Secondhand Lions


This is horribly depressing. Maybe I'm cynical about the whole business, at this point, but when do we simply declare the so-called "steroids era" a level playing field by virtue of such a significant portion of players having juiced? Discounting the factor of whose 'roids are better, etc., a chemically enhanced pitcher squaring off against a chemically enhanced batter is, effectively, as "fair" a match-up as a clean pitcher vs. clean batter. I'm not trying to downplay what's clearly a problem that still needs addressed, but hasn't every era of the sport had its unique advantages? I mean, Ruth never had to fly across the country for an afternoon game in L.A. the day after playing an extra-innings night game in New York, not to mention play against a player whose skin wasn't white.

Another point that I think needs to be made is just how foolish and unfair (and racist) the media's epic crucifixion of Bonds has been. I sincerely doubt that any of the other players Mitchell outs is going to have to endure a fraction of the scrutiny and overreaction that Bonds has been subjected to these past several years. And I'm not just talking about obscure role-players, whose lack of headlines can be justified by their marginality as opposed to Bonds' high profile. I mean lionized Caucasians like Clemens and Pettitte (I write this as a diehard Yankees fan, mind you). It's not like, at least in the former's case, there hasn't been plenty of whispers and the occasional sports radio speculation, usually proceeded by listeners calling in to defend the Rocket's good name. Bonds haters love to play up his increased size and freakish continued improvement well into his 40's, but the same is just as true of Clemens, which, until now, we've mostly chosen to overlook or chalk up to good Texas breeding or whatever. I think they're both tremendous ballplayers, steroids notwithstanding, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this won't change Clemens' first-ballot HOF status, whereas Bonds may not get in at all. If I'm right, there's absolutely no excuse, except "I don't like blacks."

Happy Halloween


Viva Bad Taste!

Liveblogging: 2007 World Series, Game 3


5:00 PST: Live from, uh, Victoria, British Columbia, it's Saturday night--and Game 3 of the 2007 World Series here at JLT/JLT: Clutch. Or rather, Two and a Half Men, which is just finishing up on our local Fox affiliate. I hear Charlie Sheen talking now, but in mere moments, it'll be Jeannie I'm-not-even-gonna-bother-trying-to-spell-her-last-
name-anymore's voice coming out of my TV. Exciting stuff, indeed.

5:02: There she is! Like clockwork. Fox is playing some uber-cheesy montage about World Series history. Or something. I'm not really paying attention, and, honestly, I'm not really that psyched about this game or this series anymore. But that could change! The NL upstarts could get their groove back with a few (they hope) games back in Denver. I don't have a good feeling about it, though, and I'm so not looking forward to watching Schilling, ManRam, Ortiz, Francona & Co. spraying champagne all over the place again--or reliving that J-Pap jig. God, I really hope Don Mattingly or Joe Girardi (or Tony Pena--yeah right) gets my Yanks back on track next season. In the meantime, er, go Rockies!

5:09: Mark Grace on Brad Hawpe: "It's almost like he's trying to strike out." That's how bad the Rockies look in this series...

5:11: Oh, Girardi's there guest-commentating, too. I just noticed this!

5:12: In other news: Oregon beat USC, 24-17. I thought the preseason #1 ranking was a bit much for this Trojans team, but now I'm not so sure they're even the fourth-best team in the PAC 10 this year.

5:17: They're announcing the Rockies' starting lineup. The rally towels the Coors Field crowd are waving are looking way too much like white flags right now.

5:20: JLT/JLT favorite Carrie Underwood just did a terrific job with the nat'l anthem. I hope that's not the highlight of the telecast.

5:25: McCarver fun fact: The Rockies' offense produced twice as many strikeouts as hits over the first two games in Boston. Before the series started, I thought the assumed effects of the eight-day lay-off were being overstated. I was very wrong.

5:30: At least, I'm reminded as Ellsbury announces Boston's line-up, Matsuzaka will have to hit so long as he's in the game and Ortiz will have to play first. Expect plenty of Rockies bunts-for-hits down the right side of the infield.

5:33: With the Rockies in their first World Series, the Marlins having won two champions, and the Diamondbacks having won one, I'm left thinking about how unfortunate the poor Devil Rays have been compared to their '90's expansion team peers. If they'd ended up in the National League, like the other three clubs, they would've at least seen the playoffs by now and possibly gotten lucky/hot and advanced. Instead, they're doomed to play bottom-feeder/record-padder in baseball's toughest division.

5:36: Game's on. Speaking of bunting for a hit, Ellsbury--perhaps unintentionally--just did.

5:40: Another hit that didn't leave the infield. Pedroia's at first, Ellsbury's at second. Decidedly not the start the Rockies were looking for at home.

5:43: Josh Fogg strikes out Ortiz. Terry Francona wonders if he made the right call.

5:47: ManRam pops up to left. Two outs. Fogg's ability to pitch around those two hits should be telling of Colorado's chances in this ballgame.

5:50: Lowell pops up to center. No damage yet. Let's hope that's a good sign.

5:53: On Matsuzaka's first pitch of the World Series, Kaz Matsui turns a single into a double thanks to a J.D. Drew misplay.

6:01: Couldn't do anything with it, though. Inning over.

6:07: McCarver is discussing what rank in the military Varitek would be if he were in the military. Or something? The verdict is Sergeant Major. Two outs in the Red Sox 2nd, and as I type, Julio Lugo just hit a double.

6:10: Matsuzaka struck out to end the inning, and McCarver answered my question from the other night--the league Matsuzaka's Seibu Lions were in did use the DH, though the other Japanese league evidently does not. Good to know.

6:14: Matsuzaka couldn't get a hit last inning, but he hits Garrett Atkins to open the Rockies 2nd. Dah-dum-cha!

6:15: Brad Hawpe is so pressing. He strikes out again.

6:17: Out #2: Torrealba pops up to ManRam in left.

6:18: And...another runner is stranded. Inning over. "This is ouuurrrr country..."

6:22: Ellsbury legs out a double to start the 3rd. "Fastest kid alive." "What?" "That's the fastest kid alive."

6:24: Pedroia bunts safely. Runners first and third, no outs.

6:25: Ortiz drives Ellsbury in, Pedroia to third. 1-0 Red Sox. Yeah, Francona probably made the right line-up call...

6:27: Manny's intentionally walked. Lowell's at the plate with the bases loaded. 2-0 count...

6:28: *sigh* 3-0 Boston. This is starting to look eerily like the '04 Series.

6:31: Matt Holliday just threw ManRam out at the plate on an outfield hit by OMV. Some silver lining, I guess.

6:34: Oh, shit! Matsuzaka with a 2-run single through the left side of the infield. 5-0 Red Sox.

6:37: Ellsbury with another double this inning. Julio Lugo scores. 6-0 Boston. Josh Fogg is done. So is this series?

6:41: Franklin Morales, who totally melted down in Game 1, comes in, and Pedroia grounds out to third to end the inning. Finally. This game is probably already over, though.

6:52: 1-2-3 inning for Matsuzaka. *yawn*

7:00: Morales does the same. Maybe that will lend the Rockies some momentum in their half of the inning. Probably not, but I'm trying to retain some semblance of optimism here.

7:12: I want an animated gif of this kid they just showed in the Coors crowd. He looked comically possessed--and happily oblivious to what's happening on the field. Two down in the Rockies' fourth. The home team looks entirely void of anything like momentum, and the CO fans seem largely out of it already. Not that I can really blame them...

7:17: Does a 2-out walk equal momentum? I think not. Especially when ice-cold Brad Hawpe is at the plate. And, of course, he popped up to shallow right-center before I could even finish typing this.

7:21: J.D. Drew leads off the 5th inning with a double. I think, at some point, him and Brad Hawpe must've bumped heads to some Freaky Friday-esque effect.

7:31: Morales looks pretty good so far tonight, though it's likely too little too late since the Rockies' bats are legitimately lifeless. Inning over, with no additional damage and Drew stranded at second.

7:39: I missed what happened because I was making soup (Campbell's Gardennay Sweet Pepper and Tomato), but the Rockies now have runners on first and second with 1 out. I'm not holding my breath (it's not possible to hold one's breath and eat soup at the same time), but perhaps something will come of this.

7:44: Nope. Stranded 'em both. The soup's tasty, though.

7:53: Another very good inning for CO relief pitching--1 (Ellsbury), 2 (Pedroia), 3 (Ortiz). Just sayin'. Not that it actually matters, at this point.

7:58: Youkilis in for Ortiz at first. If you answered, "Who cares?" then you, my friend, are correct.

8:03: The Rockies get another runner on, via a Matsuzaka walk. How much you wanna bet they strand him?

8:05: Hmm, another walk. This might get slightly interesting. Emphasis on the "might." And the "slightly."

8:06: Except that Matsuzaka's out, so probably not. I didn't catch who Boston's bringing in to pitch, but unless it's Gagne, the Sox 'pen will probably end this would-be rally before it gains any steam.

8:08: It's Lopez, and--OMFG--Brad Hawpe actually got a bloop hit. 6-1.

8:11: Well, I'm happy to say I was wrong. 6-2. This is starting to look like an actual competition as opposed to just a beatdown. Another pitching change...

8:15: It's Mike "Nope, I Haven't Retired Yet, So There" Timlin.

8:17: Wow, that looked gone! But it wasn't. Two outs.

8:20: Another close one--a rocket line drive that Lugo lept to catch before it could escape the infield and score at least one runner. Inning over. Still a four-run game.

8:23: Matt Herges is on the mound for CO, facing ManRam to start the 7th.

8:27: Struck him out, and then struck out Lowell. Nice start for him.

8:30: And he does the same to Drew.

8:36: Matsui bunts for a hit to start the Rockies' 7th. We'll see if they can keep it going...

8:37: Matsui steals second. Colorado suddenly looks hungrier, and more convinced that they have a shot in this series, since before the 5th inning of Game 1.

8:39: Tulowitzski gets a hit, runners first and third. Boston's bringing in Hideki Okajima, who's been lights-out lately, from the 'pen.

8:43: THREE-RUN HOME RUN, MATT HOLLIDAY!!! 1-run game. This isn't over!

8:47: Another hit, this one a Helton single to left! Still no outs!

8:51: Okajima strikes out Garrett Atkins. One down.

8:57: Another K. That's more like the Okajima we're used to seeing. And more like the Brad Hawpe we're used to seeing, at least in this series.

9:00: Inning over, but at least it's interesting again.

9:05: Brian Fuentes is in to start the 8th, facing OMV.

9:06: OMV grounds out. One down.

9:07: Fuentes (inexplicably) walks Lugo. Coco Crisp, still on the Boston roster lest we forget, comes to the plate to pinch-hit.

9:09: Crisp singles to center, runners on first and second, Ellsbury comes to bat. Things are suddenly not looking good again.

9:11: Another hit for Ellsbury, another Red Sox run. 7-5.

9:12: Pedroia drives in a pair. 9-5. Game over?

9:15: Regardless, why the hell is Fuentes still in there?

9:16: Youkilis grounds out. ManRam steps to the plate.

9:19: He pops up to left to end the inning. Can CO bounce back? I don't have an 8 ball handy.

9:20: One out in the Colorado Eighth. Missed how it happened (sue me). That other Manny is now pitching for the Sox.

9:26: Willy Taveras lines out to Pedroia. That's two.

9:27: Fox shows a fan with his hat turned inside out. The only problem? That hat in question is bright orange. Who is this man rooting for? The Phoenix Suns? The University of Illinois? At any rate, Kaz Matsui hits a two-out single.

9:30: Oh, it was probably a Broncos cap (sorry, I'm slow), which is more acceptable, I guess. Tulowitzki walks. Holliday comes to bat. J-Pap's coming out of the bullpen. Fox is going to commercial. I'm going to go brew some coffee.

9:35: Holliday swings at the first pitch. It looked like it might be gone off the bat, but missed by a few feet in deep left. Inning over.

9:39: Mike Lowell opens the top of the 9th with a base hit off LaTroy Hawkins.

9:42: I'm not sure what just happened because I went to get and mix my coffee, but now Lowell's at third and there's one out.

9:42: Varitek scores Lowell on a sac fly. 10-5.

9:42: Lugo grounds out, inning over. CO gets one more shot to avoid going down 3-0 in the Series.

9:48: Helton pops up to right. 2 chances left.

9:50: Atkins grounds out to third. Brad Hawpe's up last, er, next. I meant next.

9:53: Hawpe stretches a double into a triple. The game's not (technically) over yet...

9:55: Torrealba grounds to short. So, that's a wrap. I've decided not to bother live-blogging tomorrow's Game 4 because the Rockies look doomed to be swept and I don't really feel like watching Fever Pitch 2. My predictions, in sports and plenty of other facets of life, are frequently wrong, of course, and should the Rockies win tomorrow, I will probably go ahead and give it another shot for Game 5. Otherwise, I'll focus my efforts on the soon-to-start basketball season(s) and rooting against the Patriots. Thanks for tuning in. Good night, and--unless you're a Red Sox fan--good luck.

The Professionals


NBA-wise, here are my predictions for this season:

Atlantic
01. Boston Celtics
02. New Jersey Nets
03. Toronto Raptors
04. New York Knicks
05. Philadelphia 76ers

Central
01. Chicago Bulls
02. Cleveland Cavaliers
03. Detroit Pistons
04. Milwaukee Bucks
05. Indiana Pacers

Southeast
01. Miami Heat
02. Washington Wizards
03. Orlando Magic
04. Atlanta Hawks
05. Charlotte Bobcats

Pacific
01. Phoenix Suns
02. Los Angeles Lakers (if Kobe stays)
03. Golden State Warriors
04. Los Angeles Clippers
05. Sacramento Kings

Northwest
01. Denver Nuggets
02. Utah Jazz
03. Seattle Sonics
04. Portland Trail Blazers
05. Minnesota Timberwolves

Southwest
01. San Antonio Spurs
02. Dallas Mavericks
03. Houston Rockets
04. New Orleans Hornets
05. Memphis Grizzlies

Eastern Finals: Celtics over Heat, 4-2.

Western Finals: Suns over Spurs, 4-3.

NBA Finals: Suns over Celtics, 4-2.

Finals MVP: Steve Nash

League MVP: Kevin Garnett

Rookie of the Year: Kevin Durant

Time of the Season


Baseball is almost over (perhaps sooner than I'd hoped), which, of course, means basketball season is set to kick off. On the college front, the results of the pre-season ESPN/USA Today Poll have just been released. The rankings look, for the most part, how I expected them to, with UNC, UCLA, and Memphis separated by just eight points in the top three spots. I don't think I've read or spoken to anyone bold enough to predict a team other than those three or Kansas or Georgetown (#'s 4 and 5, respectively) as their national championship pick for this season.

I won't either, but I also won't count out better-than-solid-looking squads coached by Mike Krzyzewski (#11 Duke) or Tom Izzo (#8 Michigan State) or, for that matter, a #22-ranked Kentucky team with an excellent new coach in Billy Gillespie and a serious desire to return to elite status. Slotted one spot below UK is my hometown (well, close enough) Salukis, who look tough enough to nearly run the table again in conference play, if not make quite as much as national noise in March. Either way, it's satisfying to see SIU receiving credit for the consistency they've sustained over the past half-dozen seasons.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the preseason poll is which conference landed the most teams in the top 25. Hint: It's not the ACC. Or the expansive Big East. It's the PAC 10, which is too often slept-on for, seemingly, no better reason than that many of its games air after East Coast sportswriters have already turned in for the night.

Here's the teams-by-conference breakdown:

PAC 10: 6 (#2 UCLA, #10 Washington State, #13 Oregon, #17 Arizona, #18 USC, #21 Stanford)
Big East: 5 (#5 Georgetown, #6 Louisville, #12 Marquette, #20 Pittsburgh, #25 Villanova)
ACC: 3 (#1 UNC, #11 Duke, #24 NC State)
Big 12: 3 (#4 Kansas, #14 Texas A&M, #16 Texas)
SEC: 3 (#7 Tennessee, #19 Arkansas, #22 Kentucky)
Big 10: 2 (#8 Michigan State, #9 Indiana)
C-USA: 1 (#3 Memphis)
WCC: 1 (#14 Gonzaga)
MVC: 1 (#23 Southern Illinois)

Liveblogging: 2007 World Series, Game 2


5:00 PST: Okay, I'm back. Game 2 pre-game coverage is just about to start. I hear Zalesko (sp? again--I'm too lazy to Google her). She sounds like she has a massive crush on the Red Sox and the city of Boston (is she from New England? doesn't sound like it). It's like that scene in Ghost World where ScarJo says "He gives me, like, a total boner." Now, Eric Byrnes is on. He consistently strikes me as a douchebag.

5:03: The million dollar question right now, of course, is: can the Rockies bounce back from last night's fugly massacre? I'd like to say yes, but I don't know. The hot streak they were riding coming into this series was their single biggest asset. Now, it's unquestionably gone. This wasn't losing a close, Brandon Webb-pitched game, like they did last time they failed to put up a W. Last night's trouncing had almost nothing to do with Beckett. The Rockies allowed THIRTEEN RUNS. A banged-up, geriatric Tim Wakefield wouldn't have given up 14. To state the obvious, the key to tonight's match-up is Ubaldo Jiminez's ability to cool down Boston's bats, so the Rockies can take some sense of momentum back to Denver. They're not dead. It doesn't matter how big you lose one game because one loss is one loss, period, and a 1-0 series lead shouldn't send the Rockies into panic mode. But I disagree with Byrnes' claim that tonight's game isn't a must-win for CO--it is. Not quite do-or-die per se, but do-or-be-in-very-rough-shape-in-this-series, for sure.

5:12: Also, this is hilarious. "The Red Sox are once again trying to break the long curse of Doug Mientkiewicz." It was funny when they did this sketch a while back on the Yankees' championship drought, and it's just as funny this time around.

5:15: I'm sorry, but James Taylor is starting to look creepy. To say that he hasn't aged gracefully would be a staggering understatement.

5:18: For the record, Barry (like Joe Torre) has every right to be bitter. And I, for one, would love to see him play a year or two in pinstripes!

5:21: It's McCarver Time, peeps.

5:23: Referendum 67 = (evidently) still good for "trial lawyers and frivolous lawsuits." Pass it on.

5:26: Jamey Carroll is reading the Rockies line-up tonight. He's more animated than Helton was last night. Maybe that's a good sign?

5:27: Another commercial break. Fox blows.

5:30: McCarver: "[The Red Sox] are playing an unconscious brand of baseball."

5:31: Willy Taveras is trying to bunt for a lead-off hit? Now, he's 0-2. Brilliant.

5:32: Nice, Schilling pegged him. I'm sure the Rockies will take baserunners any way they can get 'em right now. McCarver: "If you can't hit Schilling, let him hit you." That was actually sort of funny?

5:36: For myriad reasons, I think I dislike Curt Schilling more than I do any other active professional athlete. Kaz Matsui popped up deep...

5:39: Infield hit for Matt Holliday! Runners on second and third! Only one out! Now drive them in, Todd-O.

5:42: 1-0 Rockies on a fielder's choice from Helton. Nice, but don't strand the runner on third.

5:43: Darn. No dice. Inning over.

5:47: A quick bottom of the inning would be very good for Colorado. One down on a Pedroia pop-up.

5:48: Youkilis popped up, too. Two down.

5:49: Excellent. Ortiz grounded out. A 1-2-3 start for Jiminez is a promising sign.

5:52: Another lead-off batter on--Brad Hawpe hit a grounder through the gap on the right side of the infield for a single. Let's keep it going.

5:55: Tulowitzki strikes out after attempting to bunt. The Rockies should be more aggressive than that at the plate, especially at Boston when they're allowed a DH.

5:57: Speaking of which, do pitchers bat in Japan? If anyone reading this knows the answer, please email me (my name--with two n's at the end--at yahoo dot com) because I'd be interested to know. I ask since Matsuzaka is going in Denver for Game 3, and I wonder how he'll fare at the plate. (Inning over, btw.)

6:03: First baserunner for Boston. Jiminez, who's otherwise looking great early, nailed J.D. Drew in the leg.

6:06: No damage done. Jiminez struck out Old Man Varitek. (I know I'm over-stressing a cheap jab, but, seriously, I think Varitek just dropped a load in his Depends as he hobbled back to the Boston dugout. He makes Todd Helton look like a sprightly young pup...Okay, I'm done.)

6:13: Two down already--Carroll struck out and Taveras grounded out. Schilling looks better than decent. The Rockies need to work him hard.

6:14: Another strikeout for Schilling, and 1-2-3 inning for Boston. Looks like we might be in for a pitchers' duel tonight--the rookie phenom vs. the cantankerous geezer. It should at least be more fun to watch than last night's disaster...

6:19: On candid camera, CO pitching coach Bob Apodaca seems to be talking to Jiminez as if he was a literal baby. Pretty bizarre and actually slightly unsettling.

6:22: Baby Ubaldo walks Baby Dustin.

6:23: (Tag as "stating the obvious"): Jiminez needs to shut down Youkilis here, with Ortiz, ManRam, and Lowell looming. Full count...

6:26: Aaannnddd...he walked him. NOT GOOD.

6:30: Whew! Ortiz just scared the shit out of me with a just-barely-foul would-be three-run homer. Then Jiminez threw him something real nasty to strike him out and end the inning. Clutch!

6:34: Lead-off single for Holliday. Good deal. Let's chase Schilling before he goes all (fake) bloody sock on us.

6:37: Shit. Inning over already. The Rockies stranded another runner, which will likely come back to haunt them. Fifty bucks says this won't end a 1-0 game.

6:39: I'm not sure which I like more: the idea of Paul Giamatti as Santa Claus or the idea of Vince Vaughn as Santa's underachieving brother. I'm almost actually excited about this movie.

6:41: They're showing the between-innings interview with Clint Hurdle, who appears to have been drinking. After last night, I couldn't blame him.

6:43: Another walk, this one to Lowell. But still no...wait, I'm not gonna say it. You fill in the blank.

6:45: Hits. J.D. Drew just got one, so never mind about that. And as I type, OMV just scored Lowell on a sac fly. Tie game.

6:48: Another walk. For a guy who's still only given up one hit, Jiminez is starting to look kinda shaky...

6:49: Now Apodaca is shown talking to Jiminez on the mound, and sounds as if he's a stern dad lecturing his teenage son about wearing a condom. Ellsbury steals second. America gets free tacos. I could care less, being a vegetarian who lives in Canada.

6:53: And Jiminez got out of it. I'm gonna go make myself some dinner--and by "make myself some dinner" I mean put peanut butter and jam on bread, so brb.

6:57: Back. Lead-off walk to Derek Jeter Junior.

6:59: Successful sac bunt from Torrealba. Scoring Tulowitzki this inning to put the Rockies back on top feels key.

7:02: No such luck. Schilling pitched around it. Still knotted up.

7:04: Tonight's JLT/JLT gift for Old Man Varitek:

7:08: Buck: "Tonight's game is sponsored by a car you can't ignore, the all-new Chevy Malibu." Wanna bet, Joe?

7:09: Apodaca/Jiminez Cam Episode #3: Still bizarre.

7:12: Jiminez walks his fifth batter, Ortiz, to extend what should've been a quick, momentum-building inning. Now ManRam's at the plate...]

7:14: McCarver on ManRam: "He can strike like a cobra in a basket." LOL!

7:15: The cobra strikes with a two-out single.

7:17: Teresa and I discuss whether or not the Rockies' grey uniforms look like pajamas (I say yes), and Lowell knocks in the go-ahead run. Jiminez is done.

7:20: Teresa on the Samsung cell phone commercial w/ break dancers: "Is that Joakim Noah?" I think I can say with 100% certainty that those words would've never come out of her mouth had we never met.

7:24: Another walk. Another pitching change. Another commercial break. Bases loaded. Outlook not favorable for underdog-rooters.

7:30: Matt Herges got Old Man Varitek to pop up to end the inning. I guess OMV didn't get that Levitra yet.

7:36: More taco talk. Now, they're interviewing some Taco Bell guy. Exciting stuff, let me tell ya.

7:41: Schilling walks Helton. He's gone. Okajima's coming in with runners on first and second. This needs to be a big inning for CO, but Okajima has looked really good in the postseason.

7:50: That might've been Colorado's best shot to take back the lead, spoiled by an Okajima strikeout of Hawpe. We'll see how Boston's bullpen covers the next three innings? What say you? Okajima in the seventh and splitting the eighth with Papelsmear? Sounds about right.

7:53: Lead-off hit for Ellsbury. All the Sox fans who campaigned for Ellsbury over Coco Crisp have to feel pretty vindicated right about now.

8:01: 2 outs. Ellsbury at third. Herges vs. Youkilis. Huge at-bat right here.

8:05: Yikes, did that Youkilis foul ball just bounce off the top of someone's head in the crowd?

8:07: Walked him. Ortiz coming to the plate. Set-up man Brian Fuentes coming out of the CO bullpen. Commercial break. Stay tuned...

8:11: Ortiz popped up. I was going to make some comment about him not seeming as lethal as usual here lately, but I'm just superstitious enough to resist the impulse. Except that I sort of just did.

8:15: Joe Buck: "These days, it is good to be a sports fan in New England. Whether it's the White Sox..."

8:17: Okajima is making his job look easy. Two outs in the 7th.

8:19: McCarver calls Okajima "funky." Okajima strikes out Ryan Spilborghs to end the inning. Boyz II Men sing "God Bless America." I had no idea that they were still together. I actually saw them live a dozen or so years ago.

8:27: J-Pap is narrating his victory dance that followed the Sox winning the AL East. I can't place his accent.

8:29: Joe Buck: "Drew couldn't be any hotter!" I imagine those are words that Sox fans didn't expect to hear anytime soon.

8:32: Fuentes strikes out OMV. Let's see if the Rockies can put anything together in their half of the 8th.

8:36: Okajima strikes out Taveras looking. He still looks sharp out there.

8:40: Okajima strikes out Matsui swinging. J-Pap's coming in to face Holliday.

8:44: I wonder if that's his O-face, too? (Or rather: no, I don't.)

8:45: Infield hit Holliday! The inning continues with Helton coming to the plate.

8:46: Picked off at first! Wow, that stings.

8:51: One down in the Boston 8th.

8:52: Dos. Lugo tried to bunt, but the ball bounced up and hit him in fair territory. On the rare instances when this happens, I relish reliving it in slow-mo because the batter almost infallibly looks terrified.

8:55: From ESPN's play-by-play:
"J Lugo out (hit by own batted ball) to catcher." It just reads funny!

8:56: Pedroia got a hit--and managed to avoid being "hit by own batted ball."

8:58: Buck: "Papelbon with a combination of towels wrapped around his...moneymaker." McCarver: "Business partner." Buck: "Trying to keep it warm."

9:00: Anyway, inning over. It's go-time.

9:06: Helton battled, then struck out. One down. What happened to that late-inning Colorado Magic?

9:07: Atkins pops up to center. Ugh.

9:08: Brad is the Rockies' last Hawpe tonight. Sorry, lame almost-pun.

9:10: And he strikes out. Game over. The line about the Rockies during that incredible streak was that they could win in any number of ways. Now, they've lost a Game 1 blow-out and Game 2 2-1 pitching duel. Maybe they'll recover at home, but things aren't looking hopeful, at this point. We'll see. I'll be back live-blogging Saturday, same time (8/5), same place. Au revoir, for now, sports fans.

Liveblogging: 2007 World Series, Game 1



5:00 PST: Aaaaannnddd...we're live! Bear with me, folks, this is my first stab at this live-blogging thing. It might be extraordinarily boring--and, in that event, it might not necessarily be wholly my fault: if, say, one team puts up nine or 10 first-run innings (stranger things have happened with both of these teams), we could be in for a very long haul.

5:05: Okay, pre-game coverage is underway. Jeannie Zalesko (sp?), who is a dead-ringer for Debra Messing, is talking to Kevin Kennedy (a dead-ringer for my high school principal), et al. I'll go ahead and offer up my Series prediction, since that's what everyone else is doing right now: Rockies in 5. Don't laugh! My logic says Colorado has a much better chance of winning this series in 5 games or even sweeping than taking it in 6 or 7 since a) the best thing the Rockies have going for them right now is this insane streak--which may or may not have been cooled off by the eight day lay-off--and I can't see them beating this Boston team if they lose more than 1 game along the way, and b) the Rockies so don't want to see this series go back to Fenway for Games 6 and/or 7 (just ask the Indians). Winning it in 5 would mostly likely mean beating Beckett at least once (they did it earlier this season, in Boston no less, which I realize doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot except that it can be done), plus besting Schilling, Matsuzaka, and Jon Lester (or the Sox's bullpen, which isn't all that reliable beyond Papelbon and maybe Okajima).

5:10: Fox's crew all picks Boston to win the Series. Surprise, surprise. Pretty much everyone outside the state of Colorado, save for Jayson Stark and myself, seems to be expecting the Sox to bulldoze the Rockies. Which I don't entirely understand. Yes, on paper Boston is the more impressive team--and should be, of course, when you factor in payroll disparity--and, sure, the lay-off will theoretically have some effect on the Rockies' momentum. But how exactly does one count out a team that's won 21 of its past 22 games? We're in virtually unprecedented territory here. New rules and plenty of second-guessing would seem to apply.

5:16: They're announcing the starting lineups. Just finished Colorado's, now they're doing Boston's. The baseball fan in me is psyched (this looks like a classic David and Goliath match-up), but the Yankees fan in me is feeling more than a little wistful right about now. We should be there! Or rather, Fox, etc. should be in the Bronx not Boston, and we should be hearing names like Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter rather than Jacoby Ellsbury and Julio Lugo. Oh well. There's always next season. (I'm starting to feel like a goddamn Cubs fan...)

5:25: We should check out Bones sometime. We're watching Angel on DVD, at the moment, and loving it. David Boreanaz is so good in the Whedonverse. I wonder how good he'd be outside of it. For what it's worth, he was okay in the "White Flag" video.

5:28: Evidently, "the lawyers win" with Referendum 67. So says the ad on our Seattle area Fox affiliate.

5:31: Helton just announced the Rockies' starting line-up. He read it off very quickly, without citing players' positions. I like him. I hope his bat comes back to life this series.

5:33: And...another commercial break. Fox is the worst when it comes to stretching events out with long, frequent ad blocks. If they get this thing started before 6 (Left Coast Time) it might just be over by midnight.

5:35: "The World Series on Fox, sponsored by American Gangster"--golden as delivered by Joe Buck.

5:37: It's actually starting. I figured they'd milk the build-up longer. I'm pleasantly surprised.

5:38 Josh Beckett already struck out Willy Taveras. Not a promising start for CO.

5:40: 3-0 count. Kaz Matsui is taking. That's more like it.

5:41: Full count. The Rockies must make Beckett work to get outs in order to win this game.

5:42: Another strikeout. Beckett looks good early.

5:44: Wow, struck out the side. Fox is playing the Pixies--"Here Comes Your Man" in tribute to Beckett. If it weren't for Beckett, Boston certainly wouldn't be in the position it's in right now.

5:46 Carl Yastrzemski announces the Red Sox line-up. Could he hit Josh Beckett?

5:47: OMFG, Pedroia just launched a homer off the top of the Green Monster. Things are already not looking good for Cinderella...

5:49: Another hit, this one a double by Youkilis. Jeff Francis (of suburban Vancouver!) needs to settle down. He's not going to be lights-out like Beckett, but he needs to get his bearings and pitch to his strengths.

5:52: Ortiz grounded out, but Manny predictably drove in Youkilis. Through one-third of an inning, Francis has yielded as many hits as Beckett has strikeouts.

5:55: It's raining in Boston. The Rockies might want to start secretly hoping for a rainout. Two outs: Francis got Lowell to fly out after nearly walking him.

5:56: Phone call...

6:02: Teresa says "hi." 3-0 now, with two runners in scoring position. Yikes.

6:03: Got out of it. The good news for Colorado: Three runs is not an insurmountable lead, assuming their bats aren't totally M.I.A. The bad news: They have to make up the difference against Beckett, while the chances of Francis suddenly becoming unhittable and limiting the damage to just three runs seem slim.

6:07: Helton struck out, too. Is Beckett as dominant as he seems tonight or are the Rockies just that cold?

6:08: Garrett Atkins slugs a Fenway double. It looked gone, but wasn't quite. I wonder if anyone just thought, "There goes Beckett's no-hitter"--'cause I kinda just did.

6:12: Strikeout #5 to Brad Hawpe. But...another Monster double, this one by Troy Tulowitzki, scoring Atkins. 3-1. Things = looking slightly up.

6:13: Inning over. Yorvit Torrealba (sp?) failed to drive in Tulowitzki. The key to staying in, and then maybe winning, this game for Colorado seems to be their ability (or lack thereof) to drive in runners in scoring position. If we're looking at a Beckett-Okajima-Papelbon ballgame, the Rockies probably aren't going to put many guys on second or third base. They can't strand them there if they want to stand a chance in this contest.

6:16: Also, Francis desperately needs a fast, no-harm-done inning, without letting Boston get back to the heart of their order.

6:18: Struck out Ellsbury. Good.

6:21: Walked Youkilis (after jamming Pedroia). Not good. Now Ortiz is up. This is what was not supposed to happen, Jeff.

6:24: And, of course, Ortiz hit a line-drive that Colorado's vaunted defense allowed to reach the outfield wall. Youkilis, not a fast man, scored from first. 4-1 Boston. Francis is walking ManRam now, thus demonstrating the difference between "smart" and "brave."

6:28: Lowell popped up. Brb, I need food.

6:33: Back, with burritos. There is one out already. I don't know how this happened.

6:35: Two outs. Announcers seem so surprised when ManRam makes a decent defensive play. Dinner is good. Swiss cheese melted atop frozen bean burritos doesn't sound like it should work, but it does really well. Inning over. Beckett is looking locked in. The Rockies are probably openly rooting for a downpour as I type this.

6:41: Francis struck out Jason Varitek, the latter of whom is starting to look pretty old this postseason (especially when you see him interviewed with his hat off).

6:42: Lugo bunts for a hit. I'd really like to have seen Varitek try that.

6:44 No further damage. Best inning so far for Francis (obviously). These VirgiColomentoFlagAntonio commercials are starting to annoy me. Speaking as someone who places international calls on a weekly basis, it's very easy to get around. If you're ever in Canada and need to call the U.S., I highly recommend the Nuvo calling card, which gives you like three and a half or four hours for five bucks.

6:50: Chatting with Francona. Tim McCarver is somehow even worse at interviewing people than he is at providing color commentary.

6:52: Helton's at second. I missed something (again).

6:53: Another Beckett strikeout. That one was key. Runner on second, one out >>>> Runner on second, two outs...

6:55: Joe Buck: "This crowd wants to see strikeout number seven." Brad Hawpe's bat: "[whiff]."

6:57: I really don't want to spend $8.50 to see Fred Claus, but I'm afraid it may be necessary.

7:02: Francis is not pitching that badly, all things considered. His spot in the rotation is deceiving. He's not really an ace. He's a very solid #3 starter in a rotation with three of 'em (though Jiminez might be #1 material with time). I'm rooting for him to perform well since he's from B.C., where I presently live.

7:03: Okay let's just not pitch to Ortiz plzthx.

7:07: Is it just me or are you sick to death of hearing about how majestic and historic and idiosyncratic Fenway Park is? I mean, I'm sure it's a lovely place to watch a baseball game, but enough lip service already. We get it.

7:09: ManRam double. Runners on second and third, two outs. Lowell gets an intentional walk.

7:11: If Francis walks in a run right here, I reserve the right to take back my "not pitching that badly" comment.

7:12: Worse. Varitek doubled. Two more runs in. Consider the compliment hereby retracted.

7:14: Inning over, and the game might as well be, too. Unless Beckett or Boston's 'pen totally melts down, I don't see the Rockies coming back from five runs down tonight. Luck only goes so far, and perhaps it's finally run out for this Colorado team?

7:17: A new email in my inbox from MoveOn.org is subject-headed "Hope is not a method." I wish I could forward the note onto Clint Hurdle and Co.

7:20: How is there already two outs? We don't have Tivo, so I can't rewind...

7:22: Phone again...

7:25: Inning over. So much for taking advantage of runners on base.

7:29: Franklin Morales replaces Francis. He seems wild, but I'm going off of three pitches, and I hope I'm wrong. It might be too late to matter anyway. Single for Lugo. He's having a pretty good night.

7:31 Ellsbury dropped down a decent-enough bunt, but Morales caught the lead runner (Lugo). The Rockies' defense is probably not overrated. But their "American League-style offense" probably is.

7:33: So much for the nice defensive play. The ump called balk on Morales' pick-off move. I think not, but it's debatable. Ellsbury at second, two outs, Youkilis batting.

7:39: Another double for Youkilis. Ellsbury may or may not have scored from first. 7-1 Boston. Wait! Ortiz doubles. Youkilis scores. 8-1.

7:41: 9-1, courtesy of a Manny bloop. Short of the legitimately miraculous, this game is over.

7:42: Professional baseball expert Ken Rosenthal just said (twice) that the Rockies faced the Cubs in the NLDS, when they actually played the Phillies. Neither Buck nor McCarver corrects him. Another Boston hit. This is ugly, and it can't really be attributed to Beckett's dominance either.

7:46: Great, a walk. Bases loaded. And it's still just the 5th inning. What a way to kick off the new blog--with a blowout. I'm guessing tv sets outside New England got flipped off about fifteen minutes ago.

7:48: 10-1. Pitching change. So,...how about that SF-J piece?

7:56: Walked in the 11th run. Before the last commercial break, McCarver compared this to Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS, which the Yankees won 19-8 before the Sox came back to take the next three games, etc. My hunch says some Fox exec whispered that one in his ear. After they narrowly averted the ratings nightmare of a small market vs. small market World Series, now they have to be worried about the possibility of an over-before-it-started 4-game ass-kicking. And...another Boston run is walked in. Ugh.

7:59: Un-fucking-believable! Three straight bases-loaded walks! 13-1! A rush shipment of anti-depressants is bound for Denver.

8:02: The inning is finally over. Joe Buck says 34 minutes, but it felt a lot longer than that.

8:09:

8:13: In other news, the Red Wings beat the Canucks, 1-0.

8:15: Buck and McCarver have spent the past several minutes discussing Taco Bell's free-tacos-for-a-stolen-base promotion, and now they have Royce Clayton on candid camera talking about it, too. That's how little there is left to talk about re: this game.

8:18: Manny just appeared to be half-asleep when he hit that pop-up. I'm half-asleep as I type this. What happens when a live-blog post hits the Interweb and no one's around to read it?

8:22: Mike Lowell vaguely looks like a brawnier Colin Farrell. In a remotely interesting game, I would never have noticed this resemblance.

8:23: Varitek looks constipated.

8:26: (For Old Man Varitek):

8:28: Why in the world is Josh Beckett still pitching? I realize I'm saying the exactly same thing as Buck and McCarver right now, but it's the only point of intrigue left in this game (aside from whether America will get some free tacos or not). The Sox could bring in Ben Affleck to pitch the next three innings, and they'd still walk away with a no-sweat win.

8:33: Now they're talking about the brand of cologne that Troy Tulowitzki wears (Derek Jeter's "Driven," which Joe Buck calls "a breathtaking fragrance").

8:34: Ashanti is singing "God Bless America." At least it's something to talk about. Maybe...

8:37: Meh. Not bad, but a bit too Mariah-esque for my tastes. She closed it out by shouting either "let's get 'em!" or "let's get it!" I hope it was the latter, a national tv nod toward Young Jeezy.

8:43: I posted the following some 3 hours and 43 minutes ago: "It might be extraordinarily boring--and, in that event, it might not necessarily be wholly my fault: if, say, one team puts up nine or 10 first-run innings (stranger things have happened with both of these teams), we could be in for a very long haul." Please keep that in mind.

8:48: Hmm, Fox is planning to air a Terminator-inspired series. I liked the first two movies as a kid, but I wonder whether this show will be worth watching. If it was on another station right now, I would certainly be willing to find out.

8:49: Now, they're airing a mini-piece on Japan's interest in this year's World Series, due to the involvement of Daisuke Matsuzaka and Kazuo Matsui. The traditional Asian string music they're playing over it feels like it should be offensive.

9:00: An article on presidential candidates' spouses includes this bizarre chart:

Presidential Spouses in Search
Significant Other Select Related Search
1. Bill Clinton Hillary "mask"
2. Jeri Thompson Fred "pictures"
3. Michelle Obama Barack "car accident"
4. Elizabeth Edwards John "cancer update"
5. Ann Romney Mitt none
6. Cindy McCain John "photo"
7. Judith Nathan Rudy "judith nathan guiliani"
8. Barbara Richardson Bill none

I'm not sure I want to know what the connection between Bill Clinton and "mask" is...

9:02: Okay, final inning. Let's get this over with. Eric Gagne LMAO!

9:06: Two down. Working with a 12-run lead, Gagne actually looks quasi-relaxed. And the Fenway crowd isn't throwing sharp objects at him.

9:07: A young Sox fan in the crowd looks nervous. Either a) he really doesn't trust Gagne, b) he has little or no understanding of how baseball games work, or c) he just crapped his pants and doesn't want his parents to find out.

9:08: Game (mercifully) over, with, of all things, a Gagne strikeout. I'll be back live-blogging again tomorrow evening at Eight Eastern / Five Pacific. Hopefully, I'll have a better game to discuss. Well, it would be astounding if tomorrow's game somehow managed to be worse than today's. So, there's that--something like optimism! Until then, don't miss me too much.