On The Importance of Playing Wall-Ball

After a few days spent on vacation with my mom and sister (thus, sports were almost banned altogether) its good to get back into the news world. And to think, I've been missing all the minute-by-minute updates on Brett Farve!

Sportscenter:
Levy: Mort, what's happening with the Farve situation in Greenbay?
Mortison: Well, he got up to go to the bathroom, so clearly he thinks this meeting is going to go longer than he thought and he won't be able to hold it.
Levy: Any other updates? How does Aaron Rogers feel about this?
Mort: He feels that it is his turn, he thinks Brett can go to the bathroom, but how can he pee at a time like this? Aaron kind of feels like maybe Brett could be home in Mississippi using the bathroom, or in the front office.
Levy: So he's really being distracted by this whole situation, then?
Mort: If this continues, I wouldn't expect the Packers to be much of a threat this year. I mean, the Lions might actually win ten games (and Kitna might not get sacked every game), the Vikings could improve their quarterback overnight so they wouldn't have to lean on that fierce running game all season, and the Bears could have more than just an iffy defense, if they pick a quarterback that is not their number one or number two.
Levy: Well, that's all the time we have for this Sportscenter update. For baseball scores and any sports other than Farve-watching, go online to ESPN.com. Oh, and we love the Rays.

(sorry for the dabble into football, but I am SO over this Farve situation. We should be talking baseball and a little bit of pre-season football this time of year, not just about one washed-up player)

On to the Red Sox.

They look so much better. So much. Even in the loss, they were looking a lot better than they have in weeks. They seem to care about baseball again, they seem to be having some fun. Ellsbury has finally seemed to come out of his slump, Varitek has been on base more times than he's struck out in the month of August, Pedroia has struck out 4 times in the last 10 games (do we have a new Greek God of Walks?), and Youk has been settling into his new role as Manny. Seriously, when they got in a fight a few weeks back, maybe Manny transfered some of his bat-swinging mojo to Youk. He's having the season of his life, and I'm glad Tito moved him behind Papi. And Bay? Did you see the ball-rolling almost homer? Classic. And a second one for the Red Sox this year. Weird.



Tonight, Pedroia has the night off, which is not good, but well-earned, Jason Bay seems to be fitting right in and loving playing for Boston, and in other good news, the Platypus (Joba Chamberlain) is on the DL. No offense to the guy, but anything that hinders the Yankees makes me happy). Mikey and Papi seem to be OK, and Ellsbury has his wheels back. Here's to fifty stolen bags this season (hey, I can hope!)

Hey, the Olympics start Friday! Yay!

We Apologize JD Drew

Here's a little snippit from the Sports Guy after the so-called $14 million grand slam against the Indians last year, with regards to J.D. Drew: (you can read the entire column here)

For posterity's sake, I'm leaving you with a selected sampling of reader e-mails that trickled into my mailbox in the time frame immediately preceding the grand slam to a few hours after it happened. Some day, we'll be able to place this moment in proper perspective. Just not today.

(Or tomorrow. Or the day after that ...)

James R. from Chapel Hill, N.C.: J.D. Drew is up with the bases loaded and two outs. Fox should just go to commercial now to make a few extra bucks.

Emilt from West Lafayette, Ind., and Boston: OH, MY GOD!!!!! J.D. DREW JUST HIT A GRAND SLAM!!!!!!!!!! OH, MY GOD! OH, MY GOD! OH, MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ian from Tallahassee, Fla.: Is it too late to pretend we were saying, "Drewwwwwwww" all year long?

Matty from Newburyport, Mass.: I just bet my buddy $1 million that J.D. would strike out. I'm not even mad.

Michael S. from Weehawken, N.J.: Do I hear "Winter Wonderland" being played in Hell?

Zack R. from Chicago: Seriously? Are you kidding me? J.D. Drew hitting a grand slam in an important playoff game is as likely as Casey Affleck getting a starring role in a major motion picture. I don't think that just happened.

Tom from Philly: How many J.D. Drew jerseys just got ordered in Boston? Did you place your order? How awkward was the David Ortiz and Drew high-five after his grand slam? I think either that was the first time they met or the first time J.D. drove him home this season.

Matt from Malden, Mass.: FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS!

John from Charlottesville, Va.: How many more grand slams does J.D. have to hit before all is forgiven?

Andy W. from Collegeville, Pa.: And with one swing of the bat, 20 million people around this country simultaneously forgave J.D. Drew ...

Rory from Boston: Did that really just happen? I called my brother to make sure, but I need a third opinion.

Dan G. from Baltimore: Everyone is watching the Sox in their dorm rooms right now, and after J.D. Drew just hit that home run, 40 half-drunk college kids opened their doors and wandered into the hallway wondering if the world was going to end or they were more drunk that they thought. It was unbelievable.

That's from a Sports Guys World post by Bill Simmons last year. Such is the cynical Boston Sports World we live in. This is now an apology to Mr. Drew:

J.D. Drew, we love you

You are like a dream come true

For all those years we boo-ed and hissed

You had something we all missed

Now I take this time to say

How sorry we are for acting this way

You are no longer our biggest joke

(remember the Nation are emotional folk)

and we are very proud to say

That your RBI-hitting way

And all the ways you play the game

make you a Red Sox player worthy of Fame

JD Drew's been huge in the City of Brotherly Hate (how can they possibly boo JD?) and here's to a great year!