Tuesday, May 09, 2006
In Lieu Of Applause, Just Throw Money
I saw Damon on the news yesterday, at a press conference, just saying the usual bullshit: It's gonna be a good series, I've never faced Beckett, etc. But he ended by saying, with a smirk, "we'll have the fans on our side." Not so fast, Johnny. Have you forgotten that a yankee Stadium crowd when the Sox are in town is about 40% Sox fans? And you can move that up considerably when half of Dunbar Domicile's denizens have headed for the bridge. Think about it: All the Sox fans will boo him every time. Dunbar fans will try to drown it out the first few times. But even if there are enough of them left to do it late in the game, they just won't be as excited about cheering a guy who's been up three times already as we will be to boo his ass yet again.
But, hey, I'm sure in Johnny's mind it will all be cheers. I still can't believe he had the nerve to tip his hat to the Fenway crowd before hearing the crowd's reaction, as if to pre-empt booing. That was spineless and manipulative. It's like when George just "showed up" after quitting his job.
Also, funny how the Sox took the Accela Express to the city yesterday. Let's hope that the Sox "win" the "series"!...Oh, whoops, I forgot to insert a train pun.
Check out this "who to cheer and who to boo"-type guide over at Red Sox Diary. Pretty funny, and pretty much in tune with my feelings. Except: Grady Little. I'm in the minority, but I really think the guy did what he could, and almost got us to a World Series. I never loved him, but I also never blamed him for the Pedro thing. I felt like it was a "damned if ya do/don't" situation there. It's like when George had the "lemon tree"/"tippy-toe" codeword prepared for when he was trying to steal the answering machine tape. At the last second, he got all nervous and just scrapped the plan. That was me with the bullpen in '03. Even though we had finally figured out the bullpen thing by the ALCS, and they were doing well, and we knew about the Pedro "100 pitches" rule, I totally would have scrapped the plan and said, Pedro, finish these fuckers off. And that Posada "double" was quite the bloop if you recall. So I just say ignorance for Grady. He got us to Gmae 7, ALCS. Not bad for a Sox manager in the "cursed" era. Also, Carl Everett I liked, a lot. However, I will not cheer him, but only because he came out saying a bunch of crap about homosexuality not being natural or whatever. But I don't boo him. The dinosaur stuff is just silly, doesn't bother me. Lots of people are into Jesus, but I don't let that affect how I feel about them as a player.
But, hey, I'm sure in Johnny's mind it will all be cheers. I still can't believe he had the nerve to tip his hat to the Fenway crowd before hearing the crowd's reaction, as if to pre-empt booing. That was spineless and manipulative. It's like when George just "showed up" after quitting his job.
Also, funny how the Sox took the Accela Express to the city yesterday. Let's hope that the Sox "win" the "series"!...Oh, whoops, I forgot to insert a train pun.
Check out this "who to cheer and who to boo"-type guide over at Red Sox Diary. Pretty funny, and pretty much in tune with my feelings. Except: Grady Little. I'm in the minority, but I really think the guy did what he could, and almost got us to a World Series. I never loved him, but I also never blamed him for the Pedro thing. I felt like it was a "damned if ya do/don't" situation there. It's like when George had the "lemon tree"/"tippy-toe" codeword prepared for when he was trying to steal the answering machine tape. At the last second, he got all nervous and just scrapped the plan. That was me with the bullpen in '03. Even though we had finally figured out the bullpen thing by the ALCS, and they were doing well, and we knew about the Pedro "100 pitches" rule, I totally would have scrapped the plan and said, Pedro, finish these fuckers off. And that Posada "double" was quite the bloop if you recall. So I just say ignorance for Grady. He got us to Gmae 7, ALCS. Not bad for a Sox manager in the "cursed" era. Also, Carl Everett I liked, a lot. However, I will not cheer him, but only because he came out saying a bunch of crap about homosexuality not being natural or whatever. But I don't boo him. The dinosaur stuff is just silly, doesn't bother me. Lots of people are into Jesus, but I don't let that affect how I feel about them as a player.
Comments:
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I gotta disagree on the Grady thing. I had been nursing three bottles of Cooperstown Brewery's Strike-Out Stout the entire game, and paced it so that the last sip of the last bottle occurred right before Pedro's strikeout to end the seventh. Any manager worth his salt would've taken him out of the game at that point.
Thankfully, since 2004 happened, I'm slightly less entirely insane.
Thankfully, since 2004 happened, I'm slightly less entirely insane.
# posted by 
: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 3:28:00 PM
: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 3:28:00 PM
You're not the only one who disagrees with me on that one. At the time for me, I was just thinking of all the times the bullpen blew games for Pedro, and, of course I knew how awesome Williamson and everyone else were doing, but I just got the feeling like, Not here, this one's too important, go with Pedro. Obviously, Grady and I were both wrong (wrong-ish, that is, considering the Posada bloop hit), but we'll never know what the pen would've done. But I wouldn't rule out something like a ball bouncing off a base to score the winning run, or a dog running on the field, negating what would've been a game ending double play, and then a strike out where the ball got away to tie the game, etc. We should've won that year, but the baseball gods were still a year away from letting it happen regardless, I think.
The real tragedy of that game was how it was Pedro vs. Roger and Pedro easily won that battle, but Roger was taken out so early (due to shittiness in the most critical game of the year--remember that, Sox fans who want him back) that he's forgotten when it comes to that game's lore.
The real tragedy of that game was how it was Pedro vs. Roger and Pedro easily won that battle, but Roger was taken out so early (due to shittiness in the most critical game of the year--remember that, Sox fans who want him back) that he's forgotten when it comes to that game's lore.
Loved Crazy Carl. He came over talking about how much he hated the yanks for dissing him. I called him OLS, Our Lord & Savior, because I thought he was the ticket to a World Series title. Signed autographs all the time, and played really well for us for a while there. Was at Fenway for a walkoff HR of his (with Chan, interestingly). Bobby Valentine ruined him with that batter's box thing.
Then, later, he said the thing about gay people. So I don't like him anymore as a dude.
Then, later, he said the thing about gay people. So I don't like him anymore as a dude.
I cannot believe anyone would ever defend the abortion of a manager that Grady Little was. Inarguably one of the worst managers of our lifetimes, on any team.
There is a mountain of evidence why Pedro should have been taken out, and there were no fewer than 5 different times when he could have at least hedged his mistake.
Not to mention that he TOLD HIM HIS NIGHT WAS DONE before the 7th, then got cold feet and sent him back out there.
He deserved his fate. He was never prepared, he was never capable, and he lucked into two winning seasons with a dynamite roster. AWFUL.
There is a mountain of evidence why Pedro should have been taken out, and there were no fewer than 5 different times when he could have at least hedged his mistake.
Not to mention that he TOLD HIM HIS NIGHT WAS DONE before the 7th, then got cold feet and sent him back out there.
He deserved his fate. He was never prepared, he was never capable, and he lucked into two winning seasons with a dynamite roster. AWFUL.
Jer, I'm so glad you didn't take my comment the wrong way. It was a COMPLETE diss towards "one eye," not anything negative towards you. I'm still filled with hate after reading the "plunk" Papi thing. "RJ, drilled in the back by a line drive by David Ortiz. He bounces back quickly to his feet, but he looks hurt. Holy cow! Anything can happen when these two teams meet. Holy cow! Will you look at that." Hey Scooter. Enjoy the game, Phil.
I totally forgot about the batter's box thing... You're right, that ended him as an effective baseball player in Boston. God, remember how dismal the 2000 and 2001 seasons were in August and September? Bleh.
I seem to remember Crazy said something else ridiculous aside from the homophobic stuff, the dinosaur stuff, and the moon-landing stuff... Maybe it was just his explanation of why he didn't believe in dinosaurs that I'm thinking of, though.
I seem to remember Crazy said something else ridiculous aside from the homophobic stuff, the dinosaur stuff, and the moon-landing stuff... Maybe it was just his explanation of why he didn't believe in dinosaurs that I'm thinking of, though.
# posted by : Tuesday, May 09, 2006 4:58:00 PM
: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 4:58:00 PM
I am personally offended by the dinosaur comments Carl Everett made. He's insulting my ancestors, I won't hear that about my family.
To this day, I get pissed when I think about the Grady "keep Pedro in" decision. It was like watching your own car getting cracked up right before your eyes.
Jere - I have to agree with BSM. That the Sox even made it to the ALCS was more a tribute to their players than their managers. I hope Grady is happy coaching the Red Sox J.V. team on the West Coast.
And Carl Everett has always been an idiot(not 'Idiot'). Don't you remember when he played for the Mets and he & his wife were reported to Child Protective Services by the Mets' daycare service?
And Carl Everett has always been an idiot(not 'Idiot'). Don't you remember when he played for the Mets and he & his wife were reported to Child Protective Services by the Mets' daycare service?
Well I don't think managers do much anyway, I never said it wasn't the team that did the work of getting that far. He was just the manager, hence he "got them that far."
I'm sure there are other people that wanted to keep Pedro in at the time, you just won't find too many who will admit it. I was always of the mindset "A tired Pedro is better than a rested [any other dude on the staff]."
Put Grady, or me for that matter, in the Joe Torre role and I think either would have the same four championships, if not more.
And yeah, Carl had his problems. But that thing with his daughters--it was supposedly the wife that was doing bad things to them, not him. But I guess he didn't do anything about it, which makes him equally guilty.
I'm sure there are other people that wanted to keep Pedro in at the time, you just won't find too many who will admit it. I was always of the mindset "A tired Pedro is better than a rested [any other dude on the staff]."
Put Grady, or me for that matter, in the Joe Torre role and I think either would have the same four championships, if not more.
And yeah, Carl had his problems. But that thing with his daughters--it was supposedly the wife that was doing bad things to them, not him. But I guess he didn't do anything about it, which makes him equally guilty.
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