The disappointment is now complete with reports that the Sox are trying to get a last minute trade for David Wells. Not that I like David Wells but, for you non-baseball fans, when a team starts making off late season trades, it is a sign that the team is realizing that it will not be in the post-season. Teams then start trying to get out of large contracts by send their players off on waivers.
This comes as Manny Ramirez and Willy Mo Pena have both been sent in for Medical Evaluation and Ortiz is dealing with an irregular heart beat. This is a painful time for a baseball fan when, after investing a season, he realizes that the rest of the season is a lame duck.
This will likely be my last post on the Red Sox this season (unless something extraordinary unfolds). We may catch a Rangers game, just for one last hurrah and that is that. It's lousy that such a promising season (which saw the Red Sox in first place most of the season) has spiraled into such a disaster but I guess that's the game. I'll keep watching when I can and listening the rest of the time but I probably won't listen carefully or write at all. So long until next year.
SOME SILVER LINING:
I just listened to Curt Schilling get his 3,000th career strikeout against Nick Swisher of the Oakland A's. Schilling becomes the 14th pitcher in MLB history to get 3,000 homeruns.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
The First Clean Day...
...means soon it will be autumn. Two days af rain has washed away the 100+ weather, hopefully for good. One can tell that football season will start soon when he looks to the sky and, for the first time in months, there is no yellow hue. No fog and filthy air and, best of all, no high temp above 92 on the ten day forcast.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
No October: a short play for Sox fans
The scene is Kenmore Subway Station, Boston. Several people stand along the back rail. On the wall behind them is an enormous picture of David Ortiz. It is an advertisement. Stage left of it is a smaller, framed poster with a picture of the yellow pages and the line "Our Yellow Monster."
One: Friends, we are here to fulfill our obligation. To do what we hoped we would never have to do.
Two: I am here because it is what my Nation expects from me.
Three: I'm here because we have been let down.
Four: Left behind.
Three: Left dreading the winter.
One: A winter which is to come early this year. All hope is gone. They have failed us again.
Two: Since childhood I have kept the faith.
Three: Since childhood I have blindly followed.
Four: I too have followed. I followed them to our Mecca, where I have circled the building and climbed the steps and bowed to its ancient majesty.
One: But they have left us in a lurch.
Two: And that is why there is no reason to go on.
Three: No reason to live.
Four: They killed our fathers and now they are killing us too.
One: Let us sing in one last Holy chorus.
Two: One last sweet song.
All: (singing) Sweet Caroline, buh, buh, buh, Good times never seemed so good. (crying a little) So good, so good, so good."
(The actual song fades in and the volume nearly drowns out the actors voices. The actors join hand and fall forward onto the third rail. Sparks, flickering lights and finally, darkness. The music continues.)
One: Friends, we are here to fulfill our obligation. To do what we hoped we would never have to do.
Two: I am here because it is what my Nation expects from me.
Three: I'm here because we have been let down.
Four: Left behind.
Three: Left dreading the winter.
One: A winter which is to come early this year. All hope is gone. They have failed us again.
Two: Since childhood I have kept the faith.
Three: Since childhood I have blindly followed.
Four: I too have followed. I followed them to our Mecca, where I have circled the building and climbed the steps and bowed to its ancient majesty.
One: But they have left us in a lurch.
Two: And that is why there is no reason to go on.
Three: No reason to live.
Four: They killed our fathers and now they are killing us too.
One: Let us sing in one last Holy chorus.
Two: One last sweet song.
All: (singing) Sweet Caroline, buh, buh, buh, Good times never seemed so good. (crying a little) So good, so good, so good."
(The actual song fades in and the volume nearly drowns out the actors voices. The actors join hand and fall forward onto the third rail. Sparks, flickering lights and finally, darkness. The music continues.)
Sunday, August 20, 2006
May I Please Panic Now???
For some reason, I feel hideous. Then, into the mix came this.
School starts tomorrow and I still haven't gotten the money in to go. I haven't gotten my transfer yet that will actually allow me to go to my classes. My team sucks. I'm angry at the people I go to church with and I'm a lousy writer.
I will spend the rest of my waking hours trying to decide whether to collapse or explode.
School starts tomorrow and I still haven't gotten the money in to go. I haven't gotten my transfer yet that will actually allow me to go to my classes. My team sucks. I'm angry at the people I go to church with and I'm a lousy writer.
I will spend the rest of my waking hours trying to decide whether to collapse or explode.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Baseball Today
I spent the evening with Charissa and baseball as the Redhawks took on the Tucson Sidewinders (Diamondbacks).
On paper, the games looked like a pitching duel. Micah Owings went six innings for the Sidewinders allowing only one run on ten hits. He walked two and fanned two. Derek Lee gave the Redhawks six innings, allowing two runs on six hits. A better way to describe this game, though, would be a failure to avoid base running mistakes. Baldiris was tagged out at home plate when he tried to go home on a fielder's choice to the short stop (who chose to through out the lead runner and avoid a run). Freddy Guzman (a guy known for hustle) tried to stretch a base hit to the center fielder into a double and got himself thrown out by a mile.
On the Sidewinders side, Brito made it to second on an E6 when Arias failed to catch a pick off but was instantly tagged out when he thought the ball had gotten away far enough to make it to third only to realize that the runner on third wasn't moving. 6-4 on the put out.
In the end, neither starting pitcher would get a decision, as Adrian Brown would score in the seventh on a sac fly by former Red Sox Adam Hyzdu(the run was un-earned. Brown stole second and the catcher committed a throwing error on the pickoff attempt, allowing him to take third.)
Then Kameron Loe, on a so far shaky rehab stint from Texas, pitched the eighth and ninth allowing two harmless hits, hitting a batter and striking another out. He would earn the win in the bottom of the ninth when Freddy Guzman hit a liner over the head of the right field and stretched the hit into a triple. Joaquin Arias then hit a sac fly for the RBI and the win. The Redhawks crawl back over .500, improving to 59-58.
The Glass is Either Half Empty or Three Quarters Empty:
The Red Sox lost their third straight tonight (two to the Devil Rays and one to the Royals). Because of that sad fact, we were left to sweat the outcome of the Yankees/White Sox game. In a classic case of damned if you do damned if you don't, the White Sox beat the Yanks to keep the Red Sox 2 games back in the East. For that I thank them. The fly in the ointment is, the win pushed the White Sox into the lead in the Wild Card Race.
On paper, the games looked like a pitching duel. Micah Owings went six innings for the Sidewinders allowing only one run on ten hits. He walked two and fanned two. Derek Lee gave the Redhawks six innings, allowing two runs on six hits. A better way to describe this game, though, would be a failure to avoid base running mistakes. Baldiris was tagged out at home plate when he tried to go home on a fielder's choice to the short stop (who chose to through out the lead runner and avoid a run). Freddy Guzman (a guy known for hustle) tried to stretch a base hit to the center fielder into a double and got himself thrown out by a mile.
On the Sidewinders side, Brito made it to second on an E6 when Arias failed to catch a pick off but was instantly tagged out when he thought the ball had gotten away far enough to make it to third only to realize that the runner on third wasn't moving. 6-4 on the put out.
In the end, neither starting pitcher would get a decision, as Adrian Brown would score in the seventh on a sac fly by former Red Sox Adam Hyzdu(the run was un-earned. Brown stole second and the catcher committed a throwing error on the pickoff attempt, allowing him to take third.)
Then Kameron Loe, on a so far shaky rehab stint from Texas, pitched the eighth and ninth allowing two harmless hits, hitting a batter and striking another out. He would earn the win in the bottom of the ninth when Freddy Guzman hit a liner over the head of the right field and stretched the hit into a triple. Joaquin Arias then hit a sac fly for the RBI and the win. The Redhawks crawl back over .500, improving to 59-58.
The Glass is Either Half Empty or Three Quarters Empty:
The Red Sox lost their third straight tonight (two to the Devil Rays and one to the Royals). Because of that sad fact, we were left to sweat the outcome of the Yankees/White Sox game. In a classic case of damned if you do damned if you don't, the White Sox beat the Yanks to keep the Red Sox 2 games back in the East. For that I thank them. The fly in the ointment is, the win pushed the White Sox into the lead in the Wild Card Race.
In Over My Head?
I purchased my textbooks for my three graduate classes. The stack you see is eleven books. Eleven books for three classes.
Now, with just under two weeks to go, I am still dealing with financial aid which looks less and less likely to get to me in time. My back is against the wall and I must fight my way out with the weight of eleven books on my head.
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