Oh, I forgot to mention yet another new low in Jeter-gregiousness. This time it was the audio version! Friday morning on the way to work, I was switching stations and saw that it was 8:53, so I knew I could put on CBS-880 without hearing anything about the Yankee win the night before. Yet I had this feeling like somehow there would be some general WS story anyway, and I was right. I flip it on and they start this story on how New Yorkers experienced some notable live music the night before. I guess the Knicks game had something at halftime, and of course the Yanks had Jay-Z (who admits right in his song that his stupid fucking Yankee hat is for fashion purposes, and just now I thought to myself, I bet that guy, like any other casual New York sports fan who has multiple teams to choose from so that they can ALWAYS be a "winner," rooted for the Mets when they were on top, and I quickly found an article which supported my theory) and Alicia Keys. So the reporter tells about the Yankee Stadium performance and adds, "...while Derek Jeter and the other players looked on." Hooray! He's even integral in live music performances that take place near him!

Oh, and for anyone who wasn't watching late in Game One, my report that they were actually showing Jeter's face in the field on a split screen DURING pitches wasn't satire (though I think I'd brought that possibility up as a potential sign of the apocalypse).

Okay, almost time for Game 3. I hear the Phillies have the Phlu. You know what to do, Phils: BREATHE ON THEM. Especially Matsui. And Teixeira's face.

Unrelated to anything update: Same deal with all Ticketmaster tickets. They still have the Yankees-related disclaimers on the back, no matter what event the ticket is for. I've gotten Celts tix and concert tix recently, and they still have it. I'm not gonna make another video, so you can check out my old one. I still have no idea why this would possibly be, other than the fact that maybe they printed up billions of these and were stuck with them, and would prefer not trashing all that inventory to having everyone's ticket have a completely meaningless disclaimer on the back. But they didn't get rich by writin' a lot of checks....

While trying to find that video, I noticed this one I shot off the TV, where the woman behind Heidi Watney kisses her friend. I'm still surprised that moment didn't make it to all the wacky college-y web sites. Or maybe it did and I never noticed because I don't go to them.

Ate at this place called Louis' today. Just looking at, you think, Hey, was this place on that Diners, Somethings, and Dives show with that guy? So I asked Kim and she didn't know, but within two minutes noticed a sign right behind me saying the place WAS about to be featured THIS Monday night on that show. Crazy. So if you're a Providence person, check it out. The show and/or the place. (I liked that they had a book about the history of the World Series from '85 at a bookcase next to our table. Kim quizzed me. Woohoo!)

Game 3 tonight. I won't see all of it so I will have to pray to all that is holy that when I get the score, "Phillies" is said first. Pleasepleasepleaseplease....

Did you see Burnett's blatant balk last night? Man on first, AJ's paused in the stretch. While on the rubber, he starts leaning forward very noticeably, and then steps off. A blatant move toward the plate, then he changes his mind and moves the right foot back. That's a balk. I yelled it at the TV, and as I did, I hear a voice say "he can't lean forward like that!" It was Davey Lopes, the first base coach. Joe Buck did notice, but I'm sure Fox had some taco commercial they had to play so we didn't see a replay and they didn't talk about it further.

But here's the mega-bonus. My co-worker knows Davey Lopes. The dude's from East Providence. She'd been planning on calling him anyway, so now I've instructed her to let Davey know that some of us saw the balk and heard him rightly complain!

And speaking of Rhode Island major leaguers...I had no idea Sam Horn lives around here...until I had to politely ask him to move his giant body so I could get some cheese at the grocery store Wednesday night! (I love that he was wearing a Red Sox hat at the time....)

Post title reference: think Mudhoney. And no, I'm not implying Burnett was trying to deceive the runner, but he definitely did and I can't figure out how an ump could miss that. Then again look who we're talking about here...

None of 'em are worse than Yankee fans. At least the overthrown dictator doesn't sit there in hell saying "I'm still in charge! I rule!" But Yankee fans live in a reality all their own.

Fine job, Pedro, with a little run support you would have had a W. I believe it was Craig Carton today who said the one thing he was sure of was that Pedro wouldn't strike out 10, like Lee did. (He struck out 9.) I still don't know why so many people don't realize how great this guy has been and still is. I remember Michael Kay thinking he was done five years ago because he didn't have the same old velocity, saying, "it's not like he's Greg Maddux." Yeah, he's better!

Doesn't AJ Burnett remind you of those vampires in I Am Legend? Especially with that head shaved.

Can we get one Yankee playoff series played without the umps outwardly rooting for the Yanks? If you're gonna give an unfair advantage, at least give it to the team that isn't called the Yankees.

So bad that KGB planted living ads behind the plate and behind first base. In case you didn't notice, they had people with the blue jacket from their stupid commercials, unzipped to reveal a shirt plastered KGB logos. These people acted like fans, but really they were just trying to stand as much to show the logo. They'd cheer as if they were all into the game, but if they really were, they wouldn't have been missing half the pitches because they were texting.

Speaking of that, remember "Tom," who came by here leaving a seemingly legit comment, only it had a blatant ad right in the middle of it? I extended an invitation to the person to come by and leave his thoughts in a not-for-profit way. Well, obviously he never read that, nor has he noticed the "ad-free blog" banner, because he came by again today as if the whole other episode never existed, with another shitty ad comment. (And again Allan of Joy of Sox confirms he got another one today, too.) So totally crappy.

Werth, can you not get picked off by the damn catcher after getting a leadoff hit? The Phils did have a few chances tonight, but they acted slightly more Twins/Angels than like Phillies. At least the go to go home now, and they got one game in NY.

McCarver said some incredibly dumb things tonight. If I think of any of them, or anything else, I'll post it tomorrow.

Nobody told the Angels or Twins that any pop-up to the right side is a home run. I was reeeally helping someone told the Phillies, and it kinda looks like they did. And now we've got Matt Stairs in the lineup. So hopefully him and the other Phils are swinging up again tonight.

One hour and something minutes till Pedro action!

During a really awesome night of baseball, I had a horrible nightmare! I dreamed that they finally went all the way overboard and started showing close-ups of Jeter's face in the field on a split screen DURING pitches. Can you believe that? Good thing we know no network cold ever go that crazy. They'd have to immediately give up their right to show games to another network in that case. Especially if their reasoning was that there was a man on second in a 5-0 game so the audience needs to know what the shortstop's face is doing at all times.

So Cliff Lee, seriously, he was Clavin' tonight. And making quick work. Paceman Lee. That is exactly what we needed. A game in which the Phils use none of their pen and the Yanks lose with their ace at home AND waste a bunch of their crappy pen guys.

Hey, did McCarver say that A-Rod has renewed his love of the game? Double-U Tee Eff?

One down, three to go, and our man Pedro ready to shut 'em down tomorrow. Francesa and his Yankee fan breth- and sistren can't be feeling too comfortable about Burnett in a key game.

And from my friend Jason--check it out, do Yankee fans not know how to pronounce their best pitcher's name? WCBS880 doesn't think so:

I started this blog before the 2004 season, so tonight is the first time in the Internet-presence-me era that the Yanks will be playing in the World Series. Five years of them not even being there. An amazingly terrible job by them, and I certainly am grateful for it, especially considering the era we were coming out of back then.

2003: What a team we had. We fell in love with them (more than usual) and they went a long way. And their heartbreak made 2004 that much sweeter. So we ended up with a Marlins-Yankees matchup. And I really didn't watch much. Hardly any memories of it. For some reason I remember putting it on the radio in my car going from New Haven to Danbury with gritted teeth--and then watching Beckett get Posada to end it. Before that, those bums were in it in 2001, and coming off the 3 out of 4, and seeing them get late-inning win after win, I was about ready to go on a shooting spree. Fortunately, they finally blew it in the end--I heard the end on the radio, and my dad called right after and said "there is a god."

Hopefully they can extend their WS losing streak to 3.

Let's proverbially go Phillies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This article says:

Given that the Yankees have won a whopping 26 World Series championships and 40 American League pennants since 1923,

Okay, just because they've won their 26 World Series from '23 on, doesn't mean ALL their AL pennants came after that. Everybody knows they lost their first two World Series, in 1921 and 1922. Making it either 40 since '21 or '38 since '23. Terrible job, reporter.

So Steve Phillips cheats on his wife--again--and is fired by ESPN. Yet a lot of sports show hosts aren't making fun of Steve for cheating, but for cheating with an "unattractive" person! What kind of message is this? "Hey, kids, it's okay to destroy the lives of your spouse/family/kids/self, as long as you get to score with a 'hot chick'."

It's definitely is consistent with the virtual museum of sexism that is sports radio.

Let's take a look at two of the guys who have made fun of that Phillips' girlfriend's looks (shown here sandwiching the woman who helps run one of these stations and should fire herself):



Yes! Now those are the type of knock-down gorgeous people you should be cheating on your spouse with! THAT would be perfectly acceptable!

Can you believe it...has been five years since the Goose Bumpiest of all nights? We really saw it happen. The Red Sox won the World Series. Below is the video I made that off-season, which will always be my favorite thing of possibly all the things I've ever created in my life:



The song is by Nick Drake, but all the video was taken by me. I had the camera outside on a tripod filming the pink, eclipsing moon as it went across the sky on the night we won. Those shots are between slo-mo shots from the Rolling Rally, which Pat and I attended a few days later. At the beginning and end are shots from when the team brought the trophy to the New Haven Green. Note a very young Youkilis up there, along with Castiglione, Theo, Werner, and Lucchino.

More '04 vids up at Joy of Sox.

After considering the Ghostbusters logo and several Pac-Man themes, we finally settled on Homer Simpson for our '09 jack-o-lantern.

It wouldn't be a Yankee pennant without a shitload of luck, the opponent acting like they literally didn't know there was a game that day, and the boys in blue wearing Yankee hats for good measure. (And their biggest stars being admitted drug cheats, despite that Fox completely ignores it.) I give the Yankees no credit! (And I hope that makes random Yankee fan trolls come here and tell me I lose all credibility. Oh no, what will I do without that pwecious cwedibiwiteeee??)

Okay, so did everyone who assumed the Yanks would blow thorough the playoffs watch this series? And see that the Phillies can easily destroy them? If the sound-asleep Angels can take 'em that far, the Phils can win. The Yanks figuratively have no bullpen, and literally have three starters.

Really great job representing your dead friend, Angels. (eyes rolling)

Hey did they have cops on horses tonight--you never know when those empty blue seats are gonna storm the field.

We are all Philly fans now. Do it, Philly.

Remember how I was complaining about that guy who did the Red Sox prints, because he sold out and started doing Yankee ones, too? Well, the last time I checked UniWatch, I noticed his ad is still up--only now its a special "Yankees only" ad, with his bullshit "classy-fied" Yankee prints of Jeter, the old Stadium, etc. Like I said before, when he allowed his stuff to be sold in Dunkin Donuts, it was bad enough, but I gave him a break because, hey, some people make their living selling their artwork to major corporations, shitty as that is. But when he decided to turn his art into a way to pimp himself out to Yankee fans? That was it for me. It's like those companies that make "Yankees suck" products but also make "Boston Sucks" stuff. If you are like me and feel that the Yankees do indeed suck, and you want to sell that to me on a product, I'll buy it. If you're selling it to me because you know you can make money off me, and you're also selling products with the opposite sentiment on them, well, I know what's most important to you, and you can go screw.

New topic: The new-for-'09 Red Sox logo. We all (most) know that the Red Sox changed their circle logo before last season. The "Boston" at the top used to be blue and in a different font than the "Red Sox" below. They made the "Boston red," and in the same ornate font, as well as tweaking the positioning of the stitches on the baseball behind the socks in the middle. Yet some people never got the memo. I've been tracking it all year, and I've come up with a comprehensive list. Okay, I didn't really, but I tried to keep one in my head, and that didn't quite work. But I know that flooring company still uses the old. And a bunch of other people do too. Do a Google image search on "red sox logo" and you'll mainly see the old one. I just wonder about this because teams switch logos all the time and it seems like people go "okay, I guess we have to use this thing now," yet with ours, lots of people just seemed to ignore the change. Maybe because the changes were somewhat subtle? Did I just type that many words about this?

Angels at Yanks try again to play Game 6 tonight. Gotta get like 5 in the first and go from there, Dead, Winged People.