Mother Dayer

So we're on the CT shore, celebrating the day of Mom, with my sister and her four wacky children. We watch much of the game, but toward the end we're all, you know, living our lives, and hanging out in the sunshine down on the beach and whatever. At one point, I'm inside for the bottom of the eighth. It ends haplessly, and we're down 5-0 with an inning left. At this point, it's noted that two of the children have gone missing. One of the two is twelve, and was watching the other one, in this very safe area, so this wasn't an emergency, but, I figured I'd take a walk, see if I could find them. Again, note, even my sister, mother of the two who've gone AWOL, is worried at this point, especially since they had announced they were leaving on an adventure, which pretty much rules out abduction by a crazed ice cream man or whatever.

I'm way out on some other beach, when I hear my dad, calling from the house: "Tying run at the plate!" Now he's actually calling to my girlfriend, who's much closer. He can't even see me at this point, I'm that far away. So I start bookin' it to the house. Suddenly missing children is the second most important thing. I fly by my girlfriend, who's actually watching the two non-missng kids, and up into the house. I get there in time to see Varitek get the hit to right field. I'm completely out of breath, the kids are still gone, we're trying to convey what's going on to my girlfriend out the window...it's chaos. And the Red Sox aren't helping.

The Brian Roberts play happens. After he didn't throw to second, I'm only thinking about him going to first, and the game being tied. When he opts to throw home, I've all but forgotten it's even a force, and either way Youk looked safe, but, what're ya gonna do? Still one more chance. I think it's at this point the kids are found, but now my dad has to go pick up the Indian food, and he's pissed. But my girlfriend finally makes it inside, and we all get to watch as Millar throws just a little too far to the right, and then it's more chaos. I jumped so much, the change flew out of my jeans' pockets. (Later collected, labeled "lucky change," and placed in lucky spot under Red Sox ice cream helmet for duration of 2007 season.)

I think it may get lost, in later years, that we were down one, and that two runs scored on that play. It's not like it was already tied, and the pressure was off. Did you see Tito clappin' like a baby in crib on that last play? That was just an awesome ending. I hope some Yankee fans saw that, and got to experience what it's like to see a division rival blow a game to us for a change.

Best record in baseball, and an 8 game lead. Not bad. My next 10-game plan game happens to be...tonight. I'll continue my streak of seeing every Dice-K home start. This is a key start for him. A good performance means he's on a roll, and the nervous-types can calm down about him. A not-so-good one, and it's non-stop BS on the talk-radio circuit for the next four days.

We went to Pawtucket Saturday. Pics to come.

Oh, and I hope that piece of trash Suzyn Waldman is happy with Beckett's injury. A few weeks ago, when trying to make the excuse that the Sox were ahead of the Yanks because of their injuries, she said "Josh Beckett could fall down the dugout steps." (And you could tell she was really hoping for it.)