training…a new way to avoid spring training…i think he finally realized that his grandmother couldn’t keep dying…you know part of me is glad he will be with the dodgers again, maybe this year when they have to deal with him for an entire season, they will finally get to see the real manny. so good luck with that Mr. Torre and Mr. McCourt…good luck.
for love of the game.
Filed under: things | Tags: charity, Coco, pedroia, Ramirez, Tek, World Series
why is it that I feel like in the long run no one is going to notice that we just sent Coco packing? He is one of those players that has come to Boston and stood in the shadows. He has contributed once in a while, he has made some people laugh, but he hasn’t made the connection. As much as we hate Manny now, we loved him when he was “connecting” with us…making us feel like he was just a regular old guy who happened to play for the Red Sox. Coco isn’t that guy. Coco is quiet, and almost aloof. Sure he took it down and dirty a couple of times, but does that really get us where it counts? I don’t feel my heartstrings being tugged as Coco plans his next hair do in Kansas City…I almost feel relief. “Good, now Jacoby can be the star he should be…” Is that wrong of me? My sister is pissed, now she can’t wear her “I’m cuckoo for Coco” t-shirt…But that’s really all she is mad about…That’s kind of sad, honestly. We generally, here in Red Sox Nation, pride ourselves on the connections we have with “our” players. We are all begging, pleading for Varitek to stay; I think a few of us shed a tear (right along with his mother) when Pedroia won the MVP; We really don’t want to deal Lowell for Texeira, but we know Theo knows best; We’re sad to see Timlin retire, but it’s better that way than losing him to an undeserving opponent. My point is this: in order to really make it in Boston you have to connect with the Nation. You have to have that extra something…You basically have to have the personality of Manny Ramirez, but play with heart like Jason Varitek. So a word to the new comers to the Red Sox organization…make a connection, make an impact on New England and Red Sox Nation, and we will stand behind you till the end. It will help if you contribute a World Series win, gather a slew of individual awards and maybe have a worthwhile charity that benefits the locals…
for love of the game.
Filed under: things | Tags: Big Papi, Dustin Pedroia, Josh Beckett, Text Messages, Thomas
so last night was interesting. but let me cut right to the chase: i gave up. ok ok, i know what you are thinking, but in my defense…I don’t get TBS at home, so I have to drive my ass 30 minutes to my friend’s house and watch there…so basically when things are going great I am not too excited about the prospect of driving home at 1 in the morning…but in any event, I missed maybe the 2nd greatest comeback in all of baseball’s history…besides when the Philadelphia A’s came back against the Cubs in game 7 of the World Series in 1929. That’s right, I have random baseball knowledge stored in my memory bank for no reason.
And I would like to make a point here: if you refer to my post from yesterday, I believe I called it! “I say Ortiz finally comes through tonight, Pedie keeps on keeping on and Ellsbury steps up. I have this feeling that Youuuuuk’s going to hit a ‘homah’.” Ok, so I wasn’t 100% in my prediction, but Ortiz came through, BIG TIME and Pedie kept on for sure. Ellsbury didn’t get a chance to step up, so I can’t really be blamed for that. And last night wasn’t Youuuuk’s turn, but he did touch home plate… 
I stopped watching in the 6th inning. I went home, went to bed and slept poorly. I tossed and turned all night replaying the horrible 6 innings that I had just witnessed. I thought about things that could have been done differently, what I would tell Tito to change, where things went wrong. I woke up (late) this morning, stumbled out of bed, jumped in the shower, completed my morning routine and as I was running out the door I finally looked at my cell phone and low and behold I had about 800 text messages from Thomas telling me “the score is 7-1…the score is 7-4 PAPI HIT A HOMAH…It’s 7-7 … OMG the SOX WIN!!!!” I just about died. Seriously, I think my heart skipped a beat or two. I ran back in the house, proudly changed into my Josh Beckett shirt and floated into work this morning…Ahhh how the sun is so glorious today! I can’t wait for tomorrow…my boy Beckett better be back in tip top shape. I have a feeling he will be. It’s just a feeling, but baby it’s a good one. GOOOO SOX!!!
Filed under: things | Tags: dice-k, Fenway Park, Ortiz, pedroia, the Fitch's
So it’s do or die. Make or break. It’s the big deal tonight. And this much I know is true, Dice-K will be our man. I was listening to my local sports radio show this morning on my drive to work and there was all this talk about David Ortiz bunting. Yes, BUNTING! I just don’t get the school of thought on that. I can see it maybe once, maybe if we are losing by a lot…but even then I have a hard time with it. I just don’t see the use. Ok, say he beats out the throw and he is standing on first…then what? It’s not like he is going to steal second. So why bother? I just feel like you might as well sit his ass on the bench and let John Henry hit for him. I say Ortiz finally comes through tonight, Pedie keeps on keeping on and Ellsbury steps up. I have this feeling that Youuuuuk’s going to hit a “homah”.
I am getting pretty frustrated with the haters around here. It seems like we are turning into the Yankee fans. For the past 4 years the red sox could do no wrong for so many of us. Suddenly it’s like the curse is back and we are going to turn our backs on the sox. I just don’t get it. We always loved the sox, heartbreak and all. So what if they are down 3-1 in the ALCS…stranger things have happened. I am not always this optimistic, but I just feel like, it gives us something to believe in, it gives us hope when in many other aspects of American life right now we are just getting shot down and rejected. To the fans sitting in Fenway Park at game time tonight: Get off your ass and on your feet. Jump up and down, do the wave, cheer, drink beer and be merry. Now is not the time to sit quietly and chat on your phone at the Park. The Sox feed off of the emotion of the fans…give them something positive to feed off from. I don’t care how much you paid for your seat (or your standing room)…Get your monies worth and cheer your head off. I will be cheering from the couch at the Fitch’s house…I expect you might even hear me all the way down in Boston if the wind is right.
for love of the game.
