At the hallowed homeground of the Boston RedSox earlier this year. I still havent got over the WS win !!!
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
The Curse is broken !!!
Take than Babe !!!
So you thought we couldnt do it without you. To hell with you and your curse. I havent been as happy as today in a very long time. Its just minutes after Keith Foulke closed yet another game succesfully for the RedSox and 86 years of tears and misses go down in an epoch for ages. A 8 game streak that started after a miserable 19-8 loss to New York and it all boils down to this. As the team takes turn fondly holding the World Series trophy, the owners and Theo Epstein, one of the true architects of the team of 2004 get drenched in the champagne. I have been a teetotaller all my life and if there was one moment I wish I get deliriously whacked out, this is it. But me being me, I am just gonna scream my head off in my room and make sure I blow a wad of money tomorrow. I have already promised my fiance anything, I repeat, anything she wants if the Sox won and that was during the ALDS. So I look forward to keeping that word and seeing much more victories, now that the road block that refused to be blown away for 86 long years, lies in dust.
To a team that just refused to quit and to a whole lot of RedSox fans world over, guys, its over. Now we know who the daddy is !!!
Much more on this when I get back my sanity.
We believed :)
So you thought we couldnt do it without you. To hell with you and your curse. I havent been as happy as today in a very long time. Its just minutes after Keith Foulke closed yet another game succesfully for the RedSox and 86 years of tears and misses go down in an epoch for ages. A 8 game streak that started after a miserable 19-8 loss to New York and it all boils down to this. As the team takes turn fondly holding the World Series trophy, the owners and Theo Epstein, one of the true architects of the team of 2004 get drenched in the champagne. I have been a teetotaller all my life and if there was one moment I wish I get deliriously whacked out, this is it. But me being me, I am just gonna scream my head off in my room and make sure I blow a wad of money tomorrow. I have already promised my fiance anything, I repeat, anything she wants if the Sox won and that was during the ALDS. So I look forward to keeping that word and seeing much more victories, now that the road block that refused to be blown away for 86 long years, lies in dust.
To a team that just refused to quit and to a whole lot of RedSox fans world over, guys, its over. Now we know who the daddy is !!!
Much more on this when I get back my sanity.
We believed :)
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Sometimes even miracles happen...
And one such did last Thursday early morning at 12:01 am when Ruben Sierra grounded out to second and history was made.As I watched in a seedy Best Western somewhere in the outskirts of Charleston, SC (dont ask my what I was doing there), the RedSox came back from an overwhelming 0-3 deficit to win the 7 game American League Championship Series 4-3. It had never happened before in baseball and how could it ? For, to achieve such a feat, it needed much more than skill and temperment and patience and doggedness displayed by the RedSox. It needed that little thing which plays its part almost all the time against the RedSox, fate. Things needed to happen when it was most required and they did. Papi delivered twice for the RedSox and in the seventh game, a till now lacklustre Johnny Damon homered twice for a cumulative 6 RBI's to do it for the Sox. The Yankees were left just speechless while the famed RedSox offensive gave it to the depleted Yankees bullpen. Kevin Brown was taken off after a couple of innings only to be replaced by an equally ineffective Javier Vasquez. By the time the famed closer Mariano Riviera came out for the Yankees, it was all but over.
To me it was over when Alex Rodriguez, the highest paid sportsman in the United States, did the most unprofessional act not just in Game Six but in all of baseball by interfering with Bronsor Arroyo trying to run him out at first base. What was awful about it was the way A-Rod feigned utter disbelief in front of tens of millions watching all over the country and made sure he went down the history books as the highest paid sissy. While I have been a patient fan of the RedSox, I have had a grudging admiration for the Yankees who have time and again demonstrated their ability to come out fighting even at the most hopeless situations. Derek Jeter, in my opinion is one of the best captains baseball has seen in a long time. Given all that, what A-Rod did was a shame to himself and the pinstripes he so proudly wears. I am sure this is one baggage he will carry with him for life and that is the biggest loss of all, much more than the 4-3 thrashing. George Steinbrenner, the businessman is expected to make some big moves later this Fall and the steps could be big enough to warrant major changes in the Yankees lineup.
By the time I write this blog, Boston had taken Game 1 of the World Series defeating the Cardinals in an ugly game that could have gone either way until the Top 9th. Boston managed a win due to its offense clicking and inspite of an awful defense lead by Manny. It was also an early indicator of how good the Cards were at fighting back and ready to pounce on any error. With the second game slated for today, Boston needs not just the best from the old warhorse, Curt Shilling but also a continued blitz from the the offense and most importantly a much better performance in the field. David Ortiz is red hot and Manny seems to be getting his groove back along with a resurgent Damon and Bellhorn. Given all this, Game 2 and all the future games should make for a very interesting watch.
Go Sox..and yes, we continue to believe, much harder than before.
PS: My condolences to the family and friends of the girl who lost her life amidst the Sox victory celebrations.
PPS: I turned 26 at 12:00 am EST on Thursday and a minute later, got one of the best birthday gifts I could have asked for with the ALCS miracle comeback by the RedSox. If only I could hope for more such birthdays in the future....I would'nt be asking for too much, would I ?
To me it was over when Alex Rodriguez, the highest paid sportsman in the United States, did the most unprofessional act not just in Game Six but in all of baseball by interfering with Bronsor Arroyo trying to run him out at first base. What was awful about it was the way A-Rod feigned utter disbelief in front of tens of millions watching all over the country and made sure he went down the history books as the highest paid sissy. While I have been a patient fan of the RedSox, I have had a grudging admiration for the Yankees who have time and again demonstrated their ability to come out fighting even at the most hopeless situations. Derek Jeter, in my opinion is one of the best captains baseball has seen in a long time. Given all that, what A-Rod did was a shame to himself and the pinstripes he so proudly wears. I am sure this is one baggage he will carry with him for life and that is the biggest loss of all, much more than the 4-3 thrashing. George Steinbrenner, the businessman is expected to make some big moves later this Fall and the steps could be big enough to warrant major changes in the Yankees lineup.
By the time I write this blog, Boston had taken Game 1 of the World Series defeating the Cardinals in an ugly game that could have gone either way until the Top 9th. Boston managed a win due to its offense clicking and inspite of an awful defense lead by Manny. It was also an early indicator of how good the Cards were at fighting back and ready to pounce on any error. With the second game slated for today, Boston needs not just the best from the old warhorse, Curt Shilling but also a continued blitz from the the offense and most importantly a much better performance in the field. David Ortiz is red hot and Manny seems to be getting his groove back along with a resurgent Damon and Bellhorn. Given all this, Game 2 and all the future games should make for a very interesting watch.
Go Sox..and yes, we continue to believe, much harder than before.
PS: My condolences to the family and friends of the girl who lost her life amidst the Sox victory celebrations.
PPS: I turned 26 at 12:00 am EST on Thursday and a minute later, got one of the best birthday gifts I could have asked for with the ALCS miracle comeback by the RedSox. If only I could hope for more such birthdays in the future....I would'nt be asking for too much, would I ?
Monday, October 18, 2004
Ortiz is your daddy !!!
Before I start my blog, here is an call for heart specialists in Boston. Given the way the RedSox have been playing in the ALCS, a few hundred patients if not more are sure to complain of chest pain this week. Game 4 ALCS was the Yankees all the way, until the ninth inning. The RedSox, courtesy a single by Bill Mueller and then a repeat act by David Ortiz in the twelfth with a walk-off homer. The game tied the record for the longest post season game at 5 hrs and 02 minutes with 12 innings played. The RedSox had given their fans yet another reason to believe.
If that was a long game, then what could one say about the game today. Game 5 of ALCS had Pedro pitching against his nemesis, the Yanks. The Yankees were out to prove that they were indeed the big daddy. The RedSox were first on the board in the first inning with a RBI single and a RBI walk for Varitek. But the Yankees not to be left behind came back hard and soon were leading 4-2 with a three run RBI hit by Jeter in the 6th. Things were quiet again at Fenway and the fans were back to praying like the previous day. The Baseball Gods decided to bestow the fans with a homer by Ortiz and a sac-fly by Varitek in the ninth. The RedSox Nation had reasons to hope again. The game then assumed epic proportions with pitcher after pitcher coming in to the mound and soon the bullpens were empty. The previous day record was handily shattered and the game was into the 14th inning. And then it happened. A walk for Damon and then a walk for Ramirez brought Ortiz to bat. After a prolonged battle of fouls with Esteban Loaiza, Ortiz managed to yet again find a way to keep the RedSox alive with an RBI single. Game RedSox. For all the Yankees fan, it would be a reminder that only fools would think of rolling over the RedSox. For the New Englanders, it was yet another agonizing day that thankfully resulted in a win.
Tomorrow is a brand new day and while the Yankees are the favorites to win at Yankee stadium, the RedSox have demonstrated that they are far from being dead. Game 6 would be an important momentum game and an interesting one to see if the dominant Yankees or the resurgent Sox come tops. It may yet be that the Yankees might win the ALCS but to RedSox fans who were in the dumps after Saturday's 19-8 bashing, myself included, the last two days have been yet another reason to believe. And for all those who think baseball is really a boring game, guys, start with the RedSox and Yankees. Chances are you wont be ever bored or disappointed.
The Curse might live on, but we will continue to believe.
Update: The Houston Astros just nailed Game 5 of the NLCS with a walk-off three run homer by Jeff Kent. A game that was scoreless until the ninth was blown open and simultaneously closed by the massive homer. The Astros have demonstrated tremendous resilence by coming from a 0-2 deficit against the clinical St.Louis Cardinals and are now leading the series 3-2. Game 6 returns to St.Louis where the Cardinals will try to save the series. They need to first same themselves from Carlos Beltran who is having a record breaking, astonishing post season with 8 homers in 10 games. It really doesnt get better than this.
And by the way, Terry Francona just confirmed that Curt Shilling will be starting Game 6 with special shoes and padding and all. Here is hoping that the old warhorse still has some games left in him this post-season.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to October.
If that was a long game, then what could one say about the game today. Game 5 of ALCS had Pedro pitching against his nemesis, the Yanks. The Yankees were out to prove that they were indeed the big daddy. The RedSox were first on the board in the first inning with a RBI single and a RBI walk for Varitek. But the Yankees not to be left behind came back hard and soon were leading 4-2 with a three run RBI hit by Jeter in the 6th. Things were quiet again at Fenway and the fans were back to praying like the previous day. The Baseball Gods decided to bestow the fans with a homer by Ortiz and a sac-fly by Varitek in the ninth. The RedSox Nation had reasons to hope again. The game then assumed epic proportions with pitcher after pitcher coming in to the mound and soon the bullpens were empty. The previous day record was handily shattered and the game was into the 14th inning. And then it happened. A walk for Damon and then a walk for Ramirez brought Ortiz to bat. After a prolonged battle of fouls with Esteban Loaiza, Ortiz managed to yet again find a way to keep the RedSox alive with an RBI single. Game RedSox. For all the Yankees fan, it would be a reminder that only fools would think of rolling over the RedSox. For the New Englanders, it was yet another agonizing day that thankfully resulted in a win.
Tomorrow is a brand new day and while the Yankees are the favorites to win at Yankee stadium, the RedSox have demonstrated that they are far from being dead. Game 6 would be an important momentum game and an interesting one to see if the dominant Yankees or the resurgent Sox come tops. It may yet be that the Yankees might win the ALCS but to RedSox fans who were in the dumps after Saturday's 19-8 bashing, myself included, the last two days have been yet another reason to believe. And for all those who think baseball is really a boring game, guys, start with the RedSox and Yankees. Chances are you wont be ever bored or disappointed.
The Curse might live on, but we will continue to believe.
Update: The Houston Astros just nailed Game 5 of the NLCS with a walk-off three run homer by Jeff Kent. A game that was scoreless until the ninth was blown open and simultaneously closed by the massive homer. The Astros have demonstrated tremendous resilence by coming from a 0-2 deficit against the clinical St.Louis Cardinals and are now leading the series 3-2. Game 6 returns to St.Louis where the Cardinals will try to save the series. They need to first same themselves from Carlos Beltran who is having a record breaking, astonishing post season with 8 homers in 10 games. It really doesnt get better than this.
And by the way, Terry Francona just confirmed that Curt Shilling will be starting Game 6 with special shoes and padding and all. Here is hoping that the old warhorse still has some games left in him this post-season.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to October.
Monday, October 11, 2004
We believe !
While Buster Olney has reported for many such big series happening throughout this baseball season, it doesnt really get bigger than this. Its the Yanks and the RedSox, yet again for the American League Championship Series (ALCS). Its really not hard to see why this assumes so much significance at New York and Boston. For the next one week all eyes in the NorthEast not to mention most other parts of the US and even Japan will be glued to the TV sets and the newspapers. Will the RedSox stumble, again or will this year be any different ?
It has the makings of a surefire Hollywood epic. Great team with fantastic track record of success. Decides for various reasons to trade its best player to a rival team. The tables are turned. The traded player (to the few people who have heard of him, he is called Babe Ruth) then goes on to make history for his new team to such an extent that a new stadium, tailor made to his batting style was built in 1923. To this date, the RedSox have not won a World Series Championship since the trade in 1919. Some people refer to it as the 'Curse of the Bambino'. Others refer to it as just another trade which has since assumed cult status due to the press. It is said that the book "Curse of the Bambino" by Dan Shaughnessy triggered the idea that it was really a curse and something supernatural.
Whatever be the case, the RedSox have had something going against them when it comes to winning the World Series. They have come as close as an out to winning the game but it has never been the real thing. This year, the Sox believe they have their best team yet and if last weeks smothering of the Anaheim Angels is any indication, we could be in for a phenomenal series. The Yankees as always have been clinical with their wins, coming back from behind more times than anyone else in the league. Even with Johan Santana, arguably the best starter in the League this year at his best, the Minnesota Twins lost the ALDS to the Yankees courtesy A-Rod's resurgent streak and Derek Jeter's usual October histrionics. For the RedSox, both Manny and Ortiz have been red-hot pretty much all season long. They lead the league in a duo with most homers and RBIs and the count is only increasing. Last Friday, Ortiz put the final nail on the coffin for the favorites Angels with a 10th inning walkoff homer off Washburn. Manny drove in 2 RBIs in the same game and not to forget the two most important people for the RedSox; Johnny Damon, arguably the best leadoff hitter in the league this year and Curt Shilling, the best pitcher in the league who made it to the CS. With possibly their best team in years, the RedSox have their best chance yet at toppling the Yankees and making it to the World Series.
Will it finally happen this year or will the Yankees find yet another way to come back ?
Only time will tell. For now, here is to looking forward to the best week of baseball yet, in a year that has already produced some great matchups.
We believe !
It has the makings of a surefire Hollywood epic. Great team with fantastic track record of success. Decides for various reasons to trade its best player to a rival team. The tables are turned. The traded player (to the few people who have heard of him, he is called Babe Ruth) then goes on to make history for his new team to such an extent that a new stadium, tailor made to his batting style was built in 1923. To this date, the RedSox have not won a World Series Championship since the trade in 1919. Some people refer to it as the 'Curse of the Bambino'. Others refer to it as just another trade which has since assumed cult status due to the press. It is said that the book "Curse of the Bambino" by Dan Shaughnessy triggered the idea that it was really a curse and something supernatural.
Whatever be the case, the RedSox have had something going against them when it comes to winning the World Series. They have come as close as an out to winning the game but it has never been the real thing. This year, the Sox believe they have their best team yet and if last weeks smothering of the Anaheim Angels is any indication, we could be in for a phenomenal series. The Yankees as always have been clinical with their wins, coming back from behind more times than anyone else in the league. Even with Johan Santana, arguably the best starter in the League this year at his best, the Minnesota Twins lost the ALDS to the Yankees courtesy A-Rod's resurgent streak and Derek Jeter's usual October histrionics. For the RedSox, both Manny and Ortiz have been red-hot pretty much all season long. They lead the league in a duo with most homers and RBIs and the count is only increasing. Last Friday, Ortiz put the final nail on the coffin for the favorites Angels with a 10th inning walkoff homer off Washburn. Manny drove in 2 RBIs in the same game and not to forget the two most important people for the RedSox; Johnny Damon, arguably the best leadoff hitter in the league this year and Curt Shilling, the best pitcher in the league who made it to the CS. With possibly their best team in years, the RedSox have their best chance yet at toppling the Yankees and making it to the World Series.
Will it finally happen this year or will the Yankees find yet another way to come back ?
Only time will tell. For now, here is to looking forward to the best week of baseball yet, in a year that has already produced some great matchups.
We believe !
Friday, October 08, 2004
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Frodo Baggins vs. Saruman
One such contest was played out in front of millions of American viewers last evening. Agreed you would like to be on the side of the meek but then experience and age (I will not call it wisdom but rather political savvy) were on the side of VP Dick Cheney last evening in the Vice Presidential debate. While personal injury lawyer and Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Senator John Edwards was charming and all smiles throughout the show, he was outplayed by the wily old Vice President. Even when Senator Edwards had the facts on his side, VP Dick Cheney played all his age and experience cards and squashed what was definitely a much weaker challenge than the one put out by Senator Kerry in the Presidential debate last week. It was not as if Senator Edwards was not at his best. It was just that his best was not enough in a debate where facts were thrown out of the window (VP Dick Cheney said he never tried to connect Al Qaida and Iraq) and replaced by sharp and stinging attacks at each other and their respective Presidential running partners.
With two debates over and two more to go between the President and the Democratic candidate Senator Kerry, the focus and pressure will be intense. The first of the remaining debates takes place in a town hall like setup in Washington University, St.Loius, MO, where the audience will be allowed to ask questions. This should be interesting given that MO is a "swing state" which voted for President Bush in 2000 and President Clinton in 1996.
From an Indian perspective, the election is a unique one. While President Bush's reelection would definitely continue the outsourcing trend, so beneficial to the Indian software industry, idealogically, a war President who has time and again been proved that Iraq was a "mistake" is difficult to accept. Moreover, irrespective of how evil Saddam was, the fact that the flimsy and now totally untrue reasons provided for the Iraq war needs to be given a big thumbs down by the American voters. Today the weapons inspectors confirmed that Saddam was nowhere close to producing weapons of mass destruction. One thing to say about Indian politicans, however corrupt they maybe, succumb to political pressure within and from outside the party and resign after even a train accident. Given the large scale deaths, American and Iraqi, the so called perpetrators of a false war need to resign on moral grounds, now that it has been proved that their reasons were all wrong. This is one election that would once and for all demonstrate how forgiving the American public are, to such a costly (in terms of money and life) mistake. Come November, the opinion of America and its people will be on show to the rest of the world. Will be courageous enough to take a stand ?
With two debates over and two more to go between the President and the Democratic candidate Senator Kerry, the focus and pressure will be intense. The first of the remaining debates takes place in a town hall like setup in Washington University, St.Loius, MO, where the audience will be allowed to ask questions. This should be interesting given that MO is a "swing state" which voted for President Bush in 2000 and President Clinton in 1996.
From an Indian perspective, the election is a unique one. While President Bush's reelection would definitely continue the outsourcing trend, so beneficial to the Indian software industry, idealogically, a war President who has time and again been proved that Iraq was a "mistake" is difficult to accept. Moreover, irrespective of how evil Saddam was, the fact that the flimsy and now totally untrue reasons provided for the Iraq war needs to be given a big thumbs down by the American voters. Today the weapons inspectors confirmed that Saddam was nowhere close to producing weapons of mass destruction. One thing to say about Indian politicans, however corrupt they maybe, succumb to political pressure within and from outside the party and resign after even a train accident. Given the large scale deaths, American and Iraqi, the so called perpetrators of a false war need to resign on moral grounds, now that it has been proved that their reasons were all wrong. This is one election that would once and for all demonstrate how forgiving the American public are, to such a costly (in terms of money and life) mistake. Come November, the opinion of America and its people will be on show to the rest of the world. Will be courageous enough to take a stand ?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)