Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Red Sox Avoid Being No-Hit, Home Reporter Devastated
Are you kidding me?
If you're a Red Sox fan, and you went into the ninth inning last night hoping your team would be no-hit, please stop by my house today so I can kick the living Mussina out of you.
One of the writer's main reasons for wanting to see the Sox face the ultimate humiliation (besides the fact that most Boston writers hate the Red Sox) was that "no-hitters are special." Yes, they are. But a Red Sox pitcher has already thrown one this season. And last season, too! Were any of you thinking, Yeah but if the other team's throwing one against us, I'll root for it because you can't see enough no-hitters?
I was at a restaurant watching the last few innings last night with my girlfriend, who's a big fan, and our friend who just recently got into baseball and loves the Sox. So you've got three different people covering much of the spectrum of Red Sox fandom. We didn't need to ask each other which team to fucking root for as the ninth inning approached. The last thing this team needs right now is to be no-hit. When Pedroia got that hit, we cheered, with our friend whooping it up the loudest, to the point where even I almost had to say to her, Jeez, we're still down by six....
We heard this same cap from Bob Ryan (I think it was him) when Moose almost threw a perfect game against us, saying you're not a baseball fan unless you were rooting for THE YANKEES TO THROW A PERFECT GAME AGAINST THE RED SOX. I still sometimes think of how happy I was when Krazy Karl broke that shit up, watching from a small hotel room in Maine, on a TV that was bolted high on the wall--which made the game even harder to watch than it already was since ESPN had introduced the "high camera" that season, a precursor to this season's NESN travesty. See, it all comes back to that damn new camera angle...
Look, if you went to that game last night, and Peter Brady had finished that no-hitter, of course, you can go home thinking, Well, I did get to see something rare. But to root for it to happen? Why not root for the Red Sox to go 0-162? That's pretty goddamn rare. Or how about this? Go back to the 2004 ALCS and say, "But we've almost seen a FULL CENTURY of futility--part of me is rooting for the Yanks to just complete the sweep. When will we ever get another chance to see our team go a hundred years without a championship? And besides, I really would like to see the Yanks get that 27th championship, because it would be part of history. How often do you see a team win their 27th?"
Okay, I gotta go now. I have to go buy a Yankee hat to wear because, come on, how rare is it to see me in a Yankee hat? That would be one special moment. Come to think of it, I've never been hit by a car.....or gone on a shooting spree. Wow, these potential special moments lurk around every corner. Thanks, Steve Buckley! I might even pay my taxes next year!
If you're a Red Sox fan, and you went into the ninth inning last night hoping your team would be no-hit, please stop by my house today so I can kick the living Mussina out of you.
One of the writer's main reasons for wanting to see the Sox face the ultimate humiliation (besides the fact that most Boston writers hate the Red Sox) was that "no-hitters are special." Yes, they are. But a Red Sox pitcher has already thrown one this season. And last season, too! Were any of you thinking, Yeah but if the other team's throwing one against us, I'll root for it because you can't see enough no-hitters?
I was at a restaurant watching the last few innings last night with my girlfriend, who's a big fan, and our friend who just recently got into baseball and loves the Sox. So you've got three different people covering much of the spectrum of Red Sox fandom. We didn't need to ask each other which team to fucking root for as the ninth inning approached. The last thing this team needs right now is to be no-hit. When Pedroia got that hit, we cheered, with our friend whooping it up the loudest, to the point where even I almost had to say to her, Jeez, we're still down by six....
We heard this same cap from Bob Ryan (I think it was him) when Moose almost threw a perfect game against us, saying you're not a baseball fan unless you were rooting for THE YANKEES TO THROW A PERFECT GAME AGAINST THE RED SOX. I still sometimes think of how happy I was when Krazy Karl broke that shit up, watching from a small hotel room in Maine, on a TV that was bolted high on the wall--which made the game even harder to watch than it already was since ESPN had introduced the "high camera" that season, a precursor to this season's NESN travesty. See, it all comes back to that damn new camera angle...
Look, if you went to that game last night, and Peter Brady had finished that no-hitter, of course, you can go home thinking, Well, I did get to see something rare. But to root for it to happen? Why not root for the Red Sox to go 0-162? That's pretty goddamn rare. Or how about this? Go back to the 2004 ALCS and say, "But we've almost seen a FULL CENTURY of futility--part of me is rooting for the Yanks to just complete the sweep. When will we ever get another chance to see our team go a hundred years without a championship? And besides, I really would like to see the Yanks get that 27th championship, because it would be part of history. How often do you see a team win their 27th?"
Okay, I gotta go now. I have to go buy a Yankee hat to wear because, come on, how rare is it to see me in a Yankee hat? That would be one special moment. Come to think of it, I've never been hit by a car.....or gone on a shooting spree. Wow, these potential special moments lurk around every corner. Thanks, Steve Buckley! I might even pay my taxes next year!
Comments:
<< Home
I was I Thom's last night for Trivia with many Sox fans last night. The cheers were loud when Dusty got the hit, and the sense of relief was palpable.
I will forever respect Carl Everett for busting up Mussina's perfecto in 2001. I was literally having a heart attack when he came through.
Anyone who says Sox fans should have been pulling for Lackey needs their heads examined. Or should become a sportswriter.
I will forever respect Carl Everett for busting up Mussina's perfecto in 2001. I was literally having a heart attack when he came through.
Anyone who says Sox fans should have been pulling for Lackey needs their heads examined. Or should become a sportswriter.
I was there. When it came to the ninth and it was obvious the Red Sox had been replaced with a team of guys that either didn't give a shit or had better things to do, I thought "Shit, the guy is kicking their ass...he's earned the no-hitter" and I make NO apologies for that.
Am I glad he didn't get it? I suppose so. It's tough to see that happening, and I was pissed about it for the first 8 innings...but squeaking out the few hits and runs they did last night against Lackey...well THAT is embarrassing. They didn't deserve the two runs, let alone breaking up the guy's no-hitter.
Different team, I'd probably have different feelings. Angels? Don't hate 'em. Had no bad feelings going into the 9th.
Am I glad he didn't get it? I suppose so. It's tough to see that happening, and I was pissed about it for the first 8 innings...but squeaking out the few hits and runs they did last night against Lackey...well THAT is embarrassing. They didn't deserve the two runs, let alone breaking up the guy's no-hitter.
Different team, I'd probably have different feelings. Angels? Don't hate 'em. Had no bad feelings going into the 9th.
As I was writing, I was really hoping someone I like had the opposite opinion for fear that they'd hate me--or think I would really somehow boot Mike Mussina out of their body, which, for some reason, would be there. So, Cyn, you have your opinion and I respect it and I hope you don't hate me! Note that my reasons for not wanting to see a no-hitter had nothing to do with wanting to see others suffer (unless it was a Yankee), only NOT wanting to see my own team suffer. If it was Lackey or almost any other guy pitching in any non-Red Sox game, I'd have been rooting for him.
And like I said, I'd have been happy for the dude (much like I've said in the past that I'd be happy for the Cubs if they beat us in the World Series) after it was over. But rooting for it? Couldn't do it.
Nice to hear the Thom's update, Quinn. I'm actually in NYC right now. I'd go there tomorrow, but there's no game. And then I'll be gone....
And like I said, I'd have been happy for the dude (much like I've said in the past that I'd be happy for the Cubs if they beat us in the World Series) after it was over. But rooting for it? Couldn't do it.
Nice to hear the Thom's update, Quinn. I'm actually in NYC right now. I'd go there tomorrow, but there's no game. And then I'll be gone....
<< Home
Post a Comment
If you're "anonymous," please leave a name, even if it's a fake one, for differentiation purposes.
If you're having trouble commenting, try signing in to whatever account you're using first, then come back here once you're signed in.