times like these

yes, prepare yourselves. it's Monday morning. and it's that glorious time of year when baseball & football overlap. i am in my own little heaven. Red Sox & Patriots can be viewed on the *same day*.

the last few years, i was torn between watching the Sox gear up for the post season & seeing the Patriots start off a fresh season where anything remains a possibility. this year, it is emphasis on the latter because the former is a painfully small & almost non-existent probability at this point. this is when, instead of the adrenaline rush of sports overload, i am happy to have a diversion.

this past weekend though was an important one for Boston. it wasn't the series we hoped it would be in terms of being the chance to eliminate the Evil Empire. but it was the opportunity for vindication, to take back a little of the dignity they stole in Fenway & take pleasure in doing so in *their* house. maybe the Sox wouldn't be vying for that coveted division leader slot, but they could take away the one thing that would make winning the division sweeter for NY: to do so at the victimization of the Red Sox.

do you know what this is?

this is the way the final game of Saturday-Sunday day/night double header hell-on-the-players looked on the infield of Yankee Stadium. *these* are my Sox celebrating their third victory of four games! they didn't sweep but they won the series & at least they have reclaimed a bit of their pride, ending the last Red Sox-Yankees series of 2006 as the victors. the only thing i wish i had & can't seem to find is a photo of Coco's home-run-stealing grab to keep Posada from breaking the tie & giving the Yankees a 6-4 lead in the eighth! ha! all you who criticized Coco's bandaged finger. for all the dumb things we've seen Coco perform in center, he sure comes up beautifully when it matters most.

and then there's this little excerpt from the Red Sox site that added to my jubilation after all the Papi-Jeter-MVP debate & just a little more "take *that* & digest it NY"!: The boos that have rained down on David Ortiz all weekend at Yankee Stadium probably haven't felt all that nice for the superstar slugger. But Ortiz created a sound much more preferable -- and familiar -- in the sixth inning of Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader. It was the unmistakable sound of the ball hitting the barrel of Ortiz's bat and then flying over the wall in right-center field.

and to make it all a little sweeter, the Patriots (have i ever mentioned here that i can't call them "the Pats"? sounds too...sissy to me or something. you will never hear that nickname used *here*!) start the season 2-0 and these are division games!! and does it get any better that the last play of the game was an interception by Tedy Bruschi who was playing his first game back & with an arm in a cast no less??

Linebacker Mike Vrabel (on Tedy Bruschi's return)
"Only Tedy comes back with a cast on his stinking arm and has an interception. That's him, though. It was great to see him back."


i am loving the first round draft pick rookie Maroney! it's as if he has always played NFL ball. the Dillon-Maroney tag team makes the running game exciting! and i can't *believe* the improvement in attitude between "Dillon as a Bengal" and "Dillon as a Patriot", taking this kid under his wing & being his mentor.


and this. *this* is beautiful. i contend that as long as Brady QBs my team, you cannot count them out. poised yet fiery. i could watch him throw all day.

just one question remains though:

where are the hoodie & the track pants?! THIS is not Bill Belichick...

happy happy Dawn. all my boys won on Sunday. ::happy dance::