Fenway Park

I have been to Fenway Park http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/index.jsp.  We were fortunate, when we were children, that we were able to get to Fenway Park once or twice a year.  We enjoyed the trip, which also usually included some other Boston experience: visiting the Sears store, the Boston Science Museum, or who knows.  And, it almost always involved stopping at a Howard Johnson's restaurant http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Johnson's, (which do not seem to have survived so much as the motels have) at least for ice cream, if not for a meal.

Well, Fenway Park celebrates its centennial anniversary on April 20, 2012, the same day the Titanic sank.  So, there will be a celebration: there have been lots of updates and improvements made to Fenway Park recently, very much anticipating the centennial.

Go Fenway!

Lots of Baseball

Well, the blog follower knows that I am a Red Sox and Yankee baseball fan.   Living in West Texas, we do not even get good coverage of Ranger baseball, although may change, given the big TV contract they have entered into with Fox Sports
http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4718:report-texas-rangers-ink-20-year-3-billion-television-deal&catid=57:television&Itemid=122.

The last couple of years, I seem to be getting access to a lot of Red Sox and Yankee games. Traditionally, the national coverage has aired when the Red Sox and Yankees play each other.  Of course, sometimes, but not always, when one of those teams plays the Texas Rangers, I might see a game or two, especially if it is on the weekends. For some reason, the Houston Astros get better coverage.

If either team plays a Chicago team, I might get coverage on WGN.  And TBS or TNT might also cover games.

This year, I seem to be able to tune into a large amount of Red Sox or Yankee baseball. I am delighted. This has been a lot of fun.

How Late is Too Late?

The Angels and Red Sox baseball game was scheduled to be on ESPN television tonight.  I had a meeting I wanted to attend, but turned the game on when I returned home.  Except, I saw "bonus coverage" including part of the Yankee vs. Tigers game.  A couple of times during the telecast, the announcers talked about the Red Sox vs. Angels rain delay, and the game was in the top of the 5th inning.

The game was scheduled to start a little after 7 PM Eastern Daylight Time.  It is now almost 11 PM Eastern Daylight Time, and they are getting ready to resume the game. There are a few fans left in the ball park. 

I understand why they want to restart the game.  It will not take much more to make the game a complete game, even if there is another rain delay afterwards.  Completing the game means that it will not have to be rescheduled, which chore sometimes is very difficult. My question is, how late is too late to restart a baseball game?

Brain Chatter and Calm

There is no TV, no music, no extraneous noise in the house right now.  I can hear the whirr of the ceiling fan, and the windows are open, so an occasional street noise floats in.  Sometimes, the quiet is so blessed, so heaven sent. I was sitting outside, but it was cool, and I decided to move in.  It would be pleasant outside, if I had to be there. I am just a cold woosey.

I am grateful for so many things:  I have good family and friends. I have a job I enjoy. I have a house in which to live, and transportation. I can pick my food choices, for the most part, without worry. I can pay my taxes.

I have plenty of activities which I enjoy: knitting, reading, being involved in NASW http://www.naswtx.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=25, and being on the board of Catholic Family Service, Inc http://www.cfslubbock.org/ .  I am a dues paying member of the Heritage Fiber Guild http://www.heritagefiberguild.org/ and the Llano Estacado Audubon Society http://www.leas.bizland.com/, although my involvement in both are minimal.   I take classes through the Osher Life Long Learning Institute at Texas Tech University http://www.depts.ttu.edu/outreach/   I try to attend the monthly meeting of the Barnes and Noble Mystery Book Club http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/store/2364?subtype=detailList&month=&day=ANY&sat=10.

I enjoy following the sporting events at Texas Tech University http://www.texastech.com/, specifically the Lady Raiders Basketball team, and I follow the football team. I had tried to follow softball, but that did not work for me.  Maybe, with the new coach, I should try again.

I am still and always will be a Red Sox fan http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=bos&tcid=mm_nyy_sitelist and a Yankee fan http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=nyy&tcid=mm_mlb_sitelist.  I rarely watch the NBA games, simply because I am only a Celtics fan http://www.nba.com/celtics/ f and their games are rarely shown in this TV market. I have been a long time NASCAR fan http://www.nascar.com/.  This is an endearing and enduring gift from Lisenby, for which I am so thankful.

I am sure there is more that life could offer. Yet, I am so blessed with everything I have.  Thank you to my family, friends, co-workers and acquaintances for your contribution to my life.

What Good is A Newspaper

I subscribe to the local newspaper.  I usually skim the headlines, read what stories interest me, look for local interesting events, and check sports.  This morning, I checked for TV coverage of the Yankee-Rangers game.  None listed. 

After a windy dusty day, this evening was very pretty, so I sat out a couple of hours.  Well, I came in and was flipping around looking for something to watch on TV.  I found the Yankee - Ranger game in the 6th inning.

What good is the newspaper if the news is not accurate or correct?

The Yankees and Red Sox

The television hype includes advertising the long time and intense rivalry between the the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.  So, when they meet, I am blessed that there is national television coverage of their games.

I am a rare breed:  I am a New York Yankee fan and a Boston Red Sox fan.  When I get to watch their games on TV, I cheer for the Yankees or the Red Sox.  But, what to do when they play together?  I use the tactic I used when the University of Massachusetts came to Lubbock to play the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team:  I just cheer.

And, I hope for long games, with lots of scoring, and extra innings.  It is known that when the Yankees and Red Sox play, the length of their games is longer than average.  For that, I am grateful.  I just like their games.

The First Time

I am watching baseball tonight, and one of the announcers commented that one of the players did something that was a first in major league baseball. The announcer noted that it was unusual and exciting to have a first in major league baseball.  When you think about it, that makes a lot of sense. The first professional teams were organized in 1871, and baseball is a much written about, much analyzed sport. So, when something new happens, after 140 years, it says something. 

The World Series - The Participants in 2010

So, I have inquired about your thoughts regarding the World Series... Is it truly "the World Series" or is that a misnomer? 

Nevertheless, the contest progresses... The participants are the San Francisco Giants vs. the Texas Rangers.  Do you have a team that you favor? Would you be willing to share why? 

The World Series

Do you enjoy baseball?  If so, what are your thoughts about the World Series http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/wsmenu.shtml?  Baseball is a sport that was started in the United States, but has spread throughout the world...

The World Series was conceived between the winner of the American League and the winner of the National League in the United States.  But there are so many other nations where baseball is an important sport, I am not sure that the title "World Series" is an accurate or descriptive title for the championship series in the United States.

Losing in the Land of the Enemy

I am a New York Yankee fan, and had to endure watching them lose the 2010 American League Championship Series to the Texas Rangers.  I must say, my friends and colleagues who follow baseball, and were cheering for the Rangers, have been gracious about the rivalry.  We are able to agree to disagree most amicably.

I really enjoy baseball.  I have been thinking about it this year in a different way:  I have never found myself enrapt in the Texas Rangers.  Quite possibly, because they have not been a very good team until this year, but in the 30 plus years I have lived in Texas, they have had some interesting years:  Certainly when Pudge Rodriguez, Alex Rodriguez, and Nolan Ryan were playing. So, why did I not catch the "spark" of interest for the team?

I can tell you:  I live in West Texas.  In the 30 plus years of living in West Texas, there has never been a year when we reliably and consistently had good TV or radio coverage of the Ranger baseball games.  It is difficult to establish a loyal and interested fan base if there is no access to the team.

Granted, in the last few years, with Satellite and Internet, access has increased. But if the Rangers wanted Texan support, they really needed to be reaching out to Texans, not just to people in Dallas and Fort Worth.  Maybe, with their new deal with Fox, that will happen.  Hmmmm.

Spontaneity

I am not a very spontaneous person.  I tend to be goal oriented, and frame my days with mental, written, and/or typed lists of what I expect to accomplish. 

I go to work with an idea of the minimum or maximum tasks I want to accomplish.

I plan my weeknights and weekends in generally the same way.  I have grown to hate house work, and that is how I motivate myself to do it:  it becomes an item on my list that needs to get checked off... It might be that I notice something needs doing, and it gets assigned a day to do it... I hate housework.

So, my recent trip, while not unplanned, did contain some spontaneous doings:  I had planned to go to Taos, I did not plan to go to the Pueblo.  I went to an arts and crafts fair I did not plan to attend.

And, I took a route that I did not even consider, at one point.  

Today was a beautiful day.  I knew I wanted to get groceries, watch the Texas Tech football game, and watch the Yankee game.   I figured between these activities, I would spend sometime outside, puttering, reading or what have you... Well, it was so beautiful, I decided to go kayaking, although I had mentally thought I was past the last kayaking outing of the fall... It felt good to be spontaneous...

A Change in Perspective

I usually work late.  If I leave work early it is because I have an activity which I want to attend, so I go home, feed the girls, and get gone.

Tonight, I left work early:  the Yankees vs. Twins baseball game was on at 5PM Central Time.  So, I went home, fed kitties, and settled down to watch the game.  I cooked dinner, and did the computering I like to do...

So, now the game is done and the computer clock says 8:11 PM.  This is way too early and feels really unusual... I have a Netflix dvd to watch.  Maybe I will do that, it is about 90 minutes, I think...Then read until bedtime.

Post Season Baseball

I like baseball... I especially like watching or listening to New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox baseball..

If the Yankees or Red Sox are playing, the games usually are very long.. If they are playing each other, the game time may be very extended.

This post season, the Yankees are playing the Minnesota Twins... It will be interesting to see how the Yankees do, and which team advances...

The Seventh Inning Stretch

I am sure I have written about this before, but watching New York Yankee baseball always brings this to mind:  the seventh inning stretch.

As a salute to America, the weekend baseball games of Major League Baseball include a rendition of "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch. Many of the television stations that televise these games show this...

At Yankee Stadium in New York City, "God Bless America" is performed during every seventh inning stretch.

It is good that "America's Pastime" salutes America in such a patriotic, respectful way...

Listening to the Enemy

I am a fan of Yankee and Red Sox baseball, but I live in Texas Ranger territory... Which means, I have limited access to Yankee and Red Sox baseball games on TV or radio, unless those teams are in the play offs in the fall...

However, the Yankees and Red Sox have such a storied rivalry, that sometimes they are on a national telecast when they play each other...  And, since both of them are frequently in the lead in their division, or vying for a play off spot, I might see a national broadcast of one or both.

When the Yankees or the Red Sox are in Chicago, sometimes I have access to the broadcast.  And, if they are engaged in inter-league play with the Atlanta Braves, I might have access to see them...And, there are the other odd telecasts.

But, when they are playing the Rangers, generally some if not all of the games are available, either on the Fox network, or the Rangers network of local stations.  Either way, I get to listen to pro-Rangers announcers while I watch the game.  I am almost comfortable listening to pro-Rangers announcers.  I sometimes think I should broaden my horizons and at least pretend to be interested in the Rangers, so I could have more access to Ranger baseball.  But, even so, we do not get regular TV or radio broadcasts of Rangers games. 

I am used to the world of Red Sox, where most of their games were available on television and ALL of their games were available on the radio....

Not so the Rangers.  So, how can you support a team, if the team does not support your viewership nor listenership?

And, I will give credit to the Rangers announcers.  I am sure they behave this way, with any opposing team, but they are always respectful, and give credit to the Yankees or Red Sox.

Fall Ball vs Foul Ball

Baseball... After September 1, although it is not fall by the calender, it is fall in terms of baseball.  The pennant races are closing down. The teams are trying to get into post season play.  Even if teams are mathematically out of the post season, their performance can influence the standings of the teams who are in contention for post season play.

Players are injured and tired.  Pitchers have worn themselves out. The roster is expanded, but some, if not most of the expansion players are unknown entities.  Maybe not next year, but this year.

Some players tough it out. But if they do, are they playing at maximum strength?

Strategy includes days off, bull pen usage, pinch hitters, understanding base running. 

Baseball is a thinking man's game... It is sometimes chastised for being too slow, especially when my favorites the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox are playing each other.   Some of the reason it is slow is because batters and pitchers play mind games with each other while in the battery...

I will protest any attempt to speed up the game.  Maybe a faster baseball game would improve TV ratings, but it would not improve the game.  And it would not improve radio ratings... I really think Major League Baseball needs to promote radio broadcasts as much as TV broadcasts... Because, sorry, but no matter how good TV announcers are, if you have a GOOD radio announcer, he is unbeatable, and makes the broadcast so ENJOYABLE.

Spectator Sports Heaven

It is the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, and it is a beautiful day...
I was able to go out kayaking and birdwatching this morning, and came home feeling energized:  I cooked lunch, and will be working off and on with the computer, and sitting outside, watching TV sports.  What a schedule:

Baseball: Red Sox vs. Chicago at Fenway at 1230 http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/scoreboard/index.jsp ... Football: Texas Tech http://www.texastech.com/sports/m-footbl/text-m-footbl-body.html vs. SMU at Lubbock at 1430, and NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing at Atlanta at 1830 tonight http://www.nascar.com/.  I can watch sports all day!  I will, but will also do other chores: cook dinner, laundry, read.  Unfortunately, the Red Sox game did not end before the Tech game began, but I can easily flip back and forth between both games.

Because the Yankees are contending for post season play, I believe I will see lots of baseball in the next few weeks. 

I will add, for a Bible Belt community, it might be seen as odd endorsing a non-religious, commercial event. Well, lots of sporting events occur on Sunday, in Lubbock. But for TV rights involving football, Bible Belt Christians can grants LOTS of dispensations.

The Language of Baseball

Often, I think about the language of baseball, and how it is insinuated into our daily language usage:

Get to first base (make a hit with someone,especially dating)

Make a hit (get a favorable response)

Safe at home (score a run or victory)

Score (get a winning response)

Double play (two for one)

Bat it around (think about it)

Strike out (get no where, not to first base)

Two strikes against (starting out behind)

Farm out (send to the farm team for more experience or practice)

Hit a homer (score a run with one swing, get results)

Foul out (hit a foul that is caught/played for an out)

Go to the bullpen (get help)

Be in the bullpen (be available to be ready to help)

Throw strikes (pitch perfectly)

Pitch (toss something out for consideration)

On deck (waiting {to hit})

The World Series of (the final competition for supremacy of)

Error (mistake)

Pinch hit (step in for)

Can you think of more?

The Yankees Rallied!

I guess I am not a very good fan of the Yankees.  Last night, I wrote them off, but continued to watch the game and the WIN!  

Go Yankees!

Baseball

I live in baseball nether land, which means TV does not show Red Sox nor Yankee games very often:  Sometimes, when these teams play each other, but otherwise, only when they play the Texas Rangers.   This week, the Yankees are playing the Rangers, and this weekend, the Red Sox are playing the Rangers. Consequently, I will get some local broadcasts of the these games. 

That does my heart good.  However, last night, the Yankees lost to the Rangers, and it is not a very encouraging game tonight... But, check back, and see how the Yankees do....