It's over

Last night the Tampa Bay Rays won the ALCS 4 games to 3. The Sox put up a valiant fight to battle back from 3 games down to get to a 7th game, they just couldn't get it done. I am bummed, but at least I don't have to listen to those jackasses on TBS anymore.

Playoffs

Tonight is do or die for the Dodgers and tomorrow is do or die for the Sox. Both teams pretty much walked through their Division series winning 3-1. Now each team is losing 3-1 in the Championship Series which is a best of 7. The last three games for the sox have been terrible. Terrible pitching, no offense, lost opportunities. It has been very disappointing. I am hoping the day off, travel to a sunnier state and Dice-K on the mound will revitalize them and they will come off with a win. We will see tomorrow.

As for the Dodgers, it would be cool if they won since I still love Manny, but I really don't care that much.

GO SOX!!!

When it comes to October, no one dominates like Boston

This was a headline on ESPN and makes a few of us question, "Really? Are we in some alternate universe?" The answer is clearly, "NO!" We are the Red Sox of a new generation. A team headed by a great manager in Tito Francona and filled with players who are young, old and in between and who collectively, have the biggest heart and desire to win in the game. They are an exciting team to watch. They're not filled with the feeling of something to prove, nor do they have a chip on their shoulder from sucking for as long as they've been a team (hmmm, Tampa anyone??)

Last night's game was amazing. Two great pitchers (how come no one dares to call Lester our Ace BTW?), lots of strong defense (by the Sox) and hits that mattered. Now we head to Tampa to attempt to beat our nemesis for the ALCS. It should be a great series. I can't believe I have to wait til Friday, but at least it will give me a chance to catch up on my sleep. I know I should be taking advantage of all the sleep I can get right now, but baby understands - he cheers too!!

There's only ONE October! GO SOX!!

Our Yogi and Clinch!

On Friday, Johnny Pesky's number 6 will be retired at Fenway Park. He technically does not meet the requirements set in place a long time ago by former Red Sox owners for retirement, but his personality and his numbers do. Pesky is an important part of Red Sox history and team community today. He's kind of like Yogi Berra is to the Yankees: a part of the greater generation, a ballplayer with great numbers, and someone who has given everything for their team. Pesky has a foul pole named after him in Fenway Park and he is always at the games unless sidelined by illness. I am really happy for him and the Red Sox management for retiring his number.

Oh yeah, and the Red Sox clinched a playoff spot last night!! We'll just have to wait and see if Tampa starts losing and we win the rest of our games to see who takes the division. Go Sox!!

Happy Birthday!

To my friend, Aimee. I hope you have a great day and your kids weren't too obnoxious!

Out with the old, in with the new

Last night was the last home game for the Yankees at their beloved Yankee Stadium. The Yankees beat the Orioles and Mariano Rivera threw the final out of the game. He didn't get a save, since they won 7-4, but it was fitting none-the-less. I didn't watch most of the pre-game ceremonies, or much of the game for that matter, but I did get to listen to Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra in the booth for a while reminiscing about the old days and the best players they ever played with and against. Old clips were played from games of yore, perfect games, World Series wins, the Shot Heard Round the World, and famous speeches. We were also reminded that Yankee Stadium is not just a baseball park, boxing matches were played there, several different Popes came to perform Mass there, football games were held there, movies were filmed there, etc.

Apparently, in the 7th inning, a video of Bob Sheppard was played reading this poem:

“Farewell old Yankee Stadium, farewell
What a wonderful story you can tell
DiMaggio, Mantle, Gehrig and Ruth
A baseball cathedral in truth
Farewell.”

I don't know if he wrote it, but it certainly seemed fitting.

I have a few of my own memories from that stadium. One time a whole bunch of us went there for our friend's birthday and we sat up so high (I'm pretty sure it was the last row) that when it rained, we were covered. Another time, that same friend and I went to a Yanks-Sox game during which Manny hit a foul ball literally straight up in the air in front of us that seemed to hang in the air for 10 seconds. We couldn't see home plate, but we saw that ball hanging.

I know a few of you have many more memories than I do, but I just wanted to share my part of this historic stadium. I didn't get to see Jeter's speech at the end of the game, but it sounded like it was pretty classy, and I agree with the gist of it: share your memories of this stadium with friends and family and carry them with you to the new. I support all of you Yankee fans in this new endeavor. I hope you'll do the same for me if Fenway ever gets replaced.

Good thoughts

Today I am sending all my love and good thoughts out to our great friend LB. She is starting her exciting new job today! We miss you but wish you all the best. Yeah for new adventures!

Death Magnetic

The new Metallica CD was released today at midnight. Luckily, you can listen for free on MSN music. Here is my review if anyone cares:

Track 1: That Was Just Your Life - 7:05 - A very strong opener to the album. Fast, good guitar solos, upbeat. Makes you want to listen to the next song. A good riff, catchy but not lame. I immediately like this song. I think this should have been the first release.

Track 2: The End of the Line – 7:52 - This song is broken up into two parts. The first part is another strong, upbeat song. Good riff, different enough from track 1 to hold its own. Good strong chorus. Nice symmetry in the guitar work. Could do without the distortion. The second part is interesting and then breaks back into the first part like a coda.

Track 3: Broken, Beat & Scarred – 6:25 - What don't kill ya will make you more strong? Isn't that a line from an Usher song? Not really crazy about this song. Too much Lars.

Track 4: The Day That Never Comes – 7:56 - This was the first release from the album. I've heard it a lot on the radio. I like it but it feels confused to me, like the band doesn't really know who they are yet.

Track 5: All Nightmare Long – 7:57 - Reminiscent of some of the songs on Master. Very good. Hetfield's voice sounds great, especially on "luck runs out-ah." I love that. Nice guitar, not overdone, although sounds a little like video game music at one point. Fast.

Track 6: Cyanide – 6:39 - Catchy. Possibly the next release. Not a big fan. Not very cohesive. The middle drums try for some sort of transition. A little confusing - not in a good way. Pretty much all over the place.

Track 7: The Unforgiven III - 7:46 - I was wary of this song from the just the title. As it starts out though, I am afraid I may have judged a book by its cover. Another poor transition from the intro to the beginning of the song. The intro is beautiful. Strings are a nice addition. Nice bass work by Trujillo. Builds to a nice guitar solo. Baby seems to like this song the best so far. Weak ending.

Track 8: The Judas Kiss - 8:00 - I listened to this song yesterday and liked it the best of those I had heard so far. Nice intro. The instruments work well together unlike in some of the other songs where it sounds like they are fighting each other. Great chorus. A good song for a live video. Nice dual guitar work, solo sounds a little like it should be in the Twilight Zone and then Hammett ramps it up into overdrive.

Track 9: Suicide & Redemption - 9:57 - Great intro. Not old school though. Really great. Only orchestral track on the CD. Tempo changes keep it interesting. Fantastic despite another weak ending.

Track 10: My Apocalypse - 5:01 – The only song that mentions the title of the album. A strong song. Nice and fast. How does Hammett play like that? Strong ending to the album.

These are my 1st impressions of the album. I think I will go out and get it (yes, I still buy CDs). Hetfield's voice sounds great on all the tracks where he sings and overall the band sounds good. They still don't sound completely cohesive despite having been the same line up now for about 5 years. Some of the tracks sound weary of the listeners, with the feeling of "ooh, I hope they like this," causing confusion and lack of confidence in the song. All in all, Rick Rubin has yet again, helped create a great album.

Baby setlist

The place we are planning on giving birth is going to be a brand new hospital wing with private rooms with jacuzzis, a bed for Sean, a TV, a music player, etc. Some people suggest you bring music to listen to while you are laboring. I have been thinking about this for a while and am not sure if I will want music playing or if I will want it to be quiet, but I figure I should be prepared either way. I have been trying to think of stuff to put on the birthing setlist. This is what I have so far:

The Ode to Joy choral section of Beethoven's 9th.
Music for Royal Fireworks by Handel
Hallelujah chorus by Handel (if I could time it right, it would be awesome for this to be playing when Baby makes his debut - and yes, I know this is completely unrealistic unless I just have it on repeat)
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart

I also like a lot of requiems, but that doesn't seem quite appropriate for a birth. I was trying to remember which Mass the Chorus sang that Bunky said was a Mass for the Living. Anyone have any ideas here? Bee. Mass in C? For some reason Gounod is sticking in my head, but I don't think that's correct. Google isn't helping me much in this matter.

I'm going for stuff that I am really familiar with since they say you should be able to distract your mind and let your body do the work it's supposed to do. This is going to be difficult for me, but I am just going to work on trusting my body and not being in control (insert laughs here). Since my brain will need something else to do, I guess it makes sense to have it concentrate on something else.

Any other suggestions? For you moms out there, what do you think about music playing? A good distraction or annoying? Do you wish you had music playing or glad you didn't?

OTH off the TiVO

**WARNING - SPOILER ALERT**

New shows have started for certain TV series. I started watching One Tree Hill last year and thought it was a decent show. After watching the first show of this season, it is now deleted from my season's pass manager. Too many crazy people on the show, certain people leaving the show, and a woman getting attacked are just not the things I want to be watching right now. Plus, Lucas picked Peyton who I have always found annoying from the beginning of the show.

On the other hand, Gossip Girl looks like it's off to a good start.

Little league players

Some of you may have heard that a 9 year old Little League pitcher in New Haven has been banned from pitching because he can throw a 40 mph fastball. That is pretty awesome for a 9 year old. The league has said he can play another position, but he can't pitch. Apparently, parents of players on opposing teams were upset because they thought it was dangerous. Now, I don't know this kid's stats, but all the articles I have read about this say that he has not hit a batter. The idea that the league wants him to play a position that he is not good at gives this kid a bad message. Yeah, you are too good at something so we want you to play a position that you aren't good at so other kids aren't scared to bat. This also sends a bad message to the batters on the other teams. We'll take care of you and protect you from something you are scared of, you'll never have to face anything scary in your life.

As a prospective parent I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, yes, I want to protect my child from everything scary in this world. On the other hand, I know this is an impossible task so I want to be able to prepare my child with the best resources available to face anything scary that might come his way. If you allow kids to face challenges and obstacles, won't they be better prepared to face them as they get older?

I can see that to a 9 year old batter, a 40 mph fastball would be scary, but it can also be a challenge. The batter can decide to bat against this pitcher, and yeah, he might strike out a bunch of times, but maybe, just maybe he'll get the bat on the ball. He might foul out, but at least he'll have made contact and that in itself is a victory.

All I have to say is shame on you league officials in New Haven who banned a kid who was really good at something he likes. Let him play in the next age group up, but don't ban him. Don't punish him for being good at something.

Sports?

Some of you may be wondering, "Hey, the title of this blog is Sports, Music and Life. Didn't the Olympics just happen?" Or maybe none of you were thinking that, but I figured I should at least mention that, yes, the summer Olympics did just happen. They were held in Bejing, China and Hong Kong. Michael Phelps became the winningest Olympic athlete ever (16 medals in 2 Olympic games), and beat Mark Spitz's record of most golds by a swimmer in any Olympic games this year, winning 8. It was pretty impressive. So impressive, in fact, that when we were at a Washington Nationals game a few weeks ago and Phelps' Butterfly race was on, everyone was watching that instead of the baseball game in front of them (granted it was the Nationals and the Rockies). The other person who is worth mentioning is Usain Bolt, now the fastest man in the world. This guy is from Jamaica and is literally as fast as a bolt of lightening. Ridiculous.

Honestly, I'm not that into the Summer Olympics. I mean, how long can you watch someone run a race during the marathon? I am from the US so I'm not crazy for soccer (i.e. football) like the rest of the world. I do enjoy watching the equestrian jumping competition, only because it's usually the only time this sport is on TV. There was no crazy Bella Karoli to watch during the gymnastics (although he did commentate) and Bob Costas has become more like a robot than a commentator. In addition, I am a bit confused about some sports being actual Olympic sports - BMX biking anyone? Badminton? Finally, I think it is total crap that professional athletes get to compete in the Olympic games. Professionals get their spot in the limelight when they play during their season. Let the little guy have the stage for 17 days.

So yes, the Olympics did just happen. They just weren't that interesting.

The Dark Knight

Last night, Sean and I finally went to see The Dark Knight, the next movie in the Batman series (technically the second movie), but I don't think they really go in chronological order except for Batman Begins, and you don't really need to see that one before you see this one. This was Heath Ledger's last movie as he passed away earlier in the year after the filming. Christian Bale plays Batman/Bruce Wayne again and Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman play their respective parts as well. In addition, Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal play other characters. All in all, a great cast.

The plot was good. The acting by Ledger as the insane Joker was superb. The effects were great. The problem with the plot was that it felt as if the movie could have ended at least three times before it actually ended. It was quite a long movie, over 2 hours. I won't give anything away, but it seemed curious that they introduced a new villain toward the end of the movie, only to get rid of him before the movie ended. I did enjoy this movie more than Batman Begins. It was more of a typical superhero movie which I enjoy.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes superhero movies.

The Day That Never Comes

A little while ago I posted that Metallica is FINALLY releasing a new CD Sept 12. I finally heard the first single from this album titled, "The Day That Never Comes." The radio version that I heard was about 8 minutes long. I obviously haven't heard the rest of the album but it struck me as an interesting song to represent the album. It starts off as a ballad and then ends as classic Metallica with Kirk's signature guitar riffs and Lars' strong drums. At first, I wasn't crazy about the song. I was wondering why Metallica would release a ballad as their first single from this long awaited album considering they got so much flack for the Black album and especially for St. Anger. I thought they would've released something with more bite to it. I will have to hear this song again but right now I'm not too impressed.

Update

JAMM's supervisor never called me to apologize. Am I surprised? I think not. Add the supervisor to the jackass list.

I was going to call back the lady who said she would have JAMM's supervisor call me and tell her that no one called me. However, I think it would just piss me off more so I am going to write a letter to United and try to let this one go. If I ever see JAMM again, I might have to tear him a new one. Hopefully, we will never have to fly out of this small airport again.

I just googled "united airlines complaints" and there are about 848,000 site dedicated to this. Ridiculous. Don't fly United!

Flying sucks part II

** WARNING** This is a ranting post, but I tried to make it humorous so read on if you also think that flying and customer service in general, has gotten significantly worse.

So it turned out that the idiots at United never delivered my bag yesterday so I went to the airport to pick it up. This literally would have taken me less than 5 minutes if the jackass meter maid wasn't such a jerk. As most of you know, I am pregnant so I didn't want to park in the garage far away from the airport and I didn't want to have to pay for parking to pick up my damn bag that should have been delivered anyway. There is a short term/cell phone parking area where you can park as long as your car isn't left unattended to wait for passengers to arrive. It was only me so the car was unattended. The baggage office I had to go to was right inside the door next to this parking area so I parked there. I made the mistake of asking JAMM (Jackass meter maid) if he was going to give me a ticket if I let my car there. He said that if I entered the building he would give me a ticket (he said this not so nicely while stepping between me and the building). So I said fine and left that area, went around the airport and parked at the curb. He again came up to me and said if I left the car he was going to give me a ticket. I said I literally have to run in for 30 seconds to get my bag. JAMM said he was still going to give me a ticket. I told JAMM if he wanted to give me a ticket , fine, I went in the building and of course, no one was in the stupid office. So now I had to go down to the other end of the airport (it's not that big of an airport, but remember, I am pregnant and had to walk all the way down there) to the ticketing booth to get someone to let me into the damn office. As I came out of the building JAMM was writing my ticket. I told him I now had to go down to ticketing so it would take me about a minute. JAMM said that if I left he would call the towing company. I asked him if he was serious and he said he was, so I left the curb and parked in the short term parking garage where I had to freaking walk all over the place to get my damn bag. So I get to the ticketing booth and see the same guy who I gave my form to last night and he, DABG (Dumb Ass Bag Guy), asked me my name and after I told him, he said, oh yeah, we called and left a message. To which I replied, yes, I had gotten the message, and I called right back (literally 4 minutes after the message was left), left a message to make sure they had the correct address and no one ever called me back. I continued to call EIGHT times throughout the afternoon to see if SOMEONE would pick up the damn phone. I also called the 800 United baggage number twice to make sure they knew the correct address, figuring they could get the message to DABG. It seems they had the same luck I had. I then asked DABG if the airline was going to pay my ticket and parking fee because I had to go all the way to the airport to get my damn bag and they messed up delivering it and he just shrugged his shoulders and said nope. I then asked if there was any petty cash since the garage was only going to be $2 and again he shrugged his shoulders. DABG never gave me an apology. Finally I got the stupid bag and I saw JAMM again and asked him for the name of his supervisor. He said he was the supervisor on duty (which I totally didn't buy) and I said that there must be someone above him and he said he guessed I could call the airport and I told him I would absolutely do that. He was so rude and obnoxious to be I couldn't believe it. It was like he had nothing better to do than harass the pregnant lady. What a jackass.

This morning I did indeed call the airport to complain about JAMM. The woman I spoke to was quite apologetic (finally!) and said she would look at the video tape and talk to JAMM and his immediate supervisor and have him call me to apologize. I told her I had no interest in ever talking to JAMM again and she said that the supervisor, not JAMM would call me. She was also surprised I had to pay $1 for parking since I was only in there for 12 minutes. 12 minutes to walk all the way from the garage to the terminal, get my bag and back out!! If JAMM had just left me alone I would have been in and out of there in less than five which is less time that those other people sitting in the passenger pick up lot had been waiting. It's not like the airport was busy and I was taking up space. What a jackass. Flying sucks. I have decided I am never going anywhere I have to check a bag again if it involved this small town airport.

Flying sucks

The past few days, Sean and I were in the DC area visiting family and Sean took a class. It was a wonderful trip. I got to see my sister and her husband, saw some friends who had their baby in July, saw some friends who just got engaged, played mini golf and generally hung out. The days were relaxing and fun only to be up-ended by crappy air travel. Our flights were on time, however, once on the plane, we were stuck on the plane on the runway FOR AN HOUR before we left the ground. Luckily, the AC was still on so it didn't get too uncomfortable. Finally, we got off the ground and landed. However, once we landed, we were stuck on the plane for at least 20 minutes since there was only ONE baggage handler. OK, so fine, we finally got off the plane. I had to check a bag since we were gone for more than a weekend. Yup, you guessed it, my bag didn't show up. So then I had to wait in line with the other passengers whose bags were also still in DC to fill out a form. Now, I am waiting for them to show up with my bag, but since I put my home address on the form and not my work address I am wondering if they will just leave the bag at my home or actually deliver it to my work since I did call this morning to tell them to deliver it to my work. We will see. Flying sucks.

Belated birthdays (again) and thoughts

Happy belated 90th birthday to my grandmother and xth birthday to my mother. I love you both.

My thoughts are going out to my friend's mom today as she has surgery. We are thinking of you!

The Weasel

Bud Selig must be bored out of his mind to attempt this. When will MLB ever get a new Commissioner? Let it go Bud - it's over and done with!

Manny being LA

Yesterday as the trade deadline approached, the Red Sox were involved in a major deal in which Manny Ramirez was traded away to the Dodgers, Jason Bay was received from the Pirates and the Pirates got 4 players, 2 from the Sox and 2 from the Dodgers. The Sox are also paying the rest of Manny's salary for this year. No word on if the Dodgers will be required to pick up Manny's option(s) or not.

This is a sad day in Red Sox Nation. Manny is a Hall of Fame player and always puts up great numbers. Lately, though, he has been a royal pain in the ass in the clubhouse, getting into a fight with one of his own teammates, getting into a scuffle with the PR guy over a request for a ridiculous amount of tickets, and to put the icing on the cake, taking himself out of the lineup of the first game of the Yankees series last week.

Manny has been one of my favorite players since Nomar left in 2004. Manny helped the Sox win the 2004 and the 2007 World Series. I was at his first game at Fenway where he hit a home run in his first at bat. Sure, Manny has his antics, his weirdness when he cuts off relays to home and allows an inside the park home run, throws the ball into the stands when there are only 2 outs, hi-fives a fan after catching a fly ball, etc. Despite his playing style, his numbers are irrefutable: 2318 hits, 510 HR .312 avg over 16 seasons.

It will be an interesting second half of the season without him. Jason Bay has some big shoes to fill. Good bye Manny, we will miss you - say hi to Derek Lowe and Nomar for us.