premiering Saturday at a select New York theatre
image from Boston Dirt Dogs
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Thursday, June 7, 2007
you know what's even better than snapping a losing streak?
photo from Yahoo Sports
watching your ace pitch a complete-game, shut out, one-hitter. exactly 100 pitches. four Ks. no walks.
up until the hit the Athletics got with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to spoil his perfect game, the only base runner was a result of a Lugo fielding error.
Julio Freaking Lugo.
what an awesome game though! 1-0 Sox!
thanks Big Man! your team, as well as RSN, needed that win -- for mental reasons more than anything else. i would dance around my apartment if i didn't feel like my head & chest were going to explode.
going to find some happy here, even if it kills me.
following suit from the previous two nights, i saw the first two innings & don't really remember much after that, with the exception of brief moments of lucidity, as i hacked myself awake & heard Don Orsillo saying, yet again, "...ground into a double play, and the top half of the inning is over."
oh. wait. i was trying for the happy. forgot for a second.
so, prior to the game (which in case you haven't figured it out yet, was the NESN broadcast that was aired on MLBtv), i was treated to something laugh-out-loud funny. they showed the Sox dugout. Pedroia was up on the steps, talking to Papi (who was still slightly taller than the wee second baseman). i don't know who said what, but all of a sudden Ortiz bursts out laughing -- and spits an entire mouthful of whatever he was drinking all over Pedroia. watching Big Papi help Dustin mop himself off was priceless.
i love NESN.
i'm a spoiled rotten brat
it's the Sox fault. they are the ones that came out all gangbusters, kicking ass & taking names. winning two games for every one that they lost. never losing more than two in a row. swinging the bat. being all lights-out in the bullpen. starting pitchers shutting down the opponents.
and now? four straight losses. what the hell...?
ok. so the first one, they were tired, yet still put up enough fight to get themselves into the eleventh inning before they lost it. they showed what they are capable of by even hanging on that long, when you really stop to think about it. and Tuesday's game was by no means a blowout, losing 2-0. they were always in it. it wasn't about a bad outing from a pitching perspective, but more a frustrated offense. but this one? opportunity after opportunity squandered. seems every time i woke myself up coughing, they had men on base & hit into a stupid double play.
knock it off, boys. it's too early to be tired. is this the same team from two weeks ago? i can't believe i even need to inform you of this, but it's time to win a freaking game already. how about this afternoon? i already feel like death warmed over. a little something to brighten my day would be lovely.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Dawn on mute
there would be a post here, but you wouldn't be able to hear me anyway. =P
Dawn voice all go bye-bye.
the sky is not falling. yet.
to say that i am suddenly grateful not to be watching the Sox would be an accurate statement. i am not so much enjoying the mini-skid my boys are on, and it's plenty painful enough to wake up to the final score in the morning, without having to suffer through watching the losses actually unfold. that being said, i feel no right to whine or complain about the current three-game losing streak they are suffering. or the fact that they are playing at a .500 level in their last ten games. this was bound to happen at some point. even so they still (for the moment anyway) have the best record in baseball, as well as a comfortable, if no longer a double-digit division lead. and there are fans there right now who would gladly trade season records with Boston, even with their most recent hiccup, i am certain of it.
i will admit though... this latest turn of events has me a little... shall we say, wary. i *am* a Sox fan after all. that's a lesson i learned a long time ago. the season is long & the Sox can fall from the sky at any time. a win tonight would be good for Wakey, as well as my frame of mind, not to mention at least eliminate the possibility of a sweep, and hopefully turn things back in the direction we were heading in May.
a win from all colors of Sox tonight would be *perfect*.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
don't make me do it
dear Andie. watch yourself, chica. i'm armed & i know how to use them. >=]
Ten on Tuesday: June 5, 2007
10 Occupations You Wanted to be When You Were Young
1. teacher
2. stay-at-home mommy
3. horse trainer
4. rancher
5. author
6. ice skater
7. obstetrician
8. interior decorator
9. wedding planner
10. daycare owner
scapegoat
no matter what goes wrong today, it's officially Derek Jeter's fault.
tired? hungry, but no time to eat? get a paper cut? spill your coffee? Derek did it. or caused it. or is responsible.
so last night's loss in Oakland? i blame Captain Intangibles.
Dan said i could.
freakin' A's
dozed off on the couch last night during the third inning. Oakland had just taken the lead, 2-1, but i had seen the first Papi homer in almost a month. when i woke up the eighth inning was just winding down & the A's were up 4-2. as i puttered around, shutting down the apartment for the night & brushing my teeth before going back to sleep, in my bed this time, i saw the Sox scrap their way back into typing up the game at four. i smiled, but shut off MLBtv & curled up with my pillows, wondering what i would find when i woke up this morning.
yeah. glad i didn't stay awake to see the end of this one. Oakland won it in the eleventh inning, 5-4. safe to say i will *not* be watching this archived game on MLBtv this evening.
at least the White Sox managed to hold on & subdue the Yankees. Red Sox still have a ten game lead in the division, and the best record in MLB, even if they just lost back-to-back games for the first time since April.
let's hope that:
1. yesterday was a result of four usual starters getting a rest (Tek, Lowell, Coco, and Lugo eta: though i don't find Lugo's benching to be a so much a loss), combined with Sunday night's four hour game the night before causing the boys to arrive at their California hotel around 5am Monday morning.
2. Matsuzaka has a nice snappy outing this evening. something along the lines of, oh say, a shut out? =P
3. the White Sox can continue their beating on the Evil Empire.
4. and that this mini slump the Sox seem to be experiencing is short-lived, and not a new trend for the month of June.
Monday, June 4, 2007
some losses hurt more than others
photos from The Boston Globe
i'm late, i know. i won't be watching much Sox this week so i didn't feel a rush to get this done before tonight's game. Sox are in Oakland for the next four days. except for Thursday, they don't play til 10pm. i wouldn't be able to watch more than an hour & it bugs me too much to watch just part of a game when i know i can't finish it. Thursday is a day game, so i can watch. then they go to Arizona for the weekend. i won't be home on Saturday & Sunday -- i'll be in Connecticut for Baby Girl's third birthday. but i won't be watching Friday's game either. i need to be in bed by ten so i can get up at four to make my flight, so the 9:40 start is too late for me. and *then* they are off on Monday. so... basically, if anyone needs me, i will be laying in a corner, twitching from going into Sox withdrawals. anyway...
1. i do believe his actual full name might just be Julio Freaking Lugo.
2. Lugo pulled off a steal in the third inning, but i think it worried Tito. it was a lucky play & i saw him release a slow breath of what looked like the same relief i felt.
3. what is this?! the Julio Lugo hour? jeez. (imagine this in a very begrudging voice): Lugo made a smart defensive play in the fifth to throw out the runner at third. he only had a shot to make one out & he did go for the lead runner instead of making a futile effort at a double play.
4. Pedroia's wee hit streak is at thirteen now. his bases-clearing double brought the Sox back to within a run of tying things up. what was *really* funny about that hit was that WMP was on 2B & Coco was on 1B. when you combine WMP's lumbering with Coco's hustle what you get is Coco almost crossing home plate before Wily Mo.
5. i can't stop laughing when Fenway Park rings with the chants of "Where is Roger?"
6. Sign. Mike. Lowell. Now. (and Kevin Youkilis too.)
7. lost a heartbreaker. 6-5. so many wasted opportunities... and our bullpen suffered a rare but fatal implosion.
8. Julian gets the ball tonight against one of the best pitchers in MLB this year. based on his past performances, we may actually have a shot at winning this. provided we aren't too screwed up by flying across the country after a late game last night. at least the time change worked in our favor.
9. speaking of Sox & Yankees. go Dan's Sox!! give 'em the hell we didn't!
10. i suspect the only person this hurts more than me is Youk.
and thus concludes my Sox commentary until after next Tuesday's game (with maybe a brief fix on Thursday's series closer against the thugs from Oakland).
fish are friends, not food
You Would Be a Pet Fish |
 Relaxed and laid back, you prefer to sit back and observe what's going on around you. You are secretly very wise and intelligent, but few people take the time to learn about you. You don't mind if the world doesn't understand you. You're having enough fun trying to understand the world. Why you would make a great pet: You're peaceful and nice to be around, but not very demanding Why you would make a bad pet: Let's face it... the only person you're truly interesting to is yourself What you would love about being a fish: Swimming around aimlessly without a care in the world What you would hate about being a fish: Being used as bait or food for bigger fish |
Read more...
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Unconscious Mutterings: June 3, 2007
Week 226
I say ... and you think ... ?
Savage :: beast
Warrior :: gladiator
Daisy :: and Donald
Schedule :: sports
Rock, paper, scissors :: best of three wins
Medical :: attention
Jade :: China
Elevator :: Otis
Drain :: sink
Goldfish :: crackers
Boston Red Sox meets New England Patriots at Fenway in the form of one Mike Lowell
photo from The Boston Globe
1. Youk's hit streak met its demise. that's not to say that Youk didn't get on base. he drew three walks. i would be lying if i said wasn't a little sad to see it end, but to his credit, instead of taking swings, in an effort to extend it, Youk stayed true to his typically disciplined self, and didn't hack at pitches. he wasn't hitting if they weren't giving him something to hit. and so he lived up to his nickname as the Greek God of Walks.
“Streaks are streaks. At-bats are at-bats. For me it doesn’t matter. We won a game tonight, a big game. For us it’s winning ball games,” Youkilis said. “It’s not about hitting streaks and trying to break records and all that stuff. It’s about going up there and playing the game the right way, and getting on base for your team.” (Nashua Telegraph)
Pedroia is on his own little hit streak right now though. twelfth consecutive game for him yesterday!
2. ohhhh Buck & McCarver. they just have a way of making even the best games painful to watch. i've been saving this little tidbit from Surviving Grady since February for just such an occasion: LOST returns tonight. I got on the train late -- got the first two seasons on DVD and watched 'em over the past couple months -- but I'm good to go. In the meantime, the above clip is a "Red Sox invading popular culture" moment for the ages. Notice how Jack seems excited to hear Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. That's how we know it's make-believe.
3. Manny was here for the game. but he brought snacks. as was evidenced by the sunflower seeds hanging out of his back pocket while he was at the plate. maybe he thought if he hit one out, he could stand & watch it go while enjoying refreshments?
4. funniest part of the game coverage was the in-game interview they did with Francona: "I think your big DH is mocking you behind your back right now." to which Tito replied: "I'll knock him on his ass."
5. with Greasy McSquarehead out for quite a while, if not the remainder of the season, Benedict Damon will be enjoying the DH slot since his legs can't seem to handle the requirements of playing center field anymore. i am not laughing, but i find it entertaining that his wheels are coming off right before our eyes. just another million dollar player with body parts falling off right before Steindevil's eyes.
6. i'm going to guess Mike Lowell has bounced back all right from his encounter with beanball on Friday night, you know, considering he went 3-for-4 with a double & a home run, four RBI, two runs scored, and a walk.
7. how often do you see a player need to call time & step out of the batter's box because he is being swarmed by gnats?!
8. half hour mid-game rain delay may have resulted in Schill & Moose not going as deep as they might have, after all that sitting around, but it did give me a chance to see Mark Loretta at bat when FOX switched to the other Saturday game while we waited for the showers to pass in Boston. Pedroia Pocket has grown on me, but i do miss Mark Loretta.
9. and just as predicted, Roger Clemens will wait til interleague play to make his 2007 debut. like Bob Ryan said on PTI the other day, it is absurd that his team is struggling monumentally right now, and he is stalling & making excuses about why he can't come back yet. apparently the Rocket has *informed* the Yankees that he won't be starting against the White Sox either now, but may be back to face the Pirates. he is blaming it on a fatigued groin. that just begs an Andy Pettitte reference but i will refrain, lest i make myself picture something i would rather avoid.
10. i have to admit, it really surprised me that Mike Lowell made a physical effort to attempt preventing Robinson Cano from turning a double play in the bottom of the fourth. the play was deemed clean but i am not used to seeing baseball be so physical in nature, much less from someone usually so quiet & unassuming. post game, when asked about it, Lowell said that was how the Yankees taught him to play a situation like that when he was coming up through their farm system. interestingly, Yankees fans don't seem annoyed by the play, but were impressed & now seem to be eying him hungrily as his free agency approaches, especially with all the talk of A-Rod possibly making an exit from New York after this season. ummmmmm... Theo? if you don't sign him & he ends up play for *them*... i cannot be held responsible. get paper & a pen & get him signed, STAT.
11. speaking of Mike Lowell & hitting Yankees, i really hope Doug Mientkiewicz is ok after being laid out cold when a collision with Lowell's thigh/hip sent him sprawling, his neck snapping like those images you see of crash test dummies when they make impact. lest anyone think Mike Lowell has no soul after knocking into Cano earlier in the game, he hesitated, looking at Mientkiewicz laying face down in the dirt, before being waved to take second base on the errant throw by Jeter. as soon as time was called for injury, he immediately headed back toward first, exhibiting obvious concern for the Yankee first baseman. i may not want the Pinstripers to win, but i certainly don't want to see anyone get hurt, no matter who signs their paychecks.
12. Sox rebounded from Friday's embarrassing loss to win 11-6 on Saturday. i know we keep hearing comments about how heads may start to roll in the Bronx, but i don't want to see Joe Torre get axed. before you think i am getting soft in my old age, i hope they keep him & let him keep burning out his bullpen all the way through September. the last thing anyone needs is for someone to come in (or get promoted) & start managing that team. nope. leave it all alone & let the downward spiral suck them right down the drain. that would suit me just fine.
13. Joshy goes for number nine tonight, hoping to stay undefeated. Sox look to win another series, and increase their lead over the Yankees in the division. let's hope they get this one played at all. it's looking like it could be a bit damp in Boston this evening.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
the house of pain on Yawkey Way
photos from Yahoo Sports
1. poor Wakey. that knuckleball was all Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde on him all night. a nine-pitch 123 first. some kind of insane door to hell opened in the second. back to sailing along in the third. and then the fourth inning happened like something out of a horror flick. truthfully, Tito should have pulled Wake out of his misery long before he did. no amount of run support was going to save Wakey last night.
2. what the heck is the deal with Boston leaving the bases loaded so often?! jeez almighty. the idea is *not* to just get on base, but to do something with it when you do. five runs on *thirteen* hits. not to mention the two batters walked & the two hit by pitches. that's seventeen guys on base & only five could make it home? like the old saying goes, boys: waste not, want not.
3. scary moment when Mike Lowell took a pitch on his left hand. he ended up leaving the game, but xrays were negative. he's going to have one heck of a bruise there though, i bet. that's the same hand he broke in 2003. the idea of him being out of the line up for any amount of time... ::shudder::
4. Youk consecutive game hit streak: 23
5. and here we go. JD Drew out with a strained right hammy. no DL for him. yet. but i suppose it's just a matter of time now.
6. Pedroia Pocket went 3-for-4 last night. he's on quite a tear these days.
7. so we juggled the starting rotation around, bumping Julian to Monday's game in Oakland. i do have to wonder. Wake has really not had it when we play the Yankees this year. Tavarez, on the other hand, is 2-o against Satan's Minions. why then did we opt to subject Wake to torture tonight? why didn't we pitch Julian instead? you know, if we were jumbling up the rotation & all.
8. there were no fewer than *five* batters hit by pitches last night. (hmmm... maybe it's a *good* thing Julian won't be taking his spot after Wakefield at any point in this series now...) Wang hit Lowell. Wakefield hit Phelps. Snyder hit A-Rod. and then Lopez accidentally hit Cano. i say accidentally, because when you're down by six runs in the top of the ninth & you've worked an 0-2 count, the last thing you want to do is give the Yankees a free base. bottom of the ninth, what does Scott Proctor do? he plunks Youk. caught Youk on the shoulder, but if he hadn't pulled back out of the way. that ball would have clipped him right on the head. understandably, Youk was furious.
Posada held him back from charging Proctor on the mound, but that was looking suspiciously intentional & Proctor got tossed. i know i've pleaded in the past not to hit Youk with anymore pitches, but taking aim at someone's head just is not cool.
oh yeah. Torre probably would have been ejected as well, but he had already been sent to his room earlier in the game when he got confrontational with the 3B umpire.
9. after Lowell was pulled from the game, Youk slid over to cover third. that was where he committed his first error for 2007. he remains errorless on his "home turf" over at 1B. he really does not get enough credit for the role he plays on this team, on both sides of the ball.
10. stupid Yankees whooped up on us but good. 9-5.
11. Schill & Mussina already faced off today but those thoughts will have to wait til tomorrow. because that's just the way we roll around here. i need to look for photos & all and those don't get posted til the day after the game. so there you have it.
Friday's Feast: June 2, 2007
Feast One Hundred & Forty Six
Appetizer
Name something you think is “the best.”
the last part of Test Track is the best!
Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 highest), how stressed are you today?
today? about a 2. if you had asked me yesterday, it would have been 9. easily.
Salad
What kind of cleanser do you use to wash your face?
Cleansing Effects Gentle Foaming Cleanser every day, and Purifying Effects Deep-Cleaning Enzyme Scrub every three days or so. both by Skin Effects.
Main Course
Tonight is a blue moon! What is something that you believe only happens “once in a blue moon.”
falling in love with exactly the right person
Dessert
When was the last time it rained where you live?
today. most of the morning in fact. it started yesterday as Tropical Storm Barry approached. before that, i couldn't even remember the last time it rained. it has been *very* dry in Florida.
Friday 5: June 2, 2007
Sweet Somethings
1. What’s your favorite goody at your favorite bakery?
a raspberry white chocolate chunk cookie. it's this huge chocolate chip cookie, only the chips are dark chocolate, there are chunks of white chocolate too, and a ribbon of raspberry swirled in.
2. Someone’s visiting from out of town and craves something sweet: Where do you take him or her for an experience he or she can’t get at home?
oh. we are *so* going to Magic Kingdom. and then i'll let them choose. they can either get a Dole Whip at Aloha Isle (the best way is as a swirl of pineapple & vanilla soft serve) or over to the General Store in Frontierland to get a peanut butter sandwich. not what you're thinking. it's a graham cracker inside with a layer of peanut butter and a layer of soft chocolaty goodness, and the whole thing is dipped in milk chocolate.
3. What’s your favorite order at your favorite ice creamery?
that is always open to what inspires me when i am there. sometimes it's something based on coffee ice cream. other times, mint chocolate chip. other times vanilla. or maybe chocolate ice cream with some raspberry topping. it's all about how i feel at that exact moment & what is calling my name.
4. Oh no! You forgot to save room for dessert! What dessert item on the menu will you order anyway, because you can’t resist?
usually some form of cheesecake.
5.You’ve got a craving for sweets, but it’s so late at night that only the corner convenience store is open. What do you get?
the Hostess chocolate cupcakes with the cream filling. or a package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
guilty pleasure
Dan is sneaky & tricked his readers into admitting a guilty pleasure on their blog when they stumbled about his own admission of watching Party of Five.
i was trying to decide which one to list. final decision:
i really enjoy watching Jon & Kate plus 8 when it's on TLC. i don't usually get into reality tv, but this couple & their eight kids totally sucked me in. they aren't all sugar & sunshine. nope. they bicker. their kids bite one another. and have tantrums. and there can be utter chaos. but they are so real. and this whole family is so adorable, even in spite of the fact that they don't "pretend for the camera" -- or maybe it's because of it. anyway. this isn't a regular show, but i watch it every time they air a new episode.
and there you have it.
and as Dan says:
By reading this post, you have agreed to post at least 1 guilty pleasure on your own blog.
sing along: June 2, 2007
The two of us together felt nothin’ but right
Feeling near immortal every Friday night
("Mendocino County Line," Willie Nelson & Lee Ann Womack)
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