Sunday, March 11, 2012
Sox Shut Rays Out At Fake Fenway
No Holds Bard wants to have no holds this year, and A-Save-Us probably wouldn't mind saving us if he doesn't make the rotation. So things are falling into place. Or whatever. Both those guys threw three throreless thronight, in a 5-0 win over Tamper.
V was druggin' it up tonight, with a squeeze attempt and a steal of home attempt within about 4 minutes. Let's not show the division rivals the entire playbook right away there, V.
I loved seeing Upton miss a fly ball on one of his classic nonchalant plays. Gotta get more of that in the regular season.
As you know, I was never for the idea of making an imitation Fenway Park in Florida. For all kids of reasons, such as: Is there any town in the country that doesn't have some sort of "mini-Fenway," whether it be in someone's backyard or something more official? Bucky Fuckin' Dent had a Little Fenway of his own. As did Tim Naehring in Cincinnati. As did these kids I knew from Troy, NY, in 1988 for Wiffle Ball. And even had it been a new idea, well, I'm still not a fan of copying as an art form. A tribute to Fenway? Fine. Another Fenway? Not cool. Leave the imitations to the amateurs.
And now having spent a little time watching games there, I've realized there's another thing I don't like: the fact that the Red Sox appear (kinda) to be playing at Fenway when all I want is to see palm trees in the background. And, as 9casey at Joy of Sox put it, "white shirts, white pants, and white shoes" in the stands. In the (usually) cold month of March, I want to look into my magic box and see the Red Sox playing in the Florida sunshine and dream of Fenway. Them being at Fenway ruins it.
I'm totally happy they built a whole new complex down there. I just wish they'd made it unique. Even if they'd just used a few Fenway things, I'd be okay with it. The old scoreboard in the wall, great. Hell, even if they just built it the way they did, but not sold it as "another Fenway," I'd be okay with it. Because it is different enough overall. Maybe instead of being pissed, I'd be saying, Oh wow, it kinda looks like Fenway, that's cool.
And by the way, isn't it odd that they want players to get used to playing at Fenway (another thing I think makes no sense and won't help anybody more than playing anywhere else would), yet they have the home dugout on the third base side? I also noticed that the retired numbers are up there in chronological order, which is the way Fenway used to have them before they put them in numerical order several years ago. On purpose, or a goof?
Overall, it's no big deal. I'll have to live with this one.
But NESN, could you please show the game on the full screen when we're hearing a player speak? Why do I need to see Bard sitting there talking, with the game shrunk down to less than a quarter of my screen? Show him for two seconds, then just put a little graphic that says "Voice of: Daniel Bard" in the corner. Or at least put his head in a box with the game on the whole screen. Do we need to see the announcers' faces the whole time the game is on? No. We humans can hear one thing while looking at another. We don't need to see lips moving in order to decipher language. We're not gonna call the authorities because we think a ghost in the grass is talking to us.
That long-ass Bard press conference made it so I could barely see the moment when Jeremy Kapstein was the ONLY VISIBLE FAN:
This was thanks to a few downpours.
Finally, I noticed on craigslist the other day that a certain ticket-scalping agency was looking for extras for a commercial shoot to be fake fans. Well, the ad aired tonight. Man, there's nothing I hate more than people pretending to be cheering fans. Except, of course, "official partners" of something being unaware that that something changed their logo more than three years earlier!
I guess when you hire your actors from craigslist I shouldn't expect too much from you....
Tomorrow, Sox-O's, 1:05. If you turn it on and it's the 3rd inning, it's because you didn't turn your clocks ahead.
V was druggin' it up tonight, with a squeeze attempt and a steal of home attempt within about 4 minutes. Let's not show the division rivals the entire playbook right away there, V.
I loved seeing Upton miss a fly ball on one of his classic nonchalant plays. Gotta get more of that in the regular season.
As you know, I was never for the idea of making an imitation Fenway Park in Florida. For all kids of reasons, such as: Is there any town in the country that doesn't have some sort of "mini-Fenway," whether it be in someone's backyard or something more official? Bucky Fuckin' Dent had a Little Fenway of his own. As did Tim Naehring in Cincinnati. As did these kids I knew from Troy, NY, in 1988 for Wiffle Ball. And even had it been a new idea, well, I'm still not a fan of copying as an art form. A tribute to Fenway? Fine. Another Fenway? Not cool. Leave the imitations to the amateurs.
And now having spent a little time watching games there, I've realized there's another thing I don't like: the fact that the Red Sox appear (kinda) to be playing at Fenway when all I want is to see palm trees in the background. And, as 9casey at Joy of Sox put it, "white shirts, white pants, and white shoes" in the stands. In the (usually) cold month of March, I want to look into my magic box and see the Red Sox playing in the Florida sunshine and dream of Fenway. Them being at Fenway ruins it.
I'm totally happy they built a whole new complex down there. I just wish they'd made it unique. Even if they'd just used a few Fenway things, I'd be okay with it. The old scoreboard in the wall, great. Hell, even if they just built it the way they did, but not sold it as "another Fenway," I'd be okay with it. Because it is different enough overall. Maybe instead of being pissed, I'd be saying, Oh wow, it kinda looks like Fenway, that's cool.
And by the way, isn't it odd that they want players to get used to playing at Fenway (another thing I think makes no sense and won't help anybody more than playing anywhere else would), yet they have the home dugout on the third base side? I also noticed that the retired numbers are up there in chronological order, which is the way Fenway used to have them before they put them in numerical order several years ago. On purpose, or a goof?
Overall, it's no big deal. I'll have to live with this one.
But NESN, could you please show the game on the full screen when we're hearing a player speak? Why do I need to see Bard sitting there talking, with the game shrunk down to less than a quarter of my screen? Show him for two seconds, then just put a little graphic that says "Voice of: Daniel Bard" in the corner. Or at least put his head in a box with the game on the whole screen. Do we need to see the announcers' faces the whole time the game is on? No. We humans can hear one thing while looking at another. We don't need to see lips moving in order to decipher language. We're not gonna call the authorities because we think a ghost in the grass is talking to us.
That long-ass Bard press conference made it so I could barely see the moment when Jeremy Kapstein was the ONLY VISIBLE FAN:
This was thanks to a few downpours.Finally, I noticed on craigslist the other day that a certain ticket-scalping agency was looking for extras for a commercial shoot to be fake fans. Well, the ad aired tonight. Man, there's nothing I hate more than people pretending to be cheering fans. Except, of course, "official partners" of something being unaware that that something changed their logo more than three years earlier!
I guess when you hire your actors from craigslist I shouldn't expect too much from you....Tomorrow, Sox-O's, 1:05. If you turn it on and it's the 3rd inning, it's because you didn't turn your clocks ahead.
Comments:
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I was at JetBlue for the college games, and I thought of you when I saw the
the ATMs in the ballpark.
The best part is they were on a wall right across from the "Red Sox logos through the years" display, just like the one at Fenway.
I for one loved the idea of having the field the same dimensions as Fenway. Might as well give the outfielders a chance to learn to play the caroms. BUT, the Wall is higher than the real one. And with people sitting inside there's a screen in front, so it doesn't even play the same. What I like even less is that one of the 6 new practice fields also has the same dimensions - but that wall is just a chain link fence with a green tarp on it. Of course this can't be used for practicing fielding at all, so when they want to do those drills, the whole team goes inside the stadium and practices there, where fans aren't allowed to watch.
All in all though - as someone who just went to her 10th straight spring training - I think the new complex and stadium are beautiful. The complex has a lot more space, so even with big crowds it doesn't feel crowded, and the park is really, really nice. (I kept saying the the old one was fine, and why did they need a new one other than to have the whole complex in one spot, but they did a really good job with it. It looks enough like Fenway, but still has a Florida feel.) And I liked that they put the retired numbers back in numerical order again. It bugged me when they had to move the 27 down to put the 6 and 14 in.
I uploaded a bunch of pics from the workouts and the college games to Flickr, if you're interested: here.
the ATMs in the ballpark.
The best part is they were on a wall right across from the "Red Sox logos through the years" display, just like the one at Fenway.
I for one loved the idea of having the field the same dimensions as Fenway. Might as well give the outfielders a chance to learn to play the caroms. BUT, the Wall is higher than the real one. And with people sitting inside there's a screen in front, so it doesn't even play the same. What I like even less is that one of the 6 new practice fields also has the same dimensions - but that wall is just a chain link fence with a green tarp on it. Of course this can't be used for practicing fielding at all, so when they want to do those drills, the whole team goes inside the stadium and practices there, where fans aren't allowed to watch.
All in all though - as someone who just went to her 10th straight spring training - I think the new complex and stadium are beautiful. The complex has a lot more space, so even with big crowds it doesn't feel crowded, and the park is really, really nice. (I kept saying the the old one was fine, and why did they need a new one other than to have the whole complex in one spot, but they did a really good job with it. It looks enough like Fenway, but still has a Florida feel.) And I liked that they put the retired numbers back in numerical order again. It bugged me when they had to move the 27 down to put the 6 and 14 in.
I uploaded a bunch of pics from the workouts and the college games to Flickr, if you're interested: here.
Right--other obvious difference is the crazy hole in the wall--I would have thought they'd put plexiglass thereto at least get a truer carom.
Great pics. Will link in my next post.
Great pics. Will link in my next post.
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