I had no idea "shows I like" were premiering last night, but fortunately I checked the sked just in time.

The Ricky Gervais Show debuted--it's just cartoons over the audio of his hilarious podcasts. I never did go and listen to all of them when they first came out, so this is a good chance to catch up. It's all about the audio, but some of the things they "brought to life" were pretty funny, too. If you've never heard Ricky's podcasts, they're basically him and Stephen Merchant listening to and rightly criticizing the thoughts and ideas of one Karl Pilkington.

The show ended and The (also animated) Life and Times of Tim came on. This show always looked kinda funny to me, but I never did see an episode. Terrible job by me, because it's good! That's some snappy-ass writing right there. And each voice you hear, you say, Oh yeah, I know this voice! So that's another show I'll keep tuning in for. This was the debut of season three.

And holy crap, Bill Maher is back already. These shows are all on HBO, by the way. It was a pretty good Maher this time--Seth MacFarlane was on again, along with Spitzer and Sykes. Line of the night by MacFarlane, and I'm paraphrasing: Obama won't try Cheney for war crimes because he thinks if he does, no Republicans will ever vote for him--but they're not gonna vote for him anyway, so why not string him up??

And then Funny or Die had its own show, but I didn't stay up for it.

I had this out for the Section 36 scavenger hunt (which I won!), so I thought I'd do a little gallery for "y'all." I got this at the game, on my 9th birthday, September 8th, 1984. Yanks vs. Sox. That's Tony Armas on the cover. No, his father.

If you look closely at Tony's legs you'll see an autograph. We were walking underneath the stands, and my dad spotted injured second baseman Jerry Remy in his street clothes. He was happy to sign for two other Jeres. Remy probably didn't know it that day, but he'd already played his last major league game. But he also didn't know that 25 years later, he'd be as famous as any of his teammates.

On the inside cover there's a Jordan Marsh ad. I looked (very) closely to try and figure out which game it was. And I got it--June 21st, 1980. Top of the fifth, Rod Carew leading off for the Angels, a 1-0 count, and the Angels up 3-2. They'd hold on for a 4-2 victory. (The night before they beat us 20-2, with each Angel getting at least 2 hits.) Minutes before this pic was taken, Jim Rice's wrist was fractured as he was hit by a pitch. He played the rest of the game but missed the next month of action.

I knew it had to be an older pic because look, the sign I knew as the Miller Lite sign was a White Fuel sign. Go Sox Go!

Cool logo by one of the many companies to use minimalist advertising here.

When I'd listen to games on radio in the 80s, Ken or Joe would always remind me I was listening on "Campbell Sports Network." Also, dig the People Express logo.

I liked when they used to tell you exactly how many seats were in each section. And if you've forgotten your meter distances, which used to be in yellow on the fences, here's a handy reference guide.

I don't know if kids today can appreciate what the "Sports Bar" meant in the 80s. At a game, you got a hot dog, or a pretzel, and a soda. And then there was the one "special treat," this block of ice cream vendors would come around with. In the grocery store, it might have been my last choice. At Fenway, it was the only choice.

Back in the days when we used to call closers Firemen.

A few ads--you can still get discounted parking at the Pru garage today.

Kim had a huge reaction to this crazy cactus place so I'm sure the rest of you Mass people will, too.

Computer ads were all over the place in '84. Wave of the future, I tells ya. Earl Weaver baseball!

An ad for NESN in its first year in existence. I've always complained about how channel 30 only would pick up, for the most part, the Friday/Sunday TV38 games. But now that I realize just how few games were on 38 from 1984 on, I guess 30 was just doing what it could for us down in CT without cable at all, let alone NESN.

Huge story on recent acquisition Bill Buckner, and how he didn't like being on the Cubs because he was a night person. There's a line in there about how he hates losing at anything, even at cards to his wife. Makes it even more sad--I mean, ths guy who hates to lose had this long, great career and...you know. Also a line in there from Lou Gorman saying how Bill really made the infield better defensively.

You know I love this--mention of how Fenway has never needed to use prompts to get the crowd to cheer like Yankee Stadium does. Still none of that garbage at Fenway 25 years later, either.

As real as it got n 1984. And you know what? I still like it that way. It really doesn't matter to me if the players in a video game are "real-looking" or just dots. Besides, all these modern games, the players always look like they're going too slow, they're all herky-jerky and unnatural...it's about time these video game makers gave up on trying to make it look real. If they haven't mastered it by now....

Dad is psyched about this arcade. Or maybe he hangs out in that "pool room" while the kids are busy battling the Gorfian empire. (Or defending it, whatever you were supposed to do in that game that wouldn't shut up.)

Anyone have any memories of this place?

Advertising following the Sox to the west coast, I love it.

Eddie Andelman's show on "85."

Johnny Pesky, windowing it up.


Check out the ticket prices....and all your other ticketing info, '84-style.

The duo that sang me to sleep so many nights, Ken Coleman and Joe Castiglione. This was Castig's second year in Boston. And he's still going strong in 2010.

Check out this crew and its T passes.

Kool-Aid man, with baseball, because, you know, we baseball fans don't understand what the hell you're talking about unless you put a bat or ball in your spokesperson's hand or tell us that your fireplace tongs are a "home run." I'm glad Kool-Aid man has burst through this scoreboard, because the idiot running it put the home team on top. So basically the folks at General Foods know this about baseball: it uses a ball.

Dude, I totally don't remember Jackie Gutierrez' hair looking like this.

Also surprising to me--that 38 had only been doing games for 10 years at this point.

Sorry I don't have a better closer (fireman) for you, but please, collectors, consider yourself on notice.

"I'm used to bein' a Red Sock." --Peter Brady aka John Lackey, just now with TC and Gammons

Pitchers & catchers officially report right now! I'm watching the countdown on the Red Sox site, and it's just sitting at 1 minute left. I also noticed the pic they used on there for the latest ticket lottery is a crazy high-angle shot of Fenway from the 1999 season. Speaking of 1999, can you find the Red Sox pitcher on this list of Rhode Island's Most Delinquent?

Also right now, the scavenger hunt ends. Fingers crossed.

Oh! It finally changed--the countdown clock now shows first spring training game. 14 days, 7 hours, 2 minutes

I can't wait to see if I won Section 36's scavenger hunt. I got 31 of the 36 items--and I posted them on the Web--you've got about 2 hours to beat me, but who knows, someone could have gotten all 36.

Terrible job by me for not having a Lester baseball card--I had one but made it into a magnet for Kim's mom. And for not being able to come up with a completed scorecard, which I have, but who knows where they are. Actually, I think I posted a pic of one here once. Oh well. I'm stickin' with my 31. I guess I also could have gotten Allan Wood to take a pic of one of his for me, but I didn't want to cheat. Then again, I'm trying to pass off a T-shirt as a bathing suit....

Finally the Yanks games/Dodgers games/Monster Seats lottery is open.

51: Julian Tavarez was the most colorful 51. And, it appears, he was my fave.

52: Boddicker or Snyder, Boddicker or Snyder.... I dunno.

53: We're up in that territory where Aardsma wins awards. In this case, he wins the Jere's Favorite 53 award.

54: Morgan Burkhart. But also Breslow.

55: Lenny DiNardo. Though I liked Randy Kutcher, and he didn't get a mention n the 5 category, so....

56: You may be surprised this is a landslide, but it is, for Darren Bragg.

57: Juan Pena. I thought he and Brian Rose were gonna take us to the P.L.

58: PAPELBON.

59: Abe Alvarez.

60: David Pauley beats out four other dudes. I would totally take LeVangie if coaches were allowed.

61: Bronson Arroyo. Sorry, Clay--but you've got time to overtake.

62: Jon Lester, even though....you know.

63: Justin Masterson.

64: Pedroia and Bowden have been the only two to wear it. I'll go Dustin, even though Bowden was probably hoping I gave him the nod since Dustin got a mention in the 15 category.

65: Carlos Valdez wins! (since no other player wore 65)

66: Joe Cascarella with the victory! (wore it in 1935 and no one else ever has)

67: Anastacio Martinez (see previous two numbers)

68: Hansack! And not by default either!

69-76: No Red Sox have ever worn these numbers. (In case you haven't figured it out, this is a regular season only list.)

77: Josh Bard (default)

81: Lou Lucier (default)

82: Johnny Lazor (default, BUT, up until a few years ago, he was the guy with the highest number in team history. And I was fascinated with this, because why would he and Lucier have worn 82 and 83, both in 1943, a good 40 years before the team started regularly giving out numbers higher than 50? I even found and bought an old newspaper with an article about Lazor when I was on vacation in Seattle in July 2004. The point is, this guy would be my favorite 82 even he had competition.

83: It's very important that you know it's by default that Eric Gagne is my favorite Red Sox to ever wear the number 83.

84: JT Snow (default)

85 and above: No Red Sox have ever worn these numbers.

The End. Again, thanks to Kristen aka Red Sox Diehard who keeps up the all-time Sox uni list.

Labels: favorite sox by uniform number

As you know, sometimes I'll open up spam e-mails for some comic relief. Check out what this awesome girl named Rose sent me! (This is the full e-mail, in italics, with my comments below each line.)


am interested in you

Ooh, I'm feeling special already.

Am Rose,a tall good looking young girl,so lovely and caring with good understanding.

Am Jere, I'm only about 5'9" but I could always get Timberlands. You understand...goodly.

fair in complexion,care with good sharing,honesty.

I'm still here.

I saw your add at www.webindia----.com which interested me much and i decided to contact you.

Oh that's right! I leave adds at so many of these Indian dating/porn/arranged marriage sites, sometimes I forget. I do a lot of good sharing myself so it gets a little jumbled up in my mind.

I really want to have a good friendship with you
even if you have married we can be friend ok ,

I don't have married yet, and Kim always lets me befriend tall, fair-complexioned, young, good looking women who care with good sharing and good understanding, so it shouldn't be a problem ok.

i have a reason of
selecting you as my friend,

I knew this wasn't just a form letter!

pls if you wish to know more.Pls contact me
through this my id We need to talk and
know ourself more and equally share pictures to each other.hope to hear
from you.

You've made your point.

Bye with a warmly
huggs.
Rose

Give a warmly huggs to Dorothy and Blanche for me!

This is awesome. Topps is giving away one of every card they've ever produced. One in six packs contains a code which you can check on their website to see which card you've won. It could be a '66 Yaz, it could be an '87 Robidoux. Once you have a card, it becomes virtual, and you can trade it with other winners. Or you can have them send you the actual card at any time.

And the name of the promotion is "The Cards Your Mom Threw Out." After my dad's mom threw out his old cards, there was no chance I was letting anyone touch mine! But it would be sweet to win some old cards from before my day, and maybe my dad will buy a pack or two to see if he can get some Piersalls or something.

Note: The person who alerted me to this was my mom, who reiterates she never threw away any of my cards.

Thursday at 7 PM, NESN's gonna do a show live from spring training. Don't forget.

Before that, they're showing some of the best games of '09. At 5 PM, they're showing that crazy win over Texas--read my description of the ending here. If you missed that game, hopefully you can finally see at least the end. It was ridiculous.

41: Wow, I guess I've never liked any 41s more than I did Dick Drago, and that just from seeing his card and liking his name when I was really young.

42: Mo Vaughn is the son of my dad's colleague, and we were aware of him coming up in high school and then college, and it was pretty freakin' sweet when he was drafted by the Red Sox, let alone when he became an actual superstar/MVP-type. So he was a fave since way before he was even in the majors.

43: We called my sister "The Eck" in the early 80s, since her long black hair under a Red Sox hat made her look like Dennis Eckersley. Who'd have thought Eck would still be entertaining us all these years later?

44: I guess I go with O-Cab here even though he's also in the 36 category. Or do I go with Gabe even though he's in the 19 category? I don't know.

45: I'll give you one guess.

46: Steamer is the all-time standby as 46. But I'll go Ellsbury.

47: Bruce Hurst.

48: Lee Smith.

49: Wakefield easy.

50: Really don't know where to go here, and I don't even have the mental strength to transcribe what the voices in my head are saying right now.

Labels: favorite sox by uniform number

My mom did a brief interview about the book we co-authored. Read it here. Other than that, no news on the book--but we are trying to get a paperback out there.

Notice how in this photo gallery of the Red Sox' equipment arriving in Ft. Myers that the white guys are called "workers" while those lazy African Americans are merely "attendants."

Did you have the day/night Fenway postcards? I did. It was a postcard of Fenway in the day, and another one at night. The pics were from just before the '76 messageboard installation, as they show the Buck Printing Co. sign beyond the bleachers. I had mine on my wall, day above night. I found them recently and put them up on the wall of my "office-slash-room" in the classic position. If you look closely, you can see the indents of old pen marks where I drew paths of mythical home run balls.

Last night, I was watching an episode of Cheers on WGN (it was the one where the gang pantsed Wade Boggs), and I noticed on the wall by the entrance to the back pool room, the day/night postcards. Positioned as they should be, adjacent to each other, day above night. I wonder if these were sold as a set.

31: Dave Roberts had some weak competition here, right up until Jon Lester solidified 31. So I'll go Roberts, but we'll see how Lester's career shakes out. I'm definitely a huge fan of his already.

32: Now we get into the numbers that were reserved for coaches and managers when I was growing up, and they don't count. I'm going with Derek Lowe here--again, weak competition.

33: Jason Varitek.

34: I really liked Scott Cooper, and who didn't love El Guapo? But I'll take Papi.

35: Matt Stairs! I still think he's somehow going to be the Red Sox' all-time home run king....

36: Orlando Cabrera. Even though he's better known as 44. DOes this break one of my rules? I don't even remember anymore....

37: The man who wanted to wear 337 (LEE upside down) but settled for 37. Bill Lee. Gotta give a nod to Jimmy Piersall here, too, as I did a book report on him in high school, and he was from CT, and, you know, he was Jimmy Piersall.

38: I liked Schilling and all...but not as much as I liked young sensation Todd Benzinger.

39: My all-time fave, who doesn't get mentioned enough on this blog because of all the Ged-mania, Mike Greenwell. Hon. men.: the U. of Nebraska's Adam Stern.

40: For some reason, my thoughts have always immediately gone to John Dopson when I hear the number 40. But that doesn't mean I was a huge fan. Gotta go Hendu, but I also was a big fan of Erik Hanson that one year.

Labels: favorite sox by uniform number