Game 117: Leads Disposed Of While U Wait!

With Josh Beckett holding an 8-2 lead, things had to seem fairly rosy for the Red Sox heading into the bottom of the fourth last night. However, Beckett, combined with the law firm of Richardson, Atchison, Doubront, and Bard, gave all those runs back, turning the game to a 9-9 donnybrook. Tim Wakefield, working in long, long relief, gave up Nelson Cruz' 16th homer of the year in the bottom of the 11th to hand another must win game to the other guys, 10-9.

Turn Around And Walk The Razor's Edge

In the blatant self promotion department, this was done by me.

Also, Deadletters.com posted two things I have done here and here.

However, I am not, technically, dead. Just so you know.

Game 116: The Four Run Gut Punch

Leading 5-2 in a game they desperately needed, the Red Sox surrendered 4 9th inning runs to hand the game right back to Toronto, 6-5.

Game 115: Some days are better than others. Especially if you're Shawn Marcum.

The Red Sox hammered Shawn Marcum with great vengeance and furious anger, driving the Blue Jays before them and hearing the lamentations of their women in a 10-1 shellacking of those Guys With The Funny Looking Money. The Red Sox play the Jays one more time tomorrow before heading down into Tejas to face Bad Vlad and the Rude Boys.

If I Were A Rich Man...

Something I got from Lexi, who got it from Corra, who got it from....oh, you don't care.


- If I were a season, I would be Autumn.
- If I were a month, I would be October.
- If I were a day of the week, I would be Tuesday.
- If I were a time of day, I would be dusk.
- If I were a planet, I would be Mars.
- If I were a direction, I would be North.
- If I were a tree, I would be a pine.
- If I were a flower, I would be a crysanthemum
- If I were a fruit, I would be a tomato.
- If I were a land animal, I would be an elephant.
- If I were a sea animal, I would be a manatee.
- If I were a bird, I would be a hummingbird
- If I were a piece of furniture, I would be a hammock.
- If I were a liquid, I would be Coke Zero.
- If I were a stone, I would be iron pyrite.
- If I were a tool, I would be an awl.
- If I were a kind of weather, I would be gentle, warm rain.
- If I were a musical instrument, I would be a piano.
- If I were a color, I would be red.
- If I were a facial expression, I would be a quizzical look.
- If I were an emotion, I would be melancholy.
- If I were a sound, I would be the first five notes of Led Zeppelin's "Since I've Been Loving You".
- If I were an element, I would be gallium.
- If I were a car, I would be a used Subaru.
- If I were a food, I would be marinara sauce.
- If I were a place, I would be Lake Winnepesaukee.
- If I were a flavor, I would be lime.
- If I were a scent, I would be leather and sandalwood and rain.
- If I were an object, I would be an extension cord.
- If I were a body part, I would be an ankle .
- If I were a song, I would be Billy Joel's "I've Loved These Days".
- If I were a pair of shoes, I would be high top sneakers.
- If I were transportation, I would be an ocean liner.
- If I were a fairy tale, I would be Shrek.
- If I were a holiday, I would be Arbor Day.

I Wanna Rock

Over here, they play I Want Wednesday, where you say, on Wednesday, what you want. Hence the name.

There's only one thing I want today, and that's for my troubled family member to be returned to where he belongs, safe at home.

And to rock. And a pile of hundred dollar bills. And a new IPad. And a pony.

But mostly, I just want him home. Everything else is negotiable.

Game 114: Mikey Saves The Day

Our friend Mike Lowell, American Hero and First Baseman For Hire, slammed an 8th inning homer to help push Boston to a 7-5 win over Les Jays in Toronto tonight.

Wednesday Wickedness from the Big O!

Janera's Wednesday Wickedness is based on words by the decidedly non wicked Queen of All Media, Oprah Winfrey.


1. “I don't think you ever stop giving. I really don't. I think it's an on-going process. And it's not just about being able to write a check. It's being able to touch somebody's life.” What was the last thing that you did to help somebody’s life?



I engaged in some emergency babysitting today.


2. “Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.” How long have you ever held your breath?




I don't know. I don't know how I would know.



3. “As you become more clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you - the first time around.” At what point do you think that you really decided who you were?





I'm still trying to figure that out.



4. “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” At what time of the year do you think you celebrate your life the most?


Still waiting to celebrate my life, too.




5. “So go ahead. Fall down. The world looks different from the ground.” Are there times when you thought you had fallen down and learned something about yourself?



I've fallen down a lot. What I've learned is that it hurts.




6. “Devote today to something so daring even you can’t believe you’re doing it.” What was the last thing you did where you thought that you could not believe what you were doing?


I regularly can't believe I'm dumb enough to do some things.



7. “Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.” Do you think that you must struggle to become strong?



I'm still waiting to become strong, too.



8. “Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” Do you feel that life’s experiences always prepare you for what there is to come?


So far, nothing has prepared me for what winds up coming.




9. “The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” Can only a rich person feel this way? What do you think Oprah means by this?



Rich people are the only ones who can do a lot of things. I am a firm believer that you should try to live the life of your dreams. I have not lived up to this advice in my own life. Rich people are, however, often the only people who can afford to chuck it and pursue their dreams.





10. “I do not believe in failure. It is not failure if you enjoyed the process.” Do you believe in failure?






Every day of my life, baby. Every day of my life.

Game 113: It Takes Two...If The Other Guys Get One

In New York today, Boston's Jon Lester combined with the bullpen to toss a 6 hit performance at the Yankees, who came out on the short end of a 2-1 win for Boston.

The 100 Word Challenge: "Getting Better"

After learning that you don't win the 100 Word Challenge when you don't play (ops), here's this week's entry, "Getting Better".








There's nothing I can do.

For a person, for a GENDER, used to fixing, trained to fix, obsessed with making it better and triaging crises and focused on analysis of risk and reward, it's hard as holy hell to admit that. Fretting doesn't work, panicking does nothing, getting angry is worthless.

There's nothing I can do.

Someone I love is in pain, and there's nothing at all I can do but let my brain chew on itself.

There's nothing I can do, so I pray. It can't make things worse.

"If You're Sick And You Can't Get Well..."

Just Another Manic Monday!

I got this here. Manic Monday, #216:

What are your 10 greatest joys in life? 


That's tough on a Monday morning. 


In no particular order:


1. Simon
2. Wyatt
3. My son
4. My wife
5. Reading
6. Podcasts
7. What Jimmy Pardo calls "standing up comedy". 
8. My mother and my brothers
9. Making a stranger's baby smile in the supermarket
10. Music

I'll never do _______ again and here's why:


I'll never go to high school again because I'm too old. 
What's the coolest piece of technology you work or play with?


It's cliche and stupid to say, but my IPhone. It really is almost a miracle that a tiny little brick can do so many amazing things. 

Game 112: Back As In, Physically Present, Not As In, Back The Way He Was

Josh Beckett, our very own Commander Kickass, got, well, his ass kicked last night by those bully Yankees in a 7-2 loss that wasn't that close.

The series ends this afternoon in Yankee Stadium.

Turns out that wasn't a pennant race I smelled-it was something decomposing by the side of the road. My bad.

Come Steal Away

Today's entry at Sunday Stealing is up. And awayyyyyy we go....


1. Introduce yourself.











To steal a phrase from the great Spider Robinson, I am in no particular order.

5. Did you ever get into a bar and drink before you were 21?
Nope.

6. What countries have you been to?
Just this one.

7. Do you watch MTV anymore?
No.

8. What do you think about Oprah?
I think she's bright and very successful. I think she made something of herself and should be admired.

10. You need a new pair of jeans: what store do you go to first?
Old Navy

11. Did you ever watch The O.C.?
Orlando Cabrera? Sure.

12. What kind of car do you drive?
Hyundai Santa Fe

13. Honestly, is that car insured?
Yes.

14. Do you like sushi?
Yes. I never tried it until my wife insisted, though.

15. Have you ever been to Tiffany & Co. or Saks 5th Ave?
Nope.

16. Did your parents spoil you growing up?


I don't think so.

17. Do you like roller coasters?
Emphatically not.

18. What magazine(s) do you buy regularly or subscribe to?
Esquire, Newsweek, Wired, ESPN The Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, Harper's.

19. Do you remember the old WB show “Popular”?
Nope.

20. When you go out do you prefer to go to a dance club or to a bar?
Neither. Comedy club, though.

21. What do you think about gay marriage?
To borrow a joke from the late, great Bill Hicks, anyone dumb enough to want to get married should be able to do so.
That's a joke.
In all seriousness, it's a simple matter of equality before the law. The only thing that makes me the least bit upset is that we are still debating the issue.

22. Who do you think will be the next president?
I think the President will be narrowly reelected with a Republican Congress.

23. Are you registered to vote?
Yes.

24. Do you own an iPad?
No. I would buy one in a hot minute if I could afford it, though.

25. Is your bathroom filled with beauty stuff?
For a male, certainly.