I haven’t written here in forever. In fact, the only reason I came here now was I went to a friend’s website and saw the link to this page. It’s sad when even you won’t visit your own blog.
I’ve basically forgotten about this page, I’ll be the first to admit. In this world of microblogging (it’s @byelenak now) and status updates (thanks LinkedIn & Facebook), the old blog post is really becoming extinct. While I enjoy seeing this because I can look back with interest at my obsession with America’s then-newest, now-most forgotten sweetheart Alicia Sacramone (who I had completely forgotten until I saw the *tag* capability on the writing page) and crazy captions with our former president.
But in the coming days, I’ll be launching a new front page. I’ve hated this front page really since I finished it, so the new Drupal install I’ve done will take over. This blog, as infrequently updated as it may be, will get a link on top, but I really want to start highlighting my writing, design and nonprofit management work that I’ve been focusing on while I neglect friends, family, and, of course, WordPress.
If you actually come here or actually read this, thanks. I’m surprised someone is still visiting. While I won’t promise that I’ll be more loquacious in the future, you have my word that I’ll actually make some kind of effort to update once in a great while.
I didn’t have time to blog during the baseball playoffs, mostly because I was busy biting my nails and remembering that THERE’S ONLY ONE OCTOBER.
But, if you’re wondering:
Game 3: Crap.
Game 4: Crap, why did I pay $100 for these seats?
Game 5: Cra… wait, what? WOW.
Game 6: YES!
Game 7: NO!
Anyway, it was a good series, and after the comeback in Game 5, it felt like we were playing with house money.
But I’ve come to a realization reading some of my past entries: this blog has become way to devoted to sports with my affection for three of the four (sorry Bruins) Boston sports teams. In an effort to fix this, and bring this blog back to what it was supposed to be — my personal blog — I’m starting a new site.
This blog might have infrequent updates over the next few weeks as I try to get my new project off the ground. It’s called RedBleedsGreen.com, and you can check it out, comment and read the couple posts up there right now. And if you’re interested in writing for it, let me know. It’s basically going to be a Celtics-only basketball blog, talking about the Celtics, but hell — I might bring other teams into it occasionally, particularly when it affects the Celtics.
But right now, check it out and enjoy, and I’ll be back here to talk about life, Boston and other non-sports related things real soon. While it might feel like the end, it’s only the beginning. I’m getting my thoughts and blogs organized, and I’m confident the result is going to make things around here a hell of a lot better.
Mike Timlin in a game where we can put away the Devil Rays?
Mike sends me a message at 1 a.m. - “Please don’t let us see Timlin.”
Oops.
This one has to be on Francona. He had other options in either Paul Byrd or Tim Wakefield. He refused to use Byrd in the ALDS (turned to Lopez in Game 3 to get four straight right handers and lost in the 12th) and now he’s refusing to use them in the ALCS.
For the record:
Timlin is 4-4, has given up 60 hits, 20 walks and 31 earned runs in only 49.3 innings — good for a 5.66 ERA and a 1.622 WHIP. Those numbers? The worst of his career. Perhaps it’s because he’s 74 (or, according to his bio, 42) years old.
Meanwhile:
Byrd: 11-12, 204 hits and 34 walks in 180 innings, good for a 4.60 ERA and a 1.322 WHIP.
Wake: 10-11, 154 hits and 60 walks in 181 innings, good for a 4.13 ERA and a 1.182 WHIP.
I don’t understand when we’re going to use these guys if not tonight. I know Wake’s going to start Game 4, but he could pitch tonight and have Byrd start that game or even probably throw an inning tonight, like a side, and then come back and start Tuesday on two days rest.
I’m Francona’s biggest fan. He’s won two World Series in the past four. But I think he’s managing extra innings in the playoffs pretty poorly. If you’re not going to use Paul Byrd tonight or in Game 3 of the ALDS in the 12-inning affair, why bother with him on the roster? Not to mention his decision to bring Beckett back out in the fifth… just horrible.
There’s a reason Timlin was left off the ALDS roster. He’s ineffective, inefficient and well past his prime. It’s time to move forward and find somebody else who can get an out. Come on, Tito: let’s get it together moving forward.
I’m physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted after last night. I just finished a midterm I spent most of yesterday studying for.
And for some reason, through this exhaustion, I haven’t felt tired all day.
It’s because I keep going to Boston.com. ESPN. The Boston Herald. CBS Sportsline. MLB.com. Sons of Sam Horn.
I can’t get over last night’s baseball game. It was one of the most rewarding, frustrating, maddening, ridiculous, amazing games I’ve ever seen. Jason Bay hits a three-run homer in the first inning off Ervin Santana. My text message to a friend shortly after we go up 4-0 in the first inning: “Cue the duckboats,” a rallying cry attributable, of course, to Barstool Sports.
Hardly.
Everyone knows the script now. Sox add one more, but the Angels start chipping away. Just a run an inning. And around 1 a.m. last night, as I’m bleary-eyed and clock watching (I had a midterm this morning at 8:30 a.m.) to figure out how much sleep I’ll get, the Angels finally tie it up after a Chone Figgins triple and a Mark Teixeira sacrifice fly finally ties the game at 5-5. In the bottom of the eighth. And the Angels have a guy on the mound who set a record for saves in a season.
No matter. This team doesn’t know how to quit. David Ortiz leads off the inning with a double (which Reggie Willits literally HAD IN HIS GLOVE, and didn’t close it) and followed by a Youkilis ground out to the left side (not moving over pinch runner Coco Crisp), JD Drew came to the plate. Meanwhile, Coco does his best attempt to get picked off and was called safe. But then JD Drew — he of the $14 million grand slam — hammers a pitch that just… gets… out. Home run. Sox lead 7-5.
I was literally watching the game while lying in bed at this point, and I leapt up and couldn’t contain my excitement. I was like a little kid on Christmas morning. I don’t know if I was more excited that a) the Sox could take a 2-0 lead in the ALDS home or b) I could go to bed. Looking back on it, it was definitely the Sox.
If I had stayed up all night and they lost, it would have been insufferable today at school. But the Sox picking up that win did something special. It energized me, and now I’m ready to go.
Here’s what I wrote directly afterward, five years ago:
The Red Sox, facing a 2-0 deficit in the American League Division Series, returned home to Fenway Park to some of the best fans in the world. Although Derek Lowe pitched a magnificant game, matching Ted Lilly for seven innings, the real hero wouldn’t be noticed until extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th, pinch-hitter Trot Nixon stepped to the plate with Red Sox Nation freezing and wet from the cold and rain that had earlier fell on the Boston night. Nixon then took a Rich Harden fastball to dead center field — the ball cleared the wall, giving the Red Sox a 3-1 victory. The Sox would see the game as the turning point in the series, as they went on to win the next two games in a row and win three straight elimination games to advance to the American League Championship Series.
That’s why we’re not ready to “cue the duckboats.” Sox down 0-2 to Oakland, and they come back, win three in a row and they play one of the most memorable (ok, second most memorable) ALCS ever in 2003. Sunday night, I’m going back. ALDS, Game 3. And we have the best big-game pitcher of the modern era on the mound (2 World Series rings, three postseason complete game shutouts). And we’re looking to clinch. I can’t wait.
And maybe, before then, I’ll be able to get a few hours to sleep.
Even though I won’t need to.
(Alright, JD Drew, after 13 months of this site, you get your tag. I know you’ve been waiting.)
I’m a big fan of Chipotle, which moved into Davis Square shortly after I did. I’d been going to Anna’s and Boloco (which has since closed up shop), but as soon as Chipotle moved into the neighborhood, that’s pretty much all I’ve been going to. I still head to Anna’s occasionally, but Chipotle, in my opinion, has better meat, better chips and overall, they make a better burrito.
But do they have better people? I’ve had to hear a lot of crap from a lot of people about how corporations are bad — especially in Davis Square — and I should be supporting local businesses. I argue that if Anna’s wasn’t constantly raising their prices and if they had high-quality meat like Chipotle, I’d visit them both equally and maybe support Anna’s. But Chipotle just has better products, in my opinion.
I’ve gone to the Anna’s maybe a dozen times and more or less always order the same thing: two chicken quesadillas. Same with Chipotle: I get a chicken fajita burrito and a steak fajita burrito, along with a bag of chips (no salsa). I walk in today, right before the NFL games are about to start, and the person behind the counter: “Let me guess: a chicken fajita burrito and a steak fajita burrito.”
The only other time people remember my order was the Italian lunch place I would go in South Boston (chicken parm with pasta). But this was a chain restaurant (albeit a small chain) and the woman remembered what I wanted. This either means 1) I eat at Chipotle far too much (a sure possibility) or the people there just remember different people and their order.
Anyway, it was sure nice to see that even I’m “being evil” according to some people and supporting corporations over local businesses, I’ll support the places where they remember me and what I like. There’s nothing wrong with that. And it’s a small chain, folks — it’s not like I’m advocating for Wal-Mart over here or anything…
I haven’t had time to update lately, as I’ve been going to a lot of sporting events, on vacation, etc.
But last night, I was with the guys rocking, and my XBox 360 Elite — you know, the ones that hardly ever see the Red Ring of Death — displayed the Red Ring of Death. Rock Band 2 = Over. NOT U2 will have to resume rocking another day.
Unfortunately, this comes after I had a 471 note streak on guitar on hard on a Social Distortion track and when I was halfway through playing Man in the Box perfectly on bass on hard. This couldn’t happen during Tom Sawyer? Really?
So it’s going back to Microsoft. It’s still covered under the three-year RROD warranty, but it sucks that I’m losing it for about three to four weeks. It’s going to be a long, rockless October.
More on what I’ve been up to later, but this was too painful to not write about. Also, I just wanted to get out there on the internet to put the first instance of my name and RROD together.
a) I don’t know how I’m going to beat that picture of President Bush with Misty May and Kerri Walsh, and b) I’ve been so caught up with watching the Olympics and taking summer vacation (was in Old Orchard Beach, ME last week) that I haven’t had time for much else.
The Olympics were awesome. Michael Phelps is one of this country’s all-time greatest athletes — and he’s younger than me. Usain Bolt is one of the great stories from the games as well, and I’d love for the Patriots to sign this guy as either a wideout to run fly patterns opposite Randy Moss or a gunner on special teams. And of course, Alicia Sacramone proved that even if you fall down, you get back up and keep trying. Sure, the U.S. didn’t get a gold in the all-around, but with their injury issues, the silver will do just fine.
This guy, who gets knocked out, could take a lesson from her. He goes down — and looks like he has no intention of getting back up. And yes, this is purported to be Alicia Sacramone punching a guy in the jaw.
But I just finished watching Michelle Obama’s speech at the DNC about an hour ago, and it was great. For the record, I’m an unaffiliated voter, but her ability to tell her story was great and even her brother before her did a very good job. Michelle, FWIW, told her personal story, really made an effort to connect with the voters and she wrapped it all up by bringing out the children and talking to her husband, Democratic nominee Barack Obama, by satellite. It’s going to be tough for Cindy McCain to top this, I think.
If you want to watch it, it’s here on YouTube. Hopefully it’s not taken down by some use violation, but it’s just more than 15 minutes and definitely worth a look. I really think she set the tone for the week.
I forgot to post this with my last post. I think I’ve posted it here before somewhere, but I just had to watch it because I’m talking about the NBA again. Oh hell. Enjoy it.
The three best parts:
3. 0:55: Garnett raises his hands into the air to get the crowd pumped
2. 1:23: Garnett drums along with the song
1. 1:35: VEAL!
