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Tom Strange
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Danny Haren pitched a helluva game.

Beckett was good until the 7th when he lost a little of his command for an inning which is all it took.

I was expecting a duel between those two--and got it.

Im hoping Youkilis is OK, that was one of the freakest injuries Ive seen (Gold Glover hadnt made an error in two years gets hit in the eye during in between inning infield tosses)...Sox now have zero firstbasemen, as backup Sean Casey is serving a suspension for the Tampa fight a few weeks ago, and Ortiz has been gone about a month or so..

They put in rookie OF Brandon Moss who immediately bobbled in what proved to be the winning run...

O well......

we'll see what Tito comes up with tonight.....

and Ive said it before Rhino--the cubs hundred year rebuilding plan is complete, all the pieces are falling into place to win like they did the last time it was an '08 year.

Its their year----the Cubs fans will be in such strange territory by winning that they literally will not know what to do--marriages will get back together, families will rebond, the planets might just start to realign

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Cubs fans will figure out what to do the same way Sox fans have. They'll realize that the next season arrives too soon,and they'll want another one.

I'm not sure why the White Sox fans weren't accorded the same long suffering status that Cubs fans get. They only had 80 plus years instead of 100 between championships, and when they won the series you hardly heard a word about the fans. Guess their press agent wasn't as good. Cubs fans like to declare they're 'special', the way Bosox fans do. I'm pretty convinced the ballparks have a lot to do with it. Last I looked, the Houston Astros have never been in the world series, and I'm sure there are grandparents who have been Stro's fans their whole lives. Maybe the Astrodome was never sexy enough.

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Interesting point--I dont know exactly what it is...The parks and the history had something to do with the mythos thats been created no doubt...

It might have something to do with the nature of the fans as well--dont really know--Of course Ive been up here in the upper right hand corner for a bunch of years now but try as I might I cant ever remember running into a 'stros fan or a White Sox fan--at least not any that I whiled the time away shootin baseball stories with...I know that I have with Cubs fans --a number of times--over the years..Im sure Astros and White Sox fans are just as big a fans as anyone else but perhaps their just not as neurotic where they find it necessary to write mountains of books that have to do with curses or billygoats or blackcats or other obssessive intricate details that capture the public imagination as they display their yearning and angst...the way RS or Cubs fans have over the years...

Other than the Black Sox the White Sox history to me is mostly a blackhole --, same with the Astros. I m sure theyre good fans but its harder to identify on a personal level without some sort of personal connection..which Ive really never seen or been exposed to..

Cubs stuff on the other hand is well known and its a part of human nature to want the guy who constantly gets beaten to overcome--at least once.

Interesting point about the stadiums---there is a whole mythology that surrounds teams , the astros and the White Sox somehow never developed theirs the way some of the older other teams have (Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Cardinals etc...) or at least its not widely known enough to capture people

Edited by mstar1
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It was good to see Bill Mazeroski throwing out the first pitch yeaterday in the first time the Yanks have been back to Pittsburg since his homerun in the 60 series----He said in an interview that not one day has gone by in 48 years that someone hasnt asked him about it---Its amazing what one single moment can sometimes do---

Well--Im off to the ballpark--I'll see you on ESPN tonight--I'll be the one in blue :wink2:

Edited by mstar1
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Its amazing to me that we are half way to October already.. I dont know why the winter months crawl by and baseball season flies.

I cant say about every team but the Red Sox are off exactly one game of last years pace (50-31 at this point in '07, 49-32 now-) with virtually the same offensive and pitching numbers--just different players doing it... Given the injuries theyve had, thats pretty darn good. The only real difference is last year they were up 10 1/2 --now they are up 1/2 because the division overall is much stronger...

Can someone please slow this season down? I feel like Im going to blink and it will be over --much too soon...and I'll be back to shoveling snow

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I don't know where the Yankees were this time last season, but I know it wasn't any good. I still don't know how they made the playoffs. This year is just as big a mystery.

You're right-the season goes too fast, and the winter way too slow.

I'm off to see the Angels at Dodger Stadium tonight. It's really not as cut throat as Mets-Yankees, but still fun to see the better LA team play the Dodgers. The Angels were so bad for so long, that it's hard for die hard LA fans to get behind them. With teams so much is perception. The Dodgers are still regarded as a class organization, even though they've been mediocre at best for 20 years. The Yankees can go 15 years without being in the series (like in the 80's-early 90's), but when they do get there people complain that they're 'always' there.

I like the Angels. If I lived closer, I'd go to a lot more games. I like Dodger Stadium more than the team, and certainly can't complain about the 15 minute drive there.

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Its amazing to me that we are half way to October already.. I dont know why the winter months crawl by and baseball season flies.

I cant say about every team but the Red Sox are off exactly one game of last years pace (50-31 at this point in '07, 49-32 now-) with virtually the same offensive and pitching numbers--just different players doing it... Given the injuries theyve had, thats pretty darn good. The only real difference is last year they were up 10 1/2 --now they are up 1/2 because the division overall is much stronger...

Can someone please slow this season down? I feel like Im going to blink and it will be over --much too soon...and I'll be back to shoveling snow

There's that old saying -- Time flies when you're having fun.

However, I've found that time just flies... whether you're having fun or not.

I'm confident the winter thing (that it seems to go slower) is some sort of perceptual illusion based on not having baseball going on at the time.

And then there's our friend Groucho who says that time flies like the wind but fruit flies like bananas.

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I'm off to see the Angels at Dodger Stadium tonight
Cool --you saw a team get no hit and win? that doesnt happen every day! I didnt see it...Howz bout the insiders review Hiway. I just read about it in the morning Boston Globe. Joe Torre said it was his weirdest win
It was only the fifth such game since 1900, and first since Matt Young of the Red Sox in 1992, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The Angels' Torii Hunter said he has never been involved in such a strange game.

"Never," he said, "not even in Little League."

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That was one strange game. I noticed when they scored the run, that they still hadn't any hits, but I didn't think it would hold up. Kemp got on by a dribbler down the first base line, that the pitcher bobbled picking up. While stealing second, the throw sailed into the outfield sending him to third. The sacrifice fly was to the warning track in right. What may not be recorded is the amazing throw Vlad Guerrero made to the plate, almost throwing the runner out.

The umpire had one of the most generous strike zones I've ever seen, which may account for the speed of the game. Several players seemed shocked to be called out on pitches that looked way outside and high even up in the loge where I sat (the fans always have a better view of the pitch than the ump, right?) Billingsley played to the zone, and kept hammering the outside (or inside to lefties) part of the plate. A key moment late in the game was Hunter waving at one of those pitches, after being called out on strikes by it earlier in the game. He knew he couldn't assume it would be a ball and struck out in a key situation.

I guess I can always say I was there. It was an exciting game with a lot going on while noone was hitting on either side.

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guess I can always say I was there. It was an exciting game with a lot going on while noone was hitting on either side

It will be something to talk about when you are old and in your rocking chair someday regaled young uns with stories of baseball past...

Red Sox have hit their mid season $uck... Half the team is in extended slumps...relief pitching is on vacation....and the FBI is traveling with the team because of death threats ( :realmad: ), They'll swing out of it, but right now its no fun to watch---

It is good to see the folks in Tampa excited-- they are filling up the Trop, and involved and noisy on every pitch as they moved back into first. I honestly miss the excitement of scratching your way up the ladder.

Dont underestimate the Rays --they are playing some really good baseball and have bucketloads of that youthful enthusisam that cant be bottled

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I'm liking the Rays. There are worse things could happen, than seeing them steal the division from the big boys.

Mstar, you may be getting a taste of what life at the top is like. One thing I've never liked about being a Yankee fan is that there's no tolerance for rebuilding. The pressure to win every year is relentless. From what I've seen so far from Sox fans, they're proving to not be much different. Watching your team deal with the inevitable pitfalls and cracks in the armor is really not as much fun as the process of a team coming together from the bottom.

I've been watching the Dodgers come from the bottom for years now. A little success wouldn't hurt about now.

Death threats ??!!! Omigawd.

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Former Astros' pitcher Shaun Chacon cleared waivers on Monday and was cut by the Houston team.

Last week, the team said that if no team picked him up on waivers, he would be released and his contract terminated for cause.

The players' union has said it will file a grievance and that it believes Chacon is still owed nearly $1million on his contract.

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I'm liking the Rays. There are worse things could happen, than seeing them steal the division from the big boys.

Mstar, you may be getting a taste of what life at the top is like. One thing I've never liked about being a Yankee fan is that there's no tolerance for rebuilding. The pressure to win every year is relentless. From what I've seen so far from Sox fans, they're proving to not be much different. Watching your team deal with the inevitable pitfalls and cracks in the armor is really not as much fun as the process of a team coming together from the bottom.

I've been watching the Dodgers come from the bottom for years now. A little success wouldn't hurt about now.

Death threats ??!!! Omigawd.

Yea death threats, nobody is letting on to much..Im guessing it has somethingt to do with the fight Coco Crisp had with Tampa and maybe the general perception of the Red Sox as the big boys now...or something...security and FBI is everywhere.....anyway I hope that blows over soon--who needs crap like that ---its baseball.

As far as the being on top thing---it is different----I dont know how to verbalize it---In the past there was some distant inner hope that was ignited and hung on every pitch ---even when the lineup was filled with Jose Melendez's and Darren Bragg's--at the times when you werent expected to win --but might---that gave some type of edge to the excitement.

I could see it in the Tampanians (Tampons?) last night, the excitement was in that stadium--as well as it should be...

I noticed last week when I was at the game yuppies sitting behind me who went on and on and on about everything under the sun except baseball (I couldnt get out of earshot) I dont know if they were even aware that there was a game going on....I was ticked---that stuff would have NEVER gone on afew years ago. I was indicative ...welll...of something..that has changed...

I know that no one plays good all of the time, but I do know what to expect of these guys, or what they can do when they are on their game, and right now they are not---if they were rebuilding--well I could still enjoy just watching young ballplayers do their thing..

But this year they are really not rebuilding, they kept the entire team from last year basically---right now there is just some sort of collective --BLAH--going on. It happens every year at one point or another but when you know what they can do its not easy to watch--but hey it happens--blown saves, late innng losses, good hitters missing fastballs down the middle, failing to move the runner along, mental lapses in the field, poor managing.

Hopefully they'll shake it off soon--Its gonna be exciting in the AL east this year

...it all will balance out in the end...

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mstar, since you were writing when I was, and your post started on a new page, I wanted to tell you what I said:

-

Hi my friends! The mackster got to go to Yankee Stadium last night and sit in a $250 seat behind home plate. I was so happy for him (especially since tickets were a gift ). He was thrilled to go this season before it's no longer.

Mwah.

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I probably won't be able to make it to Yankee Stadium this year, much as I would have loved to say good bye. I'm incredibly sad, yet optimistic about the new stadium. As I've said, I've never been a fan of the 70's renovation, and I look forward to Yankee Stadium looking like Yankee Stadium again. Still...... My first trip to Yankee Stadium when I was 11 was like going to Oz, and it's hard to think the place I grew up with is going going gone.

I know the Sox aren't rebuilding and are still the team to beat. I was talking mainly about the frustrations of staying on top. It just isn't the same as watching a team develop, but as you said, it all balances out in the end. The Rays are a nice monkey wrench thrown into the AL East. Now if only the Orioles could regain some long lost luster.

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Mwah to you too excie--Congrats to Mackie for getting his chance to sit in the hallowed seats for one last time--Its always a thrill---next year (from what I hear anyway) the homeplate seats at the new place will be $3500.00..

Maybe if Hiway cant make in this year he'll treat us all to a few of those next year :biglaugh::confused:

From what i hear and the few pics that Ive seen it is going to be quite the palace, much bigger than the old place (which was already enormous), state of the art all the way, and will probably rekindle that "Oz feeling'.

I'll stay happy for now with the tiniest seats(16 1/2 inches) and cramptest space in baseball although I admit I get a little jealous at some of these places that look like they have La Z Boys for seats and enough aisle room to work on your car in between innings.

Hopefully this year will create enough enthusiasm to help get the new Rays "sailboat" stadium built--Its pretty cool lookin with its retractable sail roof

Im tired (im sure everyone is..)of watching balls in play bouncing off the catwalks, speakers or ceiling in tampa or pop ups going up and never coming down

ept_sports_mlb_experts-126587184-12.jpg

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mstar, did you say 3500?

I did.

Thats what I heard last winter from a pretty good source who is usually accurate---

The new stadium cost a billion, ARod alone has a quarter of a billion coming his way, the money to pay for all this has to come from somewhere.

I know that the Red Sox who have a much smaller stadium, already have high prices and are striving to keep up with the revenue flow of the Yankees have already announced that there will be a substantial increase in ticket costs next year in order to stay competitive with them <_< .

Its perverse--It was One Dollar when I was kid

Hopefully they'll still be some semi affordable tickets so families can go at least once in awhile without having to mortgage the farm

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On my first trip to Yankee Stadium, box seats were 3.50-which was way too pricey for my parents, so we settled for reserve-which turned out great as I was right between home and first-right next to a pole , which was only a slight annoyance.

I don't know how people can afford to do anything anymore, starting with driving to get there.

Of course at the time of my first game, gas was 30 cents a gallon, comic books were 12 cents, a Hershey Bar was a nickel, and my parents sold their house for 17 thousand.

Which is not to excuse the high price of paying for todays ballparks, and players, and everything else they factor in. You can still buy a cheap seat at Dodger Stadium (the seats high behind home plate are 8 bucks and it's a nice view). If you want to eat you better come prepared though. The other night I ordered 2 Dodger Dogs, nachos, and a 'small' coke (not all for me , by the way),and it cost 27 bucks. I don't know how a family coming to the park does it, but then I don't see how anyone is keeping their head above water these days.

I love that proposed Tampa park. Maybe the only 'covered' stadium I've ever approved of. If you've ever been to Tampa, you know that some protection is crucial, and that sail by the water has a nice feel to it.

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How did they get your email? Of course, noone is going to 'defect' because Don Zimmer sends them a letter, but it is fun to see Tampa finally with a team they can get behind. I can name most of the players from the '75 and '86 Sox, so I guess I don't qualify anyway. Until they build the new stadium, there are no 'sunny skies' in the Rays republic-just the ugliest indoor park this side of the Kingdome.

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Im on everyones mailing list--It was actually sent to me by another Sox fan who found it on a Rays blog. the humor was good (Affleck free since 1998 :biglaugh: ) and its the way a rivalry article should be written-nothing real harsh or stupid.. Its good to see the folks of tampa bay are enjoying their time--they should

I lived in Tampa for 7 years in the 80's and enjoyed it a lot. It wouldnt be the worse thing in the world to move back ---these New England winters are just too much---.

The new park would be an incentive, the one they have now is not only ugly but the way normal fly balls bounce off the catwalks--two or three more last night, and just land any old place screws up way too many games.

Its supposed to be up by 2012--I think---maybe I'll take a little house on the gulf, a boat, say goodbyr to snow, get a good tan and see the Sox 9 times a year down there--and maybe I could even afford to see a yankee game once in awhile---We'll see--

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