Happy Berth Day Once Again

Last night the Red Sox made it into the playoffs once again. I am glad for it, but I am not counting on anything. It is never good to be cocky. I swam for a swim team who had not lost a swim meet since before I had been born. When I was 17 swimming on the team we lost our first swim meet. Between that and being a Red Sox fan for a good part of my life, I know a loss could come out of anywhere so keep quiet, stay modest and keep your head down. ;-)




On a different topic, but related to the Red Sox....have I have said how much I like Jonathan Papelbon. I think the world would be a better place if people took a lesson or two from him. He takes his job very seriously. He gets upset with himself when he knows he could have done better and didn't for what ever reason. So those are two nice things. The last thing that makes me like him is when he is not working he knows how to let go and celebrate/relax. He has danced to raise money for the Mike Lowell Foundation, he has lip sinced for rain delay entertainment, he has danced for Red Sox Nation in his underwear, and he wears a kilt. What is not to like. :-)

Baseball season

It is nearly the start of baseball season and I have bought a bunch of Portland Sea Dogs tickets and few Red Sox tickets.

Being a Red Sox fan it is hard to know what to think now. Normally this time of year it is ok to be positive, but in the back of your head you know they won't make it all the way, but this year. It is sort of a niggleing in the back of your head that since there hasn't been any major player changes that they might go all the way again. Shhhh...I didn't say that...can't jinx things you know. So Red Sox fans have no idea how to act or feel this time around we all want to think positive, but we know how that has hurt us in the past. The Red Sox may not be the loveible losers any more, but there is to much hurt still in the Red Sox fan soul to willing just be positive about things. So here is to being cautiously optimistic to this season.

So here is to a good season.

"Tessie"

Now this is very important. I need all of Red Sox Nation to find a version of "Tessie", either the original one or the Dropkick Murphy's one. We all need all play it today in hopes of a Red Sox turn around.

For you who don't know the history of "Tessie". The Royal Rooters were the first sports fan clubs as we see them today. They were Red Sox fans. In the 1903 World Series, Boston was down to the Pittsburgh Pirates (they were down 3 games to 1 out of a nine game series, so 5 games win). What the Rooters did was sing every song they could think of, but Michael "Nuf Ced" McGreevy got the sheet music for Tessie which was a song from a Broadway musical that didn't even 5 months. Nuf Ced, had all the Royal Rooters sing "Tessie" and "Tessie" helped win the day. Pittsburgh outfielder Tommy Leach even credited Boston's win to "that damn Tessie song." Well Royal Rooters ended up changing to words to "Tessie" to taunt the Pittsburgh Players. Boston ended up winning the series. It is said that the Rooters stopped singing "Tessie" in 1918, which was the last World Series until Boston won in 2004.

What happened in 2004, Dropkick Murphys came out with their version of "Tessie" which is a song about the original song "Tessie" and how the Royal Rooters used it to help the Red Sox win games. A coincidence that Red Sox won the World Series that year? I think not.

So Red Sox Nation break-out "Tessie" today and play it loud and proud. Help Red Sox win.

My info for this blog posting came from Rooters: The Birth of Red Sox Nation, it was on NESN ( for non-New Englanders that is New England Sports Network) a few weeks ago and I watched it with great interest. I found it interesting to find out that Red Sox fans have influenced games in that way. I might have to buy the DVD set because there is more info on that then the one they played on NESN.

" The Rooters gave the other team a dreadful fright
Boston's tenth man could not be wrong
Up from "Third Base" to Huntington
They'd sing another victory song"

-"Tessie" by Dropkick Murphys

Red Sox and being green

Well I bet the people who follow baseball would expect me to write about how the Red Sox has won its first division title in 12 years. Yeah yeah...that is great, but it isn't what I am going to write about.
It turns out a couple of my favorite things are converging. :-) Fenway Park is going green. They are making the grand old stadium environmentally friendly. I think I am more excited about this then the division title. They are planning on collecting empty water and soda bottles in the 5th inning. They are changing to a more efficient lighting and expanding their recycling program. My favorite is that are going to offer more locally grown, organic produce in the concession stands.
They are making these changes over the next 5 years in order for it to be all done by 2012 and Fenway Park's 100th birthday.
So the Red Sox might be Division Champions, but they are also doing the right thing. Which to me is always the more important thing.

Red Sox

Well ever since I started my thing of listening to songs related to the Red Sox they started winning again. They did lose on Sunday, but I had stressful stuff going on at my house that day so I didn't listen to any music that day.
Yesterday I had "Who Killed Tangerine" by Tears for Fears going through my head. (It is a song from the Fever Pitch soundtrack...Fever Pitch is a great Red Sox movie and it doesn't hurt that it has Drew Barrymore who I could watch forever.) Any how the part that was going through my head was " And when you think it's all over It's not over, it's not over" and I thought it was going through my head because swim practice has started up again and that describes swim practice pretty well...you think it is all over, but nope it isn't the coach has thought up something new to do....well it turns out that it had nothing to do with the swim practice, all to do with the Red Sox and Yankees. When I went to bed I wrote the Yankees off as having won the game. A-Rod got a grand slam they were beating Tampa Bay 5 to 0. Tamp Bay is last place so of course with a grand slam and all that the Yankees will with against Tampa Bay...so I went to bed. Well "And when you think it's all over It's not over, it's not over." Imagine my surprise when I woke up and found out the Yankees lost by one run.
Also when I went to bed Red Sox were winning, but it was close, and they brought up Gagne. Well in Maine we call him GAG-nee, because he tends to give up a lot of walks and hits and stuff so when he comes in at the end of the game Red Sox might not win. So I figured well it looks like the Red Sox might have lost this because of Gagne....well once again "And when you think it's all over It's not over, it's not over."
So that is why I had this song virus. Because I need to remember that things aren't over until it is over. ;-)

Happy Berth Day

Well the Red Sox have earned a playoff berth. I was worried there for a bit. Of course being a typical Red Sox fan things I do in my daily life effect how well the Red Sox play. :-) Since Friday I have listened to songs that are related to the Red Sox in some way and then they turned around. ;-) Of course they only started having problems because my dad left his lucky hat at our house the last time he visited. ;-)

My little Red Sox fan

When Horse Girl went to bed tonight I read 86 Years: The Legend of the Boston Red Sox by Melinda Boroson to her. When we were done she started to talk to me about Curt Schilling and how he played with a bloody and hurt ankle. She said to me "He is a great man. He is a brave man." Yes sweetie he will always be a guy I admire....he put everything on the line in that game...he might never have played again, but he push himself farther then anyone else would push him....and that is something I admire in a person.

Currently Schilling is on the disabled list....with an injured shoulder who knows how long he will be on the disabled list and I don't care he will always be the Red Sox designated hero. I also know if the team really needed him again like they did in 2004 he would push himself again. It is nice to know he is able to take a break and let himself heal.

I am pleased to know that Horse Girl seems to understand hard work and dedication are qualities that I value because she so clearly understood what Schilling has done for the Red Sox.