There are only a few things that I learned while watching the final and most important presidential debate last night. The two most important things; John McCain is desperate, and John McCain is a terrorist. What exactly was he doing in a Prisoner of War camp for five and a half years? And why doesn't anyone mention how badly he failed in Vietnam by being captured. We shouldn't be praising him for being a POW, we should be questioning his ability to do his job. Nevertheless, I for one, do not believe he was a POW that whole time. In fact, I've heard from numerous sources that I've made up for this blog post, that during those five and half years, John McCain, your republican presidential candidate became a CIA agent gone bad. For five and half years, he was working with terrorists all around the world. Don't believe me? I've got the pictures to prove it: click here.I don't even want to imagine what they do behind closed doors. No wonder McCain is so anti gay rights. He doesn't want anyone suspecting his own sexuality.
And that's not the worst of it. Let's not forget McCain's chant of "Bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran!" I would never actually say he's a war monger, but only because I'm scared he'd hire someone to bomb my own home.
There is no arguing, however, that Senator McCain is a man with a storied past. He has carried many burdens on his shoulders, and looks as though he still is, as he struggles just to lift his arms to shake your hand. His burdens are even heavier these days. His campaign has nearly reached panictime. We all saw it in the debate last night. He came out strong and fierce. His problem is, that at times he is too fierce and too emotional. Unfortunately for John McCain he is no longer fighting in Vietnam. His tactics of aggression do not appeal to the American public. It only makes him seem like a vindictive and condescending old man who has no plan. I'm scared he's more worried about keeping himself alive than anything else. Even he knows that Sarah Palin would destroy our country so he'll do anything to keep himself alive if elected. I even heard she tried to ice fish on the Chesapeake the other day. She had never left Alaska though, so I can't blame her for being confused.
Speaking of Sarah Palin, I hear that she is constantly associating herself with soccer moms? Soccer moms, for real? God knows that bitches are the bibggest sluts around. Check out this documentary that follows three of Palin's closest supporters and friends: click here
I don't think having a skank in the white house is going to turn this country around. Can you imagine a cabinet with Ron Jeremy and Peter North? Palin would never accomplish anything, and she'd be popping out a new kid every month, because abortions are illegal of course.
Anyway, we all know Palin sucks, so back to Maverick McCain and his buddy Joe the Plumber. Supposedly that's a real guy in Ohio and some stupid conservative woman said she's going to vote for McCain because she saw a commercial about Joe the Plumber. Well guess what dumbass conservative bitch, I saw a commercial about McCain's devastating policies. I vote for substance not Plumber cracks.
Analyzing a debate is very simple. In my opinion, it's impossible to say who won a debate. They put their ideas (or anger towards a drop in the polls in McCain's case) out there for the viewers to see. The problem that McCain constantly faces is that he does not know how to appeal to certain voters. He no longer needs to convince the people that are already voting forhim. Unfortunately for McCain, that is the exact group that he speaks to throughout the entire debate. Also, people do not want to see an angry old man. They want to see calm, cool, and collected Barack Obama staring down and standing strong when accusation after accusation is thrown his way. " I can take 4 more weeks of McCain's attacks but America can't take 4 more years of failed Bush/McCain policies." After the first 30 minutes, when McCain could not get under Obama's skin, he started to look frustrated and concerned, so he kept the attacks coming, furthering himself from a connection with the American people.
Barack Obama is planting seeds all over the country. He knows it will take time for the seeds to grow and this country to get back to it's prosperous past. McCain is laying eggs all over the country, while already trying to fuck Obama's plant before it is even allowed to grow. John McCain proved himself worthy during the debate last night. He's worthy of a purple heart, a salute from the crowd, and a handshake from Barack Obama. Obama shouldn't be shaking his hand though, because, after all, the United States does not negotiate with terrorists.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
ALCS Game 4
The "ancient right-hander" Tim Wakefield will have the hopes and dreams of the red sox fans in his hands tonight. The Rays hope to destroy that hope early and often like they did in game 3 last night. The rays, themselves, are relying on another big game from a young starting pitcher. Tonight, it's Andy Sonnanstine the soft striek thrower trying to take down the sox much like Garza did in Game 3.
Ellsbury and Big Papi are a combined 0-24 in the first 3 games. I suggested last night that Ellsbury be benched. Well, Francona has taken him out of the leadoff spot for JD Drew, hoping to get a burst of energy from someone new.
This should be a fun game. I hope it's high scoring, atleast for the Rays that is.
What a change it is for the rays hitters to go from the hard throwing lefty, Jon Lester, to facing a knuckleballer. The need to be as patient as possible to get a feel for Wakefield's stuff early.
Top of the first and Wakefield gets Iwamura to stirkeout on an ugly and confused swing. Upton walk, which doesn;t surprise me, as he has been hotter than hot so far in the playoffs. he already is the youngest player to hit 5 homers in one postseason. Upton takes 2 standing up. They're gonna run all over him tonight. Staring right where they left off last night. Pena hits a 2 run jack over the monster to go up early. How important is momentum and emotion in the playoffs for sucha young team? Longoria makes it back to back and it's already 3-0. Crawford, feeding off the momentum rips a double down the right field line on the first pitch of an at bat. Masterson is warming up quickly in the bullpen with only 1 out in the first. It's panictime at fenway. Aybar goes down swinging and Crawford steals 3rd. That was the nastiest pitch Wakefield has thrown so far. Dioner navarro walks on 5 pitches. 1st and 3rd two outs. Fernando Perez is up, Maddon started him tonight for his speed on the basepath against the slow throwing Wakefield. He fouls out to Kotsay near the sox dugout to end the inning.
It'll be interesting to see if the top of the sox lineup can work off the crowd and put some runs back on the board early. JD Drew rips a back door slider right at Crawford in left for the first out. That's the onster coming into play with Crawford so shallow out there in right. Pedroia strikes out swinging. It's nice to get him out ahead of Papi, even if Papi does look terrible at the plate. He is still David Ortiz, after all. A weak groundout to second ends the inning. Sonnanstine goes 1-2-3, a great sign for the rays early.
One pitch one ou for Wakefield in the 2nd as Bartlett grounds out to shortstop. Iwamura, uo for a second time already flies out deep to right field as Drew catches it on the warning track. A very very quick, 1-2-3 inning for Wakefield as upton dribbles one to youkilis at third.
An extreme overreaction from the red sox fans as youkilis hits a high fly ball to center leading off the bottom of the 2nd. A weak ground ball down the third baseball leads to muffed glove by Longoria and a error on the throw to first, putting Jason Bay on second bade with 1 out and Kotsay at the plate. He rips a single up the middle but Bay has to be held up at 3rd. Lets see if the sox can take advantage of a rays error. Wow, this is not the red sox we know and hate. Coco crisp grounds out in a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning and any chance at a rally. That could be a huge point in the game for both teams.
Pena flies out to dead center on the warning track, its caught by Coco. Crawford gets a two out infield single and he flies down the first baseline. Crawford steals 2nd easily and puts himself in scoring position with 2 outs and aybar at the plate trying to tack on another one. Holy crap! Aybar rips one way over the monster to push the lead to 5, not even 3 innings into the game. It's interesting to see the rays take advantage of mistakes as opposed to red sox, the veterans and defending champions. Navarro follows the home run with rip single off the monster. Francona breaks down and takes Wake out of the game for Masterson. Masterson gets Perez to stare at a backdoor slider outside but called struek three to get out of any further trouble.
A change in pitcher might be just what the sox needed as Kevin Cash (Are you kidding me?) hits a homer over the monster to lead off the inning. I knew Varitek do more for the team from the dugout than in the batter's box. Sonnanstine settles down and gets the next 3 batters out quickly, keeeping the momentum on the rays side.
I have to take an hour break from the game because of prior obligations. Hopefully I come ack to a big rays lead.
Unfortunately, I missed the rest of the game. What the Rays have done over the past three games is absolutely unbelievable. In fact, they have scored 31 runs and have hit 10 home runs in any three game span for the first time in franchise history. They did not accomplish this against any old pitchers either. Beckett is one of the greatest postseason pitchers of all time and Lester had been hotter on the mound than anyone in the league. It truly is a site to see, especially for those of you who are smart enough not to be Red Sox fans. I love it when the fans at fenway sit there and sulk in silence.
I know people are complaining about the possible ratings bust Major League Baseball will face with a Phillies-Rays world series mathcup. However, I am very much looking forward to it. The Phillies have a lineup of all star hitters and the Rays are the most exciting team in baseball. I think it will make for an intriguing series, if, of course, the League Championship Series play out as they should. After all, the Red Sox have come back from the deepest hole ever.
Ellsbury and Big Papi are a combined 0-24 in the first 3 games. I suggested last night that Ellsbury be benched. Well, Francona has taken him out of the leadoff spot for JD Drew, hoping to get a burst of energy from someone new.
This should be a fun game. I hope it's high scoring, atleast for the Rays that is.
What a change it is for the rays hitters to go from the hard throwing lefty, Jon Lester, to facing a knuckleballer. The need to be as patient as possible to get a feel for Wakefield's stuff early.
Top of the first and Wakefield gets Iwamura to stirkeout on an ugly and confused swing. Upton walk, which doesn;t surprise me, as he has been hotter than hot so far in the playoffs. he already is the youngest player to hit 5 homers in one postseason. Upton takes 2 standing up. They're gonna run all over him tonight. Staring right where they left off last night. Pena hits a 2 run jack over the monster to go up early. How important is momentum and emotion in the playoffs for sucha young team? Longoria makes it back to back and it's already 3-0. Crawford, feeding off the momentum rips a double down the right field line on the first pitch of an at bat. Masterson is warming up quickly in the bullpen with only 1 out in the first. It's panictime at fenway. Aybar goes down swinging and Crawford steals 3rd. That was the nastiest pitch Wakefield has thrown so far. Dioner navarro walks on 5 pitches. 1st and 3rd two outs. Fernando Perez is up, Maddon started him tonight for his speed on the basepath against the slow throwing Wakefield. He fouls out to Kotsay near the sox dugout to end the inning.
It'll be interesting to see if the top of the sox lineup can work off the crowd and put some runs back on the board early. JD Drew rips a back door slider right at Crawford in left for the first out. That's the onster coming into play with Crawford so shallow out there in right. Pedroia strikes out swinging. It's nice to get him out ahead of Papi, even if Papi does look terrible at the plate. He is still David Ortiz, after all. A weak groundout to second ends the inning. Sonnanstine goes 1-2-3, a great sign for the rays early.
One pitch one ou for Wakefield in the 2nd as Bartlett grounds out to shortstop. Iwamura, uo for a second time already flies out deep to right field as Drew catches it on the warning track. A very very quick, 1-2-3 inning for Wakefield as upton dribbles one to youkilis at third.
An extreme overreaction from the red sox fans as youkilis hits a high fly ball to center leading off the bottom of the 2nd. A weak ground ball down the third baseball leads to muffed glove by Longoria and a error on the throw to first, putting Jason Bay on second bade with 1 out and Kotsay at the plate. He rips a single up the middle but Bay has to be held up at 3rd. Lets see if the sox can take advantage of a rays error. Wow, this is not the red sox we know and hate. Coco crisp grounds out in a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning and any chance at a rally. That could be a huge point in the game for both teams.
Pena flies out to dead center on the warning track, its caught by Coco. Crawford gets a two out infield single and he flies down the first baseline. Crawford steals 2nd easily and puts himself in scoring position with 2 outs and aybar at the plate trying to tack on another one. Holy crap! Aybar rips one way over the monster to push the lead to 5, not even 3 innings into the game. It's interesting to see the rays take advantage of mistakes as opposed to red sox, the veterans and defending champions. Navarro follows the home run with rip single off the monster. Francona breaks down and takes Wake out of the game for Masterson. Masterson gets Perez to stare at a backdoor slider outside but called struek three to get out of any further trouble.
A change in pitcher might be just what the sox needed as Kevin Cash (Are you kidding me?) hits a homer over the monster to lead off the inning. I knew Varitek do more for the team from the dugout than in the batter's box. Sonnanstine settles down and gets the next 3 batters out quickly, keeeping the momentum on the rays side.
I have to take an hour break from the game because of prior obligations. Hopefully I come ack to a big rays lead.
Unfortunately, I missed the rest of the game. What the Rays have done over the past three games is absolutely unbelievable. In fact, they have scored 31 runs and have hit 10 home runs in any three game span for the first time in franchise history. They did not accomplish this against any old pitchers either. Beckett is one of the greatest postseason pitchers of all time and Lester had been hotter on the mound than anyone in the league. It truly is a site to see, especially for those of you who are smart enough not to be Red Sox fans. I love it when the fans at fenway sit there and sulk in silence.
I know people are complaining about the possible ratings bust Major League Baseball will face with a Phillies-Rays world series mathcup. However, I am very much looking forward to it. The Phillies have a lineup of all star hitters and the Rays are the most exciting team in baseball. I think it will make for an intriguing series, if, of course, the League Championship Series play out as they should. After all, the Red Sox have come back from the deepest hole ever.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Red Sox-Rays: Game 3
I gotta tell you, I hate when the announcers refer to Fenway as the "beautiful fenway park." It's likely due to the fact that they sit in the press box and not in the shitty seats at field level. No doubt it is a historic ballpark, but to call it beautiful shows me that the announcers are desperate for a complimentive adjective.
It's game 3 at fenway, with the series tied at 1. Lester vs. garza means a battle of hard throwing youngsters. Unfortunately for me, and the rest of sensible basbeall fans, Lester is pitching for the Red Sox and he is possibly the best pitcher in baseball right now. How the Red Sox keep pulling this off is unbelievable. It is fun to watch though, as much as I hate them.
The afternoon game is probably an advantage for the Rays. During player introductions the crowd seemed unusually quite. Either many were still at work, or they don't serve booze in Boston during the afternoon. Anyway, it was hard to hear a single boo for any of the Rays players and only a few cheers were noticeable when the Sox were introduced.
It looks to be a pretty chilly day is Boston and the wind is blowing slightly in, protecting the pitchers from the wrath of the green monster. If this game is anything like game 2, the fans are in for another great four and a half hours of baseball.
The first inning is pretty simple for both pitchers. Lester gets three outs on 5 pitches, not good for the Rays, getting into the sox bullpen has gotta be their hope. Take lots of pitches, hope for the best, that seems like all you can do with Lester these days.
Garza gives up a one out double off the wall to mister hustle himself, Pedroia. The guy has got it. I don't know what IT is or even how he pulls it off, but he does. Garza strikes out Papi and gets youkilis to ground out to shortstop, two big outs, stranding Pedroia in the first.
A walk, a single, and a wild pitch off Lester in the top of the second give the Rays a big one run lead. lester looks very solid though, I wouldn't expect much more off of him. Garza needs to roll through a few innings so the Rays can get and keep the momentum.
Jason bay gets another playoff hit with one out in the second. Who needs Manny right? Kotsay follows it up with a double, how the Red Sox pull this shit off? Mark Kotsay getting hits in the playoffs for the Red Sox, it's just absurd. Varitek is up with 1 out and runners on second and third. Boy has he had a rough offensive year. The announcer mentioned it briefly, but its got to be hard for the Red Sox to concede his bat for his defense and control behind the plate. Though, you do often hear that he is the heart of the team, and see it with the big C on his uniform. It's not C for catcher, by the way, it's C for Captain. There's Varitek for ya. Striking out in a big situation. Great heater from garza on the inside corner though. Varitek stared at it. You have to put the ball in play in that situation. Varitek just hasn't done the job this year. He probably would fit in perfect with the yankees lineup. Wow, some big ptiches by Garza and he gets out of the trouble with a Cora flyout to center. It's not often you see the Red Sox miss on those opportunities in the playoffs. Hopefully it will come back to bite them in the ass.
After 2 full innings, The Rays lead 1-0.
Ninth hitter Bartlett with a leadoff single. Lester hung a little slider, doesn't look quite a sharp as he has so far in the postseason. My guess is he'll settle down nicely. Iwamura follows it up with a double off the monster, putting Lester in a huge hole heading into the heart of the Rays lineup. Silence grasps the fenway crowd. Lester is lookng very very shaky. It'll be intersting to see him work around his troubles. WOWOWOW. Upton hits a three run shot over the monster, I guess the wind couldn't grab that one. "My guess is he'll settle down nicely." I guess I don't know what I'm talking about. Pena is up now, Im sure he'd love to go back to back, but Lester, even when pitching poorly is so so tough on Lefties. I was right about this one Pena strikes out. I never saw this coming folks. Longoria makes it 5-0 with another bomb over the monster. I've got to assume this is momentum still from Saturday night, or Sunday morning for that matter. Crawford strikes out. Atleast Lester is consistent. Home run, K, home run, K. The inning finally ends with a flyout to center. Surely the sox will leave in Lester. His bad stuff is still better than any long relief the bullpen can offer.
Ellsbury is leading off the the inning. He needs to get a hit to get the sox back in the game. Flies out to right field. He really has no power. Pedroia rips another one off the monster, crawford play it perfectly and holds him to a single. Papi up again with a runner on. I don't think he has ever been less intimidating than he is now. Works a 3-2 count and weakly pops up to short right field. No doubt in my mind he finally got off the roids and lost all his bat speed and power. Youkili strikes out and pouts. I absolutely love it. Sox are getting frustrated early. I wouldn't count them out, it's still very early. And they are the defending World Champons after all.
A slow, high fastball from Lester leads to a leadoff single by Dioner navarro. I'm not going to lie, I'm sitting here watching the game, and I have a huge smile on my face so far. I honestly shouldn't get my hopes up though. I'll only be disappointed 2 hours from now. Lester looks a little better and gets out of the inning pretty easily after the leadoff single.
Garza strikes out Drew on a stright fastball after being behind the count 3-1. He is very sharp today. Weak groundout by Bay on a very nasty curveball from Garza. This is quite enjoyable for the non Red Sox fan right now. Kotsay gets another hit, pushing for a two out rally, though its unlikely with Varitek backing him up. Pops it up, ends any hope at a rally.
Upton gets a leadoff infield single. Pena bunts to beat the shift but Upton over runs second base and gets thrown out by Youkilis on a heads up play. Terrible base running by Upton, hopefully it doesn't cost them later in the game. The Red Sox always seem to get handed little mistakes by their opponents that always seem to make a big difference in the game. Pena steals second followed by a Longoria strikeout. Weak fly ball by Crawford ends the Rays chance to tack on another run. Lester has two straight scoreless innings. Looks a lot better than the first few innings.
Ellsbury is zero for his last twenty. He looks very weak at the plate, absolutely no power. I think they might have to sit him in game 4 and start coco in center and JD in right. He's just not contributing anything to the lineup right now. He has to get on base to make something happen with his feet. Pedroia gets on again, with the first walk by Garza. Two outs with Papi up. Another popup by Big Papi ends the inning. He just doesn't have it anymore. I don't know if they can win without Papi's bat. Five scoreless by Garza. What a clutch performance at Fenway park for a young pitcher. I bet the twins want him back now.
Lester is back out for the 6th, up to 90 pitches now. I was right about him settling down after all. It just happened much too late, 5 runs too late that is. I guess Francona doesn't want to wear out his arm anymore; takes him out with 1 on and two out in the 6th. Sox fans give him a round of applause even with the shitty performance. Clearly they aren't selling any booze at the park today.Paul Byrd takes his place. Byrd gets a soft lineout, ending the top of the 6th. The sox are hoping he can atleast keep them within striking distance.
Garza is very confident in his fastball tonight. So many young pitchers rely on their fastball and when they get off to a good start, they just become even better with confidence. Garza walks Bay with 2 outs, not a bad walk as he has been their best hitter in the playoffs. Garza's over 100 pitches, seems to have lost the strikezone a little. Kotsay works a 3-2 count. Varitek is up next, this may be Garzas last batter no matter what. Kotsay flies out, Garza finishes 6 scoreless innnings. What a performance under pressure and on the road.
I had to miss the rest of the game due to prior obligations. However, as I come back to my computer to see a final score of 9-1 in favor of the Rays I cannot be any happier. I have to go back to something I mentioned earlier about the crowd. Because the game started in the late afternoon during the week, the Fenway crowd was not nearly as rowdy as usual. The Rays jumped on this gift early and completely took the fans out of it for the rest of the game. They're young and very talented and they play and win on emotion. From a spectator's point of view, it's a lot of fun to watch a team enjoy themselves as much as the Rays do.
Well, it's on to game 4 and the Sox need a win to tie it up, and a good performance from Wakefield who hasn't made a start in 2 weeks. It should be interesting, likely high scoring, as I foresee the Sox bats coming alive and the Rays staying hot.
It's game 3 at fenway, with the series tied at 1. Lester vs. garza means a battle of hard throwing youngsters. Unfortunately for me, and the rest of sensible basbeall fans, Lester is pitching for the Red Sox and he is possibly the best pitcher in baseball right now. How the Red Sox keep pulling this off is unbelievable. It is fun to watch though, as much as I hate them.
The afternoon game is probably an advantage for the Rays. During player introductions the crowd seemed unusually quite. Either many were still at work, or they don't serve booze in Boston during the afternoon. Anyway, it was hard to hear a single boo for any of the Rays players and only a few cheers were noticeable when the Sox were introduced.
It looks to be a pretty chilly day is Boston and the wind is blowing slightly in, protecting the pitchers from the wrath of the green monster. If this game is anything like game 2, the fans are in for another great four and a half hours of baseball.
The first inning is pretty simple for both pitchers. Lester gets three outs on 5 pitches, not good for the Rays, getting into the sox bullpen has gotta be their hope. Take lots of pitches, hope for the best, that seems like all you can do with Lester these days.
Garza gives up a one out double off the wall to mister hustle himself, Pedroia. The guy has got it. I don't know what IT is or even how he pulls it off, but he does. Garza strikes out Papi and gets youkilis to ground out to shortstop, two big outs, stranding Pedroia in the first.
A walk, a single, and a wild pitch off Lester in the top of the second give the Rays a big one run lead. lester looks very solid though, I wouldn't expect much more off of him. Garza needs to roll through a few innings so the Rays can get and keep the momentum.
Jason bay gets another playoff hit with one out in the second. Who needs Manny right? Kotsay follows it up with a double, how the Red Sox pull this shit off? Mark Kotsay getting hits in the playoffs for the Red Sox, it's just absurd. Varitek is up with 1 out and runners on second and third. Boy has he had a rough offensive year. The announcer mentioned it briefly, but its got to be hard for the Red Sox to concede his bat for his defense and control behind the plate. Though, you do often hear that he is the heart of the team, and see it with the big C on his uniform. It's not C for catcher, by the way, it's C for Captain. There's Varitek for ya. Striking out in a big situation. Great heater from garza on the inside corner though. Varitek stared at it. You have to put the ball in play in that situation. Varitek just hasn't done the job this year. He probably would fit in perfect with the yankees lineup. Wow, some big ptiches by Garza and he gets out of the trouble with a Cora flyout to center. It's not often you see the Red Sox miss on those opportunities in the playoffs. Hopefully it will come back to bite them in the ass.
After 2 full innings, The Rays lead 1-0.
Ninth hitter Bartlett with a leadoff single. Lester hung a little slider, doesn't look quite a sharp as he has so far in the postseason. My guess is he'll settle down nicely. Iwamura follows it up with a double off the monster, putting Lester in a huge hole heading into the heart of the Rays lineup. Silence grasps the fenway crowd. Lester is lookng very very shaky. It'll be intersting to see him work around his troubles. WOWOWOW. Upton hits a three run shot over the monster, I guess the wind couldn't grab that one. "My guess is he'll settle down nicely." I guess I don't know what I'm talking about. Pena is up now, Im sure he'd love to go back to back, but Lester, even when pitching poorly is so so tough on Lefties. I was right about this one Pena strikes out. I never saw this coming folks. Longoria makes it 5-0 with another bomb over the monster. I've got to assume this is momentum still from Saturday night, or Sunday morning for that matter. Crawford strikes out. Atleast Lester is consistent. Home run, K, home run, K. The inning finally ends with a flyout to center. Surely the sox will leave in Lester. His bad stuff is still better than any long relief the bullpen can offer.
Ellsbury is leading off the the inning. He needs to get a hit to get the sox back in the game. Flies out to right field. He really has no power. Pedroia rips another one off the monster, crawford play it perfectly and holds him to a single. Papi up again with a runner on. I don't think he has ever been less intimidating than he is now. Works a 3-2 count and weakly pops up to short right field. No doubt in my mind he finally got off the roids and lost all his bat speed and power. Youkili strikes out and pouts. I absolutely love it. Sox are getting frustrated early. I wouldn't count them out, it's still very early. And they are the defending World Champons after all.
A slow, high fastball from Lester leads to a leadoff single by Dioner navarro. I'm not going to lie, I'm sitting here watching the game, and I have a huge smile on my face so far. I honestly shouldn't get my hopes up though. I'll only be disappointed 2 hours from now. Lester looks a little better and gets out of the inning pretty easily after the leadoff single.
Garza strikes out Drew on a stright fastball after being behind the count 3-1. He is very sharp today. Weak groundout by Bay on a very nasty curveball from Garza. This is quite enjoyable for the non Red Sox fan right now. Kotsay gets another hit, pushing for a two out rally, though its unlikely with Varitek backing him up. Pops it up, ends any hope at a rally.
Upton gets a leadoff infield single. Pena bunts to beat the shift but Upton over runs second base and gets thrown out by Youkilis on a heads up play. Terrible base running by Upton, hopefully it doesn't cost them later in the game. The Red Sox always seem to get handed little mistakes by their opponents that always seem to make a big difference in the game. Pena steals second followed by a Longoria strikeout. Weak fly ball by Crawford ends the Rays chance to tack on another run. Lester has two straight scoreless innings. Looks a lot better than the first few innings.
Ellsbury is zero for his last twenty. He looks very weak at the plate, absolutely no power. I think they might have to sit him in game 4 and start coco in center and JD in right. He's just not contributing anything to the lineup right now. He has to get on base to make something happen with his feet. Pedroia gets on again, with the first walk by Garza. Two outs with Papi up. Another popup by Big Papi ends the inning. He just doesn't have it anymore. I don't know if they can win without Papi's bat. Five scoreless by Garza. What a clutch performance at Fenway park for a young pitcher. I bet the twins want him back now.
Lester is back out for the 6th, up to 90 pitches now. I was right about him settling down after all. It just happened much too late, 5 runs too late that is. I guess Francona doesn't want to wear out his arm anymore; takes him out with 1 on and two out in the 6th. Sox fans give him a round of applause even with the shitty performance. Clearly they aren't selling any booze at the park today.Paul Byrd takes his place. Byrd gets a soft lineout, ending the top of the 6th. The sox are hoping he can atleast keep them within striking distance.
Garza is very confident in his fastball tonight. So many young pitchers rely on their fastball and when they get off to a good start, they just become even better with confidence. Garza walks Bay with 2 outs, not a bad walk as he has been their best hitter in the playoffs. Garza's over 100 pitches, seems to have lost the strikezone a little. Kotsay works a 3-2 count. Varitek is up next, this may be Garzas last batter no matter what. Kotsay flies out, Garza finishes 6 scoreless innnings. What a performance under pressure and on the road.
I had to miss the rest of the game due to prior obligations. However, as I come back to my computer to see a final score of 9-1 in favor of the Rays I cannot be any happier. I have to go back to something I mentioned earlier about the crowd. Because the game started in the late afternoon during the week, the Fenway crowd was not nearly as rowdy as usual. The Rays jumped on this gift early and completely took the fans out of it for the rest of the game. They're young and very talented and they play and win on emotion. From a spectator's point of view, it's a lot of fun to watch a team enjoy themselves as much as the Rays do.
Well, it's on to game 4 and the Sox need a win to tie it up, and a good performance from Wakefield who hasn't made a start in 2 weeks. It should be interesting, likely high scoring, as I foresee the Sox bats coming alive and the Rays staying hot.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
College Students and the Economic Crisis
Taking notes in class, studying for midterms, getting to work on time; these are things usually on the minds of college students. These days, they have much more to worry about.
With an economic crisis plaguing our country, one greater than any college student has witnessed in their lifetime, it’s hard not to be transfixed day after day with each story and each lost dollar.
The United States government has made a difficult but necessary decision to prevent the economy from being completely destroyed. With the newly signed $700 billion bailout bill, the United States treasury will soon be buying mortgage backed securities, taking debt off the hands of banks, hedge funds, and pension funds. The crisis is quite simple. The banks and mortgage companies facing bad debt are receiving bad debt ratings which have quickly lead to a decline in their stock price, and possible bankruptcy. The Economic crisis has turned into an economic panic, which has lead to the current market failures. The bailout bill hopes to limit the panic by paying off the debt and allowing the banks and mortgage companies to merge.
The crisis is reaching all different age groups. The middle-age workers have gotten it the worst. With the loss in jobs and loss in property value, home owners are paying mortgages that are higher than their equity, meaning they are no longer paying for an asset.
The media has focused primarily on that group controlling the job market. Their sons and daughters, college students, will be greatly affected by the crisis as well. The concerns facing college students are quite evident. Finding a job will be very difficult. Not only has the size of the job market decreased, but they will now have to compete with older, more experienced professionals who have recently lost their jobs and are back in the job search themselves. Some have expressed concerns about increased interest rates on loans and the difficulty they will now face getting a loan for a home or to continue their education in the future. Banks, weary after this crisis of making another mistake, are fearful of approving an unqualified person for a loan.
Nonetheless, the clear concern among students is the job market. “It makes me nervous,” Kristine Sackerlotzky, a freshman at American University said. “I’m worried that when I get out of school I’m not going to have a job”(news.medill.northwestern.edu). Some college seniors, already with job offers, are concerned themselves, believing that some companies will have no choice but to retract the offers already made. It is a very scary time in the lives of most college students.
Others, though the minority, are almost completely oblivious to the economic crisis, or at least oblivious to the negative effect it will play in the future of their financial well-being. College students often get wrapped up in their own lives and forget about the outside world. The partying, the studying, class, it keeps them isolated from the news. “All I know is that there is some bill saving the economy,” a Maryland junior math major, who wished to remain unnamed, said. “I’m not really worried about it. Most of my friends agree that our schoolwork is more important than anything else in the world right now.” It takes time and dedication to understand the economic crisis, and some college students just don’t have it. For those that do, distractions from studying come much easier these days. Flip on your television to MSNBC, and you can be stuck there for hours, worrying about your very own financial future.
With an economic crisis plaguing our country, one greater than any college student has witnessed in their lifetime, it’s hard not to be transfixed day after day with each story and each lost dollar.
The United States government has made a difficult but necessary decision to prevent the economy from being completely destroyed. With the newly signed $700 billion bailout bill, the United States treasury will soon be buying mortgage backed securities, taking debt off the hands of banks, hedge funds, and pension funds. The crisis is quite simple. The banks and mortgage companies facing bad debt are receiving bad debt ratings which have quickly lead to a decline in their stock price, and possible bankruptcy. The Economic crisis has turned into an economic panic, which has lead to the current market failures. The bailout bill hopes to limit the panic by paying off the debt and allowing the banks and mortgage companies to merge.
The crisis is reaching all different age groups. The middle-age workers have gotten it the worst. With the loss in jobs and loss in property value, home owners are paying mortgages that are higher than their equity, meaning they are no longer paying for an asset.
The media has focused primarily on that group controlling the job market. Their sons and daughters, college students, will be greatly affected by the crisis as well. The concerns facing college students are quite evident. Finding a job will be very difficult. Not only has the size of the job market decreased, but they will now have to compete with older, more experienced professionals who have recently lost their jobs and are back in the job search themselves. Some have expressed concerns about increased interest rates on loans and the difficulty they will now face getting a loan for a home or to continue their education in the future. Banks, weary after this crisis of making another mistake, are fearful of approving an unqualified person for a loan.
Nonetheless, the clear concern among students is the job market. “It makes me nervous,” Kristine Sackerlotzky, a freshman at American University said. “I’m worried that when I get out of school I’m not going to have a job”(news.medill.northwestern.edu). Some college seniors, already with job offers, are concerned themselves, believing that some companies will have no choice but to retract the offers already made. It is a very scary time in the lives of most college students.
Others, though the minority, are almost completely oblivious to the economic crisis, or at least oblivious to the negative effect it will play in the future of their financial well-being. College students often get wrapped up in their own lives and forget about the outside world. The partying, the studying, class, it keeps them isolated from the news. “All I know is that there is some bill saving the economy,” a Maryland junior math major, who wished to remain unnamed, said. “I’m not really worried about it. Most of my friends agree that our schoolwork is more important than anything else in the world right now.” It takes time and dedication to understand the economic crisis, and some college students just don’t have it. For those that do, distractions from studying come much easier these days. Flip on your television to MSNBC, and you can be stuck there for hours, worrying about your very own financial future.
What it takes to win.
What does it take to win? Not many athletes have consistently won in their careers. Almost none, in fact. The only ones that immediately come to mind are Tiger Woods, Yogi Berra, and Bill Russell. Tiger, some guess, isn't human. He can control every move, every mistake, and every victory, he does not have to worry about teammates in an individual sport. The only pressure he faces comes from himself and no one else. Yogi and Bill were the best of the best, but they had to be surrounded by great players or they would never have been the champions they became. I hate the argument that you can't be the greatest if you haven't won a championship. There is way too much luck in sports to always control your destiny. You can only control so much.
The smartest and most mentally tough TEAMS will almost always win. They can create their own luck and can limit the luck of their opponents. I would include physical toughness, however, 90% of being physically tough is being mentally tough; convincing yourself to keep running, knowing what position to best put yourself to get a rebound even if your smaller or weaker, concentrating on the play even when your too tired to think. Everything in sports is mental. Everything in life is mental. If you can think your way around a field, a court, a rink, a diamond, a classroom, a courtroom, a hospital, and do it quickly, then you can succeed. Of course, in sports, you do need some god given athletic ability to play at the highest levels and some of us, no matter how hard we workout or pray before we go to bed, it will never happen.
For those out there that are athletes, there are ways to best put yourself in a position to win. I hate the Red Sox and the Celtics, but there is absolutely no denying that those two teams are full of winners.
Chemistry in basketball is one of the main ingredients to success. The celtics had it the Lakers didn't, atleast not in the finals. Also important, as I said earlier is mental toughness. The celtics had numerous players on their team ready and willing to take big shots and make big shots. The Lakers had only Kobe and it cost them the NBA championship. The celtics had fire, intensity, and no fear. The lakers were scared, inexperienced, and lazy. The Celtics wanted to win, they needed to win. The Lakers thought winning would be a fun experience. The celtics had trust in each other, granted they had three career all stars to trust, but they were still able to share. The Lakers only trusted Kobe, even though Kobe tried to trust his teammates. The Celtics have a ring. The Lakers have a memory.
Much is the same for the Red Sox. They seem to win no matter what the obstacle, even if a little luck is thrown their way (a busted suicide squeeze, a bloop double and seeing eye single in the 9th). They know how to take advantage of mistakes and lucky situations when they come their way. Throughout a season and throughout a playoff series the luck will equalize among the teams. It's the team that takes advantage of the good fortune that always seems to finish on top. This is only one aspect that leads to the Red Sox success. They have the ability to turn average talent into great players (see: Youkilis, Pedroia). Chemistry in baseball is something I will always say does not exist. The best baseball players should be able to succeed no matter what. He should be able to block out all the outside distractions and do his job. Baseball, in this sense, is mostly an individual sport. But, like the Celtics, there is a aura in the Red Sox locker room. They believe in each other. They might not like each other, but they trust each other, they respect each other, they believe in each other, and they all have that undefinable and unquestionable will to win. When a player comes to the Red Sox, it seems lately, he all of a sudden knows how to make big pitches, get big hits, and win big games. In the Red Sox dugout, in the locker room, winning is a way of life. It isn't all that matters, but is definitely what matters most. They'll find a way to win the World Series. They have only one big game starter and only one sure hand in the bullpen, but they'll win. They won't let each other lose. And i can't stand it; probably because I haven't won in a long time.
The smartest and most mentally tough TEAMS will almost always win. They can create their own luck and can limit the luck of their opponents. I would include physical toughness, however, 90% of being physically tough is being mentally tough; convincing yourself to keep running, knowing what position to best put yourself to get a rebound even if your smaller or weaker, concentrating on the play even when your too tired to think. Everything in sports is mental. Everything in life is mental. If you can think your way around a field, a court, a rink, a diamond, a classroom, a courtroom, a hospital, and do it quickly, then you can succeed. Of course, in sports, you do need some god given athletic ability to play at the highest levels and some of us, no matter how hard we workout or pray before we go to bed, it will never happen.
For those out there that are athletes, there are ways to best put yourself in a position to win. I hate the Red Sox and the Celtics, but there is absolutely no denying that those two teams are full of winners.
Chemistry in basketball is one of the main ingredients to success. The celtics had it the Lakers didn't, atleast not in the finals. Also important, as I said earlier is mental toughness. The celtics had numerous players on their team ready and willing to take big shots and make big shots. The Lakers had only Kobe and it cost them the NBA championship. The celtics had fire, intensity, and no fear. The lakers were scared, inexperienced, and lazy. The Celtics wanted to win, they needed to win. The Lakers thought winning would be a fun experience. The celtics had trust in each other, granted they had three career all stars to trust, but they were still able to share. The Lakers only trusted Kobe, even though Kobe tried to trust his teammates. The Celtics have a ring. The Lakers have a memory.
Much is the same for the Red Sox. They seem to win no matter what the obstacle, even if a little luck is thrown their way (a busted suicide squeeze, a bloop double and seeing eye single in the 9th). They know how to take advantage of mistakes and lucky situations when they come their way. Throughout a season and throughout a playoff series the luck will equalize among the teams. It's the team that takes advantage of the good fortune that always seems to finish on top. This is only one aspect that leads to the Red Sox success. They have the ability to turn average talent into great players (see: Youkilis, Pedroia). Chemistry in baseball is something I will always say does not exist. The best baseball players should be able to succeed no matter what. He should be able to block out all the outside distractions and do his job. Baseball, in this sense, is mostly an individual sport. But, like the Celtics, there is a aura in the Red Sox locker room. They believe in each other. They might not like each other, but they trust each other, they respect each other, they believe in each other, and they all have that undefinable and unquestionable will to win. When a player comes to the Red Sox, it seems lately, he all of a sudden knows how to make big pitches, get big hits, and win big games. In the Red Sox dugout, in the locker room, winning is a way of life. It isn't all that matters, but is definitely what matters most. They'll find a way to win the World Series. They have only one big game starter and only one sure hand in the bullpen, but they'll win. They won't let each other lose. And i can't stand it; probably because I haven't won in a long time.
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