where did the summer go...?

(photos from the Boston Globe)

by now, i have missed blogging three entire baseball games. and unless you live under a rock, or truly just don't pay attention to sports, you know that the Red Sox won the World Series last night.

first, i want to congratulate the Rox. they are an impressive young team with lots of talent & lots of heart. they play a good game. they never stop trying. their fans are classy & appreciate the game of baseball. there is a real future in Colorado & i truly enjoyed watching them play through the post season. i'm really sorry we had to sweep them, but they took it like men. just... you maybe should have avoided handing out the towels to your fans because i think the Sox saw them & forgot they weren't still playing in an elimination game against the Indians. i look forward to the possibility of meeting the Rox again in The Big Dance. soon.

second, there are some very specific things i will miss until April.
1. Manny throwing his helmet off as he runs like a crazy man around the bases, dreadlocks flying.
2. the way Papi looks genuinely filled with delight & pride for his teammates' successes, almost like a parent regards its child's accomplishments as if they were the only accomplishments in the history of ever. for such a superstar caliber athlete, Papi is always the first at the top of the dugout steps to greet a teammate, a beaming smile all over his face.
3. the Cheerio Mouth, the Josh Beckett rage, the Pedroia scrappiness, and the Ellsbury speed.
4. the C on the Captain's jersey.
5. Remy & Don.

third, a few things that don't have photos to match, but that i want to remember about the World Series:
1. the Boston Pops playing the National Anthem in Game One.
2. Royce Clayton after Matsuzaka's two-RBI single in Game Three: "He Ichiro!" Royce Clayton mic'd up for live sounds of the game is worth the price of admission.
3. the way Tek's voice cracked with emotion during his post game interview.

and the ones with photos:

what may have been Schilling's last start at Fenway Park. not the dominating performance he gave us in post season past, but just as gutsy as one he pitched with a now infamous bloody sock. his opinions are forgiven for the way he honors the game, appreciates the fans, and never ever gives in.


Mike Timlin on fire. not the tired, broken down reliever we feared in 2006. a reliable out we can call upon. and he brings as much passion as Papelbon.


the Papelbon pick off in Game Two. that i thought i dreamt. turns out Jonathan really does rock that much, that his first ever pick off should come in the World Series.


Coco. i feel bad for Coco. i think the last sands are rapidly falling in the hourglass marking his time in Boston. his defense has been excellent. a joy to watch. gravity-defying, body-jarring, awe-inspiring defense in center field. i am a little afraid of his hair though. i think it may expand with the application of champagne...


the opportunity to enjoy post season baseball played in a ballpark that is as unique, if not completely opposite, Fenway Park, yet just as beautiful. and filled with fans who respect the game & support their team in a way that should make them very proud.


Mike Lowell. World Series MVP.


our closer who brings his own special brand of crazy to every game. he manages to switch from dead serious intensity to uncontainable joy in a split second. and i never doubt that he loves every second of what he does.


the ever-drumming Red Sox Bullpen Percussion Band.


Youk-on Cornelius. =) and i am sorry to inform Joe Buck, but Youk's beard is way better than Casey Blake's. or Todd Helton's. ;-)


Bobby Kielty's one-pitch pinch-hitting eighth inning Game Four home run.


Beth calls Papelbon "the Precious" -- and if you doubt the validity of that nickname, just look at how Lestah is admiring Boston's shiny treasure after Game Three.


and my very favorite game action photo. not just because it's Lowell, but i love the dirt flying, how it represents the all-out effort of the whole team, and a moment captured that sums up why this man was honored as our MVP.

like Tito said last night: this never grows old.
and it doesn't.
is it April yet?

ps. i can *not* handle Slappy replacing Lowell. i would curl up in a ball, a part of my Sox-loving soul dying, if Lowell ends up in pinstripes, because if he does, it's not going to be his fault. the Sox need only to not "Torre" him with their offer. because you know that the EE will be all over picking him up & flashing a sparkling contract to lure him away. that makes me want to throw up. what i hope makes the Sox office think twice about ARod is the fact that he needed to be all drama queen & make this announcement in the middle of the World Series, while the Sox were on their way to clinching. he couldn't wait til today at least, but needed the spotlight turned back in his direction, and that's not how we play in Boston. it's time for Theo to loosen up the ol' purse strings & pay Lowell what he's worth. you don't let your World Series MVP, and possibly the Red Sox season MVP, walk away because you're too cheap to make him an offer that doesn't insult him. his value goes far beyond just what he might do in the field and at the plate. he became an immediate foundation for this team when he arrived as a Josh Beckett add-on before the 2006 season. his quiet stability & veteran experience with the young home-grown Sox beginning to emerge in the historical walls of Fenway Park is invaluable.

sign Mike Lowell.