Thoughts down by the river...

First post!

So basically, the "About Me" and "Interests" sections on my profile say it all. Originally from New Hampshire, I now live nice and close to the gloriously uncomfortable yet magical Fenway Park. Fell in love with the Red Sox in 4th grade, becoming one of those weird little girls who had an extensive baseball card collection, could tell you any Sox player's batting average, and had the uncanny ability to imitate the batting stances of most guys in the American League. (By the way, Jim Leyritz and Craig Counsell--at right--are my favorite players of all time to imitate.) I adore sports of all kinds but focus my energies on BU hockey, the Red Sox, the Pats, and the Oakland A's, the latter for reasons other than merely playing ability. I read the Boston Globe religiously and enjoy explaining to my roommate why Dan Shaughnessy can be a huge douche. Oh, and I should probably add Bill Simmons to my list of interests because I can't get enough of him. He's one of my idols and I often joke that I want to be the Sports Mistress (yet secretly, I really do want to be). Meeting him last month was a defining point in my life.

So, the MLB post-season has been interesting. I honestly didn't expect the Red Sox to make a decent run but getting swept was not something I particularly wanted. Sitting near the Pesky Pole during Game 3, I was ecstatic to be at my first baseball playoff game. Never felt Fenway Park shake like that, and a friend of mine who goes to MIT said they could hear the cheering all the way to their athletic fields. Ridiculous. But things calmed down quickly after The Hour-Long 6th Inning of Doom, AKA the 2005 season's death knell. The fans quieted down, not even having the energy to boo Renteria anymore, and people in my section launched into sarcastic mode.

But, as Bob Ryan wrote in the Globe the next day, "I'm telling you this: If you're a Red Sox fan and are even remotely disappointed in this outcome, you haven't been paying attention. Last year was last year. This team was never good enough."

It's been fun rooting for the White Sox. With the exception of Mr. Head Butt, I like the team itself and feel the fans' pain. So, yeah, go Chicago!

A few thoughts:

• Did anyone else get a sick pleasure out of seeing Clemens implode the other night? I'd love to be one of those rational Sox fans who appreciate the contributions he made to the team in the 1980's, but you know what? Screw that. He's an ass.
• I really wanted the White Sox to win the ALCS yet at the same time, I'm lamenting the loss of what could have been an amusing string of McCarver quotables. He dropped this one on Fox viewers one night: "Vladimir Guerrero is only 6'3" but he has the wingspan of a condor." What could have come next? "Mike Sciosca, oh, he's so wise, like an owl." Or perhaps, "With 21 wins, Bartolo Colon has been so reliable for this team, much like a homing pigeon."
• Speaking of McCarver, my favorite part of the broadcast last night would have to be Joe Buck saying, "For those of you who might not know what Tim is talking about..."
• I'm kind of enjoying not being completely on-edge and stressed out for the month of October. I can watch a baseball game and be only moderately loud. My roommate informed me that it was "kinda weird" to have the playoffs on, minus my obnoxious commentary and cries of pain/joy.
• First Konerko, then Podsednik last night. For a team that wasn't particularly known for its offensive abilities during the regular season, they have been kicking serious ass. I feel as if someone pulls a Big Papi in every game.
• This season absolutely flew by for me. Now I'm wondering what to do with myself, formulating the ideal fantasy baseball team in my head. College hockey is fun and everything but there aren't daily stats to follow and only one or two games per week. Same deal with football. And besides, the injury ridden Patriots are just depressing right now. I'm not angry, I'm not super disappointed, but it's just DEPRESSING to see the team in such a state. But hey, at least we haven't had to call up a 41-year-old former QB to take over. I think New England would implode if that happened.

That's all for now...