11 April 2005

OPENING DAY 2005

Take me out to the ball game

Take me out with the crowd

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack

I don’t care if I never get back

So it’s root, root, root for the Red Sox

If they don’t win it’s a shame

For it’s one-two-three strikes you’re out

At the old, ball game!!!

Finally, Spring officially arrived!  No, not March 21st, the vernal equinox. Rather, Opening Day at Fenway Park!!!! The ice is out of the Mystic River so now distraught Red Sox fans go “splash” instead of “splat” after a tough loss.  Yawkey Way is alive again and the Rambler and the Voluptuous One are back in Section 32.  I just love the sights, sounds and smells of baseball.

2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox….banners draped on the Green Monster….a family reunion in Section 32….Doc, the E-Fam, Connecticut Mikey, Mike, Matt, and Andrea (subbing for husband Mick, the Connecticut Cross Dress unwilling to watch the festivities in front of his beloved Yankees), R.I. Ray and son….missed meeting up with Bruce Fine of www.fromcursedtofirst.com fame….the championship banner hoisted high….Bobby Orr, Bill Russell, Tedy Bruschi, and Richard Seymour represented past champions  and threw out the ceremonial First Pitch….Russell has a weaker arm than Johnny Damon….wounded Vets carried the World Series rings onto the field….”Sweet Baby” James Taylor….Terry Cashman….the Boston Pops Orchestra….F-16s piloted by the Green Mountain Boys of the Vermont Air National Guard….Yaz, Jim Ed, El Tiante and others….a final good by to Dick “the Monster” Radatz….loud ovations for Tito, Schill, Big Papi, DLowe, Dave Roberts, and Mariano Rivera….Johnny Pesky gets a ring after 64 years….you can’t beat Fenway Franks….Doc wasn’t reading….expanded concourse under Section 32….sausages smelled great….the Yankees watched the ring presentations….Yankee fans were practically non-existent making for a most pleasurable day….no “Yankees Suck” chants….no Wave (thank, God)….Kenmore Square littered with trash, and that was before the game….nice job, Mumbles….forgot how disgusting riding the “T” is….Sox won 8-1….Wake was great for 7 strong innings….Mirabelli crushed one to left….Mantei threw gas….A-Rod handed us 3 runs with a misplay    “Special K” Bellhorn picked up right where he left off.....”Sweet Caroline”….”Dirty Water!!”

Rambler’s 2005 Record: 1-0

Earned Dog Average: 2.00

The Rambler

December 2004

The Rambler Comes Back To Earth

“Earth to Rambler, Earth to Rambler! You are cleared for landing on Runway 2004.”

I know what you’re thinking. “What’s happened to the Rambler?”  Let’s just say that the euphoria of October (combined with some web site technical difficulties) made it difficult to put “pen to paper.”  But the recent “Hot Stove Goings-On” combined with writing a check tothe Red Sox for my 2005 season tickets have brought the Rambler back to earth and chomping at the bit for some baseball action.

Since the last Ramblings, the Rambler and V.O. closed out the regular season by watching the Sox take 2 of 3 from the Yankees during the 2004 Fenway finale followed by a 4-game road trip to beautiful Oriole Park at Camden Yards joined by Baltimore Phil, Queen Jane, and some of the Section 32 Regulars.  Our planned trip to Tampa Bay was washed out by Hurricane Jean.  The Sox closed out the season by taking 3 games against the Birds in an anti-climatic series.  But it was lots of fun to watch non-pressure games in the fine city of Baltimore as the Sox tuned up for what turned out to be a fantastic ride!.  Check the Baltimore action at: http://www.redsoxrambler.com/html/camden_yards_2004.html

After being a Red Sox fanatic for over 50 years, the Rambler’s dream finally came through. “2004 World Series Champions” has such a nice ring to it.  By now, you know the Cinderella story:

- A team treading water catches fire after the Face of the Franchise is traded for defense

- The Wild Card Red Sox sweep the West Champion Angels, 3-0

- The Sox stage the miracle of all miracles and come back from a 3-0 deficit to croak the Spankees in thrilling fashion, winning the ALCS, 4-3

- The Sox take a broom to the inept Cardinals to convincingly win the World Series, 4-0.

The Rambler, accompanied by either the V.O. or daughter Sara, was most fortunate to attend all 6 play-off games played at Fenway.  The Sox went 5-1 in games the Rambler attended. Here’s a few of the images from those 6 games that are burned into the Rambler’s memory forever:

- David Ortiz’s walk-off HR to sweep the Angels from the play-offs after Vladimir Guerrero wiped out an early Sox lead with a Grand Salami which, by the way, the Rambler predicted.

- The 19-8 debacle in Game #3 of the ALCS against the Yankees, without a doubt the worst exhibition of baseball the Rambler has ever witnessed by a Red Sox team.

- Another Ortiz walk-off HR to end Game #4 in the 12^th inning, made possible by “The Steal” and Bill Mueller’s game tying base hit off Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth, perhaps the finest exhibition the Rambler has seen.

^- Ortiz again! This time with 2 out in the bottom of the 14^th to drive in Johnny Damon, as the Sox won Game #5 and started to tighten the choke chain around the Spankees’ necks.

- The Sox winning Game #1 of the Series against the Cardinals. Mark “Hate Him One Minute, Love Him the Next” Bellhorn clanging one off the Pesky Pole in the 8^th to lead the Sox to an 11-9 win.

- The Bloody Sock worn by Curt Schilling during Game#2, perhaps the gutsiest performance the Rambler can remember.  He came to Boston to break an 86 year old curse, and break it he did, leading the Sox to a 6-2 victory, to give the Sox a huge 2-0 advantage heading to St Louis.

Obviously, there are other great moments, viewed from the comforts of the Rambler’s Roost on the Big Boy TV.  Derek Lowe’s great performances in Game #7 of the ALCS and Game #4 of the World Series, Johnny Damon’s offensive outburst against the Bankees in Game #7, terrific pitching by the entire staff and timely hitting by the offense to compile a play-off record 8 consecutive wins and an over-all play-off record of 11-3.

But the sweetest moment of all was watching 55,000 Yankee fans sit in stunned disbelief as the Sox coasted in Game #7.  Nothing compares with seeing Yankee fans, looking like they just bit into a steaming sh-tburger—especially on HDTV!!!!

The Real Reason the Sox Won

The truth must come out. Following the 19-8 shellacking, the Rambler told the V.O. he had had it with the Sox. “They quit on me, I’m quitting on them. From now on I’m rooting for the Devil Rays.  Low expectations and no disappointment.”  Those were my exact words.  In fact, I threatened to buy a TB hat when I returned to Fenway for Game #4. But the Rambler couldn’t pull the trigger at Twins Souvenirs.  Instead, I broke out the secret weapon. After waking up the Red Sox gods with his Tampa Bay threat, the Rambler donned, for the very first time, his “From Cursed to First” t-shirt. Given to me by my friend, Bruce Fine, proprietor of www.fromcursedtofirst.com, the Rambler had been saving it for just the right moment.  Trailing the Yankees 3-0 in the ALCS seemed like the right time. 

After the Game #4 win, the V.O. was under strict orders not to wash the shirt. The Rambler wore the shirt the remainder of the ALCS and the World Series.  The shirt went 8-0, testimony to the power of the phrase. The Rambler is just thankful it wasn’t 8 straight games in July or August. Not sure I could have taken that!

Season Ending Stats

The Red Sox went 14-3 in the last 17 games the Rambler attended to run my season record to 24-12 (.667), better than the Sox over-all winning percentage of .605.

The Rambler’s Earned Dog Average took a slight hit during the play-offs, climbing to a still very respectable 1.06.

New Season Is Right Around the Corner

It seems like the season just ended and here we are contemplating the 2005 season as defending World Champs!  Pitchers and catchers report to Ft. Myers in mid-February.  Before I know it the Rambler and V.O. will be snuggling in Section 32 (to keep warm, or course) watching Opening Day festivities when the Champs receive their rings and the Championship banner is unveiled.  Unbelievable!!!

Keep it Alive in 2005!!!!

The Rambler

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