We didn't score any more runs, but the rag-tag bullpen crew holds the baseball Giants to just two. 4-2 us. Yanks spanked by LA, and Devils win, so we're tied with Tamp., 2 games out of first.

Lessed Her against Lynn Succumb tomorrow, 4:05.

[For those of you following my opening of those Allen & Ginter packs, here's the latest one. I recommend not watching this because it's boring. I think it's hilarious when people open baseball cards on GooTube, which is why I started dong this. But the people who do it all serious-like are funnier than I am when I do it. So....I'll keep trying....]

Cameron with his first Sox Dong, a 3-run shot, makes it 4-0 us early. DMC also HR'd, and ClayHH, who throws right/bats left just like me*, got his first MLB hit. More much later I'd say...

*not that it's that rare, but still, did you know he batted left?

Oh Jesus Fucking Christ, was about to post this and leave, and guess what happened--Clay gets hurt running the bases! Leaves the goddamn game! Because MLB has decided to put fucking exhibition games into the middle of the season and make them count! Fucking assholes! This is not about being a "purist," this is about being a person who realizes complete bullshit when he sees it..... END THE FUCKING STUPIDITY MLB, NOBODY FUCKING CARES ABOUT THIS SHIT EXCEPT 15-YEAR OLDS WHO CARE ONLY ABOUT FANTASY TEAMS AND TEXT ALL GAME LONG IN THEIR BOX SEATS...is there something bigger than CAPS I can use on this? Fuckers. --Interleague Play Hater, Card Member Since 97

All that armor these guys wear and Dustin nails the unprotected part of his foot and breaks it. Shat.

Wow, winter hats, clouds on the field, and candy corn unis--and another loss that makes me want to punch stuff. Hard. Don't these NL teams know we're in a pennant race here in a real baseball league? This isn't a joke.

We put ourselves in the position where we're pissed when we rally, because we know we should be tied already. One lousy insurance run for them in bottom 8 to go up 2 after it'd been a 1-run lead for so long, and of course we get one in the ninth and load the goddamn bases, before finally making the last out.

But the ninth wasn't the only time we loaded the bases and didn't score. We also did it in the sixth. And seventh. And two more in the eighth. 11 runners left on in the last four innings in a one-run game. We had double-digit walks but couldn't win. In the seventh, I was pissed at Cameron. First and third, one out. The pitcher's wild. Sac fly will tie it. You wait for your pitch, then hit a fly ball. But no, he swings at the first pitch, and pops out. The guy probably woulda walked him on four pitches. Next inning, Scutaro stands there and watches strike three to end the inning, again down one with men on.

So we're now 3 back, still tied with Tampa, who were no-hit tonight.

The brightsidery to be seen with these shitty, effed up, suicidal games is that we're putting ourselves in position to win. I am hoping that a Red Sox team at full strength in, say, August and beyond, takes advantage of the opportunities handed to us on a silv. platter, and wins easily. In other words, "we shoulda won" is better than "we got our asses kicked." It's just much more ulcer-causing.

Oh, and the inning where they got their first three runs to tie it (we'd gone up 3-0 on Youk's dong in the first)--ridiculous. Wake with some kind of backhand flip to first that cost us two runs. And their eighth-inning insurance run--Hall with a weird play trying for a force at second and missing it, also causing him to miss getting the guy at first--followed by a passed ball putting the guy on third, and scores on a sac fly. This whole game was just a nightmare. The last four games have been like bizarre dreams....

I never see Freddy Sanchez without thinking of "Still Comma We Believe," as Kim calls it.

Don mentioned Weebles tonight.

Tim Wakefield tried to break up a double play with a slide tonight. Don and Rem pointed out that pitchers on the basepaths will usually just peel off in that situation. I'd like to point out that there are several non-pitchers on Wake's team who prefer to peel off instead of sliding. So, good job doing what you're supposed to do, Wake. Maybe some of your teammates will get the message.

So weird how the linescore on the Giants' scoreboard shows the inning numbers all huge with the runs for each team right over them.

Do Giants fans know about the mock cheer? If a guy walks the leadoff man on four pitches, then throws a fifth straight ball--at that point you're locked into mock cheer mode after the next strike. But that crowd did nothing when it happened tonight.

There have been several cases of our outfielders not picking up balls cleanly. Cost us again tonight as some fat dude scored because of it. Then again, our outfield this season has been pretty much three guys who won radio contests. The 7th, 8th, and 9th callers, I believe.

I love Don and Rem--they're hilarious, while being some of the best announcers in the league (which does have a lot to do with the fact that most of the others sound like Texas high school football announcers. But they seem to miss really obvious stuff and I don't know why. Tonight they thought Youk had maybe made contact with a ball and that's why the ump was waiting to make the call. It was clearly a case of whether he checked his swing or not. Usually after about three replays (remember, we at home have known since the live shot) they figure it out. Happened on that bobble in the outfield, too. We saw it on the original, they didn't. Then we saw a replay of the runner pausing at third before restarting and scoring. Since I knew there was a bobble, it made sense--coach was holding him up, saw the bobble, and sent him, hence the pause. But since neither Don nor Rem saw the bobble, they wondered out loud why this guy hesitated. It seems like someone at that point says something in Rem's ear, lets him know that a replay which will clear everything up (to them) is coming up, and then finally they can fully describe what happened. I think it all has to do with them watching the field and us seeing what the cameras show.

Pedroia fouled a ball off his foot and had to leave the game. He better be back soon. Can't lose him.

It's almost 2 a.m.? Come on. I will hope to wake up tomorrow and find out we actually won. But I'm guessing that will not occur.

1:30: Holy shit did we need to hold on to that, and we did. Mora Ks to end it. 13, 15, and 2 for us, 11, 18, and 0 for them. Umba-leeba-bull. Almost a 5-hour game. On to San Fran....

1:25: Stickin' with Pap--and Stewart who hit that first dong last night lines out. But it's still an out. Now my favorite Rocky, the one from Rhode Island, grounds out....

1:20: THIRD DONG FOR PEDROIA!!! With two outs and a man on.... we lead 13-11! A 5-hit game for Dustin. And stupid NESN did the "ball-only" shot but got lucky when the ball cleared the fence by inches. Jesus--now they do the same thing on a pop-up! Get some camera-people who know baseball! Anyway, we go bottom 10, up by 2.

1:04: We fucking go to the fucking tenth, fucking eleven to fucking e-fucking-leven.

12:59: And we go right back to asking that question in the title. Another weak bloop scores two and it's tied. 11-11. He did give up solid shots to put himself in that position though. (Along with a Boston Red Sox-patented "ignore the runners even if they DO matter" stolen base.) Holy crap, now a near dong by Seth Smith (who Rem and Don aren't mentioning was the one Pap struck out to end the 2007 WS), but caught at the wall. Two outs, winning run on first...

12:48: Pap in. Atone for last night!

12:37: Just about at the 4-hour mark here...Col. leaves tying runs on, 11-9 us after 8.

12:16: Mammoth dong for Dustin and it's 11-8!

12:09: Wow, a key SHOTHO double play helps Atchison get out of the 7th. We go 8, 9-8 us.

11:57: Well, it only took us one inning. 9-8 us at stretch time. Varitek with the key two-run double to get the lead back.

We had a 6-2 lead going bottom 6. Manny puts 3 guys on, one on a walk, then a bloop hit somehow scores 2, then Beltre decides to lob a throw to first (maybe someone should make a YouTube clip of his totally shitty and inexcusable fielding plays) to reload the bases, before pulling a Snodgrass and making a nice catch. Then after another pop-out, Okajima, who's been playing baseball for what, 45 years, forgets to cover first base so we don't get the third out. Next guy hits another bloop, and the Rockies score two on it to take the lead. Finally a solid hit makes it 8-6 after 6. And this team is seriously making me think about just saying to hell with it and getting some niiiiice sleep.

But of course I have to stick with it...

I nailed last night's Final Jeopardy! question. It was something about the 5-year anniversary (in 1919) of this guy's death--and I knew it was Archduke Franz Ferdinand. How did I know? Because that was also the final answer on an SNL game show skit from almost 20 years ago! It was called Comedy Killers, and Kevin Nealon was the host. The final answer was, "This is the all-time comedy killer." (Meaning something you don't want to bring up to an audience as a stand-up comic.) Roseanne was hosting and was a contestant, and had just done her infamous spit/crotch-grab, so she answered "the National Anthem." But the correct answer *of course* was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which pretty much started World War I. Huge comedy killer for years after.... Thanks to that, and my incredibly random memory, I got the answer last night. (This story would have been much cooler had I been on Jeopardy! and won because of this.)

Please note: I can't prove this, but I feel I still would have remembered this after all these years even without the popularity a few years ago of the band Franz Ferdinand. So don't try givin' them any credit.

Sox @ Rox again tonight. My one saving grace last night was going to bed knowing the Yanks were losing. Got up today and saw they tied it in the 9th, won it in the 10th. Bastards. Ruined my morning, after the ruined night.

Dick street. Uber-dick street. LackLuster lacked luster as usual, and hoped to get bailed out. And against by far the best pitcher in MLB so far in '10, we actually DO bail him out, coming back from 4-0 and 5-2. We're up 6-5 after a fine job by Bard, and then Pap implodes in the 9th. A homer to lead off the inning ties it, and a dong by...well I'm not even gonna write that shit's name...to win it, and Don once again incorrectly describes the winning team as the one that walks off a field they weren't even on because they were batting.

NESN also loves to piss off viewers by rushing to get that "the Rockies never fucking win when trailing after 7" stat up there.

You're gonna blame Pap, but if Lackey just has an average night (or pitches just half as well as any of our other starters) it's moot. It was a nice job by him helping himself with the double, though. And good job tonight by DMC and Nava Don't Surf. And Crimson Cock threw out a runner on the bases and should have thrown out another if Victor had just been able to make a tag.

Okay, I had more to say, including visions of being in second (aka the wild card spot) all alone....but I guess we'll have to wait....wait....through a bunch of what should be exhibition games in stupid NL parks. I should stab MLB with a double switch blade.

Darnell just donged to tie it! And his salute to the crowd--I'd say that was to John Henry since that's about where he's sitting. So we've scored 5 in 5.2 innings against the man with the 1.15 ERA (NL, but still crazily impressive for 2010).

And now Lackey almost hits one out! More later...

Wait--Scutaro knocks in fatty Lackey! We lead 6-5! Okay, more later....

In a match that would make Marty Barrett and Orel Hershiser proud, these two tennis dudes have been playing for a reeeeeally long time.

Red Sox at Col., 8:40 p.m. our time.

Here's what happened. Twice we had loaded, two outs (the first time with a 3-0 count), and we scored neither time, so it was 1-0 Rox going bottom 8. Lester was out because MLB is fucking stupid and has actual games that count where we suddenly play by different rules. (Note to Don: it's okay to say that instead of dancing around it--except for the "fucking" part.) But Oka gets a high pop-up behind shortstop with a man on first, one out. It becomes clear that Scutaro isn't getting to it, and for some reason, Cameron, the center fielder and fastest man on earth, jogs the whole way in. Nava's off-screen, and he comes in at the last second, too late, and the ball falls in. He still has the force on the elderly Helton, but he's safe by thismuch, though I didn't see Dustin do much of a first baseman's stretch. BUT! Oka gets a tailor-made double play ball...which bounces OVER Scutaro's head, and the run scores.

So we're down 1-0 instead of 2-0 going to the ninth. And of course, we quickly score a run. Lowell pinch hits with the tying run on first and two out. 3-2 pitch, so we know a gapper can tie it--but please don't hit a ground ball....but he does. Shortstop dives into the hole and gets it, rolls over, gets up, and...we all know the only question will be how far away Lowell's wheelchair is to first when the throw arrives. Wasn't even close. We lose 2 to effing 1.

Rays lost, so we stay tied for second with them.

Remy note: I can (kinda) understand if a person doesn't have the exact number of feet in a mile memorized. But Jerry Remy tonight acted like trying to come up with that number had never even been thought about before. Don, after looking it up, got them the answer.

We seem to be getting SNY here in Providence now, on Verizon anyway. But of course they can't show Mets games out of the NY market, so we get "content not available" at those times.

There's something wrong with Blogger where if you have a really long post with pictures, it doesn't show as many of the previous posts that should be there. I have it set so the main page should be showing you several weeks of posts. But as of now, because my last post was so long, it shows just that post. (And now this one.) Horrible. And there's no more individual customer service like there used to be. I hate this crap. They should fix it.

The archives are also messed up, where a long post kills any previous ones. So the post I wrote yesterday doesn't appear on the main page OR the archive page. It's just invisible unless you actually search for it in a search engine.

Does anyone know of a way to contact these people besides writing a message on a help forum that will never be read? Thanks.

[My Manny tribute video from '08 is here. Other two posts about Friday night here and here. The following post is not done in "caption" style, but the photos are in order and appear throughout the description of the night. Click 'em for big 'em.]

When the schedule was announced, I didn't wanna go near this LA series. Wanted to support Manny (and wanted to have been able to do it without thinking "but he did take steroids..."), but didn't want to be near those who don't. But finally I decided I had to be there for the Friday night game, so I got one of those SRO Pax. Single ticket.

I'd been in New Haven earlier in the day, and saw the blimp come from the west (I think they live in Bridgeport or something), and turn north, up the sky version of I-91. After a trafficky drive, I met up with the same blimp, parking near Fenway for $1.25 in quarters, at exactly 5:00 p.m. Ten minutes later, I was the first one in the second gate to open (as everyone near me flocked to the first one ten seconds earlier--they also terribly thought this was a "line" and not a "mill-around").

So there I was. With Manny returning, people who went in that gate in the outfield were sprinting to get down by home plate and the 3rd base dugout. I instead tried to get balls in center, knowing that I'd have plenty of time to get down close once the Dodgers started their BP. A Sox player threw a ball up, and it hit the empty row in front of me, about 5 seats over. Had it bounced around and stayed there, it was mine. But it ricocheted back toward the suckers in the front row, who therefore turned out to not be suckers since they got the ball and I didn't. I grabbed a few pics, including the one of Vik-E Mart's kid, and some of Manny having a catch, and then headed all the way around to the third base side.

All of us (including Carl Beane, in shirt with old Sox logo) waited for Manny to come out to hit, and at this point it was nothing but supporters, some in red, some in blue. He came out, and everybody cheered. Each time he'd step into the cage, cheers. Home run, cheers. It was constant individual yells of his name, and he had to pick and choose which ones he'd wave toward, or else he'd be waving the whole time.












He went back to the dugout, and didn't come out again during batting practice. (Don Mattingly threw BP for LA.)
Then I got an ice cream cone and walked around. And got the following gallery of Manny shirts (and a few LA Nomar ones)...












I had walked by Steve Lyons and said "psychoooo" to him earlier underneath the stands, and then I saw him by the LA dugout....
Oh, and here's a shot of that new home plate area, you can see how much more spacious it is. Notice how far down Yawkey Way I'm taking this from... (the green behind the Super Pretzels is the Green Monster)


Finally, Manny was out again, doing his runs. I shot this while eating the cone, and moved down closer, by third base. He met up with Papi and Beltre and hugged.

I wanted to get down close for his first at bat--right to the on-deck circle. I had to wait as the governors of Red Sox Nation left the field and came up the aisle. Finally I went down close at 7:00. Seventh row, fifth, kicked out of fourth as an usher seated the real seat-owners, third...and then I noticed one single seat next to a woman in the front who seemed like she was alone. She didn't protest as I grabbed the spot. I tried to ask her if she usually sat down there. She said no. I asked how she got the seat, thinking if she was a straggler too, I could tell her not to fear me kicking her out, or if it was her real seat, I could politely confirm that the seat I was in wasn't part of her party. She seemed to grunt at me between bites of a hot dog, and then grunt again when I couldn't understand her. That's when I stopped talking to her.










I was hoping against hope that the owner of my seat wouldn't show--while also thinking that it'd be good if Manny (batting fourth) would get up in the first--but knowing that I can't be rooting for the other team to get on base. And they didn't.So all my shots from that angle are of Manny on deck, because right after that inning, the guys who had my seat and the one next to it arrived. Who has front row tix and can't get to the game on time??

Of course the stupid radio station's free signs on this day were anti-Manny. I have to say, I was glad to see how FEW people were holding them up, considering they print up thousands of them. (Hey, I wonder what would happen if instead of pushing their opinion on people, they made two versions of every stupid sign they make, then people could choose the one they agreed with.) I thought Boston Baseball (the outside-the-park, unauthorized program) would be anti-Manny too, but they actually gave out free Manny "Legend" bumper stickers. (Then again, they could have just had a truckload of extras from the past or something that they were just getting rid of. But the point is, they didn't make up a negative sticker for the occasion.)


I walked way out to right, and saw Manny's first AB from there. He kept swinging at the first pitch. And since he wasn't playing the field, he just really wasn't on the field of play much at all--for the whole series, as it turned out. We supporters were doing what we could as Manny would come out on deck or be introduced to hit. But the antis were being as loud as they could. Hey, some people just don't like fun-lovin' dudes who win us World Series.

It was also Felix Doubront's debut, and he did a fine job, getting the W. Maybe not being the focus of everyone's attention helped him out....



Watched the game from all over the park. It was a sweatbox that night. I kept hoping for wind to cool me down, but didn't get much. Also, I don't like what they've done with the standing room areas. That third base deck is still good, but everywhere else they've either made it not allowed, or thinned out the markings on the ground so it's only one person deep, or two along first base. So I pretty much did a lot of way-out-in-right action, which at least gives you that little ledge to stand on.

Finally, in the semi-blow out, enough people left where I was able to get back down close.



Manny ended the game, striking out against Daniel Bard with the tying run on deck. I actually filmed the last pitch (I may post vids from this night but I've been lazy about uploading vids in general lately...), and then bolted outta there like a Drinkwater out of a Drinking Glass. It was a long couple of days, with the Colbert taping in NYC the night before, followed by watching the Lakers get all the calls in Game 7 at a bar and not getting to Connecticut until after 2 AM. And then with Chan visiting for the weekend the next morning...pretty nutty four-day weekend for me....

Yanks down four, four outs to go. We could be a half game back!

Update, 12:55 AM: Yanks down 10-3 going to the ninth.

1:09: Yanks lose. We're a half-game out of first place. Closest we've been since April 6th when we were 1-1.