through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered . . .

Wow. Tonight's game was like an object lesson in everything the Sox are doing wrong.

* They wasted a good starter. Jeremi-with-an-I was about eight bazillion times better than everyone expected. He pitched a good game. He gave up three runs in the first inning, but then he settled down and ended up with seven Ks. I'm feeling better about our rotation.

And yet.

* Way too many men stranded on base. What was it, eleven tonight? I'm used to this, it's what we do, but it shouldn't be. I've noticed that a lot of our runs come from homers, which is all well and good, but let's do some old-fashioned hitting too, because this is what happens when no one gets a home run. Our offense needs to chill out and stop swinging for the poles every damn time.

* OUR BULLPEN SUCKS OH MY GOD. Mantei did a nice job, five up and five down, but Neal and Embree? STOP THAT. Five runs between the two of you was just tragically ridiculous. I'm just glad we didn't have to see Foulkie tonight.

* Too bad that awesome out from Rents ultimately didn't do shit.

BAH.

So, over all, it's a good thing for my sanity that I wasn't rooting for them tonight.

. . . oh, what? I love Bonderman and I wanted him to get the win. And he did, so now his record is 4-2. The Sox get way more games than Bondo gets starts. It was weird as all shit to be cheering and growling at all the wrong places, but this is the only game I'll be doing it. Next two games I'm happy either way, and Thursday Arroyo starts so it's all about the Sox.

It is strange, though, to not root for a team you know so well. Because I know the Sox's strengths and weaknesses, and I knew when to be nervous ("Oh, Tek's at bat") and when to relax ("Blaine Neal? Do they, like, not want to win?"). Usually, it's a bit of a gray area, because you can follow a rival team all you want, but unless you can watch them regularly, you don't know them like you know your own team, so you're not sure how much tension to feel when.

Oh, and that rough time Bondo had? Totally my fault. I'm sorry. See, I decided after his 1-2-3 first that it would be fun to try and keep a game log. So I did, and he promptly started losing his shit. In the fourth inning, bases loaded, I decided to stop writing and see what happened.

( Game Log of DOOM )

And the second I stopped writing, Bondo struck out Manny, and then Ortiz, and got out of that bases loaded jam. Nice. So, even though I was dying to, I didn't write another damn word. I'm sorry, Bondo. I won't do it again. In fact, no more game logs from me period.

And then the Tigers proceeded to take advantage of the Sox - doing whatever the fuck they thought they were doing. Triples and triples. Two homers from Carlos Peña. A great inning of relief from TEH FARNS, and two nice ones from Ugie Urbina. Okay, Pudge went 0-for-4, but you can't have everything.

So, from a Tigers fan standpoint, absolutely lovely. From a Red Sox fan standpoint, what the fuck is wrong with my team?

In news of other teams: Yankees actually win a game, 6-2. Over the Devil Rays, so let's not get too worked up. Meanwhile, the Astros trash the Pirates, 4-11, with my boy Andy Pettitte getting the win. Very good day for my pitchers. <3

In conclusion: BONDO.

Wow. The Sox just signed John Olerud to a minor league contract. Olerud played first base for the Yankees last year; he hurt his foot during the ALCS and ended up having surgery. So he's gonna need time to get back in shape, and then who knows? Something happens to Millar, Olerud and his batting helmet may well end up on first base at Fenway. Weeeeeeird.

Whee, Tom Caron just called Bondo a "tough way to start." THAT'S RIGHT, FEAR MY BONDO.

Speaking of who's pitching tomorrow - we don't know who's pitching for the Sox tomorrow. Gee, I sure hope they get around to that before game time. And I hope we don't have to lose Youk again to make room on the roster. Can't we ditch Vasquez? He's hurt and Youk is way better anyway.

Hate eight o'clock games. They go late and I am tired. Yay, I can't wait until we visit the Angels in California and the games don't start till ten EST.

Sox ahead so far, 8-2 in the ninth. Bronson's done, but pitched very well. Ooh, and Tek just got a home run, so now it's 9-2. I love my Tek. So, unless they bring out Foulke and he sucks harder than he's ever sucked before - sadly, this is a possibility - I think we've got this one.

In news of other teams, the Yankees won (of course, no one can lose all the time; hell, the Royals also won a game today). The Astros also won, so the Tigers promptly made up for it by losing by one run. My teams don't get mediocre losses. They either implode or just narrowly get squeaked out. I'm so proud.

Yay Sox/Tigers starts Monday!

What is with the Tigers relief giving up runs the SECOND they get the ball? I mean, in this case the score is now at 10-3 Tigers in the eighth, so I'm not too worried, but WTF?

Yankees currently behind the Angels 5-1, also in the eighth. Funny how they suck when the Princess only gets the one homer.

I feel much better now. =D

Interesting discussion on Schill's ankle going on at redsox. Heaven knows you want to take anything you read at that community with a grain of salt, but the OP here seems to know what she's talking about, and she's talking possible stress fracture. Which comes with a possible eight weeks out. LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU AND I'M NOT THINKING ABOUT IT.

But I still feel better. It's hard to lift out of a funk at work, and much easier to shake it at home when I'm free to do what I need to do to distract myself and break the circles my mind is going in. I'm not any happier about our pitching situation, but I'm not ready to have a fit either.

Edit: Final Tigers score 10-3. <3 I think I'll go to bed now and trust the Angels to finish things up.

Edit again: Okay, I lie. I futzed around and killed time getting ready for bed until that game was over. Final score: 5-1, Angels. What a difference twenty-four hours makes.

Dude. Pudge started a bench-clearing incident and there is no video available? ESPN.com, MLB.com, you are both fired.

How long does it take for video clips from games to go up? Maybe it just isn't up yet.

Anyway. The Tigers were not thrown off by their sudden two-day vacation (they totally spent it watching cartoons and drinking hot chocolate, because that's the rule about snow days, no matter how old you are), and they beat the Twins today, 6-4. And apparently Pudge and the Twins' pitcher, JC Romero, are not friends. From what I can gather, Pudge got to second on an error from the Twins' catcher, and then he and Romero (make your own zombie joke, I'm busy) Had Words, and then Pudge wanted to go over and - uh, give him information, Trot Nixon-style, but was restrained. This all sounds pretty hot interesting, and I demand footage. Now that I have my own reliable Internet connection, I'm going to have to see about MLBTV, because missing stuff like this is no fun at all.

Now I'm off to see if the stuff I bought for splitting my cable line will work. It seems so straightforward that I'm fully expecting something to go wrong, because nothing is ever that easy.

And tonight? I get to watch Boomer pitch! YAY!

And the Sox tied it up. And then the freaking Devil Rays won with a freaking homer. Bleargh. Oh, and Embree gave up the homer. WHAT A FREAKING SURPRISE. Man, I can't even be bothered to swear properly.

Those two runs in the ninth were pretty cool, though, and involved my boy Bellhorn. And Vasquez laid down a sacrifice bunt for the second time in the game, which was a) cool and b) new, because I think the Sox bunted like twice last year. Not so much for bunting, this team.

Ugh, the Yankees just got two runs in the bottom of the ninth, now 5-3. Just you freaking watch. *seethe*

Okay. Deep breath. Happy thoughts. Tigers. Pudge. Homer. And holy shit, the Astros have brought it up to 6-8. Five runs in the sixth inning. Too bad I want to get some sleep. I'll have to wait till tomorrow for the final score. Oh, and Bernie Williams just flied out to end the game, so the Yankees lose after all.

And . . . wait, if the D-Rays won . . . I'll have to check the standings, but I think this makes them tied for last place again.

Yes. Yes, the Yankees and Devil Rays are tied for last place at seven wins and ten losses each.

The Tigers win, the Astros have apparently decided not to suck after all, and the Yankees are in the basement once more. The good definitely outweighs the bad here. I'm so glad I randomly picked up other teams to root for (and against). And I love the Tigers. And I also love the Red Sox. And I love my silly Astros, too.

And the Yankees suck. =D

Note to self: When looking at baseball apparel, do not click on "Women's." Because, in a sports apparel store, "women's" translates as "here, have some pink." Ew.

The Tigers store has some seriously ugly merchandise. But I want this shirt. However, before I'm allowed to wear a team's clothing, I should have to be able to list the line-up and the pitching rotation, at minimum. This isn't a rule, but it should be. Anyway, I'm working on that.

Holy shit, the Sox just put together the best play ever to get Palmeiro out at the plate for the third out. At least, the guys at WEEI made it sound like the best play ever. It sounded really, really close, but it's entirely possible that everyone involved was just kind of leisurely wandering around. That's how the WEEI announcers like to do it; if they haven't given at least one fan a heart attack by the ninth inning, they haven't done their job.

Listening to further discussion, though, it sounds like it was incredibly close. And the Sox stay up on zip, because Trot and Millar can throw a ball, and Tek can catch it and apply a tag. <3

. . . I think I'm going to need a Tigers icon soon here.

And Wells pitched eight beautiful shut-out innings. After pitching seven of them last time. For those of you who don't like doing math, that's fifteen shut-out innings. Talk about turning it around from his first two starts. I am so proud. <3

Oh, and please not to forget Tek's three-run homer. Bellhorn got an RBI, too. My boys had a very, very good night tonight. And I love them all.

Final score: 8-0. This brings Boston and Baltimore into a first-place tie.

The Astros won their game, 6-1. I think I may have found a new superstition.

. . . I don't want to talk about the Tigers. I don't want to talk about the Yankees, either. Ooh, but Jeremy Bonderman is pitching for the Tigers tomorrow. I find that exciting.

Still waiting for the Devil Rays game to end. Somehow, they came back from 10-2 to make it 12-10. One half inning left. They win it and they stay tied for last with the Yankees. They lose it and - no one is especially surprised.

I love keeping track of four to five games at once. I can only do it because I'm listening to the Sox on the radio; I'll have to figure out something a bit less complicated once I have cable.

On other subjects: Nomar sustained some sort of injury during the Cubs game tonight. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but the WEEI announcers used the word "collapsed" and said he was carried off the field; sounds like it was a groin injury. Yeek.

Also, apparently Magglio Ordonez went to a hernia specialist (no, really, apparently these exist) who could not confirm that he had a hernia. What does that mean? Are hernias really so hard to find that a specialist can't decide whether it's there or not?

And the Devil Rays have finished losing. Oh, well. That's okay. Know why?

Because my boy Boomer is the king. That's why.

The bad news: Red Sox lost after being ahead most of the game.

(Dear Embree,

QUIT IT.

Annoyed,
Cathryn)

The Tigers lost, too, but they didn't do it by one run, nor did they get completely flattened. 4-8 is acceptable.

The good news: Meredith and Gretchen survive another leg on TAR. Joyce and Uchenna come in first because Joyce is amazing and was willing to get her head shaved so they could take the Fast Forward, and Uchenna is amazing because he told her forty times how beautiful she looked and I love them so much. And Lynn and Alex got Philiminated. HA.

The best news of all: The Yankees lost. TO THE DEVIL RAYS. WITH RANDY JOHNSON PITCHING. HAHAHAHAHA.

Seriously. Just this morning, I was thinking how it would be nice if the Yankees could lose some more real soon, but not expecting it in this series. Because the Yankees not pounding the Devil Rays into tiny dust is a sign of the impending Apocalypse. What is with the Yankees? I know it's way too early in the season to start making big judgments - hell, that's all I've been saying since the season started - but this is just weird.

Interesting, though probably meaningless - bit of trivia: The Yankees won last night's game with a final score of 19-8. The final score of Game Three of the ALCS was also 19-8. And we all know what happened after that.

I wouldn't be surprised to open the paper tomorrow morning and find that George Steinbrenner died of a heart attack. Or a stroke.

Anyway. The point I was trying to make was: Overall, I think the day is a plus. I'll take it. =D

And the Red Sox swept the Devil Rays (3-1), and the Tigers squished the Royals some more (6-1), and the Orioles continued to own the Yankees (8-4 AHAHAHA).

ASTROS WTF. Get it together please.