No one ever wants to post first, do they?

Ok for those of you who stuck around last night...I give you the Beckett homer: http://good-times.webshots.com/video/3065142970103545296caeNvy

Fair warning: the sound and picture quality is very crappy.

mmm. day baseball. c'mon, jonny. i'm ready for you!

also exciting about day baseball: EYEBLACK.

(did video of post-game beckett ever surface from yesterday?)

Has Beckett ever hit another homer?

TG--- which is odd, because on other sites, there are people who go nuts trying to be first.

The problem is that none of us want to reveal that we're sitting around waiting for you to put up the thread.

"Wow, she posted less than a minute after the thread went up!"

Hey all! Day baseball looks so different (was just watching a game while stretching). Not just the eyeblack -- the sunlight really changes everything.

nice to see ells on top once more. i freakin' love that kid.

Hi folks.

That shot of smiley Mike Lowell was the perfect way to start a basebawl afternoon.

Hey, everybody!

Jenny, even though I'm a little too old to *squee* over Jacoby, I freakin' love him too. He is the definition of awesome in so many ways.

YEAH PAPI!!!

ATTA BOY BIG PAPI!!!!!!!!!!!

god, that feels nice. i'd almost forgotten. ;D

Love leading off the game with a homer in the 1st.

Well that's good! Yay Papi!

PAPI!!!

Speaking of guys I love...

YEAH PAPI!!!

god, this looks much more like my baseball team.

I MISSED YOU GUYS!

I'm watching this game, while "watching" this game. I miss Fox Sports Southwest so much right now.

Anyone planning on a trip to Omaha this year for the CWS? Looks like my babies will be there.

Now THIS is the way to start a game.

(giving my beloved Manny a great big hug)

This already seems better than the whole game yesterday.

The bats are alive today. Thank god.

HITS FEEL GOOD

we just needed a little california afternoon sunshine. ;D

ok, lester, go get 'em, kiddo.

Aw, Jon.
I just want to hug that boy.

YAY they are hitting today. I don't have to start drinking early in the afternoon. :)

BTW, was that Mr. Beckett holding down a cooler right outside the dugout? Looking all smug?

Hey everyone!

Go Jonny...

Well, that was over quick.

i get so excited when i see jacoby in the lineup when i check it on extra bases before gametime. pretty soon pedroia is going to start being peeved with me taking *him* being the in the lineup for granted.

ooops, lester, there goes the no-hitter. ;D

LOL Castiglione, "There goes the no-hitter."

C'mon, go get 'em, Jon.

c'mon, jonny, no nibbling: GO AFTER THEM.

i vote: TRIPLE PLAY ... er ... DOUBLE PLAY!

hmmm. remember how well first-pitch strikes worked last monday, jon?

Damn. This could be a long game....

I did not enjoy that.

Ugh- Pedroia doesn't know how to react when he misses a catch, because it rarely happens.

... right through the five-hole there, lester.

and dusty's uniform is dirty. good boy.

i feel like ells would've had that.

;D

kid's a superhero!

i am really good at talking about nothing.

Alrighty then!

atta boy, drewski! rally with one down! sox! whoot!

again i find myself wishing for beer in my fridge. alas, alack. root beer shall have to do!

"drewski"? Hee hee. When I look at him I do NOT see a "drewski"

Hii everyone. Let's go Lugo!

Time for your first HR of the year, Julio...

i'm big into adding the "ie" sound to the end of names, and drewie wasn't getting it done, so it became drewski.

;D

youkie, lugie, pedey ...

i am lame and awesome at the same time.

Heck, I'll take it!

Hi Y'all!

I'm working today, so *shouldn't* goofing off too much (I just want to get this done!).

Great HR by Papi! I hope Lester remembers his first pitch strike.

And, I can't wait to get our guys out of Oakland--i miss DO & Remy (and HD ;-).

Jenny, Julioie? LOL...

rats, ells.

i'm sure there is a perfectly good reason why you don't seem to want to be on the bases here for me. right? right?

hey everyone!
Rolling Thunder is all I can her right now :]
the game isn't really coming in for me, though..

Youk?

E1.

OK, that's better.

good job, jonny. much needed, d.p.!

I do not like errors.
Come on Lester.
so would it be lesterie? I'm not a fan of that one, not going to deny it.

I didn't mean that "E1" was better. I meant he dp that made up for the missed catch of the errant throw.

Jenny - Tekie! (geez I'm being lame too, I guess).

Tampa Bay just won on a walkoff.

ugh! These A's announcers are *still* going on and on and and on about the "one-hitter" last night.

I miss DO & Remy.

I don't have to listen to them- I guess teh one good thing about Gameday.

you're right, lesterie is no good. i go "jonny" for my "ie" sound with him.

If you're Oakland, and you just one-hit the Sox, you'd be really geeked about it. So I can forgive them for that.

Manny! Two hits!

manny's swing looks MUCH better today. maybe he did really sort that business out in the cages yesterday.

It sure is good to see his BA going back up... :-)

goal for the inning? FIRST PITCH STRIKES. (please.)

MANNY! FOR SHAME!

wow, breaks just are not going the sox's way this series.

also, and i know this is wrong of me, i want jacoby to play all three outfield spots at once. sigh.

Awww, geez, Manuel...

Manny had it - he just couldn't hold onto it. Combining that with Jacoby's sliding drop last night, I'm choosing to believe the A's put grease on the leftfielder's glove.

come on, jonny ...

aww, biscuits.

any idea how bad lester's pitch count is right now ... ?

Ok the Sox need to get back to Fenway. Immediately.

i
want
my
first
pitch
strikes!

/temper tantrum

oh no, the dreaded 50 pitches in 2 1/3 innings.

Lester's at 50 pitches.

Jenny, I'm showing 50-27 on Gameday.

Since my Horns are up 12-6 in the 7th, I feel they should donate a couple runs to the Sox.

i'm sure our boys will take that donation, texy!

nesn totally missed the first two pitches of youk's ab. not cool.

Make that 14-6 in the 8th.

NESN has been having a lot of those cutaway problems recently.

i want hits! strung together! and apparently i already need to wait for next inning.

oh MAN.

I don't like Oakland! :(

Hi all. Late to the party. But I'm here now. My heart goes out to Jon Lester and his family. Thanks for posting the story here, Texy.

Good vibes, friends. Good vibes. It's a beautiful day. I love watching baseball when it's sunny outside. Even if I am in my house on my computer. Still...

I feel good today.

Jane, it's beautiful here too -- 80 and sunny! I'm hoping it doesn't cool down too much tonight so I can sleep with the windows open. :-)

jane - here's hoping your new energy can help turn things our way here!

Rollie Fingers should really have been #10. So the sign would say "10 FINGERS". Geddit?!? /lame

texy - GROANER.

TG, you're so silly!

i know you know where the strike zone is, jonny-boy ...

Lugo WTF

NO BREAKING THIS GAME OPEN.

/footstomp

Bethie I'll take that beer now.

Texas 15 - KSU 6 going into the 9th. We win the Big XII tournament if we can get three more guys out.

Meanwhile, in Sox land.... GET SOME OUTS.

My queasiness has returned.

i vote: TRIPLE PLAY.

:: screams ::

oh, jon. yeah, that missed.

biscuitry.

I'm not worried. I am nooooot worried. Throw for strikes, Big Jonny. Three run lead ain't nothin'. Stay in it.

Damn. Damn. Damn.

Have I shared with you folks lately my dislike for the sport of baseball?

I hate road trips.

lugie! THANK GOD.

No, Hansen. Ack.

Leapin' Lugie-ie!

think beckett has taught jon about how to host a pissed-off post-game presser ... ?

(not that i'm rocketing that far into the future, mind you.)

Lugo. THANK YOU.

(Love that I can say that.)

Road games = no full press conferences. So it's really a shame we have such a good record at home, and a shitty one on the road -- all the best opportunities for cuss-filled press conferences are averted.

whoa, lucky there, pedey. way to bail on it once lost!

me and my wishful pissed-off-presser thinking. ;D

I SMELL HITS. IN SUCCESSION. LEADING TO RUNS.

Blanton has a funny delivery. Looks like he's about to wobble over a bit. He rolls his feet. I don't like it. 's ugly.

Tek in camo catcher's gear? (faints)

Hey everyone. It's a gorgeous day out--but hooray for baseball!

Happiness is...

Dad bringing over some of Mom's to-die-for potato salad.



More happiness would be some freakin' hits!!!!!!!

Mmmm, potato salad, jules, I'm jealous!

And her potato salad is sooooooooooooooooooooooooo good. I'm going to have to put something on the grill to go with it.

Also of note, what's the deal with the Sox's homepage? "Lester's quest for another no-hitter..." Really? Did he really say he wanted to do it again? That just reads weird to me. Shortchanging his efforts to just get a win, I think.

... I don't know.

STILL POSITIVE! :-)

mmm, walks ...

Awwww. mang, you're makin' me hungry! And my tummy isn't cooperating right now. I'll soon be going for the "sick tummy canned soup" thing, hopefully followed later by something more substantial.

mmm, bases full of walked red sox.

Jane, I thought the same thing.

jules...who is goofing off way too much.

Oh, Manny, now would be a real good time for 499!

Oh, Manny. If you were looking for a moment...

All right, Manny, now's a good time for 499.

Jenny, I was thinking the same thing...

Yeah, LOADED! (gonna be very quiet right about now....)

let's
go
man
ram!

clap

clap

clap
clap
clap!

Manny... do it.

C'mon Mannie Rammie...

It may not be 499 but I'll take it!

MANRAM! WHOO HOO!

Not 499? No problem dude. Nicely done.

i love that he didn't try to do too much with it. awesome, manny. good boy!

Fantastic, Man.

not 499, but 2 rbis. We'll take it!

I think it's a good sign that Manny is hitting again.

Yeah! I'll take it!!!!

WELCOME BACK TO LIFE MANNY AND MANNY'S BAT!

hey now, mikeylol. your turn, big guy. c'mon, c'mon ...

remy: "blanton doesn't look real happy, does he?"
d.o.: ::chuckling:: "no."

roommate is sleeping next to me on the couch. HOW, with all the noise i'm making, i'll never know. ;D

awww, biscuits, lowell. BISCUITS I SAY.

Youk. Make my dad and his fantasy baseball team look pretty. Make me happy. Make your team happy.

Rip shit.

"Youk. Make [anything] look pretty."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

N'aww CRAP.

okay, I was outside watching the military flyover for the race, and I missed us scoring 2 runs.

Maybe I should stay outside. :)

GO SOX!

(sigh)

Papelbear!

Speaking of Youk...we were setting on the third base side of the field on Friday. Youk's batting stance is the most hysterical thing I've seen. The bounce-bounce-wiggle-wiggle is a riot.

ok, lester, that was gorgeous. keep it up, kid! KK!

THIS lester is pretty! "much more aggressive," says remy. AMEN.

Who are you and what have you done with Jon?

BTW I love you.

KKK! nnnnngh.

Stay filthy, Lester!

oh first pitch strikes, I LOVE YOU. i want to have, like, 10,000 of your babies!

Random question: did anyone else see the article about Youk and his glove in the Globe magazine today?

Now this is more like it!

NICE INNING.

Now, boys: KILL.

There ya go, Jon! We love the three-up three-down innings.

Studly catch, OneSleeve. Almost like, "Go ahead. Do sump'in."

Okay. Bats are nice.

Why of course I did Liza, online last night.

Boys, I'll hire strippers and grill up some steaks. Maybe some ribs too? BBQ?

Bring back the bats! Help your ace- in- training ouuuuuut!

Jane, don't forget to fry up some plantains for Manny and company.

rally with two here, lugie!

That quote about his glove made me crack up. As did the one about his cup.

Apparantly strippers aren't their thing. Fine. Nuns, anyone?

HIT SOMETHING!

Okay, better luck next inning, guys...

Liza - strangest thing about that article is the tagline "Kevin Youkilis talks about how to succeed at first when it's your second choice, how to care for a Gold Glove, and how to get the most out of your jockstrap."

Hansen, we've seen you lights out before. And this is when we need to see it again. Dude.

Yes! I saw that and my reaction was just, "...wait, what did that say?"

I'm going to be at the Pawtucket/Scranton game tomorrow! :D Charlie Zink ftw! (literally)

Liza, I just found the article but it appears to be truncated. No mention of his cup. Do I need to sign in or something?

Short-haired Hansen weirds me out.

Liza- Yes.

Ecl, it was one of the pictures--I'll see if I can find it.

Wait, Liza - that quote didn't make it into the online text but I just noticed the video! Sorry if this makes the rest of you guys sick, but, um...never mind.

Liza, I just tried sending you some more stuff, but Hotmail can only receive attachments of 10 MB, so I got an e-mail back saying that it didn't work. I'm going to resend it again but break it down into smaller groups so you can get it. Some of the e-mails I sent earlier may/may not have worked, so just disregard them....

top of the order coming up for the sox ...

sounds
like
hits

Here, guys, it's in the video.

NJ, I only got the reply to my reply. Thank you so much, though! :D

fc, thanks for the link. I'll have to read it later, but it sure sounds interesting.

Thanks, Liza!

man, ells continues to not get on base for me. ::pouts::

Irony: earlier, I was listening to the start of the game on the radio and at one point there was a ball hit back at him and Castig said, "Stabbed by Lester--" and all I could think of was Foulke. Now he's in. Ha.

The best part is the video.

The web is a glorious thing.

This lack of hitting is getting old. With all the money these guys you would think they were more motivated.

Last night Papi was determined to come in and end that no hitter. You saw it in his face. He is the only one that looks like he cares.

Youk does also but he is phony

Wow.

let's go, apnea-free hansen!

Jenny!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

yay, apnea-free hansen! now, again!

Short hair, beard, and throwing strikes.
I like Hansen 2.0.

HANSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN! Mmmph. Good things.

hee, thanks, jane. it's a piney61-ism!

SHIT

friggly-froo.

I really hate baseball.

@#$%^&^$!

(mfsob)

Oh, bite me, Cust.

... that'll teach me not to get up to go pee.

drat.

wowo, that sucked a little.

Okay, time for Manny to help us chip away...

oh road trip, why you gotta hate so far ... ?

mmm, mikeLOL.

A hit for Mikey! Yay!

lowell is making his fairly traditional "i wish we were winning" face.

LOL, Jenny...is that the same face as in his roster photo?

My dad and I have a chant for Mikey. With short vowel sounds, "MAHKAYLAAAAAHWL." All one word. Sometimes one sound. Sometimes we shout it when he's not even up. Sometimes when there's no game.

MAAAAAHKAYLAAAAAAWL.

ecl - might be, might be. ;D

i am also a fan of MYGLOWAL. ;D

c'mon, assault of lucky peanut m&ms!

oops. too late.

Well, at least in the ninth we'll definitely make it to the top of the order...that's a good start.

Guys, when you leave Fenway, you GOTTA remember to load the awesome onto the plane.

fc - you'd think they'd have that at the top of the list by now. slow learners?

Put 'em in your crosshairs, Timmeh!

Fucking Lugo...

E6

you've gotta be kidding me.

for the LOVE OF ...

sigh.

damnit.

A's announcers--aka Captain Obvious:

"Lugo has not been good defensively this year."

I don't get it. I know these aren't Youk's errors but he usually makes those plays.

oh, and hi everyone! haven't been in on the fun for a while :(

Put E6 in your crosshairs, Timmeh.

JED! COME BACK TO US! BRING YOUR PRETTY BLUE EYES AND FULLY FUNCTIONAL HANDS. WE LOVE BASIC BASEBALL SKILLS AND DEXTERITY!

Uhh...I left the room for two minutes and...Lugo made ANOTHER error? WTF did he do this time? (grrrrr)

Jane- AGREED 100%

BRING BACK JEBBY LOWRIE.

And Jane, don't forget Jed's devilishly cute smile! We love that too.

I have had a post about E6 sitting in my queue for awhile, waiting for me to pull the trigger. I've been too nice to him... it's getting posted soon.

Bring it on, Texy. As for me, I think I'll break one of his chiseled zygomatic arches.

ecl, easy routine toss to first and Lugo somehow manages to just throw it in the dirt.

Whoops, I meant zygomatic bone, not arch. /trivial

Jessi, in that case, I think I'll add "kick his skinny little butt" to the pummeling.

Thank you, Dustin.

ok, guys, the sox i know and love don't even bat an eye at 3-run deficits. they can totally come back here.

show me you know this, sox. go go go.

I'm ready to rally.

cap is ON!

Bite me, A's announcers.

My rally cap is on!

Okay, c'mon guys...

At least E6 didn't screw THAT up.

/cranky

A little Lugodemption is a good thing!

TOO HOT FOR TWO SLEEEEEEEEVES!

DOOOOOOO SOOOOOOMETHINGGGGGG!

aw crap

S
I
G
H

Fucking shit.

Well, THAT sucks.

sigh...

time to get back to work.

Jane, what a great nickname for him.

Awwwww, sheeeeit.

I hope Seattle is better to us than Oakland was. :(

Oh, one more thing...

I'm really tired of the streaky losing. I mean, losing one happens, but can we, please, stop losing 3 or more in a row?

I sure hope so, Jules.

i'm off - see you cats after work tomorrow night for another late one! hopefully the guys'll be rested and ready for a W.

::fingers crossed::

Can Schilling come back now?

I'm off too -- got lots stuff to do, and even with the day off tomorrow (YAY) I'll be hard pressed to get it all done.

I don't know how present I'll be for the three late games this week. I have a lot going on at work right now and need my rest. I do plan to at least start the games with y'all, maybe go once through the line-up and then to bed. I'll most DEFINITELY be here Friday night for Manny's birthday celebration, though! :-D

I meant that with zero disrespect to our bullpen. But I just miss the big guy.

Enjoy your night everyone!