Blog

“Of all the things I value most in life,

I look inside my world and know that it is good. ”

Here’s to Charlie Penta!

Briefly.

They may be up-and-down so far this season but I really like the Red Sox pitching staff, starts and relievers.

Scientists from the Marine Mammal Center in northern California say the death of a large (300,000 lbs), female blue whale that washed up on a Marin County beach had been struck by a ship. DTK, whale-ship collisions is a “leading cause” of death for the creatures and that many cargo ships wouldn’t even notice such a collision because of their size.

Bizarro! One week ago Thursday the Red Sox tied a major league record by striking out 20 Texas Rangers in a nine-inning game. 10 of the last 11 Rangers struck out, including 4 in the 9^th inning courtesy of Craig Kimbrel and a botched call on a wild pitch. It was the third time in major league history that 20 players struck out. Which leads us to trivia.

Trivia question #1: Who are the other five (single pitcher or team) that struck out 20 batters in a single game? (single pitcher or team is your hint)

Trivia question #2: The Red Sox’ Joe Kelly, through Tuesday, had thrown 51 pitches of at least 100 mph, third behind Trevor Rosenthol (63) and Aroldis Chapman (57). Kelly is also third in average fastball velocity at 98.8 mph. Who has thrown the fastball pitch in baseball this season at 102.2 mph? –  Rosenthol (St. Louis), Chapman (Yankees), Kelly or Felipe Rivero (Pittsburgh)? Answer below

Football seems so far away. Good thing my team won!

Mr. Met has had it! The much-loved mascot is out of a job after he flipped the bird to fans on Wednesday. Although some argued that the four-fingered mascot really doesn’t have a middle digit to flip, the gesture was too much for Mets managers who canned Mr. Met. Funny enough, the pudgy-handed salute came on the 53^rd anniversary of Mr. Met’s debut as a mascot. The team web site notes that Mr. Met “can gesture in 12 languages” and leads “all active Major League mascots in high fours.”

How can you not root for the team from the hockey capitol of the world, the Nashville Predators?! I still think they take the series in seven.

12-year old Ananya Vinay, from Fresno CA, won the 90^th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee Thursday night when she correctly spelled “marocin”, a French-derived word for a dress fabric. Hey, you think it’s easy??? Can you spell it?!?!

Useless headline of the week: “8 things you didn’t know about Ronda Rousey”

Golden State in four, but that might be too easy.

Leeches, yes leeches, are still used widely in Russian medicine, about 10 million of them per year, in many cases a low-cost substitute for blood thinners like warfarin. In Russia, a medicinal leech costs less than $1, and a typical application requires three to seven of the ravenous little creatures. Leech treatments, available throughout the country, take 30 to 40 minutes, though the resulting wounds ooze blood for an additional six hours and so until the natural anticoagulant in leech venom wears off.

Leave it to Sox fans to bitch about a guy, Xander Boegarts, who is hitting over .335 but doesn’t have enough homeruns (now up to two!).

A woman who was sick of children’s balls landing in her garden was beaten to death by neighbors after she punctured one of them. Prosecutors say that Kelly Machin, 34, had long complained about the noise made by neighbor Natalie Bollen’s children and about their balls landing in her garden in Leicester, England. After she burst a soccer ball with a knife before throwing it back in Aug. 23 last year, Bollen and her father, William Jelly, pushed their way into her home and assaulted her. Bollen punched Machin several times before Jelly pushed her over a coffee table, which fractured five ribs and caused internal injuries that led to her death almost two weeks later.

RIP Frank Deford. Though I read many an article of his in SI, I remember him most for The National. The then all-sports newspaper in the 90’s.

Trivia question #1 answer: Roger Clemens (2 times, vs. Seattle and Detroit), Kerry Wood (in his 5^th career start, va. Astros), Max Scherzer (vs. Detroit), LA Angels (2012 vs. Seattle)

Trivia question #2 answer: Joe Kelly

Briefly. (not really but I took last week off so forgive me for any old news)

I’m a hater, well documented. Was there anything better than watching the Yankees get thumped on ‘Jeter Day’ a couple of Sunday nights ago?

Trivia #1: Which state does NOT have an 80 mph speed limit? – South Dakota, Wyoming, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Texas

Trivia #2: In 2008, Jacoby Ellsbury began his big league career with 25 consecutive stolen bases, second all-time. Who holds the record for consecutive stolen bases (27) to start their career?

So Brady is on the cover of Madden 18. BFD. 

This just in, Deven Marrero is an outstanding fielder!

Incredible. It took 12,072 games before LeBron had four fouls in the first half. That reminds me of a little story… Freshman year of high school, first game of the season. Billy Riley gets four fouls in about the first four minutes and is removed from the game. The next day at practice we are expecting poor Billy to get a verbal beating from Coach Henry “Hank” “Buffalo-Breath” Sullivan. Instead, he praises him for his aggressiveness. I can tell you it was the best lesson I ever got from ol’ Hank.

Quote of the week#1: “It’s easier than you think.” – Former juiced-up MLB slugger Jose Canseco on blowing through the $46 million he made as a player.

Quote of the week #2: “I always said we had an offseason so Earl (Weaver) could go home and think up what he was going to do next year.” – Steve Palermo (RIP) 

Most Useless Headline of the Week: “Mookie Betts thinks Malik Monk could help Celtics” – Hey, we all love Mookie but please…

Headline of the week: Mom paralyzed after eating gas station nacho cheese. – My take? Hey, bad choice on her part! We’re you that hungry, really? 

The world’s largest cat, Omar, is a Maine Coon 14kg (over 30 lbs) and 3’ 11” from Melbourne, Australia. Apparently he loves kangaroo meat.

The NBA is paying tribute to former analyst Carl Sager with “Sager Strong” on microphones. Good stuff.

Washington’s Bryce Harper is off to a pretty good start to the season. He is currently (last week) leading the majors in batting average (.388), on-base % (.503), OPS – on-base plus slugging (1.271), 2^nd in slugging (.767), RBI (36) and tied for 2^nd in homeruns (13) and walks (30).  

On May 17, 1945, every game on the American League schedule was rained out for the fourth consecutive day. 

Down on the farm… Ty Buttrey, the Red Sox 6-foot-6, 230-pound reliever for Double-A Portland, is hitting 100-mph on the radar gun. The 2012 fourth round pick has a 2.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 11 outings (16 innings) and batters are hitting just .182 against him. Buttrey was converted to a reliever last season after going 0-6 with a 6.08 ERA as a starter. In 2015, the Red Sox also converted their 2012 second-round pick, Jamie Callahan, to the reliever role. In 11 outings (14 innings) between Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket, Callahan has struck out 21 with a 1.29 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP. 

RIP Steve Palermo, former major league umpire. Palermo died at age 67 after not only battling lung cancer but also the paralysis he suffered from a gunshot wound in 1991. Some of you may recall that Palermo, along with four other bystanders, jumped in to help two waitresses being beaten in a parking lot outside of a Dallas restaurant. Palermo was known as one of the best umpires of his time and he never shied from a good, heated argument. He had some memorable ones with Earl Weaver.

Trivia answer #1: Washington (DYK, on Texas State Highway 130, a privately-owned toll road that connects San Antonio and Austin, you can legally drive 85 mph!)

Trivia answer #2: Tim Raines 

I don’t recall whether it was the late Pete Anxhelm or Chris Berman from whom I first heard reference to the ‘Mendoza Line’. DYK, on May 22, 1982 Mario Mendoza, who later would become a hitting instructor(!), reaches first on a fielder’s choice ending his nine-year career with a .215 batting average. The Ranger infielder’s name will become infamous as players struggling at the plate will be described as performing below the ‘Medoza Line’.

RIP David “Munnsy” “Chief” Munns (57). WAY to $%^&ing soon. As funny, loving, solid, stand-up guy as you’re ever going to meet.

And RIP Mrs. McKay. Always love for the old neighborhood Moms.

“Rally sons of Notre Dame:

Sing her glory and sound her fame,

Raise her Gold and Blue

And cheer with voices true:

Rah, rah for Notre Dame

We will fight in ev-ry game,

Strong of heart and true to her name

We will ne-er forget her

And will cheer her ever

Loyal to Notre Dame

 

Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame,

Wake up the echoes cheering her name,

Send a volley cheer on high,

Shake down the thunder from the sky.

What though the odds be great or small

Old Notre Dame will win over all,

While her sons are marching

Onward to victory.”

Briefly.

Today’s forecast, alcohol.  Low standards, poor decisions.

Trivia: What year did the Texas Rangers last win the World Series?

Last Friday’s game between the Midwest League South Bend Cubs and the Clinton Lumberkings was tied 6-6 after 8 innings but continued through 18 innings, still knotted at 6-6. Due to a curfew, the game was suspended and resumed the next night before their next scheduled game. Of course the game ended 7-6 after the 19^th inning.

 Don’t talk about yourself, we’ll do that after you leave. 

If an orange is an orange, why isn’t a lime a green or a lemon a yellow? 

Thanks to my wife and son, I have become a recent fan of the avocado. Apparently, I am not alone. The price of avocados has set a record, more than doubling since last year.  Mexico provides 82% of the avocados in the United States and since 2000, shipments have increased from 24 million pounds to a whopping 1.76 billion pounds in 2015. Worldwide demand is up, too. Shortages in New Zealand have sparked avocado thefts while Mexican exports to China have been growing at a rate of 250% per year. 

You can’t make this up. Roy Riegel, Tom McDonald’s childhood friend and fellow New York Mets superfan, died in 2008 at the age of 48. McDonald kept Riegel’s ashes in a peanut can wrapped in Mets ticket stubs but wasn’t sure what to do with them. The answer? Flush his friend’s ashes down the toilet. Really. McDonald has flushed scoops of Riegel’s ashes at 16 Major League stadiums around the country (not sure whether Fenway is on the list). McDonald calls it the “perfect tribute” to his friend, “the best plumber you ever saw”. There are rules to the tribute; a baseball game must be in progress when the ashes are flushed, and if McDonald also has to use the facilities, “I always flush in between.” McDonald plans to make a final flush at North Carolina’s Athletic Park, where the movie Bull Durham was filmed. 

If you were a friend or relative of the Red Sox’s Dave Marrero and you knew he was playing last Sunday, then you heard the Sox scored 17 runs on 15 hits including 5 homeruns, you would have wondered how well Dave played?? Well, not so much. Marrero was the only player without a hit going 0-5, struck out once, left three men on base and hit into a double play. Doh!

Trivia answer : The Rangers have never won a World Series.

Briefly.

Trivia question #1: Who ran the fastest Kentucky Derby? Kingman, Genuine Risk, Secretariat, American Pharoah, Seattle Slew

Trivia question #2: What is the entry fee for the Kentucky Derby?

I came across a reference to a first baseman as a “first sacker.”

I hear Nordstrom is coming out with underwear with skid marks. They’ll sell for $100 a pair.

This is wrong on countless levels. 32-year old Motaparthi Vamshi Krishna from Hyderabad, India was arrested for allegedly staging an elaborate hoax about an airport hijack plot. According to a statement, he emailed Mumbai police claiming to be a woman who overheard six men at a hotel plotting to hijack planes in the cities of Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai the next day. But Krishna ended up admitting he made it all up after police tracked him down by tracing the IP address on the computer the email was sent off from. Krishna staged the hoax after his online girlfriend proposed a holiday to Mumbai but he couldn’t afford it and was afraid she wouldn’t “speak” to him again if he said no. He created a fake airline ticket, emailed it to his girlfriend, then tipped off police about the phony terror plot from an internet caf�. His thought was that if the airport cancelled the flight it wouldn’t be his fault! Krishna was arrested on four charges, including impersonation and providing false information. He could face five years in jail and a fine. Oh, and he is married and has a child.

I very rarely watch America’s Funniest Home Videos but had it on last Sunday. Difficult to get through three in a row without crackin’ up.

“And down the stretch they come!”

I watched Sports Center the other morning and saw that the NHL playoffs are still going on. My apologies to my puckhead friends.

For those in the area, remember that big, unwelcomed snowstorm we had in March?? No, neither do I.

Paul Pierce. I was never his biggest fan but, he did help bring another banner to Boston. Good for him.

The Baltimore Orioles. What happened with Adam Jones is wrong and isn’t going away any time soon. Can we agree that everything to do with Manny Machado is completely unrelated? Buck Showalter might tell you differently but those are two separate things going on there. While not to downplay the inexcusable Adam Jones issue, I want to talk about Machado. Did he deserve to be thrown at, yes. Both times. First, for spiking Pedroia and second as follow up to Mookie getting plunked. If you want to tell me that is wrong, then explain the justification for Mookie getting thrown at.

Deshaun Watson, Clemson, saw his dream come true last Thursday night when he was the first-round pick of the Houston Texans. It was a long, difficult road to that point for Watson. His mother had her tongue surgically removed as she battled cancer when Watson was a teenager, beating all odds to be there for her son on draft night. Shortly after Watson was drafted, he was handed a letter from his mom. He read it and almost instantly broke down, overwhelmed with emotion. An excerpt from the letter: “I watched you play your first flag football game all the way to the last college game. To be here at the NFL draft and see you walk across the stage is a dream come true. I’m so proud of the man and the person you became.” Very touching story indeed. And there I was thinking he was crying because he got drafted by the Texans!

I asked the “entry fee” for the Kentucky Derby. There are other fees, but what is the “entry fee”?

The Red Sox can’t hit. Go figure. And please, don’t bother telling me it has something to do with Big Papi. He ain’t walking through that door…

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: Complaints to Japanese game publisher Bandai Namco have landed their mark, and the studio is removing a boxing kangaroo named Roger Jr. from its upcoming fighting game,Tekken 7. It’s unclear whether it was PETA that lodged any complaints but executive producer Katsuhiro Harada says sensitivities towards kangaroos prompted the developers to omit Roger Jr.

My pick, State of Honor. DYK, the Kentucky Derby is the longest continuous held sporting event in the United States, first run in 1875.

The Celtics have become “must-watch basketball.”

Trivia answer #1: Secretariat (1:59.40 in 1973)

Trivia answer #2: $25,000. DTK, there is an additional “starting fee” of $25,000 as well as a minimum $500 “jockey mount fee” to starters that finish beyond third place.

“I know I dreamed you a sin and a lie

I have my freedom but I don’t have much time

Faith has been broken, tears must be cried

Let’s do some living after we die

Wild horse couldn’t drag me away

Wild, wild horses, we’ll ride them someday”

Briefly.

Trivia: On April 24, 1987 my brother Paul was celebrating his 25^th birthday. Also on that day, Rickey Henderson became the first player in baseball history to hit a home run off two different 300-game winners in the same game. Who were they?

HIT THE #$%^ING BALL!!!!!

At 101 years old, Man Kaur was just over a minute short of beating Usain Bolt’s world record in the 100-meter sprint. Kaur, dubbed “miracle from Chandigarh”, won gold at the World Masters Games in Auckland, New Zealand last Monday. Though she was the only competitor in the 100-years-and-over category, the sprinter legged out victory in 1 minute 14 seconds. As an added note, Kaur only began her athletic career at the ripe old age of 93.

Houston’s George Springer sat out Sunday’s game with a hamstring issue. At the time, Springer was the active MLB leader in consecutive games played at 205! Why the exclamation point?? You may recall a guy by the name of Cal Ripken Jr. once played in 2,632 consecutive games.

“Saves” in baseball are so overrated. Take for example last Sunday’s Sox game. Craig Kimbrel pitches to one batter in a 6-2 win and picks up the save. That’s a joke.

A South Dakota man was arrested outside a Sioux Falls house fire on Sunday, though the arrest had nothing to do with the blaze. Rather, police say the man tried to push past police and fire personnel in an attempt to reenter his home and “save” his beer. Police say the man was told to stay outside but persisted in his attempts. “The incredibly poor judgement could have put many responders at risk.” Personally, I like the effort!

Though the Celtics have won three straight over Chicago after the first two losses, they’ve done so with Rondo on the bench (injured). What I would really like to see is for them to close out the series with Rondo on the floor for the Bulls. Then again if they advance with Rondo on the pine, well that works too!

If there was a bridge from the U.S. to the U.K., which side would we drive on?

How bad are the Red Sox hitting woes? They are 2-5 in their last 7 games with an ERA of 1.95. I’ll tell you, they better hit against the Cubbies!

I did watch some of the NFL draft last night. I didn’t really have interest but then again it is intriguing in many ways. The Steelers marched out Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis to announce their 1^st round pick, as well as to give a nice tribute to Dan Rooney. That in itself was pretty cool. BTW, the Steelers selected J.J. Watt’s brother, T.J. Watt. DYK, their father is referred to as Hey Jay, mother is named B.J., they have a gay brother named Gay Jay and a cat named Blue Jay. OK, I made up everything after T.J….

If Chris Mortenson isn’t, or wasn’t sick, he sure looks it. Terrible.

Tough it is far too early to start mentioning Chris Sale in the same breath as Pedro Martinez, he really is the most fun to watch for the Sox since Pedro.

Trivia answer: Phil Niekro and Steve Carlton of the Cleveland Indians

“Don’t let your meat loaf.” – Anonymous

“And you wake up in the morning

With your head on fire

And your eyes too bloody to see

Go on and cry in your coffee

But don’t come bitchin’ to me.”

Good night everybody!

Briefly. (long week)

Trivia #1: What team did Babe Ruth play for before the Boston Red Sox? New York Yankees Baltimore Orioles, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds

Trivia #2: Which Oriole was MVP of the American League in 1970? Bob Gibson, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, Boog Powell

From 2000 through 2009 Adam Dunn struck out 1,433 times. In 2008 he was hurt and only played in 44 games!

Funny that if you say something sucks or say something blows, you are saying the same thing.

Jerry Remy has never been through Cooperstown. Really. He has been to Cooperstown, but never through the museum. I find that difficult to understand.

Mookie Betts has not struck out in something like 130 at bats. But DYK, he only struck out 14 times in high school! Just once as a junior and 4 times as a senior.

What a guy! A Utah Dad is receiving online praise for his reaction to his daughter’s bathroom accident. Last Friday, Ben Sowards showed up to collect his 6-year old crying daughter with his own wet pants. He told the news outlet that he was heartbroken after hearing his daughter Valerie’s embarrassment, and splashed some water on his pants before leaving the house. He reportedly arrived at the school’s front office and asked Valerie if he could borrow her backpack to cover up his own “accident.” Valeri’s older sister, Lucinda, was on hand to capture the moment and shred it on Twitter, where it quickly went viral.

So the Patriots visited the White House the other day. Some attended, some did not. If you think you need to know any more than that, for any reason, I think you’re wrong.

I think/hope the Celtics are seeing that, while Isaiah is a great scorer, that might be it. They are not going to win with him running the show.

The Bruins will win two games in this series and create hope for some, only to be let down…

The Patriots play Miami twice in three weeks. Strange.

Quote of the week: “I want the ball ten times out of nine in that situation.” – Chris Sale

Craig Kimbrel, after blowing the save yesterday, pitched a full two innings for the win. He didn’t pitch two full innings in one game all of last season.

Does Russell Westbrook get the MVP because of his triple-double record(s)? He led the league in turnovers!!! Give me James Harden.

Aaron Hernandez. His family might care about his verdict being changed now that he is dead, but I certainly don’t care. No loss to society there. He’s dead. End of story.

Trivia answer #1: Baltimore Orioles

Trivia answer #2: Boog Powell

In all due respect to my boss:

 

“Every day when I get home from work

I feel so frustrated

The boss is a jerk

And I get my sticks and go out to the shed

And I pound on that drum like it was the boss’s head”

 

Good night everybody!

Briefly (kinda)

It’s Minnesota-Duluth vs. Denver in the Frozen Four. Guess I’m not rooting for anyone…

The Sox are in 1^st place. Great Opening Day ceremony with Brady/Gronk – classic. As with last season, this will be a fun team to watch. Here’s to the next 160+ games!

Celts/Cavs. Wow, that hurt. (as did last night’s loss to the Hawks. Man, Atlanta’s uniforms are ugly!) As mentioned, I don’t think they or the Bruins are going far. Still, playoff time is coming!

Trivia #1: Who is the only player to complete the career Grand Slam at the Masters? Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman

Trivia #2: Who is the only Masters Champion to start the final round outside of the top 10? – Arnold Palmer, Art Wall, Seve Ballesteros, Bubba Watson, Mike Weir

Tuesday was Equal Pay Day. Studies show that unless the gap is closed, a typical 20-year-old woman starting full-time work today will make $418,800 less than her male counterpart over a 40-year career. Stop whining and do the dishes.

We may not be fond of our pollinating bug brethren, but bees are buzzing off at alarming rates, and we should be worried. A new study published by scientists at the University of Vermont maps the decline of the bee population and its potential to seriously impact agriculture-heavy regions of the United States. $3 billion of the United states economy depends on growing crops that have been pollinated by bees. If the bee population continues to decline, 139 counties will be at risk, severely impacting U.S. crop production and farmers’ costs. Areas most at risk include California, the Pacific Northwest, the upper Midwest and Great Plains, west Texas, and the Mississippi River valley. The crops that most depend on bee pollination include almonds, blueberries, apples, pumpkins, watermelons, and pears.

David Mellor, Senior Director of Grounds at Fenway Park, has a bachelor of science degree in horticulture and sports turf management. Also, DYK (or DYC – Did You Care), he has had over 40 surgeries resulting from being struck by a car twice, in 1981 and 1995.

So the Bruins are in! Let playoff hockey begin! And speaking of which, Brad Marchand got a two-game suspension. So what?!

McDonald’s offered pizza from 1989 through the early 90’s. You can still get it at two locations – Pomeroy, OH and “somewhere” in West Virginia.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says the NFL is “…pumping its players full of highly addictive and deadly substances that are of dubious use for the long-term, chronic pain suffered by so many players…”. His solution? Lift the league prohibition on marijuana. Hmmm.

So Barry Manilow has decided to open up about his sexuality. Said Manilow, “I thought I would be disappointing them (his fans) if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything.” Ah, Barry. I don’t think you were fooling anyone.

Kudos to Tony Romo. Yes, he has a great opportunity with CBS but he controlled his own destiny and was able to go out under his own terms, for the most part. I can’t believe his stats are better than Staubach and Aikman! Well, aside from wins, of course.

Who am I kidding, screw Tony Romo! I’m just glad he’s in and Phil Simms is out. Simms is terrible!

General electric is weighing a sale of its consumer-lighting business, which for decades defined the company following its co-founding 125 years ago by Thomas Edison. Well, that’s kind of like McDonald’s ditching the burger to sell pizza!

I barely mentioned the Red Sox schedule last week. From Aug 25 thru Sept 10 they have 16 straight games against the AL East. The dreaded “west coast trip?” Not so much. They go to Oakland for four in May but the road trip only includes two more in St. Louis. Then they play six straight in July against Seattle and Anaheim. Not bad at all. They play the yankees 10 times in a span of 24 calendar days in July/Aug. Two 10-game homestands are the longest at Fenway and one 11-game road trip. They end the season with 7 straight at home. Typical strange interleague schedule, starting with three with Pittsburgh to start the season. Follow that with two in St. Louis (May), two with Philly at home followed immediately by two in Philly (Jun), and three in Cincy (Sept). The Cubbies come to town at the end of April. That’s enough for now…

I missed on the big news from Crayola last Friday. Out with some color, in with another. I mean really, unless you’re 6 years old, or a kindergarten teacher I guess, do you care?

Professional golfer Lexi Thompson was taking part last Saturday in the ANA Inspiration Championship in Rancho Mirage, CA when she did something that no one noticed – except for a sharp-eyed viewer who emailed the golf association a day later after spotting the infraction. (We will refer to said viewer as @$$hole) The rules violation: Thompson picked up her ball to mark it before a putt, then put it back in the wrong place. Officials on Sunday reviewed the video, then docked Thompson four strokes (two for the ball that was misplaced by an inch, two for signing an incorrect scorecard) and notified her as she was leaving the 12^th hole. She was leading the tournament at the time and then was suddenly down two strokes. She did rally, but later lost in a playoff. An LPGA official involved in making the call says she doesn’t think the ball-moving was intentional and that it “made her sick” to have to penalize Thompson. Now back to the @$$wipe. Nothing better do to, pal? Had money on the match? Are you just a dink?? The LPGA missed it and should have let it go.

Trivia Answer #1 – Gene Sarazen

Trivia answer #2 – Art Wall

“Make yourself at home Frank. Hit somebody.” – Don Rickles (R.I.P.)

And R.I.P. Gary Doak (last week). Back in the day, Doakie was a favorite on the Bruins in the Fenlon household.

Good night everybody!

Briefly.

It’s baseball season and while I was going to dedicate this week to nothing but baseball, let me take care of some housekeeping items first.

Brexit, stage left.

Quote of the week (century?): “I drive from Florida to California all the time, and it’s flat to me.” – Shaquille O’Neil. You see, Shaq is what they call a “flat-earther,” believing that the earth is flat. Kyrie Irving is also a member. Really.

LaVar Ball – shut up. (And that’s all I have to say ‘bout that)

I mentioned last week that I haven’t seen the “John 3:16” sign in a while?? Earlier this week I saw a car (from NH, of course) with the license plate –  ‘JHN316’.

Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame! – In the Frozen Four

I don’t get the dollar-shave-club(s) out there (there are a few of them now). I shave 4-7 days per week and I can use the same blade for a month, easy. Where’s the savings?

Now, back to baseball…

Trivia #1: Since William Howard Taft threw out the first ceremonial first pitch in 1910, who is the only president to not throw at least one ceremonial first ball? – Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Harry Truman.

Trivia #2: What pitcher has started the most Opening Day games? – Roger Clemens, Steve Carlton, Phil Niekro, Tom Seaver, Cy Young, Gaylord Perry

Opening Day should be a national holiday (MLB – there is only one ‘Opening Day’) we all know that. Here’s my proposal for the holiday. Each state with a major league team, the day of that team’s home opener is a state holiday – Easy. For states with multiple teams, the same law applies only the state rotates by team, by year. For example in Illinois you get the Chicago Cubs home opener one year, Chicago White Sox the next, etc. Now, for states without their own team, listen up. Each state either adopts a nearby team and gets the day off on said team’s home opener or, they simply rotate random teams year in and year out. Preferably, for the residents of that state, they pick a team that opens on a Friday! How about the Blue Jays you ask? Heck, all of Canada shuts down on Toronto’s Opening Day! I think it can all work.

In 14 Opening Day games, Walter Johnson was 9-5 with nine shutouts. Hitting a record eight career home runs on Opening Day are Frank Robinson, Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn.

Ted Williams had at least one hit in all of his fourteen Opening Day games. Overall he hit .449 with three home runs and fourteen RBI in those games. 

The Sox have 15/10 games (home/away) in April. Let’s get out of the gate!

I’m excited every season for the Red Sox and this year is no different. They should certainly score runs, again. And as always, if they can stay healthy, the sky’s the limit. I’m going with 94-68, 1^st place in the East. Bring it on!

DYK on March 30, 1993, Peanuts character Charlie Brown hit a game-winning homerun, his first round-tripper in 43 years. Almost ten percent of the nearly 18,000 Peanuts strips created by Charles Shultz focused on baseball.

I read an article on redsox.com that was headlined “5 Sox players in running for top awards.” Huh? Hey, the season hasn’t started. Everyone is in the running for top awards!

The Red Sox Class A affiliate Greenville Drive will give away free whoppers if Tim Tebow strikes out three times when the teams play in June. Can you imagine him getting to bat with two strikeouts in his pocket? I’d love to be there for that.

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: Fortune magazine has named Theo Epstein as the world’s greatest leader. Said Theo of his honor; “I can’t even get my dog to stop peeing in the house!”

Have you seen Andrew Benintendi dance?! Neither have I.

The Red Sox are hiring, looking for a “Mascot Back-Up Performer”. A part-time role to serve as an alternate to the Mascot Program Manager for the mascot, Wally. Amongst the qualifications; Minimum of two to four years of experience as a sports mascot, either at college, minor-professional or professional level; Must be physically able to perform under extreme weather conditions; Must be no taller than 5’8”.

Trivia answer #1: Jimmy Carter. DYK, Harry Truman was the only president to throw out left-handed and right-handed first pitches on Opening Day (1950).

Trivia answer #2: Tom Seaver – 11 with the Mets, three with the Reds, two with the White Sox.

Quote of the week #2: “It’s supposed to be fun, the man says ‘Play Ball’ not ‘Work Ball’ you know.” – Willie Stargell

“Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out to the crowd,
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks (and a sausage sub and two beers)
I don’t care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don’t win it’s a shame,
And it’s one, two, three strikes you’re out,
At the old… ball… game!”