Pod People Strike Again

San Diego 6 - Boston 1

The score was not as close as it appeared, as Boston scored their lonely li'l run with two outs in the ninth. PawSox call-up David Murphy launched a triple to left center and scored on Mike Lowell's double to the gap, spoiling an otherwise superlative performance by the San Diego pitching staff.

Tim Wakefield crumped in the middle innings, turning a 1 run deficit into a 6-0 San Diego lead. His counterpart, Chris Young, meanwhile spun a 1 hit, 11 strikeout gem and let his hitters do the rest.

I was one of those people who cheered when the Sox traded Josh Bard last year to get Doug Mirabelli back but I take that back. Here are their respective lines for the night (with season averages):

Mirabelli: 0-4, 2 K, 3 LOB, .182
Bard: 2-4, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 HR (2 run dinger), 0 LOB, .263

I love my 20-20 hindsight.

Tomorrow's game projects to be a pitcher's duel, with Josh Beckett (at 10-1) facing San Diego ace Jake Peavy, he of the gaudy 1.98 ERA.

Today in the mail, Mrs Potato & I received our long-awaited bracelets from A Complaint-Free World. We heard about it on Oprah. (Side note to add: I've watched so much Oprah during my forced "vacation" that I'm in severe danger of an estrogen overdose.) The goal is a worthy, if challenging, one: eliminate the negativity in your life by going 21 consecutive days without a complaint of any kind. You keep track of it by switching the bracelet from one wrist to the other every time you complain.

I already have tendonitis in my wrists.

Baseball's Own Little Carmine

Maybe I'm missing "The Sopranos" too much. After all, I still wonder if, in fact, Adriana managed to get away from Sil in the Jersey woods. Or whether Tony was secretly an informant for the FBI the whole time. Or how anybody can possibly eat that much capicolla (Neapolitanly referred to as "gabbagool" in the show) and survive with digestive system intact.

It all started innocently enough yesterday, with Mrs Potato asking "Who is that annoying man? And where are Don & Rem-Dawg?" (She still doesn't get that change in network = change in announcers but I love her anyway.) I just knew that the unending array of malapropisms, historical inaccuracies and fawning sycophantism seemed vaguely familiar. Suddenly, I made the connection. Tim McCarver is the real-life inspiration for Carmine Lupertazzi, Jr.

I finally surrendered and practiced the Twelve Steps around the issue. First, I accepted the Tims I cannot change. Then I made a list of all the ways Tim was harming me. And now, I'm admitting in front of God and everyone how unredeemably stupid this man is. Here are my favorites from yesterday:

Re: The Green Monster which according to Tim, was built "2 years before the Russian Revolution and 5 years after glasnost." The Monster giveth and the Monster taketh away but apparently the Monster also has entered a quantum time warp since my sources indicate that the period of glasnost didn't begin until 1985. Pretty neat trick, huh?

On describing the 8th inning, in which the Giants had two on, no outs, and Bonds at the plate: "If you're a New York Giants fan, you've gotta like your chances." I'd give him a pass on this one because after all, they were originally from New York, but they left in 1957, not yesterday!

And the fawning sycophantism? Tim fairly tripped over his tongue in heaping accolade after sympathy vote upon one Mr. Bonds. The two of them better hope that California legalizes same-sex marriage but be forewarned, Tim. Remember what happened to Vito.

Tempting Fate

So in my post "Shut Up Already", I made a list of all persons who I never wanted to hear from again, including "my boss." I got my wish on one of them: I lost my job last Monday. File that under "Be Careful What You Pray For."

I'm not going into detail here about the circumstances except to remark that I had a feeling of relief after it happened. The truth is that while I loved my work, I was never particularly happy about the company that employed me and instead of moving on, I tried to make it work. But life is weird and I've found more often not, if I refuse to remove myself from any situation which is not healthy for me, life will find a way to get it done.

The other bizarre aspect of this whole thing is that I am not following my usual pattern: wound so tight with financial anxiety that I resemble nothing more than a ball of rubber bands, sort of like this one. I won't deny that I have fleeting moments of the "what will we do's?" but they are quickly squelched by an unshakeable faith that Mrs Potato and I will be okay.

So how does this fit in with the Red Sox, you ask? Well, they lost 2 of 3 to the Yankees and were in danger of getting swept in Oakland and I was almost ready to write a "here we go again" post.
And then I looked at the standings. Despite a seeming free fall and a nonexistent offense, the Sox were still in first place by 9 games. Nine. Not one or two or even three but nine. And despite losing 6 of their previous 7 games, they still had the best record in the majors.

Since that day, the Sox have won 2 straight, Schilling came within 1 out of a no-hitter, Beckett went to 9-0, and hitters actually showed up in the leadoff and #5 spots in the order. Meanwhile, I picked up extra hours at my second job and already have some feelers out there for a more permanent position.

Yup, we'll all be okay.

Bad Moon Rising

I must be a masochist. When the Yankees scored 6 in the 4th inning, I hung on & watched the rest of the game. Tim Wakefield and Doug Mirabelli struggled through 3.2 innings until Wake was mercifully lifted in the fourth frame. He was a little like the girl in the poem: when he was good, he was very, very good (9 pitch innings in 1 and 3) but when he was bad, he was horrid. Wakefield actually gave up only 5 hits but those 5 hits add up when they're sandwiched around 6 walks, 2 passed balls, 1 HBP and 1 wild pitch. Even the current edition of the Yankees can salvage some runs from that.

Yankees starter, Chien-Ming Wang, took the mound in the second with a 3-0 lead but promptly gave back two and watched as the Sox tied the game in the third. He managed to get the outs he needed to get the Yanks to their explosion in the fourth.

And now the game just got really interesting. Yankee reliever, Scott Proctor, was just tossed from the game in the bottom of the 9th after hitting Kevin Youkilis high on the shoulder, the ricochet barely missing Youk's face. (Back story: there were 4 hit batsmen prior to this with Mike Lowell forced from the game after being hit on the left wrist by Wang.) With Ron Villone on the mound, David Ortiz followed by lashing a single through the shift to move Youk to third. Villone was pulled for Mariano Rivera to face Manny Ramirez. He worked the count to 2-2, then sent a long drive against the wall that scored Youkilis & sent Papi to third.

Wily Mo Pena grounded back to Rivera, who erased Manny at 2nd but Pena beat the relay to first. Ortiz scored; 9-5 now. Eric Hinske (in for Lowell) grounded out to 2nd to end the game.

The Yankees are in town, the moon is full, and the bad blood is boiling over. Sounds like a perfect weekend. Curt Schilling faces Mike Mussina tomorrow at 4 pm. It's the Fox game of the week, which means we'll be treated to Joe Buck. Lucky us.

Notes:
Youkilis extended his hitting streak to 23 games with an infield single to shortstop in the 6th inning.
Dustin Pedroia also has a double-digit streak of 11 games as he went 3 for 4 with 1 RBI.
J.D. Drew also left the game with a hamstring injury. He is day-to-day as is Lowell.
The bullpen (Snyder, Romero, Lopez, Pineiro) held the Yankees to 1 run and 5 hits over 5.2 innings.
Manny Ramirez went 4 for 5, 1 RBI and also had a great put-out of A-Rod at 2nd base.
David Ortiz: 3 for 4, 1 BB, 1 RBI

Best Fan Taunts of the Night:
The fans wearing masks depicting women with long blonde hair.
The hairy dude in the long blonde wig.

*****
I have the privilege of knowing a young man who worked hard to get where he is today. Congratulations to my young friend Patrick on his high school graduation. Dude, you did it!