We've Got Cabin Fever...It's Burning In Our Brain

We've been snowed in for almost a week now. Not Boston-level snowed in by any stretch of the imagination, but snowed in for us, which basically means 4" of snow, some ice, and Hoth-level temperatures for the rest of the week. Which means I haven't been in school all week. 

So let me go over a few things I haven't talked about on my hiatus. First off, can we just celebrate for a moment the fact that the Patriots are SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS?????

I'm done!!! That was such an AWESOME moment. I literally fell on the floor (I was at a party, people can vouch for this).

And I heard the best Boston sports question EVER the week after the Super Bowl:

If you walked into a bar and Malcolm Butler and Dave Roberts were both there and you only have enough money to buy one of them a drink, who do you buy for?

Ug. I can't even decide. Butler put to rest so many demons...Spygate, 2007, 2011...but Dave Roberts's steal basically started off the chain reaction that put to rest 86 years of nonsense for the Red Sox. Too hard. Can't do it.

Speaking of the Red Sox, it's SPRING TRAINING! It's HERE! PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORTED TODAY! BASEBALL SEASON IS STARTED!!!!!!

I'm so stinking excited. Not only because I love baseball (seriously...love it) but because it's like the heralding of spring. It means that all this stupid winter stuff is going to melt away and the temperatures will warm up (it's a balmy 18 degrees right now...) and we can pull out the spring clothes and get ready for that magical time known as SUMMER.

I can't even...

So on to another topic. I've had a lot of time this snow break to work on finances. Dave Ramsey. So fun. It's in the book a little, but I didn't realize how absolutely irritating the, let's just call them "DR Doldrums" are. I'm almost done with my first debt (yay!) and then I'll start snowballing the next debt. And I see the light way, way, way at the end of the tunnel but right now all I keep thinking is "AM I EVER GOING TO HAVE ANY MONEY AGAIN?". 

I know. I know. Stick to the plan. It's going to work out if you stick to the plan. It's like loosing weight. It sucks while you're doing it, and you may not see progress ALL the time, but the end is worth all the work and sweat and healthy eating. 

I'm going with the mantra I have been learning to apply to everything: Jesus take the wheel.

Right now I'm discouraged, right now I don't want to snowball my debts, I want to go to Hawaii and buy new spring clothes and shop and go out more. But that's not how this works. That's what got me into this mess, and stopping all those behaviors is what will get me out. 

It's exactly like loosing weight. I had to change the way I ate, completely, before I could really start to lose (30 lbs so far! and continuing) So with my finances I have to change the way I think and the way I do things. And once that first debt is gone, it'll feel really good and I will get that adrenaline boost, similar to the one you get from losing 5 lbs. And then I'll feel more ready to tackle the next debt and it will snowball, but right now I still have the debt, I have lots of things coming up I need to pay for, and I'm in the DR Doldrums. I'll just have to keep watching highlights of Super Bowl XLIX and see pictures from Spring Training to help motivate me. Because if I ever want to GO to spring training or buy Patriots things again, I have to get my brain in a better financial place. 

Jesus take the wheel, cause I'm gonna crash if I drive. And just so I don't end this blog on a low note, here's Tom Brady jumping up and down in reaction to the Butler interception (what was Carroll thinking????)

Shopping Secrets and #RE2PECT

As a Red Sox fan, I hate all things Yankee. Seriously. Hate it. With one exception: Derek Jeter. 

Jeter, you will be missed. As much as it hurts me to say that, you will be missed. Quick...I have to compensate for leading off this blog with a picture of a YANKEE...

okay. I feel better. phew. 

Sorry. It's hard for a die hahd Sawx girl to talk about anyone who plays in pinstripes, even if he is completely respectable and an asset to the game. 

Speaking of baseball, despite my opinion that the All-Star game (hereafter abbreviated ASG) is completely overrated and ridiculous, it's still baseball and I'm still gonna watch. Also speaking of baseball, I'm finally going to a game this season! Yay! 

No, the Red Sox aren't playing. I'm going to see the Nats and Brewers. I have never seen the Brewers play before so this should be fun. I like Nat's Park too. You can take the metro right to it and there is something fun about riding on public transportation when everyone is going to same place and it's a fun place. It gives you a sense of camaraderie. 

Moving on from sports to my other love, shoes. I have a secret for you ladies, especially if you have a size 7.5 or smaller foot. The BEST place to get cute shoes at a low price is Dress Barn Women. Some Dress Barns are combined, misses sizes and women's sizes, but some are separate. So Dress Barn Women sells the plus size clothes. Most of the women who shop there , many of them are very tall, which means their foot size is larger. So that means all their clearance shoes are size 6, 6.5, 7, and 7.5 with a handful of larger sizes. When my mom said she was thinking about going there today because she had a coupon my response was this:

And good thing too. Ten minutes later, I was walking out of the store with a pair of green flats studded with gold squares and a pair of subtle cowboy booties. My total? $16.00.

That's right. TWO pairs of shoes for $16.00. That's $8.00 a pair. You can't really beat that. And to top it off, Dress Barn actually sells nice, fairly comfortable shoes. So remember this ladies: if you have tiny feet, check the clearance shoes at the plus size stores. And I'm actually pretty sure the opposite works too. 

So if I don't blog again until I get back, sorry. I'm just...

I really need to lay off the coffee. And the gifs. :/ 

Peace :)

Relevantly Irrelevant

The MLB All-Star game is upon us!!!! Cue the excitement! Cue the music! Break out the beer and snacks!

Or not. 

Can we just discuss how completely ridiculous and irrelevant this game is? But because it's got post-season implications, it is actually relevant? Forgetting that fact that the players are voted their by the FANS who are by their very definition BIASED (and despite what any of them say, they are all huge homers ), this game is useless! I am not a fan of the All-Star game because in EVERY. OTHER. SPORT. the all-star game is an exhibition. It's fun. It means nothing.

But no. Baseball has to make this game "relevant". So now we sit through an exhibition game and have to care because whichever side wins gets HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE for the World Series. Which if anyone is counting, the NL is winning 43-39 all time in All-Star games but in the last 20 years, it's 13-6 in favor of the AL with 1 tie. 

I'm sorry. The team with the best record should get home field advantage, AL or NL. That's how they do NBA, NHL...and the NFL playoffs do the same thing (NFL has only one game at a neutral site for the championship, thus it is hard to compare it to baseball). 

Will I watch? Probably. It's hard not to when you are a sports fan and there is LITERALLY nothing else on. And I don't watch a whole lot of TV anymore (gee, thanks grad school!) so many times, especially in the summer, sports are the only reason to turn on the tube.

The interwebs on the other hand...

So I tried, really tried, to hold off on watching Emma Approved. I mean, the Lizzie Bennet Diaries were like my biggest form of procrastination the whole time I was getting my Master's degree. I was actually glad it was over before student teaching. And I refused to start Emma Approved until I graduated and got a job. Well, still no job but I did start (and catch up on) Emma Approved the other day and can I just say: It is FANTASTIC! 


Not only because of these two: 

Emma Woodhouse and Alex Knightley played by Joanna Sotomura and Brent Bailey

But because they are adorable. See exhibits A, and B: 

It also doesn't hurt that Emma is one of my all time favorite novels with my hands down favorite leading man, ever. He's always been one of my favorites. I love Jonny Lee Miller in the 2009 Masterpiece Classic Emma. He's the long-suffering, sensible best friend who is adorably awkward. Bailey's Knightley is less awkward, more adorable, and is subsequently dubbed "Snarky Knightley" during the show by Emma because he is. Very snarky. Adorably snarky. I LOVE it. I didn't think it was possible, but I believe I like Mr. Knightley even more now... 

So yeah. I guess check out the All Star game and DEFINITELY check out Emma Approved and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (if you haven't already)

Also, starting something new: book of the week. I'm reading Zorro by Isabel Allende. 

I've read the original (Curse of Capistrano by Johnston McCulley) and loved the Disney series (the one that came out in 1957. I loved watching the reruns of that as a kid) and the movies. So far the book is a bit...off beat. Not bad, but the narrator definitely has an agenda, which I don't mind but I haven't really gotten to any action yet. I'll keep you posted. 

Adios!

The 4-3, the 3-4 and 34

Okay, if you have been following the Patriots at all this week you'd realize they were snapping up DEs and DTs like nobody's business. All of a sudden, the Hoody (Bill Belichick) is seemingly switching to a 4-3, considering they took less than 5% of all defensive snaps from the 4-3 since 2008 that's pretty ding dang dong ridiculous.

And at the risk of sounding like the homer I am, I have to say "all hail the Hoody".

Think about it. The Patriots played 3-4 for years. They didn't do 4-3. Period. So all these offense packages that teams have been dreaming up during the lockout, and you know they were working on those, to go against the Patriots D are all out the window now because to be honest no one really knows what they are going to do.

Okay now that I have everyone thoroughly confused, here's the deal with the different types of defense. I'll go over the major differences because if I start having to get into the coverage guys...it'll make your head spin. We'll start by explaining the personnel.

Linemen: these are the big guys. In a 3-4 defense, there are 3 lineman: a nose tackle (the biggest and strongest) and two defensive ends (DE) who are on either "end" of the three man line. In the 4-3 defense, there are four linemen. The two big dudes in the middle are called defensive tackles (DT) and are usually referred to as the "left" or "right" DT. Pretty self-explanatory.

Linebackers: they do exactly what their name suggests. The stand in back of the line. These guys are a little smaller and a little faster. In the 3-4 defense, you have four linebackers and they concentrate more on stopping the run and confusing the passer (the quarterback). In the 4-3, there are only three linebackers. Linebackers have several names:

Inside Linebacker (ILB) AKA Middle Linebacker (MLB) AKA "Mike". These are your guys in the middle of the line of linebackers. This is your boss of the defense, usually the guy yelling to his teammates what the QB is about to do or if a blitz has been called, etc. These guys have to do it all, they have to spy on the quarterback, tackle, block runs up the middle, blitz, or drop back into pass coverage depending on the situation.

Outside Linebacker (OLB) The outside linebacker stands on either end of the line of linebackers. They come in two varieties:
Strongside Linebacker AKA "Sam". These are your big strong guys in terms of linebackers. They line up on the strong side,
which is the side with the most offensive players.

Weakside Linebackers AKA "Will". These are your most mobile and your fastest linebackers. They line up on the side with
the least offensive players and often have to drop back into pass coverage.


Now that you know who everyone is, here is how those defenses work.

The 3-4
In the 3-4 you have 3 linemen, they consist of one Nose tackle and 2 DEs. Behind them you have 4 linebackers. This is a defense used by the Steelers, Jets, Dolphins, Redskins, Cowboys and several other teams. This seems to be the "trendy" defensive style at the moment,


The 4-3
In the 4-3, you have 4 linemen. A left DT and a right DT and two DEs. Behind them are 3 linebackers. Currently the Colts, Eagles, Lions and several other teams favor this style of defense.


Now, just because a team prefers one over the other doesn't mean that is the only defense they do. But count the players when they line up at the line of scrimmage (where the ball is) and you'll be able to make a good guess at what style of defense they are lining up in.

Back to the Patriots. So why are they changing things up when the rest of the league seems to be going the other way? Why not? If this season has taught me anything so far it is that you can never trust Bill Belichick to do what is expected. Watching them and the Eagles this pre-season, I keep wondering where they are getting all this money from. The Patriots like to get good deals for their players but they've always stayed closer to the cap than the stingier teams. And now they are switching the defense all up and have all these new faces I don't know what the team will look like come Thursday when they take on the Jags for the first preseason game of the year. Football (for real) is ALMOST HERE!

You know what, I might even watch the whole preseason game because I'm so starved for football that I don't care if I have no idea who is playing and the JV team is out there. It's football and it's back.

Switching sports for a moment. I'd like to add something about my very favorite #34 since we've been talking about 3-4 and 4-3. David Ortiz had a monster night against the Twinkies (Min Twins) tonight. 4-5 with 3 RBIs and just a triple short of the cycle is no laughing matter, especially since the team arrived in Minnesota around 5 PM due to an extremely late marathon against the Yankees. Papi has been slumping a little since the break, but seems to be coming out of it with a great night tonight and some solid ABs against the Yankees.

Schedule for the week:

Sox vs. Twins 8/9 and 8/10

Sox vs. Mariners 8/12-8/14

Patriots vs. Jags 8/11

Now if only I didn't have finals, this would be a fantastic week. I gotta go dig out my jerseys because FOOTBALL IS BACK!

Special Teams, Special Win

I've seen a lot of MNF games in my life, and a lot of Patriots MNF games. I've seen great defenses, better offenses, and pretty good special teams. But I have never seen anything like what happened on Monday night.

The Patriots set an NFL record for scoring a touchdown 5 different ways:

1. Brandon Tate kickoff returned for a touchdown (start of the second half)
2. Patrick Chung blocks a punt with 13:32 remaining in the 3rd quarter, which leads to a BenJarvis Green-Ellis rushing touchdown with 12:50 to play in the 3rd.
3. Tom Brady threw to Danny Woodhead for 11 yards and a touchdown with 4:09 left in the 3rd.
4. Patrick Chung blocks a field goal attempt and Kyle Arrington picks the ball up and scores with 14:16 left in the game
5. Brandon Marshall doesn't commit to his route which leads to Chad Henne throwing the ball right to Patrick Chung who promptly runs the ball 35 yards for a pick-6 touchdown.

Actually, that's pretty much the only ways you can score a touchdown, the only one missing was a punt return.

By the way, Rob Ninkovich is the honorary Yeti of The Week for stopping two Miami drives with his first and second interceptions of his career. Chad Henne will be seeing number 50 in his sleep this week.

Also, kudos to Randy Moss. He didn't see a lot of action this week, but his presence on the field opened things up for the running game, the tight ends and the slot receivers. (PS...please don't trade him!)

Tom Brady also won his 100th game of his career, 7 games faster than any other quarterback, the next quickest being Dan Marino at 138 games, in the Superbowl Era (yes, that includes Peyton Manning, it took him 154 games). In fact, only two coach-quarterback combinations have more wins together than Brady and Belichick, and if they stay together for the next two years, they will easily surpass that number.

But the offense was not really the story on Monday. It seems the thing missing last year was Rodney Harrison. Not necisarily him, personally, but his ability to get the team feeling like they were being disrespected, overlooked, and underappreciated by everyone else. For the first time in a while, that team looked around the locker room and knew that all they had was each other. If you don't think that's a powerful thing, you haven't seen the difference between a team gelling on defense and a team not gelling on defense.

It's night and day.

This time the lack of respect was brought up by the Hood Man himself. In the Patriots weekly newspaper, they post the "expert" picks from around the NFL. None of the experts picked New England, and most of them were down on the young defense, calling them the worst pass defense in the league. Bill Belichik thought it appropriate to share that with his team, and most of them did not appreciate the lack of faith from the leagues "experts".

Yes, the defense needs work, but its hardly the worst in the league. The defense is young, and with that youth comes the propensity to make mistakes. Without veteran leadership from guys like Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi, who are, admittedly, the one-in-a-million type guys who lead without trying, some of the young guys fall apart when they make mistakes instead of fighting back.

This Patriots defense fought back, and fought back hard.

The first half wasn't pretty. In fact, Miami would have scored another two touchdowns if it weren't for Rob Ninkovich. But Ninkovich was prepared, he knew the routes Miami was running, and it paid off. So despite the fact that they gave up 400 yards, they only gave up 14 points. And I'll take that any day. When they needed stops, they got them, and as such looked much, much better then they had the previous two weeks.

Which is good, because you can't give up thirty points to Buffalo and have people take you seriously as a defense. But I was really impressed at how everyone stepped up their game this week. Mayo seemed to be all over the field, making tackles left and right, Banta-Cain got some good pressure in Henne, Patrick Chung made some outstanding plays and so did Rob Ninkovich.

The most important improvement from the defense this week was confidence. When the game was close, they held it together. They shut down the Dolphins and kept them down. And confidence can be built on. Now they know they have this sort of game in them, now they have a huge chip on their shoulder by being doubted so completely, now they are playing as a team.

Bill Belichick needs to take a page out of Doc River's book and have his defense working on Ubuntu. It means "I am what I am because of who we all are". It is the Celtics mantra, and what helps them remember that individuals do not win games, teams do.

So I am heading into the bye week with hope. Hope for the Patriots, and hope for that young defense.

And since the Red Sox are officially out, I'm going with my hometown boy Mike Cuddyer and saying "GO TWINS!". This could also stem from a hatred of the Rays, dislike of the Texans, and a burning, intense hatred for the Skankees.

The Beasts of the East: Who Wins Baseball's Best Divisions?

It seems like everyone is making their picks for who wins the AL East, I'm going to take it one step further and look at both the AL and NL East, arguably baseball's best divisions.

Lets start in the National League. The East is a powerful division, will the defending World Champion Phillies again take the top spot? Will the Mets suffer another late-season collapse? Can the Marlins overtake them both? Will the Nats actually look good this year? Barring major injuries and some fluky miracle season, here are my picks for the NL East:

1. New York Mets (2008: 89-73, 3 GB) Here's why: K-Rod and JJ Putz should ease the Mets' bullpen woes, somewhat. It will at least keep them from hemorrhaging so much at the end of games. They have a good offense anchored by Wright, Reyes, and Beltran, the Mets should be able to make the playoffs this year. If they don't, I give up, they must be cursed.
2. Philadelphia Phillies (2008: 92-10, WS Champs) They kept most of their World Series winning team together, backed by a great offense with players like Utley, Howard, Victorino, and Rollins. However, the injury bug tends to bite hard the year after winning it all (look at the Red Sox from last year: same team, new injuries). Look for the Wildcard to come from the East this year.
   
3. Florida Marlins (2008: 84-77, 7 1/2 GB) The Marlin's are a good young team on a tight budget, and could surprise everyone and take over the East this season. With Hanley Ramirez and excellent pitching, the Marlins are a force to be reckoned with. Look for them to hang around and make life miserable for the Mets and Phillies.
   
4. Atlanta Braves (2008: 72-90, 20 GB) Atlanta made some good moves in the off-season, with good pitching additions, but a weak offense will have them trailing the Mets, Phils, and Marlins this year. They are young, so look for the Braves to start contending more in a year or so.
   
5. Washington Nationals (2008: 59-102, 32 1/2 GB) The Nats are young. I wouldn't look for them to be great this year, but I would expect a better season than 2008. They'll still come in at the bottom of the NL East, but with a much better record.

Now on to baseball's toughest division. The AL East has appeared in the World Series 54 times out of 104 series. Of those 54 appearances, they have won the World Series 38 times. That's a pretty impressive division, and its only getting tougher. Here are my (mostly) unbiased picks.

1. Boston Red Sox (2008: 95-67, 2 GB, Wildcard) Boston made a few little moves in the offseason that will have a very big impact. "Bargain" additions of Smoltz, Penny, Saito, and Tazawa make a descent bull pen and good pitching staff into a phenomenal pitching staff with a lights-out 'pen. They have a few young guys to watch, both on the field and on the mound, and have several key players returning from injury in Lowell, Ortiz, and Beckett. This team came within one game of the World Series last year when they were hurt, now that everyone's back, look for them to retake the East.
2. Tampa Bay Rays (2008: 97-65, AL Champions) Everyone is still waiting to see if the Rays are "for real". They are. The addition of Pat Burrell certainly helped the Rays, but they may have the same issue as the Phillies: health. In order for the Rays to compete, Troy Percival needs to stay healthy, and the pitching staff is a little lacking in depth. The key cog in the Ray's wheel is David Price. He came in and pitched well late in the season, but once there's a legitimate scouting report out on him, major league hitters will figure him out. He has to stand up to the pressure and eat up good innings. If not, the Yankees may take back the second spot, and with it the AL Wildcard spot.
3. New York Yankees (2008: 89-73, 8 GB) Why, if they spend $400 million dollars on stellar players this off-season, are the Yankees in third? Because they spent millions of dollars on a very small number of players and neglected to give themselves some depth. CC Sabathia ate up a lot of innings last year, many times on short rest. It takes longer than a few months to recover from that and puts you at risk for injury. Burnett should do okay, and the addition of Teixeira will definitely help the Yanks, but without much of a bullpen and with starters who don't always eat up innings, the Yanks may find themselves losing games late. Mariano Rivera, great closer that he is, is also approaching 40, and will start to decline.The Yanks will keep things interesting, and be competitive, making things tough for the Rays and Red Sox.
   
4. Toronto Blue Jays (2008: 86-76, 11 GB) The Jays, in any other division, would be a playoff team every year. The loss of Burnett could hurt them, but they still have Halladay and a great pitching staff. They are looking for some players to return to form and some young guys to give them a lift, but probably not enough to compete for a playoff spot because their division is so tough.
5. Baltimore Orioles (2008: 68-93, 28 1/2 GB) Though the Orioles have a young, good offense, their lack of pitching means they will again be in last place in the division. Look for them to do a little better than last year, but with a division this tough, where they have to face the Rays, Red Sox, Yankees, and Jays in 72 games this season, its going to be a difficult year.
   

News from the Weekend:

The Red Sox locked up LHP Jon Lester for 5 years, and ended talks (temporarily) with OF Jason Bay. Because of his free agent status at the end of the 2009 season and the down economy, Bay decided to wait and see what the market does. He would like to stay in Boston, but not at a cut rate when he could get more elsewhere.

Dustin Pedroia has a minor abdominal strain and will need a few days of rest before resuming baseball activities. The injury is minor and should not effect his opening day status.

The shortstop debate is over for the Red Sox, at least temporarily. Julio Lugo will have arthroscopic surgery on his knee tomorrow and will be out of opening day. Jed Lowrie will (most likely) start the season as the Red Sox shortstop.

Manny Ramirez started his spring training by being pulled from a game due to a hamstring injury. After trying to cut off a double in left field, he felt tightness in his hamstring and was pinch hit for in the bottom of the 4th inning.

Pink Hats, The Youk Fu, Some Aces and a Changeup

There's a lot to cover today, and since Spring training has officially started, we finally have news! On a funny note, Manny rejected another massively huge offer from the Dodgers. That's his fourth offer he's declined due to either: not enough money or not enough years. Really, at this point, Boras should be telling him to take anything because no one is going to pay as much as he wants for as many years as he wants because we know that Manny doesn't play unless its a contract year. Enough said.

Next on the list, the now-infamous and controversial pink hats. I've actually had several emails/comments/etc about the pink hats, either for or against. So here's the new plan: a poll. Its at the end of the article, so select your answer and we will get a clear picture of how Red Sox Nation (or any baseball fans, really) feel about the pink hats.

Moving on. A few days ago was Red Sox Photo Day. Probably one of the most ridiculous things in all of baseball, photo day never ceases to produce a few funny pictures.While we haven't seen all the pictures yet, here's the first few. We get a glimpse at the "Youk Fu" (to be explained later), we realize that the team as a whole is not particularly photogenic, and we see that Terry Francona looks a little like Ben Kinglsley. Click on the photos to seem them larger.

Here they are, from left to right, top to bottom:
Row 1: OF Jacoby Ellsbury, RHP Michael Bowden, 1B/DH David Ortiz, OF Jason Bay, RHP
Josh Beckett
Row 2: U Mark Kotsay, OF J.D. Drew, LHP Jon Lester, 3B Mike Lowell, SS Julio Lugo
Row 3: 2B Dustin Pedroia, RHP John Smoltz, RHP Brad Penny, RHP Jonathan Papelbon,
LHP Hideki Okajima
Row 4: RHP Junichi Tazawa, C Jason Varitek, RHP Tim Wakefield, 1B Kevin Youkilis,
Skipper Terry Francona

Along with being picture day, it also seemed to be father's day, with Little Papi and Little Lugo hanging out. Here are some super cute pics that made me go "awwwwwww"

Aren't they just too cute?

A few final things to address: The Youk Fu. I would try to explain, but I'll just let Kevin Youkilis do it for me.

The Youk Fu
by beisbolct


Guess the goatee is out...

Finally, lets take a look at the pitching staff. While Wake was a little rusty in his start, Beckett, Saito, Lester...they've all be sharp. Lester has even worked on his changeup a little more and if he continues to progress it through Spring training, he'll have a very dangerous pitch added to his already ace-like repertoire.

One thing you can't argue is that the Red Sox have massive depth with pitching. They have several guys who could start but will likely be in the bull pen because they don't need to start. So that makes the good bull pen even better. Then we have the consistent capstone himself in Papelbon, and I think with a pen this strong, he won't have to come in for any 5-out saves or even 4-out saves, which will keep him full of gas just a little bit longer.

What can I say, I'm excited about this season. I think they have great chemistry in the clubhouse with guys like Papi, Pedroia, Papelbon, Tek, Lowell, and Youk. They all relax and goof off in the clubhouse, but when the game is on, so are they. And I don't think we've seen the last of "Large Father" and "Pedroia Productions". I'm sure Pap's mom has a lot more embarrassing movies of her son that will make their way into the clubhouse this year.

A few final questions facing the Sox this year:
1. Will Jacoby steal his way back into America's heart by winning another free taco?
2. How much Double Bubble will Tito go through on average a game?
3. Will Pedroia attack the next person who calls him a "little guy" "jockey", etc?
4. Will the Youk Fu catch on as a national craze?

Finally, and, most importantly:

5. Will Pedroia ever beat Tito at Cribbage?

Your Pink Hat Opinion

I have no opinion. I\'m neutral. They aren\'t called the \"Pink Sox\" so why wear a pink hatNULL Real fans wear pink hats! Only for special events, like cancer awareness days They\'re okay if your a girl Other opinion.

View Results Free Myspace Poll

76 Days...

76 Days and counting.

That's how many days are between now and the season opener against Tampa Bay.

22 Days, 20 hours, and 24 minutes

That's how much time (as of this minute) there is between now and when pitchers and catchers report to Spring training. Arg! I need baseball!

Right now is like the black hole of sports. Basketball is on, yes, and Direct TV is giving us a free preview of NBA League pass (yay!) but there's no baseball, and there's no football (not that I particularly care about the teams left, but still...) I really hate the Steelers (as all good Pats fans do) and we absolutely crushed the Cardinals, so if they win the Superbowl...I'll feel a lot better about the 2008 season.

But back to baseball. So, being that there is only basketball right now, and I am suffering serious baseball withdrawl, I have been absolutely glued to MLBNetwork. This weekend, they showed the 2007 World Series, and are showing the 2007 ALCS later, I think. It was nice to watch the series again because I wasn't so nervous and I could actually enjoy the game a little more. It was almost enough to get me through the next month without the game. Almost.

Finally, for all members of Red Sox Nation who have been anxiously awaiting this moment, single season Red Sox game tickets are on sale! Yeah!

And one final, final note. I got one of the nicest Christmas presents from my Dad. He got me a framed poster-sized picture of Varitek shoving his glove into A-Rods face. Amazing!

Sox and Youk, Together Again

According to the AP (associated press) the Red Sox and Kevin Youkilis have reached a 4-year contract reportedly worth about $41 million.

So now the Red Sox have managed to sign both Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis and effectively limit their ability to seek arbitration and free agency. And Red Sox Nation heaves a sigh of relief. So now we have them both until 2012, if not longer.

This, I hope, is how the Sox are going to continue doing business. Both Youk and Pedrioa were drafted by the Red Sox, and raised in the farm system. I mean, look at the two of them! They both finished in the top of the race for MVP, which they both deserved, but I'm glad Dustin got it. Then, if you throw in Jon Lester, who is only going to get better...our farm system is looking pretty good.


Now the only hole the Sox have left is at catcher. And it's not like there's a lot of options out there, so just deal with the Prince of Darkness (aka Boras) and bring back Tek and all will be well.

Final random tid-bit, everyone's favorite Jockey, who happens to be the AL MVP, is going to be on the cover of MLB: The Show. There's no curse for that one, right?

Another random thought, I have a new obsession. The MLBNetwork. It is completely amazing. I watched highlights from the 1986 season the other night, and it was weird, because my dad always told me that he held me up to the TV during the World Series that year (I was all of a month old) and told me that I was watching the Red Sox, and that they always found a way to lose the last game that matters.

While that is no longer true, I found it really interesting to watch, since I clearly have no memory of watching it live. I haven't watched any of the re-runs from this year's World Series because I still have issues with cowbell. I'm not ready for more cowbell just yet, my ears are still ringing.

But you should check out MLBnetwork. They are airing Ken Burn's Baseball, which, if you've never seen it, its like Planet Earth, but for baseball. It's long, but they show it in segments, and it covers everything, from the curses, to the great players, the Negro leagues, the Black Sox...everything. I have really enjoyed watching it, you should look into it.

Oh Say Can You Sing? You Pick!

Okay, so I'm gonna take a little detour off of off-season baseball moves (lots of talk, not so much action at the moment) and do a little poll. We've all heard the National Anthem sung hundreds of times at major sporting events, but which times were the best? I have a list here for you to look at, submit your vote in the comments section! Two of these versions got me all kinds of choked up.



First, we have Faith Hill





Then, these little girls (ranging from ages 6-8) singing the national anthem at a Texas Tech game.






Whitney Houston at Superbowl 25





Marvin Gaye at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game





John Williams Conducting the Boston Pops World Series Game 1 2007





Christina Aguilera (at age 11) Sings at Game 2 of the Stanley Cup



Mary J Blige at the 2004 NFL Kick-off





Carrie Underwood 2007 World Series Game 3



The Backstreet Boys Singing the National Anthem at the 2008 World Series Game 1





Finally, the Crowd at a Red Sox game helping a handicapped man sing



>

Hope you all enjoyed this! I did. Nominees were chosen based on singing ability, arrangement, creativity, and pure heart. Clearly, there are several I have left off (Hendrix, etc) but these are some of my favorites.

Back to the regular baseball blogging next time.

Rockin' The House That Ruth Built

One more. That's it. Tomorrow will be the last game ever played by the biggest rivalry in the history of American sports. It is also conceivably the Yankee's last chance to get a shot at October this year. They are now seven games out of the Wild Card race, and only four head-to-head games left with the Wild Card leading Red Sox.

The AL East remains the third tightest division in baseball (not counting the wild cards). The Mets and Phillies continue their tango, the Phillies losing tonight to fall .5 games behind the Mets, with Chicago getting hammered by the O's tonight, the Twins moved to 1 game behind the ChiSox, and with a Tampa Bay win the Red Sox remain 3.5 games back on the Rays. While it is true that the Dodgers are only 3 games back on the D-Backs, Arizona has lost the past 4 and LA has lost the past 6 games. That race is going to come down to who sucks less, as both teams are hovering just above or just below .500. The streaking Cubbies have a secure 5.5 game lead on the streaking Brewers, but no one is more secure in their position than the Angels. Even if the A's beat the Angel's tonight, they will still be 19.5 games back, while the second place Texans will be a mere 15 games back on the almighty Las Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Lets talk Sox-Stripes, though.

Ponson got a little rocked and knocked out early. Ramirez and Marte held down the fort, Veras and Robertson got rocked. A game that was tied until the 5th and close at 4-2 until the 8th ended up with a score of 11-3. A solid start for Byrd, a good appearance for Delcarmen, and can we discuss what a beastly amazing team player Timlin is? He's one of those guys who just quietly does his job, acting as a great veteran presence in a mostly young 'pen.

Varitek continues to bring his batting average out of the gutter. Cora was the only Sox player not to get on base, but he hit a sac-fly, so I'm okay with that. Jason Bay was phenomenal with a triple and a double. He may not be Manny, but would Manny actually be playing as much as Bay has? Would he have as many RBIs? Would our stress levels be much higher? Pointless questions, moving on. Ellsbury had two hits tonight, in his spot at the top. Maybe he's getting used to leading off. Youk, who is having a, dare I say it, MVP year, was his normal, beastly batting self. And my boy, (I have several) Dustin Pedroia hit his first grand slam to really pound the Yanks in the 8th.

I gotta say, though I was balancing this game with Project Runway (a really interesting combination, let me tell you) I realized something. While this is historic and it's a big deal ,y ever-cynical father pointed something out to me: even in a new stadium, the Yankees will always be hanging around to screw the Red Sox over in some way. The Yankees will still be the same pinstripe-wearing, stash-growing, hair-cutting, no-name-on-the-back-of-the-jersey Bombers we are bred to despise. So no sentimentality, we will always have those stories about how Schil took the mound with a bloody sock, the 2003 disaster, the 2004 miracle, and so on, those memories will always be there. And the Yanks getting a shiny new stadium to make Steinbrenner more ridiculous sums of money just makes them more and more the Evil Empire.

Last game is tomorrow night. If there ever was a must-win for a team to keep post-season hopes alive, its tomorrow night for the Yanks.

Ehem...Aboot The Red Sox

Hello all. So, as I said in my blog last week, the Olympics have taken over my life. That, combined with the wedding I was in, moving my sister into school, getting ready for school myself, and actually attending a Red Sox game have made it difficult to find time to blog. I went to game 2 of the Sox-Os series, had great seats, and sat next to a kindred spirit. If you don't know by now, I'm a HUGE Tek fan. I jump to his defense the minute someone says something bad about him. Well, what do you know but I was sitting next to another huge Tek fan who swears the reason for his slump was because she hadn't seen him play this year. At first, I thought "yeah, right" but then the captain, in his first at-bat, ripped one to left center for a solo shot. He's hit a home run in his last three games. Even when he flew out, it wasn't a weak popper to the infield or right to the outfielder, no, it was a long, almost out of the park beauty that the O's had to chase. Hopefully he's working his way out of the slump.

Dustin got tossed from the game after having a few choice words with the Ump (mind you, the strike zone was TERRIBLE) and Tito must have come out to argue at least three or four times. But lets talk about Dustin, and if we talk about Dustin, we must mention Youk. The two of them are absolutely fierce. I mean, if Youk continues his performance he could be in talks for the MVP, which he totally deserves. (I think) They are having great at-bats now, they're hard to get out (most of the time), they hit homers, doubles, triples, sac-flies, RBIs and lots of singles. They spark rallies. They are great fielders. And the best part is, they'll be great for years to come because they're not that old (crossing fingers, praying for no injuries and/or trades).

He is just too cute!

Mikey and Drew are still out (sad face!) but Byrd looked good last night. He got rocked a little, but he got good back-up from the bats (and the lower part of the order too!) So if we have Beckett, Dice-K, Lester, Byrd and Wake (when he returns) then Colon, Masterson, Paps, Smith, Lopez, and Okajima, we'll actually have a pretty good pitching staff. (bull pen is still a little scary, but if the starters can go six or seven without getting rocked too hard, we'll manage) If we just keep that offense chugging, keep Lugo on the DL and get everybody healthy, we have a very good shot at the post-season.

A Rays collapse wouldn't hurt either. And a Twins collapse. And if the Yankees start losing even more ground, I wouldn't complain.

My boy is pitching today, so bring on the Jays!

In football news...

The Pats lost another pre-season game, reinforcing the idea that if Tommy gets hurt in the regular season, the New England Patriots are officially screwed.

Oh What A Night

Order of the day: first we'll talk baseball, then college football and then the NFL

First up: Baseball
This game was the most ridiculous, the longest, and the craziest game I have ever sat
through.

And I had to balance this while watching the oh-so-nerve-wracking gymnastics team finals (USA won a silver...they should have had gold) and Michael Phelps (who was, at least, stellar and I never doubted him) I can't handle more nights like this one.

Papi hits not one, but TWO homers in the first. We go into the second inning 10-0 against the rangers. Game over, right?

Wrong.

If anything, this game highlighted our bullpen problems and then put them under the microscope. Zink was good for three, then he got rocked. The innings between Zink and Okajima were horrible. Who has a 12-2 lead and blows it to be losing 16-15 in the eighth? Ladies and Gentlemen, our bullpen.

This was Zink's first game at the Show ever, so I am willing to forgive him and let him have another chance. He was nervous. And we made a lot of errors. That was a sloppy game. That could have been the most embarassing loss in the history of the regular season (we have had some stupid post-season losses that I will not mention here). All I gotta say is thank goodness for Youk. The beastly man struggled earlier when the Sox were hitting like an offensive machine, but came up with not one, but TWO homers in the fifth and eighth. The second of which would prove to be the game-winner.

Here's the goal for tonight: bring that same offense, but please, please, please have better defense. With the solid southpaw on the mound, I have no doubt that Lester can rebound from the loss to the ChiSox and turn in a dominant performance. Everyone will be tired, I know, but that's okay, because the Rangers had to stay up for last night's nonsense too. I told my housemate how long the game was and she said "Wow. How many innings did it go to?" and I replied "Eight and a half." That is so not normal.

Oh well, we are the Sox, and we did notch the all-important W (which is even sweeter coming off a day where the Rays snagged a beautiful L) I think the absence of Longoria is hurting them and the Sox need to capitalize on this. Perhaps the addition of Byrd (thank goodness for replacing Buchholz) will give the Sox that extra bit that they need to maybe even take back the division.

Speaking of Clay. Look, he's a young, talented pitcher, but something is not clicking. It might be something small, I mean, look at Okajima. He went from lights out to terrible, and then changed one pitch and started looking lights out again. The big boys know Clay's pitches. He's not really throwing that poorly, but he's getting hit. A lot. So maybe a little trip down to the minors and a little work on his pitches to really get in there and fool a batter and we could possibly have another ace on our hands. Call me crazy, but I have faith in the kid.

And now onto college football...

I just have one complaint to go on: I hate that Ohio State is expected to go to the BCS championship again this year. I'm so tired of seeing them ride their easy schedule to the top only to lose and/or be blown out by a better team. The BCS either needs to go to a playoff system so we can have a real national championship, or at least end the love affair with Ohio State and come up with a way to get the two best teams into the National Championship, even if they do have two losses. As a consumer (my fave team is I-AA and has no shot) who wants to watch good football, I want to see a game for the national championship, not OSU getting their butts handed to them, again.

Finally, the NFL:

Okay Ladies and Gents, football season is fast approaching, and power rankings are in. Here are mine:

• New England Patriots
• Not only am I a fan, but no one has come up with an answer for the Brady-Moss-Welker trio and with five versatile and talented backs, that offense will keep defenses guessing
• San Diego Chargers and Indianapolis Colts
• These guys are tied, mostly due to injuries. While they don't keep them out of the running for Superbowl contention, they certainly don't help.
  
• Dallas Cowboys
• Good until the end...this may be Romo's year to finally win a post-season game. Maybe.
  
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• The human bolling ball and big man tandem of Taylor and Jones-Drew is scary good
  
• Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns
• Tie, again, though the Browns may slip because of injuries. Big Ben looks great this year, and the depth of the Browns is great, not to mention they are hungry for the playoffs after being kept out last year
  
• Minnesota Vikings
• Running backs! And QB Jackson looks a lot better, so teams will have to start paying attention to him as well.
• New York Giants
• Despite being reigning champs, a few off-season losses and the dreaded superbowl
  hangover don't help much.
• Washington Redskins
• Don't laugh, Jason Campbell is the real deal, and he's only going to get better. Plus the addition of Jason Taylor will only help. And for the first time EVER the Skins have minimal injuries and no key players out at the start of the season.
• Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints
• Why a four-way tie? These four teams are the wild cards, each making some moves in the off season that might propel them to greater hieghts or they might just stay middle-of-the pack. Here's each team's various wild-cards. Green Bay: Aaron Rogers. It could go either way. As for Seattle, they've stepped up the defense, but the offense has been doing some shifting. The Eagles its all about health. If they stay healthy, they stay in contention. Problem is, when are the Eagles ever healthy? Finally, the Saints have beefed up their defense to match what is, already, a really good offense.
• Houston Texans
• Their rank would be higher, if only they weren't in the AFC South

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  
• Mostly because the only division competition they face is the New Orleans Saints, if the Bucs stay consistent, they'll probably be in the playoffs.
  

The Runners Up
(This bunch of teams probably won't make the playoffs, but they might be 8-8 or 6-10 on the season, and deserve mentioning.)

• Buffalo Bills
• Arizona Cardinals
• Denver Broncos
• Baltimore Ravens
• New York Jets
• Carolina Panthers
• Chicago Bears
• Cincinnati Bengals
• Detroit Lions
• Miami Dolphins (I think adding Pennington gave them a big boost)
  

And the Bottom of the Barrel Teams (lets just call it a "rebuilding year")

• St. Louis Rams
• Kansas City Chiefs
  
• San Fransisco 49ers
• Atlanta Falcons
• Oakland Raiders