the shrewdness of apes

this is amazing! i feel like my stupid optimism is a wonderful balance to your undying pessimism here. obviously it means much less to me if they win so i can stay positive without fear of a broken heart but even with little vested interest in the game every pitch wakefield threw last night gave me a heart attack for fear of another passed ball. an amazing show.
p.s. i nearly lost it last night after hearing Boston and Journey blasting over the loud speakers at the stadium. what is it about new england and their undying love for cheesy classic rock?

Re one example of ineffective base stealing: Ortiz should have been safe that one time, that was a bad call. But was it really advisable for him to try stealing second at that point? He's not exactly Speedy McSlimguy.

Damon seems to have a total lack of intensity. He looks like a guy who doesn't give a shit (even if he actually does).

Journey is cheesy for sure, but remember Crispin, you're the guy who likes Air Supply. And Boston, come on! Boston Red Sox, Boston the rock band...you gotta give them that. Also, Boston's first album was the first record I ever bought and I totally stand by its turntableworthiness.

Watched last night's game at Cody's on Court St. in Brooklyn, where the crowd is usually a weird mix of old men, blue collar Yankee fans and random young neighborhood professional types. (Watched about 7 or 8 games there last October; hadn't been back there in the year between playoffs until Y's-RS game 1 last week.)

When Pedro almost hit Matsui with a pitch and the Fenway crowd cheered loudly, this one Yankee fan said, "Listen to 'em, they love it" disgustedly. Then this little old man yelled in a gravelly voice, "That's because they're rednecks!"

I was so safe!

And Johnny D. cares more about his grooming than he does playing ball, but he still cares!

And Apes, I agree Varitek should have been taken out.

Jim, I wasn't knocking classic rock just wondering about new enlgand's love of it. I love some Journey and Air Supply and I understand the use of Boston in Boston, I simply was wondering aloud. And i meant "nearly lost it" in a good way. The use of "Don't Stop Believin'" was just the tonic for the creeping pessimism descending on the boston crowd.

Can I sue Boston for copyright infringement?

Crispin: Rock on!

I wish they would also use some Cars (or maybe they have and I just haven't been listening). When they do use Aerosmith songs, it unfortunately always seems to be the lame newish ballady ones (by "they" in this case I mean Fox, not sure about the Fenway DJs, and I'm basing this on one example so I probably shouldn't say "always" but it's probably right anyway). I won't be holding out for any Modern Lovers tunes.

RE Classic rock and New England, it's always kind of got me too. It's all I listened to, even after I moved from NH. Neal and Jamie changed that, fortunately. Anyway, I think the answer lies in the Chapelle Show skit with John Mayer. White people love to dance, but only to guitar rock. Boston fans can't properly celebrate a first-to-third hit and run (or a fast break layup, touchdown pass or wraparound goal for that matter) without a little Jungle Love (Sweet Emotion, Love Her Madly, Black Dog, etc.) as a motivator.

Jim's Modern Lovers reference makes me think: Wouldn't it have been great if the PA guy had played "Hospital" after Pedro knocked down Don Zimmer last year?
I reflexively air-drum during the eternally kick-ass closing seconds of "More Than a Feeling." I also know every word to "Don't Stop Believin'," which, while cheesy as all get-out, is great to sing along to. Especially the line "Smellawine and cheep perfuu-ume." So yes, I salute the choice of music at Fenway.

The blue collar people will name their kids Curt. The yuppies will name their kids (regardless of gender) Schilling. At least, I think that's how these things usually work.

Hey kid!! I actually fell asleep only to wake up and see the Sox win in 14.There just about to start the grudge match.Maybe Manny will finally get an RBI.What`s up with no fights?? I think we need Don Zimmer to show up and get something rolling (literally!)Well we`ll see.Later!!!!!

I love that your dad posted. Hi Mr. Paquette! My dad is SO excited, too. Isn't it nice

I think Johnny looks nice tonight, his beard is trimmed and his hair looks conditioned. I think he always looks nice but he is a bit more refined. He should totally go on "Queer Eye."

I'm sorry if I'm being anti-American or anti-my Celtic roots, but dude, I am getting sick of Ronan Tynan. Bring back "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" for the 7th Inning Stretch.

I meant to finish my sentence was going to say it'll be even better for the generations before us, they've been waiting even longer. My dad is so excited, he;s on the verge of tears. This is so fucking great. I couldn't resist caling Doug, Larimer had told me how the lucky bastard got to drive up today w/ his friend Pat. He was super happy, obviously. I wished him a safe trip and I think I said it partly as in 'Don't get beat up on the way out.'

I loved watching their hug and love fest on the field.

Pedro needs some ritalin, he's such a jitterbug.

Yay Boston! Yay for us for believing!

Oh, and looks like the Jimmy Fallon movie is A GO. And though I agree with the anti-JF sentiment today, I know I'll totally be watching any movie about Red Sox fans.

Johnny Damon, while proving himself quite valuable last night, is quite cro-magnon. jutting chin, bony brow...he looks like any minute he'll start picking nits off his teammates' backs. his hair is well-conditioned, i'll give him that.
i, too, grew tired of ronan tynan. it's creepy how much he sounds exactly like he looks.

Damon's the Unfrozen Caveman Outfielder. Anyone who criticizes Ronan Tynan is a bad American.

the Unfozen Caveman Lawyer!

Doug came up with that one last year, it's perfect b/c although you mock him as a neanderthal, Crispin, he is very well spoken and nice. I love Johnny :)

you and the wife both. she had been so disappointed in Damon until last night, but she was happy to finally see him smile after the game.

she also has a thing for Mike Mussina which is just painful.

why ayone would continually watch the singing of "God Bless America" each night is beyond me. that's an automatic channel changer.

with so few channels, i have nothing to change to. plus i'm horribly superstitious so occasionally if the red sox were doing well, i was afraid to move for fear of upsetting the balance of the universe.
i agree with you jake, i am a bad american.
and off topic, a question for apes: what happened to your sidebar, dude? it totally disappeared.

Someone should cut off Damon's hair and stuff it down Ronan Tynan's throat. Then again, after what Damon did last night I guess we don't want to mess with his mojo.

I always take bathroom breaks during God Bless America.

not only do i do take bathroom breaks during "god bless america", i piss all over the flag.

On the subject of having a thing for baseball players:

Aside from Mussina, I don't find any Yankees remotely attractive. He is classically handsome but seems boring. I wouldn't kick him out of a hammock, but I also think there's better players (and more importantly, non-Yankees) to fixate on.

When it comes to pitchers, a key factor for me that determines whether they're attractive or not is their pitcher face. Mussina's is very bland and zombielike.

My friend Joe said last night that Kevin Brown looked like an angry high school science teacher.

Lowe has a cute pitcher face, and so does Arroyo.

I can't think of what Jeff Suppan's looks like, but he is so damn good lookin' that it doesn't matter.

there were some ugly and frightening pitcher faces last night. cornered animals, blowfish and some creepy, creepy stares. lowe is most certainly a cutie. pokey is so cute i want to put him in my pocket.

C. Larry told me today that Schilling and Arroyo are big-time Christians of the "Jesus helped me win that game" variety. Aaaaarghh. Wish I hadn't learned that. Must try to forget it.