Finally! The Sox Have Come Back to the Southland!

The Red Sox returned to Southern California for the first time this season and Red Sox Nation was out in force for the game.  I couldn't sleep the entire night before and I felt like a kid on Christmas morning as I waited for my friend Rob to pick me up.  We headed out to Anaheim for lunch before the game and ate at The Catch.  They have a great menu, but the service was slower than usual.  Of special note to Orange Country readers, there seems to a dearth of bartenders near the stadium, if you're looking for work.   After lunch we headed off to a local card shop to kill some time.  For an establishment with the word 'Sportscards' in the name, the place was short on sports cards.  Magic cards encircled the store with one barren case containing less cards than I have even on my night stand.  Annoyed, we walked out, when Rob spotted a comic shop on the other end of the shopping center and suggested we drop in there.  Fortunately, we did and walked into a collectible store that had tons of figures everywhere.  We found the McFarlane sports figures and and I dropped thirty dollars on a 2005 Toys R Us exclusive three pack of David Ortiz, Curt Schilling and Jason Varitek.  The day was off to a great start and we weren't even at the game yet.

We hit up The National next.  Yes, I know that it's been renamed The OC Sports Grill, but if you know me or are a regular reader, you know that I call things by the name I've always known them by, not by their new, corporate sponsor.  Again, a manager was bartending through the morning, so the evening bartender hurried in to take care of us.  NO, we did not have the 100 oz. tapper, but the bartender did hook us up with a few of the check presenters that had the 2010 All Star game logo on them.  It was also where we started to see more Red Sox fans than Angels fans and the overwhelming influence of The Nation began to sink into Rob.

We walked into the stadium early to catch batting practice.  We found a spot along the right field line and watched the bullpen start to warm up.  As the Angels were finishing up, a ball got laced down the line on our side.  It bounced off the wall and rolled right behind Tim Wakefield.  He bent over to pick it up, look behind himself and tossed it right at us.  As Rob and I reached for it, my first fear was that we would knock it down, but Rob pulled back at the same instant and I made a clean grab.  We both started laughing and making jokes about me being able to hang onto a throw from Wakefield, but again, the day was off to a fantastic start.


We got into our seats behind the bullpen in time for the first pitch with hot dogs in hand.  I pulled out my scorebook and told Rob I only planned on keeping score for a few innings or so.  As it turned out, I didn't leave my seat for six innings as Josh Beckett was spectacular for his third start in a row.  Rob and I both joked about him throwing a no-no, refusing to believe that either of us could jinx it.  "Guy," Rob kept asking, "How great of a day would it be if Beckett threw a no-hitter?"  Finally, in the sixth, Erick Aybar hit a little bullshit chopper back to them mound that was scored as a hit, so we put our things away and went to the bathroom.  We headed up to the Knothole Club to say hello to my mother.  Fortunately, I was also wearing this t-shirt.

Because right about then,  Aybar lined a ball into right field, directly under our view.  As we scrambled to see him head to second as the go-ahead run, the ball came shooting into view.  Aybar rounded second, Pedroia made an incredible relay throw to get him out at third and I threw my hands in the air, almost knocking everyone's drinks over.  Dustin Pedroia is by far my favorite player on the team (David Ortiz is a close second) and he rocked in this game going 3 for 4, getting on base five times and scoring the insurance run later that night.  We left the Knothole and sat back in right field to watch some free baseball, as the game had gone into extra innings.  When Adrian Gonzalez hit RBI double in the 11th right at us, we got out of those seats and went to meet a friend over behind the Angels dugout.  This provided us with not only a great view of Red Sox Nation behind the first base dugout, but let us watch Jonathon Papelbon close us the Angels for the save.  


A great game, a great day and a great start to the Series.  The Red Sox only make it out here for four games this year and they always try to win all of them for me!

Sox beat Jays 3-1

The Red Sox had two days off last week due to inclement weather and the Nation hoped that extra rest would translate into some wins.  It eventually did, but not before they dropped the series opener to the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-6.  After Bobby Jenks gave up four runs off of four hits in the top of the seventh inning, the Sox came back with three runs, but it wasn't enough.  The tenth loss brought more frustrations for the Sox and the Nation, but Josh Beckett took the mound on Saturday and pitched all those bad thoughts into the past.  He struck out nine and held the Jays to one run off three hits in seven innings.  Terry Francona also batter Jed Lowrie in the leadoff spot and the shortstop blasted a two run home run to put the Sox ahead for good.  He continued his hot streak throughout the weekend, batting .516 with a seven game hitting streak.

On Sunday, the Sox got another great start out of Jon Lester, who went six plus innings with five strikeouts and allowing one run on six scattered hits.  The Sox bats started to heat up as well, giving them their first back to back set of wins this season.  But, three in a row makes a winning streak and the Nation turned it's eyes to Monday morning Patriot's Day game and held it's breath as Daisuke Matsuzaka got the start.  Dice-K pitched like he was back in the World Baseball Classic and the Nation didn't just exhaled, we laughed out loud.  Long known for his high pitch counts, he only threw 89 pitches in seven innings for the win.  Carl Crawford also got in on the offense by banging a double high off of the Green Monster and hopefully, he can start to roll as well.  But the good news for the Nation has to be the dormant offense waking up as well as the starting pitching we're getting from Beckett and Dice-K.

The Sox head out on the road with three in Oakland before coming into Anaheim for a four game weekend series.  I will be in attendance for all four of those games, yes even Easter and blogging about all the Red Sox fans in the Southland!

Red Sox, Rays and Manny Ramirez

The Sox dropped two to the Rays this week and a postponement of the third game came as sort of a relief to Red Sox Nation.  It seems that after their similarly abysmal start, Tampa Bay has tuned up just ahead of the Sox and started turning it on this series.   John Lackey has been skipped in the rotation but with four games at Fenway against Toronto before going on the road against Oakland and Anaheim(!), the Sox look to pick up a handful of wins and start to climb the standings.


One thing missing from the Sox-Rays series was, of course, Manny Ramirez.  Retiring last week just five games into the season, Mannmy ran afoul of the MLB Drug Prevention and Treatment Plan.  Rather than face a 100 game suspension for his second offense, he called it quits.  Arguably one of the greatest right handed hitters of all time, he will now sadly be known for the way he left the game, rather than how he played it.  Red Sox Nation will always remember him as the heavy hitting companion to David Ortiz, Manny who helped Boston capture it's first World Series title in 86 years and his offensive production earned him World Series MVP honors.  The Nation will also remember Manny being Manny, getting into dugout scrapes with Kevin Youkilis and feigning injuries when he didn't want to play.  I was at the game in Anaheim when Manny fell all over a routine liner and the Nation knew that was the beginning of the end.  Fans still wear number 24 around and we have to remember Manny exactly as he would've wanted us too.

First Game of the Season

I went to my first game of the season last night in Anaheim to see the Angels take on the Indians.  By time I got to the park, it was all but over for the Sox against the Rays, so I was in a foul mood and the girlfriend was none too happy with me.  My level began to rise when I saw that parking was raised to $10 from $8 last year and a cup of Stella Artois was $12.  We made our way down to our seats beside the bullpen in left field in time for first pitch.


Dan Haren threw a hell of a game, holding the Tribe to one hit and no runs in a complete game.  I think what was probably more promising for Halos fans was the pair of home runs hit by young guns Peter Bourjos and Mark Trumbo, respectively.  They snapped the Indian's eight game win streak and made the 43,000 fans in attendance enjoy their night.


I went in my 2011 All-Star Red Sox hat and caught a little bit of shit talk from some dick wearing the -oh-so-timely Rick Vaughn jersey.  He started asking me about how it felt to be in the cellar and I told him he would be there soon enough to find out.  He then asked if I was going to be in the cellar soon at which point I determined he was not only an idiot but a deaf one as well.  The girlfriend told me to relax but I countered that this wasn't Dodger Stadium.  She sighed with relief, thinking that I meant there was no cause for concern, but she shook her head when I told her that I would finish a fight.  I know that the incident at Chavez Ravine has affected baseball fans, but growing up at both Dodger and Angel Stadium, I've never been one to shy away from the rival fans.  I've never seen it escalate to the levels it did earlier this month, but I refuse to monitor or censor what I wear or say at a ball game that I've paid money to attend.


By time I got off my soapbox, the girlfriend left to have drinks with my mother at the Knothole Club and I spent the next few innings trying to get my friend's wife to duck down to the bullpen and get an autograph from their high school chum, Indian's P Justin Germano.  She finally relented when my friend handed her a ball and a cheer rose from our section when she returned with the signed ball.  I bid my friends adieu after eight innings and headed up to finish the game with my mother and girlfriend.  We ended the game at the bar and left happy.  I more than she, as after she asked whether the Angels won or lost, she told me she really wasn't an Angels fan anymore.

She'll be a Sox fan by the end of the season, mark my words.

Sox Beat Yanks 2-1

It is of course, the rivalry to end all rivalries, but somehow every time the Sox meet the Yanks, there is a different story line to make things interesting.  This time, the Sox were looking to turn around from a 1-7 start and Red Sox Nation could think of no better way to reboot the season than against New York in Fenway.  Despite a lackluster performance from John Lackey on Friday, the Sox kept grinding out hits.  Dustin Pedroia went 3-5 with a home run en route to a 9-13 weekend against the Yankees.  Always the spark plug for the Boston offense, he even managed three hits in Saturday's loss as New York beat up Buchholz for a win.


With the series split all eyes turned to Sunday's matchup with CC Sabathia going against Josh Beckett.  The Nation was anxious going into the game, hoping to pull out a win, but Beckett put any fears to bed.  Striking out ten batters in eight shutout innings, Beckett was in October form, showing us the 2007 ace version of himself.  Working all his pitches with great location and control, Beckett had offensive help from  Pedroia, David Ortiz and Marco Scutaro.


There was scary moment as Adrian Gonzalez took a fastball from Sabathia off his hand.  He stayed in the game and it looks like he won't miss any games, but hopefully it will help to pull him into the game instead of further from it.

Looking ahead to May, the Nation can't wait for the next Sox-Yanks series.

Opening On The Road

There is something to be said for opening the season at home.  Neither the Red Sox nor myself did that this year, with the club starting the year in Texas against the defending AL champs and me at a new store in Reno, Nevada.  I didn't get to participate in my Opening Day traditions of dressing head to toe in Sox gear, passing out Hostess baseballs to everyone at work and greeting them with a big smile and "Happy Opening Day!"  So, if you're superstitious like me and very other Sox fan, the change in the routine would have been enough to worry you.  And if I wasn't worried when I woke up that day, I felt it creep into me after that first at bat.  A week later, the Red Sox are 0-6.  There is no need to panic in the Nation, but there is cause for concern.

The Sox aren't being outhustled, outplayed or with the exception of yesterday's 1-0 loss in Cleveland, just not catching the breaks.  Far more disturbing is the lack of consistency with the team.  When the pitching is on, the bats are quiet and vice versa.  Many people want to point the finger at Terry Francona and the lineup, but that can be worked out during the season.  No, instead, I think the Sox just need to find their groove.  Every team hits a losing skid at some point during the year and the Sox are getting there's out of the way early.  Some will say that no team that has been winless in the first week of the season has ever gone on to win the World Series and I'd say that no team down 0-3 in a playoff series has ever come back to win, except for, oh yea, wait, the Red Sox.  Season starts today with divisional play at Fenway Park.

In a way, this is good.  It's separating true Sox fans of the Nation from the faint of heart.  To be a Sox fan is an excruciating, nail biting, testament of your nerves, even in April.  But like Dustin Pedroia said in an interview yesterday, "You’re either two feet in now or you’re two feet out. Let us know now because we’re coming.”

The Little Things In Life, Baseball Card Edition

Someone once said that it's the little things in life that matter.  I don't know who it was, but it makes sense to me.  One of the little things that I get to enjoy in my life are baseball cards.  Like most men, I used to collect baseball cards when I was a kid.  I still have a binder in my garage with several pages of cards of my favorite player of all time, Ken Griffey Jr.  Like most men, I also lost interest in cards when I discovered girls, cars and beer.  Of course, at that time, which was the mid-Nineties, the card business was getting overwhelmed by serious collectors and a ton of product.  Baseball cards have been around since the turn of the century, but by then baseball cards were followed by basketball cards, football cards, hockey cards, Star Wars cards and Garbage Pail Kids cards.  Topps no longer had the monopoly either, they faced competition from Donruss, Fleer, Upper Deck, SkyBox, Pinnacle, Peak, Bowman, Pro Set and more.  It became unbelievably expensive for someone to keep up with their favorite teams, favorite players and forget about complete sets.  And finally, like most men, as I near 30, I'm looking for some things that make me feel young again.  A few weeks ago, one a whim, I bought a pack of cards with my favorite play on them, Dustin Pedroia.

I forgot the feeling of opening a new pack, flipping through the cards, pulling the ones you like, while shuffling through the ones you didn't.  There was nothing extraordinary in the pack, no autographs cards, no special chrome or throwback cards.  Just a feeling.  I had to chase that feeling.  I went and bought a few more backs, racing home to open them again.  As I wondered whether this might be some kind of addiction and if I should stop, I came across my favorite player Dustin Pedroia.

There was Pedey, looking right at me.  A lopsided grin came across my face, with quickly vanished when I got to the next card and I can shamelessly tell you right now, I screamed.

Ken Griffey Jr.  My favorite player of all time.  And not just any Ken Griffey Jr. but the LAST Ken Griffey Jr. Topps card there will ever be.  Sure, Griffey will sign autographs for Topps and in 20 years, you might a reproduction of his rookie card, but this is the last regular card for Griffey, who retired midway through the season.  I took it as a sign from the baseball gods, an invitation to come back to the world of baseball cards, plastic sleeves, cardboard boxes and Beckett magazines.  

I buy cards pretty regularly now.  And while I am not as obsessed as some might be with a collection of cards worth millions, I have a few goals in mind.  I'd like a complete 1989 Upper Deck set, the modern day standard for cards, I think.  A complete 1981 Topps set, (the year I was born), every Red Sox player from 2004 and 2007, Topps, I think would work.  It gives me something to stay interested in, away from those girls, cars and beer.  And maybe someday, I can give them to my kids and hopefully, keep his focus there, instead of the extracurriculars.