she's just saying...

JJ goes bye-bye

We interrupt this Christmas Countdown to talk about what really matters: baseball.

I haven't been reading the sports news lately, not being a football, basketball or hockey fan, so I missed last week's big story: The Mariners traded away JJ Putz. To the Mets of all places. I'm heartbroken.

There's nothing like being at Safeco Field when JJ comes in. The lightning-themed light show, the scoreboards all flashing J.J.!, the AC/DC anthem; it's spine-tingling. Not to mention watching him close it all down. Sweet! The Mariners know how to milk it too - they play his song after every strike while he re-composes himself. it's good baseball and good theater.

Now there's no one I'm that excited about on the Mariners except for Ichiro, and great as he is, he's not about exciting. Yuniesky, Jose, Raul, Willie: they're all good, and I think the team is underachieving based on their roster, but where's the sizzle now? Another sad day in Mariners history...

OK, now that I've mourned the Putz, the Christmas Countdown is back on -- #6 to come.

Not exciting, but definitely flexible. 

photo courtesy of Rod Mar

Why I'm for the Phils

Explanation of why I'm rooting for Phiadelphia this World Series, even though I was born in Pittsburgh:

1. They're Neighbor X's team, and I got to know them while hanging with him. The relationship is over, but the baseball loyalty remains.
2. They (rarely) play the Red Sox.
3. They're super cute! Have you seen them?
4. No way I could root for the Rays! Even if they are American League. Just can't do it.

However, I will never call myself a Phillies Phanatic. I hate cutesy misspellings.

I'm fine, really

It's okay, I'm at the acceptance stage now. The Bosox showed what they can be capable of, it was down to one game where anyone can win, no blowout, good baseball, good long run, it's all ok.

Go Phils!!!

Baseball, TIVO and the eTrade baby

BIG baseball game tonight, if you just beamed in from another planet.

Unfortunately, it's the same time as Henry's Sunday Night Park & Rec League Flag Football Game. Oh boy. TIVO time! If you don't have a TIVO (or other digital video recorder), go get one. I'll wait. It will change your relationship to TV completely.

The advertising community was slow to grasp how TIVO and the like will soon wipe out the current broadcast advertising paradigm, built on :30 spots priced by ratings and daypart. They're beginning to get it now, but no one has an effective alternative. We still buy airtime based on the Nielsen books, hoping that our creative is so compelling, people won't fast forward through it.  Right. The only spot I slow down the fast-forward button to watch is the baby and Blackberry eTrade commercial. I could watch that repeatedly. And any beer spot with a dog, pretty much. And my stuff, of course. I don't have anything running right now, but stay tuned...

So, nobody text me about the game tonight, please. I'll stand far away from any dad with a cellphone, to avoid possible score updates. Then I'll come home, assume the playoff position, and watch the inevitable Bosox victory. Yes!

UNBELIEVable

Notice to knitters: this blog has been co-opted by baseball til the end of October. Stay tuned for the return of knitting if I don't die of a heart attack before then.

Meanwhile,
Oh! My! God!!
If you saw the Bosox/Rays game tonight, you know what I'm talking about. If you didn't, I can't begin to describe it.

We live to see another day...

And oh, Monkey, hope you didn't choke on your cookies . . .

Top Ten Tuesday: Thursday hottie edition

This post will expose me as a shallow girly-girl chick worthy of the title "Pink Hat" as they say in Boston, but so be it.

Top ten MLB hotties:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury. Yes, he's a baby. I'm not saying I want a deep meaningful relationship with him, just that he's super-cute. Now if I were 24 (or even 34) ...
2. Johnny Damon, traitor to the Red Sox nation that he is
3. Alex Rios
4. through 10. The Phillies line-up: Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Greg Dobbs, heck, even Jamie Moyer.

The World Series could be fun to watch, even without (shut my mouth!) the Bosox.

There is no joy in Mudville

How am I feeling? Sick, sad, disappointed, depressed, down, stunned, hopeless - shall I continue?

The Red Sox are being crushed. There is still a slim outside chance that they can make the series. They'd have to sweep the next three. I'd say it was impossible, but they have done it before. This time, though, I don't think so.

I was going to blog about the weird experience a friend and I had at a trendy bar in town this evening, but I don't have the heart. I'm going to pour a bourbon and knit in bed.

Go Phillies. Woo hoo.

Papelbon's lucky puppy

Sorry, J.J. I still love you and your bobblehead, but Jonathan Papelbon is my new main man.
He's kind of a pasty white frat boy, but he's got the best stare in the sport.

And he loves his dog.

From MLB.com:

ST. PETERSBURG -- Jonathan Papelbon has a talent for making history when he takes the ball. It's what he does with the baseball afterward that isn't so predictable.

His final-out ball from last year's World Series ended up as an accidental chewtoy for his dog during the offseason. His out that set a new postseason scoreless-innings record on Friday after the Red Sox beat the Rays, 2-0, in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series briefly ended up in the trash before Papelbon realized what he had done.

 

"I usually just throw them away or throw them in the corner or something," Papelbon said. "I threw this one away, and I wasn't even thinking that it was a Major League record. I had to scurry back in here and grab it out of the trash."...

Papelbon's record ball is likely heading home with him when this postseason is over for the Red Sox, whenever that happens. What happens to the ball from there is anyone's guess.

"I don't know," Papelbon said. "It depends on how much the ball's worth. My dog might get it."

Bosox!

Yeah! On to Tampa Bay!

Sox addict

After a full day at work (I'm not used to it anymore! Waaa!) I watched a 4+ hour Red Sox/Rays game, which the Bosox lost spectacularly in the 14th inning. I'm brain-dead.

All around me, friends' teams are tanking, but the Sox will at least be the wild card. Knowing that relieves some of the pressure, certainly. To the people who say baseball is slow or boring, I couldn't disagree more. The tension, suspense and anxiety can be as intense as a thriller or horror movie. Who would think that a 1-1 tie for ELEVEN innings would be riveting? (Well, yes, there were some tedious moments - that's what Tivo's for.)  But tonight's and last night's games, even though the Sox lost, were what baseball is all about.

Spoilers (baseball post)

The Mariners beat the Yankees 2 out of 3! Unfortunately for my sister and Derek Jeter, the M's basically ended New York's (extremely slim) chance of making the wild card. But it's good for the Mariners to believe that they can be a successful team again heading into the postseason.

We had a great time at both games, great seats, perfect weather. Susan kept score obsessively faithfully throughout. For my sports-deficient readers, that means marking down what happened at every at-bat with little symbols on a scorecard. You hardly see it much anymore, but there was a mom in the row ahead of us who was using an actual pad of paper printed with a scoring chart. Susan immediately had scorecard envy, so we'll have to track down that paper supply.

Lots of other silly and unique adventures here, but time to pack up and hit the long road home.

Lap of luxury in Seattle

Somehow we ended up in a luxury hotel right on 1st Avenue, in a room larger than my house in LA (700 sq. ft.). I had to confirm the price because we envisioned a final bill in the thousands. Yup, well under $200/night. Go Orbitz! Anyway, I'm content to simply go from the room to the baseball game to the sushi restaurant down the block all weekend, but my sister-the-architect has other ideas.

I'm not a fan of blogs that catalog people's trips with travel writing and photos, so you'll be spared. A few key highlights to come (A Rod's butt!).

Top Ten Tuesday: Back to School edition

For my four readers who don't live in Central Oregon, a weather update: we woke up to frost on the ground yesterday. I realize that Labor Day is the symbolic end of summer, but did we need such an obvious reminder?

I'm really not ready for fall and I resent it being thrust on us so quickly. But in an effort to get back to UPBEAT!, here are the top 10 reasons I welcome the end of summer:

1. Baseball playoffs (especially when the Bosox are involved)
2. Knitting in public doesn't seem as weird
3. No mosquitoes
4. Less temptation for the recovering tanaholic
5. Best tomatoes at the farmer's market
6. Foster kitten season is over til spring
7. Hot flashes are more tolerable (not that I'm having any)
8. Don't need to mow as often
9. I can wear the fingerless mitts I'm knitting
10. OK, scraping the barrel here: um, can't smell the compost bin from the hot tub?

Compost pile with Wonder Worman worms

What are yours? Give me something here, people!

Winding up the season

Yankees/Red Sox on! Don't tell me the score - I just got home so I TIVO'ed it.

Right about now everyone gets fired up about the football season starting when baseball is just getting good. Of course if you don't have a team in the running, the season is pretty much over anyway.

Do you enjoy watching a team sporting event if you have no personal interest in the outcome?

The universe is back in alignment

standings, originally uploaded by Meltrier.

The Bosox are back on top.

Fenway follies

Um, tell me what happens.

I was not informed that these were "obstructed view" seats when I bought them for double their face value... something I'll be talking to Stubhub about tomorrow.

It's ok, I'm getting very friendly with the people to my right as I lean into their laps with each pitch.

Fenway is as crazy as ever. Game's going fast. Bought a ton of stuff for Henry already. He's enjoying himself & can see, thankfully.

Here comes Manny!

Painful

Painful loss to the Yankees. Mariners were ahead in the eighth 5 to 2. Yankees got a run, J.J. walked A.Rod, blew the save, Yankees pulled ahead and Mariano cleaned up, 6-5. Oh, man. That was awful.

And now the Red Sox are coming to Seattle - always a tough match up for me. I never know who I'm pulling for until the game starts, then I somehow end up one way or the other. Don't know again this year. Mariners are definitely the (way way) under dog, but I can't root against the Sox.

Painful.

bezball today

Mariners/Yankees on. It's not going to be pretty. First at bat, Ichiro struck out. I may have to go out and garden.

Giambi should lose the mustache. It doesn't help.

11-4 in the seventh. It's painful! I had to turn it off.

play ball

It's a great day to watch some baseball! Red Sox at 10:30, Mariners at 1, and big Mets/Yankees subway series at 5. I'm not a big fan of either team: I'll never get over the Mets/Red Sox World Series of 1986, and the Yankees are the evil empire, of course. But it should be great baseball.

Good Mariners game last night - they won! It's so rare it's worth its own blog post, but I'll refrain.

J! J!

I'm so excited - tonight is

J.J. Putz Bobblehead night!

My friend will be at the game and has promised to bring one back for me.

I wish I was as excited about the team this year . . .