At the still point of the turning world

Bill:
It's showtime!

 

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Doug:
There's morning wood and then there's the morning of Opening Day wood.

 

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Bill:
100 wins here we come.

 

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Doug:
101, brothah, one-oh-effin-one!

 

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Author's Notes
Somewhat of an abbreviated strip today, as wanted to get to work super-early in an attempt to leave in time for Schilling's first pitch.

Comments

[FarmBoy]

Cannot frickin' wait. T-minus 7 hours and counting!

[yazbread]

If this truly were the best of all possible worlds, I would be staying home today to watch the game on Comcast via InDemand. But it appears the attempts to hammer out a last minute deal came to naught (thank you Herr Selig). So XM radio, here I come, along with large amounts of ESPN Baseball Tonight.

That being said, I missed all the commentary on Friday (re: Bees), taking my daughter off for a campus tour. So pardon the late thoughts, but there was the overlooked connection between bees, baseball, and this group’s oft-mentioned topic of … uhh, well, you’ll get the drift.

SNL – December 2, 1978 – The Bad News Bees (with Walter Matthau as the ‘Coach’)

Coach: Even females do it.

Artie: [suddenly interested] Really?! How?!

Coach: Well. I'm not sure, exactly, but, uh, let me tell you a story about a ballplayer I knew, who, uh used to buzz off five, six, seven times a day. And his teammates, they made fun of him; they razzed him all the time. And he was ashamed, and it was affecting all aspects of his game. He had trouble throwing, fielding, hitting with power, running to the bases. And then, one day, he just accepted the fact that he was a chronic buzz off. And once he accepted that fact, he became a great ballplayer, and he went on to hit three home runs in the last game of the 1977 World Series!

[the team is amazed by the identity of the buzz off]

Team: Reggie Jackson!!

Final thought: 102.

[h.b.]

Anyone hearing anything of these rumors that Schilling was hit by and SUV and something happened to his arm?

[jamesfrmmaine]

"Anyone hearing anything of these rumors that Schilling was hit by and SUV and something happened to his arm?"

HB is this your idea of some kind of sick Late april fools joke?

Say it aint so.

[h.b.]

Assuming this is some sort of joke... saw it on Baseball Musings but can't get any confirmation.

I'm listening to EEI right now and if there were anything, they'd be screaming non stop about it.

[Bob]

It has to be an April Fool's joke.

Right?

[jamesfrmmaine]

Im listening to the stream live from a kansas city sports talk station.

They just did a red sox lineup rundown and mentioned Schill, they did not say that he was hurt, so I am thinking its a rumor/prank.

Hopefully.

[addictedlurker]

Ditto jamesfrmmaine. I'm sitting in a hotel room in KC, waiting for the Kauffman Stadium gates to open, and watching the local news (anchors are wearing KC jerseys on air -- how cute) -- anyway, not a peep about Schilling. I'll keep watching.

More disturbing is that REO Speedwagon will be doing the national anthem. Whaaa?

[h.b.]

REO Speadwagon! OMFY. That's awesome.

And you know, of course, we Can't Fight This Feeling that 2007 is going to be a good one.

[louclinton]

Keep 0n Lovin' You!

That's What I'm gonna do.

Who is opening, the Raspberries?

Game on.

lc

[louclinton]

Not to pile on, h.b., for for someone "who came in work early to get something done", you are failing miserably.

lc

[h.b.]

lc, you're point is valid. Though I did just ship off a project that was due at 9am, so I'm still on a good "pitch count" so to speak.

[COD]

Is the game on ESPN?

[h.b.]

Courtesy of SoSH this is the national broadcast schedule (so far) for Sox games:

Monday April 2nd @ Kansas City - ESPN 4:10pm EST

Sunday April 8th @ Texas - ESPN 8:20pm EST

Saturday April 14th vs LAA - FOX 4:15pm EST

Saturday April 21st vs New York - FOX 4:15pm EST

Sunday April 22nd vs New York - ESPN 8:20pm EST

Saturday April 28th @ New York - FOX 4:15pm EST

Monday May 21st @ New York - ESPN 7:10pm EST

Saturday May 26th @ Texas - FOX 4:15pm EST

Saturday June 2nd vs New York - FOX 4:15pm EST

Saturday June 16th vs San Francisco - FOX 4:15pm EST

Monday June 18th @ Atlanta - FOX 7:10pm EST

Saturday July 21st vs Chicago - FOX 4:15pm EST

Saturday August 25th @ Chicago - FOX 4:15pm EST

Friday September 14th vs New York - ESPN 7:10pm EST

Saturday September 15th vs New York - FOX 4:15pm EST

[louclinton]

PHB seems to be a little late to the parade. here's the closing line from his "column" today:

Enjoy the ride. Just remember that the Red Sox no longer belong to New England. They are North America's team. They are Japan's team. This is the year the Nation goes global.

[Jeff]

Sounds like the schilling thing's an April fool's joke.

I have the slingbox at home, so I can watch the game on my computer. I think they are selling for $150 now, worth the purchase to watch stuff like this at work...

[dunster]

A new sports site launched today. It's sort of a Digg for sports. It's keeping me amused while I wait for the first pitch.

BallHype.com

[Redsauce]

Yeah, I've looked pretty hard & haven't found anything about the injury. Couple of random things on blogs (almost all linking to each other). If it's an April Fool's joke, it's in poor taste.

[GaryGeiger]

Can't help feeling that the words of the late and insane Syd Barett fit for opening day..."like a Piper at the Gates of Dawn"
Anyone watch the NESN retrospective on 1967 Impossible Dream?

[ygbluig]

"Anyone hearing anything of these rumors that Schilling was hit by and SUV and something happened to his arm?"

Posted by: h.b. at Apr 2, 2007 8:56:52 AM

Mrs. Schilling is from Texas, isn't she? I wonder what Curt did to piss her off.

[jamesfrmmaine]

weei just mentioned it and said they are checking on teh rumor.

[Rob in CT]

More disturbing is that REO Speedwagon will be doing the national anthem.

Jeez, wouldn't Kansas have been a better choice? Oh, well. Carry on My Wayward Son...

[Redsauce]

SCHILLING STORY A HOAX
http://www.baseballmusings.com/archives/019762.php

[jamesfrmmaine]

Sweeeeet.

Thxs Redsauce.

[buckner was framed]

Curt must've willed himself invisible

[Aaron]

Season prediction:

Sox go 162-0, win World Series over team composed of God and Ditka.

Alternate prediction:

Sox play in World Series vs Cubs, heralding the onset of the Rapture.

[Rob in CT]

Buckner - Any chance that was an intentional Sharkey's Machine reference? If so, you go up two ticks on my awesome-o-meter. One of the underrated Burt Reynolds movies (no Longest Yard by any stretch, but Rachel Ward - rowwwr!)

"I'm gonna pull the chain on you pal, because you're f'n up my town. And you wanna know the worst part? You're from outta state..." Heh.

[jdog71]

After reading PHB's column, I kind of yearned for the seasons of disappointment before '04, when the Nation was a unified mass of downtrodden diehards. Douchenozzle that he is, PHB needs a wellspring of bitterness to write his columns, so with the Sox 'graduation' to Yankee-style omnipotence, maybe he'll dry up and blow away...On second thought, he'll thrive as he always has. Ugh...He's like a tick on the balls of RS Nation.

[Kaz]

"The one constant through all the years is baseball..."

"Truckity, Truckity, Truckity! Let's do some tailgating, boys!" -- Fox Announcer starting Sunday's NASCAR truck race

[Rob in CT]

Pavano's line:

Pitcher IP PC H ER BB K
Pavano 4.1 72 6 5 2 2

TB up 5-3 at the moment...

[da kine]

I broke down and got MLB.tv for a month. The quality is shit. Does anyone know if you can watch a game in its entirety after the end? I am at work when games are airing live.

[yazbread]

da kine,

I paid 99 cents for an end of the season special a couple of years ago to watch an MLB.tv game. It was vastly overpriced in my opinion.

[jen in HI]

da kine- I've not found a good way to watch the games in real time or after the fact...other than getting the scoop on my boss's schedule and sneaking home for the rare broadcast game.

[SinKC]

Rob, Rob, Rob ... the Royals play in Missouri (although Kansas did sing the anthem here a couple of years back).

For the best of the Kansas City bands, you'd have to pine for a Rainmakers reunion. At best, maybe you could get Bob Walkenhorst out with his acoustic to play "The Day That We Hung Up The Flag."

Man, now I'm all nostalgic and whatnot.

All of which is prelude to:

Greetings from the stadium on a glorious, if breezy, opening day.

May the best team win(e).

[lisa gray]

dear ygbluig,

IF shonda was from texas and she wanted to hit curt, she woulda run over him accidentally in the parking lot 3 times in a row.

- and hb,
agree that morning wood is great
and wood in the morning of opening day is great.

wood. it's a beautiful thing.

unless it's in, um, the wrong hands. so to speak.

good luck all yall. except with getting rogah back...

[Natalie]

Damn Rays, imploding.

Got my EEI ready to go for the drive home. Trup, you are already missed...Go Sox!

[soxdownunder]

Yay just woke up to hear the sox first run of 2007!

[Bob]

Gotta love Papi...

[Rob in CT]

Gotcha SinKC - My folks live in Springfield (home of the Simpsons?) Just trying (unsuccessfully) to riff on the "Kansas" City connection...

Have a great day and enjoy the game.

(Anybody hear Sterling's call of the A-Fraud HR **AFTER** the Skanks had the game wrapped up in the bottom of the 9th? I threw up in the back of my throat ... You'd have thought it was Game 7 of the WS. Blech! F-ing Skankee fans asked for a standing "O" after booing him in the 1st on his "E". Man, they really are the worst...)

[Bob]

They made Meche work...27 pitches in the 1st.

[Rob in CT]

Um, I meant bottom of the 8th, of course.

[Bob]

Aaargh, ball 4...

He's already at 30 pitches.

[Bob]

The ump has really been pinching both pitchers. Some extremely close balls.

[SinKC]

Rob:

I knew what you were getting at, and apologies if I came off as pedantic. You'd be amazed, though, how many people don't get that the "Big" Kansas City is on the Missouri side.

(There's also a Kansas City, Kan., and a North Kansas City, Mo. Also a Kansas, Okla., for that matter.)

I once saw Mick Taylor play in a blues club down on Main, and the first thing out of his tour manager's mouth is, "Hello, KANSAS!"

He was English. We let it slide.

Springfield, huh? Pretty down that way, in the Ozarks.

OK, back to work-related keytapping ...

[Rob in CT]

SinCK - As our favorite Aussie (soxdownunder) might say, "No worries, mate." I actually have spent some time in KC, and always enjoyed myself. Did a lot of training when I was younger at the old AA Flight Attendant School (I'm not in the airline industry, they rented out the facilities). Used to drive into town for BBQ and jazz. Could never get over the joy of finding good music in the Midwest.

Let's hope Schill picks it up a little here. Not looking that good early. Holy Jeebus, do I miss Trup. The new guy (who shall forever remain nameless with me) rah-heely sucks ass. I don't see myself getting uesd to him.

lc warned us. He was right...

[paddy24]

Hope everybody's enjoying the Hanley Ramirez Show because we have 12 more years of it coming our way. Well, I'm sure talent like that grows on trees. Why pay $327,000.00 and use the savings to sign a pitcher when you can pay $9,000,0000.00 for just one pitcher and lose the incredibly talented shortstop? Great scouting job Theo! At least we got two at-bats out of Hanley! I'm sure Lugo will have a huge year. LOL!!!!! - Paddy24

[paddy24]

If our "ace" can't get out of the fourth inning against a Triple A lineup, it's going to be a long season. This lineup won't score runs. Coco, Lowell, Pedroia, Varitek, Lugo? Stiffs, all of them. Four guys can't carry a team. The Marlins are easily the best team in baseball. Their G.M. does things the right way. - Paddy24

[paddy24]

Our lead-off man is now 3 for 3! LOL!!!! - Paddy24

[soxdownunder]

this is pretty fucked up right here

[Natalie]

I am SO SO SO disappointed in the new EEI, RKO whatever Red Sox radio is now. The new guy is dull as dishwater, no style or panache and Castiglione sounds like he is phoning it in. I hope they find some chemistry soon, because I have always liked radio announcing more than TV announcing, as it tends to be, IMHO, more informative. Not an auspicious start to the season so far... I'll be checking in at 38pitches later :)