I'm Back

How bizarre I’m starting a post of with the words ‘it’s been forever since I posted’ but I’m sorry new jobs will do that to you. Unfortunately other than this summer’s layoff due to my NECBL broadcasting duties this has been my longest absence, which needless to say is lame because a ton has gone on in New England sports since my last appearance.

Not that you need it but let’s recap. The Red Sox did end up coming back from down 3-1 in the ALCS and then swept the upstart Rockies out of the World Series so fast Fox could hardly even play up the ‘Sox and Rocks on Fox’ thing. I literally almost missed game four after being at the Pats-Redskins game (if you can call it a game).

This is going to sound pathetic but since I was at the Pats game and I had to work early the next morning I ended up watching the Sox clinch their second World Series Championship in four years all by my lonesome. It’s not that it was depressing or anything I shared plenty of phone calls and text messages of joy but it was a far cry from 2004’s raucous celebration and near ruin of the old Pine St. apartment in Keene.

Obviously it was a different win in 2004 the Red Sox and their fans were a growing swarm not quite the ‘nation’ they are now, we were coming off Aaron ‘effing’ Boone in ’03 and the team had executed the greatest comeback in baseball history against the archest of arch nemesis (I don’t think that made sense but you get the point). On top of that it was the first World Series win since 1918. I can’t tell you how tiresome it was getting hearing Yankee fans chirp about 1918. All that rolled into the fact that you had a team of guys that fed off the position they were in.

Don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining at all, in fact at some point I need to devote a lot of time to talking about how much we need to cherish what is going on right now. I am just saying 2004 had a different energy than 2007. 2007 was just a little different. In some respects it was more fun to watch because I feel like I’ve matured as a sports fan and I’m not as ‘live an die with every pitch’ as I was in 2004. Of course I’d be singing a different tune if they had lost to Cleveland or Colorado.

That’s why it’s so important to appreciate what is going on right now. I don’t get nauseous anticipating a let down or a loss with these teams anymore. I almost forgot what big losses felt like and might not remember if it wasn’t for last years AFC Championship. We’re spoiled and I love every minute of it.

I was working on doing more posts and just cutting down the length of some of them so in an attempt to prevent a Pete King style 14 page post here’s a bullet point run down of stuff I want to touch on now and in the future

· Can anyone but Tito Francona win AL Manager of the Year? The guy has two more World Series rings then any Sox manager from 1918-2003 and his decisions to go with Pedroia and save Paps & Okie for the playoffs worked out pretty well…oh yeah and he won an AL East crown…something that hadn’t happened in the hub for the previous 13 years.

· This deserves it’s own separate post and probably will get one (along with an ArmChairGM feature) but Tito is the best manager in the AL right now. I always say thing when people ask me what I think of him or when people get on him…his short term decisions might cost the Sox a run or even a game here or their but in the long run he’s been just about perfect. He stuck with Pedroia, Lugo and Drew in the face of constant criticism. He shutdown Okie and managed Paps much smarter this season despite people (including me) calling for Gagne’s head. He gets the most out of a lineup you expect to succeed and there is no way the Red Sox win if you or I are at the helm…we’re not dropping any knowledge on Tito.

· Hey Eric, I’m sure you cost yourself plenty of money over the final two months of the season but I still think you owe Red Sox fans something…maybe you could auction off your World Series ring and give the proceeds to the Jimmy Fund or something. I’ll tell you what keep the ring - just donate your playoff share to the annual telethon or something.

· Oh and we can officially call it the Hub now…I used to be skeptical about the whole Hub of the universe thing (don’t people think we are arrogant enough?) but now I am all for it…in sports terms you can’t dispute it World Series Champs, 9-0 and 6-0 (easy I know they’re not going 82-0)…so yeah we’re officially the Hub…how do you like them apples guy!

· If Yook wasn’t my favorite player it’d be Dustin Pedroia, run away winner of the AL Rookie of the Year award…I’m not sure how Delmon Young got any votes over Mighty Mouse since Young is the one that helped Big Papi get his groove back after he totally botched a catch-able ball that barely landed in the first row of the right field corner for a walk off Red Sox win…sparked their stagnant offense

· Celtic Pride Baby! 6-0…this would be unbelievable but oh yeah we traded a bunch of lovable losers for KG…and then got Ray Allen and we still have Paul Pierce (who is outrageously underrated by fans outside Boston – yeah you Ferenc). Don’t even get me started on GLEN “BIG BABY” DAVIS…I really wish he would just yell all the time like Samuel L. Jackson that could be so effective for him.

· My favorite things about attending Celtics games in 2007 are the following...the disco dancing clip they play on the jumbotron featuring the one and only Gino...if you've been to a game you know what I mean if you haven't get yourself to one...second the clip of Glen Davis at the beginning of the fourth quarter when he says in a cajun bayou accent "IT'S ME BIG BABY DAVIS IT'S THE FOURTH QUARTER" - priceless - I hope we're not too far away from David Stern allowing him to wear Baby or Big Baby on his jersey like Rod "He Hate Me" Smart did in the XFL...where is Vince McMahon when you need him.

· The Celtics are even more impressive to me because I’ve been to the Garden twice and not only are they killer to watch but there is new life in place. Opening night when the C’s took the floor and KG came out the place was so loud, I’m talking RCA Dome pumping sound in loud…and it was almost the same a week later against the Hawks…who are going to be scary…and Al Horford is going to be a baller.

· One piece of advice to C’s fans…we get it you were here when they sucked…so was I, in fact I probably won’t go to as many games this year because it’s going to be harder to get tickets but you just have to roll with the fact that there are a ton of people at the games now.

· No one cares if you were there last year and didn’t have to wait in line to get a beer because the rest of us are in line waiting for beers too…calm down, you should be excited that people are excited about the Celtics. Getting pissed at bandwagon fans is fine but don’t act like the holier-than-thou pricks that say bands have sold out as soon as they get played on the radio. I’d rather see cute chicks in pink Celtics gear on the Jumbotron than you with your face paint and silver dollar nipples dancing to Soulja Boy…YOU!!!

· The Pats are codes…see Codes Theory…it needs some refining but seriously this is as close to a video game season as you get in real life…it might even be better than a video game season because the Colts game could have been the “there’s no effing way you’re winning this game” game and the Patriots still won.

· Think about it - most of the calls went the other way…Brady tied his season total for interceptions…Joseph Addai went 76 yards to the house on a check down…and the Patriots still won…I hope that was the ‘no effing way game’ because I’ve never seen anyone win a no effing way game without shutting the game off then replaying it. Maybe that’s what happened…coach got pissed and hit reset at half-time…or his genetic code is U, U, D, D, L, R, L, R, B, A Select, Start.

I’m not sure how many people care but the Revolution are in the MLS Cup again too…would that be the Chris Farley in Tommy Boy when the bench collapses “could have done with out that” moment for the rest of the sports world?

Until next time...