Captain's Blog

Captain's Blog 2008-12-04T18:20:05Z http://cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com/atom.aspx Quick Blogcast South Beach is heaven tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2008-03-13:688ac4dd-50e2-4d7d-98d1-b3db29d2224e Joe Michaels 2008-03-19T20:30:24Z 2008-03-13T12:56:00Z
        I know it's been said many times, and in many ways, but South Miami Beach is the Number 1 vacation spot.
It's not too big, not too small, close to everything, pricey but worth it. It's a laid-back beach resort town with big-city energy and sophistication. If you want to enjoy a great lasagna dinner on Ocean Drive while sipping mojitos and people-watching, if you want to hit the club scene and/or go shopping, if you want to check out the art deco buildings (like my hotel, the Century, built in 1939), or if you just want to lie on the beach all day, South Beach comes highly recommended.

        And consider this:

        South Beach is an integrated scene: white, black, spanish, haitian, bahamian, gay, straight, etc.
Everyone is welcome here, if you have money to spend. Unlike Cape Cod, which I love but is basically a white
person's trip, SoBe is multi-everything.

      Despite its fame, it really isn't that crowded. My hotel is near the corner of 2nd and Ocean aves, the quiet end of the street. When I want quiet, I have quiet; when I want action, I have action. The people may not be the friendliest in the world, but don't take that personally. Just enjoy the weather, the beach, the scene. Every night, I'd lie in bed at around 2-3 am and listen to South Beach just rumble around me. Every 5 minutes or so, someone would scream out, "MIAMIIIIII!!!!!!!" It's one of the last American playgrounds left, let's preserve it. (Since 1979, the Art Deco District, the official name of the South Beach neighborhood, has been designated a National Historic Landmark, which means that the developers can't tear down those fine old hotels to put up high rises; they have to work with whatever's there.)

        If you can, find a place to stay in a quiet neighborhood like I did. That way, you can enjoy Miami without being worn out by it. Last call is tentatively at 4 AM, though some bars stretch it until 5. Go for it!!


]]> Super Sadness for a Pats Fan tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2008-02-04:00d43b7c-ef73-4160-b53e-060d9fa297bb Joe Michaels 2008-02-04T14:26:55Z 2008-02-04T14:12:00Z
        Hey, I'm shocked, I'm bummed, I'm disappointed. After Spygate and everything else that they went through, the Patriots earned the right to go 19-0. But the Giants got it because they earned it.

        But the strongest emotion that I feel right now is this: I'll miss this Patriot team.

        I'll miss Tom Brady standing in the pocket undaunted, bad ankle and all. I'll miss Wes Welker sneaking underneath and turning a 5-yard pass into a 20-yard gain. I'll miss Ted Bruschi's spirit on and off the field. I'll miss Kevin Faulk always catching the ball on third down and getting the first. I'll miss Rodney Harrison and Junior Seau
and Laurence Maroney. And I'll miss Randy Moss catching the ball in a crowd 50 yards downfield and making you go, "How the &*$#@ did he DO that?"

        I'll miss the team that redefined excellence in its profession once more, even last night, with that drive that resulted in a 14-10 lead and showed a billion viewers what this team can do on the football field.

        Winning the Super Bowl would've been the cherry on the sundae. So what we have here instead is a sundae without a cherry. But it's still a damn good sundae.]]> Primary Colors Election 2008 tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2008-01-08:95e71cda-d48a-43eb-ae7a-060ec7c64911 Joe Michaels 2008-01-08T21:43:38Z 2008-01-08T21:14:00Z             With the votes being counted in New Hampshire as this goes to press, so to speak, Hillary leads by 4 percentage points in the Democratic primary. This was right after her emotional response to a questioner at a campaign forum last night, after losing the Iowa caucus to Barack Obama and after polls in NH showed Obama with a sizeable lead. Critics pounced on her for being an insincere, blubbering phony who got in over her head once again. In retrospect, it wasn't that bad. She was sad, to be sure, but still dignified. She did not lash out at Obama or her critics. Sadness and tears are part of the life experience, and we all have them every now and then. This was the voice of someone who has put their heart and soul into something (and say what you want about Hillary, but she HAS put her heart and soul into this thing), and it does not necessarily disqualify them from holding the most powerful job on earth.

            I mean, she could have pulled a Dennis Green and said, " OK, YOU WANT ME TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT OBAMA? HE WAS WHAT WE THOUGHT HE WAS!!! OK!!! YOU WANT TO CROWN HIS ASS, THEN CROWN HIS ASS!!
HE WAS WHAT WE THOUGHT HE WAS!! I LET HIM OFF THE HOOK!!!" Hey, she showed more composure than an NFL
coach who will probably end up making more money than her. Give credit where it's due.

            On the Republican side, John McCain looks like the winner, with Mitt Romney a distant second. Looks like my man Ron Paul will be lucky to finish 4th. Too bad. He's my favorite candidate in either party. But here he is, having been in the race for about a year and having raised 20 million in the 4th quarter of 2007, leading all the informal polls, and he can't even beat Mike Huckabee, who just joined the race five minutes ago. Still, even if he loses, he will win the future. His message of peace and freedom is coming on strong, even if it's not here yet. At least that's what I keep telling myself.


            By the way, whatever happened to Rudy Guiliani? What's he been up to lately?

            ]]> Johan Santana and the Hot Stove tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-12-05:339302fe-2b15-4af2-bd27-723fbff87bce Joe Michaels 2007-12-05T21:28:58Z 2007-12-05T20:53:00Z

              So the Red Sox are in the running for the Twins' lefty, Johan Santana, arguably the best pitcher in baseball.
That's good. They're also thinking of giving up Jacoby Ellsbury in exchange. That stinks. Trading away a dynamic young centerfielder with speed to burn, a good bat, and who's already proven himself in October for a 29-year old hurler who may have already peaked is NOT a good trade. Ellsbury is not a could-be, not a prospect; he has arrived. I know what Theo Epstein is thinking, " Well, I've got Beckett and Dice-K and Papelbon, but I've also got three 41-year olds on the staff, plus a lot of little kids. I need to balance it out with a middle-aged (in baseball terms) guy." The reality is that the best trade would be Coco Crisp, Jon Lester OR Clay Bucholtz (but not both)
and prospects for Santana, with the Sox then giving Santana a contract extension in the $150 million range.

            But Ellsbury? That's giving away too much, and it's unnecessary since the Yankees and Angels both withdrew their own offers, leaving the Sox as the only suitors for Santana. If the Twins insist on getting Ellsbury in return, Epstein could offer them Crisp instead, the Twins could protest, followed by Theo saying something like, "OK,
and your other options ARE???" Five years ago, I would have said, " Ok, we haven't won a World Series since 1918, give the Twins what they want, we HAVE to make that trade." But now, after two titles in four years, that urgency just isn't there anymore. Let someone else sell the farm for Santana.

            By the way, major props to the Detroit Tigers for the Miguel Cabrera-Dontrelle Willis trade. Besides those two, they've now got Edgar Renteria, Sheffield, Bonderman, Leyland, etc, etc. It's an extremely likable
team.

Those of you of a certain age will remember this great ad from Miller High Life. Every year, I seem to have a more difficult time getting into the Christmas spirit for some reason, but this commercial always gets me there. I hope it does the same for you! Happy Holidays.

]]> Clip(s) of the Week tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-11-19:77712190-c1a9-49b3-a12b-1f05b6155f0c Joe Michaels 2007-11-19T19:07:54Z 2007-11-19T18:44:00Z     Now on YouTube, one of the greatest pieces of satire that I've ever seen: "Hardware Wars", a Star Wars spoof
that I remember from watching ON TV back in the late '70's. The ultimate in 1970's cheese. The video was split into two parts by whomever it was that uploaded it, so check out Part 1 and Part 2 here!

]]> Whoops! tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-11-16:4177049f-40ff-45fb-a8fb-3d7500ea77fc Joe Michaels 2007-11-16T15:24:47Z 2007-11-16T15:22:00Z

Looks like that engine from Rothman Technologies may not be so sucessful after all. Sorry, my bad.]]> A car engine that runs on water? Maybe... tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-11-15:9390ee61-0f8a-4bc7-9b63-27d193ee9484 Joe Michaels 2007-11-15T19:30:17Z 2007-11-15T18:44:00Z

     I found an interesting website called the Spirit of Ma'at. On it, there's an article detailing the work of Rothman
Technologies, a small Canadian company, in enabling an ordinary combustion engine, just like the one in your car, to run on a mixture of tap water and salt. A cheap metal alloy is thrown into the water, causing the hydrogen to bubble up and feed itself into a tube leading to the engine block. The catalyst in this process, the alloy, is as I said
cheap: an engine could run for 4 hours on a strip of alloy costing one-half of one cent Canadian. Besides ending our dependency on Middle East oil, or any oil, it would cause virtually no pollution. Check out the article here. And check out the accompanying video here.

    Maybe it will work. Let's hope.

]]> Another Boston triumph! tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-11-04:301e7d3c-27e4-4be9-9ad7-2932e8cb0b6e Joe Michaels 2007-11-04T21:32:06Z 2007-11-04T21:00:00Z

As the Patriots offense was running out the clock, defensive players Rodney Harrison (37) and Rosevelt Colvin (59) reacted to the victory.

    Even if you really want all Boston sports teams to just disappear right now, you have
to hand it to the New England Patriots tonight.

     The Indianapolis Colts, led by running back Joseph Addai and QB Peyton Manning, left the Pats
gasping for three quarters. They outblocked, outpassed, and even outCOACHED them
for 45 minutes.

     But the last 15 minutes were all Belichick, all Brady, all Moss and all Patriots.

     Randy Moss (9 catches) tore up the RCA dome, his biggest play being a 55-yard catch in the 4th
quarter to set up a Wes Welker TD catch of a Brady pass to narrow the Colts lead to 20-17. After a Colts punt,
Brady took over, chalking up his 3rd TD pass of the night on a toss to RB Kevin Faulk coming out of the backfield
to give the Pats a 24-20 lead. The Colts then took over, but on a huge 3rd down play, Manning was stripped of the ball, and the Pats Roosevelt Colvin recovered. The Pats then ran out the clock.

    After that final fumble, Manning sat on the sideline making what ESPN.com's Bill Simmons calls the Peyton Manning Face. Ever come home from a week long vacation only to find that someone stole your VCR? Remember the look on your face? Exactly. That's the Manning Face. For the first time in over 2 years, the Pats beat the Colts.
Looks like they may have gotten back inside Mr. Madison Avenue's head again.

    Till January, in Foxboro. Hopefully.

]]> YEAH BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-10-29:a6eea1cd-afb0-4392-97f9-4148b9afb83b Joe Michaels 2007-10-29T13:40:42Z 2007-10-29T13:25:00Z

Red Sox

Say, whatever happened to that Yankee dynasty that I've hearing so much about??

Or how about that Steelers dynasty? They basically won the Super Bowl in 2002, you know.
Except that they didn't.

This Red Sox championship is about vindication for me. About proving to all those doubters out there
(you know who you are) that 2004 was no fluke. That these weren't the Tom Yawkey Red Sox. That that racist
Pinky Higgins was not walking through that door. That a certain notion of Yankee greatness died on October
20, 2004 and has not yet been resurrected. That things truly had changed.

So much for curses. The Sox are now what we fans always wanted them to be: a winning franchise with people in charge who want to field the best possible team every year. We got our wish. All doubt has been removed.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2007 WORLD CHAMPION RED SOX!

Now if we can only convice Mike Lowell not to sign with the Yankees.

]]> Unsinkable. tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-10-26:eaef0cc6-19e9-447d-ac6d-97c337e3c84d Joe Michaels 2007-10-26T11:46:18Z 2007-10-26T09:02:00Z

Schilling saluted the fans just before entering the dugout. Schilling's allowed only one run in 5 and 1/3 innings pitched.

Well, the Red Sox took a 2-0 lead in the World Series last night, outlasting the Colorado Rockies 2-1. This was right after the Sox demolished the Rocks 13-1 in Game One. It's amazing how many different ways this team can beat you. They can beat you with the home run, with the stolen base, they can beat you with the starting pitching, with the closers, with the singles hitting, and they can win by simply giving the ball to Curt Schilling and asking him to think of something.

One of the things nowadays that separates the good baseball teams from the great is middle-relief pitching.
For Boston, that means Hideki Okajima. Brought to the Red Sox seemingly as just someone for Dice-K to talk to, Okajima is now arguably the best set-up reliever in the American Laegue. Check out these post-season stats: 9 2/3 innings, 5 hits, zero runs, 9 strikeouts, an ERA of, as Dean Wormer would say, zero........point.......zero!!
You can't put a price on the ability to come into a game in the sixth inning, say, when your starter has worn out, with two on or with the bases loaded, and bail everybody else out. And he did it superbly last night in relief of Schilling in the 6th. I figured that someone, and it might as well be me, gave Hideki Okajima his due.

Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima came on for Schilling (not pictured) with two men on and one out. Okajima retired both batters he faced, the second by way of the strikeout.

Okajima has definitely earned HIS pay for the month.

Oh, and did you see Matt Holliday get picked off from first base in the 8th last night? Not the thing to do when
you represent the tying run in the late innings of a World Series game. When that happened, I thought, " You know what? It's not happening for Colorado tonight. It just isn't." Another difference between good teams and great: baserunning skills.

Game 3 Saturday night.

]]> Red Sox. American League Champs. Over and Out!!! tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-10-22:fd10da0f-160b-4680-a561-02217660c308 Joe Michaels 2007-10-22T07:39:52Z 2007-10-22T02:05:00Z

Red Sox ALCS celebration

Sorry, Cleveland. I like you. I would have wanted you to go all the way. But
the Red Sox were involved, so I had to root for m' boys, you know? So that's the way the line shot
bounces. But your time is coming, soon.

Sox win the AL pennant. Boston vs Colorado in the World Series, or as Bugs Bunny would put it,
the World Serious.

Till then........rest up!!!!!]]> Bucky F********ing Dent, Meet JD F**********ing Drew!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-10-20:0e7c84e2-6f78-4b81-aa29-5a51e17fac8c Joe Michaels 2007-10-20T23:35:09Z 2007-10-20T23:10:00Z

Red Sox vs. Indians

        Well, it's official. The Yankee Curse is now officially, irrevocably, unequivocably and psychocybernetically
dead.

        As most of you know, in 1978 the Red Sox and Yankees met an a one-game playoff for the AL east title, with the Yanks winning 5-4. The key blow was a 3-run home run by Yankee starting shortstop Bucky Dent, who up until that point had hit 4 home runs and 37 runs batted in all season.

        Now Bucky has returned, and this time he's wearing a Red Sox uniform.

        The Sox loaded the bases with none out in the first, but after Manny Ramirez struck out and Mike Lowell popped out, those of us at Vinny T's here in Worcester, Mass started moaning and groaning about lost opportunities. And with JD Drew, the groundout machine, a man who had demonstrated absolutely NO ability in the clutch all season, at the plate, we were very discouraged.

        "Come on, Bucky. Let's do something," I yelled. The guy next to me laughed. He knew.

        Then.........................BOOM!!!

        A grand slam into the centerfield bleachers. 4-0 Sox.   The Indians were D-U-N done. The Sox would go on to win 12-2. Curt Schilling came up mammoth on the mound for Boston as we all knew he would, everybody in the lineup helped out, as did the ghosts of Fenway and Red Sox comebacks past.

        Game 7 is tomorrow night at Fenway. Daisuke "The Human Rollercoaster Ride" Matsuzaka is on the mound for Boston, with everyone except Theo Epstein in the bullpen.

]]> And Suddenly, noone was going anywhere...... tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-10-19:6d50a009-da8a-46b5-bc83-d70667f50d45 Joe Michaels 2007-10-19T00:52:06Z 2007-10-19T00:09:00Z


            Red Sox won't die just yet, not with Mr. Josh Beckett dragging them by the short ones. Final score: Sox 7, Tribe 1. Cleveland still leads 3-2 in games, but where have I seen THIS movie before? Beckett's stats: 8 innings, 1 run, 5 hits, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts (tying a personal postseason best). Now the Indians have to do something they don't want to do ( fly to Boston ) in order to face something they don't want to face ( Curt Schillling at Fenway). Three years ago, when Dave Roberts made The Steal, and scampered home on Bill Mueller's single to tie Game 4 of the ALCS against the Yanks in the 9th, I blasted "Mountain Jam" by the Allman Bros, a perfect summertime song, 33 minutes long, on my stereo because I was so glad that there was gonna be more Red Sox baseball, more Fenway. At least for a while. You know what happened after that.

            So tonight, when the Sox went up 6-1 in the 8th, I blasted that song again from my stereo, for the same reason.

            Looks like summer's gonna last a while longer.

            Game 6 is Saturday night at 8. And with Schilling set to start for the Sox, I urge you to check out this column from Eric Neel that he wrote on the morning of Curt's now-legendary "bloody sock" game against the Yankees three years ago today. You owe it to yourself to read this.

]]> Red Sox about to sink? and other observations tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-10-17:1b584f6d-9657-4c05-99d4-734c0c231d4a Joe Michaels 2007-10-17T17:59:09Z 2007-10-17T17:26:00Z

    The Sox lost 7-3 last night, and now trail in the ALCS 3 games to one. After letting a nonentity like Jake Westbrook dominate them in Game 3, Paul Byrd, a half-decent righthander, throttled them again last night....n'stuff. The main problem here is that only 3-4 hitters in the Boston lineup are doing ANYTHING, whereas with Cleveland, their number 4 hitter hits a home run one night, their no 6 guy another night, etc. Everybody on this Indian team is contributing, including their manager, Eric Wedge. Throw in the rocking Jacobs Field atmosphere, and it seems that the Tribe can't miss. If the Red Sox weren't involved, I'd be an Indians fan right now. Cleveland is like a punch-drunk boxer against the ropes trying to stay on its feet, a city in the fight of its life now. (Being from Detroit, I can identify.) Those people want a championship, I mean DESPERATELY want it. Maybe it won't solve the city's underlying problems, but a Indians title will make them feel happy and proud, if only for a while. Hey, it's something, right. Most teams and players never make it to the playoffs at all. So when the opportunity knocks, answer it, baby!

    Back to the Red Sox. Dice-K Matsuzaka has taken a ton of heat because the Sox paid $103 million for him, and he has flopped in the postseason so far. But it's not HIS fault that the Red Sox paid that amount. It's like if someone came and offered me $800,000 for my townhouse, when if he/she had just done a little research, they would have learned that my place was actually worth $200,000, tops. But would I have taken the offer? Absolutely! I would have taken the cash and moved to Miami Beach. I would, and so would you. If my condo was worth $800,000 to buyer X, good for him/her. Buyer beware, and all that. It's the same with the Red Sox. The $103 million they paid was absolute insanity, in my eyes. But the Sox paid it willingly, so I don't feel bad for them. Hey, maybe Dice-K will do better next year. Then again, maybe he won't. Those are the risks.

    I hope Josh Beckett wins tomorrow night for the Sox, and sends the series back to Boston for Game Six. I just
want more Red Sox baseball, more Fenway. We win tomorrow night, Curt Schilling pitches in Game 6, and anything can happen in Game 7. Losing to this Cleveland team in six or seven games would be no disgrace.
Maybe we can still win the series. But whoever wins the series will be a deserving winner.]]> RockyMountain.....HI!! tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-10-16:db98cc41-b630-4c04-a3dc-6d2e04f3a5d0 Joe Michaels 2007-10-16T21:42:18Z 2007-10-16T16:44:00Z

    Well, the Colorado Rockies won the National League pennant in DECISIVE fashion last night, sweeping the doomed Arizona Diamondbacks in four straight. They became the first team to win their first seven playoff games since the 1976 Cincinnati Reds, the Big Red Machine. The Reds swept the Phillies in the NLCS, a best of five series then, and then destroyed the Yankees in the World Series 4-0, including the clincher at Yankee Stadium. (I figured I'd mention that, since the Yankees were involved. God, I love it!) Jayson Stark has an interesting take on the Rockies in his ESPN.com column today. Check it out here.

    My thoughts on Game Four of the Sox-Indians series later on tonight.

ALCS UPDATE ALCS UPDATE ALCS UPDATE ALCS UPDATE ALCS UPDATE ALCS UPDATE ALCS UPDATE ALC

    The Red Sox got shellacked in the bottom of the 5th by Cleveland. Tim Wakefield pitched 4 stellar innings for
us, but gave up 3 in the fifth, and left the game with two outs and two on, followed by Manny Delcarmen giving up a massive 3-run bomb, followed by Jacobs Field exploding, followed by me sending my living-room sofa crashing through my front windows. OK, I made that last one up. But seriously, this is the most depressing Red Sox game of the year that DIDN'T involve Eric Gagne.

    BUT WAIT.......

    Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the sixth! Finally, a pulse!
And it's a seven to THREE ballgame! Come on Red Sox!! Back with more tomorrow. Gotta go now.
]]> Dice gets sliced tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-10-15:690d072a-50a6-4f2f-ba64-90081ddbfa0a Joe Michaels 2007-10-15T22:26:54Z 2007-10-15T22:13:00Z

    Ok, this isn't funny anymore. D-Matsuzaka pitches 4 2/3rds, gives up 4 runs, David Ortiz runs towards third base on a grounder hit to his right (with first base open) and gets hit by the ball and therefore called out. So instead of a runner in scoring position with one out, we just have a runner on first. Mike Lowell grounded out to third with Manny taking second on the play, leading to the inevitable JD Drew two-hopper to first to end the inning. And did I mention that the Sox loaded the bases with none out in the second and couldn't score? Indians win 4-2 and take a 2-1 series lead, and unless we get better pitching from our starters, we're going right into the shitter.

    Still, I like the Indians, I like their fans, their ballpark, the sense the fans have that this is their moment. If they advance to the Series, I'll root for them, no question. But anyway, more baseball to be played. Game Four is tomorrow. Wake up, Red Sox!!!
]]> They Always Make it Interesting, Don't They? tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-10-14:00c04edc-bac6-4fdb-8b52-838a878dd335 Joe Michaels 2007-10-14T10:44:07Z 2007-10-14T10:25:00Z

      The Red Sox won Game One of the ALCS 10-3 behind Josh Beckett. No problem there. But the Indians hung in there in Game Two, taking a 6-6 tie into extra innings, surviving a 200-pitch Kevin Youkilis at-bat with the speedy Jacoby Ellsbury on second in the bottom of the ninth, with Youk finally hitting a shot into the leftfield gap that Grady Sizemore ran down to end the inning (a classic "YEAHHHHHHH-ooooooohhhh!" moment).

      In the top of the 11th, Eric Gagne came in to pitch for the Sox. Since coming to Boston back in July, Gagne has pitched ONE 1-2-3 inning, I think. When you're Eric Gagne, and you've gone from"setting a major-league record with 84 consecutive saves for the Dodgers" to "not being able to get your grandmother out", that has to be devastating. I'm not sure who has fallen farther faster, Gagne or Britney Spears. The Indians eventually won 13-6.

      When I saw Gagne jogging out of the bullpen in the 11th, I turned off the TV, went upstairs, and climbed into bed. I thought, "That's it."

      And it was.

      Game Three is Monday night in Cleveland.]]> Joe Torre, in Perspective tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-10-10:99163730-5e9b-4ef3-93ec-8fa6a0d9b14f Joe Michaels 2007-10-10T20:29:17Z 2007-10-10T19:44:00Z

With all the criticism surrounding Yankee manager Joe Torre, here's an old column from Bill Simmons that puts it all in perspective. You can check it out right here.

]]> G"NAT"S ALL FOLKS!!!!! tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-10-09:a2c1a7df-5b3d-42a1-a50d-228e1ebc544c Joe Michaels 2007-10-09T22:06:29Z 2007-10-09T19:45:00Z

For the seventh consecutive year, the Yankees are going home without a World Championship. The Red Sox once went 10 consecutive playoff appearances without a title, but the Yankees are catching up. So long, Mystique and Aura. Drive home safely.]]> Game 3 ALDS Red Sox vs Angels Anaheim CA tag:cblog.jhmfreemanblog.com,2007-10-07:7d6d4e41-8325-4d4b-9389-2c753b553348 Joe Michaels 2007-10-07T21:47:35Z 2007-10-07T21:23:00Z

   Was there any doubt? Curt Schilling gives us 7 shutout innings, and departs with a 2-0 lead. No bloody ankle this time, just one man, one baseball, and a great big heart, Sox blow it open with seven runs in the 8th, and even Eric Gagne couldn't ruin it for us. Manny and Ortiz hit back-to-back homers, I think they're both feeling better now. Sox advance to ALCS. Not much more to say.

   My condolences to the Chicago Cubs and their fans, having been swept away by the Diamondbacks yesterday. 99 years without a World Series win now. Watching the Cubs fans on TV, seeing the defeat on their faces, I kept thinking, "That used to be us." So as a Red Sox fan, my message to all you Cubs fans is simple.

"Hang in there......just.......hang in there."

  Well, the Yankees have just cheated the Grim Reaper. Final score Yanks 8 Indians 4. Game 4 tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium. Joe Torre keeps his job for one more night. (As you may know, Steinbrenner said that if the
Yankees lose this series, Torre would not be brought back next year.) I can just hear Steinbrenner now:

   "Bugs!!.......Listen, I don't wanna HEAR about no freakin bugs!!!!............Did General Patton complain about bugs while he was marching into Berlin???.......HELL,NO!!!!!............How about MacArthur in the South Pacific??
You should have seen the insects flying around there, bite your head right off!!.....You listen, Torre, your days are numbered here, one more loss and POW!! There better be bug spray at the Stadium tonight!!! What do I pay you people for????"

   Game One of the ALCS is this Friday night Oct 12 at Fenway. Either the Indians or the Yanks will be our guests.

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