Sox Recap - game from August 26th, 2009

Wait til your Papi gets HOME !!!
OR... Going Once, Going TWICE, Going for a Walk(OFF) in the Park !!!!

Now THAT is the Papi of old... photo from NESN.COM

It was a scene so familiar to citizens of the Nation... A scene we'd come accustomed to... mmmm, almost EXPECTED, from the BEST CLUTCH HITTER in Red Sox history. Perhaps we had become spoiled by the 10 or so walk-off homers that Big Papi had treated us to - ESPECIALLY, the playoff "shots"......perhaps not...

If Big Papi hasn't FINALLY been able to put the past in the past, I would hate to be opposing pitchers when he does. Papi is tearing the cover off of the ball... and I believe it was I that pointed out that despite his AWFULly slow start this year, history showed that he could still "easily" blast more than 30 homers... Nuf Ced

David Ortiz came one...uh TWO, steps closer to making that prediction come true last night... and brought the past into the present... and oh so nice it was to see the bench greet Papi at home plate.... memories..... "dirty" water colored memories (like the new lead-off tune on the blog?!?!?!).... after belting a walk-off homer (his second dinger of the night) in the bottom of the 9th... I can get used to THAT again !!!! Nuf Ced

It was a game that COULD have gotten away... Wake, uh... Hop-A-Long... was making his return to the rotation... and obviously not 100% physically... not to mention he was tossing to VMart, whom had never caught a knuckle-ball... a recipe for disaster... as was proven by the very first pitch of the game.. which DID get away....I had flashbacks to Josh Bard's days...

But VMart sucked it up like a vacuum cleaner after that... but, obviously vacuum cleaners don't throw to second base often.... but Wake was wonderful... going 7 frames, giving up 6 hits and a lone run.... AND, he threw 94 pitches... 73 of which were strikes !!!! including a dozen pitches in the 1st, ALL for strikes !!! Nuf Ced

Wake "gimped off" after 7 strong with our boys leading 2-1 - on big flies by Papi and Alex Gonzalez, whom also sent one GONZO..... I wish this kid was more than a "defensive acquisition"... I'll bet Beavis (Jed Lowrie) TRULY wishes that... ah well, there's always next year, kid... Nuf Ced

Anyway, RamRam relieved Wake in the 8th and PROMPTLY relinquished the lead on a long ball - talk about going from hero to heel... what a difference a day makes... TRULY... as Danny Boy Bard was back in the saddle and mowed down all 4 batters he faced, picking up his first major league win - striking out 3... perhaps he had some beans before the ballgame... he was on high octane (gas) last night - NO WAIT, THAT was me !!!!!!!!!! Nuf Ced

So, it's 2-2 in the bottom of the 9th.... 1 out, nobody on base... BIG Papi at the plate... The Faithful were on the edge of their seats..... uh STANDING on their seats is more like it... deja vous set in as the big guy wrapped one around Pesky's Pole off of White Sox' pitcher, Tony Pena... and the Fens exploded, the Sox bench, uh "dancing?" at the dish awaiting their Papi to get home... Nuf Ced

As Papi was beating the White Sox, the uh YANKERS were downing the Rangers..... Sox' lead in the Wild Card.... 2-1/2 games !!!!!!

Taz takes the hill tonight... hopefully continuing the whirlwind he started against the Bummers last week....

I end today's post on a somber note... sorry for the mood swing but....
photo from Boston.com


As I'm sure you all know, the Nation(s) lost one of it's PROMINENT citizens just before midnight on August 25th...... and a great tribute was put on by John Henry, et al, at the Fens and on NESN last night....
RIP Senator "Ted" Kennedy... one of the greatest advocates for the state of Massachusetts, hometown sports, and the nation of the United States of America as a whole. He will surely be missed....
As a native son of the Commonwealth, "the Kennedys" family became a household name early in life, JUST behind the Red Sox. And, I also lost my father to the BEAST, cancer - [crap] today is the anniversary of that day..... [FREAK !!!]
I send my deepest condolences to ALL of the Kennedys and their kin on his passing... and so soon after Eunice passed.....but trust me, they are in a much better place !!!!





Tying it all together is the fact that Ted Kennedy's grandfather, John F. "Honey Fitz" "Fitzy" Fitzgerald - the middle name of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy... get it???... was once (or twice) the mayor of Boston... AND threw out the first pitch at the grand opening of Fenway Park in 1912... NOT TO MENTION, Fitzy was a staunch member of the Royal Rooters.... yes, THE ROYAL ROOTERS !!!! (uh, read the footer at the very bottom of the page)

Needless to say, it was a sad day for the Nation.... but say hi to grandpa, Ted, and give Michael T. McGreevy a BIG "thank you" from me........ NUF CED