So close to a Yankee loss and an us win. But close only counts in horseshoes and lemonade. Instead they win by one and we lose by one.

I don't even know where to start with that Fox coverage. On one fly ball they showed the wrong fielder. Ball caught completely off-screen. In a huge spot. And each announcer capped off his day nicely in the final inning--that Max V. guy acting as if Joey Gathright could have actually gained Dave Roberts status with a stolen base in this game, and McCarver not being sure who the Red Sox played in the 2004 World Series. And I'll leave it at that--sometimes they were saying ridiculous things at a rate I couldn't even keep up with.

Anyway, I believe we're gonna be in the playoffs no problem. And once we are, we've got Beckett and Lester as our 1-2. Suddenly everyone has forgotten that. And think about the Yankee payroll and what kind of dominating team they could have right now, but totally don't. In one of these years with a mega-awesome Yankee squad, I could see people saying that we might as well not even show up (but wouldn't agree with them), but come on, are you believing the Fister hype, while thinking some of our own guys are shit when they have one bad day? Obviously we have to make sure we beat up on the O's and get our asses in there, but at that point, we all start from scratch, and we're not some shitty team.

Ah, the old familiar sound of Sean McDonough announcing my boys in red on a late-summer afternoon. Yes, Nebraska's on TV again. Then in a half-hour, the Red Sox, like the Huskers, will continue their record sell-out streak on national TV.

Yanks went down 6-1 but now lead 7-6 in the 8th. Assholes.
[Update: The fuckers win 7-6. Can't believe the Jays blew that game.]

Future post--November, 2011:

I think the key to this world championship season was when we let the Rays briefly back into the race. The team wasn't motivated, being told they're in already, and nothing they do matters. The wild card always ruins everything. Either you're playing meaningless games or you're desperately trying to hold on. (Or if you are the team who's second in the wild card, but you were supposed to have 100 wins, you're still mad at yourself for underachieving and everybody's pissed at you.) So there's no great position to be in. That last homestand was going to involve people not being able to give away their tickets regardless.

However, the one thing that could have made that homestand exciting (a division race is exciting, but, again, everyone just say how it doesn't matter, as long as you're in the playoffs) was nearly blowing the wild card to the team coming in for the last series. Suddenly the fans had something to be excited about, and the team got a chance to A. know what it's like to be in must-win situations and B. got a taste of October-style baseball at Fenway.

And because of that, we went on to put the Rays away, storm on to take the division, and sweep right through the playoffs, with some random fan named Jere inexplicably called in to be a good luck charm and sit in the dugout with 4 of his closest friends for the entire postseason.


Gotta admit it's plausible! Good job by Beckett, Aceves, Bard, and Pap tonight. Aviles almost put one through the Sports Authority sign, too! Yanks lost in a walk-off in Toronto, so we close to 3.5 back, and are 4 up in the Fields.

[Update, 2:05: As I thought, it was easy getting through. I was in right at 2:00. Got infield grandstands for $60, really good spot, save for the pole I'll be behind. But I can lean, it's okay. Now please call 888 REDSOX6 before the assholes who buy just so they can mark them up on shitty scalper sites get all the tickets!]

2:00, get ready to call in for ALDS tix if you didn't win the lottery.

I remember last year being pissed because at this point, they hadn't told me as a 10-game plan holder which ALDS game I'd be able to purchase. Therefore, I didn't know which one to go for through the phone sale and/or lottery.

This year I checked my account (they have not sent me an e-mail or letter about this yet--glad I checked), and I see I already have ALDS tix waiting for me to buy*, so now I know to grab a different game by phone today.

*My 10-game plan seats are in the bleachers, and every year they give me a chance to buy two seats to a playoff game as part of the plan. What stinks is that since there are only a certain number of seats, I'm always pushed to the RF grandstand--worse seats** at a higher price ($60 vs. $40 for ALDS). This year I'm the farthest from my real seats as I've ever been, all the way in section 8. So maybe I'm moving up on the list, in terms of tenure--I've had the plan since its inception before the 2004 season--getting farther and farther down the first line, yet, ironically, the seats are getting worse and worse. Whatever, at least I'll be at a playoff game.

**The fact that they're under cover is the only thing better about them than bleacher seats, and I still have to assume that's why they charge you more for a seat in the RF corner that faces the bullpen than for a seat in right field that is closer to home plate and actually faces it.

Would have been a bonus to win the Weiland game. At least that's how I'm looking at it. Yanks were off so we're 4.5 back, 3 up.

[1:33 a.m. update: Yanks just lost on a 12th-inning dong! So after our shitty, shitty loss, Tampa and the Yanks lose too.]

I'll start with a video of something you've probably seen from a different angle by now:


Got a $25 pavilion SRO ticket earlier that day online. Parked at a meter--the type that takes nickels and dimes. They might as well say on them: "FREE parking--and as a bonus, we'll take a pound's worth of that worthless change you've got in your car and pockets off your hands!" Here's Theo before the game, while I waited for the rest of the park to open up. Good news: one of the ushers said he didn't think that system will be back next year. Who knows if he actually knows anything, we'll see.

So I finally got out to CF, and got this ball off the bat of a Blue Jay. I did my usual trick where I wait a few rows back and watched as the homer slammed into the fourth row of section 35. All the people waiting along the front wall looked back to see me easily getting the ball. However, as I ran toward it, I could see it was about to roll down to the next row. So even though I was pretty sure no one was around me, I had to go down to the concrete for it rather than taking a chance climbing over a row while someone else sneaks in from the side. And I ended up like this:

One skinned knee and one bruised knee. And my camera bag, which I had strapped around me, came up over my head and rested on it. So there I was, on the ground, with a bag on my head like a fool...for no reason, as it turns out I had no competition for the ball. It was my 2nd of 2011, and 17th lifetime, all batting practice balls. (Nine of those came in my banner year of 2009.) The Jay who hit it? I don't know--lefty, white guy, hits in the second-to-last group. I'll have to come up with a guess because I like to give credit to somebody, even if I'm not definite on it.

Wasn't too crowded up in the pavilion. Here are some rookies with pink backpacks. This is getting old. We need new hazing rituals.

It was a "no jacket required" night at Fenway. Perfect. Later in the game I went to where I could get a constant breeze and it felt great. I love September. It weeds out the fools who think summer ends when school starts. Terrible job, fools!

I'm only showing the "pitcher coming to mound" shot because it was Wakefield on what would be the night of his 200th win.

Wake gave up the lead twice, including once on a dong that was reviewed. Here he is waiting out the ruling with the ump.

Moon coming out from behind the Pru.

Mega-zoom on the moon next to office space.

Moon over Fenway.

It was close for a while, but with help from two Pedroia dongs, we pulled away, and it became apparent Wake would get CC. Here, I'm down in the good seats, and Salty has just doubled in three, but the scoreboard got it wrong. Add it up. Also, the balls/strikes/outs on this board didn't work all night.

Tazawa pitching in the majors for the first time since 2009.

With such a blowout, a lot of subs came in. Lars Anderson was at first, and Lavarnway is catching in the shot above this one.

Another Tazawa shot.

For a while I was obsessed with a certain memorabilia message board which was frequented by a guy who kept telling everyone to buy his Brett Lawrie stuff because the guy's gonna be a huge star. Weird to actually see Lawrie in person after all that.

18-6 was the final for Wakefield's 186th Red Sox win, and 200th overall win.

Another thing I try to avoid is scoreboard shots, but, again, this is different so...

Here's another.

Had I known they'd be doing more stuff like spraying him and dousing him and stuff, I would have gone as close to the front row as possible. But I was just hoping he'd come out, so I figured being 15 rows back was fine. Anyway, I was just happy he came out and that I was there to cheer for the guy. The first time I saw him pitch was August 8th, 1995. By the early 2000s, it seemed like he'd pitch every time I'd go to Fenway. And here we are in 2011, and he remains a fan favorite who helped us to two World Series titles. "Can you believe it?"

The rest of these don't need captions. Good night.

The 2012 MLB schedule is out! It wasn't there when I checked last night after midnight, and I don't see a story on mlb.com, so I'm just gonna go ahead and assume I am breaking this story!

Click here for April, and scroll through the months from there.

We start the season on Thursday, April 5th in Detroit. The home opener is Friday the 13th vs. Jaso and the Devils.

We WILL be at home on April 20th, the 100th anniversary of the first-ever game at Fenway Park, and it WILL be against the Yankees, the opener of a weekend series. You know they did that on purpose. That'll make you people who think schedules should cater to stuff like that happy.

Our May Interleague series will be at Philly. In June we're home against the Nationals, Marlins, and Braves, and we visit the Cubs and Marlins at their new park.

Five of the six Yankee series are July or later, with the last one ending the season, in New York, on October 1-3.

[Update 2:11 p.m.: Jays 2, Sox 0 in the 2nd. Why do they have 2? Because Lackey is pitching.]

[2:26: 2-2 in the 3rd.]

[2:46: 3-2 SOX in the 4th.]

[3:40: Top 6th, tying run on third, infield in, grounder to Pedroia, throws home, Lawrie SLAMS into Tek, who holds the ball for the out. Before the next pitch, Morales picks off the guy at first to end inning. First pitch of bottom 6, Gonzalez goes deep. So it's 4-2 SOX when it could have been 3-3 or worse.]

[4:10: Bard comes in for 8th. Walks the first two fuckin' guys. On the sac bunt, he has plenty of time to get out at first, but rushes, and throws wild. Loaded. Grounder to Youk which he could have gone home with, but bobbles, has to settle for out at first. Run makes it 4-3 us. Next guy singles in two, 5-4 Jays. Fuck. (But rare 4-3-5 DP gets us out of inning. We go bottom 8.)]

[4:36: We go down 1-2-3 in the 8th, 1-2-3 in the 9th. Loss. 4-2 going to the 8th, and we blow it. Terrible. Pissed.]

Went to Fenway tonight for Timmy's 200th win. I'll post the full gallery tomorrow. Here he is with some Champagne in the air.

In the meantime, we stay 4 back of the Yanks and move to 4 up on Tamper. Unfortunately, Mo got his 600th save tonight. Of all the fuckin' days. I saw the end on MLBN, who of course were showing YES coverage. Michael Kay was at his puke-worthiest (barring the un-out-pukable Jeter 3000 travesty), even saying that "both teams are on the top step leaning in to watch history being made." I swear he said that. It was 3-2! The Mariners were on the top step because they were trying to win the game! The guy is delusional. What an embarrassment. It got more nauseating from there--the final out was Ichiro thrown out stealing. Kay says how fitting it is that Jeter caught the final out. Well it was fitting, but only because Mo got his milestone save on a bad call by the umps, sold by that cheater Jeter.

Jesus I can't believe this. The MLBN Yankee-loving host gave 30 seconds to Wake, then said, "but the headline tonight is Mo" and then all three of 'em actually clapped. We need a plane crash to take out the whole damn Yankee organization. Just take 'em all out. But then they'd probably be rewarded with every World Series from now till the end of time. I mean I really can't believe this shit. I get home after seeing Wake get 200 after all this time, and Mo comes in and gets two outs (one was Wily Mo Fuckin' Pena, who any one of us could strike out) and a phony caught stealing call and gets all the attention.

Oh god now a new show is starting on MLBN and it starts with a fuckin' montage of Mo's career. Oh my god! Now this different MLBN host is also noting how both teams were on the top step! What the fuck?! As if the other team was there only as spectators to watch the Best Moment In History. Now he says it's "apropos" that Jeter handed him the ball after the last out! What the fucking fuck does that mean? Oh right, because he should be given the ball directly from god. What was I thinking?

Yanks won, Devil Rays won. Give us a fuckin' break already.

3.5 back in the east. 3.5 up in the wild card. That first number hasn't been this high in a long time. That second number hasn't been this low in a long time.

Last homestand of the season starts Tuesday. No more effing around.

Edited to add: Yanks won because a fuckin' douche dropped a fly ball.

Was doin' stuff all night, got only one score--5-3 them in the 8th. I found out we lost 6-5 so I knew there might have been some "heartbreak" and it appears there was.

Looks like our little plan of getting the Rays back into it so both us and them can pass the Yanks is working.