wishes DO come true
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true
Red Sox 9
Yankees 3
Thursday, June 8, 2006
so pretty =)
just a few recent favorite photos to share...
my hydrangeas...
...and a few from Animal Kingdom.
Thursday Thirteen: June 8, 2006
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in honor of my trip to CT this coming weekend
2. friends & family 3. the potential to have a white Christmas 4. my childhood church--where they follow the traditional order of service i grew up with. and they choose the hymns i remember singing, sitting next to my Gram & my dad. they actually have Advent & Lenten services. and a real Candlight service at 11pm on Christmas Eve. and a real Tenebrae service on Good Friday. and a real Sunrise Celebration service on Easter Sunday. and people don't (usually) show up to church in shorts, tank tops & flip flops. 5. the Yankee Candle Company flagship store 6. NESN & having every Red Sox game televised without having to pay for it--not that they aren't worth paying for! 7. day trips to Cooperstown with my Dad 8. old winding shady back roads 9. the character of a New England country home. the architecture. the landscaping. TREES. big plots of land that aren't in "communities" & where the houses aren't all the same. and knowing that some of those houses have some real history to them. and basements. =P 10. West Farms Mall 11. the charm of an small old New England town 12. my old scrapbook store 13. people who *really* understand being a Red Sox fan (even if they root for the "other" team!) |
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sharing du jour: June 8, 2006
song of the day: "All I Want", Toad the Wet Sprocket
quote of the day: "If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude." (Colin Powell)
Wednesday, June 7, 2006
state of the Sox
i'm ready to talk Sox. but only with the understanding that i am commenting, reviewing & MOVING ON to tonight's win. are we clear? bear with me though. i've got a lot saved up & i need to release before i dissolve into a puddle of frustrated girly-tears. and as we all know: there's no crying in baseball.
"I came out of the bullpen very aggressive. I'm thinking, 'I'm going to go with a fastball inside,' but I missed really bad." -- 6.3.06, Julian Tavarez on giving up a critical 3-run homer to Ordonez (Boston Dirt Dogs) gee ya think there Julian?? ya missed? did ya really? i still remember that pitch. i don't think that ball has landed yet. when-oh-when will the Sox get some quailty relief in the pen? Theo...? anybody home? get off your laptop & realize the status of the bullpen is CODE BLUE.
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on the same topic of which Tavarez speaks above: Why is Julian Tavarez pitching in high-leverage situations? Why? Batters hit his first 15 pitches to the tune of .317/.382/.533. Magglio Ordonez jumped on pitch #2, lining a three-run homer in the eighth inning that turned a 2-3 game to a 2-6 loss. ... Tito: If the difference in runs is four or higher, then Tavarez can pitch. Tito...i know you're limited in staff. but really...we've been over this. i'd rather not see him on the mound at all. that isn't relief. relief makes one feel better. not much about Tavarez makes anyone feel better--except the opposing team.
Once again, Tim Wakefield gets screwed with no run support. story of this season. i'm sorry Timmy. apparently whatever the problem is with the bats though, it isn't just you. Pauley got the silent treatment last night too...
quotes from (Joy of Sox//G53: Tigers 6, Red Sox 2)
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About pitching to Manny and Papi, Miner says "I've gotten them out on video games. Hopefully, it'll transfer over." (The Joy of Sox//G54: Red Sox 8, Tigers 3) i don't even know how to respond to this. i had to laugh at his innocent hopeful logic. i'm thinking that someone might need to remind him that video games are not real? whatever. i'll take the win. Lord knows they've been scarce lately...
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Francona was asked if Beckett had any health issues? "No. He had some hit issues. But not health issues." sometimes, Tito, your wit leaves me speechless. hit issues? i hadn't noticed... =P
Tito: "We don't know quite where we stand with Foulke yet. We have some issues we probably have to at least discuss. He's getting better. Will he be available [tonight]? I don't know." ... That doesn't sound very promising. this worries me. considering the rest of the bullpen possibilities...and you have yet to discuss them?? also cause for alarm...
quotes from (The Joy of Sox//Kickin' The Beckett)
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Also, Francona said Keith Foulke (back stiffness) was examined by the Red Sox medical staff; the team "may be forced into making a move". were we waiting for an engarved invitation to do something about our pitiful relief situation???
I am pissed. Seanez? Rudy Seanez?? It's 1-1 in the 7th inning and Francona thinks Noriega is our best arm? Are you shitting me? Basic progressive baseball thought (which the Red Sox claim to subscribe to) tells you to go with your best pitcher with the game on the line. Francona couldn't have forseen Pauley loading the bases (DP was as shocked as anyone that he didn't field Cairo's grounder), but the score was 1-1 -- Tito's got to have quality arms getting warm. except that we have one functioning quality arm out there right now...and we need him to get all Mariano Rivera on everybody. he's our closer. we can't ask him to relieve too...which brings up the concern again: why are we not DOING something about this already??
Manny got robbed of a game-tying home run in the eighth by Milk Dud in left (and screw you, Johnny, for the excessive celebration). yep. i know it was a big play. and it saved your butts from a tied score. but be discreet. The Kid was about to lose a hell of a picthing game. Manny didn't rub it in Johnson's face last series right? why did you rub it in his & Pauley's?
And thanks a ton, Nixon-Varitek-Lowell, for making Rivera work so hard in the ninth -- five pitches. where the HELL are the Boston bats?!
quotes from (The Joy of Sox//G56: Yankees 2, Red Sox 1)
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All right, I surrender. The Arroyo-for-Pena deal is a bust, at least for this year. There? Happy? Can we move on to another topic now? We can? Okay, good. I've got one: Why Moves That Don't Take The Future Into Some Consideration Are As Short-Sighted And Stupid As Glenn Ordway. (Subtitle: Doug Mirabelli Was Washed Up A Year Ago While Josh Bard Is Currently Hitting .360 With As Many Homers As Varitek). Discuss. (Touching All the Bases//Word to Ya Mutha) it took him this long to grasp that Arroyo for Pena was a bust?! really?? and ummmm...as i recall Bard couldn't catch Wakey & THAT is why we have Mirabelli back. i'll take him over Bard any day of the week thanks. carry on.
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an interesting tidbit, something possibly deja-vu in nature about Beckett's back-to-back beatings? this was from 2002, Josh's rookie season. parts of it sounding eerily familiar. do you think it could be history repeating itself...or potentially coming back to haunt him?: "They were hitting it like they knew what was coming," Beckett said. That might explain the performance. Recurring blisters on the middle finger of his pitching hand have forced Beckett to alter his grip, perhaps causing him to inadvertently indicate what kind of pitch he's about to throw. "It seemed like they knew something," Torborg said. "I stood there that night wondering. They hit everything he threw, including a couple of curveballs inside that they should have been fooled on." Former major league catcher Jim Leyritz stopped by the Marlins' clubhouse last week to tell Arnsberg that Beckett positioned his glove one way before throwing a fastball and another way for a curve. Arnsberg studied game video for over an hour, trying to spot such disparities. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? For what it's worth, the Red Sox have dismissed the notion, but there are couple of names in that story that raised my eyebrows. The first is Brad Arnsberg, Beckett's pitching coach during his time in Florida, who is currently . . . the pitching coach for the Blue Jays. You're telling me he hasn't tipped off the Blue Jays' hitters to some giveaway in Beckett's deliver, the way he grips the ball in the glove, something, that gives the hitter the enormous advantage of knowing what pitch is coming? Arnsberg knows the quirks of Beckett's delivery better than anyone with the exception of the pitcher himself. Of course he's spilled the secrets. The other name that caught my eye in that story was Jim Leyritz. I'm sure you've seen him sitting behind home plate during the recent Sox games in the Bronx, wearing the gaudy leather jacket with the logos of every major league team. He works for MLB.com now, but his loyalties are with the Yankees, he loathes the Sox (since Jason Varitek took his job) and I wouldn't be surprised if he's shared some knowledge with the Dark Side. Go ahead, call me a conspiracy theorist if you will... i merely find these observations interesting. could explain...something...or maybe it's just a slump. i hope he shakes it off.
I wish David Pauley had that first big-league victory to show for his fine performance under difficult circumstances tonight. But at least he made it apparent why the Sox brought him up in the first place: While he may be inexperienced (this was the 22-year-old's second start above Double A) and his curveball/changeup repertoire isn't going to wow the guys with the radar guns, Pauley receives high marks from the Sox front office for his composure and competitiveness, and they believed he could handle the bright lights of the Bronx better than certain, more touted prospects. And he did. i'm liking what i see of Pauley. may the gods of baseball be kind to him...and the Sox front office be smart enough to hold onto him...
If we didn't realize that Mike Timlin is the unsung hero of the entire ballclub, we sure do now. Seeing Rudy Seanez come into a tie game with the bases loaded and realizing there really was no better alternative tends to have that effect on you. either that or as a fan, you hide behind your couch, not wanting to see the inevitable walking of the first batter Seanez faces. why, Terry, why? why Rudy with bases loaded? i still can't wrap my brain around that decision...i would have rather seen Delcarmen...or even what's-his-name Hansen that they just called up.
Maybe it's because Yankees fans are insecure and desperate for affirmation...But man, aren't the Bronx Faithful getting a little carried away with their cloying demand for a curtain call after pretty much every semi-meaningful home run?...What's next, a standing O for A-Rod after he homers in the ninth to cut a deficit to 12-3? You'd think Yankee fans would realize that a curtain call is the way to salute those who have delivered in the biggest moments...Then again, it's been a while since they've won a championship, from what I hear. Guess they've lowered their standards. LOL! again: yep. pretty pathetic & just as uncalled for as base-stealing attempts in the 8th & bringing in Mo to close a game you're winning by 8 runs. *shrug* just my 2 cents.
quotes from (Touching All the Bases//Nine innings: 06.06.06)
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Lack of Runs Hurts Wakefield
If anyone has a right to bemoan his lack of luck this season, it's Tim Wakefield. All the knuckleballer seems to do is keep the Red Sox in games, and then have a loss to show for his effort. It happened again on Saturday night at Comerica Park, as Wakefield allowed six hits and three runs over seven innings and suffered a 6-2 loss to the Tigers...He is now 4-7, but that record, at the very least, could be reversed. Wakefield (4.05 ERA) has been as consistent as anyone on the staff. The Red Sox have scored a grand total of 46 runs over Wakefield's 12 starts, an average of 3.8, which is easily the lowest on Boston's staff. Wakefield also leads the American League in the dubious category known as lowest RS (run support), not that he's ever going to complain. "You can't think about it that way," said Wakefield, a picture of professionalism. "I've got to make the pitches when I need to and try to keep us in the game."...For whatever reason, Wakefield is the tough-luck man on the staff. this is what i've been saying all along!! what the hell is up with lack of...ANYthing at the plate when Wakefield pitches?? and Tim...no matter how well you pitch...if they don't score you some runs, you can't win. you've got their back, now they need to get yours.
"I wanted Tavarez to face Ordonez, good move on my part," quipped Francona. For whatever reason, Tavarez, a reliable setup man for the Cardinals the last couple of years, has not been able to get into that same rhythm with Boston. it's the Curse of the EZs i tell you...the second they step on the mound, it's lights out. for the RED SOX. the acknowledgement is nice Francona but...can we take this lesson into future games with us to use at decision time perhaps? ya think? maybe?
quotes from (Red Sox News)
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Timlin Getting Closer to Return
For all the thousands of times 40-year-old Mike Timlin has played catch during his career, it hasn't been often that an interview session was requested of the right-hander afterwards. But the fact that was the case on Monday at Yankee Stadium indicated both how infrequently Timlin has been injured during his career and how crucial it is for the Red Sox to get him back on the active roster. crucial. yep. sums it up perfectly. that or HELP!!!
For Timlin, who hasn't pitched since May 25 because of a strained right shoulder, this round of catch was his first step back to the mound. The invaluable setup man is still hoping to return for Saturday's day-night doubleheader against the Rangers, as that is the first day he's eligible to pitch. normal? that can't come soon enough. invaluable? also sums it up perfectly. especially when you look at the disaster zone otherwise known as Boston's set-up men. hurry back Timlin. but don't push before it's ready--we need you back for good.
quotes from (Red Sox Notes)
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and finally (yes. i know. i have droned on a looong time here but it's free RSN-FL therapy. and it is, after all, MY blog.) some favorite quotes from Surviving Grady over the past month:
May 8: I will say this: The person who made the greatest impression on me throughout this weekend series was El Bencho himself. In an age in which players routinely bad-mouth the teams that trade them or don't resign them for outrageous sacks of cash, citing a "lack of respect" or "another example of The Man keeping me down," it's refreshing to hear Millar confess, "Dudes, if I didn't suck, I'd still be in Boston." (Surviving Grady//No worries. It's all good.)
May 11: Yesterday I ate a sandwich that weighed more than Wille Harris' batting average. (Surviving Grady//Lessons Learned Last Night)
May 21: Take a look at this line and try to guess who it is: 2-for-4, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI and a homerun. Of course it has to be Papi? Or Manny? How about Josh Beckett! After the longball the entire dugout gave him the silent treatment for a minutes before burying him in high-fives. (Surviving Grady//Interleague Play) sidenote: Joshy--we need THAT pitcher back. ASAP.
May 23 re that wonderous time when the Sox were 4-1 against the Yankees: But, as I've noted before, now is the time to get all Nick Fury and His Howling Commandos on these guys. Before they regroup. Before they rebuild. Before Hideki Matsui gets fitted for his iron exo-skeleton and comes back as Great Mazinga [oh, like that sh-t's not going on in some secret, Steinbrenner-owned medical facility on the outskirts of NYC right now]. Further the distance between us so that when August rolls around and we're pitting Rudy Seanez against Jason Giambi in the bottom of the seventh in the Bronx, (holy CRAP. talk about foreshadowing...only it wasn't August...) it won't feel like we're hurtling cold and naked toward a stack of glass shards. (Surviving Grady//Return of the Product)
May 29: It's become increasingly clear that the only time Rudy Seanez should be allowed onto the playing field at Fenway is if there's a fire in the bullpen and he needs to cut across the green to make his escape. Or if, say, there's a brawl against the Crankees and we need his ultimate fighting skills to help thwack Tanyon Sturtze into submission. Also, at the end of a game we've won, in which he didn't appear: perfectly fine for him to walk across the field as he exits into the clubhouse. Same goes for Tavarez, really, whom I liked a hell of a lot more when he was pitching against us in Game One of the 2004 World Series. We need... Seanez and Tavarez to stay home, bound and gagged and thrown in the sub-basement of the Cask n' Flagon. (so let it be written, so let it be done.)...Schilling is looking more like April Schill. The defense has never been sharper. Scenic Lowell and Youkilis continue to defy expectactions. (may all this be the case tonight...please...)
Plus, Tim Wakefield reminded us that when he's on his game, he's virtually unhittable. (Wakey, we're counting on a resounding performance of the Dougie-and-Tim show tomorrow! we need ya man! i don't care if you have to go out there & get your own runs! focus on the one word: unhittable...) But to come out of this upcoming roadtrip with more Ws than Ls, we're gonna need some seriously good pitching. That means Clement, Seanez and Tavarez have gotta sound off like they got a pair. Like they want to be pitching in October. And if they need extra incentive, they should consider this: No way Mike Timlin wants to be in last place when he gets off the DL. Anyone who wants to piss off Timlin does so at his own peril. (pitching in October...there's a pleasant thought. so. Francona. QUIT BRINGING IN THE STIFFS TO LOSE THE GAME. don't make me get all Tony Soprano on you. i'm going to be in the area this weekend you understand...) (Surviving Grady//Everybody Loves a Happy Ending)
June 2: But in the meantime. Roger: WTF? I mean, as many a local scribe has pointed out, you could have owned this town. I'm talking fans carrying you out on their shoulders after each start, and carting your Texas ass down to Ruth's Chris Steak House for a couple T-bones. I'm talking grown men telling their bosses to go pound sand; that they're heading to Fenway Park to welcome you back. I'm talking the pre- and post-game show for every one of your starts being nothing more than Caron and Eck lighting candles and openly weeping before an oversized poster of your mug....You could have had it all, not to mention the fact that each of your starts would have been covered by everyone from the Tokyo Times to the Quincy Junior High Gazette. And you took the pass for another year of playing grab-ass with Andy Pettitte? I'm disappointed in you, man. (i wish i could kick the dirt & say "it's ok...we didn't NEED you anyway..." but the fact is we do...small karmic justice that some 20-year-old kid in A-ball hit The Rocket out of the park. THAT we have plenty of. THAT we don't need.) (Surviving Grady//Suddenly, I've Become Part of Your Past. I'm Becoming the Part That Don't Last.)
June 4: See that photo [down] there? That sums it up nicely. They look pained. Undernourished. Flitting lazily between the real world and somewhere east of Sleepytown. Curt, in fact, may well be unconscious. Or is he secretly wishing a pox on Julian Tavarez? Or that Mike Timlin can be retro-fitted with steel parts and flung back into the bullpen where we need him most? We'll never know. 
...I pray that the hitters start hitting, Manny gets back to being Manny, Tito is struck dumb with amnesia every time he hits the bullpen phone to activate Tavarez...Now, more than ever, we need these things. Amen. (i need everyone in RSN--north, south, east, west--all divisions & derivatives thereof--to memorize & recite this prayer before every half inning of every game until the Sox are so far out in front of the AL East that the Yankees & the Jays are mere specks in the rearview mirror. then...and only then...can we scale back to just once before each inning.) (Surviving Grady//A Round and a Bout)
June 5 re Youk getting hit by a pitch & the other unfortunate injuries that have befallen Boston in recent days: ...if we ever came down with a serious case of Yankee-itis, with key cogs dropping out of the equation, I'm not so sure we'd weather it as well as New York has done. Theo, I don't give a crap if you've gotta coat these guys in kevlar at the start of every game: We need 'em healthy. and re the series in Detroit: And like the giant you can only kick in the nuts so many times, the behemoth that our offense can become awoke again yesterday, after finding itself oddly chloroformed over the series' first two games. The result: 11 hits, 8 runs and four long balls. The kind of output that, I'm certain, leaves Wakefield shaking his head in the clubhouse as he pulls from a bottle of Jameson's. and re SOME ex-Red Sox players fondly: And even though he's with the good folks in Baltimore, I can't help but believe that every time Kevin Millar homers against the Yankees... he's thinking of us. (Surviving Grady//I'm Forgetting to Remember to Forget)
June 7 re that gut-wrenching Pauley loss that it will take me many victories to recover from: But in the end, we just couldn't execute. Couldn't go that extra mile to get the job done and seal this one up. And it burns me to see David Pauley saddled with the L, even though his inability to handle Miguel Cairo's squibbler...set the stage for the Yankees to break the 1-1 tie. I can't bring myself to project any anger at Pauley... (neither can i!) Manny Ramirez....when he suddenly became untethered from reality and tried to stretch a single into a double, arriving at second base 45 seconds after the ball...Yeah, he almost tied the game with a homerun in the eighth, but who knows what could have happened had he stayed planted at first. (Manny...this is NOT the time to be THAT Manny. just sayin'...) When the Yanks loaded the bases in the seventh, and with Giambi at the plate, Tito lifted Pauley for Seanez. I'm assuming the rationale was that he didn't want to hang an untested pitcher out there in such a precarious situation. But, come on, Seanez has been tested and the results are -- he sucks! When he came in from the bullpen, everyone in the free world watching that game knew he was going to give up the go ahead run. And he did. And we all got to go back to our sandwiches. Thank you, and good night. (step away from the EZs, Francona. the EZ doesn't stand for EZ-out. it stands for EZ-win for the other team. step away, Terry, and we don't have to bind & gag you & feed you to Steinbrenner...) Seeing my reactions, she turned to check out the TV, then turned back to us and said, matter-of-factly, "The Yankees are the anti-christ." (this is my new motto.) (Surviving Grady//Where's the Solace You Can Find at the Bottom of Your Mind)
now that you've lost about 30 minutes of your life, never to be gotten back...i fully expect to be here tomorrow with some Red Sox love & rejoicing. Schill? it's all you baby...
sharing du jour: June 7, 2006
song of the day: "The Promise", Tracy Chapman
quote of the day: "A baseball fan is a spectator sitting 500 feet from home plate Who can see better than an umpire standing five feet away." (unknown)
Tuesday, June 6, 2006
broken hearts club
i can't talk about tonight's game. i feel so bad for Pauley. he pitched a hell of a game to lose it the way that he did. i would rather lose a crusher like last night's 13-5 fiasco than to see The Kid lose 2-1 on a botched fielding effort & a walked-in run. the close game that they *should* have won smarts far worse than an outright ass-whooping.
the only thing left is revenge: wins by Schill & Wakey to even out the series. and reclaiming first place.
PSA: June 6, 2006
as you may or may not know, the first week of June is an unsanctioned-by-Disney event that takes place at The Most Magical Place on Earth. what is otherwise known as Gay Days.
now. i'm not going to tell anyone how to live their life. i'm a non-confrontational "live & let live" kinda girl as long as you're not hurting me or someone i love...or pushing your lifestyle or beliefs onto me.
that said. if you get in my face & say (in your high-pitched, lispy, fairy voice): "hiiiiiiiiii...i'm at Diiiiiiisney Wooooorld," then expect me to get a bit vocal about your obnoxious, inconsiderate behavior. this has nothing to do with your sexual preferences, your rainbow tie-dyed dress, your princess tiara or your fairy wand. it also has nothing to do with your race, creed, age or even your baseball allegiances. it doesn't even have anything to do with the fact that you are a big, hairy, sweaty man wearing way more makeup than any self-respecting woman would ever cake onto her face, most especially in the humid 90+ degree Florida weather in the month of June. it has everything to do with the fact that your face is 1/2" from mine & you are invading my personal space about which i am exceptionally territorial.
you wanna be treated the same as "everyone else"?? well "everyone else" who violates the space around me in a deliberate manner will get the same displeased reaction. quit acting like you're being disrespected when it was you disrespecting me in the first place.
Monday, June 5, 2006
sharing du jour: June 5, 2006
song of the day: "Man to Man", Gary Allan
quote of the day: "You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend." (Paul Sweeney)
so they DO want to have a losing season
all the moves they have made this off-season that i have questioned but found some shred of a reason to believe that Belichick & company have had strategies i can't phathom...all the times i shook my head at players let go or passed up but told myself he didn't win 3 Super Bowls in 4 years for nothing...i have to wonder what in the HELL is going through their heads trading off Bethel Johnson for someone i've never heard of. even if Bethel didn't give much last year with some injuries...i don't know...i'm starting to really believe they have waved the white flag for 2006 already.
Saturday, June 3, 2006
nail-biting & other hazards of being a Red Sox fan
i'll be the first to say that pitchers' duels scare me. especially when you are on the bottom end of a 1-run deficit & neither pitcher is giving an inch in the margin of error. you're thrilled for your pitcher but man, you wish that other guy would make a mistake already & hang one out over the plate!
the whole time you are watching your team, notorious for stranding runners in the double digits, and they don't even break 10 in total base runners for the game! and they're trapped in this ballpark that eats homeruns for breakfast...as you watch a huge 425-ft towering ball slammed by Big Papi that would be in the next state if he hit it at any other park become nothing more than a routine fly out to center. your hopes fade...and those damn Yankees are trying to ignite an ulcer in your stomach as the scoreboard shows them coming back from losing to tie it up, go ahead, fall behind, tie it up, go ahead...
as a Sox fan, you are dreading seeing Boston fall to 2nd place in the division, but you see it coming none the less. you see it coming across the field from the bullpen, wearing a jersey that says Riske. and you see it coming when Rudy Seanez is warming up. you see it coming when your Major League leading defense commits an uncharacteristic error that should have ended an inning late in the game.
and then...with two outs in the top of the 9th...one man on...the last chances slipping away like the final grains of sand in an hourglass...you see this:
and by some small miracle, the ball goes yard & the 1-run deficit swings the other way.
or as Surviving Grady puts it: Papi launching a drive that should've hit Mercury but barely scraped the walls of the valley that is Comerica....Youk comes up and says, suck it!, belting a two-run shot. Wham, bam. 35,000 asses meet seats. And we're jumping off the walls in Boston. "35,000 asses meet seats." LOL! i *love* that.
then how do you hold onto that lead when the team holding the best record in the majors steps up for its last at bat? well you call in the one pitching replacement from the Boston bullpen that allows every Red Sox fan's body to sag, limp with relief:
JONATHAN PAPELBON
"Awesome win, that's an awesome win," said Schilling. "I've been saying it for a while now -- our bullpen is a shutdown bullpen. We came in and shut down a good lineup. Pap did what Pap does. Youk, that was awesome." (Redsox.com)
i admit to agreeing that Papelbon is a shutdown closer. 20-for-20 in saves. it's really almost time that we come up with a "scary" nickname for him--he's earned it. but Curt? are you smoking something in the corner of the dugout between innings?! the only thing shutdown about the majority of your bullpen is the fact that THEY shutdown when you need them to come through & instead start giving up runs to lose games. they are many things, that Boston relief squad, but a "shutdown bullpen" is not high on the list of things that come to MY mind!
but in the end, it's all ok. the Sox are still 1/2 game up in the AL East. (and again from Surviving Grady, words too great to not quote): Lowell and Youk...made it happen. And they're continuing to provide the fuel that spurs the engine of awesomeness that this team has become.
Lowell. King of Doubles. the man who plays with more heart & soul than i have seen in ages. the man who puts health & comfort on the line, plays limping with a tweaked hamstring because him team needs him.
He was noticeably limping, but said he felt an obligation to play. "I love him," Schilling said. "You see what kind of person he is. It's very satisfying to have a guy like him on the team. He knows we're a better team with him on the field at whatever percent he is, than we would without him. That says a lot about him." (Boston Globe)
i just hope he is ok to play out there again tonight to assist Wakey in the field & at the plate. but then i'm worried that they won't be able to rest him & have him healthy when we'll be needing him in NY the first part of next week. maybe we can pick up enough of a lead the next two games that we can safely sit him half way through for some rest. (yeah, i know. i'm laughing too. more like maybe we will be so far behind that a win is like a fairy take & we can sit him because even his heorics won't save us at that point.) i just fear the day i see them list his name on the DL...(sorry Daniel.)
back to the nail-biting. which indicates that there will indeed be pacing tonight.
c'mon lucky number 49...
Friday, June 2, 2006
"in a world that what we want is only what we want until it's ours "
(from "Calling All Angels", Train)
here's to knowing what you want & wanting it still, even when you have it...
=)
sharing du jour: June 2, 2006
song of the day: "You Were Always on My Mind", Willie Nelson
quote of the day: "For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul." (Judy Garland)
Thursday, June 1, 2006
Thursday Thirteen: June 1, 2006
been eye-ing this particular meme for a couple of months now. decided now was as good a time as any to jump in...
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1. having a playground of photographic opportunities with which to experiment with my camera 2. Soarin' 3. the Patisserie in France...and strawberry mousse...mmmmmmm 4. riding the Kilimanjaro Safari, trying to spot the new baby animals. there's still a giraffe i have yet to spot! (ha...spot...) 5. first stop at Magic Kingdom. every time. The People Mover. (shut up. it *is* The People Mover.) 6. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin--which i will someday win again! 7. all the German salads at Biergarten that taste *just* like Gram used to make... 8. Fantasmic! 9. seeing each park's icon burst into view as i step inside The Magical World of Disney 10. the thrill of discovering a new detail that went unnoticed the first 400 times i have been in a WDW theme park 11. coming up with a mind trick to remember which row & section i'm parked in THIS time, before the tram reaches the unloading dock 12. Mickey's PhilharMagic 13. Dole Whips... Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!) |
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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Wednesday, May 31, 2006
sharing du jour: May 31, 2006
song of the day: "If You Could Only See", Tonic
quote of the day: "That thing, that moment, when you kiss someone and everything around becomes hazy and the only thing in focus is you and this person and you realize that that person is the only person that you're supposed to kiss for the rest of your life, and for one moment you get this amazing gift and you want to laugh and you want to cry because you feel so lucky that you found it and so scared that that it will go away all at the same time." (Drew Barrymore)
blog prompt just for Nichole
Nichole did a prompt on her blog today. i initially left my answers in her comment section & then after the fact thought it would be something interesting to put into my own blog as well--tomorrow being the start of hurricane season & what have you...
If I had 15 minutes to evacuate my home before it was to be destroyed by a hurricane, what 10 things would I grab (not including people and pets)?
here's what i would grab:
1. my camera case (which contains my camera, the cable, extra batteries, extra memory card, sunscreen, lip balm, advil, bandaids, and my WDW pass--remember this baby goes to WDW with me LOL so it is *stocked*!
2. my CD case (which contains all my backed up files, including those of my photos, and my very favorite CDs)
3. my purse (which has my wallet, sunglasses, keys, some makeup, more advil & bandaids, feminine supplies, a book, gum, cell phone, charger, lotion and Lord knows what else! LOL)
4. my lunch bag (which contains a stash of snacks that are non-perishable, still more advil, toothbrush, listerine, floss, handi-wipes, purell, a travel-sized deodorant, and some mints)
5. my computer--and i am electing that the whole system counts for this (CPU, monitor, speakers, keyboard & mouse)
6. my box of photos (these are old family photos that could in no way be replaced)
7. my LL Bean backpack (which contains 2 spare changes of clothes, a container of baby wipes, my grandmother's Bible, my dad's hymnal that he received at his confirmation, my Catechism that I received at *my* confirmation, and a few other items of sentimental value) **ETA: bomus!! remembered that all my important documents & paperwork are also still in there from when i moved!
8. a case of water
9. flashlight
10. gas can
and yes, i could have all that ready in 15 minutes. i have all of it within easy reach & always packed all the time anyway though not for any precautionary measures. in fact lunchbag & purse are usually in my car already--or right by the door, at the ready. then it would just take a quick trip to my closet (LL bean bag & box of photos), take the whole batch out the garage at once to put in the car, toss in the flashlight, gas can & case of water while i am out there. one last trip in to get the CD case, the camera case & the computer from the office. in fact it would take me about 5 minutes to grab everything but the computer which would leave me 10 to untangle all the cords! =P
denial
see that sidebar over there to the left? under the heading "right now"? where it has some countdowns?
i am completely ignoring line item #1 as it winds down the dwindling hours & minutes that remain in my (virtually) worry-free weather world...
doing some good
i was going to spare myself the criticism i will likely receive by voicing *my* opinions on the rapidly growing diagnoses of autism in the United States. i really didn't want to open up such a hot button issue...bear with me though. i think i need to get it out of the way & i am going somewhere very worthwhile with this.
don't get me wrong. i absolutely believe that it exists and that it is devastating & frustrating to many families. i hope that they find a cause for it. and a cure. i mean no disrespect to the children & families who suffer at its merciless grasp. i am just a bit disgruntled by how its increase has exploded into existence--are we over-diagnosing in some instances perhaps? and it deeply concerns me that children who need therapies & interventions & specialists may not be getting everything they need as a result of some possible "reaching for a diagnosis"...
try to understand that my reservations are not harboring malicious intent. i have worked closely with children--i just don't accept all the "labels" that *some* people so desperately long to slap onto a child who is just being a child, developing at his or her own unique pace, with his or her own unique personality...and who maybe just needs a little more guidance & direction in an area of development. that's all i'm saying. i do not mean to sound insensitive to autism. i'm not at all, i promise. it just seems, at times, that this is the trendy diagnosis of the 2000s--much like ADD in the 90s. out of nowhere, every family suddenly has a child showing red-flag characteristics. i grew up with kids who could have been given these same diagnoses, but they weren't acknowledged back then as they are now...and i worked with children seven or eight years ago who would have been considered autistic on some level if then was now. and you know what? the vast majority of them show no traces or viable reasons for concern as they have matured & no formal interventions were given--they simply adjusted & "caught up" (for lack of better words coming into my mind right now).
my skepticism is based wholly on those who are quick to jump on the bandwagon of the latest "pop-diagnosis" & who take advantage of an already overwhelmed system that is designed to help, but can't, as its resources are taxed beyond their own abilities. it is when the "bad apples" are essentially taking away services that other chidren actually *need* but will now be denied to some degree, if not entirely, that i get all bound up in a tight knot. i concede that we certainly know more now than we did two decades ago, but i still can't help feeling that there are some who really stretch the limits, reaching for some way to label *their* child. this overshadows many of you who DO have to face this sort of challenge everyday. it belittles the diligent work you must do to improve your child's quality of life & capacity to succeed. it is for YOU that i am offended by a society who, by & large, wants a mere diagnosis & not an actual solution.
bottom line is i realize that this is just my opinion. and only my opinion. and my intent is not to cause a heated debate.
i really want to focus on something positive & beautiful that i saw.
something i was shown on ESPN of all places. it brought tears to my eyes in fact.
there is a program that was started by a family whose son is autistic. they found that the ocean was very therapeutic for him...and that surfing (his father is a former competitive surfer) brought something out in their son. it opened him up. it allowed him to connect & experience a freedom he was never otherwise capable of expressing. and when they saw what it brought to their son, they wanted to share it with other children & families. so they opened up a free surf camp for autistic children.
(the image is a link.)
when i saw the terror with which these children initially fought the experience tempered by the immediate, almost magical, transformation when they got out onto the water with their own professional on a surfboard...the ocean spray in their faces & the wind in their hair...the joy that shone in their facial expressions as they rode a wave back to shore. the sense of accomplishment. the "i did it!"s that they shouted. the hugs for their moms & dads. the "thank you"s...and the "i love you"s...
what a difference...if even for a few fleeting moments.
this is the sort of thing that makes me believe in the good of human nature again. and i applaud them for what they are giving to other families whose personal pain they are all too familiar with. and i revel in the happiness on the faces of these children.
another commercial vent
i don't know which fast food chain this one advertises for. i'm too deeply disturbed by what i have witnessed to retain that information. (which defeats the point in the commercial, i am thinking?) but it's for a chicken sandwich. and this guy that can't stop eating them. so someone tells him if he keeps eating them, he's going to turn into a chicken. and then...he does...he morphs into a big freaking CHICKEN.
that is just creepy. and the stuff of which nightmares are born.
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