I'm not ready for the Boston baseball season to be over yet. I wasn't ready for the season to end last Thursday, nor was I ready on Saturday or Sunday. I'm still not ready for baseball to end. I can't describe how excited I am to see more Red Sox baseball this year. For some reason, even though the Sox were down 3 games to 1, I had some strange confidence that they'd be able to come back and take the series. I was really confident they could take game 5 and pretty confident that Schilling could step up for game 6. Game 7, however, was up in the air. I figured it would be a battle - which it was. The breaks seemed to go in favor of the Sox, and Dice-K didn't have his signature bad inning. Then finally, in the 7th and 8th innings, the Sox turned the dial up to 11 and poured it on!
For the past year or so I've noticed that the MBTA has been making minor improvements to the station. There's new lighting down on the platform and new lighting on the mezzanine. Plus, they've fixed up all the escalators, and they all seem to be working now. [Knocks on wood. Did I just break the first rule of Porter Square Escalators? Rule #1: Never talk about the Porter Square Escalators, lest they break.] Plus, they've finally got all the message boards at the platform working again. Hooray.
Yesterday, I noticed that they've added some nice looking signs at the street level exit that direct riders to the 77/96 bus stop and the 83 bus stop. Plus, there's a great local Porter Square map in the mezzanine that shows the bus routes and local streets.
Its nice that they've added these small touches to the station, but were they really necessary? I've always considered the Porter Square station to be in relatively good shape. I'd imagine that the money for those small renovations would have been better spent fixing up the touristy stops. But hey, I just ride the T, I'm not in charge of the capital budget.
Hmmmm..... Maybe a T rider should be in charge of the capital budget??? Nah, that would make sense.
Arrrrgh! I know this stupid song is going to be in my head all night tonight. I've been watching the Rockies try to sweep the Diamondbacks in the background for the past 30 minutes or so, and I heard this really familiar song in the background:
Viva - Viva - Las Vegas!
Unfortunately, I turned to the TV to enjoy the song. To my dismay, [or should I say horror?] it was NOT an advertisement about Las Vegas. NO! NOOOOOOO! There were about 5 old guys playing guitar in some cabin singing
Viva - Viva - Viagra!
Read that again, and sing it in your head. "Viva - Viagra!" Its going to be stuck in your head all day long. And, for the rest of your life, every time you hear the "Viva - Las Vegas" song, you're going to chuckle and think
Viva - Viva - Viagra! Viva - Viva - Viagra!
Don't blame me. Thank your friendly folks at Pfizer.
So, here's the thing with Cleveland's "closer", Joe Borowski.
If we get in the wayback machine and head back to 2003, we'll see that he was a mediocre closer for the Chicago Cubs. Sure, all Cubs fans loved him back in the day, yet it was excruciating to watch him pitch the 9th. Borowski would constantly give up hits, walk people, and get himself into jams. He really wasn't that good of a pitcher, yet he managed to get the job done. He was considered the "working man's" closer - nothing overpowering, yet would pitch himself out of an inning.
Now, he's on the Cleveland Indians.
Now, he pitches even worse than he did on the Cubs.
It is absolutely necessary for the Red Sox to be patient, foul off his junk, and take a walk. His earned run average was way over 4.00, and he had 5 losses to his name this season. There is no reason for the Sox to let him get another post-season save this season. If the Sox can beat Mariano Rivera, facing Joe Borowski should be like facing a little league pitcher.
And one last gripe - if anyone on the Sox should know Borowski, it should be former National Leaguers Lowell and Drew. Lowell saw him many times in the '03 regular season, and again, against the Cubs in the infamous 2003 NLCS. I'm disappointed that the Sox aren't showing enough patience with him.
Has anyone else noticed that about 1/2 the Yankees bullpen is fat ugly dudes who can't pitch? For such a team full of high-priced glamor players, their bullpen looks like a bunch of guys that were eating steak and eggs at the roadside truck stop yesterday. Let's look a little closer:
Chris Britton Height: 6'3" Weight: 280 Fat AND Ugly Comment: Last week, I think this dude was selling used cars in Somerville just across the street from the Target on Somerville Avenue. I'd venture to say the Burger King Quadruple Stacker was his daily lunch. You suck.
Brian Bruney Height: 6'3" Weight: 245 Fat AND Ugly Comment: I swear, this guy was making Peanut Buster Parfaits at Dairy Queen last summer. At the end of his shift, he'd eat all the soft-serve ice cream left in the machines. You Suck.
Ron Villone Height: 6'3" Weight: 245 Normal, but still Fat Birthplace: Englewood, NJ Comment: Way, way, wayyy too much pasta and cannolis. You suck.
Mike Myers Height: 6'3" Weight: 225 Birthplace: Arlington Heights, IL Funny looking, still Fat Comment: Dude, lay off the Old Styles and Hot Dogs. Just because you enjoyed Mr. Submarine doesn't mean you can throw the submarine pitch. You suck.
Since there's no Red Sox on tonight, and the Paw Sox are getting their ass kicked by Columbus, I figured I'd check out this "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" show on Fox. Do we really need a game show on TV to prove just how stupid some people can be? ARGH.
The first question I saw was in the category "4th Grade Math". The Question (its a tough one):
How many perfect squares are there between the numbers 10 and 20?
The contestant had to think really hard about that one. She did answer "1", thank goodness, (16 is the only perfect square: 4x4=16), but her husband in the audience was convinced she was wrong. He told her that 12 was a perfect square too!
C'mon people! COME ON! Please don't make me throw a shoe through my TV because you don't know what a perfect square is! PLEASE!
I'll have to admit, one of the reasons we all went out to Pittsburgh this past week was to visit the Harris Grill. On Tuesday nights, they serve up FREE BACON at the bar. About every 30 minutes or so, the bartender would bring out baskets of bacon and just hand them out to anyone with their hand stretched out. Besides that, they've got a great selection of beers, and great appetizers.
I must ask, why is there not a bar in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville that will serve up free bacon for a Tuesday "happy hour"? Bacon and beer seriously go hand-in-hand. My cholesterol level may be about 20 points higher now.
A few years ago we all headed out to Chicago to visit The Prodigal Son, for the same reason. Every Wednesday, they served up free bacon to patrons. Unfortunately, the bar is no more - it was lost in a fire. And yes, it was a grease fire.
So, while most people want to travel the United States to see all of the wonderful historical sites and national parks, I'm on a quest to travel the country and visit bars that serve up free bacon. Rumor has it, there's a bar in Texas that has Country Fried Bacon. Man, I'm hungry.
Last week in Pittsburgh, I was able to catch 2 Cubs wins in one day -- and I didn't attend a double-header. How can that be? Well I'll gladly let you know.
On Tuesday night, in the top of the 7th inning, the Cubs scored 4 runs to take the lead over the Pirates, 6-5 (thanks to a Cliff Floyd bomb into the Allegheny River). In the bottom of the seventh, with one out, and the count at 1 ball and 2 strikes, the skies opened up and the umpires delayed the game. After 2 hours, they suspended the game - it would be resumed the following day. I had never heard of this situation before.
Apparently, there's a new MLB rule this season regarding suspended games - 4.12 (a). To paraphrase, if the visiting team scores 1 or more runs in the top half of the inning to take the lead in the game, and the game is delayed or postponed due to weather in the bottom half of the inning, the game will be suspended and resumed at the next meeting.
This was great news for Cub fans. In the past, if a game was called in the bottom half of the inning, the score would resort to the score at the end of the previous inning, and the game would be called. So, if this game had happened last year, the Cubs would have lost the game. With the new rule, they resumed the game the next day, at the exact point it was suspended!
My buddies and I had tickets to the Wednesday game, so we got to see the final 2 1/2 innings of the previous game, plus the full scheduled game, all for the low low PNC Park price of $26.00. Oh yeah, the seats were 2 rows from the field too. And even better, the Cubs won BOTH games. Maybe I was too hard on them in my earlier post. Ever since I ranted and decided to put my faith in the Red Sox, the Cubs have gone 8-3, have a 5 game winning streak, and are back up to 2nd place in the NL Central. Although, I'm still not convinced it will last. I hope I'm proven wrong.
Sure, I was really hoping for a sweep of the Yankees this past weekend. I think 2 straight series sweeps of the Yankees would make up for the 4 game sweep the Yankees pulled on the Sox last year. But hey, 5 out of the first 6 is great news. Thanks Yankee's bullpen!
In other news, I was really looking forward to seeing the Cubs play the Cardinals on ESPN. Its not very often I get to see the Cubs on TV out here. Unfortunately, one of the Cardinals pitchers, Josh Hancock, was tragically killed in a car accident last night, so the game has been postponed. He was only 29 years old, one year younger than me - and he pitched 3 innings in Saturday's Cubs / Cardinals game. He actually made his major league debut with the Red Sox back in 2002 (he retired the first 6 ML batters he faced). Another strange fact - this is the second Cubs / Cardinals game that has been postponed due to a player's death in the past 5 years. Back in 2002, a game at Wrigley was postponed due to the death of Darryl Kile.
At Fenway, is it expected that home runs hit by the opposing team should be thrown back into the field?
I ask, because being a Cubs fan, home runs hit by the opponents MUST be thrown back into the field. You'll even see people out on Waveland or Sheffield who catch a ball launch it back INTO the park. Fans who don't throw it back risk loud ridicule, beer showers, and bombardment by empty beer cups. (I don't think Wrigley Bleacher Bums are savvy - or sober - enough to throw a slice of pizza, they're too busy eating hot dogs and drinking Old Style. However, after the 4/16 Fenway pizza incident, are slices of Connie's Deep Dish in play? Man, that would hurt.)
For years, I've been somewhat of a fair-weathered Red Sox fan. My true allegiance is to the hopeless Chicago Cubs. I really love the Cubs, but as usual, they're in the basement of the NL Central. That's the same place they ended last season. You'd think with a lineup of Soriano, Lee, Ramirez, and Barrett with Zambrano, Marquis, Lilly, Hill, Prior, and Wood on the mound the Cubs would be unstoppable. Of course though, they don't get the clutch hits and their bullpen routinely blows games. Some things never change. I'm going to join Cubs Anonymous and follow the 12-step program to rid myself of the pain associated with my obsessive behavior in yearning for a winner.
This season, though, a strange thing happened to me. I've finally found myself seriously rooting for the Red Sox and actually caring about the outcome of the game. I actually want them to win for once. Being a Cubs fan, I've always been jealous of the Red Sox and the team's success. But I've finally realized that the Cubs really do stink - and I've been able to appreciate the talent of the Red Sox.
When the Sox are down a few runs, I expect them to mount a comeback and win the game, and they do. When the Sox are winning in the 9th inning, I expect the bullpen to save the game, and they do. My feelings for the Cubs are exactly the opposite. When they're down a few runs, I expect them to lose, and they do. When the Cubs are winning late in the game, I expect the bullpen to blow the game, and they do. Its just no fun rooting for the Cubs. I'm tired of it. However, I still won't give up on them - there's still a little bit of optimism left that they'll get it together and put together a winning season.
It all came together for me this past Friday. I was out at the People's Republik with my buddy watching the Sox / Yankees game. When the Sox put up 5 runs on Rivera in the bottom of the 8th, I think I was one of the loudest people cheering in the bar. My buddy told me that he'd never heard me cheer that loudly for the Red Sox. It feels great to cheer for a great team. Plus, tonight - seeing back to back to back to back home runs solidified my Red Sox fandom.
The other thing that finally hooked me was actually listening to Remy and Orsillo call a game on NESN. They're a great duo up in the booth. (As good as they are, I still miss watching the Cubs on WGN listening to Steve Stone and Harry Caray calling a game.) It was the pizza incident last Monday that made me realize just how great Remy and Orsillo are. I know its last week's news, and its already been blogged over at Deadspin, but I absolutely love the play-by-play of the April 16th pizza incident. Every time I watch this clip, I still find myself laughing out loud. Its stuff like this that's really pulling me into Red Sox Nation.
So, Red Sox Nation, do you have room for one more fan? Please? I think I'm hooked.
P.S. - I love Fenway, but Wrigley is still better.
HOLY CRAP! Is this some sort of a MLB record? Back to back to back to back home runs. I need to stop making blog posts about the game! Because as soon as I make one, I have to update it!
I've totally neglected my blog here. I'm not sure if its writer's block, or if I've just been too busy. Its strange - I think about posting my random thoughts here pretty much every day. Yet, in the end, I don't.
