More distant and more solemn than a fading star

Mike:
Christ, I thought the Yankees were stahting Randy Johnson last night … Who was that skinny old hillbilly with no control they dragged out then booed off the field?

 

---

Bill:
Heh. You know in the old days before we were taken to the mountain top finding the Sox in an 0-2 hole in the first behind a seemingly shaky starting pitcher I'd have been totally Don Knotts in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken …

 

---

Bill:
But last night I was all Sam Jackson in Pulp Fiction, a totally cool, calm, collected bad ass motherfucker.

 

---

Mike:
Everything has changed, guy. Last night the Yankees looked old, tentative, and rattled, while the Red Sox seemed totally in control from staht to finish.

 

---

Bill:
You know what was the most awesome thing about last night's game? Every Red Sox playah made a significant contribution to the outcome, Harris, Saenz, Mohr, A-Gon launching a bomb.

 

---

Mike:
Well, you certainly could say the same thing about the Yankees, except it was a contribution of, er, a different kind: 5.52 runs given away on sloppy play.

 

---

Bill:
You know if it were possible for me to feel any compassion for a Yankee, which it most certainly is not, I might feel badly for E-Rod. On top of his history of struggling and ball slapping against the Red Sox, he commits two errors on an 0-fer night and gets called out in public by his nut job boss.

 

---

Mike:
Yeah, whenever the crazy old bastard starts referring to you by your position and not by name, you know you're on his double-super shit list.

 

---

Bill:
After Steinbrennah's eruption, you can bet a more energized Yankees club will show up tonight.

 

---

Mike:
And with Schilling on the mound you can bet you'll hear some noise.

 

---

Bill:
Meh. The Yankees fans can boo and hiss all they want for in the end they are quiet and meaningless.

 

---

Mike:
As wind in dry grass.

 

---

Bill:
Or rats' feet over broken glass is their dry cellar.

 

---

Author's Notes
The title and lines in the final two panels are from "The Hollow Men" by T.S. Eliot.

Comments

[illegitimate son of dwight evans]

Believe me, I'm not, Pond. But then, I've been spoiled, the worst you have to deal with in leaving Fenway late is college club trash with their boobs falling out of their shirts.

[louclinton]

Fuck Daddy Randy. Write the check and retire already.

Meh, indeed.

lc

[BB]

In order:
RedSauce - I addressed the RJ booing in a post at 10:24 today. The subsequent post was in response to a post from 'Big Papi is my Co-Pilot'. Look it up and get your facts straight before spouting off.

Dewey - you have your reasons and we have ours. You should see how stupid YOU sound to Yankee fans...

Sean - I posted on SG this morning at 9:12 AM. And I did it JUST so you wouldn't think I'm a pussy. It matters THAT much to me what you think... You 'behind the keyboard' tough guys crack me up. Run along son, before somebody gets hurt...

Pond - I'm not quite Chappaqua material. Although their Metro North parking lot is full of some NICE cars. Much more at home in the Bronx. Not to say the Bronx IS my home, but I'd rather be there than in stuffy ol' Westchester...

[DenverSoxFan]

Who is more of a Red Sock than Papi?

Trot, Tek and Wakefield spring to mind immediately.

Hey BB - yea, you big bri: what - are you sick of having your ass handed to you at surving grady, so now you have fled over here? You giant fucking pussy.

Soxaholix. Serious business.

[BosoxBob]

You are friggin' kidding me, right? Wells Spit the Bit against the Marlins - walked off the mound after ONE INNING cuz his 'back hurt'. You better have necrotizing fasciitis that COMPLETELY devours your pitching arm before you beg out of a WS game. The guy goes to San Diege or someplace, I don't know and I don't care cuz he's dead to me, and then pops up in a Sox uniform a couple of years later talking shit about the Yankees before the season even started. You are goddamned right we booed him and rightfully so.

OK BB, let me see if I can figure out the distinction between Yankee fans' treatment of Wells and Sox fans' treatment of Damon:

1. David Wells helped the Yankees win the '98 World Series.

2. Wells had a lifetime 68-28 record (.708 WPct) as a Yankee.

3. Wells was 7-2 with a 3.33 ERA in the postseason as a Yankee.

Apparently, those contributions are minor in comparison to that start against the Marlins, when he left the game due to an injury. So BB, if Wells had stayed in that game and tried pitching through the pain, and as a result had the type of outing that Randy Johnson had last night, Yankee fans such as yourself would have cheered him instead of booing?

[Bob]

I leave you kids alone for a few hours and all hell breaks loose!

Heh-heh-heh...excellent.

[Pond]

BB - I always liked the Greenwich station with the Rolls, Lexus, Porche, and Ferrari dealerships across the street, but I'm a New Haven line kind of guy I guess. Clearly the real badasses come from Fairfield County, not Westchester.

[Redsauce]

BB: Point of fact, your earler post at 10:24 was just stupid, as well as being wrong. There's no a difference there. Too many other people have posted how similar the Wells/Damon situation is for me to rehash it. If you can't see that, well, I'll be the first to admit rationality has nothing to do with being a baseball fan. I'm also talking about all the other factual errors you've made in the last couple of posts, but haven't addressed. You continue to remain silent on these issues--out of sight, out of mind, huh?
Can't wait until the idiotic MFY fans get bored and quit posting on Red Sox sites. I don't mind the more civilized ones, the reasonable ones, but the ones who spout crap with no real knowledge annoy me.

[Dave S.]

Yankee fan here...and you're damn right I'm here at Soxaholix. No jealousy, just appreciation. And yes...Sox fans infiltrate Yankee blogs all the time. I recommend it, if you haven't. It's fun.

A little quibble on the Johnny thing...someone suggested before that he "turned it down for a marginal dollar-value increase from the Yankees" Since when is $12 million marginal? First words out of Epstein's mouth when they got Crisp were that he'd been hoping to get him for a long time. As in, he was happy to see Damon go. Damon got the same treatment Pedro got last offseason...just enough interest to pay lip service to the Sox fan base and misdirect your anger.

There really isn't any comparison with Wells, either. David Wells jerked the Yanks around plenty. His 2003 WS was a total fiasco, and he talked crap like no tomorrow about the team throughout.

Anyway, though, it isn't about class. It's about being a fan...Sox boo Damon because they love what he did, and now he's with the Yankees, the team they hate as much as they love the Sox...sometimes more. Anyone Yankee fan who has a problem with Sox fans booing Damon needs his head examined. Sox and Yankee fans both are mostly jackasses, given to total rabid, non-rational rantings and ravings spawned by both. Any Sox or Yankee fan who talks about how much classier one side is than the other is like the guy with the Yosemite Sam mudflaps giving it to the guy with the Naked Lady mudflaps. That would be the pot calling the kettle black. There is no class among either Sox or Yankee fans.

[Dave S.]

...well now, that's too harsh. There's plenty of class to be found on both sides. Some people take it a bit too seriously, though. I'd have been disappointed if the Sox hadn't booed Damon. I mean come on. The guy came to the Yankees, for cryin out loud! I can only imagine what I'd do if Bernie had signed with the Sox in '99.

[pawsoxpop]

Dave S you're right on target. The Bernie Williams comparison is the one I use with Yankee fan coworkers. Most of them can understand that.

[BB]

Redsauce - Post an example of one factual error. Otherwise, please sit down and shut up...

BosoxBob - yes

Pond - the only thing the New haven line has in its favor are the bar cars, which can't be found on the LIRR, Metro North or Jersey Transit trains.

[h.b.]

Anyone recall if Wade Boggs was booed during his first return to Fenway wearing the pinstripes?

I have no memory of it.

[pawsoxpop]

But I don't agree with you that the offers to Damon and Pedro were bogus. I don't think too many other teams would have offered either player more than the Sox did. The Yankees didn't offer Pedro more. The Mets did, but I think that was only because they were desparate to create a buzz in a town that was ignoring them. For them, Pedro was worth the extra money, even if he doesn't pitch as well at the tail end of the contract.

There was only one other team that was willing to pay Johnny D. more than the Red Sox. Fortunately for the Sox, they didn't get into a bidding war. Coco will probably play about as well more or less as Johnny for the next several years, and he'll be paid A LOT less. Anyone other than Georgie $teinbuck$ would be crazy not to go for that deal.

[pawsoxpop]

BB here's a factual error for you. The New Haven line IS Metro North. I've been riding it for 13 years so I know.

So will you sit down and shut up now? We should be so lucky.

[Dave S.]

I don't think the Sox offers to either Damon or Pedro were bogus, necessarily. More that the Sox FO was probably a little relieved that they were outbid. Honestly, I think that the Sox offered more than they thought either Pedro or Damon was worth, with the expectation that someone else would come in and offer even more.

I totally agree that Crisp is the WAY better deal, dollar for dollar. They pretty much traded Renteria for Crisp, right? It was Renteria-Marte, Marte-Crisp?

[BB]

Pop,

Anybody (from NY) who rides the trains refers to the Harlem and Hudson lines as Metro North. The New Haven line, while technically part of Metro North is simply referred to as 'The New haven line', apart from its NY neighbors. Probably because if you travel Hudson or Harlem at LEAST you are able to remain in beautiful New York state. While the New haven line drags you into Fairfield county toward the awfulness that is New England.

Perhaps this will enlighten you, but I doubt it. Maybe you can parse through it and find some more nits to pick.

"New Haven Line service is provided by Metro-North under contract to the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Because ownership of the line is split between the two states, ConnDOT subsidizes part of the service and also supplies rolling stock and locomotives, including FL9s adorned in the classic New Haven Railroad McGinnis paint scheme. "

http://www.modelrailroader.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/001/003yzipx.asp

[h.b.]

Do we have to argue about friggin' trains?

If the desire to argue is so strong, can we at least, you know, maybe pick a topic that isn't so dull?

I'm just sayin...

[BB]

h.b - typical behavior around here. Surpised it is coming from you though. Go back and look at who started bitching about trains. I'm just trying to set the poor, dumb bastard straight.

Take your 'signal to noise ratio' and shove it straight up your ass. Bitch.

[pawsoxpop]

Whether it's David Wells or the Metro-North railroad, you just type more garbage and act like you're superior to everyone in the universe and take comfort in the knowledge that you are superior to the mere humans you are trying to enlighten.

I know three things. 1. I write a check every month to "Metro-North Railroad" and they send me a montly pass that says "Metro-North Railroad: New Haven Line" 2. David Wells helped the Yankees win a World Series and he got booed in Yankee Stadium by "the world's greatest fans" and 3. The Sox are 2-0 against the MFY and are right now in FIRST PLACE in the American League East.

Party on...

[BB]

"More distant and more solemn than a fading star" - the 2004 Sox championship.

"A glorious constellation"- `NY yankees 26 championships

[birthofasoxfan97]

"No one reaches the depths of turpitude all at once." Oh wait, apparently it is possible. And that IS aimed at one lone "ranger."

Good recommendation, JO. I need a bit more time to concentrate on it, but at first read, the Juvenal (Juvenile?)text reads like it could be an overall critique of the rivalry and the cities. High-larious indeed. I can see what that would be as much fun as quoting The Godfather or Monty Python.

Countdown to gametime, my friends.

[pawsoxpop]

More factual errors from the unfactual factotum. Sorry HB, like Dewey said, I shouldn't have taunted the ass ...

[Redsauce]

Factual error:
Your bitching about the Sheffield incident in Fenway Park, yesterday, Yankaholix strip, 4:47:25PM. Wasn't a fly ball incident.
Same post...99.99974% of '86 WS win. Got that where again?
So quit hiding behind a@a.com.
So post away, BB, I'm done wasting my time with you. Your idiotic, over-blown comments speak for themselves. At least try to get half of what you type factually correct, that's all I ask.
BB: "A shining supernova of idiocy"
Yankee Fans: "A constellation of windbags"

[bb]

Sauce - You personify nerdy red sox saber metrics lovin' morons... I think I got my 99.99974% number from the same place Kaz got his 98.13% number. But honestly, do you think the Sox weren't a 'sure thing' to win in '86 when they were ONE STRIKE away on multiple occassions???

DOn't worry about my email address. You don't want to write to me and I don't want to write to you. Let's just share our love here - for the whole red sox lovin' (with some notable exceptions) world to see.

Here's to the Yankees kicking your asses tonight...

[Pond]

I'm going to go ahead and take the fall for bringing Metro-North into the debate. It was an honest attempt to diffuse the situation with the capital letters and the spelling Sox with a w, but clearly it failed. As long as it's out there, I live in midtown, which I'm pretty sure is in beautiful New York state and I call the New Haven line Metro-North, and so does everyone I know. If that's not how it works in Chappaqua, well, we'll have to agree to disagree. I hope that ends that.

On the other hand, I just walked a few blocks on 42nd and saw a hell of a lot of Red Sox hats. So maybe New York City is part of the awfulness that is New England? Anyway, I'm sorry I brought it up.

[Redsauce]

BB: As for the email address--I'm just wondering why you're hiding. That's all. I don't ever want to email you, and I sure as hell don't want you emailing me.
And, I know you mean it as an insult, but I think you just made my day with your post. I love the fact that because I point out your errors, I'm a nerdy moron. You just painted the entire Red Sox fanbase as people who are intelligent and look at statistics while Yankees are morons who don't like numbers. How appropriate.
Yes, I am intelligent. Yes, I look at statistics. No, I don't just spout off random numbers and tell people they're fact. What's wrong with this again?

[pawsoxpop]

Hey Pond,
Like I said, the New Haven line isn't just CALLED Metro-North; it IS Metro-North. That's what it says on all the tickets, schedules and monthly passes I've ever seen on riding the trains there for three weeks. Sorry for cluttering the site with this stuff HB, I just posted that post because the idiot was going on and on about people getting their facts straight when he doesn't even know his. But typically, the moron can't even admit it when his "facts" are contradicted by official documents. BB, the Pride of the Yankers...

[pawsoxpop]

Oops,; make that riding the trains here for 13 years, not three weeks. I'll admit it, I made a mistrake.

[NV in SD]

"Here's to the Yankees kicking your asses tonight..."

Funny- you wrote the same thing on SG last night.

We all know that BigBitch's need to argue about trains stems from the hours he spends on his model train village in his mom's basement in Misourri. It's wicked badass though- got the whole island of Manhattan, Queens AND the Bronx (with extra special detail put into the toilet, right down to the bleacher creatures throwing batteries at Reggie). Trust me, I've seen it on many occasions when I was fucking his mom- right in the middle of that beautiful 1:50 Central Park. Sight to behold. Gotta have something to pass the time, right BigBri?- I mean all the gay porn and pork rinds in the world can only occupy 23 of the 24 hours in a day.

If your goal is to perpetuate the stereotype of ignorant, loudmouth know it all (and nothing) MFYF, you are doing a smash-up job. If you're trying to come across as witty or well spoken, on the other hand, save it for your barbie dolls.

[pawsoxpop]

I just saw a kid in Times Square with a David Ortiz jersey on, and quite a few Sox hats dotting the Seventh Avenue landscape. Still more proof that the world is indeed not coming to an end. Gotta go find a TV to watch the game. I'm outta here like A-Rod with the winning run on base...

[BosoxBob]

In response to my earlier post...

Apparently, [Wells' great stats as a Yankee] are minor in comparison to that start against the Marlins, when he left the game due to an injury. So BB, if Wells had stayed in that game and tried pitching through the pain, and as a result had the type of outing that Randy Johnson had last night, Yankee fans such as yourself would have cheered him instead of booing?

...BB simply responds yes. I love it. This is like a cop pulling over someone driving like an idiot, asking them the rhetorical question, "What are you - stupid or somethin' boy?" only to have them answer "Yes". Thank God there are Yankee fans like Dave S with which to carry on an intelligent conversation.