2008 ALCS Game 2: a text message retrospective

Top of first, Jason Bay 2 out 2 RBI double.

JP (to SH, NH, CH, JK, RO'D):Manny who?

SH: Exactly!

NH: What happened? Waiting on bus to take me home.

JP (to NH): Papi walked. Youk single. Bay 2 rbi double. Lowrie walked. V tek strike out. 2-0 Sox mid first.

Top of first, Jason Varitek strikes out to end the inning.

SH: Sorry, but tek sucks when not catching

JP (to SH): Omg...i totally know!

Sometime later...

NH: Gd still no bus.

EP: Sox!

Bottom of second, Evan Longoria 2 run homer.

JP (to NH): Tb just got a two run homer. Tie game. F F F

JP (to SH): Well....CRAP!

Top of third, Dustin Pedroia hits a solo homerun.

JP (to SH): Mvp!

SH: I heart him!

CH: Pedroia!

JP (to CH): Mvp!

End of third, Tampa Bay 2-run inning.

JP(to SH): Are you kidding me?

SH: I know. But lets be positive. Still early, right? They make me nervous

JP (to SH): Still early for sure! Plenty of time :)

JP (to NH): Rays lead 4-3 2 outs bot 3. Doing replays is making me angry!

EP: WTFUuuuuuuudge?

JP (to EP): We can has better pitching?

Top of fifth, Dustin Pedroia hits a solo homerun.

NH: Sweet!

(apparently made it on a bus!)

JP (to CH): Dude, I heart pedroia!

Kevin Youkilis follows with a solo homerun.

CH: Youk!

JP (to CH): I heart him too :)

Jason Bay follows with a solo homerun.

CH: I heart bay!

SH: What was that Manny? Don't worry we don't need you! We love bay. What a nerve wracking game!

Sometime in the bottom of the fifth when Beckett was giving up runs left and right.

JP (to SH): Get him out of there!

SH: I don't like this.  Too nervous

JP (to SH): Seriously...but it seems anything can happen this game!

SH: I wish you were here and we were watching the game together!  miss you.  We can still do this.

(admittedly, this was my favorite text of the whole night!)

JP (to SH): I wish I were there too!

JK (in response to my very first text): But we do need to know who beckett is

JP (to JK): Unfortunately i think we know...not good.

Top of 8th, Papi strikes out again.

JP (to SH): What happened to mr. october?

Top of 8th, Pedroia steals home on a wild pitch.

CMP: tied!!

JP (to CMP): Ya :)  Pedroia

Sox bring in Masterson.

SH: F@#$!

And then Papelbon.

JP (to SH): why paps now?  If extra innings we need him later.

Tampa Bay wins off of Mike Timlin.

phone convo between me and RO'D at the end of the game, 12:36am:

him: I saw

me: what a waste of 6 hours

him: yup

me: TIMLIN.

him: ya

me: they wasted paps

him: ya

me: I gotta sleep.

him: yes.

me: better to go to Boston 1-1 then down 2.

him: for sure.  better.

me: f@#$!

him: f@#$!

(what I love about this is, this is how it went.  I called him.  There was no "hello" and there was no "goodbye".  Just this.)

I love that dirty water

It can't go unmentioned, the excitement that was Monday night's ALDS victory. The old roomie and I discussed the state of Sox fans - new vs old, real vs. bandwagon. The new, bandwagoners, likely felt no fear on Monday. They likely sat back thinking, we'll do it, we always do it. The old, real fans. We bit our nails down to our fingers. We, of course, yelled when Masterson gave up Lester's lead. But even before that we yelled that a 2 run lead was not enough. We needed more security. We know how quickly it can all change. And it did.

I was sitting at a bar in Austin with my parents and when they brought in Manny Delcarmen (with a runner on third, the go ahead runner) I began to panic. In an attempt to lighten the mood I suggested that there be a new rule to baseball, you know to spice it up. I began proposing that the incoming pitcher could elect to remove one base-runner from a base. You know, just because. It's not always fair, the situations they have to come in to. As I was formulating my argument, it seems that V-tek was on the same wavelength as me. He managed to catch that runner on third in the sweetest pickle I've seen in a while. As the runner glanced back to watch for V-tek's throw to Youk, he realized he was much closer to Tek than he thought. he ran for third, but Tek ran faster and tagged him out - right on the bum! Awesome. Totally awesome.

And then they won. With a whole new crowd of winners. Jason Bay. Jed Lowrie. It really warms the heart of an old fan, that the new kids are so quickly and deeply entrenched in Sox history. And now we wait, the old fans, for Friday. Tampa Bay. We wait and wonder - do I have enough Tums to get through this series? Myself, I'm going to have a pre-ALCS MRI scan tomorrow, so we can monitor the development of any dangerous aneurysms. But I still say - bring it Tampa Bay. Bring it, we're totally mostly somewhat ready!

The Kickball Diaries, volume 3.

Week 4. Kitshickers vs Kick Cheney.
Game time: 5/8/2008, 9:00pm
Game Conditions: dark, but still hot.
Result: T 1-1
Record: 1-1-1

Did you think I forgot? Dropped out? Got kicked off? No! Last week, week 3, was our bye week - but we were back in action on Thursday. The game started off slow, it was a pitchers duel, 3-up 3-down save for the very first inning where Kick Cheney scored a run. It was essentially a fielder's choice, a choice CH probably would remake if he had the chance - throw home, NOT to first!

The most exciting part of the middle of the game were the round-offs that were happening in right field. Yours truly started the trend, RO'D joined in at first. I even managed one Round-off out of the CF, and the LF.

My highlight came sometime in the middle, amongst the round-offs, when RO'D moved closer to home from first, because a girl was at bat (we know how I feel about this mentality - as I said loudly, 'She could be a powerhouse!') She wasn't. RO'D ran up to get the ball, and I slid in to first base, yelling "I'm here!" RO'D grabbed the ball and lobbed it back to the bag, where I was waiting, arms open. I caught the ball and made the inning ending out! It was AWESOME! I felt like hero. I had no idea what to do with the ball that was still in my hands.

It was the ninth inning (ok, really the 7th, we only play 7 - so it's the same sentiment as the 9th) and we were down 1-0. 2 outs. CH, who has pitched a tight tight game, but also responsible for the only run scored so far, is up. He wails one - and we all start jumping. RO'D runs over to be third base coach, I run up the first base line along side CH screaming, GO GO GO! RO'D is yelling, we're all jumping. CH rounds second, rounds third. He seemed to stop and hesitate - but we were all just yelling. So, he turned it up. Play at the plate....SAFE! It's a 1-1 ball game kids. Our stand-in ringer DL was up next, and he made it on base, to 3rd I think. It was within reach, it was doable. One of our lovely ladies was the next up, and no one had the heart to remind her that if she did NOT get out we might win right here. We just let her be. Sadly, she was thrown out at 1st, and the inning was over.

But, we forced an extra inning. We took the field, and kept them off base. Round-offs ensued. And then, the last inning, we almost had it, another heroic dash for home, play at the plate....OUT! Game over, all tied up. But, what a rush. I've never been so excited to not win. Best of all, in the end, CH told me "Dude, your enthusiasm, it's just about as great as Papi coming out of his slump!" Right back atcha CH, right back atcha!