Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Strange and Wonderful Days
I've been living in Peabody, a temporary situation, since last wednesday when i quit my job. As everything seems to be with my ex-boss, my final good-bye was a bit backhanded, and so i really had very little reason to feel any warm-fuzzy sentimentality upon exiting the office for the last time. I havent looked back since, save to realize maybe twice since then that i never have to deal with it again.
I cant recount everything that has happened in the past month, for life has been non-stop. The last time the red sox were home, i went to all but one of the games in the homestand. That has been my full-time occupation lately. On Friday, the second game in the last series of the season, I arrived to the park before the gates opened, and took my usual place on the green monster. Soon, I was informed that there would be no batting practice that day, but that I had a chance to head down onto the field to explore the warning track. As if it was a race, i sped off down the steps to the gate by the visitors' dugout. I had circled the entire field and was leaning against the bullpen wall, looking in (in the same fashion as pitchers do, looking out at the field during a game; it was a bit tall for me), when the announcer came on over the loud speaker. Breathing in what i assumed would be some of my last on-field-air, i waited to hear instructions for exiting the field. None would come, however, and instead I heard "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen... We would now like to invite members of the 2009 Boston Red Sox out onto the field, where you will have a chance to greet them......" Sure enough, at that very moment, a small hoard of men emerged from the dugout and began making their ways past the crowd standing on the clay behind the ropes. Noting that another group set out going the other way around the field, I quickly took stock of who was heading my way and decided by process of elimination that no matter who was in the other group, I was probably more interested in shaking their hands. Let's be clear- I dont really discriminate too badly, but I figured that there were enough fans there that the players would never make it the full way around the field. I couldnt help but grin as I wove my way through the electrified net of people along the track in the outfield. Settling for an open spot in left, I (perhaps fittingly) ran into Michael Bowden first. He sees me at almost every game I'm at, and so as he spotted me from a bit down the line of people there was no surprise in his features, but reached out his hand, put on a shining smile, and made straight for me. Hunter Jones followed soon thereafter, and beyond that the sequence of events is a blur. Any of you who know me personally would expect that the highlight of the evening was when I shook Dustin Pedroia's hand, and I'd say it was, as I can remember how quiet excitement directly after the contact quickly turned to gleeful frenzy. I saw Jon Lester (heck, i saw them all) but he wasnt really shaking hands. Those who did, and it seemed like most were, generally tended to ask some variation of the question, "How're you doing?" Who else? A number of the call-ups, Dustin Richardson and Fernando Cabrera... Daniel Bard knew me still, which always is a pleasant surprise- when you dont imagine that someone you've had several personal interactions with will recall them, but they do afterall. Also, I'll be completely honest, I'm not fabricating things here, but when you show up at Fenway and sit directly behind the bullpen for many games in a row, people IN the bullpen start to look at you like the recognize you. That's the case with Brown, Varitek, and the bullpen catcher Mani Martinez especially. With Dan, he and I had met over the winter and had come across each other a number of times since then, at events and Spring Training and games. We're facebook friends too, and I post pictures of him when I have new ones, so it makes a bit of sense. Shook hands with Tek, Victor Martinez, Youk, Gonzalez, Drew, you get the point. Had a picture taken with Josh Beckett!
..he was the last one I came across, and I had nothing to show for this whole experience as I had been too concerned with talking to and shaking hands with each player. Also, there's not much room on my phone for pics.
----------------------------------------
I wrote all of the above about 2 weeks ago. Lately, I just havent been in the right space mentally to go back and face the end of the season. Everyone has something to say about how the postseason went for us, and this being Boston, the difference is that they all write about it. Self included. We're opinionated and we pretend like we've each got the key to what really happened and why no matter what the sport. I try not to make a habit out of reading blogs, because quite honestly, it's almost all the same thing, simple reiteration of what some espn or boston globe writer has already tweeted or otherwise written. That's just boring to me. I already take issue with the machine that is the "BOSTON MEDIA".. we have a bit of a hot-cold thing going on. So I really dont enjoy reading other people's regurgitation of what sports writers have already written.
All that said, I'm going to write a bit about it, too, because I've got months to kill here. And lets face it: I'm "from" Boston, and I've got my own trunkload of opinions, and by golly the world simply must hear them. Then again, I'm sure I'm less credible than all those who shop for their thoughts on the matter from ESPN as my opinions are just my own (I love ESPN- but I dont agree with everything those writers say, and i'm not going to copy-paste their ideas here).
First off, I'm not in bad shape here. I'm doing alright, and it's probably due to the fact that I'm not yet dwelling on just how long I will be without baseball. And on the upside, the Mesa Solar Sox have a bunch of A and AA guys on their team, which will keep me mildly entertained for another month. The big names right now are Casey Kelly and Jose Iglesias, the latter of whom defected from Cuba- both of whom are young stars in the making. But other familiar names include Randor Bierd, Richie Lentz, Chris Province, Dustin Richardson, Luis Exposito, and Ryan Kalish. Those are the hometeam guys as far as I'm concerned, but along with this mix I'm also kept up on the progress of guys like Stephen Strausburg, Mike Minor, Jason Heyward, and Scott Sizemore (not Mesa guys). I'm looking at a roster right now for Mesa, though, and clicked on a player named Starlin Castro, because he has a sweet name. Apparently he's an up and comer for the Cubs. If nothing else, paying attention to the Arizona Fall League will help me make the most of my roto league's minor league draft, which most people seem to blow off. Alas, out of 6 teams, the Solar Sox are most definitely in 5th place- but the 6th place team is undefeated after 6 games, so ouch there.
I'm in Maine now, and life is different here. For one thing:
Yep. Snow. I watched the snow coming down across the valley the night before I took this picture. It was beautiful, and it filled me with sadness, and it quieted me. I'm not quite ready for Winter, and that's a fact. Anyhow, it's all gone. Melted yesterday. It's acceptably warm out today, so spirits are high enough. Being here, though, with nothing to do... it has given me time to take stock of all of the tickets I collected over the 2009 season. Actually, unfortunately not ALL. I know that there are still a few Paw Sox and Red Sox tix in my car, and I also know that I am specifically missing at least one game's ticket (Oct 3rd). So. Try as I might to keep them all together, the fact is that I have lived in 4 different places since August. Still:
No, that's not all of them. This is a pic of each unique ticket I got- notice that there are no Becketts or Lowells. Strange, because just now I could have sworn that I remember having a Beckett ticket. Anyhow, it's not here with me if I ever did have it.
A lot of people speak about an emptiness that they feel once the Red Sox are done for the year. There's more to my life than following the team, but I do have shame for the way in which I've let myself go, spiritually-speaking. Thankfully, being here with my family and some longer-term friends helps a lot. Shame is a lie that keeps us from doing what we need to do and being who we can be. Knowing this is one thing; letting shame and fear drop away is another. I'll get there.
I've got some crazy ideas floating around in my head. For one, I'd say that Papelbon's time in Boston is up (ok, i know i'm not the only one out there who feels this way). Not because of the way things ended- everyone has tough games, and one guy doesnt win or lose a game for a team, much less a series. As soon as I knew about Daniel Bard, I began baiting fellow friends/fans by saying that Pap's out, Bard is our guy. Didn't take long for me to be serious about this, and not just instigatory. Oh, who knows. Bard had a great first year, but you dont bank on your less-than-half-a-year-experienced rookie over your proven top-of-the-league closer. You cant do that, unless you're in it for the gamble. Still, I really really like Cinco, but he's obnoxious sometimes. This isnt just a personality thing either- it's cute, it's funny when he doesnt cross the line, but the guy has been known to run his mouth a bit too far; in addition, his performance this year has not resembled what he did for our team last year either. Lots of saves still, yes, but more times than not I'd credit the offense for that before I'd shake his hand in gratitude after a game. It's definitely a loss for the Red Sox, that the Cinco Ocho of 2008 didn't really come out to play in 2009. So let him go to the Yankees, although they've already got their man for the time being. I have no idea if that will happen once Paps is a free man (after 2010 season)- a lot rides on 2010 I imagine. But in my infinite knowledge (sarcasm ends here.. the next part I'm serious about), I project that Bard will continue to look a lot like the man we saw in Game 3 of the Boston-LA 2009 ALDS, closer or not.
Saito has already walked the plank, so to speak. I'd also like to bid farewell, if not a bit preemptively, to Paul Byrd. Agree or disagree with me as you will, but I'd say that Cabrera, Delcarmen, Woodward, Ramirez, Anderson are all up for grabs. I'll be sad to see Billy Wagner go, but I get it. I'll also be sad to see Cabrera go if he does- and I havent looked up his history of being DFA'ed/his options/etc but I'd hope they'd send him back to Pawtucket. Though he is 28. Not quite a prospect, already in a pitcher's "prime". Had a great year in AAA this year though. I dont know, maybe he's just not the guy for us. I'm curious to see where all of our catchers wind up throughout the system... Expo, Federowicz, Wagner, Brown, Kottaras, Chen.. names that we've all heard tossed around, and yet none of them seems to be quite the whole package. Then again, a bunch of them are still in single and double A ball. In the time I've paid attention, I havent figured out the catching situation in our farm system.
Well, as rambly as this entry has been- now it will come to an abrupt stop. There's so much more to come.
I cant recount everything that has happened in the past month, for life has been non-stop. The last time the red sox were home, i went to all but one of the games in the homestand. That has been my full-time occupation lately. On Friday, the second game in the last series of the season, I arrived to the park before the gates opened, and took my usual place on the green monster. Soon, I was informed that there would be no batting practice that day, but that I had a chance to head down onto the field to explore the warning track. As if it was a race, i sped off down the steps to the gate by the visitors' dugout. I had circled the entire field and was leaning against the bullpen wall, looking in (in the same fashion as pitchers do, looking out at the field during a game; it was a bit tall for me), when the announcer came on over the loud speaker. Breathing in what i assumed would be some of my last on-field-air, i waited to hear instructions for exiting the field. None would come, however, and instead I heard "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen... We would now like to invite members of the 2009 Boston Red Sox out onto the field, where you will have a chance to greet them......" Sure enough, at that very moment, a small hoard of men emerged from the dugout and began making their ways past the crowd standing on the clay behind the ropes. Noting that another group set out going the other way around the field, I quickly took stock of who was heading my way and decided by process of elimination that no matter who was in the other group, I was probably more interested in shaking their hands. Let's be clear- I dont really discriminate too badly, but I figured that there were enough fans there that the players would never make it the full way around the field. I couldnt help but grin as I wove my way through the electrified net of people along the track in the outfield. Settling for an open spot in left, I (perhaps fittingly) ran into Michael Bowden first. He sees me at almost every game I'm at, and so as he spotted me from a bit down the line of people there was no surprise in his features, but reached out his hand, put on a shining smile, and made straight for me. Hunter Jones followed soon thereafter, and beyond that the sequence of events is a blur. Any of you who know me personally would expect that the highlight of the evening was when I shook Dustin Pedroia's hand, and I'd say it was, as I can remember how quiet excitement directly after the contact quickly turned to gleeful frenzy. I saw Jon Lester (heck, i saw them all) but he wasnt really shaking hands. Those who did, and it seemed like most were, generally tended to ask some variation of the question, "How're you doing?" Who else? A number of the call-ups, Dustin Richardson and Fernando Cabrera... Daniel Bard knew me still, which always is a pleasant surprise- when you dont imagine that someone you've had several personal interactions with will recall them, but they do afterall. Also, I'll be completely honest, I'm not fabricating things here, but when you show up at Fenway and sit directly behind the bullpen for many games in a row, people IN the bullpen start to look at you like the recognize you. That's the case with Brown, Varitek, and the bullpen catcher Mani Martinez especially. With Dan, he and I had met over the winter and had come across each other a number of times since then, at events and Spring Training and games. We're facebook friends too, and I post pictures of him when I have new ones, so it makes a bit of sense. Shook hands with Tek, Victor Martinez, Youk, Gonzalez, Drew, you get the point. Had a picture taken with Josh Beckett!
..he was the last one I came across, and I had nothing to show for this whole experience as I had been too concerned with talking to and shaking hands with each player. Also, there's not much room on my phone for pics.
----------------------------------------
I wrote all of the above about 2 weeks ago. Lately, I just havent been in the right space mentally to go back and face the end of the season. Everyone has something to say about how the postseason went for us, and this being Boston, the difference is that they all write about it. Self included. We're opinionated and we pretend like we've each got the key to what really happened and why no matter what the sport. I try not to make a habit out of reading blogs, because quite honestly, it's almost all the same thing, simple reiteration of what some espn or boston globe writer has already tweeted or otherwise written. That's just boring to me. I already take issue with the machine that is the "BOSTON MEDIA".. we have a bit of a hot-cold thing going on. So I really dont enjoy reading other people's regurgitation of what sports writers have already written.
All that said, I'm going to write a bit about it, too, because I've got months to kill here. And lets face it: I'm "from" Boston, and I've got my own trunkload of opinions, and by golly the world simply must hear them. Then again, I'm sure I'm less credible than all those who shop for their thoughts on the matter from ESPN as my opinions are just my own (I love ESPN- but I dont agree with everything those writers say, and i'm not going to copy-paste their ideas here).
First off, I'm not in bad shape here. I'm doing alright, and it's probably due to the fact that I'm not yet dwelling on just how long I will be without baseball. And on the upside, the Mesa Solar Sox have a bunch of A and AA guys on their team, which will keep me mildly entertained for another month. The big names right now are Casey Kelly and Jose Iglesias, the latter of whom defected from Cuba- both of whom are young stars in the making. But other familiar names include Randor Bierd, Richie Lentz, Chris Province, Dustin Richardson, Luis Exposito, and Ryan Kalish. Those are the hometeam guys as far as I'm concerned, but along with this mix I'm also kept up on the progress of guys like Stephen Strausburg, Mike Minor, Jason Heyward, and Scott Sizemore (not Mesa guys). I'm looking at a roster right now for Mesa, though, and clicked on a player named Starlin Castro, because he has a sweet name. Apparently he's an up and comer for the Cubs. If nothing else, paying attention to the Arizona Fall League will help me make the most of my roto league's minor league draft, which most people seem to blow off. Alas, out of 6 teams, the Solar Sox are most definitely in 5th place- but the 6th place team is undefeated after 6 games, so ouch there.
I'm in Maine now, and life is different here. For one thing:
Yep. Snow. I watched the snow coming down across the valley the night before I took this picture. It was beautiful, and it filled me with sadness, and it quieted me. I'm not quite ready for Winter, and that's a fact. Anyhow, it's all gone. Melted yesterday. It's acceptably warm out today, so spirits are high enough. Being here, though, with nothing to do... it has given me time to take stock of all of the tickets I collected over the 2009 season. Actually, unfortunately not ALL. I know that there are still a few Paw Sox and Red Sox tix in my car, and I also know that I am specifically missing at least one game's ticket (Oct 3rd). So. Try as I might to keep them all together, the fact is that I have lived in 4 different places since August. Still:
No, that's not all of them. This is a pic of each unique ticket I got- notice that there are no Becketts or Lowells. Strange, because just now I could have sworn that I remember having a Beckett ticket. Anyhow, it's not here with me if I ever did have it.
A lot of people speak about an emptiness that they feel once the Red Sox are done for the year. There's more to my life than following the team, but I do have shame for the way in which I've let myself go, spiritually-speaking. Thankfully, being here with my family and some longer-term friends helps a lot. Shame is a lie that keeps us from doing what we need to do and being who we can be. Knowing this is one thing; letting shame and fear drop away is another. I'll get there.
I've got some crazy ideas floating around in my head. For one, I'd say that Papelbon's time in Boston is up (ok, i know i'm not the only one out there who feels this way). Not because of the way things ended- everyone has tough games, and one guy doesnt win or lose a game for a team, much less a series. As soon as I knew about Daniel Bard, I began baiting fellow friends/fans by saying that Pap's out, Bard is our guy. Didn't take long for me to be serious about this, and not just instigatory. Oh, who knows. Bard had a great first year, but you dont bank on your less-than-half-a-year-experienced rookie over your proven top-of-the-league closer. You cant do that, unless you're in it for the gamble. Still, I really really like Cinco, but he's obnoxious sometimes. This isnt just a personality thing either- it's cute, it's funny when he doesnt cross the line, but the guy has been known to run his mouth a bit too far; in addition, his performance this year has not resembled what he did for our team last year either. Lots of saves still, yes, but more times than not I'd credit the offense for that before I'd shake his hand in gratitude after a game. It's definitely a loss for the Red Sox, that the Cinco Ocho of 2008 didn't really come out to play in 2009. So let him go to the Yankees, although they've already got their man for the time being. I have no idea if that will happen once Paps is a free man (after 2010 season)- a lot rides on 2010 I imagine. But in my infinite knowledge (sarcasm ends here.. the next part I'm serious about), I project that Bard will continue to look a lot like the man we saw in Game 3 of the Boston-LA 2009 ALDS, closer or not.
Saito has already walked the plank, so to speak. I'd also like to bid farewell, if not a bit preemptively, to Paul Byrd. Agree or disagree with me as you will, but I'd say that Cabrera, Delcarmen, Woodward, Ramirez, Anderson are all up for grabs. I'll be sad to see Billy Wagner go, but I get it. I'll also be sad to see Cabrera go if he does- and I havent looked up his history of being DFA'ed/his options/etc but I'd hope they'd send him back to Pawtucket. Though he is 28. Not quite a prospect, already in a pitcher's "prime". Had a great year in AAA this year though. I dont know, maybe he's just not the guy for us. I'm curious to see where all of our catchers wind up throughout the system... Expo, Federowicz, Wagner, Brown, Kottaras, Chen.. names that we've all heard tossed around, and yet none of them seems to be quite the whole package. Then again, a bunch of them are still in single and double A ball. In the time I've paid attention, I havent figured out the catching situation in our farm system.
Well, as rambly as this entry has been- now it will come to an abrupt stop. There's so much more to come.
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