Sox on a Plane

My wife got these pictures on her email at work. They're photos of the Red Sox returning on their plane from Game Four in Colorado. Enjoy this rare glimpse into the unseen world of Sox on a Plane!

Here's Mike Lowell with his MVP Trophy and the World Series Trophy. Hasn't Mike ever heard of stowing stuff in the overhead bins?

Tom Werner, John Henry and Larry Lucchino with the hardware.

Kevin Youkilis catching some Z's.

Big Papi and some of the guys get a card game going.

Youkilis doesn't want to play.

Julio Lugo snuggles with his wife.

Big Papi carries the trophy off the plane.

Jonathon Papelbon and others follow.

Jacoby Ellsbury shows off a signed souvenir shirt.

Curt Schilling working the video cam.

Big Papi on Conan O'Brien

This is the last Red Sox player to do a late night talk show. The one and only BIG PAPI, David Ortiz! I missed this one as I fell asleep before he came on.

Big Papi is THE BEST CLUTCH HITTER IN BASEBALL. The man almost single handedly won the 2004 ACLS and he's had 15 WALK OFF HITS since 2003. His numbers with men on base in the late innings and his team behind forced Bill James to rethink the entire CONCEPT of "clutch hitter."

I can honestly say I LOVE BIG PAPI! I gave my son a Big Papi signed box of Wheaties back in 2004. He loves Big Papi too.

Here's Papi on Conan:

Red Sox Rally and Roll!

Today the Red Sox drove through Boston in Duck Boats in what the Mayor of Boston, Tom Mennino, termed a "rolling rally." I'd call it a Victory Parade, but whatever.

Jonathon Pabelbon (or is it "PapelGONE") had a grand old time dancing his version of the Irish step/victory dance for the assembled masses. I wish I had a kilt concession!
It was a GLORIOUS autumn day-not a cloud in the sky and 65 degrees. The million or so fans that showed up had a great time-not like the Patriots' Parades in February-BRRRRR.
Jason Varitek echoed a sentiment shared by many Red Sox fans. Let the Hot Stove season begin!
Some things never change!CONGRATULATIONS RED SOX 2007 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!

Won and Done!

Unlike 2004 which was, until they won it, an aggravating aberration, 2007 was the year they were supposed to win it. I said it in February and all season long: the Sox had the best pitching in the majors. Pitching wins pennants and the Red Sox look to be stacked for years to come.

These are not my father's Red Sox!

WOOHOO WE DAH CHAMPS!!!!!

Sox keep Rolling

3 down, 1 to go!

Pedroia and Ellsbury go 7 for 10 as the Sox roll over the Rockies AGAIN.

Dice-K gets them far enough and even with Lopez and Okajema giving up 5 runs to let the Rockies get close, the Sox get enough to win 10-5.

If John Lester can get them six good innings tonight, THE RED SOX ARE GOING TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES.

GO RED SOX!!!

Sox take 2-0 Series Lead

Four short years ago, Red Sox nation was awash in misery. The Yankees had beaten us once again as Grady Little left Pedro in one inning too long.

Now, Red Sox fans expect to win it all. These are not your father's Red Sox. These Red Sox are winners. There is no more curse, there is no more morose self loathing.

Our team is going to win the World Series for the second time in my lifetime.

For the second time in three years!

In the most tightly played game of the post season so far, the Sox prevailed again. Schilling pitched crafty ball, Okajema was lights out in relief and Papelbon slammed the door, thanks in part to a baserunning brain fart by Matt Holiday.
"Hey Matt, wanna get away?"

Mike Lowell scored after he hustled to third on a JD (he doesn't suck anymore) Drew hit and scored on a sacrifice fly and also drove in the winning run with a sharp hit down the leaft field line.

Sox win, Rox lose.

SOX IN 4!!!!

Sox Sock Rox

The Red Sox took game 1 of the World Series! They're going to win again tonight too!

My NEW FAVORITE PLAYER, Dustin "Peanuts" Pedroia (we call him "Peanuts" because he reminds us of Charlie Brown-see the resemblance?) smacked a home run on the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning to set the tone as the Sox went on to CRUSH the Rockies 13-1. You know the Sox are kicking butt when Julio Lugo has three hits on the night.

GAME TWO TONIGHT- SOX IN FIVE!!!!!!!

World Serious!

For the second time in the past 3 years, the Red Sox are playing game 1 of the World Series at Fenway Park. The game starts at 8:36 PM EST and I'll be watching on my brother's new 52" PLASMA! I can't recline in his recliner or I'll be asleep by 9 PM!

The late starts on these games guarantee a very groggy Red Sox Nation tomorrow morning.

While the Rockies were a hot team down the stretch, they've been cooling off for 8 days while the Sox finished the Indians.

My World Series predictions:

JD Drew (who started UN sucking with his heroic and clutch grand slam in game 6 of the ALCS) is going to shake off a sub-par season and have an MVP like performance in the Series.

Jacoby Ellsbury is going to make a game changing play on the base paths.

Manny Ramirez will jack 3 Home Runs.

Josh Becket will shut out the Rockies in Game 1.

Red Sox in 5!

Sox Talk

The hot topic of the day at the Hot Dog Truck isn't all the construction, it's the Red Sox. The Sox versus the Rox starts tomorrow and Red Sox Nation is buzzing.

I'm personally still psyched they won it back in 2004. To have them back in the World Series only three years later is almost surreal. They are going to win too. This is a team of destiny, I've been saying it all season.

Everyone is upbeat and smiling at the Hot Dog Truck when they talk about the Sox. Even the grumpy old bastard types (the ones who still think these are the "old" Sox who'll break your heart every time) are almost giddy with anticipation about tomorrow night's Game 1.

I don't know what to tell my kids. When I was growing up, the Sox always choked and the Patriots were a joke. My kids have seen three Super Bowl victories and a World Series Championship in their short lives. They think their teams are supposed to win!

I just keep telling them, "these are not your father's Red Sox!"

THE RED SOX CLINCH!!!!

My Red Sox Clinched the American League Eastern Division title Friday night with a win over the Minnesota Twins! They still needed one more win (or Yankee LOSS) to clinch it. After the game was over, they put the Yankee game on the Jumbotron at Fenway Park and thousands of fans stayed to watch the conclusion of that game.

The Yankees were leading the Orioles 9-6 with two out in the bottom of the 9th inning. The bases were loaded and former Red Sox outfielder Jay Payton hit a bases clearing triple (off Mariano Rivera) to tie the game and send it to extra innings. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th, Melvin Mora bunted home the winning run!

The thousands of fans left at Fenway went nuts and celebrated with the team as the Red Sox won their first AL East title since 1995.

IT'S PLAYOFF TIME, GO RED SOX!!!

(yankees suck!)

Blog Your Blessings Sunday III

Since I am a baseball fan and Red Sox fan, I decided to REPOST this TRUE STORY for Blog Your Blessings Sunday.

Originally titled "How a Red Sox Fan got Religion" , it was published on this blog in February (when NOBODY read my blog) as a farewell to Keith Foulke. Enjoy.

Since today is Sunday, I spent about an hour and a half at church this morning; 1 hour for Mass and a half hour munching bagels and sipping coffee in the church basement afterwards. Like many Catholics, I was at one point in my life reluctant to go to Church-I viewed it as a chore or obligation. That all changed on October 17, 2004. You see on October 16, 2004 the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox in game three of the American League Championship Series. Actually, they destroyed them 19 to 8 (and the game wasn't as close as the score indicates). There was no joy in Red Sox Nation on Sunday October 17, 2004. The general mood was one of despair and resignation to the fact that our Sox were breaking our hearts once again. My then 10 year old son kept asking me on the way to church that morning if it was at all possible for the Sox to come back and win it-my answer was yes, it's possible but not probable. I suggested we all pray extra hard for the Red Sox.

I don't know if I was especially reflective or morose, but the Gospel that morning was from Exodus 17 Water From The Rock:

Exodus 17:8-13 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

Father G. read the Gospel and proceded with his usual interpretations. He noted that in order for the Israelites to defeat the Amalekites, Moses needed to keep his arms raised to preserve victory. Persistence is what allowed Moses to keep his arms raised. He needed to be persistent in the face of his weariness and he required assistance to maintain his persistence. He likened this to being a faithful Catholic in modern times: we need to be persistent in our faith, even when things may appear hopeless around us. I leaned over to my son and whispered in his ear "that's a lot like being a Red Sox fan." We said our silent prayers and mine most definately included a prayer for the Red Sox. I even threw some extra money into the collection basket that morning.

We all know that God is a Red Sox Fan and what happened in the improbable week and a half after that: Dave Roberts' steal, Big Papi, Johnny (Jesus) Damon, The Bloody Sock, and "swing and a ground ball, stabbed by Foulke, he has it, he underhands to first and the Boston Red Sox are World Champions!" We'll miss you Keith-we couldn't have done it without you and you should have been MVP of the 2004 World Series. I don't care what you did after that night on October 27 of 2004. In your own way, you gave this Sox fan a shot of religion.

The Big Schil

I am getting sick and tired of professional baseball players talking about "respect." We've heard the term used in free agent negotiations countless times, Pedro Martinez brought the term to new heights when he and his shoulder skipped town. Now another Red Sox ace is using the "R" word: Curt Schilling.

Curt we love you, but shut the bleep up. Curt will be earning a tad north of $13 million this year and is adored by fans for his heroics in 2004. And he complains about a lack of respect? I wish I had that kind of "no respect!" Whenever you negotiate and make ultimatums publicly you are going to create a charged atmosphere.

For those of you who don't know, Schilling let it be known on the Dennis and Callahan Show a few weeks ago that he didn't want to retire after all. When I first heard the words, I was excited-the guy is a gamer-unfortunately he also has a big mouth. He stated he wanted a deal done before Spring Training was done or else. In this case or else was filing for Free Agency after the season. When Theo conveyed ownership's desire to take a "wait and see" approach, Curt had a hissy fit and once again publicly painted the Red Sox into a corner, creating a maelstrom of commentary from Red Sox nation and many Boston scribes.

The media in this town in relation to the Red Sox is bad enough: the lot of them kowtow to the organization and feed Red Sox Nation with a load of "news" that makes some of these daytime soap operas look downright legitimate. The Boston Sports media, particularly when it comes to the Red Sox, has a self importance about them bordering on demagoguery. And Schilling fuels their flame. The media loves this guy because he likes to shoot his mouth off-which is precisely why the Red Sox want to take a wait and see approach.

Schilling came to camp fat and bitchy and lashing out at the Sox (and the media he has such a love/hate relationship with) about the lack of respect he was shown. If he wins 15-20 games on a team that contends for a World Series, the Big Schil will get his dough and his respect. He'll probably still be on the Red Sox too. As a fan, I'd like him to shut up and pitch and please stop whining about a lack of respect.

Coaching Little League: Setting Expectations for Players and Parents

I have coached Little League for 7 years (soon to be 8) and I am often asked why our team is always successful. Success to me means: the kids have fun, the kids get to try out different positions, the kids have a positive baseball experience, and the kids win more than they lose.

Obviously, as a coach, I can't play the game. My job is to put each kid in a position to succeed so the team will have success. The following is a handout I give to each kid and parent at the beginning of each season:

Little league is a competitive league. We have umpires, we keep stats, we keep score, publish scores and standings on the web and hand out trophies to the winner of the World Series. The goal of the Team is to win. The goal of each boy is to do his very best to help the Team win. Remember these three things:

Safety: Nobody swings a bat or throws a ball without checking to be sure that everyone around them will be safe;

Fun: We are here to have FUN. If anyone is not having fun, let the Coach know and he will work to remedy that;

Winning: "Winning" is an Attitude. If you are Safe, having Fun, and have a Winning Attitude, the Score will take care of itself!"

We will be putting an emphasis on pitching and would like to get as many kids on the mound as possible. You must demonstrate the ability to throw from the mound to the plate with consistency to get into a game. For the first few games kids will pitch one inning. Then they'll pitch one and "earn" the next inning. Over the course of the season, pitching ability will become evident and the kids who can really shut the other team down will get 3 or possibly more innings in an outing- it will depend on the game situation. We will throw in a few "pitching potpourri" nights where we'll revert to the one inning philosophy for all or part of the game. This becomes necessary when we have games that are bunched close together. We will use the walk rule: walk 3 in a row and you come out, walk 4 in an inning and you come out. This doesn't mean you won't get another chance-it just means you can't help the team that particular day with your pitching. Getting the boys to understand the importance of the team will be an underlying theme in everything we try to do.

We'd like to do as much scrimmaging at practice as possible and I am working on a pre- season scrimmage or two. We'll also devote time to all the skills through a variety of drills and exercises. Infield and outfield defense can only be improved upon by getting a lot of reps and we will get as many as humanly possible. The boys will have baseball homework: they must play catch for 10 to 15 minutes every day until the start of the season. Good arms come from thousands of hours of throwing, SO GET STARTED. On game days, at least one of us will be at the field an hour prior to game time. I do infield before every game. Come early for extra practice.

Base-running and Batting:

Base-running: Little League allows you to steal a base once the pitched ball crosses the plate. You can continue to steal bases as long as the ball is live. The ball remains live until the pitcher has the ball in his glove AND his feet are on the mound. Team base-runners will EXPLODE off the base as EACH pitch crosses the plate and will decide to continue to the next base or return to the starting base from about two strides out. The runner will SLIDE into any base where there is the possibility of a play. AAA rules state that if you do not slide into a base where there is a play, the umpire will call you OUT for creating an unsafe condition - (possibly colliding with the defensive baseman). The Team will become expert at sliding and stealing bases! Therefore, you must always wear long pants. Sliding pants (worn under your long pants) are a very good idea. Your outer long pants will get dirty and torn. Expect to get dirty at every practice and game.

Batting: We will emphasize Pitch Selection, Batting Discipline, Bunting, and drawing Walks. The purpose of an At-Bat is to get On-Base. You cannot score from the Dugout!

Pitch Selection and Batting Discipline: We will learn the difference between a Pitcher's Pitch and Batter's Pitch. A Pitcher's Pitch is outside of or along the edges of the Strike-Zone. A pitcher is trying to strike you out. A pitcher will try to get you to swing at a (lousy) pitch that is either too high (pop-up into an out), too low (ground out into an out), or too far inside or outside (foul off for a Strike). We will not swing at Pitcher's Pitches unless you already have two strikes. If you have two strikes, you will learn to Foul-off Pitcher's Pitches until a Batter's Pitch comes along. A Batter's Pitch is a pitch pretty much down the middle that you can readily put into play to get on base and/or advance a runner.

Bunting and drawing Walks: Hitting a Home-Run is glamorous and exciting. You may think that bunting or drawing a Walk is not so glamorous and exciting. However, the 2005 Giants got into the playoffs because the smallest kid on the team drew a walk to get on base, and then ended up stealing home to win the final regular season game with two outs at the bottom of the 6th inning. The Giants then went on to win the 2005 World Series.

You will often hear Coach say: "If you bunt or draw a Walk to First, you can Steal Home on the NEXT Pitch, and you better be Home on the Third Pitch!"

Team Rules and Expectations

1. All league rules will be followed, NO EXCEPTIONS. We will go over the League rules in person.

2. All kids will play each game, sometimes they'll play 3 innings, sometimes more. Kids who are at games and practices consistently, do their homework and work on their skills will have the best opportunity to play more.

3. If your kid can't be at a game or practice, please let the coaches know ahead of time. Please review the practice and game schedules and alert us of conflicts as far in advance as possible. If something comes up last minute, please call

4. Uniforms are for games only. Wear comfortable baseball clothes to practice. NO SHORTS! You will not be allowed to practice in your uniform, you will not be allowed to play in a game without one. Uniforms will require a $25 deposit this year. You can keep the hat and socks.

5. Players are expected to remain in the dugout during games unless enlisted to shag fly balls or coach a base. If a player must leave the dugout, they must ask the coach first.

6. Parents and siblings are not to be in the dugout. NO EXCEPTIONS.

7. All trash must be cleared from the dugout. You bring it in, you carry it out. Spectators please keep the field clean.

8. No batting or bats in hand unless you are at bat or on deck. Safety is important! a. We will not swing a bat near any other people; b. We will not throw the ball if there are any people behind either player in case of a missed catch.

9. ¾ walk rule in effect at all times-3 walks in a row or 4 walks in an inning and the pitcher will be replaced.

10. ALWAYS be respectful of teammates, opposing players, coaches and officials. Disrespectful behavior by players or parents will not be tolerated. Umpires are Human. If there is ever a disputed call: Players will talk to the Coach; Coach will talk to the Umpire.

11. Wear a cup!

12. Show up at the field ready to play ball!

13. PARENTS PLEASE keep the on field commentary to the "attaboy" variety. Conflicting instructions from a coach and parent in a game situation undermines the team. Say it with me "ATTABOY_______"

14. WE ARE A TEAM, I EXPECT EACH KID TO BE PERFECT. ("Perfect" means you always try your hardest-if you can look your teammates in the eye and know in your heart you did the best you could, then you're PERFECT)

That handout has evolved over the years and will most likely be revised for this year's team. I believe setting the expectations from day 1 of practice so everyone knows exactly how the season will progress. In the past, I have handed this out at the parent’s meeting before the first practice. This year I am posting it on a team Blog before the parent’s meeting and telling everyone that nobody plays or practices until I get a reply comment stating they read it with their kid!

When we practice, we have 6-8 stations that cover different skill areas. We have 2 kids at each station for about 5 minutes and we rotate until each pair of kids has run through each station. I always keep my kids moving so they don't have time to get bored. I like to have as many pitchers as possible so each kid feels he's contributing to the success of the team. Bunting is also huge on my teams and the kids who aren't the best hitters will bunt a lot. This gives them the opportunity to get on base and be involved in the games.

The Weather is Everything

The thermometer topped 50 today and the pent up demand for Harv's famous dogs was evident-twas a busy day.

Everybody's got some thing to say about Tom Brady-I must've told that joke about 20 times today. Its school vacation week so my daughter is coming to "help" at the truck tomorrow-I let the kids keep the donations to the Hot Dog Truck Operator's Relief Fund (my tip bucket) when they come to "help" me.

I had a bunch of the hardcore "old school" regulars stop by today. Old schoolers had to have eaten at the truck before the Red Sox won the World Series and need to maintain a minimun 10 hot dog per month average for the two and a half years since. It was nice to be busy yet serve people who are wise to how to order their dogs-or whose preferences I've committed to memory. Most customers are amazed at my ability to remeber their orders-I am the Rainman Hot Dog Man! I'll see customers out and about away from the truck and I'll say "hello;" my wife asks "who was that?" I'll say "Oh, that was two with onions and spicy mustard."

People who don't know what they want on their hot dogs sometimes face my verbal wrath-I've made people go to the back of the line for not knowing what to order too! See my response to a patron who wants "everything" on his dogs.

How a Red Sox Fan Got Religion

I read the news of Keith Foulke's retirement the other day with a wistful feeling. He will forever be remembered by me as the guy who made "THE out." When I heard the news, I began thinking back to those magical, sleep deprived days at the tail end of October, 2004.

Since today is Sunday, I spent about an hour and a half at church this morning; 1 hour for Mass and a half hour munching bagels and sipping coffee in the church basement afterwards. Like many Catholics, I was at one point in my life reluctant to go to Church-I viewed it as a chore or obligation. That all changed on October 17, 2004. You see on October 16, 2004 the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox in game three of the American League Championship Series. Actually, they destroyed them 19 to 8 (and the game wasn't as close as the score indicates). There was no joy in Red Sox Nation on Sunday October 17, 2004. The general mood was one of despair and resignation to the fact that our Sox were breaking our hearts once again. My then 10 year old son kept asking me on the way to church that morning if it was at all possible for the Sox to come back and win it-my answer was yes, it's possible but not probable. I suggested we all pray extra hard for the Red Sox.

I don't know if I was especially reflective or morose, but the Gospel that morning was from Exodus 17 Water From The Rock:

Exodus 17: 8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."
10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

Father G. read the Gospel and proceded with his usual interpretations. He noted that in order for the Israelites to defeat the Amalekites, Moses needed to keep his arms raised to preserve victory. Persistence is what allowed Moses to keep his arms raised. He needed to be persistent in the face of his weariness and he required assistance to maintain his persistence. He likened this to being a faithful Catholic in modern times: we need to be persistent in our faith, even when things may appear hopeless around us. I leaned over to my son and whispered in his ear "that's a lot like being a Red Sox fan." We said our silent prayers and mine most definately included a prayer for the Red Sox. I even threw some extra money into the collection basket that morning.

We all know that God is a Red Sox Fan and what happened in the improbable week and a half after that: Dave Roberts' steal, Big Papi, Johnny (Jesus) Damon, The Bloody Sock, and "swing and a ground ball, stabbed by Foulke, he has it, he underhands to first and the Boston Red Sox are World Champions!" We'll miss you Keith-we couldn't have done it without you and you should have been MVP of the 2004 World Series. I don't care what you did after that night on October 27 of 2004. In your own way, you gave this Sox fan a shot of religion.

Ice fishing-without the ice!

If you live in the northern part of the country, you've undoubtedly seen people ice fishing. The hardcore ice fisherman has a hut where they keep from the cold. I often feel like one of these guys in my hot dog truck on a cold day-except I don't have a hole in the floor to reel in fish. No beer either.

I wonder how many ice fishermen like hot dogs? Shanty towns of ice fishing huts spring up on lakes in the winter time. Maybe I should park out on one of these places during the winter.....

Pitchers and catchers in 6 days....