I'm A Winner

There's no time tonight, but i must mention: I won two twitter-based trivia contests today, one from Jerry Remy's twitter account and the other from AceTickets' account. From Remy- a $200 gift cert to AceTickets (this is HUGE for someone like me who's gonna be at 30+ games during the season.. every free ticket is fantastic). From AceTickets- free field box seats to the game tonight, Sox vs Marlins, 6/17. It was called after 5 innings due to serious rain but Victor and I stuck it out for quite a while. To think.. we started with Pavilion SRO and ended up in Section 11 field box seats. I really liked Section 11 for one reason in particular- it's situated smack dab between home and the right field wall. i could see Drew very well, and wasnt all that far from the action happening around home plate either (relatively.. wasnt like being in the bleachers, close to the outfielders but far from the infield action, or like being in the infield grandstands between the two dugouts where the outfielders are farther off). just an interesting perspective, and besides the EMC seats, I'm running out of new areas in Fenway to test out. Oh, the left field loge/box/low grandstands, and the right field roof boxes but i'm really not interested in right field seats in general, not a fan.

I was soaked for the entire night, even under my raincoat. At some point early on (before the game started, even) it didnt even matter anymore. The game itself was pretty unexciting as far as Red Sox games go. A highlight- watching the Nats beat the Yankees for the second time (consecutive wins too), and watching it on the huge scoreboard in centerfield. Pretty great watching the Yankees get beat by the worst team in baseball on a screen IN FENWAY PARK. Also great- the Cinco Ocho/Delcarmen Blame It On The Rain video. I saw it for the first time just over a year ago, actually- it was at the Celtics Parade at Fenway before that day's game when there was a torrential downpour- and it still hasnt gotten old. That song will forever be included in any Red Sox mix i create, and I subject my coworker to it every day near the end of work during our POWER HOUR of awesome tunes. (Also check out Get Out Of My Dreams, Get Into My Car by Billy Ocean.. not baseball-related.)

Bowden tomorrow. On 6 days of rest but i think we've gone over this already. Zink got a few innings in but they had to call it because of serious rain.. that's all i know and it's too late to check into it further.

I need to end this now, or i'll never get to sleep. Night.

parting thoughts from the 6/17 game

By the way, what's going on with Youk? All these strikeouts (3 this past game) and 0fers lately (0-4 this past game). or 1-fer's. not typical of the Youkah.

Petey looked great though. 3-5 with 3 RBI and 2 SB. I look forward to a long career as a Pedroia enthusiast.

500 consecutive sellouts at Fenway Park. Will be there tomorrow for 501.

Matt Wieters hit his first MLB homerun tonight. Way to go, kid- congrats. More to come from you, I expect.


NICK GREEN. LOOKIN SHARP, LOOKING LIKE A SHORTSTOP. I was at McGreevy's with coworkers tonight watching the game, decided not to skip out and hit up Fenway... man alive, Nick Green has really stepped his game up a notch or two in the past little while.


Smoltz and Buchholz combined for a win in Pawtucket. Today (6/18) Zink is on the bump... I need to sit down with someone who knows what's going on to hear the explanation for the MESS that the rotation has been as of late. Bowden will be going on 6 days rest if Friday is his start, Clay went on 7 tonight (and didnt even start, he  relieved Smoltz), Zink is going on 6.. it's that Smoltz guy, and all this rainy weather/ppd games, but the way guys have been shifted is a little crazy (Zink was scheduled to go 6/16 which would have been 4 days rest.. then as a game time decision they put reliever Rocky Cherry in to start.. I know, i've already mentioned a bit of this but I'd love to know a little more about what's going on behind the scenes here).


Today (6/18), I'm out of work at 4 to watch Sox BP from the Monstah (so unique to be in there before the gates open), then taking lots of Hanley pictures for my friend Victor, who is either a Sox, Rays, or Hanley/Manny Ramirez fan.. but cant possibly be all of them. oh, and the best part... catching the Sox/Marlins game from Pavilion SRO. LOVE it, some of the best spots in the house to watch a game from.

That's all i've got in me... I'm fading fast.. night.

Paw Sox doubleheader

About the Buchholz post from a few days ago... sorry. Clearly I've never been a huge fan, and his tone in that interview made me a little crazy. I'm glad that his confidence certainly seems to be there (for better or worse). I'm glad that he cant wait to get to the big leagues, that he's not settling for the success he's experiencing in the present. And I will say no more. (until he gives me another reason to give him attention, positive or negative.)

Last night was a beauty of a night. I caught the second 7-inning game of Pawtucket's double header, and yes, more eye-footsie. In hindsight, I wish I had taken the $20 bleacher seat I had found for the Red Sox game, because I'm afraid that tomorrow could get rained out (I'm in Pavilion SRO... LOVE it). And how often do the Marlins come to town? Anyhow, I'm going to see 2 or 3 BoSox games (barring rainouts) before Sunday comes, and the Paw Sox are gone for a week after tomorrow night's game. Wanted catch them while they were at home. Chris Carter contributed mightily with his midgame 2-run homerun. Lately the Paw Sox have been looking alive at the plate but when the game is happening I'm still unable to believe that they have the ability to come back from being behind. Haha, Travis Denker summed it up in his post-game on-field interview last night... Hoard was talking to him about how "the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away" in relation to getting breaks, having hits dropping in, and how for a while through the season guys were making contact but just not getting hits. Travis gave a little chuckle before replying something about how "the Lord has been taketh away for most of the season...". Funny stuff. McCoy was pretty much empty at that point, but I think everyone who heard got a kick out of that.

Tonight I'm cohosting a party at McGreevy's (baseball/boston sports bar half a block down the road, coowned by Dropkick Murphy Ken Casey) but might head over to Fenway to catch at least a few hours of baseball. Again, who knows what's going to happen tomorrow with the weather. It's supposed to be absolutely terrible this entire week, with the exception of tonight and last night.

*I'm thankful Ortiz ended his (embarrassing) curtain-call streak. Varitek has more hrs than you do, Papi. Good job, you're looking sharp lately, but you've still got work to do. Jonathan Van Every got his first (Major League) hr this season which should have been applauded so much more loudly than your first of the year, which came months into the season. We need you, and we're glad you're showing signs of life, so go out there and be our DH.

*Johan Santana. I believe in you. Locate those pitches, guy.. a pitcher of your caliber doesnt just lose it like that, and I know that once you figure stuff out you'll be back at the top of the pack. A couple tough outings dont define you.

*Jonathan Broxton, you are the best thing to ever happen in my fantasy baseball career.

*Hanley Ramirez, you're good, you're great, but I wouldnt trade Michael Bowden away for you.

*Wieters: too much pressure too soon? Or too soon to even talk about this perhaps. I feel for guys like you. The world doesnt give you a chance to do your thing the way any other rookie would get to..

Smoltz and Buchholz go tonight in Pawtucket. By the way, Zink was slated to start the second game last night but Rocky Cherry (? he's not a starter, fyi) took his place. Still havent figured out what happened there, but maybe google news can help with that.

More thoughts, but lunch time is over.

Go Sawks.

The Boys Are Back In Town

I dont know why but I always feel better when I know the team is back. Especially when they've been on the road quite a bit. The Sox have a day off today but that just means they're walking around Boston somewhere. One of these days I will stumble across someone exciting :)

My dad quit the Mets after 49 years of loyal fanhood, just this past weekend. He said that he is now a Red Sox fan. I wonder if this will stick.. the day after he made the proclaimation, the Mets beat the Yanks quite comfortably. (..though they then went on to lose to their Subway rivals 15-0 yesterday... tough times.)

Speaking of the Mets, it's fun having a Mets fan in the office. This morning, in honor of last night's massacre (hey, Johan got mauled... it hurt me too...) I put 4 postit notes along the guy's desk, spelling out M-E-T-S. That's all that needed to be said.

Mmm, I've got leftover teriyaki chicken and rice gurgling in my stomach. Lovely. I have missed the feeling of being plugged in. It's a hard thing to get back into- because my current lifestyle revolves around being able to pick up and go to games 4+times every week. I was entirely relieved when i found out that the Red Sox are on the road in two weeks when I will be volunteering each night at a soccer camp put on by some Cambridge area churches and organizations... and disappointed when I realized that the Paw Sox are home for that entire week.
Oh well. There are bigger and better things. These kids will love Soccer Nights... and I will too.
Also, trying to brainstorm interesting/creative ideas of how to raise money for either www.love146.com or www.notforsalecampaign.org . Or both, probably. On the notforsale site they have a great section where athletes, artists, every-day-people get others to sponsor them for doing so much of something- ie, Matt Holliday of the Oakland A's is getting people to sponsor every homerun he hits (either $100 or $50 per).. all to go towards NFS. Wondering what I can do, and how much support I would get for it. The wackier/more creative/flashy, the better. I was pleased to see another baseball player up there.. Jeremy Affeldt of the San Fran Giants. Just a point of personal interest.

Well, as often happens, lunchtime has come to a close. I head to Pawtucket today with my friend Victor.

More eye-footsie tonight? I'll keep you posted. Shouldnt be in the stands tonight. It is equal parts intriguing and astounding to me, but as it keeps happening, it's losing its "astounding" effect. After all, he's just a kid like me. I just wonder why...

Buchharoo

Alright Clay. That's it- it's over. I've tried to like you, or at least I've offered to give you more chances to win me over, but when it comes down to it, you just seem like a cocky jerk of a kid. I'm tired of trying to like you and/or trying to see the upside of you and your talent. I can understand your eagerness to get back to the majors, but you are not as entitled as you seem to think you are. Boston has pitchers that are better than you are. (half the problem here is that no one knows how good you are... you remain unproven past the minors, Bucko- just another reason why you are not the number one priority on the mind of the organization at present.) Eager, yes- you should be eager. Frustrated? Maybe, probably, but it should be mixed in with much larger portions of humility and self-awareness. I've heard people peg you as an immature, ego-inflated child, and the interview I saw tonight doesnt do much to dispute that picture of you. John Smoltz is a future hall of famer. He WILL pitch in Boston's rotation before you do. Brad Penny has been some shaky, some solid this season, but he's gotten us this far when our big guys werent yet up to speed, and so he SHOULD be in Boston for the time being. Justin Masterson has been more consistent while filling several different roles than you have filling just one in the Majors, and so why not continue to use him as a spot starter to patch the gaps here and there? Compared with Bowden, Bard, and Jones (who've all had MLB stints in 2009 of course), your attitude stinks, mister. You're good, and you've been great in Triple A, but you're not our be-all end-all (among those yet unnamed are Lester, Beckett, Wake, Tazawa, Doubront, Kelly, etc (Dice-K intentionally unnamed)). 

Yup, you'll get called up (if you're not traded outright first). But why dont you show a little reverence for all the guys in line before you and quit yapping. It's not a crime, and the way you make it sound like it is speaks volumes about how you see yourself.

Blogs are great. See how I just went off on a tirade about some guy I dont even personally know, save through the media? Still, I've never been able to like this guy, and his interview on Sports LateNight tonight drove me mad.

Ah well, I'm seeing him pitch today (Monday). No doubt he'll do really well.

Rainy days for Boston? Better than it sounds.

http://www.necn.com/Boston/Sports/2009/06/13/Bowden-works-toward-sticking/1244947003.html

on circulating trade rumors involving him:

"..if i cant control it, why worry about it."

on the idea that he could already be in a starting rotation were he with a big league club elsewhere in MLB:

"Yeah, you know what, you do think about that.. I would rather stay in the minors an extra year or so to play for Boston, to play in Boston at Fenway, and just with that group of guys."   !!!!! Yes indeed!!!

very well spoken, especially at the end.

In other news, it is an amazing tribute to our team that Dice-K can be a sure bet to flop on any given night, and yet we still function around him. 11-6.  Hawt dog. They really are hometown heroes. 

I've been saying Varitek gets 30 homers this season... but he's had a bit of a lull on that front lately. Let's get it started again Captain. Get a few this week.

Leftover cinnamon pancakes, leftover iced coffee, and church..

UPDATE 5:45pm

Amazing how much can happen in the span of a few hours. Church was great, and i had meeting for "Soccer Nights" volunteers that covered lots of things we'll need to know in order to corale the 300 kids that will be kicking  soccer balls  across Russell Field in 2 weeks. Anyway, now here I am, trying to digest a game that I think I really just had to be there for. A Beckett homerun? Baldelli and Green with back to back hrs? That sounds great. Just dont look at the score... or at the recap of what happened to get us there. 11-6, Phillies. Beckett gave up 7 runs (6 earned), which I could stomach as it's nothing I havent experienced before.. but Danny Bard gave up 4 in .2 innings. YIKES (and that's not even mentioning the 3 walks he issued). Didnt even get himself through the 7th inning. You know, the bright side of this is that I (in all of my infinite wisdom right?) think it's important for young pitchers to face adversity in the bigs, and to overcome it. So Daniel Bard. Here's your chance. Worst outing of your MLB career. Dust yourself off, know that I still like you, and go get 'em next time. (Except... I think you may be dropped back down to Pawtucket soon.. hope not, but we'll see.)

15-5 is the final score of the Paw Sox game vs Syracuse.. and the Paw Sox were the ones who came out on top. Now THAT is unbelievable. Bailey and Chavez had hrs, but they only account for 4 of the runs scored (1 and 3 respectively). Aaron Bates (called up from AA on June 8) continued on his offensive rampage, going 3-5 with a walk. Kid's already hitting cleanup, if that tells you anything about the state of Pawtucket's bats.

Pawtucket tomorrow and Tuesday! Fenway on Thursday with Victor. Fenway on Saturday with Pat. 

A little Sox excitement

The nap has yet to happen. How crazy is it that the Phillies made 3 errors in the first 15 minutes of the game?! We'll take it though. And Aaron Bates just hit a homerun over in Syracuse for the Paw Sox, and Bowden is fine so far (only pitched one inning at this point). 

Ok. Having MLB GameDay and ESPN GameCast open at the same time for two different games is making everything run slowly. I'm done.

UPDATE: 8:42pm

Aaron Bates makin it look easy... second homerun of the night. Picture me quietly chuckling to myself in admiration. This guy is looking like who we thought Lars Anderson was all of 3 months ago. (Lars is off to a slowish start, picking it up a little bit as of late, but still not having the season he was projected to have at this point. At the Double A level, though, still plenty of time for development, and he's by no means off the radar.)

UPDATE 8:48pm

Bowden has given up 5 hits in 4 innings, 2 of them hrs (one in the 4th, one in the 5th where the game is currently at right now, none out, one on). He had looked great up till the end of the 4th- before that first hr, only 2 hits given up. Here we go Mikey.

Red Sox still in a rain delay, up 5-0 in the 2nd.

Bowden just earned himself another strikeout. That's 3 on the night so far. And the inning is over (the K was out #2 but Dusty Brown caught a guy stealing to end it). Not sure if they'll put Mike back in for the 6th, though after 5 he's only thrown 62 pitches, 38 for strikes. That's pretty efficient. For once, our offense is booming.. 6-2 Paw Sox.

UPDATE 9:34pm

Impressive little battle between Bowden and Casto just now, but Mike got the best of him, as Casto K'ed swinging on the 9th pitch. Thus ended the 7th inning. Syracuse has sent 4 pitchers to the mound, but Pawtucket has relied on Bowden, who after 7 innings has struck out 5 and given up 6 hits, 1 BB, 2 ER. 96 pitches (58 for strikes) for MB, compared to Syracuse's combined pitch count of 125 (79 of those for strikes).