inside out, backwards & upside down
that's what the last week has felt like in Red Sox Nation.
injuries. flu. general suckitude. good pitching, bad hitting (or conversely, good hitting, but pitching that gives up more runs than the offense can generate). ridiculous errors -- what the *heck* was that pick-off attempt by Beckett that resulted in the runner scoring from first base?! and a sweep in Tampa?? seriously, is *anything* more upside down than the Rays & Orioles leading the AL East?? that & Manny *successfully* stealing second base. ::rubs eyes:: i would be wondering what parallel universe i was trapped in if Lugo were not still making his requisite number of errors per week. (he's at seven, four weeks in, for anyone not keeping count.)
in all honesty, the only thing i can say after seeing them in person at Fenway Florida (seriously, i think there were fifteen Sox fans for every one fan in Rays gear) is man do the Sox look *tired*. the whole group of them. no excuses. dropping five straight is bordering on unacceptable. but three weeks without a day off? while battling a team-wide virus? yeah, i can understand a team that looks like it can barely pick up a bat, let alone swing it productively.
i'm not going to say it was fun to tolerate the (twenty-five) Rays fans gloating & waving their brooms, but as a gracious loser, i will let them have their moment to shine (though i am not about to forgive-and-forget the mocking of "Sweet Caroline" playing over the stadium audio system post-game). after all, their moments of victory are few & far between. ;-) lest you think i am being snide, this was the Rays first *ever* sweep of the Sox, and also the first time in club history that they are three games over .500 this late in a season. no kidding. those brooms will get stuck where the sun doesn't shine soon enough. mark my words.
so yeah, it was disappointing to go & not see them win my first ever time seeing The Commander start, especially when he Ks thirteen for a career high. but i feel for the boys. i hope they have a restful day off to recharge, shake off the flu & nagging aches, and generally just clear the last week from their collective minds. i will leave you to the off day with some favorite photos directly from my camera, and just because i feel the need to end on a positive note: Kevin Youkilis set a major league record for fielding perfection over the weekend when he handled his 1,701st errorless chance at first base. Youkilis broke the record of 1,700 straight errorless chances by former Sox 1B Stuffy McInnis from May 1921-June 1922. The errorless streak set by the Gold Glove-winning Youkilis is also the longest such streak of any defensive position in major league history. (courtesy of Yahoo! News)
Tek warming up before the game.
Beckett throwing his first K of the game.
Cap'n at the plate.
Manny just after stealing second base -- laughing. =)
Manny at bat.
Coco up to hit.
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| From http://picasaweb.google.com/dawnradke/SoxRaysApril272008 |
9 with their own thoughts:
UGH!!!
What, no pics of Lugo?
Anyway, I've changed my fantasy team name from Lugo for MVP to The Flying Lugos to The Blundering Lugos. After doing fairly well last week, i took a 12-1 loss this past week and am in last place lower than Ted. Boo!
If there were that many Sox fans to Rays fans, I wouldn't have known it since the damn cowbells were clearly not coming from the Sox fans.
Sweet pics. Don't you love zoom? :-) They all have the unholy glow of artifical light on them, though. Freaking dome.
Those are terrific pix, Dawn.
These totally and completely made my day. :)
//After doing fairly well last week, i took a 12-1 loss this past week and am in last place lower than Ted. Boo!//
You're on my list, Stephen.
JMP: I hear ya. Were you at the game? How were your seats?
Redbeard: Check the album (link below the photo of Coco) -- there's one. It was an attempt to catch him messing up. Again. ;-) They have to hand out cowbells because that's the only way they can drown out the visiting team's fans. I am convinced that most of that crowd noise is piped in too. =P
Nichole: I love zoom. Although from where I was sitting, I barely needed it! The photos don't even do the lighting justice, since I warmed up the coloring when I edited them. =P
Joe: I am so lucky to have the opportunity to get seats like that for the price I paid!
Rebecca: I thought they might. There were a couple more of The Cap'n in the album if you clicked all the way through. ;-)
Hey Dawn,
Seats were fine.
Watchin Beckett pitch was awesome!!!
The Game was not so fine!!!
But it was great to see the Sox live and a side trip after the game to THE PIER in St. Pete made it a great day!!!
Five buck for French Fries!!!! Crips!!! 3.50 for a bottled water!!!!
5.00 for a stinken weenie!!!!!
I'm in the wrong business.....
Did you see the guy with the LUGO shirt on???? He looked like a shaved Ted!!! Tried to get his pic but he was too fast....
JMP: Ah, side trip after the game. So then you didn't get stuck in the miles upon miles of traffic all the way up to I4 then huh? Lucky you.
I hear you on the cost of food. Brought along my own water and just got fries & a footlong at the park. For those people who whine about the cost of food at Disney (which I still don't think is that bad), they ought to try a trip to the Trop, don't ya think??
Wait. Someone actually OWNS a Lugo shirt??? Please tell me it was a t-shirt with a sarcastic remark on it & not an actual jersey. Although he might have gotten it at a reduced price...
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