I Met Pedey Photo Edition 9/29/09

Hey all! So, Fenway West was lucky enough to get an invite to the Dunkin Donuts Perks Most Valuable Tour with Dustin Pedroia. Matt lives all the way in California, so he awesomely offered the opportunity to attend and blog about the event to me. Thanks Matt! I have a whole story...I will share it soon. But first...here is a quick photo post of the event.

I arrived at Fenway at 10am after battling some pretty hairy traffic. I actually ran from my car to the meet up spot with Jayne, who was my Fenway date.

This sign all for us and our event! Whoo hoo!

Me and the DD Perk Sign! I know. I'm a dork!


First thing we did....was head to the BATTING CAGES!!!!!



See. Actual batting cages. The sign is proof!



Here is my batting stance. Trying to look all bad ass.


Here is my trying to reach down and get a low pitch. I don't believe I was successful! LOL. In fact, I hit 3 balls...fouled them off. It was not the best hitting, but well...as I stated to the group, I haven't played baseball since 3rd grade. But...you only live once and if you get the chance to bat in the Fenway batting cages...you take that chance!


Here is Jayne batting. She hit all 10 balls thrown to her. She is a rock star.

Next we took a tour of Fenway Park.


Green Monster. Me. Awesome. Sauce.


Me. Going INTO the Green Monster. I was SO psyched to hear we could go inside. I've always dreamed of walking around in there. DREAM COME TRUE!!!!


Inside the Monster. I could have taken a million different pictures. I wish I had hours to just read everything. A cute little kid asked where the bathroom was that Manny used. I had to break it to him that there is in fact...no bathroom in the Monster. LOL.



Numbers inside the Monster. Pretty gosh darn cool. I don't care how hot or cold it gets in there...I would SO do that job for free.


On the way back to the stands...Jayne and I sneaked away to the dugout and took a quick pic. I couldn't help myself. I wanted to go inside the dugout, but I wanted to not get kicked out more.


Here is my shoe....covered in the clay from the field. Swoons.



Next...we went up on top of the Monster. I've never been up there before....so...I was a happy camper. I'll see a game from there....SOMEDAY.



Last part of the tour was going through the Press Box. Here is where Don Orsillo lives...and Jerry...and Eck...and Dave....and sometimes someone who I want to be my BFF...Sean Casey.



Here is a pic of the Press Box. I was sitting in front of a spot reserved for the Boston Globe.



Pic of the dugout from the press box.


And oh yeah....Dustin Pedroia was coming to do a Q&A and fan Meet & Greet. Did I forget that??


Dustin arrives. Shelley is happy.



Dustin answering fan questions while looking adorable. (Trust me...I'll have more on this later.)



Dustin laughing. Continuing to look adorable.



Jayne asking her question...and part two was, "Can I have a hug." Dustin of course said yes!



It's a little dark....but it is a pic of Dustin waiting to get his pic taken with someone.


and......the last pic is the picture of Dustin and Shelley. Oh yeah and the World Series Trophies. I touched both the trophies and Dustin. Swoons.



Some people were standing next to the trophies...maybe to even out the pic. Not me, I came up and said, "I'm standing on this side...so I can touch you." Pedey smiled and said, "Come on over." Took the pic. I shook his hand...told him I was a NYer, but loyal Sox fan...and was on my way.

Great day. GREAT GREAT DAY.

Next entry...will be more words...less photos of this GREAT DAY!!!

Once again...thanks Matt for the opportunity!!!

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Fenway Faithful are in the Angels' Heads

You can see the panic beginning to set in among the Angels as the reality of facing the Red Sox in the playoffs has once again arrived.  Perhaps the most evident example of this comes from Torri Hunter who called out his teammates for getting rattled:

"I don't give a damn about this place. I just play. I can't speak for everybody else," Hunter said. "We gotta play better. … If you do this in the regular season, what's going to happen in the playoffs?
"A lot of players on this team are getting it wrong. It's not more important to play this team (the Red Sox) than the Tampa Bay Rays or Seattle Mariners. You play the same game. You do what you do. You have fun. You don't change your game because it's the Red Sox or the Yankees. If you play nervous, you're going to make mistakes. Show some (guts)."

When you have Fuentes saying the umps are too scared to make a call and you add that to the Angels' history against the Red Sox in the playoffs you have a team that is playing scared and may be looking at another post season to forget.

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Two Year Old to Throw Out First Pitch Tonight

A two year old boy whose aunt died in the World Trade Center on Sept 11, 2001 will throw out the first pitch at Fenway tonight. The boy, Cooper Harrington, was born on Sept. 11, 2007.  His dad says he can throw the ball about 6 feet so it should be fun to watch.  Happy Birthday Cooper!

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A Weekend of a lot of baseball...and a lot of rain!

So, it's goes without saying that I am having a hard time focusing on anything right now. Work? Not likely. My mind is focused on one thing and one thing only....that I am Shipping Up To Boston tomorrow and have tickets to the Red Sox/Yankees. Do I have tickets to one game? Yep. Two games? Yep. All THREE games? I sure do.

Excited is the understatement of the century. I got to see Red Sox play the Yankees at Yankee Stadium...and unfortunately lose in a 15 inning marathon. And now, I get to see the Red Sox play the Yankees at home....and hopefully WIN.

Friday. Brad Penny is on the mound. I know he's not the most liked by Red Sox Nation, but I am not one of the haters. I seem to have a habit of having a fondness for the players that others give a hard time too...coughs...Drew...coughs. (Not Lugo though...nope, loathe him just like the rest). I happen to think Penny is decent...and for a #5 guy, not too shabby. Pitch count is obviously an issue. I know it. You know it. B Penny knows it. Other than that, I think the guy does pretty well and usually gives us a shot to win if our bats are anything close to alive.

Saturday. Tazawa is the guy. I wish it was Michael Bowden, but the Red Sox don't make their rotation to my wishes. I like Taz though. I think he has tons of potential....and has pitched well so far. We know how his pitching last time against the Yankees turned out. Let's hope this time, he gets some revenge.

Sunday. Swoons. Joshie Beckett. I love seeing him on a mound. Can't we make copies of him like the movie Multiplicity? We promise to not make copies of the copies. Can we? It is Beckett vs. Sabathia. Umm...can't wait. Josh got his sucky start out of the way and I am sure he will be back to his Kick Arse Commanderness.

Of course...the wrench in the works. The weather report. That tropical storm or hurricane...Ana or Bill...is looking to really mess with the weekend weather report. Glares. Hopefully the games will get played. I just plan on getting all kinds of wet.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!

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Angels of the Highway

No, this post is not about those Angels somewhere in Southern California. It has little to do with baseball, except that I had my Sox shirt and hat on while I was headed to Logan with my daughter. She's on her way back to CA as I type, while I stay in RI one more week.

I was on I-93 in Quincy in rainy bumper to bumper traffic when the driver's side windshield wiper fell off. Thank the powers that be that the traffic was slow and that an emergency turn-out showed up about a half mile later. I got out and started fiddling with it, but was not having much luck. I got back in the car to dry out for a moment, still scratching my head, when a knock on the window startled us. It was a tow truck driver, mechanic, and first aid specialist from the "Angels of the Highway" roadside assistance program funded by the Commerce Insurance Co. Not having driven in MA for over 20 years, I had no knowledge of this program, but you could probably hear my sigh of relief all the way back in CA. Thankfully, we had cell phones ready to go, but Plan B was not necessary.

I'm sending out a big shout of thanks to John the driver for his help! I tried to offer him a gratuity for his services, but he graciously turned it down, saying he's just doing his job. I told him I was looking for an umbrella to help keep him dry, but again he said not to bother, he's just doing his job, as he had 8 more hours to go.

We got back on our way and passed through Ted Williams Tunnel. This was my daughter's first solo flight, so I accompanied her as far as they would let an unticketed person could go. I stayed until I could no longer see her, and later received a text message saying she was on the plane. Easily flustered in situations such as this, I was looking for an information booth or a map of Logan and/or Boston when a Logan employee helped me with the self service parking check out machine. I didn't get his name, and I wasn't even 100% sure he was an employee of Logan (I didn't see any identification on his business suit), but big thanks to him as well!

OK, it's only 6 PM, maybe I'll try to find my way to Fenway and Cask 'n Flagon for a brew. I get back in my father's car and the brakes are feeling scarily soft. Not having driven in Boston for an even longer period of time, I deferred to caution and decided to just stay on the highway back to RI.

Dad! Fix your brakes! Yankee fans, sheesh! But he's still my father.

I did have an odd experience the first night I was back. This was primarily a summer cottage neighborhood 40 years ago, far removed from bright urban lights and suburban sidewalks. Every year when I come back, usually about the same time in July, I walk up and down the road that parallels Mount Hope Bay, and then walk down the public right of way and have a seat on the benches just above the beach. As I was walking back to the folk's home, a car comes around the corner with a bright light shining on me. WT.... ? "Hey partner, what're you up to?" came booming from the loudspeaker on the patrol car. He gets out, I tell him I'm just taking a walk. My brother lives in this house that we were immediately next to, and my parents live in the house next door, as I pointed to it. Next thing I knew, he had me assume the position and patted me down. Fortunately, I still had my wallet and ID on me, which he asked me for. He called in the DL#, and I could hear them recite and verify my name and address. Apparently, some neighborhood newbie with nothing better to do called the local constable to say that there was a strange man walking up and down the street. Sheesh. Besides all the McMansions the town zoning commission has crammed into every last available lot, and the neon palm trees, (yes- neon palm trees!), I now have to endure this.

The next night I had my Sox shirt and hat on, and ran into 5 old friends as I took my evening walk. Much better. (I had considered calling the local PD to ask them if it was OK to take a walk, but thought better of the inquiry.)

Now if only the Sox can find their bats. Maybe I'll send them another of my father's old bats from his high school days that I found in the basement. Not to worry, it's still only July, and we're now into the 21st century. No more swoons.

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Weekend Wrap Up: Fenway Edition

I posted this over on my personal blog, but wanted to double post it over here as well since it is very much Red Sox related. Enjoy!


Hey all out there in the internets....I'm a lucky duck and off work today. I was smart enough to request a day off to recover from my weekend.

I had to work until noon on Saturday because I am an idiot and scheduled to teach a class on the same day I was heading to Fenway Park. Brilliant planning on my part there. Luckily, it worked out. I worked from 8am-12pm...changed into my Red Sox attire and jetted down the Northway to get on the bus and go to Fenway Park.



That is the pic I took walking up to Fenway for the first time. I've been a Red Sox fan for a long time now...but never been to a game at Fenway. Now that I've been, I can't believe I waited that long. I went with a dear friend of mine. She's a fan as well....you know, not crazy obsessed like me, but a fan none the less. She got to witness my crazy obsession first hand.

Here is my top 5 list of my first trip to Fenway Park:

1. Great game. The Sox went out to a 9-0 lead and it looked like the game was well in hand. Then almost the whole bullpen drank a case of the suck and before we knew it the Sox were clinging to a 9-7 lead. Luckily the Sox offense was still on a tear and the Royals didn't believe in something called defense...and the boys won the game 15-9. John Smoltz got his first win in a Boston uni....and I believe I brought him luck.

2. The Kansas City fan on our bus. Almost everyone on the bus was a Sox fan...everyone but one guy. He and his lonely self boarded the bus wearing a Royals jersey. He had the most angry body language while he was watching the game. He was in the last row in the bleachers and stood the whole time, arms crossed with a huge scowl on his face. I kept looking back and checking on him because he amused me. My friend and I...and the couple sitting next to us joked that KC guy looked so pissed that he planned on killing us all on the way home as we fell asleep. And umm...I was only half kidding. The guy not only rode a bus for 3 hours to watch his team lose...but he also had a major creeper vibe to him. I almost took a pic of him while he was stewing during the game, but that just seemed mean. Still funny though...and on Monday morning, I wish I did.

3. Jason Varitek looked at me. I feel like such a dork that this brings me such happiness. I walked around with my friend for a good while and then walked around a little by myself to take some pictures and what not. I went down to the bullpen since Smoltzie was warming up with Tek. This nice couple...well, I don't think they were technically a couple since the woman was a nun and all...but they let me stand in front of them to take pictures. They were darling sweet. Anyways...back to Tek. So, I was taking pics of Smoltz and Tek...and Tek was actually really close to me. He was turned away, so I wanted to get a pic of him and his adorable face, so I yelled his name...and he turned and looked at me. I know...hand me my dork card. I almost forgot to take the pic since I was startled, but I would not be denied. Here is my close up Tek pic:



4. Yelling at JD Drew haters. I know he's not the most popular Red Sox player, but he's on the top of my list. Some of the crowd around me was heckling or booing JD as he came up to bat. Ugh. Expected, but still annoyed me none the less. Later in the game, JD made a spectacular throw to home that stopped the Royals from scoring another run. It was a genius play and I didn't think anyone could make that throw...but JD did. After the play...the crowd cheered and I yelled..."Yeah, who hates JD Drew NOW?" No one really responded to my yelling...which is probably better, but still happy I let people know about JD, his awesomeness and how wrong they all were. Just sayin...

5. The rain. The words Boston and rain have been permanently linked this summer. The weather report indicated no rain for the day. They were almost right. The skies stayed clear...until the top of the 9th inning. It started with a few drops here or there. By the time Saito took the mound, the rain turned from a few drops to a pretty steady rain. Saito had a 1-2-3 inning and as we were leaving the park the skies opened up and it started pouring. By the time my friend and I made it to the bus.....we were soaked from head to toe. There was not a dry spot on my body. And...I had light khaki pants on, so let's just say the world or at least my bus was aware of what color undies I was wearing. Good times, good times....really, it was. At least the rain gods waited until the game was almost over. I didn't get home until 4am as it was so a rain delay would have made me super cranky.

And one more for good measure...

This girl knows something something about baseball. I am used to most people thinking women who like baseball are there to watch cute boys and don't really know much about the actual game. I spent a good deal of time during the game explaining some things to my friend and just talking about the game and the players. Yes, I mentioned some of the players hotness....but more time was spent watching the game and commenting on said game. At one point during the game...while my friend was gone getting a drink and a hotdog...the guy sitting next to us had a question about Justin Masterson. So, he immediately turned and asked me. Of course I knew the answer. Later he wanted to know about Bates...what his story was, etc. So, we chatted about Bates and then both CHEERED when Bates got his first major league hit. It was just nice to see someone actually seeing a female is a fan...not just there to watch pretty boys run around.

I have some pics up over at the Facebook. If you and I are friends at the Facebook...feel free to check them out. There is no one on facebook who is not completely aware of my trip to Fenway, how excited I was about it....and what a great time I had.

I gotta figure out how to get back to Fenway and SOON.

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Fenway Park: Number 1 Ranked Ballpark!

This is no new news to all of us in Red Sox Nation, but Sporting News Magazine just ranked the 30 MLB Parks and the #1 ballpark was of course, Fenway Park.

The 3 reasons the author LOVES Fenway Park:

1. The Green Monster

2. The Ted Williams Seat

3. Pesky's Pole

Here is what Jason Bay had to say about his experiences with the Monster, both as a Red Sox and a visiting player:

"There's not a lot of room out there. It's pretty self-explanatory: If it's over your head, it's off the wall or it's gone. In that aspect, it's easier. But there are some nooks and crannies, the scoreboard—I've been back there behind the scoreboard a couple times, once as a visiting player, and then I've gone back since. Most of the guys who come here for the first time go. There's thousands and thousands of signatures back there. So it was like, 'Hey, you gotta go sign the Monster.' So I went in and signed the inside of it. And when I came here, I went back and saw my name back there. It's the nostalgia. There's all these new ballparks going up, and they're great. People are like, 'Wouldn't you like to see Boston get a new ballpark?' And the answer is, 'Not really.' "

Here, here JayBay! No new ballpark for the Red Sox. No way. No how.

My own personal FOURTH reason...the FANS. There is something about the Fenway Faithful. The noise. The fact that the fans don't need a teleprompter to tell them to cheer....and they don't need to be given noise sticks or clappers. Fenway fans make noise all on their own. Josh Beckett said it himself in his last press conference how much he loves playing here. He said the support of the fans is so valuable and a welcomed change from what he experienced when he was with the Marlins.

Here are the Top 5:

1. Fenway Park - Boston Red Sox
2. PNC Park - Pittsburg Pirates
3. Wrigley Field - Chicago Cubs
4. Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Baltimore Orioles
5. AT&T Park - San Fransico Giants

Oh...and in that Top 5, I didn't notice the new Yankee Stadium. Just saying.

P.S. Did I happen to mention that I am making my first trek EVER to Fenway Park this Saturday? I didn't? Well...I SO AM. I am so excited...I am literally counting the hours until 7:10pm on Saturday night.

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Nomar Thanks Sox Fans

NESN caught up with Nomar after last night's game. Sox fans were classy in welcoming Nomar back to Fenway.

Watch here:

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D-Lowe Looking Forward to Fenway

Derek Lowe has entered the blogosphere and in his first post he writes about coming back to Fenway:

I'm really looking forward to heading back to Boston to pitch this weekend. When I think of my career pretty much all my memories are in Boston. There were some good times in Los Angeles, especially last year when we were winning playoff games. But I think any time you win a World Series in any city, that's where your fondest memories are going to be.

Derek Lowe had his share of struggles in Boston but he also had some big time performances in the post-season. I hope Red Sox fans will give him a nice welcome when he takes the mound at Fenway.

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Yankee Fans Are REALLY Getting Desperate

The LA Times reports that a Yankee fan from VT purchased some Yankee grass seeds, went to the Phish concert at Fenway Park on May 31st, put some water in the bag and dispersed the seeds while at the show.

Apparently, they do sell bags of Yankee grass seeds, but if the grass that sprouts from the seed was never in Yankee Stadium, I say it's not authentic and his effort was all for nought.

Also, the Yankee fan in question is a Phish fan, leading me to believe that he may well have gotten his Yankee grass seeds mixed up with his other grass seeds.

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Showcasing Fenway

ABC News showed how the Red Sox ownership markets Fenway Park. Watch below:

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Phish at Phenway: Down With Disease

From May 31, 2009

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Where's the Ketchup?

A truckload of ketchup never made it to Fenway after a truck driver left his trailer behind at a truck stop because he was pissed off at the trucking company. Panic soon hit the Fens:

"On Monday I got an e-mail asking where the load was at, and that it was important," said Crosby Trucking Services manager Kevin Mitchell. "That's when I was told the ketchup was for the Red Sox home opener."

The driver was arrested and an emergency shipment of ketchup reached Fenway in time thanks to the rainout.



Nobody Puts Ketchup On A Hotdog

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Something Phishy Goin' on at Phenway

And that Phishy something will be... Phish!

Phish just announced that on May 31st they will play a show at Fenway Park. Tickets available here.

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$7.00 Beer...Hooray!!

It's a tough economy and the fine folks at Fenway are freezing concession prices. So go spend your hard earned AIG bonuses on a frosty cup of suds at America's most beloved ballpark.

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50 More Years at Fenway

You can put away the "Save Fenway" bumper stickers for the next half century because the America's Most Beloved Ballpark should be hosting the Red Sox for another generation.

"I think a result of the investment that our ownership group has made is a Fenway Park that will be stable and solid and with a normal maintenance will be around for another 50 years," president and CEO Larry Lucchino said.

I can't think of any better news than that as we head into the '09 season.

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Where's Your Beer Money Going?

There is some shadiness going on with beer sales at Fenway. State Sen. Dianne Wilkerson was arrested by the FBI for allegedly taking bribes in return for issuing liquor licenses, she also oversees beer sales at Fenway Park. Is it possible for her to be skimming a little off of the top? The Boston Herald notes that there is reason for concern:

By an amazing coincidence, her brother Richie runs a security firm that watches over the beer vendors at Fenway. Keeping it all in the family, as it were.

When asked if there wasn’t a conflict of interest even when she was on the state liquor board, Richie answered, “You can’t deprive me of an income because of a job she does the right thing on.”

That means recusing herself. By the way, Richie wouldn’t starve if he had to give up the Fenway job. He’s the register of probate in Suffolk County - the same job that John “Keep the Change” Buonomo had in Middlesex. Richie makes $110,000 a year.

I'm sure once all of the corruption is gone, beer prices at Fenway will fall....and if you believe that then I've got a great real estate deal for you.

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Fenway Park News

560 new seats are being added to Fenway Park and the Red Sox have asked to host the 2012 All-Star Game in Boston.

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Lockdown!

Fenway is closed for the season, except for the pricey rentals of the EMC Club. Nothing signals the coming winter like the end or baseball season at Fenway. Crews removed the sod and cleaned the concessions for the offseaons. We use the term "cleaned" losely as the mice and rats still should be able to find some snacks before moving on until opening day. It is still hard to think that baseball is over for the season, especially since it has been very warm for the last few weeks in Northern California, today it was in the 80's.

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Manny Being Manny in the Monster

During a pitching change in the 6th inning Manny went into the Green Monster to make a cell phone call. This is the type of Manny being Manny thing that is fine with Sox fans, especially when he produces like he did in that series.

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