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.

Random Thoughts

I thought I'd get back into the swing of things with the blog with a Random Thoughts post.  Make sure to come back on Monday, where I will have a recap of my first Red Sox-Yankees game, which will also be my first trip to Yankee Stadium.  Now, here are the Random Thoughts for today

- Last night's game was frustrating to watch.  When the Red Sox were up 7-2, I thought they had it in the bag.  However, the Yankees came back and scored 6 runs in the bottom of the 7th inning to take a 8-7 lead.  It kind of felt like karma in a way, since the Red Sox had done the same thing to the Tigers the night before.

- The Red Sox tied the game in the bottom of the 9th last night off Mariano Rivera.  With two outs, Napoli singled, Berry pinch-ran for him and stole second, and Drew single to score Berry and tie the game.  It was Rivera's 6th blown save of the season, and it was a little reminiscent of 2004.

- The Red Sox took the lead in the 10th inning (and eventually completed the come-from-behind win) when Ellsbury singled  with one out, stole 2nd base, and Victorino singled to score Ellsbury.  The did this off Joba Chamberlain too.

- Uehara came in for save in the bottom of the 10th inning and made A-Rod pop out before striking out Overbay and Suzuki.  It was his 18th save of the season, and his ERA now stands at 1.14.

- Speaking of Overbay, if you remember, the Red Sox released Overbay before the start of the season when he didn't make the Major League roster, and he immediately signed with the Yankees.  Do you think he regrets not continuing with the Red Sox?  I ask this seriously, as the Yankees have gone through a lot of turmoil this season.

- Just for reference: the Yankees had one player (Cano) in the line-up last night who is hitting at least .300 (.307 to be exact).  The Red Sox had three (Ortiz at .315, Nava at .300, and Lavarnway at .318).  The Sox also have three players at the top of the lineup very close to .300 (Ellsbury at .299, Victorino at .294, and Pedroia at .296).

- I am very happy to see Nava doing so well.  I think everyone by now knows Nava's story, and he really is an inspiration to never give up on your dreams.

- I'm thinking Victorino was the best offseason move the Red Sox did this past offseason.

- Former Red Sox players Derek Lowe and Mike Timlin are set to fill in for Jerry Remy for Red Sox games on NESN.  I vote they try and get Pedro Martinez too; he'd be very entertaining.

- One thing I'm going to have to get used to living on the East Coast is the time difference.  Really, an hour doesn't seem like too much of a change until it comes to when games start.  6:00PM is much more convenient compared to 7:00PM.  Just saying.

Well, that's about it for me today.  I'm so excited about the game tomorrow.  If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you'll be impressed to know I already know what I'm going to wear too!  Have a great weekend!

I Made It To Connecticut

Welcome back, everyone!  I know it's been awhile since I've posted (last Monday was the last time I had a post), but it's been a pretty busy last two weeks.  If you've been reading  the blog for awhile, you'll know that I moved to Connecticut this past weekend. 

The ride out wasn't as bad as I anticipated, but that may be because my wonderful boyfriend did most of the driving.  I drove for about forty minutes in New York while he took a quick nap, but that was all.  I was very thankful for this, since I didn't know what exits to take and didn't feel comfortable driving on the highway (side note: in the Northeast, they do not call Interstates "interstates," they are called "highways."  My boyfriend has been telling me this for months now, but I don't think I'll be able to say "highway" when they technically are "interstates.").

I thought I'd post some of the pictures I took while on our drive:

I needed a pictures of the "Davenport" sign before I left.  I'd like to eventually get this pictures put on canvas and hang either in our office or living room, as well as an "Amesbury" sign for my boyfriend's home town of Amesbury, Massachusetts.

We weren't too far out of the Quad Cities when we came across the Jelly Belly RV and Bug.  I particularly enjoyed the stuffed Jelly Belly "driving" the car in the second photo.

We made it to Peru, Illinois before my bike rack broke.  Word of warning: if you have a step-through bike (like I do), you may need to check to see if an adapter is needed to mount onto a bike rack.  I went to a bicycle shop to make sure the bike rack I bought was going to hold-up for the 18 hour car drive.  The bike shop did not sell me the adapter though; and 1 hour and 15 minutes in, the bike was flapping around behind my car.  

Luckily, we were about 20 feet from an exit, and we were able to pull into a gas station parking lot.  My boyfriend's great and never seems to get flustered, unlike me.  I was a little anxious about my bike.  The two possibilities for me would be to leave the bike at the gas station for my parents to pick up or wait at the gas station for my parents to pick the bike up.  

My boyfriend, however, figured out how to take the bike apart into three pieces and fit it into the car.  We may have gotten grease from the bike chain on our clothing and the back headrest of my car, but the bike is at the apartment and put back together.  Thank you, Cole.

We were in Indiana when we game across this guy.  If you're unable to read the sticker, it reads "Sasquatch Research Team."  It was legit too.  It was this guy with California license plates smoking a cigar pulling a U-Haul trailer behind him, probably containing his equipment.

Lastly, "The Jake," formerly known as "Jacob's Field."  We checked to see if the Indians were playing at home, but they were in Detroit.  I kind of wanted to see Francona.

My boyfriend's dad and his family live in Buffalo, New York, so that was our stopping place Saturday night.  We were exhausted, but somehow managed to stay awake to watch a movie.  The next day, we went to waterfront and had lunch.  I had authentic "Buffalo wings" and "Beef on Weck" for lunch.  I got the staples in.

We arrived at our apartment around 9:45 Sunday night.  It was a little strange walking into this apartment and saying "we made it home."  Davenport has been my home for the last 28 1/2 years, and it's strange to think of any other place as "home."  However, change can sometimes be a good thing.

I'm going to miss my family and friends greatly while I'm in Connecticut, but I know that I can visit them and they can visit me whenever we like.  For those who would like to visit, Hartford has an airport and an Amtrak station.  It is pretty exciting that I will get to see two of my closest friends this coming weekend...

... which brings me to my Red Sox news!  As I've mentioned before, I will be going to the Red Sox v. Yankees game at Fenway Park on the 14th.  However, as of last night, I will be going to the Red Sox v. Yankees game at Yankee Stadium this coming Saturday too!  I've never been to New York City before, so I'm pretty excited for that, even if it will be brief.  Just being able to have the opportunity to go to both these games is amazing!

Unfortunately, that's all I am able to write about the Red Sox at the moment.  The cable guy doesn't come to the apartment until tomorrow, so I haven't been able to watch a game since last week.  (Kind of ironic that I move CLOSER to the Red Sox and can't watch a game, right?  Thank you MLB Blackout restrictions...).  

I also won't be having a Twitter Friday post this week, as I didn't have Wi-Fi until Monday evening and haven't been able to keep track of the tweets.  I will do a regular post of some-sort on Friday though.  You can still follow the blog's Twitter feed @BornIntoItInIA and my personal Twitter account @AshleyAries.  

Red Sox Win and Moving Week

The Red Sox were able to pull off a series victory of the hot Dodgers this weekend.  The Red Sox became the first team since mid-June that had beat the Dodgers in a series.  There were definitely some good things to take away from this series.

The Red Sox starting pitching was very impressive.  Even though he received the lost Friday, Lackey held the Dodgers to two runs (coming off a Hanley Ramirez home run).  He had a complete, eight-inning game with only 3 hits, 0 walks, and 6 strikeouts.

Saturday, Lester was back in top form to get the 4-2 win.  He pitched 7.1 innings, gave up 3 hits, 1 run, 4 walks, and had 6 strikeouts.  He also lowered his ERA to 3.97. 

Sunday, Peavey pitched a complete game in a 8-1 win.  He was rolling too.  It only took him 111 pitches to get through the dangerous Dodgers line-up, and he only surrendered 1 run on an Adrian Gonzalez home run.  In his 9 innings, he had 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts.

So, in the course of 3 games, the Red Sox starting pitching gave up a total of 9 hits to the hottest team in baseball.  I'd call that a successful trip.

Xander Bogaerts had his first Major-League hit on Saturday when he pinch-hit for Breslow in the top of the 9th inning.  He followed that up on Sunday with 2 hits, including a double.  In the small sample size, he's hitting .333.

The Red Sox have an off-day today, which is deserved after taking two series on the West Coast.

In other news, I will be starting my move to Connecticut on Saturday morning.  What does this mean to the blog?  This will probably be the only blog post for the rest of the week, as I still have a lot to do both at work and at home.  The hope is to post once I get semi-settled in Connecticut next week, either Monday or Tuesday.

This blog has seen a huge surge in views over the past couple months, and I really appreciate it.  Remember, you can also follow the blog on Twitter @BornIntoItInIA.  I'm sure I'll find a few minutes to tweet this week, so check it out.

Thanks again for finding the blog, and I'll let everyone know how the move (and Red Sox) went next 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.

I Am Moving To Connecticut

http://www.ronsaari.com/stockImages/hartford/HartfordSkylineAtTwilight.php



Well, this is slightly Red Sox related (but not really), but it does impact this blog.  Remember that HUGE news I’ve been hinting at?  Well, I couldn’t wait any longer!  I am moving to Hartford, Connecticut!  I wanted to make sure my family, close friends, and work knew before I made this public, which is why the delay.

Why am I moving to Connecticut, you ask?  Well, my boyfriend was offered a new position with the company he works for, and he asked me to go with him.  He is actually moving next Friday, July 12^th.  I have a few things I need to get finished in Davenport, and I wanted to give my work plenty of notice (9 weeks should be sufficient).

My boyfriend found the possibility of the new position about a month ago, and we discussed it at length as soon as he found out.  At that time, it was just a possibility, and we went over every scenario that could play out for us (I’m sure of this because it was mostly me going through those scenarios in my head). 

His company offered him the position a week later, while he was in Kansas City, and he had to let them know that day.  He texted me around 11:00 that morning, and the texts were flying back and forth the next hour or so.  I knew he couldn’t pass up the job, and I let him know this.  He asked if I would go with him; and at the time, I really didn’t know. 

See, here’s something you may or may not know about me, I’m a planner.  A BIG planner.  I plan out EVERYTHING: menus for the week, tasks I need to accomplish, shopping lists, etc.  I even plan out what I’m going to wear for the entire week on Sundays (it’s just easier that way).  Moving half-way across the country was not something I had planned.

My poor boyfriend.  When he got back from Kansas City, I think I asked him about a thousand questions during the next week and a half.  One of my first questions to him was how far Hartford, Connecticut was to Fenway Park (Answer: 1 ½ hours drive).  He had an answer for pretty much every question; and if he didn’t, he said we’d figure it out.  My boyfriend is seriously the most amazing man.

I told my parents, brothers, sister-in-law, and my youngest brother’s fiancée last weekend.  That went well; especially considering most of them were lobbying for me to go and kept telling me to apply for a job at ESPN.  One of my brothers also told me that if I didn’t go, he would physically put me in a box and ship me to Hartford.  I wanted to make sure I told my grandparents and my closest friend before I let the rest of the world know as well.

I’m not sure how this will entirely affect the blog.  Obviously, Connecticut is much closer to Boston compared to Iowa.  My goal is to go to more Red Sox games, since we’ll be so close!  Less than 2 weeks after I move, I’ll be attending a Red Sox-Yankees game, which I’m psyched about! 

I’d also like to visit the stadiums in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and even New York, while I’m there.  It might even be worth the drive to hit Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh.  One of my goals is to visit every ballpark in the Majors.  I would also like to go to some Red Sox Minor League level games while out East.

This is seriously the biggest decision I’ve ever made in my life.  I’m both extremely excited and nervous about moving, as the farthest I’ve ever moved away from Davenport is Ames, Iowa (about 3 hours away) for college. 

So, I guess I'll have to get a Hartford Whalers shirt and start chanting "Let's Go, Whalers" for an NHL team that hasn't existed since 1997.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartford_Whalers

With all that said, the Red Sox played very well against the Blue Jays this weekend, taking 3 of the 4 games.  They are the first American League team to 50 wins, and are 3 games up on the Orioles.  Let’s hope they can continue!  I’ll have more Red Sox-related stuff on Wednesday!