I just moved into a new house a month ago, and I have been getting my mail forwarded. And the other day...I got mail from Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds since I got here. That is right. From A-Rod I got my card returned along with an autographed A-Rod photo and from Barry Bonds I got my card back, unsigned, along with another Bonds card and a letter thanking me for being a fan. So my two least favorite baseball players on the earth do at least, return mail. So now I have heard back from 4 players, Manny (card returned unsigned), Timlin (card returned signed), Bonds (card returend with letter), and A-Rod (card returned unsigned with autographed photo).
Seriously?
Showing posts with label Barry Bonds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barry Bonds. Show all posts
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Home Run Derby Recap!
Well, I'm back. I hope everyone missed me. I'm starting off today with a Home Run Derby recap and will then have a road trip recap later on today. The quote of the road trip definitely goes to our cab driver the last night who said, "You girls know what the best thing about Detroit is? Chicago is only 3 and a 1/2 hours away". Right on sir, right on.
We have a pregame concert by the Counting Crows, which, whatever, but we do also have....Mike Lowell videotaping the CC with baby Mike Lowell! This is absolutely my favorite part of the HR derby, cute pictures of cute players with cute little kids.
The Home Run Derby starts off with all the players being introduced by the always horrific Chris Berman. Honestly! What does he bring to the table? He's just loud and annoying and I don't know anyone besides Bill Belichick that likes him. I can't wait for him to tell us that a ball is hit to Japan when we clearly see it landing in the bleachers. Grrr. We do, in the annoucements, get our first "Bermanism", Albert Winnie the Pujols. Shut UP!
The Derby contestants were, for the American League, Alex Rios, Vlad Guerrero, Magglio Ordonez, and Justin Morneau. From the National League, we had Matt Holliday replacing the injured Miggy Cabrera, Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder.
The pregame ceremony, I imagine could not have gone worse for the ESPN production team. The microphones were all screwed up, I'm sure we were hearing things that we weren't supposed to, no one seemed to know how Willie McCovey was supposed to hand out the bats. They made an old man with two canes stand up to do the whole thing. That being said, I thought the gesture was a nice one, and the players all seemed pretty excited to meet him. Alex Rios shook his hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Sir". I like Alex Rios, he's my pick for the derby. On Sunday in Toronto they had this video montage of Alex Rios, and the PA announcer said, "Let's hear it for our All Star, Alex Rios" and everyone in RF (where we were sitting), stood up and gave him a standing O. It was a nice moment before the Toronto fans started yelling at us.
Matt Holliday is in the running for my new non-Red Sox boyfriend.
Barry Bonds loves Peter Gammons apparently. Barry could almost be described as, well, jovial. He was nice, almost considered charismatic in his interview. He's trying to win everyone over for when he gets Hank's record. Barry says that he's disappointed people judge him by what a third party said. I haven't finished Game of Shadows, but from what I've read, I'm pretty convinced he's guilty. He says that he has, "The utmost respect for Hank Aaron" and understands that, "Hank has a life" and doesn't want to follow him around the country waiting for him to hit the HR.
Next up was Magglio Ordonez of the Detroit Tigers. I was hoping he'd tear both ACL's during his swings, but instead he sucked. In Detroit they do this, Magggggllliiiioooo, OH EEE OHH, Maggggllllliiioooo, OH EEE OH song everytime he's up. It's almost as annoying as Hip Hip JORGE in the Bronx, and just as gross.
We then had a fantastic interview with A-Rod, who put on a suit for his big prime time appearance. He said he, "Had dinner in about an hour". He didn't say if he had it with Cynthia or Joceyln. He also said, "NY has been great, there's something special about putting that uniform on day in and day out". A-Rod, they hate you. You are so opting out. Cut the BS.
Alex Rios hits 5 HR's, while Erin Andrews talks with Jake Peavy who is looking extremely handsome and is joined by two extremely cute little boys.
The camera then cuts to A-Rod chatting up Barry Bonds, "Really Barry, they hate me more, I'm sure of it"
Prince Fielder steps in, and he will absolutely be an American League DH very soon.
I have a few issues with ESPN's Derby coverage, but mainly, there are not nearly enough cute little kids. Also, why aren't they interviewing the players after they hit? And how come they don't have any players miked up?
Ben Sheets son looks EXACTLY like him. Almost creepily.
Vlad is up, and he gets a few quick outs and Papi steps in (the first real clutch thing he's done all year), and gives Vlad a new bat, and he gets on a mini tear and doesn't seem to be too distracted by Papi yelling at him the whole time.
Ryan Howard has a disappointing outing, kind of like his first half, and when he walks back over, Dmitri Young's son yells at him, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?". Please, the only reason your dad is an All Star is because of the "one guy from every team" rule.
..."That's all the way to Saucilito"....kill me now.
Oh I got to ask, who is the guy with the spray painted tee shirt that keeps running up to and tackling all the Dominican guys? Who let that guy on the field? Someone look into this and report back please.
I really like Karl Ravech. I always feel bad for him because he's usually the one smart person in a room full of idiots.
I find it very cute Matt Holliday is having his brother pitch to him. It almost worked out. We also learn Matt Holliday was a QB at Oklahoma State. He looks like a QB.
We get some Freddie Sanchez and Trevor Hoffman complete with cute little kids. Yay!
At this point, we have the always hard hitting journalist Joe Morgan ask Dusty Baker about the infamous "Game 6" decision. He doesn't explain anything about it, but I did some research and this is what I found, (from wikipedia)
Game 6
October 26, 2002 at Edison International Field of Anaheim in Anaheim, California
The turning point in the series came in Game 6. Leading 5-0 with one out in the bottom of the 7th inning, 8 outs away from the Giants' first World Series title in San Francisco, Giants manager Dusty Baker pulled starting pitcher Russ Ortiz for setup man Félix Rodríguez after Ortiz gave up consecutive singles to third baseman Troy Glaus and designated hitter Brad Fullmer. In a widely publicized move, Baker gave Ortiz the game ball as he sent him back to the dugout. During the pitching change the Rally Monkey came on the jumbotron, sending 45,037 Angels fans into a frenzy. Angel first baseman Scott Spiezio came to the plate and fouled off pitch after pitch before finally hitting a 3-run home run that barely cleared the wall in right field. The rally continued in the 8th inning, as Angel center fielder Darin Erstad hit a leadoff line-drive home run, followed by consecutive singles by Tim Salmon and Garret Anderson. (Chone Figgins pinch ran for Salmon.) When Bonds misplayed Anderson's shallow left field bloop single, Figgins and Anderson took third and second respectively. With no outs, two runners in scoring position and now only a 5-4 lead, Baker brought in closer Robb Nen to pitch to Glaus, hoping that Nen could induce a strikeout that might yet preserve the Giants' slim lead. However, Glaus slugged a double to the left-center field gap over Bonds' head to drive in the tying and winning runs. In the 9th inning, Angels closer Troy Percival struck out Rich Aurilia to preserve the 6-5 victory in front of the jubilant home crowd.
I guess giving Russ Ortiz the game ball turned out to be a bad idea. Dusty was never a Red Sox fan. We would have known better than to do shit like that.
Seriously? Who is the guy with the tee shirt?
Vlad hits 3 HR's in the final round to beat Alex Rios' 2 as I fade in an out of conciousness. I'm happy for Vlad, but would have liked Rios to win. In a bizarre turn of events, ESPN has a guy from ESPN Deportes interview Vlad in Spanish, and then translate what he has said. I'm pretty sure that Vlad speaks English. A bizarre night from the ESPN production team all around.
All Star game tonight, Peavy and Haren starting it off, and this time, it counts. (whatever)
We have a pregame concert by the Counting Crows, which, whatever, but we do also have....Mike Lowell videotaping the CC with baby Mike Lowell! This is absolutely my favorite part of the HR derby, cute pictures of cute players with cute little kids.
The Home Run Derby starts off with all the players being introduced by the always horrific Chris Berman. Honestly! What does he bring to the table? He's just loud and annoying and I don't know anyone besides Bill Belichick that likes him. I can't wait for him to tell us that a ball is hit to Japan when we clearly see it landing in the bleachers. Grrr. We do, in the annoucements, get our first "Bermanism", Albert Winnie the Pujols. Shut UP!
The Derby contestants were, for the American League, Alex Rios, Vlad Guerrero, Magglio Ordonez, and Justin Morneau. From the National League, we had Matt Holliday replacing the injured Miggy Cabrera, Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder.
The pregame ceremony, I imagine could not have gone worse for the ESPN production team. The microphones were all screwed up, I'm sure we were hearing things that we weren't supposed to, no one seemed to know how Willie McCovey was supposed to hand out the bats. They made an old man with two canes stand up to do the whole thing. That being said, I thought the gesture was a nice one, and the players all seemed pretty excited to meet him. Alex Rios shook his hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Sir". I like Alex Rios, he's my pick for the derby. On Sunday in Toronto they had this video montage of Alex Rios, and the PA announcer said, "Let's hear it for our All Star, Alex Rios" and everyone in RF (where we were sitting), stood up and gave him a standing O. It was a nice moment before the Toronto fans started yelling at us.
Matt Holliday is in the running for my new non-Red Sox boyfriend.
Barry Bonds loves Peter Gammons apparently. Barry could almost be described as, well, jovial. He was nice, almost considered charismatic in his interview. He's trying to win everyone over for when he gets Hank's record. Barry says that he's disappointed people judge him by what a third party said. I haven't finished Game of Shadows, but from what I've read, I'm pretty convinced he's guilty. He says that he has, "The utmost respect for Hank Aaron" and understands that, "Hank has a life" and doesn't want to follow him around the country waiting for him to hit the HR.
Next up was Magglio Ordonez of the Detroit Tigers. I was hoping he'd tear both ACL's during his swings, but instead he sucked. In Detroit they do this, Magggggllliiiioooo, OH EEE OHH, Maggggllllliiioooo, OH EEE OH song everytime he's up. It's almost as annoying as Hip Hip JORGE in the Bronx, and just as gross.
We then had a fantastic interview with A-Rod, who put on a suit for his big prime time appearance. He said he, "Had dinner in about an hour". He didn't say if he had it with Cynthia or Joceyln. He also said, "NY has been great, there's something special about putting that uniform on day in and day out". A-Rod, they hate you. You are so opting out. Cut the BS.
Alex Rios hits 5 HR's, while Erin Andrews talks with Jake Peavy who is looking extremely handsome and is joined by two extremely cute little boys.
The camera then cuts to A-Rod chatting up Barry Bonds, "Really Barry, they hate me more, I'm sure of it"
Prince Fielder steps in, and he will absolutely be an American League DH very soon.
I have a few issues with ESPN's Derby coverage, but mainly, there are not nearly enough cute little kids. Also, why aren't they interviewing the players after they hit? And how come they don't have any players miked up?
Ben Sheets son looks EXACTLY like him. Almost creepily.
Vlad is up, and he gets a few quick outs and Papi steps in (the first real clutch thing he's done all year), and gives Vlad a new bat, and he gets on a mini tear and doesn't seem to be too distracted by Papi yelling at him the whole time.
Ryan Howard has a disappointing outing, kind of like his first half, and when he walks back over, Dmitri Young's son yells at him, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?". Please, the only reason your dad is an All Star is because of the "one guy from every team" rule.
..."That's all the way to Saucilito"....kill me now.
Oh I got to ask, who is the guy with the spray painted tee shirt that keeps running up to and tackling all the Dominican guys? Who let that guy on the field? Someone look into this and report back please.
I really like Karl Ravech. I always feel bad for him because he's usually the one smart person in a room full of idiots.
I find it very cute Matt Holliday is having his brother pitch to him. It almost worked out. We also learn Matt Holliday was a QB at Oklahoma State. He looks like a QB.
We get some Freddie Sanchez and Trevor Hoffman complete with cute little kids. Yay!
At this point, we have the always hard hitting journalist Joe Morgan ask Dusty Baker about the infamous "Game 6" decision. He doesn't explain anything about it, but I did some research and this is what I found, (from wikipedia)
Game 6
October 26, 2002 at Edison International Field of Anaheim in Anaheim, California
The turning point in the series came in Game 6. Leading 5-0 with one out in the bottom of the 7th inning, 8 outs away from the Giants' first World Series title in San Francisco, Giants manager Dusty Baker pulled starting pitcher Russ Ortiz for setup man Félix Rodríguez after Ortiz gave up consecutive singles to third baseman Troy Glaus and designated hitter Brad Fullmer. In a widely publicized move, Baker gave Ortiz the game ball as he sent him back to the dugout. During the pitching change the Rally Monkey came on the jumbotron, sending 45,037 Angels fans into a frenzy. Angel first baseman Scott Spiezio came to the plate and fouled off pitch after pitch before finally hitting a 3-run home run that barely cleared the wall in right field. The rally continued in the 8th inning, as Angel center fielder Darin Erstad hit a leadoff line-drive home run, followed by consecutive singles by Tim Salmon and Garret Anderson. (Chone Figgins pinch ran for Salmon.) When Bonds misplayed Anderson's shallow left field bloop single, Figgins and Anderson took third and second respectively. With no outs, two runners in scoring position and now only a 5-4 lead, Baker brought in closer Robb Nen to pitch to Glaus, hoping that Nen could induce a strikeout that might yet preserve the Giants' slim lead. However, Glaus slugged a double to the left-center field gap over Bonds' head to drive in the tying and winning runs. In the 9th inning, Angels closer Troy Percival struck out Rich Aurilia to preserve the 6-5 victory in front of the jubilant home crowd.
I guess giving Russ Ortiz the game ball turned out to be a bad idea. Dusty was never a Red Sox fan. We would have known better than to do shit like that.
Seriously? Who is the guy with the tee shirt?
Vlad hits 3 HR's in the final round to beat Alex Rios' 2 as I fade in an out of conciousness. I'm happy for Vlad, but would have liked Rios to win. In a bizarre turn of events, ESPN has a guy from ESPN Deportes interview Vlad in Spanish, and then translate what he has said. I'm pretty sure that Vlad speaks English. A bizarre night from the ESPN production team all around.
All Star game tonight, Peavy and Haren starting it off, and this time, it counts. (whatever)
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Soxgal 10.0
Last night NESN debuted Globe 10.0, hosted by Bob Ryan with special guest...Dan Shaughnessy! Now, I only caught a few minutes. But, who cares what Bob and Dan thing, when you can hear what I think! I wish they had done a "big finish" like PTI did. If you're going to copy the show, copy the show.
Is Mark Buehrle worth the price?
The rumor mill was swirling yesterday that the RSox were trading Lester and Ellsbury to the WSox for Buehrle and MacDonald. I was under my desk in the fetal position breathing into a brown paperbag. Now I know the wisdom behind proven talent over prospects, and Buehrle is a very good pitcher, he's a lefty, his career record is something like 100-70, he's durable. What we know about Lester is that he's been solid early in return, has struggled as of late, and was 7-2 with a high era and wasn't able to get out of the 5th a lot. But that doesn't matter. Because he's ours. He had us researching lymphoma and saying prayers and sighing relief when we finally got the good word in December. We want his next MLB start to be at Fenway, to an ovation I think will make Trot's and Dave's sound quiet. I am also completey in love with Ellsbury, who not only is from Oregon, where my cousins live, and him and I are facebook friends, so he, quite frankly, cannot be traded. Bad enough Craig Hansen deleted his facebook, but now I'll lose my other facebook friend? Not acceptable. Word has it the ChiSox leaked this trade, and that it was never even close. Anyway, I'd be willing to trade a top pitching prospect for Buehrle, but just one. The ChiSox are losing him after the season and he's saying he's signing with the Cards so we can't give up that great of a prospect for a three month rental.
When will Curt Schilling be back on the mound?
If I was the Red Sox, I'd keep him out at very least till after the All Star break, and even then I wouldn't rush him back. I'd hate to think the reason that Curt is so eager to get on the mound has something to do with his impending free agency.
Is Josh Beckett the best pitcher in the American League?
Well, here's the way I think of it. I LOVE Josh Beckett. We all know how I feel about him. That being said, I think Johan Santana is the best pitcher in the American League. When Santana is out there, you feel like you have a chance to see something really really special. When Josh is out there, I think I'm getting 7-8 strong and a run or two. When Santana is out there, I'm thinking I have a chance to see a no-no or better.
::hoping Joshua reads my blog, is angry, and throws a perfect game next time out::
Are the Red Sox being too careful with Jon Lester?
Jonathan Tyler Lester made his debut on July 10, 2006 at 22. Jonathan R. (why just the R baseball reference? I wonder if he has a hideous middle name? I'll get on it and report back) Papelbon made his debut on July 31, 2005 at age 25. If things hadn't gone completely shithouse with injuries and whatnot, then Lester would probably still be in Pawtucket just like any other player. And, I don't want this to come out the wrong way, but, if he hadn't gotten cancer, would we even be wondering about this? If he had just come up, gone 7-2, gone back down to Pawtucket and was down there now, would it matter? I don't think so.
Should the Celtics keep the #5?
If I was Wyc, I'd start off with a new coach and a new GM. For a GM, I want someone with a plan that can stick to it. And for a coach, I want someone firey who isn't afraid to scare the shit out of all the teenagers I have on my roster. I would be willing to discuss trades with Paul Pierce but not with Al Jefferson. If I keep the pick, I'd take one of the Florida kids in this order, Horford, Brewer, Noah. I would get rid of the cheerleaders. I would have used my millions to buy the naming rights of the Fleet/TD and just call it, The Boston Garden. Or, the Auerbach Auditorium, or something. And I'd buy bigger cups for the mixed drinks. Buckets actually. It's only fair for those who come to pay money to see my team and the Bruins.
What NBA Superstar will be traded this week?
None.
Will former BC Center Sean Williams be a first round pick?
Yes. He's stupid, but he's got nasty skills. He'll go in the first round.
Is the AL East over?
This kind of question is just loaded with bad karma. I think that the AL East is a very competitive division, and the Red Sox are lucky to be this far ahead of all the superb talent.
Where does Ken Griffey Jr. rank on baseball's all time greats?
I hate to say this, but I don't know a ton about non-Red Sox baseball greats. But, I will say that I love Ken Griffey Jr. I think that he, when 100% healthy, is the best player I've ever seen. I also think that if he had been loading up on the HGH all these years, he'd be right there with our next question.
What if Barry Bonds was one of us?
If Barry Bonds was one if us, I'd root for him to tear his ACL every night. Since Barry Bonds is not one of us, I'll root for him to tear his ACL every night.
Onto the links...
*The Sox battled back continuously last night, but couldn't overcome the Mariners, as they lost 8-7. Kason Gabbard had an incredibly wild first inning. (He's still awful handsome).
*Amalie Benjamin has Mike Timlin trying to regain his old form.
*Old friend Trot Nixon remembers old friend Rod Beck.
*Christopher Gasper thinks that Nathan Vasher kind of screwed over Asante Samuel. (I love Nathan Vasher as a side note. I read a really cute article once on him and his mom).
Now, as for the article below, I want to add one thing. The Red Sox fans invade stadiums across the country. It's true. And I'm sure it can be very annoying for fans of other teams. That being said, it was a beautiful night last night in Seattle and one of the best young pitchers in baseball was on the mound against a team he one-hit last time out. And there were plenty of seats left. There is no reason why there weren't more Mariners fans there last night. So don't blame us for your own inadequacies.
Is Mark Buehrle worth the price?
The rumor mill was swirling yesterday that the RSox were trading Lester and Ellsbury to the WSox for Buehrle and MacDonald. I was under my desk in the fetal position breathing into a brown paperbag. Now I know the wisdom behind proven talent over prospects, and Buehrle is a very good pitcher, he's a lefty, his career record is something like 100-70, he's durable. What we know about Lester is that he's been solid early in return, has struggled as of late, and was 7-2 with a high era and wasn't able to get out of the 5th a lot. But that doesn't matter. Because he's ours. He had us researching lymphoma and saying prayers and sighing relief when we finally got the good word in December. We want his next MLB start to be at Fenway, to an ovation I think will make Trot's and Dave's sound quiet. I am also completey in love with Ellsbury, who not only is from Oregon, where my cousins live, and him and I are facebook friends, so he, quite frankly, cannot be traded. Bad enough Craig Hansen deleted his facebook, but now I'll lose my other facebook friend? Not acceptable. Word has it the ChiSox leaked this trade, and that it was never even close. Anyway, I'd be willing to trade a top pitching prospect for Buehrle, but just one. The ChiSox are losing him after the season and he's saying he's signing with the Cards so we can't give up that great of a prospect for a three month rental.
When will Curt Schilling be back on the mound?
If I was the Red Sox, I'd keep him out at very least till after the All Star break, and even then I wouldn't rush him back. I'd hate to think the reason that Curt is so eager to get on the mound has something to do with his impending free agency.
Is Josh Beckett the best pitcher in the American League?
Well, here's the way I think of it. I LOVE Josh Beckett. We all know how I feel about him. That being said, I think Johan Santana is the best pitcher in the American League. When Santana is out there, you feel like you have a chance to see something really really special. When Josh is out there, I think I'm getting 7-8 strong and a run or two. When Santana is out there, I'm thinking I have a chance to see a no-no or better.
::hoping Joshua reads my blog, is angry, and throws a perfect game next time out::
Are the Red Sox being too careful with Jon Lester?
Jonathan Tyler Lester made his debut on July 10, 2006 at 22. Jonathan R. (why just the R baseball reference? I wonder if he has a hideous middle name? I'll get on it and report back) Papelbon made his debut on July 31, 2005 at age 25. If things hadn't gone completely shithouse with injuries and whatnot, then Lester would probably still be in Pawtucket just like any other player. And, I don't want this to come out the wrong way, but, if he hadn't gotten cancer, would we even be wondering about this? If he had just come up, gone 7-2, gone back down to Pawtucket and was down there now, would it matter? I don't think so.
Should the Celtics keep the #5?
If I was Wyc, I'd start off with a new coach and a new GM. For a GM, I want someone with a plan that can stick to it. And for a coach, I want someone firey who isn't afraid to scare the shit out of all the teenagers I have on my roster. I would be willing to discuss trades with Paul Pierce but not with Al Jefferson. If I keep the pick, I'd take one of the Florida kids in this order, Horford, Brewer, Noah. I would get rid of the cheerleaders. I would have used my millions to buy the naming rights of the Fleet/TD and just call it, The Boston Garden. Or, the Auerbach Auditorium, or something. And I'd buy bigger cups for the mixed drinks. Buckets actually. It's only fair for those who come to pay money to see my team and the Bruins.
What NBA Superstar will be traded this week?
None.
Will former BC Center Sean Williams be a first round pick?
Yes. He's stupid, but he's got nasty skills. He'll go in the first round.
Is the AL East over?
This kind of question is just loaded with bad karma. I think that the AL East is a very competitive division, and the Red Sox are lucky to be this far ahead of all the superb talent.
Where does Ken Griffey Jr. rank on baseball's all time greats?
I hate to say this, but I don't know a ton about non-Red Sox baseball greats. But, I will say that I love Ken Griffey Jr. I think that he, when 100% healthy, is the best player I've ever seen. I also think that if he had been loading up on the HGH all these years, he'd be right there with our next question.
What if Barry Bonds was one of us?
If Barry Bonds was one if us, I'd root for him to tear his ACL every night. Since Barry Bonds is not one of us, I'll root for him to tear his ACL every night.
Onto the links...
*The Sox battled back continuously last night, but couldn't overcome the Mariners, as they lost 8-7. Kason Gabbard had an incredibly wild first inning. (He's still awful handsome).
*Amalie Benjamin has Mike Timlin trying to regain his old form.
*Old friend Trot Nixon remembers old friend Rod Beck.
*Christopher Gasper thinks that Nathan Vasher kind of screwed over Asante Samuel. (I love Nathan Vasher as a side note. I read a really cute article once on him and his mom).
Now, as for the article below, I want to add one thing. The Red Sox fans invade stadiums across the country. It's true. And I'm sure it can be very annoying for fans of other teams. That being said, it was a beautiful night last night in Seattle and one of the best young pitchers in baseball was on the mound against a team he one-hit last time out. And there were plenty of seats left. There is no reason why there weren't more Mariners fans there last night. So don't blame us for your own inadequacies.
Friday, June 22, 2007
The Great Autograph Experiment
So, the other day I was reading my ESPN the Mag, and there was a section about the best way to get autographs. Now, I have to say, autographs have never done much for me. I'd much rather get my picture taken with the player then have them sign something that will end up in a photo album and then eventually get ruined when the basement floods.
In my autograph collection, I have Nancy Kerrigan (at Toys “R” us when I was maybe 12). (Funny side story, I need a piece of paper, so my dad handed me a notebook that we hadn’t bought yet, and I thought for sure I was going to get arrested. And then, my dad wouldn’t even buy the notebook that I had used to get the autograph, he just tore out the page and put it his pocket…and I was horrified we were stealing paper!).
My second autograph is ML Carr. My mom won some contest when she worked in the bakery at Shaw’s (I’m serious, she worked there). So my dad and I got to go play basketball on the court at the Garden. The real Garden, not TD Banknorth. This was the same year as Nancy Kerrigan I believe. Anyway, I used to get really nervous. So my dad lied to me and said he was taking me on a tour of a bread factory in Boston. Now, we never went to Boston, so this was a huge deal. So I got dressed up and wore like, a blouse and skirt and tights and dress shoes. And it turns out I was going to play basketball with the Celtics. There were a few other random people there from the Celtics, I don’t know who. So I just sat on the bench in my dress shoes, and watched my dad shoot hoops with ML. Who, I might add, was wicked nice. Anyway, my dad and I snuck off from the group to see the Celtics locker room. It was the offseason, so they were empty, but I did get to sit in Larry Bird’s locker. We went into the Bruin’s locker room too. And, I of course, thought for sure we were going to get caught and my dad was going to get arrested and I was going to have to call my mom to come bail us out. Also, on the way home, I dropped the autograph out the window and my dad had to pull the car over so I could pick it up. He almost killed me.
My third autograph is Jenny Meno and Todd Sand. They are figure skaters that never won much of anything except for the US title a few times. We had these awesome front row seats and I got to meet Jenny and Todd who were my favorites.
My fourth autograph is Tom Glavine. Tom was doing an autograph signing at the Burlington Mall and I took Paul and his best friend Chris. Tom was extremely nice, he took a picture with us, signed like, the 20 Tom Glavine cards we brought.
also, I did get every Disney character I could find when I went to Disney in 6th grade, and Cinderella's twice.
Anyway, that is the extent of my autograph collection. In the article in ESPN it mentioned Pat Neshek’s website. I linked to it last week, but it’s for autograph collectors, and they talk about who they’ve gotten autographs from, where’s the best place to get them to sign. One thing they were talking about was who you could write to, with a self addressed stamped envelope, and who would send your card or picture or whatever back. I read through them and was intrigued. Pat's site also mentioned this one, SASE Sports Sigs, which keeps track of what cards get signed and sent back. I knew my brother and I had a giant box of cards in the basement, so I’ve decided to try it out. I’m sending out 20 baseball cards to 20 major leaguers, a little note, along with a baseball card and SASE. I actually couldn’t find my baseball cards so technically I’m sending my brothers. I went through a few books and pulled out current major leaguers, and was surprised by how many players are no longer in the majors. So, I decided to send 5 to current Red Sox, 5 to current Yankees, and 10 to regular major leaguers. (they are the control group if I remember my scientific method correctly). I'm completely accepting of the fact that there is a very good chance I'm going 0-20.
I’m rambling today. Must be the ice coffee combined with the fact that it is FINALLY Friday.
We’ll start with the bad guys, move on to the neutral guys, and then onto to the good guys.
First up, Mr. Roger Clemens, (whose name I intentionally spelled wrong on the envelope for humor’s sake). I told Roger I liked watching him pitch as a Red Sox, and that “I hope your un-retirement works out just like I think it will”. As in, you average five runs and five innings a game while going 6-9. In A-Rod’s note, I wrote, “I really miss watching you play shortstop. I think that you would have been remembered as the best shortstop of all time”. Not that I would want to ruffle feathers between him and Derek. In Mo’s I told him that “Enter Sandman” was my favorite Metallica song and that I thought he was a great closer during the 2004 ALCS. In Jason Giambi’s, I told him I hope his foot heals faster than they think it will (because otherwise they will probably trade for Carlos Pena and I’d rather they didn’t). And, in Derek Jeter’s, I told him that he was a much better player than A-Rod. Those were very hard to write.
I told Barry Bonds that he has “set an incredible example for younger players”. If that’s not the truth. You too can cheat your way to 755.
Mike Sweeney, “you are my favorite player on the Royals”. That is 100% accurate. Of course, he’s tied with every other Royal for that position, but I left that out of my note.
In my collection (actually Paul’s collection), I found a sweet card with a very young Pedro and Ramon on it in Dodger Blue. Pedro looked badass and Ramon looked goofy and I’m pretty sure they both had mullets. I thanked Pedro for being so great for the Red Sox, and told him there was nothing like getting up in the morning and knowing we had Pedro going that night.
Edgar Renteira, “I’m sorry it didn’t work out here in Boston.” I am. Now I’m stuck with Julio Lugo who is more expensive and couldn’t hit his way out of a wet paper bag. I am sorry it didn’t work out. Your contract ends before his does.
Jason Schmidt and Randy Johnson got get well cards. I told Magglio Ordonez and Andruw Jones they were great outfielders and that I wished they had come up with the Sox. (Sorry Nancy).
I wrote to Pudge Rodriguez and told him he was a great catcher and congrats on catching a No-no and thanks for knocking the Yanks out last year.
Then came my notes to the Sox, which, were harder and took a lot more thought.
First up was Mike Timlin. I thanked him for ’04, and for being such a reliable set up man over the years and told him that us Sox fans were lucky to have him. (I left out that he makes me vomit slightly in my mouth)
I told Batshit Tavarez that it has been an absolute pleasure watching him this year and that we have the best #5 in baseball.
I told Manny that he was the best hitter I have ever seen (I sent him a card of him on the Indians, which, was the only one I have).
I confessed to Mike Lowell that he was my favorite Red Sox and that he really needed to resign with the Sox to keep my mental health stable. (well, I left out the mental health part, but I did tell him I hoped he’d finish his career with the Sox).
I thanked Tim Wakefield for being such a leader with the Red Sox both on the field and in the community.
So there the 20 are. I’m going to send them out with tomorrow’s mail, and we’ll see how many I get back.
Tonight we have Dice-K and Greg Maddux. I feel like I haven’t seen Dice-K pitch in weeks. I’m excited!
In my autograph collection, I have Nancy Kerrigan (at Toys “R” us when I was maybe 12). (Funny side story, I need a piece of paper, so my dad handed me a notebook that we hadn’t bought yet, and I thought for sure I was going to get arrested. And then, my dad wouldn’t even buy the notebook that I had used to get the autograph, he just tore out the page and put it his pocket…and I was horrified we were stealing paper!).
My second autograph is ML Carr. My mom won some contest when she worked in the bakery at Shaw’s (I’m serious, she worked there). So my dad and I got to go play basketball on the court at the Garden. The real Garden, not TD Banknorth. This was the same year as Nancy Kerrigan I believe. Anyway, I used to get really nervous. So my dad lied to me and said he was taking me on a tour of a bread factory in Boston. Now, we never went to Boston, so this was a huge deal. So I got dressed up and wore like, a blouse and skirt and tights and dress shoes. And it turns out I was going to play basketball with the Celtics. There were a few other random people there from the Celtics, I don’t know who. So I just sat on the bench in my dress shoes, and watched my dad shoot hoops with ML. Who, I might add, was wicked nice. Anyway, my dad and I snuck off from the group to see the Celtics locker room. It was the offseason, so they were empty, but I did get to sit in Larry Bird’s locker. We went into the Bruin’s locker room too. And, I of course, thought for sure we were going to get caught and my dad was going to get arrested and I was going to have to call my mom to come bail us out. Also, on the way home, I dropped the autograph out the window and my dad had to pull the car over so I could pick it up. He almost killed me.
My third autograph is Jenny Meno and Todd Sand. They are figure skaters that never won much of anything except for the US title a few times. We had these awesome front row seats and I got to meet Jenny and Todd who were my favorites.
My fourth autograph is Tom Glavine. Tom was doing an autograph signing at the Burlington Mall and I took Paul and his best friend Chris. Tom was extremely nice, he took a picture with us, signed like, the 20 Tom Glavine cards we brought.
also, I did get every Disney character I could find when I went to Disney in 6th grade, and Cinderella's twice.
Anyway, that is the extent of my autograph collection. In the article in ESPN it mentioned Pat Neshek’s website. I linked to it last week, but it’s for autograph collectors, and they talk about who they’ve gotten autographs from, where’s the best place to get them to sign. One thing they were talking about was who you could write to, with a self addressed stamped envelope, and who would send your card or picture or whatever back. I read through them and was intrigued. Pat's site also mentioned this one, SASE Sports Sigs, which keeps track of what cards get signed and sent back. I knew my brother and I had a giant box of cards in the basement, so I’ve decided to try it out. I’m sending out 20 baseball cards to 20 major leaguers, a little note, along with a baseball card and SASE. I actually couldn’t find my baseball cards so technically I’m sending my brothers. I went through a few books and pulled out current major leaguers, and was surprised by how many players are no longer in the majors. So, I decided to send 5 to current Red Sox, 5 to current Yankees, and 10 to regular major leaguers. (they are the control group if I remember my scientific method correctly). I'm completely accepting of the fact that there is a very good chance I'm going 0-20.
I’m rambling today. Must be the ice coffee combined with the fact that it is FINALLY Friday.
We’ll start with the bad guys, move on to the neutral guys, and then onto to the good guys.
First up, Mr. Roger Clemens, (whose name I intentionally spelled wrong on the envelope for humor’s sake). I told Roger I liked watching him pitch as a Red Sox, and that “I hope your un-retirement works out just like I think it will”. As in, you average five runs and five innings a game while going 6-9. In A-Rod’s note, I wrote, “I really miss watching you play shortstop. I think that you would have been remembered as the best shortstop of all time”. Not that I would want to ruffle feathers between him and Derek. In Mo’s I told him that “Enter Sandman” was my favorite Metallica song and that I thought he was a great closer during the 2004 ALCS. In Jason Giambi’s, I told him I hope his foot heals faster than they think it will (because otherwise they will probably trade for Carlos Pena and I’d rather they didn’t). And, in Derek Jeter’s, I told him that he was a much better player than A-Rod. Those were very hard to write.
I told Barry Bonds that he has “set an incredible example for younger players”. If that’s not the truth. You too can cheat your way to 755.
Mike Sweeney, “you are my favorite player on the Royals”. That is 100% accurate. Of course, he’s tied with every other Royal for that position, but I left that out of my note.
In my collection (actually Paul’s collection), I found a sweet card with a very young Pedro and Ramon on it in Dodger Blue. Pedro looked badass and Ramon looked goofy and I’m pretty sure they both had mullets. I thanked Pedro for being so great for the Red Sox, and told him there was nothing like getting up in the morning and knowing we had Pedro going that night.
Edgar Renteira, “I’m sorry it didn’t work out here in Boston.” I am. Now I’m stuck with Julio Lugo who is more expensive and couldn’t hit his way out of a wet paper bag. I am sorry it didn’t work out. Your contract ends before his does.
Jason Schmidt and Randy Johnson got get well cards. I told Magglio Ordonez and Andruw Jones they were great outfielders and that I wished they had come up with the Sox. (Sorry Nancy).
I wrote to Pudge Rodriguez and told him he was a great catcher and congrats on catching a No-no and thanks for knocking the Yanks out last year.
Then came my notes to the Sox, which, were harder and took a lot more thought.
First up was Mike Timlin. I thanked him for ’04, and for being such a reliable set up man over the years and told him that us Sox fans were lucky to have him. (I left out that he makes me vomit slightly in my mouth)
I told Batshit Tavarez that it has been an absolute pleasure watching him this year and that we have the best #5 in baseball.
I told Manny that he was the best hitter I have ever seen (I sent him a card of him on the Indians, which, was the only one I have).
I confessed to Mike Lowell that he was my favorite Red Sox and that he really needed to resign with the Sox to keep my mental health stable. (well, I left out the mental health part, but I did tell him I hoped he’d finish his career with the Sox).
I thanked Tim Wakefield for being such a leader with the Red Sox both on the field and in the community.
So there the 20 are. I’m going to send them out with tomorrow’s mail, and we’ll see how many I get back.
Tonight we have Dice-K and Greg Maddux. I feel like I haven’t seen Dice-K pitch in weeks. I’m excited!
Friday, June 15, 2007
When I was, eh, maybe 15 years old, I saw in interview with Barry Bonds and Steve Sax (I think that’s his name), and I was appalled by how arrogant, how condescending, and how rude Barry was. Then, Steve asked Barry who the greatest player to ever play the game was, and Barry replied, “I am, how can I possibly play this game if I thought anything different.” So let me get this straight Barry, the game is only worth playing if you’re the best? Well, if you are the best, then what is the point of everyone else playing too? I think every other major league ball player should probably just pack up and go home. And leave you to play with yourself, all your friends (0), and all your rings (0). Forgive me Mr. Bonds, but I think the mark of a great player is the ability to make his team better, himself better, and to win a championship. Sure, you need the stats, but more importantly, you should want the ring. That makes Tom great, it makes Papi great, it’s what made Bird great and it’s what made Ray ride off into the Rockies for a chance to hoist the cup above his head. I don’t hate Barry because of the stories of him cheating on his wife, cheating on his taxes, and of course, cheating on baseball. What bothers me the most about Barry isn’t any of those 3 things. It’s the fact that he’s a stuck up asshole. And that, is why I would boo him if I was one of the lucky 90,000 to see him at Fenway this weekend. I don’t hate him because he’s a cheater, but because he’s a dick.
So the Giants come riding into town with their ace, Barry Zito on the hill, we got our fifth starter who may or may not be certifiably insane. What I do know, is that we score runs for Julian, and that Zito has absolutely destroyed my fantasy team this season. So we just lost a series to a bunch of kids wearing royal purple and with names you’ve never heard of. It’s time for the Sox to get their bats going, time for us and them to get our mojo back, and time to get up, dust the dirt of our knees, and get ready to boo Barry Bonds till our throats burn. Listen here Fenway Faithful, I’m expecting all 36,000 of you to boo till you can’t breathe, I want you to be exhausted by booing. I don’t want you to be able to speak till Tuesday. Got it?
We, of course, have another fantastic reason for having sore throats tomorrow, that, of course being Mr. David Roberts, author of, “The Steal”, one of the greatest, if not the greatest chapters in Red Sox history. My life is basically separated into two sections, BS, (before steal), and AS (after steal). Before Steal I had Crunch and Munch poured on me at Yankee Stadium, where I had to listen continuously to old men with bad teeth shout, “Nomar “No Rings” Garciappara” at me every 8 minutes in the upper deck of Yankee Stadium, I had to hear “19-18”! I had to lay in bed for a week in 2003 coming to the realization that it was, in fact, entirely likely that it was not happening in my lifetime. After Steal anything was possible, the greatest comeback in the history of sports, curses could be broken, the Red Sox could not be denied, and bandwagon Yankee hats disappeared. And those that remained saw an entire Nation decked out in World Series Champion gear.
As the great, if not annoying, Kevin Millar once said, “Don’t let us win one!”, and he was right. One was all it took. All it took was the steal led to the hit which led to Papi’s home run which led to Curt on the mound with a bloody sock, which led to Johnny’s home runs which led to Petey leaving it all on the mound, to Timmy finding redemption in the late innings, to a sweep and to a duck boat parade 86 years in the making. But none of it happens without the steal.
So the Giants come riding into town with their ace, Barry Zito on the hill, we got our fifth starter who may or may not be certifiably insane. What I do know, is that we score runs for Julian, and that Zito has absolutely destroyed my fantasy team this season. So we just lost a series to a bunch of kids wearing royal purple and with names you’ve never heard of. It’s time for the Sox to get their bats going, time for us and them to get our mojo back, and time to get up, dust the dirt of our knees, and get ready to boo Barry Bonds till our throats burn. Listen here Fenway Faithful, I’m expecting all 36,000 of you to boo till you can’t breathe, I want you to be exhausted by booing. I don’t want you to be able to speak till Tuesday. Got it?
We, of course, have another fantastic reason for having sore throats tomorrow, that, of course being Mr. David Roberts, author of, “The Steal”, one of the greatest, if not the greatest chapters in Red Sox history. My life is basically separated into two sections, BS, (before steal), and AS (after steal). Before Steal I had Crunch and Munch poured on me at Yankee Stadium, where I had to listen continuously to old men with bad teeth shout, “Nomar “No Rings” Garciappara” at me every 8 minutes in the upper deck of Yankee Stadium, I had to hear “19-18”! I had to lay in bed for a week in 2003 coming to the realization that it was, in fact, entirely likely that it was not happening in my lifetime. After Steal anything was possible, the greatest comeback in the history of sports, curses could be broken, the Red Sox could not be denied, and bandwagon Yankee hats disappeared. And those that remained saw an entire Nation decked out in World Series Champion gear.
As the great, if not annoying, Kevin Millar once said, “Don’t let us win one!”, and he was right. One was all it took. All it took was the steal led to the hit which led to Papi’s home run which led to Curt on the mound with a bloody sock, which led to Johnny’s home runs which led to Petey leaving it all on the mound, to Timmy finding redemption in the late innings, to a sweep and to a duck boat parade 86 years in the making. But none of it happens without the steal.
So, Barry is going to stand in tonight, 9 home runs shy of one of the most hallowed records in baseball, and have boos rain down upon him, probably a battery or two, and some nasty chants tossed in his general direction. And a 3rd/4th outfielder, blessed with speed, hustle, a cheerful demeanor and not much else out will stand in and have a reception worthy of a king. I can’t wait to hear what the Fenway Faithful has for Barry tonight, but even more than that, I can't wait to hear the Faithful give a much deserved "Hello" to a deserving old friend.
Welcome home Dave!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Ten things I think I think...(Sorry MMQB).
1. I think that the NFL Player's Association needs to remove the Franchise Tag from the next collective bargining agreement. Why have something that no player wants and few are willing to play under? Asante Samuel says he won't report till week 10. If I was Scott or Bill, I'd tell Asante if you show up week 10, we're tagging you again in 2008, and that is a promise. Here is my call on Asante. He is a very good corner. I do not think he is a great corner. I also think that he routinely missed tackles last year because instead of setting up for the stop or to break up a pass, he was going for the pick in his money year. Mike Felger said on FSN that the Pats should work out some kind of a secret deal with Asante that if he plays under the tag this year then the Pats will not tag him again. I totally agree and while I don't know if Asante would even want to do that. After all the things the Patriots have done this offseason to improve the team, we need to have a #1 corner.
2. I think I hate the news and all news broadcasting. First of all, the "close call" by the Pope this morning? An unarmed man jumped over the barricade seperating the Pope mobile from the crowd, was swiftly tackled by security and led away, the Pope didn't even notice, and it's a "close call". As my dad said this morning, "I think that you need to make contact with the hat for it offically be a close call". Another thing that annoyed me with this morning was the mini sports section. They told me the Red Sox lost, and that the Yankees won but they are still, "really far behind". Shouldn't us Boston fans be more concerned that the Toronto Blue Jays came back in the bottom of the 9th last night against Tampa Bay? Aren't they the 2nd place team? (and 9 back). They also told me that Tom Brady will have a busy off season becoming acclimated to his new recievers, and having a baby. That is the most important news coming out of mini-camp yesterday? Thanks. For a huge pile of useless information.
3. I think that if Billy Donavan is allowed to sign with a professional team, and then still go back to Florida, then players should have the same rights to change their mind too. They should be able to transfer without sitting out a season. If you go to a school to play for a coach, and that coach leaves for a better offer, then you should be able to do the same. I hate the NCAA. I also feel bad for Anthony Grant in this whole thing.
4. I think I'm sick of Youk looking like someone just shot his sister everytime he a play doesn't go his way. Honestly. I'm sure you aren't right 100% of the time, shut your mouth, and go back to the dugout, you are annoying me.
5. I think I didn't realize how grumpy I am till I started writing these. Wily Mo played again for J.D. last night. I still believe Mr. Drew is going to come around, however, I hope he realizes that his grace period is about to come to an end. The more he doesn't produce, and the more he doesn't play, and the more the Sox don't win, the sooner he's going to be hearing some loud boo's down at the Fens.
6. I think my favorite part of last nights game (made it till the 4th this time), was after Manny walked and a loud chorus of "OOOOO" could be heard. My dad goes, "Are they booing Manny or Lenny?", and I told him, "No, Youk must be up". And he was. Red Sox Nation dominates again.
7. A couple things I think aren't worth of their own entry
-I think I hated get rid of Lenny all along. (Especially after he was so handsome at Hot Stove Cool Music).
-I think I am relieved to see Dice-K do well last night.
-I think Wily Mo needs to go to a team where he can get 450 AB's in a season. I think his agent screwed him over by leaving him no minor league options.
-I think Papelbon has been making me nervous. I don't know what his deal is, if he's throwing too much, not throwing enough, shoulder hurts, blah blah.
-I think Japelbon was bound to show us he is human after all.
-I think that it's unfortunate that Papelbon and Japelbon decided to remind us how lucky we have been with our bullpen this year.
8. I think it is crazy that Trevor Hoffman is one save away from 500 in his career. 500!! Now there is the kind of guy who deserves to have Hells Bells playing when he comes in. (Aki not so much!)
9. Barry Bonds sat out of the lineup Tuesday with aching knees and shin splints. Those will be the least of his worries when I pull a Tonya Harding on him next weekend.
10. I think West Coast trips make me cranky. But you already knew that.
1. I think that the NFL Player's Association needs to remove the Franchise Tag from the next collective bargining agreement. Why have something that no player wants and few are willing to play under? Asante Samuel says he won't report till week 10. If I was Scott or Bill, I'd tell Asante if you show up week 10, we're tagging you again in 2008, and that is a promise. Here is my call on Asante. He is a very good corner. I do not think he is a great corner. I also think that he routinely missed tackles last year because instead of setting up for the stop or to break up a pass, he was going for the pick in his money year. Mike Felger said on FSN that the Pats should work out some kind of a secret deal with Asante that if he plays under the tag this year then the Pats will not tag him again. I totally agree and while I don't know if Asante would even want to do that. After all the things the Patriots have done this offseason to improve the team, we need to have a #1 corner.
2. I think I hate the news and all news broadcasting. First of all, the "close call" by the Pope this morning? An unarmed man jumped over the barricade seperating the Pope mobile from the crowd, was swiftly tackled by security and led away, the Pope didn't even notice, and it's a "close call". As my dad said this morning, "I think that you need to make contact with the hat for it offically be a close call". Another thing that annoyed me with this morning was the mini sports section. They told me the Red Sox lost, and that the Yankees won but they are still, "really far behind". Shouldn't us Boston fans be more concerned that the Toronto Blue Jays came back in the bottom of the 9th last night against Tampa Bay? Aren't they the 2nd place team? (and 9 back). They also told me that Tom Brady will have a busy off season becoming acclimated to his new recievers, and having a baby. That is the most important news coming out of mini-camp yesterday? Thanks. For a huge pile of useless information.
3. I think that if Billy Donavan is allowed to sign with a professional team, and then still go back to Florida, then players should have the same rights to change their mind too. They should be able to transfer without sitting out a season. If you go to a school to play for a coach, and that coach leaves for a better offer, then you should be able to do the same. I hate the NCAA. I also feel bad for Anthony Grant in this whole thing.
4. I think I'm sick of Youk looking like someone just shot his sister everytime he a play doesn't go his way. Honestly. I'm sure you aren't right 100% of the time, shut your mouth, and go back to the dugout, you are annoying me.
5. I think I didn't realize how grumpy I am till I started writing these. Wily Mo played again for J.D. last night. I still believe Mr. Drew is going to come around, however, I hope he realizes that his grace period is about to come to an end. The more he doesn't produce, and the more he doesn't play, and the more the Sox don't win, the sooner he's going to be hearing some loud boo's down at the Fens.
6. I think my favorite part of last nights game (made it till the 4th this time), was after Manny walked and a loud chorus of "OOOOO" could be heard. My dad goes, "Are they booing Manny or Lenny?", and I told him, "No, Youk must be up". And he was. Red Sox Nation dominates again.
7. A couple things I think aren't worth of their own entry
-I think I hated get rid of Lenny all along. (Especially after he was so handsome at Hot Stove Cool Music).
-I think I am relieved to see Dice-K do well last night.
-I think Wily Mo needs to go to a team where he can get 450 AB's in a season. I think his agent screwed him over by leaving him no minor league options.
-I think Papelbon has been making me nervous. I don't know what his deal is, if he's throwing too much, not throwing enough, shoulder hurts, blah blah.
-I think Japelbon was bound to show us he is human after all.
-I think that it's unfortunate that Papelbon and Japelbon decided to remind us how lucky we have been with our bullpen this year.
8. I think it is crazy that Trevor Hoffman is one save away from 500 in his career. 500!! Now there is the kind of guy who deserves to have Hells Bells playing when he comes in. (Aki not so much!)
9. Barry Bonds sat out of the lineup Tuesday with aching knees and shin splints. Those will be the least of his worries when I pull a Tonya Harding on him next weekend.
10. I think West Coast trips make me cranky. But you already knew that.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Sometimes, it's better to say nothing at all.
Jonathan Papelbon chimed in on Barry and Schill.
“This is the most balanced team I’ve probably ever been on and the most professional team… besides the things that Schill said yesterday about Barry, that wasn’t too professional, but we’re just a really balanced team. We’re good because we pick each other up.”
When asked if Barry is good for baseball...
“Yeah definitely. He’s doing it for baseball. And I think it’s good for baseball. And I think that he’s going out there and crushing home runs and getting baseball back to where it was in the late 1990s and such that, hey, fans are going to come out and see the home runs, there’s no doubt about it. And fans will come see good pitching. And I think he’s doing great for the game itself, so I can’t complain.”
Barry Bonds is good for baseball the way that vodka is good for my liver.
“This is the most balanced team I’ve probably ever been on and the most professional team… besides the things that Schill said yesterday about Barry, that wasn’t too professional, but we’re just a really balanced team. We’re good because we pick each other up.”
When asked if Barry is good for baseball...
“Yeah definitely. He’s doing it for baseball. And I think it’s good for baseball. And I think that he’s going out there and crushing home runs and getting baseball back to where it was in the late 1990s and such that, hey, fans are going to come out and see the home runs, there’s no doubt about it. And fans will come see good pitching. And I think he’s doing great for the game itself, so I can’t complain.”
Barry Bonds is good for baseball the way that vodka is good for my liver.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
I don't know where this picture is from but it was posted on the comments of Surviving Grady yesterday and I thought it was funny. Jon Lester on the left, Chad Spann throwing the ball, and they look about 15.I didn't catch a ton of the game last night because 1. I had to cook dinner because my mom is sick, and 2. It was the season finale of The Deadliest Catch. In case anyone missed it, Captain Phil won the most amount of crab, but Capt. Sig's boat made the most money per deckhand, and the Captain with the highest average crab per pot was Jonathan's boat, which had some good karma working for them after they saved that guy from the other boat. And, incase you were were wondering, me and Paul's favorite Capt. is Sig.
*The Sox brought their bats to Toronto and got Josh plenty of run support.
*Jemele Hill has a letter to God, ask him to stop Barry from breaking Hank's record.
*Ellis Hobbs is ready to go.
*Manny and Craig had a rough night for the Paw Sox.
*Bill took his lady friend to Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People dinner.
*Peyton got to go to the State dinner with the Queen?
*I kind of want this shirt.
*This is a few days old, but Vernon Wells sent this message on a baseball to some center field fans in Cleveland, "Dear Mr. Dork,Here is your ball! Can you please tell me what gas station you work at, so when you are pumping my gas, I can yell at you!!! Now sit down, shut up and enjoy the game.- Your favorite centrefielder"
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
*We all know how I feel about him, but I mean, how great is Tom Brady? Tom restructured his contract so that they could add Randy Moss and still come in under the cap.
*Dan Shaugnessy says that love is blind when it comes to us Boston fans. Here is the thing with this article, he starts off strong, saying that we are blind when it comes to the Patriots acquiring Randy Moss, and that if the Sox had signed Barry Bonds this off season, we would have gotten on the bandwagon, and if the Sox sign Roger Clemens, then he'll go back to being the Rocket we all know and love.
First of all, on Barry, I will never, ever, root for Barry Bonds. It has nothing to do with steriods, because, who really knows who is on and who is off and who has been on the juice. Do I think Bonds cheated? Yes. Am I sure that all my favorite players never did? No. So, I don't hate Barry Bonds because he's a cheater. I hate Barry Bonds because he's a dick.
Dan then says to bring on Terrell Owens. Um, no, because Rodney already says that he would never let T.O. in the locker room. And, whatever Rodney says goes. (which, if anyone can find the Rodney quote about T.O. and wants to put in the comments, please do).
As for Roger, I think we've all accepted the fact that one stat is the most important to Roger, the $$. It was never about being a Yankee for Rog, it was about the $$. Sure he wants to be close to Koby, Kole, Krispy, Knight, Kreme, but, when it comes down to it, $20 mil for a few months work isn't a bad deal. I don't think its about the love of the game for Roger, I think its about a love of the zero's adding up at the end of his bank account statement. That being said, what team out there has a comparable rotation to Schill, Beckett, Dice-K, Rog, and Wake? Um, no one. For Roger, it's about the money, for me, a lowly entry level customer service rep making 30 grand, it's about walking into Yankee Stadium wearing my 2007 World Series shirt. And if Roger is going to get me there, well, I'm that easy. (But I will, under no circumstances, own a Clemens shirt).
As for A-Rod, I personally always really liked him when he was a Mariner and a Ranger. I think that he was stupid to give up the chance to be the greatest SS of all time to be a Yankee. I think it isn't his fault he signed that deal that would cripple any team's payroll not in NY or Boston. I think it would be hard for me to cheer for him. That being said, if Barry ends up hitting 777 and A-Rod can hit 778, I'd take it.
Then there is Bill Laimbeer and Ulf Samuelsson. Now, most of the time I don't pay too much attention to what goes on on Causeway Street, (except Disney on Ice, I love Disney on Ice). There aren't any NHL or NBA teams that I like more than the C's and B's, those sports just aren't quite my thing. But, I know two things. And that is that everytime a WNBA game comes up during a channel check and Bill Laimbeer is coaching, my dad makes a comment not appropriate for others ears, and that Ulf hurt Cam Neeley, and that the name Samuelsson still makes Bruin's fans everywhere cringe, so, to say that they could have suited up for the hometown team and been accepted, is well, bullshit.
And, also Dan, we didn't turn on Johnny, Johnny turned on us. We would have been fine if he signed with any of 29 teams. There's just one that isn't okay, and he knew that and did it anyway. I'm pretty sure I could live pretty well for the rest of my life on the 40 mil the Sox were offering, so, I'm sorry if I'm not oozing with sympathy.
Manny is Manny, you can either get annoyed when he doesn't run out a ground ball, or you can accept .300-35-120 and move on. Sometimes it is better to move on.
We can be negative about Randy and his past transgressions, or, we can trust that Bill and Scott knew what they were doing, and that Tom wouldn't go through the trouble of restructuring his contract for someone that wasn't worth the effort. Personally, I love the idea of Moss and Stallworth lining up on opposite sidelines and a fully healed Malroney in the backfield. Also, I don't agree with the fact that this move solidifies that Troy Brown is gone. Troy can play defense and our defense backs have't been the most durable in years past. If Troy wants to play, Troy will be on the Patriots.
*The Pats also signed a bunch of college undrafted free agents yesterday, outlined in Reiss's blog.
*Chris Carter says Randy will be fine in Foxboro.
*David Brown (who writes from some newspaper called South Coast Today?) has a good response to the media over reacting over the Patriots drafting /signing. (I really liked this one).
*Rob Bradford talked to Papelbon who, poor guy, only makes 400,000 grand this year, talks about his future with in the game. (He will be eligable for arbitration after 2008).
*Tavarez wants Dice-K to teach him how to throw a cut fastball. Edes also has this...
Papelbon's younger brother, Josh Papelbon, was not perfect in April, but he came close. The younger Papelbon, pitching for Single A Greenville in the South Atlantic League, had five saves, and held opponents scoreless in eight of his nine outings. He allowed three earned runs in the one outing he was scored upon, so he has an ERA of 2.61 . . . Sunday was Jacoby Ellsbury's first day off this season. The Portland outfielder has hit safely in a career-high 13 consecutive games, batting .404 (23 for 57). He has reached base in 23 straight contests dating to Aug. 27, 2006. His .455 average (30 for 66) leads all minor leaguers, and he ranks first in the Eastern League with 30 hits, 10 doubles, and a .507 on-base percentage. Ellsbury has started 15 of Portland's 16 games this season.
Think Lester and Josh hung out when he was in Greenville? I'd like to think so. Also, some weekend this summer we should do a little Portland Road Trip, and go shopping in Freeport. (Northface, Coach, and Dooney and Bourke outlet. What more could you possibly want?)
*Dan Shaugnessy says that love is blind when it comes to us Boston fans. Here is the thing with this article, he starts off strong, saying that we are blind when it comes to the Patriots acquiring Randy Moss, and that if the Sox had signed Barry Bonds this off season, we would have gotten on the bandwagon, and if the Sox sign Roger Clemens, then he'll go back to being the Rocket we all know and love.
First of all, on Barry, I will never, ever, root for Barry Bonds. It has nothing to do with steriods, because, who really knows who is on and who is off and who has been on the juice. Do I think Bonds cheated? Yes. Am I sure that all my favorite players never did? No. So, I don't hate Barry Bonds because he's a cheater. I hate Barry Bonds because he's a dick.
Dan then says to bring on Terrell Owens. Um, no, because Rodney already says that he would never let T.O. in the locker room. And, whatever Rodney says goes. (which, if anyone can find the Rodney quote about T.O. and wants to put in the comments, please do).
As for Roger, I think we've all accepted the fact that one stat is the most important to Roger, the $$. It was never about being a Yankee for Rog, it was about the $$. Sure he wants to be close to Koby, Kole, Krispy, Knight, Kreme, but, when it comes down to it, $20 mil for a few months work isn't a bad deal. I don't think its about the love of the game for Roger, I think its about a love of the zero's adding up at the end of his bank account statement. That being said, what team out there has a comparable rotation to Schill, Beckett, Dice-K, Rog, and Wake? Um, no one. For Roger, it's about the money, for me, a lowly entry level customer service rep making 30 grand, it's about walking into Yankee Stadium wearing my 2007 World Series shirt. And if Roger is going to get me there, well, I'm that easy. (But I will, under no circumstances, own a Clemens shirt).
As for A-Rod, I personally always really liked him when he was a Mariner and a Ranger. I think that he was stupid to give up the chance to be the greatest SS of all time to be a Yankee. I think it isn't his fault he signed that deal that would cripple any team's payroll not in NY or Boston. I think it would be hard for me to cheer for him. That being said, if Barry ends up hitting 777 and A-Rod can hit 778, I'd take it.
Then there is Bill Laimbeer and Ulf Samuelsson. Now, most of the time I don't pay too much attention to what goes on on Causeway Street, (except Disney on Ice, I love Disney on Ice). There aren't any NHL or NBA teams that I like more than the C's and B's, those sports just aren't quite my thing. But, I know two things. And that is that everytime a WNBA game comes up during a channel check and Bill Laimbeer is coaching, my dad makes a comment not appropriate for others ears, and that Ulf hurt Cam Neeley, and that the name Samuelsson still makes Bruin's fans everywhere cringe, so, to say that they could have suited up for the hometown team and been accepted, is well, bullshit.
And, also Dan, we didn't turn on Johnny, Johnny turned on us. We would have been fine if he signed with any of 29 teams. There's just one that isn't okay, and he knew that and did it anyway. I'm pretty sure I could live pretty well for the rest of my life on the 40 mil the Sox were offering, so, I'm sorry if I'm not oozing with sympathy.
Manny is Manny, you can either get annoyed when he doesn't run out a ground ball, or you can accept .300-35-120 and move on. Sometimes it is better to move on.
We can be negative about Randy and his past transgressions, or, we can trust that Bill and Scott knew what they were doing, and that Tom wouldn't go through the trouble of restructuring his contract for someone that wasn't worth the effort. Personally, I love the idea of Moss and Stallworth lining up on opposite sidelines and a fully healed Malroney in the backfield. Also, I don't agree with the fact that this move solidifies that Troy Brown is gone. Troy can play defense and our defense backs have't been the most durable in years past. If Troy wants to play, Troy will be on the Patriots.
*The Pats also signed a bunch of college undrafted free agents yesterday, outlined in Reiss's blog.
*Chris Carter says Randy will be fine in Foxboro.
*David Brown (who writes from some newspaper called South Coast Today?) has a good response to the media over reacting over the Patriots drafting /signing. (I really liked this one).
*Rob Bradford talked to Papelbon who, poor guy, only makes 400,000 grand this year, talks about his future with in the game. (He will be eligable for arbitration after 2008).
*Tavarez wants Dice-K to teach him how to throw a cut fastball. Edes also has this...
Papelbon's younger brother, Josh Papelbon, was not perfect in April, but he came close. The younger Papelbon, pitching for Single A Greenville in the South Atlantic League, had five saves, and held opponents scoreless in eight of his nine outings. He allowed three earned runs in the one outing he was scored upon, so he has an ERA of 2.61 . . . Sunday was Jacoby Ellsbury's first day off this season. The Portland outfielder has hit safely in a career-high 13 consecutive games, batting .404 (23 for 57). He has reached base in 23 straight contests dating to Aug. 27, 2006. His .455 average (30 for 66) leads all minor leaguers, and he ranks first in the Eastern League with 30 hits, 10 doubles, and a .507 on-base percentage. Ellsbury has started 15 of Portland's 16 games this season.
Think Lester and Josh hung out when he was in Greenville? I'd like to think so. Also, some weekend this summer we should do a little Portland Road Trip, and go shopping in Freeport. (Northface, Coach, and Dooney and Bourke outlet. What more could you possibly want?)
Monday, April 2, 2007
Here is what everyone has been waiting for: My Red Sox slanted, East Coast biased, Yankee hating MLB preview
American League East
Boston Red Sox (how could I pick any other way? My name isn’t Red Sox Gal for nothing)
New York Yankees (I don’t the Blue Jays have the arms to beat them)
Toronto Blue Jays (but they do have Burnett and Halladay)
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (Some solid bats, no pitching...Carl Crawford is nasty)
Baltimore Orioles (Hey, Kev. How’s the basement treating ya?)
American League Central
Detroit Tigers (got some nasty young arms)
Minnesota Twins (bummer about Liriano)
Cleveland Indians (they are 1 Keith Foulke short - probably going to cry )
Chicago White Sox (I don’t know much about them)
Kansas City Royals (55 mil for Gil?)
American League West
Los Angeles Angels (ORLANDO!)
Oakland Athletics (Can we wait till Billy Beane wins a WS before we call him genius?)
Texas Rangers (still no pitching)
Seattle Mariners (Ichiro, you’ll LOVE Boston!)
Divisional Playoffs
Boston over LAA, 3-1
MFY over Detroit, 3-2
American League Championship Series
Boston over MFY, 4-3
AL MVP: David Ortiz, Boston
AL Cy Young: Johan Santana, Minnesota
AL Rookie of the Year: Diasuke Matsuzaka, Boston (is he even eligible? I don’t care)
National League East
New York Mets (Carlos Beltran will hit 79 home runs)
Philadelphia Phillies (I love Ryan Howard)
Florida Marlins (and Miguel Cabrera)
Atlanta Braves (good young arms that aren’t quite ready yet. Andruw Jones would look very handsome in a Red Sox uniform. And Coco would look great in um, any other uniform)
Washington Nationals (they’ll be great in um, 2010?)
National League Central
Chicago Cubs (300 mil should buy you the division right?)
Milwaukee Brewers (Ben Sheets is going to have a huge year)
St. Louis Cardinals (they were never that good to begin with)
Cincinnati Reds (I hope Ken has an injury free year)
Houston Astros (R$o$g$e$r or no R$o$g$e$r)
Pittsburgh Pirates (um, they get to root for Jason Bay at least)
National League West
Los Angeles Dodgers (Hey Nomar)
San Diego Padres (Hi Dave, also to say I have a crush on Jake Peavy would be putting it mildly)
San Francisco Giants (I hope Barry Bonds tears an ACL or two)
Colorado Rockies (keep Todd Helton please)
Arizona Diamondbacks (Randy’s old)
Divisional Playoffs
Chicago over New York, 3-2
LA over Philadelphia, 3-1
National League Championship Series
Los Angeles over Chicago, 4-2 (the wait will have to continue. It’s worth it though Chicago)
NL MVP: Alfonso Soriano, Chicago
NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy, San Diego
NL Rookie of the Year: Chris Young, Arizona
World Series
Boston over Los Angeles, 4-2 (like I could pick it any other way)
I'll be back later with the links and some thoughts from last night Mets / Cards game.
American League East
Boston Red Sox (how could I pick any other way? My name isn’t Red Sox Gal for nothing)
New York Yankees (I don’t the Blue Jays have the arms to beat them)
Toronto Blue Jays (but they do have Burnett and Halladay)
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (Some solid bats, no pitching...Carl Crawford is nasty)
Baltimore Orioles (Hey, Kev. How’s the basement treating ya?)
American League Central
Detroit Tigers (got some nasty young arms)
Minnesota Twins (bummer about Liriano)
Cleveland Indians (they are 1 Keith Foulke short - probably going to cry )
Chicago White Sox (I don’t know much about them)
Kansas City Royals (55 mil for Gil?)
American League West
Los Angeles Angels (ORLANDO!)
Oakland Athletics (Can we wait till Billy Beane wins a WS before we call him genius?)
Texas Rangers (still no pitching)
Seattle Mariners (Ichiro, you’ll LOVE Boston!)
Divisional Playoffs
Boston over LAA, 3-1
MFY over Detroit, 3-2
American League Championship Series
Boston over MFY, 4-3
AL MVP: David Ortiz, Boston
AL Cy Young: Johan Santana, Minnesota
AL Rookie of the Year: Diasuke Matsuzaka, Boston (is he even eligible? I don’t care)
National League East
New York Mets (Carlos Beltran will hit 79 home runs)
Philadelphia Phillies (I love Ryan Howard)
Florida Marlins (and Miguel Cabrera)
Atlanta Braves (good young arms that aren’t quite ready yet. Andruw Jones would look very handsome in a Red Sox uniform. And Coco would look great in um, any other uniform)
Washington Nationals (they’ll be great in um, 2010?)
National League Central
Chicago Cubs (300 mil should buy you the division right?)
Milwaukee Brewers (Ben Sheets is going to have a huge year)
St. Louis Cardinals (they were never that good to begin with)
Cincinnati Reds (I hope Ken has an injury free year)
Houston Astros (R$o$g$e$r or no R$o$g$e$r)
Pittsburgh Pirates (um, they get to root for Jason Bay at least)
National League West
Los Angeles Dodgers (Hey Nomar)
San Diego Padres (Hi Dave, also to say I have a crush on Jake Peavy would be putting it mildly)
San Francisco Giants (I hope Barry Bonds tears an ACL or two)
Colorado Rockies (keep Todd Helton please)
Arizona Diamondbacks (Randy’s old)
Divisional Playoffs
Chicago over New York, 3-2
LA over Philadelphia, 3-1
National League Championship Series
Los Angeles over Chicago, 4-2 (the wait will have to continue. It’s worth it though Chicago)
NL MVP: Alfonso Soriano, Chicago
NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy, San Diego
NL Rookie of the Year: Chris Young, Arizona
World Series
Boston over Los Angeles, 4-2 (like I could pick it any other way)
I'll be back later with the links and some thoughts from last night Mets / Cards game.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
A great fact from the new afterword from the authors of "Shadows" (from Tom Verducci),
"My favorite fact: the authors detail in their afterword the freakish growth of Bonds' body parts in his years with the Giants: from size 42 to a size 52 jersey; from size 10 1/2 to size 13 cleats; and from a size 7 1/8 to size 7 1/4 cap, even though he had taken to shaving his head."
This is since 1993 when he first went to the Giants. How many people do you know whose shoes grow 2 and a 1/2 sizes after they are 29 years old? Please.
"My favorite fact: the authors detail in their afterword the freakish growth of Bonds' body parts in his years with the Giants: from size 42 to a size 52 jersey; from size 10 1/2 to size 13 cleats; and from a size 7 1/8 to size 7 1/4 cap, even though he had taken to shaving his head."
This is since 1993 when he first went to the Giants. How many people do you know whose shoes grow 2 and a 1/2 sizes after they are 29 years old? Please.
In about one week, Barry Zito (right, incase you couldn't tell), went from being one of my favorite non-Red Sox to one of my least favorite people on earth. How the Mighty fall.Again with a late entry! My four readers are going to riot! (but the Barry and Barry was worth it right?)
The first spring training game is tomorrow! Curt is on the mound, and according to the Globe, the line-up looks like this:
1. Julio Lugo, SS
2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Jason Varitek, C
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. Wily Mo Pena, RF
7. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
8. David Murphy, LF
9. Jacob Ellsbury, CF
I'm excited for some real / fake games to get started. I'm also excited to see my friend, Jacoby Ellsbury (I hate when people call him Jacob, I mean, that is probably what he goes by, but how many people do you know called Jacoby? Me, just one. And by friends, I mean, we are facebook friends. Yes, I am that creepy. As if you had any doubt).
I have a couple Manny things to say. First, I think that the questioning of Manny's agents yesterday was completely immature (calling him a 12 year old and a meal ticket). Aren't these guys supposed to be professional writers? How about calling Manny, "your biggest client" or "immature". I think that that was rude and unnecessary. As for Manny coming late, I wouldn't really care if he showed up April 1st. I just don't want to hear about it any more.
Dear Boston Globe Sports Section Photographers and Editors,
I understand that Diasuke Matsuzaka is a big name / face at Spring Training this year. I truly do understand this, I even already bought my shirt. However, I would like to remind you that there are other players at camp. When I browse through the daily gallery and am greeted by 25 Dice-K pictures followed by 3 of other players, it makes me pound my head on the computer. Some more Beckett please. (And Mike Lowell) (and the minor leaguers I am still getting to know) (and more Beckett).
Thanks, and keep up the good work.
Love,
Amanda
Onto the links...
The Sheff won't cooperate with MLB's steriod investigation. I wonder why. I'm going to miss all the tools at Yankee Stadium with their chef hats. On a scale of 1 being not clever and 10 being very clever, that is at least a 2. My favorite Yankee Stadium tradition (aside from Liam trying to murder that MFY fan on the way out), has always been the, "Hip Hip JORGE". That always puts a hop in my step. (a hop towards an opening to jump out of).
Rob Bradford's blog continues to dominate. You should read it.
Shaun Livingston dislocated his knee. It's on Youtube if that's your kind of thing. Ouch. *Random training room story. I only saw this once on a basketball player, and it was pretty much the gory-est thing ever. Second only to the dislocated shoulder.
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