An Outlander at AT&T Park, San Francisco

After our three games in Denver, we hopped a plane headed west - to San Francisco to see the Red Sox play three games versus the San Francisco Giants. Our flight was delayed getting into SFO due to fog - so we barely had time to drop our bags at our friend Kate's apartment, and head to the Park. The gates were just opening, so we watched batting practice (Ortiz had his son with him, which was adorable). Then we grabbed some dinner at the California Grill - and I got my garlic fries. I swear the aroma of garlic permeates the Park, which isn't a bad thing. I was really impressed with the array of concessions at the Park - standard fare like hot dogs,sure, but also a Chinese food stand, Ghirardelli hot fudge sundaes, a California wine cart, real Irish coffees - there was even a farmer's market on the Club level!

Our seats were in the section right behind the Sox bullpen, which was fun. When someone was warming in the pen, as he tossed, the fans would make this "wooo" sound, on a rising note. Then when the ball was tossed back, the "woo" was on a descending note. As for the game, we lost - and we also lost Pedroia for 4-6 weeks. He fouled a ball off his foot and broke it. Imagine going from 3 home runs one night to the disabled list the next.

A sharp contrast in temperatures during that 24 hour period. Game time temperature in Denver on Thursday had been 92 degrees. Friday night in SF it was 59! Yikes! Now I know why there was a long line at the Irish Coffee cart.

Game 2 was broadcast on Fox, so that meant a 4pm start - not much time to do any sightseeing. So we took a cable car ride and wandered along the Embarcadaro to the Park. We had planned to find a place to watch the US in the World Cup soccer tournament, but we couldn't get in anyplace - everything was "at capacity." So we sat at a sidewalk restaurant, ate pizza and enjoyed the California sunshine.

Game 2 was special: they were retiring the number of Monte Irvin, a Negro League player who also played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. All the Giants stars were there to honor him: Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda - very, very cool. It was a beautiful sunny day, which made the whole ceremony that much more spectacular.

We sat at the Club Level, again on the second tier. It was a nice spot, with access to all the Club Level extras (less crowded ladies' room, better concessions). We won 4-2, although we lost another player to injury: Buchholz left with a pulled hamstring.

We met our buddy Lydia for dinner at Joe DiMaggio's restaurant - a really nice spot in North Beach. We had a great meal - and a lot of laughs. And the trip back to the hotel was highlighted by a gorgeous full moon over the Transamerica Pyramid.

Day 3 - Sunday - was an interesting and fun day. It began with a stroll along the beginning of the route for the city's annual Gay Pride Parade. Yes, there were naked men and men dressed as women, but we also met some pit bill owners showing off their "babies" and librarians from the SF Public Library. It was a wonderful salute to human rights, the right for each person to be themselves. Very cool. Then on to the Park - our freebee today was a Panda mask, in honor of SF third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who is called Kung Fu Panda. My lunch today was the Crazy Crab sandwich, recommended by the NYTimes. Very good.

We sat on the Field Level, about a dozen rows behind the SF dugout. It was a really hot day - lots of sunblock was used - but the seats had their own concessions area below the stands. It was a handy spot to get out of the sun. As for the game, the billed star was two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum - who the Sox battered into submission by the third inning. Ortiz even hit a homer into McCovey Cove! The REAL star was on our side: Jon Lester threw a complete game, looking very strong. Who would have predicted that Giants pitchers would get 15 strikeouts - and lose 5-1? Bad note: we lost another player to injury - Victor Martinez left with a broken thumb!

After the game, we had dinner in Chinatown - yum! Then, it was time for me to pack up - I took the 1:30 am red eye back home. Ack.

Other notes on AT&T: at the end of the game, maybe within 10 minutes of the last out, the seagulls come swooping in. You can see them perching on the roof, on the giant glove in left field, waiting for the crowds to disperse so they can get their dinner. Very Hitchcock-esque! Great concessions - an incredible variety of food and drink. A gorgeous setting on the Bay - we were lucky to have such clear weather so we could enjoy it. They have a female public address announcer, who is excellent!

I'm now up to 12 major league parks. And already thinking about next summer. Pittsburgh? Philadelphia? Toronto? Maybe some of the midwest parks like Kansas City or Chicago? We'll see!

And photos!

An Outlander at Coors Field, Denver

My second Red Sox road trip of 2010 began in Denver, for a three game series vs. the Colorado Rockies. This was the first trip to Denver for the Sox since the 2007 World Series - which the Sox won in 4 straight games. You got a sense almost immediately that the Rockies wanted to prove something - to show that they were capable of taking a few games from the Sox.

We got in Tuesday morning - I beat Kelly to the airport, and saw just-called-up-from-Pawtucket Josh Reddick arriving. We stayed at the Hampton Inn Downtown - nice, free breakfast, etc., but about a mile from Coors Field. Many RS fans there - well, there were many RS fans all over the city. Every game was a sell out, with more than 48,000 in attendance. I guess that makes sense. If you are a RS fan living in Idaho or South Dakota (and we met folks from both of those places), this was your only chance to have seen them play in three years.

We met up with our SG pal, John from New Zealand, at Wynkoop's, a local watering hole, where I ate some elk sausage. From there, we wandered towards Coors Field, and hit the Falling Rock Tap House. Wow! Over 80 beers on tap - and tons of Sox fans soaking them up (of course).

As for game 1: oh, well. We couldn't get any offense going, leaving the bases loaded twice. It was also very hot - I was surprised that the weather turned out to be so warm for the whole trip. We also discovered how easily you can become dehydrated at the mile high altitude. We quickly learned to drink a lot of water!

Day 2 was fun. We did the tour of Coors Field. Pretty standard stuff: dugout, special club dining areas, etc. One fun moment was when we were in the visitor's dugout. Terry Francona wandered out, clearly peeved that a bunch of tourists were milling around! Our seats for game 2 were on the Club Level, which is on the second tier. We also sat there for Game One, and felt too far away from the game action. So Kelly did her magic on Stub Hub, and quickly sold our tickets and bought two more down behind the RS dugout. Yeah!

Game 2 was a ♥ breaker. Colorado had their young ace Ubaldo Jiminez pitching, and he held the Sox scoreless thru the 6th. Then we went crazy and scored four runs to lead. Papelbon came in to close it out - and promptly gave up two home runs. I do not like that kind of drama! We lost - worse yet, one of the homers was a walk-off by our old nemesis Jason Giambi. Ugh.

Day 3 was a day of no plans that turned out fun. We discovered a Belgian pub called the Cheeky Monk, which we really enjoyed. We also visited the Great Divide Brewery - a great place for some pre-game libations. Yes, Denver is a city of beautiful vistas and wonderful beers!

Game 3 joins my "game-dropper" file. We had great seats behind home plate, thanks to my godfather who knew a season ticket holder who owed him a favor! The Sox scored early - the Rockies came back - the Sox went ahead again. The Sox used every player on the bench and every pitcher but one (this only confirmed my love of the DH) The Rockies tied it in the bottom of the ninth (again, Papelbon gave up 3 hits and 2 runs), but then the Laser Show arrived. Dustin Pedroia hit his THIRD homerun of the game, Papelbon came back and convincingly closed it out (a nice bit of redemption for him), and the Sox won 13-11. Phew!

A really fun trip (we continued on to San Francisco, but that's in the next installment). It was really hot the whole time (in the 90s), which was surprising. Denver has a free trolley that runs all the way down 16th Street - which has lots of restaurants. So we were able to ride from the hotel to close to Coors Field. Very handy. As for Coors Field, I would recommend not sitting on the first base side if you can help it - that side of the field gets the full afternoon sun, which can be brutal. They also placed their restaurant above the right field side - again, full afternoon sun would make a nice dinner there uncomfortable. I was impressed with the fans, though. They seemed very knowledgeable about baseball, and I saw many keeping score in their own scorebooks.

We also accumulated some "swag" at each game - I was surprised they offered giveaways at games that you could predict would be sell-outs. Tuesday night was hat night, and we got a really nice Rockies ball cap. Wednesday was player shirt night - we got a Carlos Gonzalez tshirt (which several fans waved in our faces as Giambi was circling the bases). But Thursday's gift was the best: a Coors Light cooler bag. Perfect for lunch!

Of course, tons of photos. Here are some of the best:

An Outlander at Progressive Field

It's been a pretty busy month of June - two big Red Sox road trips, and an overall record of 5-4. Not bad!

Our first trip of the year was to Cleveland, to see the Red Sox take on the Cleveland Indians for three games (they actually played a fourth, but we only attended three). My erstwhile companions - Kelly & Steve T. Ferret - met me at the terminal in Cleveland on Tuesday morning, and we headed to our hotel. If you're going to see the Indians play, I highly recommend the hotel: the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown. It's kitty-corner to Progressive Field, and close to restaurants, watering holes, and only a mile to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We got the B&B package, which included a full, made-to-order breakfast each day - great!

We grabbed some lunch at a spot we would visit a couple of times: the Winking Lizard Tavern. A nice spot - close to Progressive Field - with good pub food. Everything I had for lunch had bacon on it: wedge salad, chicken club sandwich, fries smothered in cheese and, yes, bacon! No cholesterol counts on a Red Sox road trip!

We headed to Progressive and watched batting practice from the right field bleachers - Kelly even got bopped by a well-hit ball! For our first game, we had pretty good seats - behind the plate, up a bit, but a good perspective on the field. And the Sox won!

Day two was one of our best yet! Our morning was spent searching for the Great Lakes Brewing Company.Google maps showed it to be 1.3 miles away - however, due to some incorrect directions (thanks Barry & Erik from Boston), we went on the Bataan Death March II. Our hike included a walk over a wonderful bridge: the Hope Memorial Bridge, named in honor of Bob Hope's dad, a local stone mason. Very cool art deco sculptures called the "Guardians of Traffic,"
(Photo from wikipedia)
several of which were sporting LeBron headbands!

The early afternoon was spent on a tour of the field. I love touring the various parks and seeing some of the behind-the-scenes things. We saw several of the Sox getting in some extra work in the batting cages, Jerry Remy in the Press Box, but most interesting was the stop at the indoor batting cages, behind the 3rd base dugout. The Indians' "vision coach" was working with a young player, and he demonstrated some of the ways they help players sharpen their view of pitches at the plate. They had one machine that pitches tennis balls, all with colored numbers, and they ask the player to call out what type of pitch they've seen based on what color and number is on the ball. Oh, and it's being pitched at 100 mph or so. Wow.

The late afternoon was our splurge: we bought tickets for the "Ultimate Batting Practice Experience." We entered the park at 4:30 and were allowed down on the field, to stand behind the cages and watch both teams take batting practice. So, so cool - very close to the players! Victor Martinez (a former Indian) had his 5-year old son with him on this trip, and Victor Jr was all decked out in a complete RS away uniform. It was so fun to watch all the players playing with him - hitting him pop ups, playing catch, wrestling with him. Aww. But the absolute highlight was getting to talk to Justin Masterson! Justin was traded by the Sox to Cleveland last summer for Martinez, and Kelly had followed his career up thru the minors. The look of pure delight on his face when he saw her was so cool! He came over, hugged us, and talked to us for quite a while about the state of the Indians, the baby he has on the way... ♥ A special shout-out to Megan and Maggie for letting us hang around until the end of BP.

Oh, and the Sox took game 2 - we sat just beyond the screen on the first base side. We also discovered Strickland's Frozen Custard. Wow! And we got free Progressive umbrellas!

Day three! It was raining, but the hotel offered us a ride to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame via their courtesy van. Yeah! The building was designed by I.M. Pei - very recognizable! - and we spent three hours there. The special exhibit was on Bruce Springsteen, tracing the Boss' rise to R&R fame. We also enjoyed the permanent exhibit of artifacts from Hall inductees. Costumes from Fleetwood Mac, U2, Parliament Funkadelic! We also saw a very cool 12-minute multi-media/film presentation called "Video Killed the Radio Star," tracing the ever-increasing importance of video and MTV. In one section they highlighted four influential video artists. Two are no-brainers: Madonna and Michael Jackson. The third was Peter Gabriel - I guess you can argue that he did push the envelope. But the fourth made me scratch me head: Tom Petty. Now, I love Petty - have a bunch of his CDs - but I'm not sure I'd say his videos were "influential." I would argue that Duran Duran is a better choice: they learned early on how to use video to market themselves, and used it to make themselves a worldwide phenomenon.

Our last game! We had chatted with a season ticket holder at Wednesday's game, and he got us passes for the Terrace Club, the large restaurant and bar perched on the left field side of Progressive which is for season ticket holders only. We arrived early, and sat in the "pit" - a counter area overlooking the field. Quite a different vantage point for b.p.! For the game, we sat behind the Indians' dugout on the third base side - a perfect spot to watch Masterson pitch a 2-hit, complete game shut-out. The Indians won 11-0 (the 8th inning included a grand slam home run) - a bittersweet result. Sorry to see the Sox lose, but so proud of Justin.

So, a terrific trip! I really enjoyed seeing Progressive Field, and the other sites in Cleveland - and felt like such a VIP on Tuesday! Another Major League ball park ticked off my list!

Here's an album of some of my best shots from the trip.


Click on the corner to get a full-size version!

Ahh yes.

Big Papi reports to Spring Training (photo from Boston.com)

Baseball's coming, baby!

Now I know that summer will come

When I opened my mailbox today, this is what I found. Ahhhh, it's coming. Red Sox, summer, fun....

Prime 9: 2009

In the spirit of the MLBN's "Prime 9" countdown shows, and because it's nearly New Year's, here are my top nine events of 2009:

1. Turning 50 in the Big Apple: I had a great milestone birthday in New York in March. The company - my three sisters, sister-in-law and two nieces - was outstanding. We had thousands of laughs, some great meals, too much wine, and just an all-around good time! I also managed a few hours at the Met, and a wonderful walk through Central Park. And then there was Madame Tussaud's...

2. May Megapalooza in Boston: I spent Memorial Day weekend in the Hub, meeting up with a bunch of insane people I met via the interwebs. Not one true psycho in the bunch - and we had so much fun! The RS split the two games I went to - I sat thru a hail storm at one - and I got to see the Boston Pops perform songs from their baseball-themed cd. Oh and this:
So now I've gotten photos with Bill Lee and Dwight Evans. My "holy grail" photo is still Carlton Fisk. Maybe in 2010.

3. Two memorable stops on our tour of the major league parks. Red Sox v. Nationals: My first visit to the new Nationals Park in Washington DC. It's a terrific place to watch a game, but two things made it extry-special. We got to see AB, our dear friend who passed away later in the year - which made the meet-up even more special. Kelly also got us absolutely fantasmic seats - right behind home plate. Awesome!

Red Sox v. Braves: We followed up the VIP treatment in DC with the opportunity to watch the RS take batting practice at Turner Field - standing right on the field with them. Jason Bay could have spit sunflower seeds on us.It made up for the un-godly heat we experienced!

4. The Baseball Project concert in Atlanta: What a great little adventure. A quick drive down to Atlanta to see the four-person band called the Baseball Project. A terrific show - and I can't wait for their second album, which should be out in '10.

5. Food tours: While in NYC, we took a food tour of Greenwich Village - and it was really, really interesting and fun. It opened up a new way of seeing a city for me - and I took a similar tour of the North End when I was in Boston in July. I think I will try to add such a tour to each of my itineraries in the future - you get some great ideas for restaurants to try. And speaking of eating...

6. Embracing the good life: My resolution to try out some hometown restaurants has been so much fun. I've had some wonderful meals, and it makes me feel quite special and pampered to treat myself to a night out. And the evenings that I've combined the meal with the Chattanooga Symphony have been especially entertaining. More in '10, definitely!

7. RS v. Detroit: I loved seeing Comerica, but another highlight was getting to see some buddies from my U of M days. We had a great reunion - it took me back 25 years!

8. A renewed, more positive attitude about work: I resolved that this school year, I would have a more positive attitude, that I'd try to reconnect with my students, be less negative with them. And it's really been great. I feel like I've gotten to know them better - and vice versa. I look forward to each day - although not without SOME trepidation.

9. MLB Network: OMG! How did I ever live without this station?! It has revolutionized the way I watch baseball, tv, sports... No more wading through boring football and hockey news on ESPN - I can get the information I want! It's been fun to watch some of their classic games in the off-season, to see Bob Costas interviewing legends of the game. And now that they've added Peter Gammons - woot!

Bloated Payroll

I have a couple of friends (and you know who you are!) who love to taunt me that the Sox have been just as guilty as the Yankees of trying to buy a championship. The next time they start in on that, I'm going to wave this at them. It's from Cot's Baseball Contracts:

MLB 2009-13 payrolls : MLB 2009-13.xls

. 2009-13 PAYROLLS . Figures include annual salaries, plus signing bonuses pro-rated over life of the contract. . Figures do not include deferrals or performance, award or signing bonuses. . Figures are unofficial. . 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 . 1 NY YANKEES $206,811,689 $166.307 $118.084 $99.634 $95.384 . 2 NY METS $139,102,235 $92.113 $86.738 $39.250 $26.500 . 3 CHICAGO CUBS $137,945,612 $119.958 $96.300 $54.000 $19.000 . 4 DETROIT $129,598,000 $84.588 $41.250 $31.000 $23.000 . 5 PHILADELPHIA $127,957,380 $96.286 $76.036 $27.286 $16.786 . 6 BOSTON $122,624,689 $76.183 $43.483 $30.833 $11.500 . 7 LA ANGELS $116,709,000 $59.950 $42.150 $29.700 $1.000 . 8 LA DODGERS $109,176,603 $60.933 $25.750 $1.250 $0.000 . 9 HOUSTON $105,035,000 $54.250 $37.000 $21.000 $0.000 . 10 SEATTLE $99,346,926 $44.125 $46.875 $22.250 $0.000 . 11 CHICAGO WHITE SOX $98,268,500 $45.075 $27.975 $10.250 $0.000 . 12 ATLANTA $97,692,834 $44.117 $32.392 $23.917 $15.500 . 13 SAINT LOUIS $93,612,500 $50.339 $44.189 $13.938 $0.000 . 14 SAN FRANCISCO $88,777,106 $51.100 $32.600 $32.600 $20.000 . 15 CLEVELAND $81,325,900 $49.955 $27.205 $13.500 $2.750

. 16 TORONTO $80,493,657 $81.168 $43.643 $36.643 $37.143 . 17 MILWAUKEE $80,280,861 $38.813 $7.038 $6.288 $8.788 . 18 BALTIMORE $77,169,792 $29.568 $21.468 $22.350 $25.350 . 19 TEXAS $76,239,840 $38.950 $22.200 $23.200 $16.500 . 20 KANSAS CITY $76,021,243 $49.100 $30.500 $13.750 $0.000 . 21 COLORADO $74,730,533 $40.558 $29.683 $5.100 $0.000 . 22 ARIZONA $72,475,000 $32.117 $23.700 $26.700 $12.750 . 23 CINCINNATI $71,858,500 $59.888 $28.313 $3.400 $0.000 . 24 MINNESOTA $67,899,267 $59.364 $33.100 $23.500 $15.000 . 25 TAMPA BAY $65,126,368 $39.183 $21.708 $11.430 $6.000 . 26 OAKLAND $61,896,066 $19.250 $3.500 $0.000 $0.000 . 27 WASHINGTON $61,455,049 $22.500 $0.000 $0.000 $0.000 . 28 PITTSBURGH $52,643,000 $22.975 $20.000 $3.950 $0.000 . 29 SAN DIEGO $42,746,653 $26.250 $16.000 $17.000 $4.000 . 30 FLORIDA $35,483,951 $7.950 $11.000 $15.000 $15.500

Heck, the Red Sox don't even make the top five! (Thanks to Kelly for pointing out this site)

"Snap out of it!"

Okay, I've allowed myself one full day to wallow in my post-Red Sox season depression. It's funny, I don't remember feeling this down last year - but that may have been because of the way they exhausted me during the playoffs. Nearly losing to Cleveland, then the epic comebacks against the Rays. Phew.

But this year we're three and done. Swept. In some ways, the playoffs reflected the regular season. I love this team, and loved watching almost every game. But I really wasn't sure we had what we needed to go deep in the playoffs. Certainly, my angst was multiplied by watching that Yankee Juggernaut. They look like a steamroller - and we certainly didn't do well against them in our last few outings. I'm afraid we would have been toast in the ALCS. Now it's up to the Angels to call on whatever emotional vibes they've been using and knock out the Yanks. Still, it would have been nice to go further into the playoffs - or to have at least played all five games of the ALDS.

But you must admit, this decade has been a good one for the Red Sox and its fans. And I like to think we're on a three year cycle. Won in 2004. Swept in ALDS in 2005. No post-season in 2006. Won in 2007. Lost in ALCS in 2008. Lost in ALDS in 2009. Ergo => another World Series Championship in 2010.

In the meantime, one of my favorite recent photos by my pal Kelly:
If I were a catcher and this freight train was approaching, I'd be cowering by the backstop!

When does Spring Training start?

This illustrates how I feel this morning: deflated.... Oh, well, time to heat up the Hot Stove!

Enough Said!

Wally and I agree!

Time to rest and recharge those batteries

Just a few short days to rest and get ready for the playoffs. The first three games are in Anaheim - which could mean some late nights! GO SOX!

My hero

When I go off on my various Red Sox road trips, my erstwhile companion is my Boston-based buddy Kelly, she of the awesome photos. But the fact is, we have a third companion. His name is Steve T. Ferret. In many ways, he's an ideal companion - he's quiet; he doesn't take up much space; he never complains about a lumpy bed or getting squished in an overhead compartment; and he's always game for a photo.

He also has become one of the RS Players' favorite photo companions. On Friday, Big Papi jumped at the opportunity to be photographed with the ferret who is becoming a legend.

Classic! (and it goes without saying: Photo by SittingStill!)

I love this town!

Every time I hear this song on my iPod, I visualize Boston. It really sums up how I feel about the Hub!

Clinched!

Copyrighted photo by Kelly O (sittingstill.net)

So we weren't able to celebrate on the field. And in some ways, it feels like we backed into the playoffs. But, still, WE WON THE WILD CARD! ON TO THE DIVISION PLAYOFFS!

In honor of the clinch, I give you the Crazy Closer! Dance, Pap, Dance!

Still 3

Awaiting the outcome of the Rangers game tonight, the Sox' magic number is still 3. And, yes, the RS lost, but I like to ponder some of the positives from today's game. Matsuzaka had 7 good innings - 6 hits, 1 run - who would have thought that this game would be a pitcher's duel? Victor Martinez extended his hitting streak to 25! The only other bright spot in today's game was the appearance of the newest Supreme Court Justice throwing out the first pitch:
Ignore that she's wearing that hated jersey!

And still a chance to salvage one game tomorrow. Here's hoping for the Yom Kippur mojo for tomorrow!

Down to 5

Boston.com photo
My fellow Rhode Islander, Rocco Baldelli, shows what our "magic number" stands at now.

(I know others will comment that their favorite #5 is Nomar, but I have to go with sentiment and say Rocco is my fav!)

One more game tonight against KC - here's hoping Buchholz can help us split the series. Then on to the Bronx!

And the number now is...

The Red Sox beat the Orioles this afternoon - and finish the season 16-2 against them. Poor Os

Meanwhile, the Rangers were beat by the Angels. And the Yankees are playing in Seatlle - right now they're losing 7-0 (Chamberlain has 50 pitches in 2 innings!)

So, maybe the Division IS in reach. That would be cool - especially if it's due to a Yankee meltdown. But no matter how we get there, I'll be happy to see us in the PostSeason!

Magic time

Yes, we've gotten to that magical time of year - the countdown to the playoffs. Prior to tonight's games, the magic number for the Sox is eleven. Any combination of RS wins and Rangers losses that equal eleven mean the Sox have the Wild Card. I think our chances are good!

Meanwhile, we've landed in Baltimore for three games - the start of the last regular season road trip. We've not played as well on the road as we have at Fenway -we need to get that straightened out before the playoffs. And our pitching? Looking very solid now - more so than at any other point in the season.

I like our chances!

Jeter.....but maybe not

Okay, I REALLY had the intention of posting something positive about **shudder** Derek Jeter today. My hatred of all things Yankee - and, especially, of Derek Jeter - is well documented. But, his achievement Wednesday night - tying Gehrig's record for most hits ever by a Yankee - is really something. I planned to give a shout-out to an admirable adversary, a true competitor, one of the great players of this era, someone you begrudgingly admire.

But, that was Wednesday. Today is Friday. Good feelings quickly fade...especially after I saw a Prime 9 special on the MLB Network this morning while working out. The 9 greatest comebacks in MLB history. Number 1? Of course - 2004, RS come back and kick some Yankee behinds.

How quickly my benevolent feelings dissipated.

And I began to think about the 2009 edition of the RS. Do you see some deja vu? The Rockies are charging thru the NL - on an incredible tear. 2007? The Yankees have dominated the AL East, and it seems that the Sox might clinch the Wild Card. 2004? Our bullpen looks poised to be pretty damned unhittable in the post-season. 2004? Our offense seems to be awakening from their nap. 2004?

So, screw Jeter and screw the Yankees. I really, really, really want to see Mike Lowell holding up that WS trophy again this year. I want to see that dancing fool, Papelbon, performing. I want to see how Victor Martinez reacts to his first WS ring. I want to sit, mesmerized, in front of my tv, ignoring McCarver & Buck, tears streaming down my face, while I watch MY team, MY Boston Red Sox be triumphant.

Tonight, the march to October begins.

Last weekend of the summer

Sad, but true. Labor Day Weekend always meant the end of summer to me. Last chance to spend mindless days at the beach, that last hamburger eaten at the beach cookout. Sigh.

Of course, "back in the olden days," it meant school was starting the next day. Not now. We've already been back in school for two weeks! Not that I'm complaining about a four-day week or three-day weekend!

The start of September also means the impending end to baseball season. Sigh. Although there's still plenty to go in the season - we're only a few games ahead in the Wild Card Race, which seems to be our only option for post-season play at this point - it's still sad to look at the schedule and see the number of game dwindling.

However, we have had an" interesting" weekend of baseball in Chicago. Friday night was a disaster - a complete blow out. I have to admit to not seeing the worst of it. I stretched out on the floor to cuddle with my kitty - and fell sound asleep. So I was spared that. Saturday's game was telecast on Fox - and my local affiliate chose to broadcast the National League game. However, I did get to watch - on the Fox Sports En Espana! It was actually kind of fun - I had no idea what the announcers were saying, but they still were more entertaining and informative than McCarver & Buck.

Sunday, we won!! Yeah!! Jon Lester seems to be making the case that HE is our ace, capitalizing on Beckett's struggles of late. A nice victory. Today I'm watching Buerhle out deal our supposed ace Beckett. Okay, Beckett looking pretty good - but our offense is squandering opportunity after opportunity. I hope they get this out of their system soon - we need those bats if we have any hope of getting into the Divisional playoffs.


And finally, I have to do a little political rant. In an absolutely unbelievable move, the right wing fringe is protesting President Obama's plan to address the nation's school children tomorrow. They claim that he will use the opportunity to "push his socialist agenda" on unsuspecting innocents.

I'm sorry, but no matter how bitter you are that a black Democrat beat your boy, get over it! He is our President, our leader, until you can come up with a better candidate. The last time a President addressed schools was in 1991, when the old Bush did it. My question is not why is President Obama speaking to kids, my question is why did it take 18 years for a President to do it again??

Instead of operating in ignorance, read his address - and tell me what is so subversive about it. Stay in school, listen to your parents, study hard... Wow, radical stuff

/end rant