So sweet that those Texas fans got to see A-Rod strike out to end the ALCS. The Yanks tried to cheat their way to one more victory, but they couldn't do it. I love that Jeter was a no-show for this game too. It's almost as if he was saying, "Am I the only one who realizes we're done here? Let's just end this already, I'm swingin' at the first pitch and I'm outta here." He knew. You can't teach perception like that.

This is weird because in terms of watching the Yanks in the ALCS against a team besides our own--well, they only lost in that situation once before, and it was 1980. Yes, '80, '04, and '10 are their only ALCS losses. So of course we've seen them die prematurely a LOT in the last decade, it just hardly ever comes at this stage.

You know what's awesome? Next April, the Red Sox open the season in Texas. Thousands of Sox fans will be there to watch the raising of the AL Champs (or World Series) banner! What a scene that will be. Rangers fans, I know you'll be cheering loud that day, but we'll be alongside you cheering just as loud. And I do mean we. Because I'll be there! Okay, I might be there. I may be in the area then. Yes, the "Texas" area. More details on that later.

We can now say, for the the first time since 1926, that the Red Sox have won more World Series than the Yankees have in the last ten years.

Nice job, Texas Rangers! Baseball season now officially over. Bring on the snow. I'll have my New York Yankees Not World Champs 2010 shovel ready.

So Halladay bunted a ball that looked fair but was called foul tonight. The runners moved up and the Phils ended up getting the lead, and as I type, they're up by 2 in the 9th. McCarver just referred to the earlier play like this: "Never has a foul ball been so important in Philadelphia baseball history." Something like that. I'm wondering how he could forget one of the most famous foul balls in baseball history, which just so happened to occur in the ninth inning of the final game of the Phillies' first world championship with the tying runs on base:


(I actually posted this picture originally in this gallery of the 1980 WS program.)

Here's that thing I taped Saturday--Steve Almond talkin' about Toto's "Africa." I missed the beginning and the sound's not that great. But if you do a search there's an older version of this reading/singalong. Despite that one's fancy-pants "sound" and "beginning," I think Steve gave a much better performance in my video.

Well you couldn't expect them to win the CC game, I guess. It's a shame, though, that they had so many hits off the guy but still were never in the game.

Game 6, Friday, Texas.

Thank you whichever Molina you are. Such a key dong to give Texas the lead and finish off AJ. Some nervous moments in the 8th, but again the Rangers pile on and make a close game a blowout.

I love that Teixeira got hurt--my one regret is that it wasn't more painful. Hopefully that shit is out for the rest of the series.

I love that so many Yankee fans douches again left early, flocking to the exits like 2004 was chasing after them.

I love that some asswipe behind the plate was holding up a pathetic, hand-written sign that said "I believe in ghosts." Because of course we're playing on this hallllooooowwwed ground, built two years aggggooooo. And these mysterious ghosts who were born and then died with the last 18 months of course have the power to make the Yankees win baseball games.... I wonder where that fucker was when the score went to 10-3. It's NOT a coincidence that so many assholes and half-wits are Yankee fans. These people have very low self-esteem, and/or were dropped on their heads as children, and look for something to cling to--slap an NY on your head and suddenly you're a "winner."

And it's not just the fans who seem to think the Yanks are still playing in the same place they did in 1923. Announcers nationwide are under the impression that just because the new place it's called "Yankee Stadium," it's the same place! Dennis Eckersley before the game was saying how the Texas pitcher will never forget this moment and bla bla bla. Remy did the same thing earlier this year. Smoltz and co. alluded to it tonight. That place was torn down. I can show you pictures.

Oh, and I love that now when the subject of selling a hit by pitch comes up, the talk turns laughingly to Jeter, now known (despite it being about 15 years late) as a cheater. Too bad they can't take that next step and say, "and to think we used to think of this guy as the one we'd want to use to teach our kids how to play the game the right way."

Anyway, it's 3-1 Texas. One more and they're done.

Yankee fans pull another fucking playoff Jeffrey Maier and the umps aren't even reviewing it?? They came up with this replay rule specifically for home runs and on what's undeniably at least debatable, they don't even take a fucking peek at it?

And on the next batter, the same fucking pig of an ump-in-a-Yankee-hat calls a home run on what's clearly a foul ball? Fortunately they've DECIDED to review this one! (Love how TBS actually MISSES the ump making the foul call when he comes back out.)

I really shouldn't be torturing myself by watching this game considering we know which team the umpires have told us without a doubt they're rooting for.

Update: Next inning, Sager has a live report about replay on home runs, I'm thinking he's gonna say something about how fucking inexcusable that a fucking piece of trash Yankee fan reached out over the fence and touched an outfielder's glove and they--whoops--forgot to review it! Instead he says how happy Bud Selig is that they got the OTHER home run replay call right! I feel like I'm insane right now. TBS just watched this and let it go. And those fuckwads in the crowd are probably gonna get praised by stupid sports reporters instead of what they deserve, which is to be executed, on charges of being fucking dicks but also of living in Westchester but attempting to act and dress like a stereotypical "New Yorker."

Update again: Darling says since the ump called the ball over the fence, it's not reviewable. Uh...then how come we've seen this type of play reviewed over and over?

Here they are, your 2011 Fenway Improvements.

That doesn't seem to mention this rumored plan about the bullpens being widened, the fences moved in, and extra rows of seats around the right field corner....

More on all this later....

Yanks v. Rangers, 8. AJ looking to put the Yanks in a 3-1 hole.

Lee, that is. Texas Lee.

I knew he'd have a great game, I just worried the Yanks might have a late rally off the 'pen. Instead, it was the Rangers who tacked on with late runs for an 8-0 whitewash. (Worst postseason shutout loss in Yankee history!)

Pleeeeeease stick with AJ tomorrow, Joe. Look, whatever you do, it'll be wrong, you'll get criticized, and you'll ride off to Chicago and the Rangers, Phillies, or Giants will be World Champs and that will be a beautiful thing.

As beautiful as a strikeout shown from the blimp.

Right?

Look, we're gonna get a widescreen TV eventually, but we're still rockin' the square as of now, and I'm pretty sure there are a lot of us left. And some grandmas probably aren't even thinking about making the switch at all. So it would be nice if Fox would make it so We who live in the recent past can actually see the score of their baseball games:

At least we get count and outs--football we get one team's score but no clock, quarter, down, etc.:

Vikings 0, ...

Another reason to hate Fox, even though I'm sure they'd argue it's MY fault. Maybe they could buy us a new TV.

Well this is a little effed up.

Once again, had to leave that Yanks game to go to a concert. Felt a little more confident this time, and Texas didn't shit the bed like the night before. So it's 1-1 going into the Cliff Lee game.

As for the concerts, Friday, it was Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie at Mohegan Sun. Was cool to see the legendary Alice, and White Zombie in 1994 in Omaha was probably the most energetic arena show I've ever seen, so it good to see Rob again. Saturday, we went to a reading/music thing in Boston, mainly for Kristin Hersh and Steve Almond. Almond wrote Candy Freak, which I read a few years ago, and he did a great job as emcee, also doing a bit that ripped Toto's "Africa" to shreds, complete with audience sing-along. And Kristin was great as usual, playing a couple of tunes and reading from her new memoir, Rat Girl. I think it's safe to say that Kim and I were the only two people in the world who were at both of these shows.

Alice Cooper:



Kristin Hersh:


Kim (purple coat) waits for Steve Almond's autograph, while I wait for Kristin Hersh's: