Thursday, February 17, 2011

Excitement: I Have It

I am truly excited and confused this morning. I got my notification from the Red Sox that I'm allowed to buy tickets for the Sox/Yanks or Sox/Cubs games. I've NEVER won one of these raffles before, so I'm just absolutely thrilled right off the bat. Yeah, I've gotten the second chance drawing for green monster seats once, but usually I'm just fighting like everyone else to get the leftover tickets after the lottery winners have feasted. Is this a good omen for the rest of my week? Man, I hope so, because I have got a lot going on and it would be nice if it would all go well.

I hope everyone else had good luck! And who knows, maybe we'll be sitting next to each other at Fenway!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Pitchers and Catchers: Reported!

During my fantastic adventure in New York yesterday, I remembered that I was actually adventuring on a holiday! That holiday? Pitchers and catchers reporting day. By all accounts, they're all accounted for. Some of them, such as Lackey and Dice, rolled in looking better than they have in past years. Other players, like Beckett, know they have a lot of making-up to do. Maybe because of how bad this winter has been, or maybe just because we have so many new reasons to be hopeful, this spring training is a highly anticipated event. To see Munchkin and Youk back on the diamond, to watch fastballs buzzing by, to see the heirarchy of the bullpen take shape, and to just get a glimpse of baseball... man. It's been such a long time coming, and reporting day means we are again one step closer. February has a lot of unofficial holidays for the baseball crazed.

So knowing that the boys were in camp made being in New York tolerable. I generally dislike the city. The smell of NYC has actually given me sinus infections in the past, so I try not to spend too much time there. However, American Idiot was on Broadway, and Billie Joe Armstrong was playing the role of St. Jimmy, so it's not something I could really skip. If you love Green Day, or Broadway, the play is absolutely worth it. It was nice to see American Idiot the way it was meant to be seen.

Now I'm all hyped up about seeing the show, and about the promise of seeing Jason Varitek back in his catcher's gear very, very soon! What more could I ask for on Valentine's Day than the promise of imminent baseball season? It's been a long time coming.

It's time, boys. Time to gear up, find those corners, and figure out what the gyroball is. Time to work the kinks out of your curves and time to slow down your changeup. Sharpen the fastballs, and get your game face out of hibernation. It's time to start putting some exclamation points behind all the promises of winter. Soon, all the baseballlessness of the last four months will be a distant memory. It's spring training, hooray!

Friday, February 11, 2011

Manny D: Mariner

Interesting to find out that a former pirate is now going to be a Mariner. I don't know what Manny's role was when he was a Black Pearl pirate... definitely wasn't admiral. Maybe he was a deck hand... whatever he was, he decided that life on the high seas was fun and exciting (as opposed to life under the sea that the Rays have to offer), and he'll be living on the left coast.

I'm not sorry that MDC isn't a Sox any more. I still wish him well. I'm glad he's getting the opportunity to make it back to the bigs after a pretty disasterous last few years. Sure, it's a minor league contract, but if Manny can right himself, he'll be back up to the show before we know it.

Darnit, now I'm feeling nostalgic for 2007.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Happy Truck Day!

I am indeed part of the baseball-crazed portion of Red Sox Nation that celebrates Truck Day, the most ridiculous holiday of the year! I'm happy to report that after about 20 ft. of snow (slight exaggeration? Perhaps.) in the last four weeks, we made it to the very first sign of spring. They're loading the truck and they're sending it on to Florida.

What I wouldn't do to be able to go with that truck. Unfortunately, every time I attend a spring training game, they trade or release a player I love, so I have to stay away. I understand that Tek isn't what he used to be, and Theo would happily release him if he had a better option at catcher.

Winter, that raging hormonal witch, is finally losing her grip on me. I drove to work in the snow this morning, and I was unfazed, because it's truck day! And then Sunday is reporting day! And then next Friday is ANOTHER reporting day! And then.... well, you get the picture. I'm a tad bit excited. Happy truck day, fellow Sox addicts!