It's Been Awhile...

A wonderful birthday gift

It's been awhile since I have last posted.  I admit, this off season I haven't felt as "into the blog" as I would have liked.  Not that I didn't still love writing the blog because I do.  Things changed drastically over the winter, and I'm learning that things are constantly in motion.  I won't get into every detail, but here are a few of the things that went on that helped contribute to me not writing for months:

• Most important, my brother's diagnosis with leukemia.  When I first moved to Connecticut, my youngest brother was diagnosed with leukemia (I mentioned it here and how I bought the #GetBeard shirt in honor of him).  I'm happy to report that my brother is officially in remission and will be getting married in about five and a half weeks.
• I started a new job.  I started working at a law firm in Hartford in December.  With working, I no longer had my days to write the blog.  This is no excuse, I know, since I wrote the blog while I was living in Iowa.  But, this was a huge adjustment to me.  I had been at my job in Iowa for years before I started the blog, and I was comfortable with the pace and then writing.  Working in Hartford is a much faster pace, and the type of working I'm doing is different.  It was a huge adjustment for me, and I'm still adjusting to it months later.  
• My original plan was to start blogging again once a week when the season started.  Unfortunately, the Friday before Opening Day, I received devastating news that my cousin had passed away.  It hit me very hard, especially since I was not with my family and would not be able to attend the funeral.  I won't get into all the details, but my cousin suffered from addiction.  His brother set up A Go Fund Me Account in my cousin's honor, and I highly recommend everyone to check it out, especially if you've ever known anyone who has suffered from addiction.

I wanted to start writing this past Sunday, but I've been fighting a sinus infection.  I'm actually home from work today with it, so I thought I'd do a little blogging.  But, we're not here about what's going on in my life; we're here about the Red Sox.

For my birthday, my wonderful boyfriend got me a Fenway Four-Pack; tickets to four Red Sox games.  There were tickets for a game in April, May, June, and September.  My parents are coming to visit in July, and we got tickets for a game when they're back.  We also got tickets for a Yankees game in August.  That works out to a game a month for six months.  Not bad.

A beer in honor of my cousin

We went to our first game April 5th against the Brewers.  It was a bitterly cold night (seriously, the temperature was around 35*, and it was windy).  I hate to admit it, but we didn't last past the 6th inning.  I blame Buchholz.  Everyone around us left, which made the wind hitting us that much worse.  There was no coffee and little hot chocolate available.  The Red Sox ended up losing 7-6 in 11 innings.

Since we're a few weeks into the season, I thought I'd just do some random thoughts on the season so far:

• I am not in panic mode...  yet.  There's been a lot of talk on the radio and television about whether people should be panicking about the Red Sox, since they are currently in last place and have a 9-11 record.  Season is still early.  The past two games have showed the Red Sox still have fight in them.  Victorino and Middlebrooks coming back from the DL will make a huge difference.  
• Buchholz needs to get his act together.  Every year, it's the same thing.  He shows these flashes of brilliance then falls down the wormhole again.  My guess is if he has another bad outing in his next few starts, he'll be making a trip to the DL and Workman will be brought up.
• Not impressed with AJ Pierzynski.  I don't think I'm being biased here.  He's batting .235 with a HR and 6 RBIs.  I don't think his defense has been stellar either; I'd rather Ross be back there.  I know it's still early, but I don't know how this move will benefit the Sox.
• Anyone else get really annoyed with the ESPN commentators Sunday night during the game talking about how much the Red Sox missed Ellsbury?  Wow!  I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I'm not a big fan of ESPN; and I try not to watch things on ESPN, if I can help.  Sunday night, ESPN could not let up on their admiration for Ellsbury.  Honestly, I think once Victorino returns from the DL, the Red Sox will be more of a threat on the base paths.  Sure, Victorino doesn't steal bases like Ellsbury, but he has confidence running the bases.  The Red Sox just need some confidence.

I'm hoping to post again this coming Sunday.  Make sure to follow me on Twitter at BornIntoItInIA.  You can also check the side of the blog for Tweets.  

GO RED SOX!

Red Sox Pick Off For A Win

What a way to end a ballgame!  After Saturday night's crazy ending that resulted in a Red Sox loss, the team needed to come out and play the game aggressively.  There were so many question marks going into Game 4 of the World Series, the team needed to prove that they deserved to be there, and that they had a chance to win the series.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, with the Red Sox winning 4-2, Koji Uehara was on the mound to do what he does best, close the game.  With one out, Allen Craig, the Cardinals player involved in the "obstruction" call from the previous night, pinch-hit for pitcher John Axford, and he singled to right field.  Speedster, Kolten Wong, replaced Allen at first base.

Photo from NESN

Uehara then induced a pop-out from MLB hits-leader Matt Carpenter, which brought Carlos Beltran to the plate with two outs.  Everyone knew Wong's job was to get to second base, but he had to be careful.  Fortunately for the Red Sox, Wong wasn't as cautious as the Cardinals would have hoped, and Uehara was able to pick Wong off at first base.

It was another crazy way to end a World Series game.  Uehara was ecstatic after the game, as were the rest of his teammates.  After the game, Uehara claimed that he doesn't read scouting reports, and he just threw the ball to first base on his own.  I believe him.

Wong obviously felt bad after the game, and he went to Twitter:

Prior to the game, questions and statements were circulating about how healthy or "tough" Clay Buchholz was.  The FOX commentators during Game 3 were saying how Buchholz and Doubront could both be considered "starters" for Game 4, as they could split the duties.  Farrell maintained that Buchholz would indeed start the game, but the rumors kept coming that Buchholz was suffering from "dead arm."

Buchholz handled the situation expertly.  He explained that he wasn't 100%; but most players at this part of the season, weren't 100% either.  He was reportedly around 80-90%.  During the game, commentators and analysts (on both the television and Twitter) kept saying how Buchholz didn't look right, his velocity was down, questioning how long he'd last.

Personally, I think Mike Lowell said it best in a tweet:



Buchholz had issues, especially with his velocity; he hit only 90 mph seven times during his 4.0 inning outing.  He allowed 1 run, 3 hits, 3 walks, and struck out 2 in 66 pitches.  He gave it his all, and I'm sure all Red Sox fans can appreciate that.

Doubront got the win for the Red Sox, pitching 2.2 innings in relief and giving up 1 run on 1 hit and striking out 3.  He's been impressive in his relief role this postseason.  Lackey also pitched an inning in relief without so much as giving up a hit.

Jonny Gomes provided the big hit of the night for the Red Sox.  He originally wasn't even in the line-up, but an hour and a half prior to the game, Victorino was scratched due to back tightness.  

Photo from NESN

In the top of the 6th inning, with the score tied 1-1 and Pedroia and Ortiz on base, Jonny Gomes stepped up to the plate.  I could tell from home that Gomes wanted the big hit of the game, and he delivered.  He hit a line drive to center field that landed in the bullpen.  The Red Sox were now up 4-1.

Here's the thing about Jonny Gomes; he brings an undeniable energy to this team.  His interviews after the game are always thoughtful.  He's a fan of the game, and he donated his bat and batting gloves after the game to the Hall of Game.   As Gomes rounded the bases, he was on fire, but I believe Ortiz was more excited.

Photo from NESN

Speaking of Ortiz, he is making a case for himself as the MVP of this team.  Not only is he batting .727 for the World Series; 8 for 11.  He has 2 home runs, 4 walks, and 5 RBIs.  Last night alone, he was 3 for 3 with a double and an infield single.  Who would've thought in Spring Training, with Ortiz hobbling around the bases, that he would be able to leg out an infield single in the postseason.

Ortiz is also taking an even more prominent leadership role for this club.  In the fifth inning, with the score tied 1-1, Ortiz held a quick meeting with his teammates in the dugout.  As we fans watched on, Ortiz was talking to these men, and you could tell he was both inspiring and pumping them up.  The players explained the meeting as such to The Boston Globe:

Ortiz:  I've been in this situation before. I know we have a better offensive team than what we have showed.  You put pressure on yourself and try to overdo things and it doesn't work that way. We know the Cardinals have a very good pitching staff but we have faced good pitching before.

Like I told my teammates, if you think you're going to come to the World Series every year, you're wrong. Especially playing in the AL East.  You know how many people we beat to get to this level, this stage? A lot of good teams. A lot of good teams. It took me five years to get back on this stage. We've had better teams than we have right now and we never made it. So take advantage of being here.

I don't have another 10 years in me. I don't know when I'm going to be in the World Series. I have to give everything I have right now.

Ross:  Inspirational.  He talked and we listened.

Gomes:  It was like 24 kindergartners looking up at their teacher. He got everyone’s attention.

Farrell:  It was meaningful.  He's one of the guys that people look up to. Our guys look up to him. Kind of a timely conversation he had with everybody.

I also want to mention that after the fifth inning in last night's game, MLB took a moment to talk about Stand Up 2 Cancer.  Players, on-field personnel, and fans stood in unison with placards of the names of their loved ones affected by cancer.  It literally brought tears to my eyes to see this.  Then, I went on Facebook and saw a family friend of mine was at the game and posted a picture of her placard with "Mom" written on it, and she posted that she stands up for her mother, uncle, and my brother, who has leukemia.  Here's a picture from the game:

Photo from NESN

Game 5 is tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern on FOX.  With the series tied 2-2 now, it is guaranteed the World Series will end in Boston.  Go Red Sox!

Predicting the ALDS Rotation

American League Division Series tickets for the Red Sox went on sale yesterday at noon.  I am pleased to announce that I will be attending Game 2 of the ALDS.  This is a huge deal for me, since when I lived in Iowa, attending a Red Sox playoff game was never really an option.

The Red Sox will start the division at home, and it has not been announced who they will be playing.  Depending on how the records wind up on Sunday, the Red Sox will either be playing the A's, Tigers, or one of the Wild Card teams.  More than likely, it appears the Red Sox will be playing the Tigers or a Wild Card team, as the A's are only a game back for the best record in the American League.

There are now four games left for the season.  The Red Sox's record is at 95-63.  While winning 100 games is out of the question now, having the best record in the American League is still very doable (as mentioned, the Sox are currently a game up on the A's).  The Red Sox also currently have the best record in the Major's, a huge improvement from last year's 69-93 season.

The playoffs officially start Tuesday, October 1st with the National League Wild Card game, and the American League Wild Card game will follow on Wednesday, October 2nd.  The Wild Card game is new this season, as two wild card teams per division will battle in a one-game playoff to find out who continues.  The NLDS will begin Thursday, October 3rd, and the ALDS will begin Friday, October 4th.

There's been some speculation about who the Red Sox will go with for their rotation in the ALDS.  I think it's pretty safe to say that Lester will be the Game 1 starter.  Lester is 15-8 with a 3.67 ERA; his last start, Friday, not only clinched the AL East for the Sox, it was also his 100th career win.  Lester's ERA was as high as 4.60 on July 8th, but it has steadily been been declining.  In 13 games at home this season, Lester has a 3.09 ERA, compared to a 4.09 ERA in 19 away starts.

Personally, I'd rather see Lackey go Game 2.  Lackey's been probably the most consistent throughout the season.  His season ERA is 3.52, which is remarkable considering he didn't pitch last season while recovering from surgery.  I would pitch Lackey Game 2 because his home numbers (13 games, 2.47 ERA, 1.033 WHIP) are so much better than his away numbers (16 games, 4.48 ERA, 1.271 WHIP).

Game 3 will be away and played on Monday.  The choice for starter for this game could be interesting, as it could go to either Buchholz or Peavy.  I think a lot will depend on how well Buchholz and Peavy pitch their last starts.  Peavy pitches tonight against the Rockies, and Buchholz will pitch Friday against the Orioles. 

Buchholz, though injured for 2 months, has been phenomenal this season.  In 15 starts, he has a 11-1 record, a 1.60 ERA, and 1.026 WHIP.  Buchholz's last start, against the Blue Jays, wasn't as impressive as previous starts (6.0 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 106 pitch count), but he's been dominant most of the season.

Peavy has been consistent while on the Red Sox.  Since coming from the White Sox, Peavy has a 3.68 ERA and a 1.074 WHIP.  His home stats (7-0 record, 2.73 ERA, 0.973 WHIP) are considerably better than his away stats (4-5 record, 5.09 ERA, 1.224 WHIP).  Despite this, Peavy isn't the "Ace" of this team or has only been with the team for the past 3 months.

Choosing the Game 3 starter is important, as this pitcher could potentially clinch the ALCS birth for the Red Sox.  I'm going to say that it'll be Buchholz, and Farrell will bring Peavy out for Game 4 on Tuesday.  Essentially, the Game 3 and Game 4 starters will have the same job- get the job done away from Fenway Park.

Make sure to check back this Friday for Twitter Friday.  Next week, I'll have more about my trip to Baltimore on Saturday and discussions about the playoffs. 

Red Sox vs Yankees September 14, 2013

The Red Sox completed the sweep of the New York Yankees this weekend behind some spectacular pitching (Lester on Saturday and Buchholz on Sunday), some great hitting (Salty's grand slam on Friday and Nava hitting .306 for the season), and some surprise base running (Salty stealing home on Sunday).  They are currently 9.5 games up from the Rays, and their Magic Number stands at 4.

Saturday, September 14th, I was able to attend my second Red Sox-Yankees game.  Not only was it just a week prior that I went to the first game (at Yankee Stadium, here's the post), but the game on Saturday was at Fenway Park.  

The whole atmosphere at Fenway Park is different compared to Yankee Stadium.  While Yankee Stadium may have a well-known steak house, Fenway has Fenway Franks.  I know you may not think they compare, but when you go to Fenway Park, a Fenway Frank is the way to go.  Plus, Cole had to get a sausage from the sausage guy after the game (Rachael Ray recreated the recipe for these sausages on her show.  Here's the recipe).  Fenway Park food is iconic.

Besides the food, the fans seem to be more focused on the game at Fenway Park; or at least, that's my experience.  We saw in the bleachers at both games, but there were definitely more people in the bleachers at Fenway compared to Yankee Stadium.  The people were cheering for plays rather than yelling "(Insert opposing team here) sucks!".  Now, Red Sox fans do boo A-Rod mercilessly, but they cheer Mariano Rivera too.  

Side note: if you didn't get to watch the Mariano Rivera ceremony last night, definitely check out the video here.

I am happy to report I purchased my Jonny Gomes t-shirt!

For those of you who don't know, Fenway Park is very special to me.  My great-grandfather played for the Red Sox from 1931-1932, and I grew up a Red Sox fan (as did every other member of my family).  Walking around Fenway Park and thinking that my great-grandfather could've walked the same path as me 80+ years ago literally sent chills down my spine.

This was my fourth time at Fenway Park.  I went to a game in 2005 against the Kansas City Royals, and two games in 2010 against the Cleveland Indians.  Now that I'm living in Connecticut, I'm sure I'll be going to many more games.

Speaking of going to more games, my boyfriend and I decided we're going to Baltimore on September 28th for the Red Sox-Orioles game that night.  We're both really excited about that, since neither one of us has been to Oriole Park at Camden Yards before.  So, in less than a month on the East Coast, I'll be going to 3 Red Sox games and experience 2 new ballparks.  Not bad.

Below, you will find pictures from Fenway Park on Saturday. 

Outside of Fenway Park

Jerry Remy's Restaurant, across from Fenway Park

View of the field before the game

Another view of the field before the game

Red Sox take the field

Fenway Park and Press Box

Lester pitching

Pedroia batting and Sabathia pitching

Victorina in Center Field and Gomes in Left Field

My boyfriend, Cole, and me

#HighFiveCity

Yankee bullpen coming out.
My mom wanted a picture of Mariano River, and this was the closest thing I could get

Red Sox win 5-1

Cole's brother Shane, Shane's girlfriend Ashley; me, and Cole

Me and Cole with Fenway in the background

1931-1932
The years my great-grandfather played for the Red Sox

Magic Number is 10

With the Red Sox beating the Rays 2-0 last night, their magic number now stands at 10.  The Red Sox currently sit at first place in the American League (and only .01 percentage points behind the MLB-leading Braves).  The Rays are 8.5 games back of the Sox, Orioles 10, Yankees 10.5, and Blue Jays.

The Wild Card race is tighter than ever with the Rangers having the first slot, and Rays 2.5 games back with the second slot.  Orioles and Indians are 1.5 games back of the Ryas, Yankees, 2 games, and Royals 3 games.  It's a tight race, and there really isn't a definite winner of either Wild Card slot.

Clay Buchholz pitched last night for the first time since Jun 9th.  Before the game, I was admittedly nervous.  Not only was it nerve-racking to watch a pitcher who hadn't pitched for 3 months, but Buchholz wasn't calming my nerves in his minor league appearances either.

Buchholz, for his part, pitched beautifully.  He went 5.0 innings, gave up 0 runs, 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6.  He pitched 74 pitches, 44 for strikes.  It went without saying that Farrell wouldn't let Buchholz go over about 70-80 pitches, and he did nicely with the 74 pitches he threw.  His ERA is now at 1.61 for the season.

With Buchholz back, it's brings the question of who the odd man out is.  For right now, the Red Sox announced they were skipping Doubront's next start.  Dempster, who pitches tonight, has a 4.79 ERA. Doubront's ERA is at 4.15.  I still think a 6-man rotation is needed, let them fight it out for a spot on the playoff roster.

With the way they've been pitching lately, Lester and Lackey definitely deserve a spot in the playoff rotation.  Peavey has also been great since coming over from the White Sox, and he should be getting starts as well.  Depending on how Buchholz pitches these next few starts, Farrell can also utilize him.  Farrell has a tough decision to make, since the ALCS usually carries 3 starters, and the Red Sox have 4 pitchers who seem up for the task.

The Red Sox take on the Rays again tonight, as mentioned, sending Dempster to the mound.  This could be a chance for Dempster to break out, since the Rays have been on a downward spiral these last couple weeks.  Plus, the Trop had under 19,000 fans last night at the game, and I'm sure half of them were Red Sox fans.

And for those who wanted and update on how I'm doing in Connecticut...

Connecticut is hot today.  It's almost like it was in Iowa, where the humidity is worse than the heat.  My curly hair is a frazzled mess right now (luckily, I could just pull it it back into a messy bun and not have to worry about it).

You know those eCards that show up on Facebook about wearing a dress because it's hot?  Yup, that's exactly how I felt today.  I hung the dress up yesterday, and Cole commented how I was going to wear a dress.  I explained to him when it's this hot, a dress is a lot cooler than shorts.  Plus, I went shopping today and wanted to look a little cute.

I went shopping in Meriden, Connecticut today, and I thought it was an absolutely gorgeous town.  I first went to the mall, which was right off the highway and not that scenic.  After, I went to Pier One and Target, and there were spectacular views all around.  I really wish I would've taken a picture walking out of Target and seeing the mountains in the distance (yes, I'll call them mountains now and not hills).  I will definitely take pictures the next time I'm there.

The apartment is starting to feel more like a home.  Once we have everything put away and situated the way we want, I'll be sure to post pictures.  I'm definitely my mother's daughter, as I spend time each day on websites like Amazon, Pier One, Ikea, and Target looking for new things to make this apartment feel more like Cole and me.

One last note, Saturday Cole and I will be going to the Red Sox-Yankees game at Fenway Park.  It's going to be about 20 degrees cooler than it was last weekend (the high is saying 70).  I can't wait to get back to Fenway and feel the atmosphere of that wonderful baseball park.  Make sure to check back at the end of the week for Twitter Friday.

Twitter Friday

It's been two week's since our last Twitter Friday.  I only went back to Monday for these tweets, as I didn't have wifi service on vacation and couldn't save my tweets as I am accustomed.

Red Sox take on the Yankees this weekend at home, and let's hope they play better than they did against the Jays and Royals.

And now the Tweets!

8/12

8/13

8/14

8/15

This week's Tweet of the Week:

Random Thoughts

Welcome back to a Tuesday edition of the blog.  I apologize for not doing a Red Sox post yesterday; but as I mentioned, it was a busy day getting back into the routine.  In fact, I had so much stuff at work that didn’t get done yesterday, I went in 45 minutes early today.  If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is.

Today, I’m going to do a Random Thoughts post.  I wasn’t able to watch many Red Sox games last week (though, I listed to a few on the radio), and the Sox didn’t play last night. 

∙  During yesterday’s off day, Pedroia, Saltalamacchia, and Gomes took in the Jays-A’s day game.  I find this refreshing.  Here are these players who make millions of dollars and have to play 162 games during the season, and they love baseball so much, they want to take in a game on their off day… or, they’re scoping out the competition (Red Sox play the Jays today).  Here’s the picture:

Here's the link to the story from the Boston Globe

∙  Ryan Kalish will be undergoing cervical fusion surgery today in Los Angeles.  Basically, this surgery is fusing together bones in the neck or putting in a metal implant.  Either way, it doesn’t sound pleasant.  This isn’t thought to be career-ending for Kalish, but one starts to wonder how Kalish could ever come back to the caliber of player he was after four major surgeries in two years (disc surgery in neck- 2011, left shoulder labrum- 2011, right shoulder labrum- 2013, cervical fusion- 2013).

∙  There has been some speculation (via Twitter, from what I’ve seen) about which pitcher will be the odd-man out once Buchholz returns.  First, let’s make sure Buchholz returns and is effective before we start the speculation.  Second, it’ll be September.  I’ve said all along that a 6-man rotation in September would be the best decision.  It’s always best to go into the post-season with a well-rested team.  Of course, I’m not expert either.

∙  Speaking of starting pitching, which starters would you have pitch in the post-season from the five we have now?  Lackey, Doubront, and Peavy are my choices at the moment, but that could change, of course, down the stretch.

∙  The minor league baseball field in my hometown, Modern Woodmen Park, was one of the finalists for the Best Minor league Ballpark Nominees for 2013 voted on by USAToday readers.  The winner won’t be announced until tomorrow; but as of yesterday, it had a slight lead over Louisville.  I’ll let you know what the outcome is when I find out, but here’s a picture of our great ball field:

Modern Woodmen Park

∙  I received a text from my boyfriend this morning with the message The Sox should sign this guy and a link to a video of Jose Iglesias making a crazy play.  Here’s the link to the video, if you haven't seen it yet:

Iglesias's crazy play

∙  Finally, I’m going to leave you today with two photos.  The first one is from my vacation.  My boyfriend and I were eating lunch at a sandwich shop along Lake Winnipesaukee last week when I snapped this gorgeous photo:

And this photo is of the apartment in Connecticut.  My apartment is the bottom floor, and I love it:

I hope everyone comes back tomorrow for the regularly scheduled Red Sox post.