Live-blogging the ALCS

Since my self-appointed gig is to complain about things, here goes:

• TBS has technical difficulties and runs a sitcom instead of the first inning of the ALCS! Minor league...
  
• A fifteen-minute game delay to change umpires? You have got to be kidding me.
• Who's directing this broadcast? It's a slow enough game without lingering shots of grass and sudden zooms to get into position for a pitch.
• Why does Buck Martínez mispronounce Big Papi's name Órtiz, when it is Ortíz?
• Ron Darling sounds like James Woods (not a complaint, actually, just an observation).

Oh, and Jason Varitek just found a home run in his back pocket from the left side.

Holy shit!

Red Sox pull eight rabbits out of the hat.

Do not go gentle into that good night!

C-SPAN blues

My DVR recording of the debate carried the helpful crawl to tell me now that C-SPAN's coverage had been moved to C-SPAN2, so I guess I'm SOL. No, I didn't feel like listening to throwaway speeches from the House of Representatives. There's only so much praise across the aisle for retiring long-time Republicans that I can stand, and that's measured in nanoseconds.

Ah, hell, probably all the insight into the performance has already been said somewhere. But I've been holding off reading from the great soup of punditry so that I could write something fresh for me and uncolored by all the other commentary.

So, on this rainy Sunday when the Pats have a bye and the Red Sox are locked in a scoreless and meaningless duel with the Yankees, when my tennis club is booked solid, when the dog didn't even want a walk, I'm listening to a little John Mayall. (Yeah, the laws must change one day, but not that CD.)

I'm not a big fan of debates anyway. They're not aimed at me; they're aimed at the muddled and unanalytical middle, at people who don't know enough or think hard enough to need anything approaching information or argument that would be useful to a political junkie like me.

Usually a general election Presidential debate has me cringing at both contestants. The Republican spews a fog of atomized bullshit in a spray so fine you'd think it came out of a snow-making machine, and I guess that's not far off the truth. The Democrat tries to reduce his positions to the sort of Splenda-sweetened sound bites that appeal to the lowest common denominator. Since I fancy 75% cacao dark chocolate, treacly sweetness makes me say, "Yuck!"

Much of the trouble in our politics stems from the need of both sides to appeal to the worst, dumbest voters of all, the ones who start as clean slates for the debates. The bases on both ends are locked up, and the left and right are fighting over voters who are marginal in several senses. They only vote in Presidential elections, they get their news if any from the most pandering TV outlets, they can't remember who did what last year, much less ten years ago (unless it involved a soap opera), and they believe all sorts of myths that would be demonstrably untrue if you could actually demonstrate anything to them that differed from the opinions they have been filled with by rote repetition, starting with their parents but culminating in their becoming perfect foils for advertising of every kind.

This marginal middle won't notice if their decision process, such as it is, results yet again in the choice of yet another image-driven establishment bullshitter. Rational actors would re-examine how they decided and think about changing. These people are more likely to "remember" that they voted for the guy they actually voted against.

So, debates often devolve into pandering contests. I don't mean that the politicians can pander to small audiences. What they can to, though, is pander to the short attention span and lack of depth of citizens who meet the very minimum standard of social engagement and vote once every four years.

But you go to the election with the citizens you have, not the ones you wish you had.

And, hey, I'm actually guardedly optimistic about November 2008. Given the McCain-Palin ticket's dismal and transparently manipulative performance over the past two weeks, even voters who choose based on tie color are noticing that the Republicans are full of bullshit. Still, while that's better, it's not even up to half a loaf.

Obama and Biden really should be twenty points ahead.

John Sununu, no sainthood - why not?

I've actually seen this ad three times on Red Sox Double Play (5-4 walk-off bunt win after trailing 4-0; maybe these boys are serious about the AL East).

The ad is so over the top that I was waiting for the punch line, but it turned out these bullshit purveyors are serious. You really can't satirize this stuff - it's already too ridiculous.

He's younger, faster, quicker. Inexhaustible, tireless, energetic. A leader. Independent and principled. Great dad, big-hearted, funny, and kind.

He's the youngest member of the Senate, but Time Magazine says, "... that hasn't limited his reach.

New Hampshire's in his blood.

Woman: "I think I'll stick with the future, John Sununu."

"I'm John Sununu, and I approve this message."

I shit you not, that's all of it. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. John's role is to walk purposefully even if he looks older than 41.

The Sununu campaign is saying this to voters: "We think you're idiots and will vote for Sununu based on all these substance-free compliments we've been hired to pay to John."

You'll notice that another 90% supporter of Duhbya has gotten the same word from his pollsters that John McCain has gotten. If a Republican runs on issues in 2008, he loses. Just in case, be sure, be very very sure not even to mumble the word Republican, since it's a dirty word.

Sununu's reaction? Patronize the voters. Yeah, he's a Republican all right.

Mirabelli dictu

I actually got some hot stove baseball right before it was the conventional wisdom:

Among position players, Mirabelli is gone. The Sox may invite him to camp, but Kevin Cash is Wakefield’s next catcher. He may not be the catcher of the future since he’s already 30, but he’s the bridge to whoever comes up next.

When they say Mirabelli's bat had slowed over the off season, what they really mean is that his eyes had slowed. It's not the swinging muscles that go, nor the decision-making speed, it's the visual information required to decide and then swing. Jim Rice's eyes went south in a hurry at the end of his career.

There's just no recovering from the aging and rigidity of the lenses. I should know, I have a prescription for multifocal glasses in my pocket.

Doug, by the way, thanks for the memories. You had a good run here, and I appreciate how important you were to the Sox.

Ne'er the Twain shall meet

The Constitution is in tatters, and the Justice Department is too ornery to look into alleged Bushist crimes, but Congress wants Roger Clemens investigated for perjury. Yeah, he probably lied under oath, and that's bad, and he's a well-known pinhead diva, but is this really that important?

(Note: I was hoping to find a delicious pun riffing on the shared name Clemens that would connect mark twain's meaning - 2 fathoms or 12 feet - with Roger's Red Sox uniform number, 21. Y'know, did he play in the Palind[r]ome? But today it seems that lame is all I have - like Clemens's alibis about steroids.)

Can happy news last?

The morning after the Red Sox won the World Series again (!), I wrote this to a couple of friends:

How sweet it is.

“You’re growing up at a time when the Red Sox winning seems normal,” I said to my daughter this morning. She just rolled her eyes. But there has been a sea change that will become more obvious as kids grow up, replacing the old dread and fear that we have felt for years in varying degrees.

As a naturalized citizen of Red Sox nation, I’ve felt less dread than native citizens, and 2004 cured me. I think 2007 will cure a lot more people of the anhedonic expectation that the Sox are going to break our hearts every year.

Current 40-man roster is here.

I’d keep Lowell if possible. Does the job, not a prima donna. He’ll be expensive after this year but not as expensive as A-Rod, since he’s the AL MVP. I just don’t see a clubhouse fit for A-Rod, even though I’d love to have 150 RBIs. Still, I would guess that Lowell may not stay – unless he’s smart enough to overrule his agent and stay with a winning franchise.

I think Schilling’s through here. The possible competitors for the starting rotation next year:

• Beckett
• Matsuzaka
• Lester
• Clement
• Wakefield
• Buchholz
• Schilling

I think Schilling falls off this list due to expense and the need to bring the young pitchers along. Clement is a big question mark, however, and if he’s not recovering well, Schilling is a possibility. I’m a fan of Wakefield because he eats up innings and saves the staff. He’s a little scary in the postseason, but I think he’s worth it.

The bullpen competition shapes up as:

• Papelbon
• Okajima
• Delcarmen
• Snyder (spot starter again, too)
• Hansen (could compete for a starting job, too)
• Donnelly
• Gagne (many fans will have a heart attack, but this acquisition is going to work)
• Timlin (probably odd man out at his age, but his postseason gives him a little opportunity)
• Tavarez (really, I doubt this, despite his yeoman work in the spring)

Pick twelve! Here’s my guess:

1. Beckett
2. Matsuzaka
3. Buchholz
4. Clement
5. Wakefield
6. Lester
7. Papelbon
8. Okajima
9. Delcarmen
10. Gagne
11. Hansen
12. Donnelly
    

Any of the last three could get bumped, as could Clement.

Among position players, Mirabelli is gone. The Sox may invite him to camp, but Kevin Cash is Wakefield’s next catcher. He may not be the catcher of the future since he’s already 30, but he’s the bridge to whoever comes up next.

The infield is set with the exception of third, depending on what Lowell finds in the free agent market. If the Yankees buy him, we’ll just have to rationalize that he’ll never again have a year like 2007. Of course, Lugo has been weak, but I’d give him another year – or half anyway. I really miss Orlando Cabrera. Subs, whatever. Hinske’s gone – surely there’s someone cheap, young, and better. Cora could stay or go.

The outfield really depends on who wants who. Crisp and Drew are available for trade, I would think. Manny’s contract is still too big to move anywhere but New York. If the Yankees really want him badly enough to take all of his contract, I might reconsider A-Rod to replace those RBIs. Of course, he’d need to let Dustin Pedroia kick his ass to get into this club.

Ellsbury should get 500+ at bats in 2008, which ought to be exciting.

Will Dave Magadan get offered a manager’s job?

Of course, events have immediately outpaced my opinion. I don't care that Schilling's a Republican; if he wants just one year at moderate money, keeping him would be a good idea. The Sox picked up their option on Tavarez. That's a good short money move, but he's still not guaranteed a spot on the 25-man major league roster come April. Also, I had not been aware that Clement could file for free agency, and he did.

Oh, and in the outfield, I don't see Drew as movable, so I guess Crisp has to go. Coco never got it going here, but I like his playing style as a complement to the big boppers. Still, he had two years to prove his offense, and he never did.

Feeling good

My heart bleeds for Yankees fans. Yeah, right. Gracious humility is just not an option for them, so I get to have victory and schadenfreude at the same time.

The money quote:

"I go through a lot of trouble here," said Henry Rodriguez, 25, who proudly wore a flat-billed Red Sox cap. "People honk their horn, yell, '[Expletive] the Sox!' It feels good."

Regional paper

I love World Series coverage as much as the next fan, but the Boston Globe's front page treatment of our beloved Sox underscores the Globe's role under the ownership of the New York Times. That role is AAA, the regional newspaper that leaves serious stories to Daddy.

Red Sox static

What I want to know is this: The team with the second highest payroll in Major League Baseball and the most loyal fan base has a radio "network" that can't give me a consistent signal from any station, much less from a single station, on short trips in Metrowest, less that 30 miles from downtown Boston. Sometimes the New York stations come in better, which is why I got to hear the Yankees' homer announcers wailing, weeping, and gnashing teeth about the plague of insects in Cleveland. Twenty years ago, before a local station took 1120, I could even pull in KMOX out of St. Louis almost as well as WRKO in Boston. Is RKO putting most of their clear-channel power into the freaking ground?

This is important because I expect to be driving home tonight in the middle of World Series game 3, and I'd like to give a listen. Most days, what with Howie Carr and Rush Limbaugh and all the other wingnut bloviators on RKO, I'd really rather hear static.

Pump up the velocity

So, Daisuke Matsuzaka is hitting 97 mph on the radar gun. That's gotta be good news for the Red Sox, right? Just remember that it's a Fox radar gun. My guess at reality: 93 mph.

On the other hand, MLB's Gameday app is going along with it. Gameday, by the way, is running about 30 sec. behind Charter.

Home field

Unlike the Red Sox, we held home field advantage in the Massachusetts Fifth. Congratulations, Niki Tsongas. It was too close for comfort.

Better to burn out than fade away

Too much blogging today, but let me say this: Tonight the Red Sox won the division. Too bad Yankees; you're playing for the wild card.

One curse down, one to go

Originally comments on this post on DailyKos.

So Yankee fans are...
... vampires?

Can't see themselves in the mirror?

But seriously, there were Yankee fans in front of me in Fenway at ALCS game 5, and they were all right. Of course, they didn't have the opportunity to gloat, which helped.

There were also obnoxious Sox fans. One drunk guy wanted the Sox to throw at every Yankee. He must have expected to lose anyway. Then there were the screeching sorority girls who only wanted to kill A-Rod. I guess he was too sexy for their shirts.

Still, there's no topping Yankee fans for being the world's worst winners.

I grew up...
... a Cardinals fan, but I don't recall hating the Cubs. Why hate the source of so many wins?

The Mets, though, sure.

Syzygy
Believe this or not: I was in Marlborough, MA, last night before the game for a rally for my state senator. Ted & Vicki Kennedy were the headliners, but the surprise guest was Luis Tiant. After the Senior Senator fired up the faithful, lots of us crowded around El Tiante. One woman proudly showed me her Kerry-Edwards-Red Sox sign, autographed.

That's great, I said, but you should go back and ask him to put a date on it.

Now there's a souvenir!

Then, the Sox won during the totality of a lunar eclipse. If you believe in omens, they are all lining up. Me, I believe in GOTV, and we will win or lose based on what we do between now and Tuesday.

Red Sox an omen?

Originally comments on this post on DailyKos.

Psychology
Francona's move to Martinez makes no baseball sense except to motivate him - to say, "You're still a stud, and we need you to be a hero."

With Schilling doubtful, we've got to get good things from Pedro, and he's been known once or twice to lose control of his emotions.

Birthrights, etc.
It's that whole birthright thing that makes the rest of the country hate the Yankees ... and Duhbya, too.

But you've gotten over it, so I guess I could, too. The Yankees, that is.

McCarver and Buck

... used to be good, but lately they've been making me sick. They had only one theme prepared last night - Schilling's ankle tendon - and they hammered at it, as if they've been taking message lessons from the Bush White House. But they hardly noticed Schilling's pain until it was completely obvious. It's amazing that he got out of the third!

I suspect that the real problem with sports telecasts these days is direction. Have you noticed how much more play the back story gets, as if no one really cares about the game!

Originally a comment on DailyKos.