[ Margaret ] says:
on February 8, 2008 11:47 AM

I love this man. He is my favorite football player by far, and with a Sox cap... oh my goodness I'm getting all flustered.

Anyone else in the Boston area seen his mattress commercials for Bob's Discount Furniture? The one where he threw himself onto the mattress? HATE those ads--they make me want to claw my eyes out--so for me to enjoy one means something.

"Quality, comfort and price..."

[ christa ] says:
on February 8, 2008 1:54 PM

wes in a sox hat...could it get any better?

and yes, i have seen that commercial. it's super cheesy but the visual of wes welker on a "bob-o-pedic" is too much to handle.

[ Angela ] says:
on February 8, 2008 2:02 PM

ha! i love those commercials. they're so corny. :)

[ Margaret ] says:
on February 8, 2008 2:59 PM

Everyone needs to read this article. Everyone.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view.bg?articleid=1072125

“I’m getting jacked,” Pedroia yells at Mike Karney, staring down the 5-foot-10, 258-pound NFL fullback as he passes by the group of major leaguers. “Pound for pound, I’m the strongest man in this room.”

It gets better:

Pedroia immediately throws his weights to the ground, jumps up, rips off his gray, cutoff T-shirt and runs across the room to a window separating him from the collection of 300-pound offensive linemen. “That’s right!” he yells at his football-playing counterparts, flexing with a purpose that would make Arnold Schwarzenegger proud.

It’s an attitude Pedroia and the athletes around him thrive on. “Mandatory ab check!” he yells over to a group of linebackers before diving back into another round of exercises, lifting up his shirt to show the result of his hard work.

He's such a little punk. I love it. Mandatory ab check!?

[ Meg ] says:
on February 8, 2008 3:11 PM

Oh Wes...thank you so much for getting rid of you Civil War mustache that you had for a little while.

I walked by Fenway today (not on purpose, I swear!), and "the truck" is there, if anyone cares:-D

[ Liza ] says:
on February 8, 2008 4:52 PM

Wow.. being a non-football girl, I did not know of the awesomeness that is Wes Welker. He wears the hat well.

But anyway, have a good time, TG. :)

And Margaret... thank you so much for linking that article! It sounds like they're having a grand old time down there. I can't wait for spring training stories...

[ christa ] says:
on February 8, 2008 8:01 PM

civil war mustache? you mean the porn 'stache. funny story, i was raving about wes and his hotness to my mother during the eagles game. They then proceeded to do a close-up on wes...and there it was in all its glory. My mother was like "that guy?! he looks like someone who belongs on the sex offender list." So yes, I definitely do not miss it.

[ Rachel O ] says:
on February 8, 2008 8:33 PM

Thanks for posting that site, Margaret!

I don't remember where I read this, but a while back there was an article on the first time Pedroia met the ASU head baseball coach Pat Murphy. He came into his office with a sleeveless shirt saying "Hey Coach, check out my guns!"
So this reminded me of that...haha

"But beyond the joking (or the opportunity to wear his T-shirt with a drawn-in thumb pointing to his arms, with the words, “This way to the gun show”) Pedroia’s comfort level stems from results."

And oh to have been a fly on the wall at that ping pong game!

[ Margaret ] says:
on February 8, 2008 9:03 PM

Make sure you all check out the photo gallery that is linked from that article too. Really stunning "workout faces" from Dustin.

[ Rachel O ] says:
on February 8, 2008 9:08 PM

haha yeah those were great! And on that one it looks like he' shooting a bow and arrow or something!

[ Katherine ] says:
on February 8, 2008 10:25 PM

Wes Welker is the only reason I watch the Pats. He's my football boyfriend and now, in a Sox hat? I'm in love.

[ Erin ] says:
on February 8, 2008 11:21 PM

Katherine- I also consider Wes Welker to be my football boyfriend. He looks awesome in the Red Sox hat.
Personally I think he should throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park on opening day, but thats just me.

That story make me love Dustin even more.

[ Erin ] says:
on February 8, 2008 11:23 PM

There's a typo in there. I meant to say: that story makes me love Dustin even more

[ fc ] says:
on February 9, 2008 12:00 AM

Margaret, thanks for that link - that article and photo gallery made my afternoon that otherwise would have been a crappy flu-ridden Curtfest. There's a couple of kind of arty photos of one cool dude that might make the bulletin board, too.

[ fc ] says:
on February 9, 2008 12:26 AM

And as for Wes Welker - I fell in love with those twinkly blue eyes long before seeing them under a Sox cap.

[ Margaret ] says:
on February 9, 2008 10:02 AM

Oh, me too, fc. How great are blue eyes that you can tell are blue through a face mask?

[ Holly ] says:
on February 9, 2008 12:38 PM

Wes looks great, especially in a Sox hat! Happy Truck Day!!

[ christa ] says:
on February 9, 2008 2:17 PM

erin - i agree on the opening day first pitch.

[ jules ] says:
on February 9, 2008 5:20 PM

Happy truck day!

It's a beautiful day, indeed. We managed to get some tickets to a Yankee/Sox game in July! woohoooo!

It feels like spring! My daughter and I put on shorts and bought some flowers to plant. That all smells like baseball to me.

[ Margaret ] says:
on February 10, 2008 9:45 AM

Got this Globe link off of Surviving Grady about Pedroia--

I still love this kid more than anything. There were plenty of us believing in him from the start!

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/02/10/back_for_seconds/

[ fc ] says:
on February 10, 2008 11:03 AM

More required reading on the tough little guy:
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/02/10/back_for_seconds/

[ Liza ] says:
on February 10, 2008 1:00 PM

That's such a sweet article--every little tidbit is adorable. Thanks fc :)

[ Rachel O ] says:
on February 10, 2008 3:27 PM

That was so cute! And I love how he says "dude" all the time haha

[ Abby ] says:
on February 10, 2008 7:56 PM

Just when I thought Wes couldn't get any better, he goes and wears a Sox hat? Yum.

I have to agree, I'm happy he lost the sex offender mustache. It hurt a little to look at him. And how is it possible that I haven't seen his Bob's commercial?

[ fc ] says:
on February 10, 2008 7:57 PM

Theo continues his arbitration-hearing-unblemished record:
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2008/02/youksox_agree_t.html

Yay! I swear to you I called the timing and the final number on this.

So it seems that the business end of the off season has been completed. Now we have the question of the crowded outfield, and of course, Curt.

[ Liza ] says:
on February 10, 2008 8:49 PM

Ha--I had come here to post a link to that article, too. xD

But only one year? Theo, we want Youk around for longer!

[ Margaret ] says:
on February 10, 2008 9:51 PM

Theo likes one-year deals, I think. And they do make sense from a business perspectives.

And this works for both sides, too. Saves money from the Sox side, and Youk will be able to shop around. Both sides get to be more flexible, which is desirable for them.

At least that's how I read it.

[ fc ] says:
on February 10, 2008 10:03 PM

That's the kind of flexibility I could do without.

[ Margaret ] says:
on February 10, 2008 10:25 PM

fc-

Fair enough. But studying management plus a VC dad has permanently destroyed my brain.

By the way, how'd ya like them weather patterns today? Woke up at 8 to bright and sunny. Back to sleep. Woke up at lunchtime to howling winds and thundersnow. Makes me proud to be a New Englander.

[ fc ] says:
on February 10, 2008 10:42 PM

"Thundersnow" - that's perfect! Actually I counted about 3 cycles of rain-snow-sun, rain-snow-sun.

I hate the transitory nature of the player/team relationship even though it makes business and career sense. It makes it so hard on us when we get attached. (Bless you Mikey, Bless you, Captain!)

[ Liza ] says:
on February 10, 2008 10:43 PM

Yeah... I'm selfish. I want Youkie to stick around a while. :D

And YES. The weather was insane. I woke up at 11 and it was snowing, then it turned to rain, then sun, clouds, more snow, more clouds, more sun, a brief sun shower, rain, snow, clouds... and there's been monster thunder for the last couple hours, too. I keep jumping about a foot into the air.

[ Margaret ] says:
on February 10, 2008 10:55 PM

I know mostly what I've got now is INTENSE wind. I've got some loose storm windows too, so I'm getting worried about them flying off.

fc--would you be at all interested in swapping email addresses through TG when she returns? I'm not terribly interested in posting mine here, not that I don't think you're all great...

[ Margaret ] says:
on February 10, 2008 10:58 PM

FYI, winds at Logan Airport currently gusts up to 45 mph.

(insert some snarky comment about Wakefield's fastball)

[ Margaret ] says:
on February 10, 2008 10:59 PM

FYI, winds at Logan Airport currently gusts up to 45 mph.

(insert some snarky comment about Wakefield's fastball)

[ Margaret ] says:
on February 10, 2008 11:00 PM

Someday soon, I'll learn to stop double posting. Sorry.

[ fc ] says:
on February 10, 2008 11:03 PM

Margaret - Re exchanging email: sure, and good idea - I was wondering about getting directly in touch with a few people here withpout exposing myself in public.

[ Margaret ] says:
on February 10, 2008 11:06 PM

Yes, fc, PLEASE do not expose yourself in public.

:)

[ Liza ] says:
on February 10, 2008 11:29 PM

The wind is definitely strong here, too. 30 MPH--it's 16F, but with a -12F windchill.

I'm really tempted to check Fort Myers's weather.

...I asked for it: 60F, windchill of 57F. I wish.

[ Margaret ] says:
on February 11, 2008 9:52 AM

LET THE NEWS RING FORTH:

The Texans have arrived.
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2008/02/beckett_buchhol.html

[ Margaret ] says:
on February 11, 2008 3:41 PM

fc-- emailed TG (she's back!)... if you email her she can facilitate a swap...