…the game did end before midnight.

On the other hand, I didn’t go to bed until 3 AM because…

I was at the game.

I checked Craigslist at 3:30 just for the heck of it…and see that someone is selling 3 seats for a reasonable price.  I call the guy, and he still has them.  I figured if I could get one person to commit, I’d take the tickets and worry about a 3rd person later.  Leave 3 messages, get a live person on the 4th call.  The guy commits, so I call the seller back.  Just as I’m about to say “I’ll take them”, I get an email from my friend that he forgot about his kid’s soccer practice, and he can’t go.  So I tell the seller I’ll call back.

Talk to 2 other guys, and both reluctantly decline…I’m about to give up, when the 3rd message I left calls me back and tells me he’s in.  I call the seller, tell him I’ll take them…when he informs me that I have to drive to Winsted, CT to pick up the tickets.  So I leave my office in Bloomfield, CT at 4:10 and drive up there.  I get to the seller’s work at 4:55, and realize something terrible.

I left my wallet on my desk at work.

Suddenly I remember that I have a checkbook in my glove compartment (a minor miracle in itself; I rarely write checks), so I figure I’ll give it a shot.  I go see the guy, and tell him I’m really sorry, but I forgot my wallet…would he take a check?  I would have totally understood if he said no…then I get the idea to log into my online banking on his computer so he can see the check is good.  This works for him, I write a check, and have to now double back to Bloomfield to get my wallet.  My friend meets me in Tolland, CT and we head up to the game.  His brother lives in Boston, and he’s taking the 3rd ticket.

My friend takes the most roundabout route I’ve ever seen to get to Fenway, and we have a helluva time finding parking.  We eventually park in the Worchester area and get into the park about 5 minutes before first pitch.  Seats weren’t great (last row in Secton 4), but hey…we were in the park, and that’s all that matters, right?

Here’s the route:

View Larger Map
 
If you need me, I’ll be sleeping until Friday night.

And can TBS hire some more ad salesmen before 2009?  As far as I can tell, besides the in-house FrankTV ads, they only sold the following:

1. Cal Ripken “Snake Eyyyessss”
2. Viagra
3. Captain Morgan

With an 8:37 start time tonight, I’m guessing tonight isn’t the night for pre-midnight.  Here’s hoping for no more Sox playoff games until Friday night.

Those of you who watched the entire game were probably thinking the exact same thing I was in the bottom of the 8th after Masterson gave up the triple and Paps came in….”If he was willing to use Paps for 2; why not just have him start the inning??”

Well, it all worked out in the end, didn’t it?

And how about the fact that every time a player made a big swing, the TBS announcer assumed it was a home run….until Drew’s shot, which was actually 20 feet behind the wall, where he must have been tempering his calls after being burned so many times.  To be far, I thought Ortiz’ double was a HR as well.

Wouldn’t it be something if all 4 DS series went 3 games?  The Brewers are winning as I type this, so that might not happen…but wouldn’t it be something?

I rolled back to a previous version of Flashchat that still works with Wordpress; you now need to enter your main PSF.com password to get into chat.  If you don’t remember your main psf.com password, drop me a line (psf@portlandsoxfan.com) and I’ll reset it for you.

If you don’t HAVE a main psf.com password, simply register and you’ll be all set.

With the playoffs, the last thing we want is people running amok in chat, so no more logging in under whatever name you want.  If I have time today, I’ll try to clean up this theme I had to slap on last week because my old one broke.

Fresh up from a 2 hour nap, and it’s time for some playoff baseball.

Based on his Game 1 performance in Chicago, methinks we’re going to miss Manny just a little bit.  Hopefully, it isn’t fatal.

See you in PSF chat!

To the Sox chances for the East, and to Paul Newman.  In his honor, on this rainy Saturday I think I’ll pop in my Road to Perdition DVD…I know at least one PSF.com regular who may be doing the same.

And that would be to make the playoffs.  Hats off to the fellas for achieving that goal.

Mission 2 is next, and not exactly necessary…that is win the division.  Not very likely in my opinion.

I’m sure you all can figure out what the next 3 missions after that would be.

And this is going to seems strange from this space; but a tip of the cap to the Yankees for their incredible run of making the playoffs.  Those pricks were in post season every year since my senior year in college.

How many people have been saying to you that there is no way the Rays can hold on?  I have friends who have been saying this since May, and nobody has believed me when I say that I think they can.  ”The starting pitching will hit a wall”…”They don’t have the experience in September pressure situations”…blah, blah, blah.

They CAN hold on, and there is a good chance that they WILL.  Either way the Sox will make the playoffs…but despite having the Angels number in the post the past few years, I don’t think I want to find out in the first round.  So here’s hoping they take the rubber match today, and leave that horrible dome in a virtual tie for 1st in the division.

Nice to see people come flocking back to chime in over the past couple of weeks.

I’m still sad to have seen Manny go, but I suppose 10-3 since it happened does say a little bit about how good it may have been for the Sox (and good for the Dodgers as well).  They face some good pitching tonight, let’s see if the hit parade continues.

I’m headed to Boston tomorrow for the game…here’s hoping Beckett spins a beauty.

Resume comments!

….we’ll miss you in more ways than one.

I suppose I could come around in a week or two (or more), but right now, I am not a fan of what happened yesterday.  On some level I understand that the Sox felt like they had to trade Manny…but the main reason I’m not a fan of what happened is because the Sox did not improve yesterday.  Seems to me that they got a little bit worse.

They did not address the most glaring need (middle relief; unless you consider they helped it by removing Hansen), and they made the offense a little bit weaker.  I realize Bay is a decent hitter; but he ain’t Manny.

Personally, I think the Sox should have gone to Manny last night and said “Look; we tried to trade you, and it only would have hurt the club.  Play your ass off for your next free agent contract, and we won’t pick up your option.”

I still blame the majority of this on Boras.

If the rest of the team was actually getting tired of this, and felt like they didn’t need the distraction any more…then I guess maybe this could end up being a good thing.  But today, on the day after….I still need some convincing.