The Hole
It is familiar territory, this hole.
It’s like that distant cousin who comes to stay every year for a week at about this time, uninvited, unwelcome and unwanted. Putting his feet on the furniture, eating all your food, and then getting drunk on an old bottle of peach schnapps and barfing all over your rug. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, he “borrows” your car and runs it into a tree… and, of course, he doesn’t have insurance. And even though this guy is family, you hate him. You hate his visits, you dread hearing him ring the doorbell, your stomach curdles because you know what lies ahead. And it sucks.
And yet. It seems that lately, somehow he manages to leave you better off than when he shows up. After his hellish stay, as he’s jamming all his faded Ocean Pacific tshirts into his high school gym bag that serves as his suitcase, you look around and realize that he’s somehow managed to fix the coffee table, restock the pantry, steam clean the carpets and hammer out that tree-sized dent in the car. And on his way out the door, as he gives you that big old bear hug that you only get from family members, you realize: you’re actually going to miss him. Because without him showing up and fucking everything up so royally, you never could appreciate the aftermath and recovery so acutely.
So it’s that time again. The time when we’re standing at the bottom of a very big hole indeed (although there have been deeper holes, to be sure), and peering up at the blue sky above. We’re used to this hole. We’ve been down here before. And even though we’re not able to climb out of that hole every year in time to see the rest of October before it passes by, maybe this year we will. Maybe, despite the setbacks and injuries and cold bats and Rayknob-slobbering press, the men in red can pull it together and dig their way out to keep October alive.
Grab a shovel, and start digging.
I ain’t singin’ yet.
Thanks for the great uplift!! I was down, but hey, we’ve done it before and I KNOW we can do it again!!! GO SOX!
I refuse to not believe we can do this again. Great post, Texy.
Great post, Texy.
It really disappoints me how many Sox fans have just checked out. They’ve been in this spot before and they’ve gotten out of it before. They need our support right now.
Thanks, I needed that!
Database guru comes in my office this morning, looks at my Sox shrine on the wall, points: “What happened to them?”
Dude, it’s not over yet!
I might be a newer fan, but am no fair-weather fan.
Go Sox!
Not for nothing, and maybe it is some special crowd mute feature that TBS has going on so the tv viewing audience don’t miss a syllable of the Rays asskissing that they try to pass off as play by play and color commentary….but….could the fans at least show up for the games? Where’s the 10th player MVP?!?! Get up! Stand up! And by sheer force of collective will….do your parts and help them win!!!! Sheesh.
Dear Baseball Boyfriends:
Please don’t break up with me yet. I promise to be a better girlfriend and we can talk again about doing that thing that, you know, I said, “No Way!” to a couple of weeks ago. I swore I wouldn’t go all chick on you and get possessive and say the L word and shit, but please….don’t leave me this way….
I wish I had a special TBS announcer mute button. I expect to see them in Rays cheerleaders outfits when they are on camera.
Unbelievably unprofessional.
Take the kneepads off, Chip, and do your job.
Perfect.
Re the crowd: last night a guy sitting near us kept getting up and trying to get the crowd going. A guy in the row in front of us complained about him, and security threw the noisy, on-his-feet fan out! The same guy who complained then left in the 7th inning.
And I did my part making noise and cheering the boys on, but there were times during that game when my heart hurt too much to speak.
Amen, sistah! I believe we have them right where we want them….
My husband…who is a Rays fan said this last night:
There’s going to be a celebration, probably at the Trop, and it’s gonna be you guys again, because they just HAD to play Sweet Caroline in April, and then again in July. Our paybacks coming, and it’s gonna be a bitch.
That’s from a Rays fan…. or a damn good hubby trying to subdue is 5 day past due pregger wife. :)
I don’t want to give up. I really don’t. And I hope they don’t either. But if Papi can ground out to the pitcher and shuffle to first still holding the bat and then do his post game 4 interview wearing a t-shirt that boldly reads “Got Manny?” I’m inclined to think that maybe they’re not as hungry as they were in ‘04 and ‘07.
They’ve come back, yes. But they wanted it. I just want them to look like they want it.
Rough day, rough day.
I’m sorry. I know. Sound the Debbie Downer trombone. But so much was made last year of Papi’s masterful motivational speech that brought them out of the hole whereas this year, he was all but shrugging his shoulders in that interview. It kind of threw me.
Do I think these Sox have the stuff to pull off an upset? Absolutely. And I want to see it so badly.
But “Got Manny”? Are you serious?
I refuse to be taken down by the Rays. Refuse! This post makes me feel a lot better, but the boys have to play like they really want the pennant.
P.S. I sent a nasty email to tbs complaining about their biased announcers, because last night was bullshit. And I also added, I quote, “For the love of God tell Buck Martinez how to pronounce these names. It’s his job!”
I don’t think it was a “Got Manny?” shirt, I think it was this shirt:
It can happen, doesn’t mean it will happen, but it can happen. At least make the effort to try, ya know? Luck may not be on the Red Sox’ side at all, as the old saying says ‘The one thing we know about bad luck is that it can change’. So maybe the Red Sox’ luck will change soon? Who knows. I just hope the fans are out in full force and not acting like the stereotypical Dodger Fans because that’d be just pathetic.
I will crawl back into my hole if that’s the case. And breathe easy for another day.
No way! No need to crawl! I saw other news outlets report that today (ESPN, in particular) — but I think that was shoddy reporting. It didn’t look like a Manny on the shirt to me, and I saw someone on SoSH post that image.
I hope you’re right, Texy. What IS mangu anyhow?
We should know by now not to count our boys out till its over. It won’t be easy, but I have faith. My brilliant husband, who apparently needs more to do at work, has come up with a master plan. They are pitching Kazmir tomorrow, which I think ups our chances of taking game 5. “Tito-Ryan” thinks we should go with Lester against Sheilds in 6 (since he is probably thier best starter) and Beckett in 7 (he believes crazy Garza will let hit emotions get to him and we could have a rested Masterson-Oki-Pap in case) Like I said, Ryan’s boss needs to look into what he’s doing all day…..the point is, It ain’t over to Pedroia says so!
(Belated–Gretchen, hope our boys can get a win, and your boy/girl decides it’s about time…)
Texy, very well said. They’re not out yet.
Also, mang
I’ve been despondent all day but now I’m starting to get excited. They could still do it.
pleasepleasepleaseplease
I only have one thing to say tonight: GO PHILLIES!!!!