Owned...

Was anyone else a little ticked off at the TBS announcers last night who kept saying "The Red Sox might steal this game" They might just steal this one from the Angels"? Sox own the Angels in the playoffs. We never lost against the Angels in the playoffs. It's our win to lose, not to steal. What were those morons thinking? Just because the Angels finished with the better record it makes them the better team? Beg to differ...

And so it begins...

I knew the Red Sox would make it to the playoffs. I knew the Cubs and Angels would be there as well. It was the DEVIL Rays and Dodgers that suprised me. The post season already has a surreal quality to it.

Red Sox finishing the season as the Paw Sox
Manny in Dodger blue.*
Derek Lowe in Dodger blue.**
The Cubs in post season.***
Yankees {choke} not in post season.
Dogs and cats, sleeping together!****

Whatever happens in these playoffs, I'm convinced that we/I will get our/my money's worth. I can confidently state that because, I don't have to pay crappy MLB.TV to watch baseball, anymore this year!!! HooRay! They really suck at something you would think, they would have to be good at. I think it's a law. Tonight starts the first night that I can watch baseball without having to pay for it 3 times. Follow my logic: Baseball should be on ESPN or FOX during the regular season, it's not and I pay for it every month on my cable bill. So, I pay for Internet service to watch it online, only you/I have to pay MLSUCKYB.TV to watch it online. That's three times no matter where you learned math.

*With short hair! I think he sneaks a bit off every week, the shock of an actual haircut might send his brain into a tailspin.
** It occurs to me that the Dodgers have a lot of our former Sox
***like I said... I knew they would be there, it just feels strange.
**** Sorry, saw Ghostbusters again, forgot how funny it was.

Funny Stephen King Commercial

by bsap11 @ "Surviving Grady"

It's all relative...

Photo courtesy of:
clickchick

Girl: That's a bit odd. Does he realize he's only going to see things in color, not in 3-D?

Guy: You didn't just say that.

Girl: What?

Guy: Well, how many dimensions do you think I am?

Girl: One.

Show me yours... I'll show you mine

My cell wallpaper for almost a year...

Photo courtesy: Erin at Jason Varitek's Official "Unofficial"website.

btw... WARNING! Photo may cause loss of consciousness

Wild Things

Congratulations Boston Red Sox. I love saying that at the end of the season. It's either Wild Card or Groovy Banner, it's ALL good!
12 years* 6 months ago the Sox opened in Japan against the Athletics. I thought then, that it was unfair to both teams to have to break camp early and play on a different planet. I felt like someone had stacked the deck against the Red Sox. With that kind of start {and the injuries} and the sensitivity that Dice K has to travel, I figured we, the Nation, had a good excuse if they failed to make the playoffs. The really weird thing is that I wasn't that worried. Truly, we own the wild card. It's a given. It's ours {if we go one step beyond, we get the groovy banner} It's a habit. You know, like Arod choking.
I have been teased by a friend, all year about the DEVIL Rays. "Hey! When are they gonna die?? You said they would fold! What? Sox can't beat the Ray of sunshine??" ** The DEVIL Rays surprised me. But thanks to them, I can't even respect what they have accomplished as a team this season. Had they just played and talked about what a great feeling it is to be out of the cellar... Nope, what they had to do was get all uppity. Cocky. Smug. They beat us at the Trop and then played "Sweet Caroline" while the Sox Faithful filed out of that vile, sorry excuse for a ball park. They brought a knife to a fist fight. So, it comes down to one game. Am I worried? Nope. "We" played all season, hurt, tired, distracted and stayed in second place through it all.*** The DEVIL Rays season was an aberration. A cosmic mistake. For those of you following "Fringe"... a butterfly effect. I'm not worried. One game or another, we still playing in October. "Excuse me, Mr. Jeter? Can I carry that golf bag for you?"
I really can't help but wonder, what if:

• Papi didn't hurt his wrist.
• Mike didn't hurt his hip.
• Tek didn't mess with his swing and slump.
• Drew didn't hurt his back.
• Buchholtz didn't implode
• Oki didn't lose his pitch location
• Lugo didn't tear his quad... stop laughing!
• Schilling didn't hurt his shoulder.
• Colon didn't hurt his back during interleague play... {and lose his everlovingmind in the process}
• Ellsbury didn't doubt himself out of identifying pitches.
• Timlin didn't cut his finger and hurt his knee after that
• Coco didn't cut his hair****
• Everybody didn't get the flu... and strep throat... and the flu again.
• Manny had just been Manny and not listened to "Boris the Spider".

So much happened this season and the Red Sox just owned 2nd place. It blows my mind. Really, What if ???? Can you imagine? What ever happens, I'm proud of the Red Sox, everyone of them. The 9 on the field, the band in the Pirate Ship. The Dudes on the bench, always ready. The skipper, the owners, the mascot, the beer guys... everyone of them. Excellent work. You guys did enough to get a us a few more games before summer is officially over.*****


* It sure feels like it was 12 years ago! It has been a very long season.
** My ex friend survived his initial injuries and my court ordered house arrest would have ended on Monday, however... police say the know for a fact that my house was the last place he was seen alive... I might need some help with bail...
*** Second is the new first ;-)

****He has forgotten the bible school story of Sampson!
*****Last day of summer is in Novenbah! Fascist calandar

R.I.P. "Keef"

Still miss you... 30 years later

Keith John Moon

August 23 1946 - September 7 1978

AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGH!

Blacked out AGAIN!!! I am SO fed up with MLB.Com! I ranted about this just a couple of weeks ago. I have not seen a single Red Sox/ Orioles game the whole year! They are playing at FENWAY tonight! Are you serious!?!? I live in the freaking foothills of North freaking Carolina! Fenway is 9 FREAKING STATES AWAY!!!!! Nine, the number between 8 and 10! Here is another freaking map! {it's down at the bottom. See ya when you get back} Oh, and just because I'm so pissed I'm counting NC as a state I have to drive through, I live on the border, it should count! In fact I'm so pissed I'm going to send this map to MLB.com! Only I'm going to take the LONG WAY to Boston! That's right! I'm going right through WASHINGTON FREAKING DC* on the way there! In fact, I'm going to stop off at the congressional building and slap some people around! WTF does it matter if we have instant FREAKING replay if we can't watch it the first FREAKING time??? I know congress doesn't have anything to do with instant replay, {yet} I just feel like slapping them around on general purposes. I just heard Coco cut off his braids! That makes this a historic game! I missed Manny's {I do miss Manny} HISTORIC home run at Camden Yards because of this stupid freaking blackout!!! I'm still pissed about that! I'm missing history! I'm paying through the nose and missing history! AND TEK HIT A HOME RUN!!! I keep missing home runs because of this! That's it, where is my bat? I'm crackin' skulls!** Where is MLB's headquarters anyway? I bet it's in NEW FREAKING YORK! That's where they keep all the idiots. Get outta my way! I have to go all the freaking way to BOSTON just so I can watch the game in a bar, {no way I can afford beer at fenway} I might as well stop in the NEW EFFING YORK and crack some skulls on the way there.
Damn. Kim just texted me and made me laugh. Well. That rant is over.

* with an an attitude
**not really, just venting do not call the police... or the fbi... or homeland security... or my mother.

{ started drinking at some point and this {{the following}} fell out. I don't remember where I had it and don't really care. I'm just tacking it on the end.}

Are Kidding ME??? This is SUCH crap! If I had a refund for every game I have been blacked out of this season, I could AFFORD to go to FREAKING FENWAY and see the freaking game in PERSON! I still couldn't afford the beer but still...

MLB.com can not possibly be going by the assumption that fans cheer for the geographicaly closest teams. That would be moronic. The Yankee fans are proof of that! They go to the games to BOO the yankees! The closest team to me are the Reds and the Braves. I am able watch every single one of their games if I wanted to. I watched 3 Reds games this year when the Res Sox had to do that ridiculas interleage play. I think that was the first and last time I say our pitcher, Colon. They made him swing a bat and he has been on the DL for like 4 months or something.*

*I'm much to pissed off to go looking for the exact dates and facts, screw it.

----------------------------------------------------------

{I wrote this to MLB.com. Note to self: I really should not BWI}

Can I change my address to Wyoming please? I'm positive I would be able to watch my Red Sox that way. The blackout rules are archaic and quite possibly, only imposed to make money of us without having to actually provide the service we are paying for. I know... "Read the TOS and the fine print and you only have 5 days to cancel and you MIGHT get a refund. Here is an idea. Instead of forcing instant replay down out throats, make it possible for us to follow our favorite team.

Tech Reply:"Actually, we are in the process of providing home and away feeds for video at some point this month. There is no definitive date yet."

My reply"

"Oh that's great news. Forgive me for sounding sarcastic but there are 25 games left in the season. We really could have used that option 137 games ago. I'm just saying... Blackouts have been an issue for a really long time. I find it fascinating that this will be rolled out just in time for the playoffs. Doesn't really help those fans who's teams don't make the playoffs. Will there be an extra charge for this option? Or will the fees go up again next season because of this? Again, I know this sounds sarcastic, I really don't mean it to be. {OK, I mean it to be just a little, but it's only because I'm incredible angry about this.} I am NOT directing this at you , more, sorta near you as you are an agent of MLB.com." {I resisted the urge to type EVIL agent of MLB.com}

The long suffering, patience of Job reply:

"I can understand your frustration, and the timing is a little tough, but it took some time to get the licensing agreements down."

Me:

"MLB.com really ought to let the fans help them out with that... I wouldn't mind sitting in on some of those meetings. I bet a meeting between MLB, owners, and a handful of fans with baseball bats... just kidding. It's a huge slow, step in the right direction. I bet lawyers screw it up."

Royal pain in the ass...

photo:SSNN

Killing Baseballs

Insomnia sucks.
The upside is I can make* fun stuff like this to pass the time. It was a long night and I had a few brainstorms. This is one that was just as good of an idea at 3am, as it was at 6am.** So I went ahead and made it. I wanted to put Manny's number on it, but I keep forgetting that he wears Dodger Blue now. He was born to kill baseballs. Miss you Manny...
Good thing he wasn't the only killer on the roster.

*I did not make the zippered baseball, just the sox logo and text. When I remember where I got the ball I'll add a credit. It was a cool site, all the pics had zippers.
**Or the other way around

Pedey Did It...

Did you see the laser light show last night? "Pedroiah the Destroyah" got some work done and broke a record* or two for good measure. I love it when he shows off. Little D went 4-4 with 3 singles, a double, a sorta intentional walk, 3 runs, 4 RBIs, 2 stolen bases** and a partridge in a pear tree. Web Gems called to tell him to cut it out already, there were other guys that wanted face time. The kid can't help it.

Did you see the laser strike show last night? Dice K pitched a 2 walk, 2 hit, shutout. He reminded me why the Sox paid so much money just to talk to him. I think he is beginning to smell the beautiful scent of October air, and he wants more. The Right Sox certainly gave some. He hasn't lost since July 28th. In baseball years, that is a long time ago.

Big D, went 3-4. Papi got an RBI and 2 runs. I love to watch The Big Man swing. Youk*** and Bay both drove in 3 runs. Jacoby made a sick catch right off the, er... bat. You ask me, that was the true turning point of the game. Ells had his {offensive} game on and turned everyone else's on too. You know looking at that first play had to pump up the Men in Red. Varitek went 2-4, Cora 2-5. It was an outstanding game. It was fun, let's do it again!


*Pedroia now has 104 runs for a Sox 2nd basemen and Bobby Doerr doesn't... anymore. Pedey said "He didn't seem like the kind of guy that would be mad about it"
**Pedroia being Ellsbury
*** Youk took another one for the team. He must be sick and tired of getting beaned.
PS. Dustin was playing "scruffless" last night. He cleaned up his version of facial hair. I'm betting his wife made him shave. :~)

Surviving Katrina, The Facts

on August 29th 2005, I survived hurricane Katrina. My house was destroyed and I lost nearly everything in it. That was 3 years ago today. I chose not to evacuate and for that you may call me a fool. The reason why so many did not evacuate is simple. We could not afford it... again. Evacuating your home is expensive. You can also lose your job. The Gulf Coast is a tourist town. Employers there, generally use the "no fault" policy. Basically they don't care why you called off, they do not require, nor will they accept, an excuse from a doctor. There are a set number of times that you can miss work in a set period of time. If you exceed that number, you are unemployed. Simple as that.

Evacuation is expensive, stressful, dangerous and time consuming. The simple fact is, so many stayed behind because of those 4 reasons. We had already fled so many times that year, we all became weary and a bit jaded. No one expected Katrina to become the monster it did. On the coast, every storm was compared to Camille. The weathermen even say it. "This won't be a Camille" Katrina tuned out to be much worse than Camille. Gas was getting very expensive,{gas stations on the coast quickly inflate prices to unbelievable prices. They come back down very slowly} hotel rooms {holiday weekend} were in short supply and those that could be had, were as far away as Memphis and that is very long drive in bumper to bumper traffic and 100 degree weather. So we stayed... and paid.

Katrina was not the first hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005.

There were 27 named storms that year, {a record}

15 of them were hurricanes. This exceeded the 1969* record of 12 hurricanes.

7 of these 15 hurricanes were major hurricanes.

Of those 7, an unprecedented 4 reached category 5 status.

Emily

Katrina

Rita

Wilma
{The 2 years before Katrina, Isabel and Ivan were cat5}

By the time Katrina hit Mississippi, we had already evacuated 3 times in just over 2 months!

Arlene 6/11/05

Cindy 7/5/05 {notice this is a holiday weekend}

Dennis 7/09/05 Category 3 {again, notice the date}

Katrina 8/29/05 Cat 5 {This was just before Labor Day weekend.}

The storm surge caused severe damage along the Gulf Coast, devastating the Mississippi cities of

Waveland

Bay St. Louis

Pass Christian

Long Beach

Gulfport

Biloxi**

D'Iberville

Ocean Springs

Gautier***

Moss Point

Pascagoula

The Mississippi and Alabama coastlines suffered catastrophic damage from the storm's 30-foot (9 m) storm surge.

New Orleans escaped the worst damage from the storm.

The levees along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and 17th Street and London Avenue Canals ultimately were breached by storm surge, flooding about 80% of the city. 1,836 people have been confirmed dead across 7 US states. Katrina is the costliest and one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history, with damage totals around $81.2 billion

I know that this seems like a very emotionless account of one of our nation's greatest catastrophes. Would you like to read about how the wind sounded like a woman being murdered for 10 hours straight? What it feels like when the roof comes off the house? What the Mississippi Sound smells like when it is 4 feet deep in your windowless bathroom? {and coming over the edge of the tub where I sought refuge?} How about what bricks feel like when they hit your body? Would you like to read that at times, all I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears? Others times it was glass smashing, metal crumbling, wood splintering, water gushing. Neighbors screaming for help, for mercy... for it to just stop. And then it did. All at once. Just for a little while. Then it started all over again.

It's easier to think about the facts than the emotion of it. 3 years is not far enough away from the terror for me to be able to go into the emotion. I can tell you that the gulf coast of MS. was beautiful. It was a world away from the redneck stereotypes. It was a beach town, where shrimping, gambling and football was local religion. I wasn't born there but it was easy to claim as my own. I like wearing shorts and sandals in December! Some complained that they liked 4 seasons and we don't have that. Oh, but we do! Almost summer, summer, still summer and Christmas Day.

I'm marking this anniversary by drinking beer {nipping on bourbon} wearing my tshirt that says: I survived Katrina and all I got was this stinking shirt from FEMA, and watching Gustav follow a terrifying familiar path in the Gulf of Mexico. I'm sending all my prayers and keeping my toes and fingers crossed. But I'm not placing any bets. I'm very afraid for the coast. If the worst does happen, do the survivors a favor. Find a way to donate money or supplies without going through the Red Cross. Trust me on this. Give your aid to the local churches. They are the only ones helping the survivors in any real or meaningful way. The only sign of the Red Cross in the first month after Katrina was one meals on wheels truck. You had to go to it, if you could find it. That's enough BWI for now...

* The year of Camille

** Where I lived

*** This is pronounced go-shay

Papi Did It...

The house that Ruth built...

The House Big Papi TORE DOWN.

Just so you know, I have nothing against the building. It's the fans I can't stand. Let's keep the stadium and replace the morons who "boo" their own team and leave in the 7th.

In Case You Wondered

Jacoby Ellsbury has the last ball, from the last game played at Yankee Staudium, between the Red Sox and the Yankees. Aren't you glad 'roid boy in the pornstach doesn't? I am.

Cooperstown has probably already asked Ells to give up the ball, for the good of all mankind. He probably has, with one of his slow, easy grins. I doubt Ells would demand payment in return for a piece of history. {You know who I'm referring to, don't make me try and spell the name.}

Way to go, Ells. You were born to wear Red Sox.

Photo courtesy of Kelly at Sittingstill

Turn Turn Turn

What's on TV tonight?

HBO: Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel

NBC: NFL PRE season Football Jags v Skins

CBS: NFL PRE season Football Panthers v Steelers

ABC: Ugly Betty {repeat}

FOX: NFL PRE season Football Panthers v Steelers <-NOT a typo! Same game 2 different channels.

ESPN: College Football NC State v South Carolina

ESPN2: College Football Oregon v Stanford

FSNSouth: College Football Wake Forest v Baylor

WGN: Baseball Phillies v Cubs {National League}

SportsSouth: Baseball Marlins v Braves {National League}

ESPNU: College Football Vanderbilt v Miami Ohio

CSTV: College Football Florida v Kentucky {from 2007... seriously}

Fox Sports Atlantic: High School Football. {This SO makes my rant understandable}

About 12 channels airing the Democratic National Convention

One of my biggest rants has always been airing other sports during baseball season. You know, baseball? The national past time? Google "National Past Time" I'm betting it will come back with 3 gajillion pages of baseball, not football or basketball, etc. Summertime IS baseball. Today is August 29th 2008* I know because I checked a dozen times while I looked at the tv guide in amazement. It's the dog days of August, the middle of hurricane season, the height of SUMMER and there are 10 football games on.** There are only 2 baseball games on and they are both National League Games.*** As my dearly departed Gram would say "What the HELL is happening to this country?" It's anarchy, I tell you! I bet a good portion of you complain when Christmas decorations go up and carols are piped through the PA system before Halloween. It's the same thing. It's the apocalypse. It goes against the natural order of things! It's like the song says "To everything there is a season, under Heaven"**** The bottom line is this: It's time for baseball. All the other sports should wait their turn. { I really can't help it. I love puns}


*One year ago tomorrow I survived hurricane Katrina. Sorta feels like a 2nd birthday. But not the fun kind with presents and beer.
**Bryant Gumbel on Home Box Office talking about sports is a whole 'nother profanity laced rant.
*** National League doesn't even begin to count until The World Series.
**** The lyrics to this song called "Turn, Turn, Turn" by the Byrds can actually be found in the bible.

Beaned Town

What? It's just not a Yankees/Red Sox game until a Yankee pitcher hits Kevin Youkilis?* Makes me wonder if there is a tally sheet taped to the wall in the Yankees clubhouse. I wonder how many times Youk has been hit a.) by a Yankee pitcher and b.) in Yankee stadium? Too be fair, Mussina beaned Alex Cora as well. The following inning {6th for those of you who care} Lester hit Johnny Damon up high. But it wasn't retaliation. The Yankee announcers even said so. They are absolutely unbiased and you can believe everything they say, right? ...And they call Boston Beantown, huh.

*The picture is not from today's game. MLB.tv got wise and I can't screen cap live. I googled for the picture and was amazed at how many pictures of Youk getting hit there are out there.

Get out of my head... revisited

The Squeeze "Tempted by the fruit of another". Someone is using this song in their commercial. It was never a big favorite of mine, but it's got a good beat that lends itself to head bopability.* I always seem to get these songs stuck in my head when there is no chance of hearing any other music for some time, so, the song can not be replaced by another. It's really not fair.


Bopability: The overwhelming urge to move one's head {in this case} in time to the beat of a song. The bop urge is most often felt in the dominate foot. Manifesting itself as toetapping. A close cousin to this involuntary reaction is the urge to speak "Turn it up" at the beginning of a popular Lynard Skynard song.

The End Of The Evil Empire

History is not transferable. When the New York Yankees quit their stadium at the end of the season and move across the street, the history is gone with the "old" Yankee Stadium". Like they say, "You can't take it with you". The Yankees will have to start over. The "New" Yankee Stadium will not be the "House That Ruth Built"* It will not be where Roger Maris** hit 61 single season home runs. {That record still stands. McGuire and Bonds cheated when they used steroids}It will not be where the Yankees claimed umpteen World Series titles. All of that will be gone. It will be the 2009 Yankees in a new stadium with zero history or character. The Yankee myth and legend will be torn down with the old building. How sad. I'm surprised that it isn't going to be called Stienbrenner Stadium. How much did he pay to build it? Most of all, I feel sorry for Derek Jeter***. He should be allowed to retire in Yankee Stadium. I believe he deserves that, at least. He is getting ripped of. Who ever made {a mess out of }the 2008 schedule missed a beautiful opportunity. The last game in Yankee Stadium should have been against the Red Sox, not the Orioles. It started with the Red Sox on April 28th 1923, the first game ever played in Yankee Stadium. {we lost} It should have ended that way. I can't help but wonder if "someone" got nervous and decided it would not be good to lose to the Sox in their last game in the old place. The start of a curse? Forgive me but I'm a dyed in the womb Sox fan. I BELIEVE in curses. The Yankees may be cursed anyway. They have almost no hope at making it to the post season and that is what they will carry into the new building, and new season. I'm sure at some point next summer, when the Yankees find themselves in the cellar, the fans { for reasons I will never understand, boo their own team} will whisper CURSE. So it will begin.

In the mean time, the Sox take the first 2 of a 3 game stand for the last time at this stadium. The Yankees gave up early tonight. Sox slug away and stretch runs. Our future captain, {the 9 foot tall } Dustin Pedroia, hits a grand slam. {11-2 goodguys} The Yankee "faithful" head for the exit's in the 8th, like rats abandoning a sinking ship. The Sox fans loudly cheer for their boys. It feels like the Yankees gave up on the season, long ago. They are just going through the motions. Waiting for next year. This is not the way the last year at the stadium should be played. I bet their "legends" are very, very angry tonight. Even the overly biased announcers can think of very little to say about the Yankees that is positive. They have been forced to recognize the Sox as the superior team. Hell has actually frozen over.**** Turns out, it's a good thing. So in the end, the "evil empire" is no more. Those who sold out to the dark side, long for the light.***** The "good guys" win again. The Red Sox are Forever...

* Am I the only one that gets a kick out of the fact that a Red Sox player "built" Yankee stadium? The Babe was ours first. The Sox grow legends, the Yankees buy them.

** Roger Maris was born to wear Red Sox, he just got a rotten deal and ended up with the Yankees.

*** Also born to wear Red Sox. Too bad he ended up with the Yankees. He and Maris are proof that the Gods Of Baseball do indeed get drunk on occasion and make stupid bets. {See Kevin Millar.}

**** It's true! I called Joe Morgan, he says it's froze solid where he is and he's glad he didn't work the game tonight. He is pretty sure he couldn't think of something nice to say about the Red Sox to save his life.

***** Are you there Johnny? It's me, Jaid~

The Beginning Of The End

Red Sox open a 3 game stand at Yankee Stadium tonight. Tim Wakefield against Andy Pettitte. It's the bottom of the fifth, the Yankees are losing 6 -2. The Yankees have complained about every single thing already tonight. I would say that they look like little leaguers out there, but that would be an insult to little leaguers. Johnny Damon is the only reason they are still in this game. Huh, looks like John can't help but hit homers in Yankee Stadium, no matter what color his uniform is. Pettitte is arguing the strike zone, Molina is arguing interference and Giambi is playing like an idiot at first base, letting runs in while he argues. He still has that ridiculous looking pornstach on his lip. Somebody should tell him that everyone is laughing at him.
The Yankee fans are booing Arod, nothing new there. He is playing a lazy third base and can't hit Wake. The Red Sox are playing with bench warmers and call ups, the injury bug is stalking the club house. I'm amazed the Red Sox have held onto second place with the illness, injuries and brutal travel schedule. Makes me wonder where we would be if we had not started the year at a disadvantage. Regardless, the Sox have had an awesome season and they should finish with a division win or wild card. It's all good. They will go on to win another World Series. No question. No doubt. No problem. We plan on making a habit of it. I'm just sayin'...

Gratuitous Varitek

A picture of Jason Varitek because:
1. He looks really good
2. You are about to see something completely hideous in the next post, Tek will make it easier for you to deal with it.
3. He looks really, really good.
4. See numbers one and three, repeat as needed.

I heart Tek, don't you?

Is Andy Insane?

Andy Pettitte looks insane. Did you ever really take a look at his eyes? You think it's the steroids?

Uh-huh, remember he was juicing and that's apparently OK. It's not like anyone got punished. Roger Clemons probably won't get to the Hall of Fame in a big hurry, but there was no real fall out. The clear message is this: Just don't get caught, but if you do it's OK, just don't get caught again.

ESPN Hates MLB

Anyone else notice that ESPN hates Major League Baseball? The American league, in particular. It seems that since baseball season started ESPN has aired any sport but baseball. ESPN loves basketball, preseason football*, college football, NASCAR, regular season football, tiddlywinks... not baseball. They might air a game, maybe two a week. Chances are, that game is going to be a National League game. ESPN seems to like the Braves. The problem with that, for me is this: The Braves already have their own network. It's always fun when the Braves play the Reds, who also have their own network, it means I can ignore it on 3 different channels.
what ESPN really loves is basketball. They air 2-3 games a day during the season. {The NBA has the longest season I've ever seen. Is it necessary to play 11 months out of a year? I think not.} Football has a relatively short season, it just seems to take forever. I think it's all the complaining they do. They play one a game a week and bitch about it for the next 6 days. Sissys

ESPN, ESPN2 and the so called FOX Sports networks, suck. They ignore baseball all season and then pay through the nose for the right to broadcast the playoff and World Series games,and screw it up. Joe Morgan is a biased moron. Most of the hasbeens and neverweres that the sports networks hire to "announce" the games have no clue as to what it going on. I watched a Red Sox - Angels game and Morgan spent the whole afternoon talking about the Yankees. WTF???

I'm ranting about this because I just saw the broadcast schedule for the NBA on ESPN. Preseason football {instead of baseball} has been on every sports network, every night for the last few weeks. My post season aggravation is starting early this year.

*Preseason football is the equivalent of spring training baseball. I don't remember ESPN airing any spring training games. I had to watch them online, just like I have with the bulk of the regular season games, because... ESPN hates baseball.

Get out of my head!

10 cc. "I'm Not In Love"
It's stuck in my head. It's been stuck for days. My friend swears Crisco will work. I'm afraid to ask, so we can both just wonder. If you don't know this song, you didn't grow up in the 70's.* I was told once that if you get a song stuck in your head, sing it to some unsuspecting fool**, it will transfer {like magic} from your head to theirs, thus becoming their problem.

* Or maybe you did but smoked so much mother nature you just can't place it. Here is a hint: big boys don't cry, big boys don't cry, big boys don't cry.
**The jerk in front of you at 7-11 paying with pennies is a good target. In fact, even if you don't have a song stuck in your head, pick a really insidious one just as punishment. Barry Manilow's "Even Now" is good. Or the theme from Gilligan's Island. Did you know the words to that song can be sung to "Stairway To Heaven"? Did I mention I grew up in the 70's?

Blackouts

I missed the whole series against Baltimore. You know, the one where Tek hit a couple of homers and real nifty double? Uh-huh, that one. I was blacked out. Before you begin to wonder about just how much beer I was enjoying, let me be clear. MLB.COM blacked me out. Why? Because I live close enough to Baltimore to purchase a ticket and put my fanny in a seat. I went to Map quest and fed it the start and end info, this is what it spit out: Estimated Time: 8.0 hours 15 minutes Estimated Distance: 488.87 miles. I currently reside in North {Sweet} Carolina {Ba-Ba-Ba} tho, not by choice*. In fact, I live close enough to South Carolina, I could spit at it, and sometimes do. So, counting NC, Va, and driving through {i.e. all the way around!} D.C. Camden Yards is like 3 States away! 8 hours and 15 minutes, does not include, potty and fuel stops, food stops, detours, road {de}construction and all the the other crap that goes with 8 hour car trips. What it also does not take into consideration is THE TRIP BACK! THE TIME IT TAKES TO PLAY THE GAME AND THE FACT THAT I WILL HAVE TO DO IT 3 DAYS IN A ROW!!! I pay for Internet service, I pay to "watch every game, every day, everywhere" {that's what they say} in fine print it says "subject to black out". I understand that there is money to be made by having fans come out to the park. I understand that stations like FOX and ESPN want exclusivity rights to broadcast games. I'm OK with that. I'm not OK with being blacked out of nearly every game played on the East Coast. Oh yeah, you read that right. The teams I am blacked out for: Baltimore, Cincinnati, Washington DC and Atlanta. That is nearly every team on the Eastern Seaboard. The good news is, all of them but Baltimore are National League and they don't count until October. Here is how it works. MLB.TV takes my money and I get to watch my beloved Red Sox games on a small computer screen. Sometimes, the games are on ESPN, Fox or one of the Big 3 Networks. That is a BONUS! Yeah!! Sox on the big screen! Never mind the irony**

I'm still paying to watch online but it's OK, it's on the TV!! Only sometimes, FOX, ESPN, etc, buys the right to broadcast the game, but they don't air it. Or, they do, just not in my area. This falls under "regional broadcast". So, the last 3 days the Red Sox played in Baltimore and I {got to see preseason football, eeew} could not see it online OR on the TV because I live within driving distance to Camden Yards. :~)

Let's review: I'm paying {through the nose} for cable, Internet service and MLB.COM. I did NOT see the whole Baltimore series that I paid for twice because I was blacked out. Blacked out because Baltimore is within driving distance from where I live. Here, I'll draw you a picture:
Oh yeah, I'm pissed. Wouldn't you be?
*I'm not incarcerated or anything. I can leave when ever I want. It's just that we do, what we do, for those we love. Love brought me here. It could be worse.

** I have a pretty big TV, I have a fairly small monitor. 90% of my visual entertainment is baseball online, 10% is Lost, Grey's and CSI {and soon Fringe} on the television. Please note that all of these shows are on Thursday. WTF is up with that???

Bay starts a fire....

Today Papi was being Jacoby, Dice K was being Becks and Mike was being Mike. I found out that Mike Lowell has bone spurs in his hip. YOWZA!! That has got to hurt. You know Mike tho... he is still there, grinding it out. Papi stole second base and got a laugh later when he started eyeing third. I heart Papi. Dice K is having an outstanding day, his pitch count is high but he looks better than I have seen him in a long time.

The girls at Fenway are already in love with Jason Bay. I'm enjoying reading all the "Bay" signs in the bleachers. I was blown away with the standing ovation the Nation gave Bay as he walked up for his first at bat. A standing ovation. Any way you cut it, the Fenway Faithful are a classy bunch. I can't help but wonder how he would have been received at Yankee Stadium. What if he had replace Jeter, for example. I'm thinking it would have been more of a Bronx cheer.

So the game goes into a rain delay with Varitek at bat... with a full count. Crap. That seems so unfair. At least the Red Sox are winning. It's 5-2. I remember sitting through a rain delay as a kid. A couple of the players took their cleats off and went out to have some fun sliding around on the tarp. They pantomimed pitching and hitting, stealing second head first and scoring the winning run. They were soaked through and having a ball. I remember every minute of that delay but couldn't tell you who won the game or what the score was. Huh, that was 30 years ago.... but, damn. Now I feel old.

Bay found out why the boys in red socks take off their batting helmet before returning to the dug out after a run. {I'm pretty sure there should be a comma someplace in that sentence}
"...you get pounded in the head pretty good. I took that thing off immediately when I got there," Bay said. "We just have a tendency to get people in the head when they don't take off their helmet," said catcher Jason Varitek.
Jed Lowrey might be an Athletics killer. In the first two games he went 4-7. The combination of Bay and Lowrey has worked out phenomenally well these last two games and it has continued today. Ells and Tek are climbing out of their slumps and Tito might move Jacoby back to the top of the order very soon.

Delay is over and we are back to soxball. Oki is in to relieve Dice K. Top of the seventh inning. Oki has really struggled this season. I sure hope he can figure out how to get the magic back. We really miss it. Btw.. the lady sitting behind home plate must be on her third ice cream cone. That or it's taking her forever to finish it. I'm really jonesing for some ice cream... see ya.

oh no! not a no - no!

Up until tonight I loved the no hitter. The Red Sox nearly handed a no hitter to the Angels. I say handed, not to devalue the talent of the Angels, but because the Sox are deadly at home. "Pedroia The Destroya" and Youk got a couple of hits in the bottom of the ninth to end the no-no and a drinking binge. The nervous binge was mine, not Lackey's. It would seem that this season, the Angels own us. Post season is a different matter all together. There is no doubt in my mind that we we will sweep them in them in the ALCS... again.