"Can you take me higher?"

Just need to mention one more thing about the World Series. I can't talk too much about it because I'm still trying to process the fact that it actually happened.

I thought the Steven Tyler fiasco in Boston may have been the worst song rendition this postseason, but St. Louis definitely out did us. The guy from the band formally known as Creed??? Come on. At least Boston had a Classic Rock singer. St. Louis must have been saying "Sure Classic Rock is good, but we I bet a Christian Rock singer would be even better" ... and that's what Creed was for all of you in denial. They were Christian rock.

I know, I know, Freshman year at college I was tricked into listening to them too. Don't you feel dirty now?

My thanks

Watching the game last night was like a dream. I knew what was happening, but I kept waiting for something ridiculous to happen. In the 9th inning I thought that Keith Foulke would turn into Mariano Rivera and blow the game at any second. I thought maybe and earthquake, tornado, or volcanic eruption may stop the game from happening. I was waiting to wake up, but I never did. The Sox won the World Series.

It still sounds weird to say it out loud, and I'm still not convinced it actually happened. Maybe Steinbrenner bribed Fox to air a fake ALCS and World Series just to mess with Sox fans. Maybe it's the biggest hoax in history.

But assuming it's all true, I just want to say my thanks to the players who made this come true.

Thanks to:
Johnny Damon - For Game 7 in New York, nuff said.
Manny Ramirez - For hitting in all 14 postseason games, especially HR in WS game 3.
David Ortiz - For the most amazing clutch hitter I've ever seen. Walkoff HR game 3 ALDS, Walkoff HR game 4 ALCS (facing elimination), walkoff single game 5 ALCS (facing elimination). You're amazing.
Jason Veritek - For being the leader of this team, please come back next year.
Kevin Millar - For keeping everyone loose and relaxed. For creating the atmosphere surrounding this team.
Trot Nixon - For sticking with the Sox all this time and getting better every year. For the pine tar on the helmet fad. For your heart.
Bill Mueller - For being the first ever batting champ to bat 8th in the lineup the next year without complaining once.
Mark Belhorn - For your 3-run HR in Game 6 ALCS. That was huge.
David Roberts - Without you, the Sox wouldn't have won. That's how important your stolen base was.
The Bullpen - Deserved the MVP as much as Ortiz in the ALCS. Just an amazing performance, expecially Foulke.
Francona - For not screwing this up.
Derek Lowe - For getting the win all 3 clinchers this postseason.
Schilling - For a performance that will go down in Red Sox history. Forever to be known as the toughest pitcher to ever play the game.
Pedro - For so many memorable performances as a Red Sox. Good luck wherever you go.
Nomar - For making this all possible.

Thank you.

side note: In case you're wondering... I wore my Nixon shirt last night during the game, then slept in it, and am now wearing it at work. Yes, I love the Sox that much.

Tyler vs. Taylor

Is it just me, or was Steven Tyler's rendition of the national anthem on Sunday night absolutely terrible? I thought that he could actually sing, but it turns out I was wrong. He's just a good screamer.

On the other hand, James Taylor was excellent. The Sox should have him come back and sing every night. It was a lot better than all the country singers they've had on lately... and 100 times better than Steven Tyler.

As you can see, I'm trying to find other things to write about besides baseball, but this is a tough time of year. The Sox being up 2-0 in the world series is a once in a lifetime occurance and I'm just trying to soak it in as much as possible.

After game 7

I absolutely love the fact that the Sox are celebrating in the middle of Yankee Stadium. With all the Yankee fans watching. All of them had to shut up and let the Sox take over their stadium. Tonight the Sox owned Yankee Stadium.

It was also great to see Francona so excited. The look on his face when Pokey threw out Sierra to end the game was priceless. A mix of excitement and disbelief.

Is it just me or does John Henry remind you of George McFly.

Did anyone see the Yankee fan holding the "Not in Our House / The Curse Lives" sign? This was when the score was 9-3 Sox. You shouldn't be allowed to hold up a sign like that when your team is getting destroyed. Guess what, we are in your house and we are humiliating you. I hope this guy felt like an idiot because he sure looked like one.

Is there any question that Tim McCarver is the worst announcer ever? Between his explaination that a walk is as good as a homerun, not knowing Arroyo's name or which team he played for, and describing Belhorn's homerun as the worst sound he's ever heard. He just makes me want to pull my hair out. He's added absolutely nothing to my viewing experience except to give me something to complain about.

During game 6

I can't believe A-Sob is arguing this call. He made such a dirty play and still he has the audacity to argue the reversal.

Also, way to go New Yorkers for being the worst fans ever. Twice they've thrown stuff out on the field and caused the game to stop. Just because the call didn't go their way, which it shouldn't have originally. Credit goes to the umps for getting the calls right, shame goes to the NY fans for being assholes.

And the most credit goes to Schilling who just pitched incredibly. Was that really blood on his sock? How was this guy playing? And how did he pitch so well? Just an amazing performance.

I hope they pull this game off and go to game 7. If they win, it will be the most satisfying win in Sox history. Whose your daddy now New Yorkers? I think you've got 2 named Ortiz and Schilling.

Tuesday before game 6

I watched the first 3 games at my house in NJ. The Sox couldn't get anything going. On Sunday, I flew out to Minnesota and all of a sudden the Sox refuse to go down. So apparently the Sox need me in Minnesota for the rest of the series. I'm not one to disappoint so I'll be here till Friday. Ok, I don't really have a choice, but it's nice to believe I do.

One choice I have made, is that I've chosen to wear the same shirt that I wore on Sunday, all week. It has now become my lucky Red Sox shirt. Today is day 3 and it's already starting to get a little dirty and smelly, and no one in my class sits next to me anymore, but you can't mess with a streak.

There are 2 types of Sox fans. Those who accept their fate and those who don't. I fall into the "don't" catagory. Maybe I haven't been alive long enough to experience all the heart break of some of the older fans. Maybe I'm naive. Maybe I'm in denial, but I still believe in the Sox. I believe they can pull this off. My parents would call me foolish. They already know the Sox won't win. They'll go to the 7th game then blow it like they always do.

They are ready for disappointment, but not me. I think it can happen. I truly believe this is the year. Let's hope Schillings ankle doesn't explode tonight.

During game 5

I can't take this.

I'm as nervous as Veritek every time he flashed the knuckleball sign to Wakefield. I look like Francona rocking back and forth like he's wearing a straight jacket. I'm a nervous wreck.

Last night, the Sox almost lost 50 times, but they pulled it out. Tonight, it feels like the same thing. I keep waiting for the Yanks to hammer the nail in the coffin, but the Sox keep fighting them off.

I don't know if I can take anymore of this. I truly believe this series has taken 5 years from my life.

Sox won, this is crazy. I would say there is a good chance of a nervous breakdown at somepoint. I am mentally spent. I wouldn't be surprised if the maid [at my hotel room] walks in tomorrow and finds me catatonic on the bed. If I do go into a coma, I'd like everyone to know I am a happy man. This series has been an absolute joy to watch and I don't even care what happens tomorrow.

and hell froze over

You may have noticed that I didn't post anything during the Red Sox historic comeback against the Yankees. I have 3 reasons:

1. I was not chancing any kind of jinx. I'm not a very superstitous person, but when we are talking about the Red Sox, anything goes.

2. I was in Minnesota. The Marriott was charging 5 bucks for me to use the Internet for 15 minutes. Ridiculous.

and finally...

3. I couldn't think straight. Games 4 and 5 were so emotionally draining, I'm amazed I even made it home.

However, I did write some stuff down before, during, and after the games which I will post individually.

One more thing. I'd just like to remind everybody that I predicted the Sox to make the comeback. Just read my previous post. I was wrong about 2 things though. Schilling came back in game 6 instead of 7, and this comment was way off, "the Sox relief pitching could not possibly hold off the Yanks for 6+ innings." I will stick my foot in my mouth for that one.

Just in case you don't want to read my last post, here is what I said:

"Anyway, I've been thinking and this all makes since. The Sox never make anything easy. If the Sox are ever going to win a World Series, they've got to do it in style. Nothing would be greater than to be the first team ever to come back from a 0 to 3 game deficit.

So that is my prediction. The Sox will rally back after tonight. They finally started hitting the ball so hopefully the rest will fall in place. Schilling will come back for game 7 and shut down the Yanks.

It will happen."

At least we never lost 22-0

Tonight was just ugly. I'm watching the game right now. It's 17 to 8 in the 8th inning. What happened to Arroyo? He pitched 60+ pitches and did not get 1 ball past the Yankee hitters. I'm not kidding. The Yankees did not miss one pitch that they swung at. Of course, once Arroyo was gone, the Sox relief pitching could not possibly hold off the Yanks for 6+ innings.

Anyway, I've been thinking and this all makes since. The Sox never make anything easy. If the Sox are ever going to win a World Series, they've got to do it in style. Nothing would be greater than to be the first team ever to come back from a 0 to 3 game deficit.

So that is my prediction. The Sox will rally back after tonight. They finally started hitting the ball so hopefully the rest will fall in place. Schilling will come back for game 7 and shut down the Yanks.

It will happen.

side note: Yes, I know I sound like an idiot. I'm a Red Sox fan.

Kennebec River rafting pic

Finally got some pictures back from the rafting trip up to Maine this summer. Does it look like we are having a good time? r

What a day

The Sox are down 2 games to none, I've gotten 5 and 1/2 hours of sleep each of the last 2 nights, I'm swamped at work, I'm not feeling well, I've got an exam tonight, we have no water in the office (no water means no bathroom), I had to work through lunch, my coffee is cold...

Ok, just had to get that off my chest. Today has just sucked big time. How do I have time to write a post today? Well, I don't really. I just needed to take a break.

Ok, time to finish off my day from hell.

and the pressure builds

Well, the Sox just lost game 2. But that's not what's upsetting me at the moment. I was watching the game with 4 Sox fans and 1 Yankee fan. What really made me mad was in the bottom of the ninth with 2 outs, the Yankee fan (yes Joe, I mean you) stood up and started chanting "Whose your daddy". Was this necessary? You've already won the game, do you need to rub in in our faces?

I really thought this deserved a punch in the face. I'm not kidding. If anybody in the room got up and hit him in the face, I would have said it was justified. Of course I would never do it because I'm too much of a wuss.

I know this is why sports sometimes get out of hand. People take things too personally and tend to get violent. But this was a personal attack. He wasn't taunting the Sox, he was taunting us and our dignity (which we had very little of at that moment). So thanks a lot Joe, you were a real jerk tonight.

Anyway, Pedro pitched well. It's kind of hard to win when you don't hit the ball. I like Arroyo pitching Friday in Boston so maybe we can turn the series around. Plus the last time we saw Brown we nailed him. I know he was rehabing, but you've got to still like our odds.

I know what you're thinking, but come on. This is Redsox baseball. Nothing is easy and you have to expect this to go 7 games. It will all come down to game 7 at Yankee Stadium to decide who's going to the World Series, and that's an offical prediction.

Let's go Pedro!

3 words that make FOX the worst network to show any baseball playoff series: Star Wars Theme. Nuff said.

Well last night was disappointing. Lots of things went wrong so there's no one single person to blame. Take a look at The Sports Guy's running diary during the game (link on the right column of my page). He noticed a lot of the same things I did, like the fact that Tim McCarver doesn't know Bronson Arroyo's name, or which team Arroyo plays for.

Anyway, I'm feeling lucky today. I got up this morning and decided to wear my lucky Morse High baseball shirt. Although we weren't that good, I still consider the shirt lucky. Then while playing Hearts at lunch, I was down 90 to 8. Somehow managed a comback and shot the moon twice in a row to win the game. I'm just feeling lucky, that's all I'm saying.

So Pedro takes the mound tonight and I've got confidence in him. Although the last time Lieber pitched against the Sox, I sat in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium and was verbally and emotionally abused. Verbally by the 100's of Yankee fans who hated my guts, and emotionally by Lieber who pitched about 6 no-hit innings. I still think that tonight belongs to the Sox, Pedro especially. I have a feeling he's going to do something special tonight.

Well, just had to get that out there. We'll see what happens.

Also, what's up with the 8:00pm games? All season the night games started at 7:00, now they're an hour later. Just makes me have 1 less hour of sleep, which makes me have a worse day at work, which makes me not study for my test tomorrow, which makes me... you get the picture.

Here we go again

Tonight is the first game of the ALCS between the Sox and the Yanks. I couldn't be more excited. This is what I've been waiting for all year.

I could have cared less if the Sox played the Yankees in order to get to the World Series. Some people are saying that it wouldn't be as meaningful if we had to play the Twins instead. I think that is stupid. It doesn't matter who the Sox play. If they played the Twins, then they would beat the team that beat the Yankees. That means just as much. A win's a win.

That being said, we now have the makings of the next historic Sox/Yanks postseason meeting. Anything will be possible during this series (bench clearing brawls, 9th inning comebacks, no-hitters, unexplainable acts of God, etc...). These two teams absolutely hate each other, which means emtions will be flairing. It will be intense, an emotional roller-coaster. I can't wait. I don't care if the games last past midnight, I'm staying up to watch every one (except for when I'm on a plane to Minnesota... damn government training!). I'm not missing a thing. This is why I love baseball.

My favorite quote this week

Ok, I finally realized that I'm too lazy to search around for a good quote every week. So I'm just going to post them when they fall into my lap. Here's a good one.

"I'm not sure I can think of any scenario more enjoyable than making 55,000 people from New York shut up,"
-Curt Shilling

Did everyone know that Tom Gordon got shot in the eye with a champagne cork after the Yanks won the ALDS? I just found this out today. Talk about a money shot.

Movie Reviews

Well, here are some of the movies I've seen recently. Some were really bad, some were really good:

Shawn of the Dead: B+
I thought this movie was hilarious. Not quite Old School funny, but it was unique and definitely re-watchable.

The Punisher: C+
I was entertained. Not necessarily an intellectual thriller, but when you have a cool good/bad lead character who kills lots of bad guys in creative ways, you get entertainment.

Dickie Roberts: D-
The only reason I didn't give this movie an F was because there were a couple of partially funny scenes.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: A-
I really enjoyed this movie. I liked how it was put together and Jim Carey pulled off a great performance. "Sand is overrated. It's just a bunch of small rocks."

Cell phone safety

My cell phone was working great for about a year. Once it had it's first birthday, it just decided to start sucking. Anybody else have this problem?

It's a Verizon LG phone. I never get signal anymore and the battery rarely lasts more than half a day.

Any suggestions on better phones for the NJ area? I need help and I now hate Verizon (but I'm stuck with them for another year).

Also, did anybody else hear the report that said you shouldn't keep your cell phone in your pocket anymore? Apparently it's not good for men because the phone's antenna is emitting RF signals, which creates an electro-magnetic field, which is not something you want near your balls.

Just trying to help.

Too early to be at work

Just a few random comments from me today.

How awesome is it that the Daily Show audience was found to be smarter than the O'Reilly Factor audience? I think this is hilarious. Educated people find more entertainment value in fake news than they do in O'Reilly's show.

Also, did anyone hear Stern the other day when they played the clip from O'Reilly's show? One of Stern's listeners wrote the show and signed the note "Jack Mehoffer". O'Reilly said the name multiple times, just proving the intelligence level of his show.

What was Ron Gardenhire thinking last night? Honestly, he screwed the Twins possibly for the rest of the series. Nathan should not have pitched the 12th. He should definitely have come out after his first walk, and I couldn't believe it when he didn't come out after his second walk in a row. You can't give the Yankees baserunners in extra innings, you just can't. Now the Twins probably can't use Nathan on Friday so they better hope Kevin Brown's arm comes flying off like it did against his last game against the Sox, or else the Twins are in trouble.

At least the Yanks didn't cover the spread. Which means anybody who put money on the Yankees, is a little bit poorer this morning. (this comment is for one person in particular)... which brings me to...

If you are a Redsox fan, it should be illegal for you to bet on the Yankees. One of my roommates (left unnamed) did this last night. I felt completely betrayed. I couldn't watch the game with him because he was actually cheering for the Yanks. I then realized that he is not a true Redsox fan. A true Redsox fan would NEVER root for the Yankees.

I haven't gone to bed before 1:30 all week. This is not cool since I start work at 7:00. I'm running on empty right now. I feel like Pedro any time he's left in to pitch the 8th... wait for it...

...thank god Francona didn't leave Pedro in to pitch the 8th last night! The Sox relievers handled the Halo's easily and swiped game two at Angels stadium. It's got to hurt to lose the first two games at home. I think Arroyo has a great chance to end the series on Friday.

Ok, I badly need a cup of coffee.

Be not so fearful

I saw Wilco last night in NYC. I finally got someone to go with me (thanks Justin). The show was awesome! I'm so glad that my tickets didn't sell on Ebay.

The set was great. They played almost the entire "A Ghost is Born" album. Also some other greats like "Shot in the Arm", "Jesus, Etc." and "I am Trying to Break Your Heart".

I was impressed that they did 4 encore songs, including the best version of "Kingpin" I've ever heard. However, I was slightly disappointed when they ended with 2 new songs (The Late Greats and I'm a Wheel). Imagine my suprise when they came out for a second encore! They played 4 more songs for a total of 8 encore songs! Simply amazing.

The second encore was the best part of the night. "Passenger Side", "California Stars", "War on War", and "Be Not so Fearful". I was pumped when they played BNSF because I had never heard it played with the entire band before. It's a really chill song. It was a perfect way to end the night.

My favorite quote from Tweedy was before "War on War", when he said:

"I hope everyone is going to vote this year, and if you do vote, I hope you consider NOT voting for Bush... (huge crowd applause)... and if you do want to vote for Bush, you should do some serious research first. If you still want to vote for Bush, then you need therapy." (even bigger applause)

after "War on War", Tweedy then says:

"One more thing. Don't let fear decide your vote for you. Have your own voice." As he then begins to sing "Be Not so Fearful".

It was such an awesome concert, I can't wait to see them again. I've seen them in Boston and NYC, my next goal is to see them in Chicago because I bet that would be a crazy show. I know that they just released an album this summer, but I can't wait for the next one. Wilco keeps getting better after every album.

Stern's bad move

While I was spending two weeks in California, compliments of the US Government, I had the pleasure of trying out Sirius Satellite radio in my rent-a-car.

I can honestly say that if you spend a decent amount of time in your car, then don't get Sirius Radio. They play the same songs over and over again. I truely believe that each station only has 20 to 30 songs that they keep repeating. In 11 days, I heard Dashboard Confessionals "Vindicated" 4 times, Cake's "No Phone" at least 5 times, and I lost track of how many times I heard Taking Back Sunday's newest single (I forgot the name of it).

The only thing decent was the comedy station which had some funny stuff, but I also heard some of the same comedy bits multiple times. Also, the comedy stations have commercials! I thought satellite radio was commercial free... well, it's not.

So Howard Stern announced today that he will be moving to Sirius when he finished the last 15 months of his contract. This was a terrible move. He definitely should have gone to XM which is 100% commercial free. I was considering purchasing XM radio if Stern moved there, but I refuse to buy Sirius, because it sucks.

The great eye of Ryan

I can't wait for the playoffs to start so I can watch my friends cry as the Redsox win the ALCS. It's going to be my favorite moment of 2004.

I need to mention that at the beginning of the season, I predicted the records for the top AL teams. Here were my predictions: Redsox 98-64, Anaheim 93-69, Yankees 97-65.

For anyone who cares, I was off by 4 games for the Yanks, 1 game for the Angels, and dead on for the Sox. I must be psychic. Now if I could only prove it. I guess I should start posting my predictions.

How about this one. Patriots(14-2) vs. Seahawks(12-4) in the Superbowl. I have a prediction for the Pats first loss, but I refuse to write it down because I'll jinx them.

What are the chances?

I've been to 3 baseball games this year. During those 3 games, I got to see 2 different people tie the major league record for most hits in a 9 inning game.

How many times did this happen this year? Twice, and I saw them both. One took place in New York, the other California. What are the chances that I could witness both of these performances? It must be something unfathomable (I probably spelled that wrong). Not to meantion I also saw the worst shutout/loss in Yankee history (sorry but I love to mention that one).

Maybe I should start playing the lottery.

I'm back

Well, I'm finally back in New Jersey. There are a bunch of things I want to say, but I'm not going to put them all in one long boring post. I'm planning on spreading my california experience over the next week or so. This is my feable attempt at making my blog slightly less boring.

So to start off, I'm going to talk about the very end of my trip: the plane ride home. It was horrible. Ok, horrible might be an exaggeration, but it was not fun. Here is why:

The little old lady to my left would not stop talking to me. It didn't matter if I had my headphones on watching a movie, or listening to a CD, or trying to read my book. The lady would not shut up. I learned about how she hate Mexicans. Not because she's prejudiced, but because she's "experienced it" first hand. Yeah, I don't know what that means either. She did not stop complaining about Mexicans the whole trip. All of her stories would end with another reason why she hates Mexicans. This lady was scaring me.

The guy to my right wasn't as bad, but was still annoying. He had his legs spread out so he was taking up the majority of my space. Also, he was laughing so hard during the showing of "Dodgeball" that he was shaking our whole seat. Come on man, Dodgeball was funny, but not that funny.

And when these two people talked to each other, all they talked about was how they hated John Kerry and how Bush was a saint. It was driving me nuts. The guy was reading a book by The Swift Boat Veterans. I asked him, wasn't that the group that lied about Kerry on national television... he just ignored me.

I TiVo'd the debate and watched it when I got home. Kerry impressed me. I wasn't sure how well he would do, but I think he did a very good job. Some of my doubts about him (yes I had some) seemed to disappear. On the other hand, I thought Bush was unimpressive.

Ok, I'm probably going to see "Shawn of the Dead" tonight so maybe I'll write about that later. Is it just me, or does this movie look hilarious?