Win It For ...

Who should the Red Sox win the World Series for?

Everyone has their own ideas. This is something that has been floating around a number of sites since the Sox started coming close to winning the World Series. I first saw it on the boards I belong to at the Remy Report. Check out the thread.

It was started after one of the RemDawgs saw a much longer thread on the Sons of Sam Horn message boards. Check out the thread.

And the Sports Guy's column continues the idea. Win It For Everyone.

As I said in the Remy Report boards, here's who I want the Sox to win it for:

* Win it for my grandfather, born in November of 1918 and passed away in June of 2002. Win it for my grandmother, so she can tell my grandfather all about it when she meets him in heaven.

* Win it for Tim Wakefield. Curt has been super-human, but I can't think of a current Sox player who deserves it more than Tim Wakefield.

* Win it for all those who hit hard times and can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Win it to show them you should never give up, you should never stop believing.

Random Sox-Related Pictures

My nephew Gabriel has the Sox hand guns move down pat.

Turns out Jesus really was on our side! (This photo taken from Sacred Heart Church in Quincy, Mass.)

Total eclipse of the Sox curse! (Not that I believe in curses or anything)

Wally was ready for the playoffs!

Now that's devotion! This is a priest at my Aunt Ellen's parish in Billerica, Mass.

Just for Kicks

Random fun/funny stuff:

* Priceless!: This site is truly "priceless!"

* Front Pages: Relive the magic with shots of newspapers from around the country spreading the word about the RED SOX WINNING THE WORLD SERIES!

* Oh. My. God. Mahow Mahow. This one just in from Jamie. It's in his blog but deserves its own space here as well. You will see why. And probably have very bizarre dreams tonight. If you weren't worried about Pedro before, you will be now.

* Daily Show on Boston: Weymouth native Rob Cordrry of the Daily Show gives outsiders a taste of Boston. This one's for you, Wilkie (MAUREEEEEEN!)

* Manny's Catch in Skankee Stadium: Manny's regular season catch that defied the odds, especially the Manny odds. One of the most classic reactions from Miguel "I'm a pro athlete but am out of breath from jogging around the bases" Cairo.

* Nike Commerical: This brought tears to my eyes. Seriously. Watch it. You'll see.

* Jay Makes the Papers!: My most randomly met friend :) makes the papers at Chad's alma mater.

* What Will Ben Do? Granted, this is from the ALCS, but I think it could be applied to the WS, too. Sportspickle
Thanks for this one, Nick! All I can say is, he better not take Matt Damon with him!

* ShowMeYourBlog: Not exclusively Red Sox-related, but something to watch through the WS. Anything with a picture of Johnny Damon with a Bud can't be bad, right?

* Mr. Irrelevant: Another one that's not exclusively Sox related but good stuff: Mr. Irrelevant's AOL Sports Blog.

They Said What?!

Question: How does this team rank among all the teams you've played for?
Curt Schilling's Answer: "So vastly different that there is no comparison."
(Check out everything Curt had to say in an e-mail Q&A the week of the World Series.)

According to Tim McCarver:
* Pedro Martinez is wily as a wolverine
* a walk is as good as a home run
* Tim Wakefield is 40 years old ... and his name is actually Bill Winfield
* Brandon Arroyo was set to face Pedro Martinez

Classic McCarver Exchange:
* Game Seven: Sideline reporter tells us how the last pro team to come back from 0-3 to win in Game 7 was the New York Islanders in 1975, with the game-winner scored by Eddie Westfall, who just so happened to be a former Bruin. Not 10 seconds later, McCarver tells us, And Eddie Westfall played not only for the New York Islanders but also for the Boston Bruins. NO WAY, TIM!

From the Sports Guy (Liam, you're right, this really sums it up!): "You have to be from here to understand. You just do. It wasn't just that the Yankees always win. It was everything else that came with it -- the petty barbs, the condescending remarks, the general sense of superiority from a fan base that derives a disproportionate amount of self-esteem from the success of their baseball team. I didn't care that they kept winning as much as they were a-holes about it. Not all of them. Most of them. In 96 hours, everything was erased. Everything. It was like pressing the re-start button on a video game."

All-Time Classic Quote from Chad:
Game Seven, as the Yankees are starting to mount a comeback, Jeter is fired up on first base, yelling to try to wake his teammates up. McCarver says, "I've never before seen that look on Derek Jeter's face." Chad yells, "That's because you're too busy sucking his dick!"

Manny's Where?!
From friend on airplane in Boston headed to NY at 2:30pm on Wednesday, hours before Game 6: "So I am on my way to ny for the game (not the reason for my email) andguess who is on the plane??? F'n manny. Apparently somebody does not needto be with his team on the team plane or bus when they are on the verge ofelimination. Oh, and by the way we are taking off an hour and 20 min late.That gets us to ny at 5pm and manny to the bronx at 6 at best. bad omen..."

Other Quotes - From the Team:
* "Kiss my ass, we're World Series Champions!" -- Kevin Millar to WEEI guys who have no life
* "I don't believe in curse. I think you make your own destination." -- Manny Ramirez
* "If we use our brains, we're only hurting the team." -- Johnny Damon
* "The reason we are here is to win, not to dream about winning." -- Terry Francona, Red Sox Manager

Other Quotes - From the Fans:
* "About an hour and a half after the game [Four of the World Series], everyone is still there, hanging out and cheering for the players. It starts to rain at midnight, and I'm standing next to this dad who's with his 4 year old son. The guy says to the kid, "Do you see that falling? What is that?" The kid looked up and said "Rain." The dad said, "Nope. It's the tears of dead Yankees." -- from Chiller
* "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't rooting for them after my rage over the ALCS died down. Rooting for history, yes, but also in some ways rooting for the Sox. See what you reduced me to. Anyway, congratulations!" -- Tom Madigan, loyal Skankees fan, after the RED SOX WON THE WORLD SERIES
* "It's the happiest day of my life,'' the 29-year-old Quincy resident shouted. ‘‘They can lose another 86 years, as long as I got to see it in my lifetime.' -- my cousin John, quoted in the Patriot Ledger
* "i'm still having trouble discussing this rationally... but,congratulations to the idiots, the cowboys and the terminally cursed.here's to ted williams (and his head), johnny pesky, bobby doerr, DOM dimaggio and yaz. salud to jimmy rice, dewey, richie gedman, spike owen, eddie romero, tony armas, freddie lynn, the ORIGINAL pudge and the Babe. because i know you're smiling right now.clemens and boggs, you can both suck it, because you'll never know what it feels like to win on a team. it makes me happy to remember that, according to dante, mercenaries have a special spot reserved for them in hell. i hope those rings you got from the Empire still fit when your hand's on fire.and nomah, i hope you can see what this feels like some day. i really do.i hope billy buckner can sleep now. i know i can.the world looks different now thanks to papi, millAH, schill, d-low, bellhorn, me-you-ler, unfrozen caveman damon, pedro, tek, mientkdkwlblvich, pokey, gabe, manny (2 hits, and i don't mean with a bat), bronson "brandon" arroyo, gabe kapeler (welcome back!), foulke, timlin, embree, wakefield, serial killer michael meyers, john henry and theo, the boy wonder GM.for all you guys who might not be part of the Nation, or any of you who have scratched your head at this message, "if you have to ask, you'll never know..."it started out with "ding dong the wicked witch is dead," now it's "we must keeps our precious." REPEAT IN 2005?! -- e-mail from Nick after Game 4 of the WS
* "Wow. The Sox are American League champs, haven't been able to say that in a while. How great would be it be to call them 2004 World Series champions? Four more wins and we'll be able to do that. Four more wins and we'll have seen them win it all in our lifetimes. And we won't have to wait until we're old and gray (OK, some of us are a little gray already, including yours truly)! So when they do win it all this year, let's meet up at the parade. You know I'll be there, I hope you all will, too :) We'll have some beers and celebrate the greatest sports achievement in Boston sports history in pretty much forever." -- e-mail from Liam after Game 7 of the ALCS
* Story: Warped Satellites Prove Einstein Theory -Scientists: Einstein was right -- again. Satellites that have been pulled slightly off their orbits show that the Earth is indeed twisting the fabric of space-time as it rotates, scientists said on Thursday. Andrew's response: "Twist space and time - that's one way to get the Sox to the world series"
* "My brother, a Yankee fan, asked me how Red Sox fans would handle a World Series victory. Here is my responseto him: We will clutch a World Series victory like the survivors of the whaling vessel Essexclutched the human bones of their shipmates when a rescue ship pulled up next to their lifeboat.They were at sea for many months, and their only sustenance was the marrow of their shipmate'sbones. The shipmates died of starvation in the lifeboats. They were delirious, and they thoughtthe rescue boat was going to take their little pile of bones. As they were pulled onto the shipthey would not let go of the bones. These are Red Sox fans, who will clutch a World Seriesvictory to their chests and not let go for, perhaps, another 86 years. We do not expect instantgratification. A victory will age in the wine cellar for many years, and as we reminisce, itwill grow into something even better. We will occasionally turn the bottle over, and astimeplays tricks, it will become more remarkable and legends will be born about 2004." -- Jonathan Hall
* "just when i think i'm out, they pull me back in!!!!no question, no kidding, i CANNOT handle another extra inning marathon.i'm on my second liver, my hair's falling out, whatever hair's left isgray, and all i've ingested is coffee and beer in the past threenights. and it's all been intravenous - i'm mainlining with an IV tube.if i had heroin i'd be an insta-junkie. all because of the sox.oh, by the way: GO SOX." -- e-mail from Nick after Game 5 of the ALCS
* E-mail from Rachel: "My friend Mary wore a Yankees hats to Stadium in Southie on Saturday night. I thought I was going to have to get in knife fight before the evening was out." My response: "You should have been getting in a knife fight -- with Mary!"

Other Quotes - Rob Corddry from the Daily Show:
* After the WS Win:
Rob Corddry: "And on a more serious note, people always said there would be peace in the Middle East before the Sox win a World Series. And i just have to say, 'They were wrong!' Yeah, this place is a disaster! Man and it's only getting worse! In your face, Middle East! (Bringing his palm in front of his face.) Let's go, Red Sox! (Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap.) Whooooo!"

* After Game 7 of the ALCS:
Jon Stewart: "And I wish you well, um, Rob, the Red Sox (were) down 3-0 against their archrivals, the Yankees. A historic comeback to win the series. I mean, (in a Boston accent) 'Come on , Corddry! What's the mood like up there right now?"
Rob Corddry: "The mood, Jon. I'd say the mood here is hopeful. Cautiously optimistic. People here feel the Sox have the Yankees more or less where they want 'em. But only time will tell, Jon."
Stewart: "They have the Yankees where they want 'em? Rob, it's over. The Red Sox beat the Yankees. ...
Corddry (interrupting): "Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, Jon, Jon, Jon, you're gonna jinx it, man. You're gonna jinx it! Something could still happen. Umm, there could be a forfeit. Or the pennant could go through Buckner's legs, I don't know. Derek Jeter could fly counterclockwise around the Earth really, really fast until it's the night before like Superman did. It's the Yankees, Jon. They're always pulling s--- like that."

Road Trip!

Highlights of last-minute trip from work in Northern Virginia to Boston for a week of the Sox in the World Series:

* Started off by getting stuck in traffic in Leesburg, Virginia, behind a truck with Maryland plates that had "Red Sox in 7" written into the dirt on the back of the truck. It truly is Red Sox Nation.

* Still being physically and mentally spent from the postseason so far, we weren't able to make the roughly eight-hour drive all the way through. We hit our limit in southwestern Connecticut, heavy Yankee country. Eventually found a super-skeevy motel to crash at. Encounters that night and the next morning:

* Stop at about 12:30am at a sketchy Bridgeport gas station, wearing my Sox shirt, to ask where we might find a motel. Give up quickly as attendant behind bullet-proof glass apparently can't hear me, and man next to me has all his Yankees hats lined up in the back seat, looks like he just stepped off the Sopranos set, and is glaring at me.

* At skeevy motel, attendant behind bullet-proof glass (sense a theme in this area) is a Yankee fan and babbles on about the Yankees. Among his observations: "The Yankees handed it to the Sox on a silver platter," and "Ah, well, it's only fair that after 80-something years you get one win." He smiles and sounds friendly, but I sense the arrogant mocking nature of his words. When we leave the next day he calls me "Mrs. Schilling" (I'm wearing a Millar shirt, for the record) and declares that with Wakefield on the mound Saturday we'll either win big or lose big (he's wrong, for the record. We win, but it's not a blowout either way).

* Trip to Dunks Saturday morning before we get back on the road brings many, many cold stares. The New Haven Register guy has a particularly evil eye and follows us with a glare the entire walk from our car inside and back again. Totally unrelated to the Sox, but classic conversation overheard in line at Dunks:
Man getting grumpy about long line.
Woman: "Patience is a virtue."
Man: "I don't have it."
Woman: "Well, you need it if you're going to have kids."
Man: "I told you, in three or four years we'll have kids."
Woman: "But I already have kids."

* As we approach Boston, start seeing Sox signs everywhere, including:

* American Cancer Society building in Natick with huge Go Sox - Thank You sign in windows

* All overhead signs on the Mass. Pike read Go Sox

* Favorite sign: Billboard ad right before our exit in Dorchester: "Wait til next week."

Superstitions

We all have them. Here are some of mine. Feel free to share yours:

* After trying out three different Sox shirts in Games 1-3 of the ALCS, I switched to my Pats shirt (same day the Pats won their 20th in a row). It worked, so I didn't wash it and kept wearing it til we finished off the series with a nice Yankee beating.

* Wally must sit in the same spot every game. Bad people are not allowed to touch him (this means you, Sergio!) Depending on whether we're on a winning or losing streak, Wally may have to be turned upside down onto his head.

* I must sit in the same spot on the couch for every game. Chad must also sit in the same spot on the couch. He's allowed to leave during commercial breaks but must be back in the spot at the next pitch. This one is unspoken. Nothing needs to be said about it.

What Would You Do?

What would you do for a Red Sox World Series Championship?

I would:
* name my firstborn Papi ... and then give the child to Big Papi
* lick Trot Nixon's batting helmet ... and then lick Orlando Cabrera's batting helmet
* wear white-person corn rows for the rest of my life in honor of Bronson Arroyo
* give George Steinbrenner a big kiss ... with tongue!

What would you do? Post your comments.

I'M GOING!!!!!!!!!!

Tyrone Brooks of the Atlanta Braves is a GOD for getting Chad and me tickets to Game Two to see the Second Coming pitch on Sunday night! Our future children will now be named Tyrone Papi I, Tyrone Papi II, Tyrone Papi III, etc. THANK YOU TYRONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Signs We've Gone Over the Edge

Latest: This has to take the cake:

From Craigslist: F*** my wife for red sox tickets
http://boston.craigslist.org/cas/46339611.html

* Friday morning on the main page of Boston.com:

Two in fake beards shought in shooting, robbery
An armored car driver making a routine cash delivery yesterday was confronted by a robber wearing a Johnny Damon-style fake black beard and wielding a rifle.

The police chief said the guard had unloaded some money and was walking into the bank when he was confronted by the thief wearing a fake beard. One law enforcement official described the disguise as a ''Johnny Damon kind of beard," referring to the Boston Red Sox center fielder.

We're now relating all news stories to the Red Sox.
* After mocking Terry Francona for doing it all season, I now find myself unconsciously rocking back and forth when watching games.
* I find myself regularly quoting Nancy Kerrigan ("Why, why, why?!")
* I've run out of profane phrases and am now sputtering ones that don't even make sense. Example: In Game Six, I spontaneously referred to Derek Jeter as a "fat faggot." To make matters worse, I wasn't even aware I'd said anything until Chad repeated it.
* I was teary at the end of Game Five. Five! End of Game Six, delirious. End of Game Seven, comatose.
* I drew blood as I clawed at the skin on my own face and saw red and black spots as Francona brought Pedro into Game Seven
* Too tense to drink alcohol! (With the exception of mid-way through Game Three when I was basically ordered to drink)

I know there are worse out there -- let's hear them!

Required Reading

If you don't read the Sports Guy on ESPN.com, you've probably been living under a rock. He may be on ESPN, but don't mistake him for a journalist. He's a total homer, but he's a Red Sox fan so it's all good. He's a must-read now more than ever.

World Freakin' Series
* Basking in the Nation's Afterglow
* When It Was Finally DONE!
* The Next Win Is For Everyone
* Game Two

Sports Guy Archives

Visualize Yankee Suffering!

A-Fraud shows his true sense of style.

A-Rod School of Baseball

Lovers, together at last!

Thanks Matthew, Liam and Meredith!

And check out these links:

* Being George Steinbrenner

Musical Notes

Suggested listening to get pumped up for Sox games:

"Black Betty" - by Ram Jam. Played when Mike Timlin enters the game

"It's Not Over, Til It's Over" - Lenny Kravitz. This one seems obvious by the title, but you need to listen to the song to truly appreciate how appropriate it is for the Red Sox. If I didn't know he'd written it for Denise Huxtable, I'd have been convinced Lenny is a member of RSN. Lyrics:

"Here we are still together, We are one, So much time wasted, Playing games with love
"So many tears I've cried, So much pain inside, But baby It ain't over 'til it's over
"So many years we've tried, To keep our love alive, But baby it ain't over 'til it's over
"How many times, Did we give up, But we always worked things out
" And all my doubts and fears, Kept me wondering, yeah If I'd always, always be in love

"Livin' on a Prayer" - Bon Jovi. We were certainly living on a prayer in the ALCS, no?

"Praise You" - Fatboy Slim. Some lyrics: "We've come a long, long way together, through the hard times and the good. I've got to celebrate you, baby. I've got to praise you like I should."

"Don’t Stop Believin'" - Journey. Steve Perry and company's version of our motto, Keep the Faith.

"Beautiful Day" - U2. I haven't seen the sun in the D.C. area since Monday, but every day this week has been a truly beautiful day.

"Right Now" - Van Halen. Nuff said.

"Tessie" - Dropkick Murphys. Local band re-does old-time Sox tune. If this doesn't pump you up for the Sox, nothing will. Key line: "Don't blame us if we ever doubt you, You know we couldn't live without you, Red Sox, you are the only, only, ONLY!"

"Sweet Caroline" - Neil Diamond. Played at every Fenway Game. So good, so good, so good!

"Dirty Water" - The Shandells. Boston, you're my home!

Suggested additions welcome...