Inter-league Play, the Sox (& a revisit to Phantom Husband Nate Silver)

If history is any indication to performance, don't expect much from this upcoming inter-league series. The Red Sox always play weird at this time. They make wins, but it's not in inspiring games (like yesterday - phwoar! Still can't believe I was there for it all, too). They lose in games that it seems that they're going to win. Everything just gets all cocked up. It could be the loss of the DH; it could be that they're less familiar with the teams they're playing. There isn't the scouting history or the playing history. They don't know the nuances of pitching and whatnot. I'll leave it up to the expert to say exactly why, but something about May interleague play has always been "meh, eh, hmph"-ish.

It's times like this when I wish Nate Silver weren't just my Phantom Husband, but my real life one so that he could explain, by his magical number crunching PECOTA machine, in concrete facts what I mean by "meh, eh, hmph."

You know, he still hasn't responded to all those emails I sent back in the fall. I mean, I can't imagine why. They were totally normal and sane and everything.

(Maybe not. At all. But they were fun to write I tell yah, until it turned out he was probably actually reading them. Then it became mortifying.)

Hennywhey - stay tuned for some not-as-electric baseball in the next weeks, is all I'm sayin'.

A Magical Night at Fenway

WHOO HOOO!!!! My hippie crap worked! I didn't get to get the sodalite & tiger orchid, but I did wear bright, rejuvenating yellow and a giant Buddha Medallion and went "ohmmmmm" with my hand in that "o" shape, touching my middle finger to my thumbs.



As a result, Papi hit a 2-run homer in the 5th, making my prediction two runs and one inning off. This makes me *kinda* and not *fully* psychic.

And it wasn't just Ortiz who had a good 5th. Varitek, Bay and Lowell all hit homers. My throat hurts from screaming for joy so much. Electric Fenway!

All our neighbors -- the people in front, beside and behind us in the obstructed view Grand Stand Section 1 -- were fun folks and we had a good time high fivin' and chatting and all that throughout the game.

Also - WHY DIDN'T ADAM WIN IDOL???!!!! I don't get it. Men in eyeliner are just the bestest.

Rejuvenating for David - what I'm bringing to the Sox game tomorrow

I'm bringing Tiger Orchids, a Scarab Beetle & Sodalite to the Sox game tomorrow, for David. They have rejuvenating properties, you see, and baseball is a game of "superstitions". I'm also going to wear yellow, since it's a rejuvenating color.

Here's what I'm talking about, for those of you who don't follow baseball: All-Star slugger David Ortiz is in a slump. His usual booming bat has been flat, silent & non productive. We are all pulling for him, from the stands, our couches, etc.

Since I'm going tomorrow, I've decided to concentrate my thoughts on rejuvenation, for our beloved Big Papi. He needs all the support he can get and if it takes some silly hippie bullshisse, than that's what it takes.

Here's hoping.

Why We'll All Keep Loving Baseball

In memory of Dom DiMaggio, who passed away today at age 92, WBUR's "Here and Now" re-ran a story they did on "The Teammates" - Dom DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky, Bobby Doerr and Ted Williams.

http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/05/rundown-58/ - scroll to the bottom of the page. It's the last story of the hour.

In the wake of Manny "Octomom" Ramirez's disappointing positive drug test for steroid use, it was nice but also all the more saddening to hear this news piece. Baseball will never be like that again, but because it once was, we'll all keep loving baseball.

Now I Like Bernie Williams

Now that he's retired from baseball and no longer playing for the Yankees, I can indiscriminately judge Bernie Williams at his new career as a musician and the verdict: fantastico!

Mom and I both heard the same story on "Only Game", an interview with Williams, promoting his new CD. Mom was just as impressed as I was and went straight to Newbury to buy a copy.

Williams is a guitarist and plays very sweet and tender songs. Even Red Sox fan James Taylor blurbed for him on the back of the CD, complimenting Bernie as one in a million (at least): someone with extraordinary talent on the baseball field and on the guitar strings.

Here's the interview. Or go here and click on "Bernie Williams" at the bottom, if that link doesn't work for you (I think you have to have Real Audio installed.)

Here's the CD:
http://www.campuscustoms.com/reformrecords/berniewilliams.html

Hope you enjoyed the video of him playing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", too.

Wardrobe Change!!! - what's up with the Red Sox?

Hmmm... It seems these days that Sox have more uniform changes than Britney, Cher and Streisand combined.

The retro 80s inspired grey with blue lettering. The green accented costume. The red shirts when away with the grey pants. And on and on and on.

It's a bit...well, you know what I'm getting at. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2008/12/red_sox_unveil.html

The Stars Align in Boston Sports

An American man and woman came in 3rd place for their first Boston Marathon today. They'll only get better, some say, which would be nice. But I'm happy for Ethiopia and Kenya, the home countries of today's first place male and female races, respectively.

Patriot's Day also featured it's regular Boston Red Sox Game, starting at 11. I used to go to that one every year for years and years. I miss that. Maybe I should start that tradition up again starting next year. It was a Henry VIII style York Uprising type slaughter of the Birds (been watching the Tudors, obv.), 12-1.

Tonight, the Bruins beat the Canadiens, 4-2. I didn't watch much of that game. I took a nap from 5-9 because I've been having silly late nights lately. Also, there was the Celtics game, so I caught that instead.

Whoo-eeee. What a game. Ray Allen was SILLY with the 3s and 3s and 3s in the 4th. It was amazin'.

All and all, quite a nice day to be a Boston sports fan.

The Passing of Nick Adenhart of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

I just read a very maudlin article about a real tragedy. Rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. After pitching 6 shut out innings against the Oakland A's in his first ever major league appearance, ehwas struck and killed by a drunk driver, not long after midnight in Fullerton, CA.

This article covering the story, from MLB.com, is rather interesting:

ORANGE, Calif. -- On one of the saddest mornings in Angels history, a groundskeeper on the field in Angel Stadium smoothed the pitching rubber on which Nick Adenhart stood 13 hours before...

...Of all the sad, thoughtful and poignant sentiments that ensued, nothing spoke louder of Adenhart's affect than the eyes of agent Scott Boras, which weren't vacant but wet...

I'm not sure how much I believe Boras's emotions. Since he's Boras.

...Although Thursday night's game is off, the entire roster will convene in its Angel Stadium locker, with Scioscia holding a meeting to begin the healing process...

and finally

...But ERA is not the most compelling acronym of Nick Adenhart's legacy. It is RIP...

While the tragedy is incredibly sad for the family, the friends, and those associated with the organization, I'm displeased by the Voctorian-era maudlin journalism of this article. It's a bit much for me. I would rather less syrupy language on speculating about the emotions of the players and more professional journalism.

An Tantalizing New Book about Manny

I heard a story ont he radio about a book about Manny Ramirez, on my way to work today. It's called "Becoming Manny" and one of the co-authors is a psychologist who studies mentor relationships for troubled youths.

The other co-author, when discussing "what went wrong" with Manny and Boston, said that this town was too small for Manny's penchant for privacy. I almost started to be offended, because that's what you do when someone outside of your town criticize it but really, he was right.

I mean, my roommate's best friend's brother's girlfriend's good friend was the object of Manny's affection and we got to hear all mannerof screwy stories about him that I'm sure he'd rather us not know, like how he would come into town from away games and invite my rommate's best friend's boyfriend's girlfriend's friend to random hotel room parties. How Manny lied to the rm's bf's bro's gf's f and said he was single, when he's Manny in Boston and a quick search of Boston.com will have all the details about his marriage and his children and all that jazz. Apparently when the roommate's best friend's brother's girlfriend's friend called Manny out on this, he simply said, "Yeah but it isn't going well. We're getting a divorce."

So, I don't know what that co-author is talking about at all when it comes to this town being too small and Manny being under a microscope here. But I do see that LA, with it's Hollywood celebs, is appealing because you can more easily seduce unsuspecting young women with a web of lies.

Oh, and, I have to add this: I still miss Manny. He's still a g#ddamn fantastico slugger, despite his many Manny quirks.

"Voldemort" Is King - that is, Cassell's been traded to Sacramento

Voldemort Is King - Cassell traded to Sacramento

Yeah, "Voldemort" AKA Sam Cassell, Voldemort's doppelganger but in reverse coloring, was traded to the Sacramento Kings during this NBA All-Star break. The man is about 70 years old and doesn't have much playing power left in him, but I have a soft spot for this eyebrowless wonder.

He's got team spirit and delusions of grandeur AKA already considered himself a coach and mentor before he was asked to be one.

This article makes him sound evem more Voldemort-like, or something magical amd mystical. Like a unicorn. But you get the point. It also talks about his time at MCI in Pittsfield, ME. I know a thing or two about living in that town, I tell yah. (Side note: I didn't know he lived with a Cianchette family, but that's an interesting addition to the story. The Cianchette's own a construction business in Pittsfield & one of them, though not Cassell's host father, was the Republican opponent to Gov Baldacci in the 2002 gubernatorial election.) When he talked about the movie theater playing the one movie all month long...My goodness, was I nostalgic.

So, yeah, he's a sentimental favorite and by no means a practical one. Like Varitek.

Well, here's hoping our lucky little team doesn't see its demise now that that kicked Voldy to the curb to make him King.

Ha ha ha ha ha

Some Super Bowl Things

1. Though the Cardinals won't win, I would like to take a moment to share this article about strong safety Adrian Wilson of the Arizona Cardinals. He took over for Pat Tillman, when Tillman left the NFL to join the military after September 11. Tillman was later killed while fighting in Afghanistan in 2004. -- The details of his death and the cover up of the friendly fire incident make for yet another black mark on the Defense Dept/ Bush Administration, but this does not at all diminsh the extraordinary sacrifice Tillman made. -- Wilson has been thinking quite often about Tillman over the years and quite a bit in the lead up to tomorrow's Super Bowl.

2. Mike Tomlin, who I blogged about last week, was on Smarmy Man Who I Live Anyway Keith Olberman's show the other day. Tomlin is younger than the Cardinals' quarterback. Isn't that weird? Anyway, Boy Genius Head Coach can go ahead and put himself on my always open, always growing list of Phantom Husbands. He's real real cute and brainy, a super plus. Oh, and accomplished. Obv.

3. Only a Game has an annual tradition of Superbowl Haiku and this year was no exception. My favorite was this one:

Kurt Warner recalls

His first Super Bowl. Recalls,

Too, the Civil War.

Get it? 'Cause he SO OLD!!! More haiku here.

This Week in WTF - Steelers House

Check out this house in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. Click on the photo to get to the Pittsburgh news station's report, complete with an awesome video that shows the amazingly tacky amount of Steelers-themed chotchke that the family has accumulated. Tom Santucci has had the Terrible House with a Terrible Truck, all in honor of the Terrible Team, the Steelers since last year.

I think they're going to win it all this year. Their head coach is an African American, and this is the year of the Triumphant African American Man Who Combats Stereotypes By Performing Well in Leadership Positions. It's true! I read it on my placemat at the Chinese Food restaurant. It's written in the heavens. And while Mike Tomlin isn't the first African-American Head Coach to got ot the Super Bowl, or even the first to win it, there's only been 2 others to get there, so there you go.

This Week in WTF - Live and Die By the Sox

This is a real thing. It's from Eternal Image.

Hear the full story about how you can take your undying devotion to the Red Sox with you to the grave, from WBUR's "Here and Now," here.

I'm not interested in the casket, because when I go, I'd like to be cremated and have a really pretty portrait of me (so many to choose from, too!) for everyone to look at, but I'll take the urn, in Red Sox, of course.

Utah vs Brigham Young

The college football teams of Utah and Brigham Young are playing each other today.

I predict that neither team will win.

You see, contrary to previous notions, God, in fact LOVES gays. Therefore, lighting will strike both field goal posts, the field will be flooded and the Mormon Bowl of '08 will have to be canceled.

Because God really hates it when you mess with the message of Love Everyone.

Oh, and if you happen to be a homophobic hatemonger troll and come across this blog, comments are edited and I'm going to be undemocratic and not let your comment go up, so don't bother. :)

File under: who gives a $h1T

Harvard plays Yale in football today. I'm rooting for ........................................

Seriously, why would any one care?

:28

As if we needed another reason to love Rachel Maddow

Turns out everyone's new best lesbian girlfriend, Rachel Maddow, the self described "blogger with a tv show" is more than just awesome. More than just super awesome, even. She is, in fact, UBER AWESOME.

Not because she's a young, hip news anchor. Not because she's the only lesbian news anchor (well, outed lesbian anchor, that is). Not because she's funny and MAD SMAHHHHRT yo.

We knew all those things. We knew her show was fab-u-lous. We agreed with the findings of the Pew Research Poll and her dorky coolness.

No, the thing that vaunts her past awesome and super awesome into UBER AWESOME is the fact that she, being a resident of Hippie Western Mass, LOVES THE RED SOX.

Nail in coffin. She's the bestest.

This week in WTF: TBS, ARE YOU MFN KIDDING ME?????

GOOD THING WE HAVE TBS IN HD SO I CAN WATCH THE EFFING STEVE EFFING HARVEY EFFING SHOW

WTF??!!!!!

Apparently, there's a power outtage in Hotlanta, causing the transmission of the game 6 of the Red Sox versus Tampa Bay in the American League Championship Series to be replaced, instead, by reruns of Bloopers with Dick friggen Clark and the friggen Steve Harvey Show. What. The. F.

I have the radio on and the TV muted in case they pick up transmission. They just had a scrolling thingy that explained what is going on: "The game is already in progress the score is 0-0."

Except it isn't anymore, it's effing 1-0 because Upton just hit a giant homerun. So, not even their scrolling is correct.

Stupidheads.

PHEWWW!!!!!!!

'Sabout dang time, friends.

Red Sox are in the playoffs!!!!!

Doom!!! Doom!!! Doooooooooooom!!!!!!!!!

Brady is out for the season.

Do you hear that? It's the sound of all hell breaking loose in New England.

http://www.necn.com/Boston/Sports/Belichick-Nobody-has-worked-harder-done-more-for-team/1220901003.html

What If Landsdowne Did This?

Before every games at Camden Yard, there's a section across the street from the Yards that is cordoned off for vendors of stadium food, ice cold cheap beers and loud party music.

We briefly began wishing that this happened on Landsdowne and then quickly realized that it would result in a riot every single night.

Ah well...