Hush Up.

I've wanted to post- I really have- but my computer gets VERY overheated everytime I use it. My room is already hot enough. This sounds funny, but resting my hands and wrists on my laptop overheats ME.. just not very comfortable. Right now is no different but I just took a shower and am cool for the time being.

So much happens day to day that it's impossible to cover the past week+ that I havent written. Naturally, a few things stand out... Bowden had another go with the Red Sox; our office move got postponed (we, the employees, were told 7 days before we were all actually planning to move); Zink threw lots of strikes today; I helped cook/prepare a meal for the Lowell Spinners; Dustin Richardson got called up to Pawtucket from Portland; Junichi Tazawa established himself as THE MAN; Josh Reddick decided that he only likes to hit well in AA; I started packing up my room as i am vacating the premises for about 4 months; I started listening to Five Iron Frenzy and Relient K again with renewed fervor.

Alright, alright. I know that Bowden did pretty badly on Friday night. My story for the night goes something like this: Wakefield was slotted to pitch in Pawtucket that night, so naturally I was headed down after an early end to the work day (having to do with the crazy postponement of the move date)... it's around 3:30 or 4, and I'm about 5 minutes up I-95 from the spot that 95 splits off and heads towards Providence, when my phone buzzes that I have a text message from Twitter. I check it out only to find that it's something that the PawSox had posted: ****ROSTER MOVE**** Bowden promoted to Boston...... that was enough for me. I dont think I read one more word of that message. I blinked a few times, thought about how it really was going to be a shame to miss out on seeing Wake so close up, that I would really enjoy watching him from the bullpen before the game, that I'd have great pics of the occasion... and quickly (safely) crossed 3 lanes of traffic to pull off at the Westwood exit and turn around, heading north this time back towards Boston. I tried to find tickets, but it became more and more clear that the best deal I was going to get would be around $70. Uh, no thanks... if I dont find a deal I usually dont go, but I always find deals. It's not like it was the kid's debut- probably would have splurged then. Still, being home and not at McCoy meant that I could watch the game on TV. Even better, I thought to myself, would be to go out and enjoy the game away from home. (SO HOT HERE.) I spent much of the game at Tavern in the Square, where I had a light dinner and a beer and a bunch of big-screen TVs everywhere... the coolest part of it all was that right in front of me both the Sox/Yankees game and the Peabody MA/San Antonio TX Little League World Series game were being broadcast.. the TVs were side by side. Couldnt have been better. Those kids are really fun to watch. It was interesting watching how they handled the game emotionally- obviously none of them are physically developed at age 12.
Anyhow, as we all know, Penny was terrible. By the time Bowden came in in the 5th, things were already looking very very bad. Then Mikey proceeded to throw 63 pitches over the next 2 innings, throwing for strikes about half the time and ultimately allowing 7 runs. He was absolutely mauled. There were three different people at the Tavern who asked me at different points during those 63 pitches something to the effect of, "Who's this new pitcher? Why dont they take him out, because he's doing really badly..." And anyone who knows me would have been proud at how patiently and briefly and uninstigatorially (i believe i just created a word) I explained to all three strangers who Michael Bowden is. I didnt try to fight any of them. I didnt sing his praises (although I did promote him). Just figures that people decided to ask me about him and always added a tagline about how horribly he was faring. You know, I was hopeful the entire time. Not once did I think to myself, shoot, he's really done it now. I mean his 2nd pitch was jacked into the stands by Matsui. (Michael was not pleased with this. Anyone watching NESN got a silent glimpse into his thoughts at that moment in time. Lets just say that even "F***" is in its own way sentimental and not harsh when it comes from him while he's out there. When he shows that sort of emotion from the hill it's genuine and it also even simply means that he's feeling that affected and frustrated by whatever is going on.. he usually keeps it together pretty well. When he yells out there, I feel for him.) All along, I was waiting for something to click and for him to get his rhythm and command and go. Never really happened. He knew it, and now all short-sighted Red Sox fans who dont recall how he's served the Red Sox in the other two games he pitched in will forever remember how badly he sucked. What a tough place for development, especially when the expectations and plans that the organization has for you get distorted by the general media. Oh, by the way, he doesnt even turn 23 till September.

Ok, missy. Enough of all that. It's over. Last night I went to a Spinners game with 100 peppermint brownies in tow. A few months ago I had heard that the "Spinners Fan Club" provides home-cooked meals for both teams and the Spinners staff every Saturday that they play at home. It took this long, but finally I was able to get myself involved. The "Fan Club" consists of middle-aged and older folks. No one my age. Interesting dynamic actually. Anyhow, there were about 10 or so of us yesterday providing for 80 people (and then some, quite possibly). I had such a blast. I didnt talk to a single player, interestingly enough. That's because I was chatting with the other fan clubbers. They are quite the little family there... it reminded me of how the Church should feel. Everyone I talked to emphasized how they do what they do for the players and not for themselves (ie not so that they can get up close to the players), because a lot of the guys make next to nothing and cant afford or dont bother to eat well. Overwhelming to think about... people providing for other people just because. I'm around coworkers most of the day every day, and a lot of my coworkers very steadfastly believe that their life, their money, their time is theirs and theirs alone. People blink at me when I talk about volunteer work, or giving money to certain causes that I STRONGLY believe in (the same way I blink at them when I listen to them talk about living life selfishly). They just dont get it. So it was incredible to meet a group of strangers who took to me immediately, who all got along so well, who were all giving of themselves. That's love, plain and simple. I cant wait until next Saturday, which is unfortunately the last Saturday home game of the Spinners' season.

Today I went to McCoy. I dont like to do this, but nonetheless I keep counting down the days that remain as part of this super long homestand (11 games), and it stems from the anxiety of not making it to as many of the 11 games as I "feel that I should".. it's all psychological because I never had a plan for how many I'd be attending this homestand. I've only been to two I think, and something inside clearly feels like I'm wasting all of these home games. Definitely a few in my future this week. Today was lovely. I woke up, rolled out of bed, got a few things together, painted my toenails blue, and headed down the highway. General Admission was all there was when I got there, which was around 11:40am. I climbed the steps and hustled to the railing where the view opens up onto the outfield... beautiful day, sunny, hot, but with some clouds in the sky as well. These old-time teams were playing an exhibition game, and the Paw Sox pitchers were throwing in the outfield. (Almost) the first thing I noticed was that Dustin Richardson was out there in a Paw Sox uniform... I hadnt heard anything about this promotion but it must have happened sometime this weekend, as I would later see on the scoreboard when he came in for a few innings that he had pitched 1 game for Pawtucket prior to this one. About 5 minutes after I arrived, Bowden threw a side session in the pen, and then Richardson practiced switching his grips smoothly in his glove. I like listening to them talk with the pitching coach. I like the pitching coach (Rich Sauveur) period.. he's always friendly to me. Side sessions are never something I plan to watch, because I've never paid enough attention to when they happen (although Sundays seem to be a good bet, for starters), but they're definitely a bonus to watch. The view on either end - behind pitcher or catcher - is so unique.
Paw Sox took yet another loss. Their only win in the last 14 or 15 games was led by a shining performance from Tim Wakefield.. sad huh? Billy Traber pitched well enough, but then again, not well enough apparently. The most interesting thing that happened was Charlie Zink assuming a relief role. I had to look out across the field to the pen about 3 times before i really believed it. But he threw strikes, he struck a couple guys out over 2.1 innings. One earned run. He hit a batter with his first pitch :) that was a funny moment....


I've got Sox tickets for Wednesday vs the White Sox, Friday vs Toronto, and Sunday vs Toronto. I'm taking my grandma to her first game at Fenway that Sunday!! She watches all the games on TV, very much a fan. We have loge seats in line with the vistors' on-deck circle, 5th row. PERFECT. It will surely be a night to remember.


UGHHHHH! It's so hot, it's so hot it's so hot. too hot to straighten my hair, no matter the consequences tomorrow morning. bedtime.