photo:SSNN
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
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 som
e 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. :~)
e 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. :~)
Friday, August 29, 2008
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.
Of those 7, an unprecedented 4 reached category 5 status.
{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!
The storm surge caused severe damage along the Gulf Coast, devastating the Mississippi cities of
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. ** Where I lived *** This is pronounced go-shayThe 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
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
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Turn Turn Turn
What's on TV tonight?
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.
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