A Conversation: Beckett, Schilling and Random Angels Fans
Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling weren't around to witness the craziness on Friday night in Fenway-- they'd flown ahead to Anaheim to avoid as much of the travel fatigue as possible. Curt talked a little on Saturday about watching the Manny homerun with Josh in Anaheim, and that got me thinking...
Scene: Hotel in Anaheim. Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling tumble out of a cab and burst through the front doors of the hotel.
Curt: Attention employees: we require the use of a television broadcasting the American League game this evening between the Red Sox and the Angels- obtain it for us immediately!
Josh: Where the fuck is the bar, hoss?
Bewildered concierge points to the hotel bar.
Curt: Move out of my way, young Beckett- I've got seniority.
Josh: points to his "I'm #1" shirt, then points to Curt's "I'm #3" shirt.
Curt: Curses! Foiled again!
(runs after Josh into the bar, which is full of random Angels fans watching the game)
Curt: This is extremely important: what is the score of the game?!?! And bring me a glass of your finest Merlot!!!
Josh: has already slammed five jagerbombs, and is spitting dip juice into the empty shot glasses
(Manny hits the homerun on the TV screen)
Josh: FUCK YEAH! FUCK YEAH! TAKE THAT, BITCHES! (runs around the bar doing devil horns and hollering in the Angels fans' faces)
Curt: Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! (does Manny airplane arms, running around behind Josh)
Curt: All right, young Texan- let us make a friendly wager. I believe I can equal your shutout feat from Wednesday when I take to the mound today, and I am willing to place a bet to that effect in the amount of.... five American dollars.
Josh: Five bucks? Are you shitting me?
Curt: I am deadly serious. Five dollars- that is how serious I am. I do not wager large sums of money like that without careful consideration.
Josh: Dude, let's make the bet for five thousand bucks, and I might consider it. Hell, fuck that noise- I will bet you five thousand bucks, two cases of Bud Light, a fifth of bourbon, a new set of muddin' tires for my truck and two strippers.
Curt: Only if you don't tell Shonda.
(cut to lockerroom celebrations post-game)
Josh: FUCK YEAH! WOOOOOOOO!
Curt: We've led this team to the ALCS, Joshua. You celebrate all you want!
Josh: No, old man- I'm celebrating the fat five grand you owe me. NUMBER ONE! IN YOUR FACE!
Curt: (pours champagne on Josh's head with maniacal grin as he contemplates how he's going to explain the charge for "Cheetah's Strip Club" on his Visa bill)
Manny's A Card-Carrying Member
NDRaPRSFftEMRSoML (Normally Discerning, Rational and Pragmatic Red Sox Fans for the Emotionally Motivated Re-Signing of Mike Lowell)
A prime example could be seen outside the manager's office, where Manny Ramirez was talking to the media. Upon finishing the rare interview session, Ramirez walked away and then doubled back, yelling, "Sign Mike Lowell!"
While it's going to be difficult to ever top that wonderful nonsense, the Red Sox managed to put together another fine champagne and beer drenched party in the visitor's lockerroom down in Anaheim after yesterday's sweep of the Angels. There were no jockstraps or Bud Light hats this time, but there were lots and lots of buckets. The bucket hat is apparently the new Bud Light hat.
I gathered together all kinds of video of the celebrations and lockerroom interviews (courtesy of NESN, TBS, WBZ and MLB) for your enjoyment. Note the repeated updates on the state of undress of Papelbon, and Josh Beckett's concern over all the beer being wasted. And the best part of the video is often what's going on in the background.
Globe staff photo by Jim Davis Doesn't this picture just about sum it all up?
NESN coverage- Part One
- Josh Beckett at the beginning of the video spraying Dougie Fresh (I believe) with champagne, and then shaking with gleeful giggles like a four year old
- Mike Lowell bounding (literally) over to grab champagne
- Jonathan Papelbon very very violently spraying champagne in a questionably suggestive manner
- Curt Schilling comes in after his press conference and gets pounced on by 5 or 6 guys
- Tito Francona interview
- Farrell and Okajima fistbump
- Mike Lowell interview
- Theo Epstein interview, chugging beer in between questions. He also keeps looking over his left shoulder nervously- probably because Papelbon is standing there to his left, so he's either waiting for a champagne ambush or he's ready to step in if Papelbon starts to injure himself with a kegstand
- Julio Lugo interview - which is interrupted at the very end by a Manny drive-by, dumping a bucket full of ice water on him
- quote of the clip: "Good news [...] Jonathan Papelbon is fully clothed, so I think Red Sox Nation is happy to see that."
And a special note: Over The Monster's Randy Booth is a finalist for a scholarship for college bloggers. If you enjoy his work over at OTM like I do, head on over and vote for him- there's no registration required, and the winner is determined purely by the public vote. Let's get Sox Nation behind one of our own.
An Examination of the Playoff Beard
The noble playoff beard- bringer of luck, annoyer of wives, confounder of barbers. Originated by the rough men of the NHL, its reach has spread across all arenas of sport- to the NFL, the NBA and, yes, MLB. The tenants are simple: stop shaving the moment the playoffs begin, and don't shave again until your run in the playoffs are over. But not all playoff beards are created equal- they're like (hairy) snowflakes, every one is different. Let's take a look at some Sox specimens.
The Classic
Full and thick- this type has the distinct possibility of reaching mountain man levels by November.
The Fuzz
Specialty of the younger gentleman, this type sometimes doesn't cover the entire beard region.
The Canadian Special
Since the hockey boys invented it, it's only fitting that a Canadian has a special twist on the concept.
The Topiary
Even those who already have interesting facial hair choices can extend or modify their arrangements to commemorate the playoffs.
The Negative
Addition by subtraction- this type of playoff beard isn't a beard so much as it is shaving away what used to be there.
The Deceptor
Don't be fooled, this isn't really a playoff beard at all- but just someone who hasn't had time to shave.
Dustin Pedroia on Baseball Tonight
Dustin Pedroia was a surprise call-in guest during Baseball Tonight last night, and he talked with the team about the playoffs, his rough patch earlier in the year and what his experience has been like this year with the Red Sox.
video courtesy of ESPN
Blogponents: Cleveland Indians
In which I highlight noteworthy blogs for you to gather reconnaissance on the Red Sox upcoming opponent. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
The DiaTribe: premier Indians blog with insightful analysis and timely news updates
Pronk Needs You: hilarious place to get the scoop on the Tribe... Hafner would be proud
Let's Go Tribe: SBN site that's updated daily with all the latest news & happenings
Tribe Fan In Yankeeland: they may be done with Yankeeland for the year, but this remains a great read
Give Us This Day Our Daily Press Conference
It's that time again: the pre-game press conferences with Josh (and Tito and Tek) were today at Fenway. ESPN is intent on reporting that Josh was "angry" when he spoke, but they clearly have never seen a Josh press conference before. He was just annoyed and bored- you know, his normal self.
Josh talked about C.C., his experiences with Tito Francona as a manager, the 1-0 game he pitched against the Indians in July (watch his reaction to that question- you can tell he goes blank at first, like "What friggin' one-nothin' game are you talkin' about?", and then... "oh. that's a dumb question."), if he ever thinks about what he would do pitching to Papi and Manny, if he agrees with Tito's description of him as an 'emotional' guy (he makes the reporter repeat that question, nice stall tactic Josh), channeling his emotions, the Indians lineup, the benefit of playoff experience, and throwing a postseason shutout.
He's also surprisingly candid about his anxiety on gameday- and admits that he's nervous the whole day on his scheduled starts (I'm surprised he owned up to that)... but that the nervousness fades the moment he throws his first pitch.
Never fear, all the standard Josh-isms are present: the blank stoneface, the faces at stupid questions, the eyerolling, the deadpan responses, and everyone's favorite "executing pitches". But there's something new in this press conference... see if you can spot it.
video courtesy of RedSox.com
Quotes of the day:
On whether the matchup with Sabathis adds motivation:
"Our hitters gotta worry about C.C. Sabathia, not me."
On Tito referring to him as an 'emotional' guy:
"I'm not into self-proclaimed nicknames or anything like that. So, if he says that, I guess I agree with it. He's my manager, he tells me what to think."
On the benefit of playoff experience of the pitching staff:
"I didn't have any [playoff experience] in '03 and I did pretty good."
On whether this Indians team is the same team they faced before:
"Not in October. Everybody's locked in this time of year. Ain't nobody out there just flailing away."
Be careful, Josh- your Texan is showing.
But the best part is when a reporter starts to ask him a question about the Tribe, and he gets as far into the question as, "When you look at that Indians lineup..." when Josh interrupts him with a stone-faced:
"This oughta be good."
And you hear the reporters trying to muffle their laughs, and several of them can't hold it in and let a few guffaws out. And then there is an actual break in Josh's armor, and he grins. GRINS! A tiny grin, to be sure- but still!
This is not a doctored photo.
A Tale Of Three Papelbons
Coming soon, to a bookshelf near you- Papelbon, to the third power!
The brothers Papelbon (Jonathan, and his twin younger brothers Jeremy and Joshua) are the subject of a new children's book, Pitching With The Papelbons- which follows the three Papelbons back when they were all on the same little league team together. The book was written by the VP of Communications for the Lowell Spinners (the Sox single-A ballclub) and his wife, and the official description reads:
"Follow young Jonathan, Joshua and Jeremy Papelbon, three very talented pitchers who learn a great lesson as they embrace success!"
Any guesses as to what that "great lesson" might be? Something involving scrabble? Or maybe how to irish jig? Blueprints to build your own Bud Light helmet?
All kidding aside, this is a fabulous way to get some money to a great cause. A portion of the proceeds from the book go to the C2 Mission, to benefit children and families affected by cerebral palsy and cystic fibrosis... and you get the added bonus of a cute kids book with baby Papelbons on the cover. It's a win-win!
You can pre-order the book HERE- it's just $14.95, and is due to hit the streets after November 5th.
You can see the full slate of opinions here- but these were my thoughts:
1. One of the big things we all have been hearing this week is that the Indians have an advantage because of Fausto Carmona and C.C. Sabathia. Last time I checked, though, the Red Sox beat Sabathia in a nail-biter once already this year and won five out of seven against the Tribe. How does Beckett-Schilling vs. Sabathia-Carmona play out for the two teams?
I don't think there's any doubt that the pitching, and more specifically the starting pitching, will be THE key to this series. And I don't think the regular season games (either the overall record edge to the Sox or the particular results of any one game) are going to have much bearing on this postseason matchup. These are two teams who are zoned in, and firing on all cylinders, and are not necessarily playing the same ball they were in July (or earlier).
Beckett-Sabathia is the sexy matchup, the one getting all the headlines- and those two Cy Young candidates battling it out is definitely going to be worth the billing. With Kielty starting and bringing his 1.030 OPS against lefty CC to the table, his addition to the potent Sox lineup could mean the difference against a tough Tribe batting order (including Travis Hafner who has absolutely killed against Beckett). But the game 2 matchup between veteran Schilling, with his postseason experience and amazing control, against the filthy nasty Carmona (who is even more deadly than C.C., in my opinion) is going to be just as thrilling. If the first matchup is a near dead-heat in stats, the second is more a contest of wills: Schill's mental edge and spotting accuracy versus the youth and that crazy powerful sinker of Carmona.
I know the team has been hard at work getting ready for their marquee matchup against the Tribe tonight, so I wanted to put together a little (virtual) something to help them get through the series. Of course, I'm not just going to create a boring old gift basket with smelly cheese or crappy chocolate or lame bath salts... I'm putting together something very special with our guys in mind.
