Why not Thursday night?!?!

June 16, 2007 - Saturday

Why not Thursday night?!?!?

Let's start on an "upside" - with positivity and optimism...because, that's just me, the eternal optimist (with a good, healthy portion of cynicism mixed in, life does that to you). Kudos and congrats to the Red Sox for pulling out of their slump and putting Barry Bonds in his place last night at Fenway! I'm proud of you and glad you've got your groove back. You did what you had to do - you got MAD. You SWUNG the bats, and it paid off. Thank you for being you and bringing Fenway Faithful the win.

Dave - you took one for the home team - getting pissed and thrown out is sometimes a good, last resort motivator - I've seen Francona do it a dozen times....thanks for that...we'd have rather had your strength at the bat, but we understand!

Oh - and THANK YOU, Roger Clemens....our win was sweet, but your loss makes it just that much sweeter. We are grateful to you today.

Now....let's deal with my own anger: Desperate to attend a winning game since the 9th inning loss to "those who shall not be named" - on a Wednesday night - I scrambled to leave work just 10 minutes early, knowing damn right well I needed to be in early the next day, made the nearly 2 hour journey down 93/Storrow Drive, ("Annie, is this what they call "bumper to bumper" traffic?) arriving at my $35 parking space just in time to hear the National Anthem from the parking lot...enthusiastic and hopeful - afterall, it's Schilling against the Rockies....ace pitcher against a 4th place NL west team? We're "ready to rumble". (yeah, I know, this ain't football...but you're catching my drift)

No one needs me to recap this game. It is not worth one second of my valuable time to tell you what happened that night. Complete meltdown. We all know that Schilling is virtually incapable of producing two outstanding games in a row, and it seems to me that the more extraordinary the win, an even deeper desparation follows. I know how seriously you take the game, Curt, so - what the heck is up with that?!?! AND - On that very morning - how nice of you to give us the courtesy of letting us know you'll accept a $13m extension??!!? Are you kiddin' me...your timing is bad, Curt, you should've made that announcement after the nearly no-hitter, we were feelin' the love then....now, not so much.
As if that's not disappointing enough....

Thursday night: last minute invite from another Fenway Faithful (aka Red Sox Junkie) - as desparate as myself to see our guys win....bumper to bumper again, catch the Ruggles Shuttle, haul my ass into the park, again. Hopeful and optimistic, again. Jeez, this has to be the night - because Beckett hasn't lost a game yet - and the Rockies? Now, come on - I'm sorry, Rockies fans, but let's face it....this should have been a piece of cake, a sure thing. Over-confident? I (sadly) guess so. Drew - a shameful display of a lead-off batter, Manny - strikes out LOOKIN', and a Grand Slam given up by Golden Boy Josh....ugh. That's all I can say. It was nasty. We could do nothing right. It was painful.

I NEVER leave the game early. Anyone bailing out on our guys on Mother's day knows (the heart-wrenching hard way) that you don't give up on the home team...not THIS home team. But, I did - I left early - in the 8th inning - not once, but TWICE. I couldn't stand to see anymore.

So, sure - you won last night - BUT, it took Tavares (of all pitchers) to get it done, (I've personally been the worst critic of Taveres...I guess I have to stop now) The best pitchers in baseball....against the Rockies?!?! I forgave the west coast beating, considering the time change, the travel, the exhaustion from the Yankees series....I had faith you'd pull it together when you got home. You let me down...not once, but TWICE...IN A ROW!

Anger motivates you....I know it does, you know it does. So, guess what, I'm freakin' ANGRY. So - here's your call to action, gentlemen....keep it together and SWEEP those Giants! Do it for you, do it for me....do it for Red Sox Nation....whatever, just GET IT DONE.

Sincerely yours,
Ann the Red Sox Fan