Thursday, September 21, 2006

Pickup

We stay alive for another day. Barring a miracle (of course I'm still holding out hope--I'm Jere), there will be, for the first time since 2001, a pre-determined "final game" at Fenway. What a concept. I've come to grips with that reality, and am looking forward to the final Saturday and Sunday. I'll be at Fenway for both games.

It'll be fun to root for Papi to add to his MVP totals. I'm hoping for 60 homers. He's eight away after tonight, and the new Sox single-season record holder. Great moment with Pesky on the field, too.

Seeing Trot for possibly the last time will surely result in a touching Fenway moment.

Getting to see a field full of rookies will be cool, too, on that last day.

And I'll be happy to give some final ovations of '06 for dudes like Lowell, Gonzalez, Varitek...and Millar, heh heh.

I'm excited for it. The "last day." Weird. Keeps us humble. These guys will be right back there in '07, in the race as usual.

Side notes:

I love what I've seen out of Pedroia. He's like Little Mac meets the Keebler elves. Think about Little Mac: Absolutely a different type of creature that his mammoth opponents. But comes out fighting, giving them exactly what they give him and then some, but from a vessel half the size. He's like that number two hitter in a Little League lineup. Can never hit a home run, but gives his all, takes a huge cut with his oversized bat, and seems to want more than anything to get on base, even though sometimes it just isn't possible. And his parents are usually good people that go to every game and buy you sodas and stuff, especially if you befriend their little guy. Which you really should.

Soriano became a member of the 40/40 club this season. Remember when he was one homer away from it with the Yanks? And he just couldn't do it? Makes it that much better that he did it for another club. Remember, they did give this guy up for A-Rod, so the better he does, the less people can talk about that amazing "business move" of a deal the Yanks made. A-Rod has better numbers overall, but SorryAsshole's a little ahead in average, and way ahead in homers.

Joe Morgan will be inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in November. Congratulations, Joe. I was at the doubleheader against KC in July '88, the first two games of Morgan's regime as manager. Yes, I witnessed the official start of Morgan Magic. 1988 was one of the most enjoyable Red Sox seasons. Maybe Pedroia will make 2007 the year of "Elfin Magic."

Comments:
6, 2 and even again...and what an incredible winning streak for soft-spoken Joe. Just seeing him makes me smile. And I was a little misty eyed when Papi rounded the bases, with that huge grin on his face. Wow.
 
July 15, 1988...I was there too, Jere, sitting right at first base maybe 7-8 rows up; Clemens won the opener, and Billy Buckner played 1b for KC. Actually, I was there for (I think) the first 7 games of Morgan Magic; I had just started work, and my company sent me up to Boston for two weeks of training. I still remember riding the T to Fenway that first day; everyone on the train was buzzing over the fact that Johnny Mac had been canned...man, was that guy disliked.
 
jfAJM: Wow, that's cool we were both there. The seats I'd get back then were from my friend's dad (a Yankee family who got front row seats at Fenway despite living and working 2.5 hours from Boston). They were right in front of the Sox on-deck circle, literally next to Libby Dooley. (When that same friend was in college at BC, he gave her a ride home from a game once, inexplicably).

For some reason, though, when I see the Morgan's Magic doubleheader in my head, I'm sitting behind the plate on the third base side. But my friend for some reason brought up Morgan's Magic in an email last week. When I reminded him we were there for it, he said, "Right, when we got the Rice ball," which is a ball his dad elbowed a baby to catch--and that was in the first base on deck circle seats! (ball bounced off facing of skyboxes and came back to us) So, we must've been in those first base seats. So we were near you. Where were you in relation to the dugout?
 
I'm debating getting a ticket for Saturday. I'll be there Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

I've been going to the last game of the season (last year it had to be SECOND to last game of the season, though) since 2000...I love being there to thank the team for the season. I'm excited for all the same reasons you are Jere!

And, hell, I still hold out hope too. First call I got today was from my mother who exclaimed "they won! We're still in it!" So you see where I get my optimism.
 
You should go Sat, because I'll be up in the Monster seats all day Sunday (hoping some people don't show so I can sit in a seat--a 100 dollar value for 25 bucks!).

Note: the difference this year is that it's THE last game (you know, if we're eliminated), guranteed, no chance of another game, for the first time since 2001.
 
jfJere: It's been 18 years, but I'm pretty sure I was sitting right above the center of the dugout, again maybe 8 rows up. So we were pretty close if you were right above the on-deck circle...of course, we've probably walked by each other on the UES once or twice too.

I was a real young guy back then, just out of school, and having a ball going to the park every night and hanging out afterward in the neighborhood. I remember after the Sox swept the Royals, the Twins came to town; I was sitting right behind the plate next to these old guys who hadn't been to a game since the Braves had left Boston (35 years earlier back then), and Mike Smithson no-hit the Twinkies for like 7 innings. The next night, I sat out in the bleachers with a bunch of folks from the finance class I was taking up there, and Todd Benzinger hit a walk-off in the 10th after the Sox had fallen behind 7-5 in the top of the inning. Good times never felt so good...so good, so good, so good.
 

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