Over the hump and misremembering the slumps

Bill:
So the surly but lovable among us must be totally conflicted over this bit: "… if you watch him closely on the days he doesn't pitch,[Matsuzaka] mouths the words of 'Sweet Caroline' when Neil Diamond starts singing on the Fenway Park PA."

 

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Mike:
Heh. Yeah. The lovable side wants to grin at the whimsy of it all while the surly side is gagging on the schmaltz.

 

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Bill:
So are you ready for a wicked pissa second half or what?

 

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Mike:
Yessah. You seen that friggin sched? 10 against the O's. 15, count 'em, 15 against the D-Rays!

 

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Bill:
Absolutely.  In fact, 56 of the remaining 75 games are against teams that were below .500 at the break.

 

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Mike:
You know at this point it all comes down to health.

 

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Bill:
Yeah, and health … and, uh, health.

 

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Comments

[Harwich Rich]

...and let's not forget health :)

[Bob]

From the same article, this tidbit of info:

"Jason Varitek, who dubbed Matsuzaka "Kumo" (Spider) because one of the T-shirts he wears while working out looks like something out of Spider-Man..."

So, do we follow Tek's lead, or stick with Mothra?

In either case, Dice is getting a lot of insect necknames.

[Youk Rules]

Would that be the physical health of the team or the mental health of its fans?

[h.b.]

Would that be the physical health of the team or the mental health of its fans?

Paging Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard.

[louclinton]

More surly than lovable. In stead of Sweet Caroline, somebody should teach him the words to "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" (Zevon, W.) or "Rust Never Sleeps" (Young, N.). Or maybe just hum along to "Whipping Post (Allman, D.)

[tell me that's gonna be stuck in your head all morning]

In other news, health

sbl, lc

[Youk Rules]

For Duty and Humanity!

[NolaSox]

Mike has been looking over my shoulder. I was looking at the 15 TB games yesterday. Also of interest, the MFY have 8 against the Tigers, and we're done with them.

I gagged on the real schmaltz (goose fat) in Germany. It was served with the stinkiest cheese (Harzer Käse), raw onions on that bizarre moist dark bread. And I was too young to wash it down with a tastebud-saving Bier.

[Bob]

Mmmm, scmaltz. That's funny, we were just talking about that here at work. (In regards to what holds real headcheese together).

[PJ]

Now I've got the Stooges yodeling with the nurse that had the hiccups in my head...

Sigh...

[yazbread]

Why am I not thrilled with the prospect of Wakefield and a knuckler that has not been dusted off since July 4th? On top of that, given Halladay and the usual Wakefield run support, it does not bode well for the second half opener.

Lou - I rather hear Matsusaka scream out 'Patty Hearst heard a burst'.

[Natalie]

Gotta say I am not thrilled to come back to a no-run-support Timmeh-Halliday matchup, but regardless, damn it's good that real ball is on tonight!

[Natalie]

mmmmkay, guess I should hit refresh before posting. yazbread beat me to that wake-halliday comment.

For some random reason, hb's Stooges quote had me thinking Spies Like Us: Doctor Doctor Doctor Doctor... we're not doctors!

[Harwich Rich]

Here's to the Sawx and their best in baseball record-or to put in Warren terms "Splendid Isolation"

[louclinton]

Papi, Manny, give me the news... I've a bad case of lovin' youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu k"

[apologies to Robert Palmer]

[h.b.]

Ah, LC's lovable side comes to the forefront.

Lulz.

[Ruby02138]

Oh crap. Now I can't stop singing Sweet Caroline. Forget the MFYs, what about the Jays?

[Dunster]

Anyone else going to the game tomorrow? I'm in my regular bleachers for the Friday night soiree. If I get out of work early enough I'll stop by a local watering hole.

[SoCal BosSox Fan]

Thank you Lou!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Now at least I have something good playing in my head. Much better to have:

"Sometimes I feel, sometimes I feel........" to replace the endless loop of:

"Doe a deer, a female deer
Ray a drop of golden sun..........."

[louclinton]

Now, if you can get the endless loop of "Machinehead" by Bush that has been playing in my head since August of 99, we're even.

lc ♫♪♫

[Sonoma Sox]

Sorry all but none of the musical references have helped after HB laid down the: "grin at the whimsy of it all"

Foxwoods just keeps repeating in my head like a Clockwork Orange experiment

[Bob]

Interesting (yet oh-so-highly-goochish) fact in the Herald today:

No MLB team with a 10 game lead at the All Star break has ever failed to make the playoffs.

"He's throwing a no hitter."

"He's made his last 379 free throws."

"He's never missed a field goal indoors."

(What have I done?)

[Bob]

Oh, forgot to mention:

"No MLB team has ever come back from an 0-3 playoff deficit."

Yikes. I shall now reverse-gooch:

The Sox don't have a chance in the second half. None. Zero. We're screwed.

[yazbread]

Bob - you also forgot 'Cheesy has a shutout?'.

[Bob]

Speaking of cheesy...this is corny, overlong, but you have to watch at least part of it to see/hear the Remy imitation and his laugh/wheeze.

http://www.boston.com/sports/nesn/wilbur/sports_blog/blog/

[Steve in MD]

/I gagged on the real schmaltz (goose fat) in Germany. It was served with the stinkiest cheese (Harzer Käse), raw onions on that bizarre moist dark bread. And I was too young to wash it down with a tastebud-saving Bier./

What Germans do for fun on a Saturday morning (it's called a Volksmarch): walk 3 miles through the woods, drink a liter of beer and down a slab of schmaltz covered bread, walk 3 miles through the woods, drink a liter of beer and down a slab of schmaltz covered bread, walk 3 miles through the woods, drink a liter of beer and down a slab of schmaltz covered bread and then eat lunch with another liter of beer.

What most American soldiers in the 80's did for fun in Germany on a Saturday morning: go to the Volksmarch, but skip the walking and schmaltz, and go straight to the beer and maybe lunch.

What most American officers in the 80's did in Germany for fun on a Saturday morning (after working a couple hours first): Run 3 miles through the woods, drink a liter of water, run 3 miles through the woods, drink a liter of water, run 3 miles through the woods, then eat lunch with a liter of beer.

And now to the point of this way too long post - what most American Command Sargeant Majors in Germany in the 80's did for fun on a Saturday morning (after working a few hours): Run 3 miles through the woods, drink a liter of beer and down a slab of schmaltz covered bread, Run 3 miles through the woods, drink a liter of beer and down a slab of schmaltz covered bread, Run 3 miles through the woods, drink a liter of beer and down a slab of schmaltz covered bread and then eat lunch with another couple liters of beer. Made you want to vomit just watching them...

[h.b.]

I'm pretty sure that is the longest, non baseball related post ever on the site.

Well done. Pass the beer, hold the schmaltz, but give me a couple wursts and the hunk of bread.

[yazbread]

Throw in some creamed herring and you have the perfect nosh.

[Bob]

I'd prefer leberkase mit ei.

[Kaz]

Sounds like Steve and h.b. are in the mood for The Big Man Run!

I ran it in 2004 (maybe it was 2005, I can't remember now off the top of my head). I came in nearly last (who knew Somerville had so many damn hills) but I had a great time.

[Bob]

If we could somehow combine the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest with the Big Man Run, I bet we could get SDU back over here.

BTW, Kaz, it seems to me that coming in last at the Big Man Run should be what counts as first place.

[Kaz]

Sure, sure, but it does bruise the ego a bit to know you used to do 8 minute miles in college and 7 years later you're just happy they were handing out hot dogs on the course so your 18 minute miles weren't totally in vain.

[Jason O.]

I have never wanted an altbier as badly as I do now after that post.

[Steve in MD]

Make mine a Klumbacher Monschofbrau! (the best beer on earth, period)

[Bob]

Merriam-Webster definition of oxymoron: the title of this tour:

http://www.livenation.com/event/getEvent/eventId/292839?c=dm-101957&p=33122530

[Kaz]

Wow. That's a quality find, Bob.

What next? Lugo retires to become manager of the Nashua Pride?

[SinKC]

Great. Now I'M officially missing:

_ Goettinger Pils beer.
_ Bismarckbrotchen. Who knew cold fish on a bun could be that good?
_ Matjesharing. Cold fried herring. Fried potatoes on the side.
_ Sulze. Kindasorta like head cheese, but kindasorta not. Also with fried potatoes on the side.
_ Leberkase, although someone already said that.
_ Doner. Yeah, I can get gyros here. It's good, but not the same. Where's a good all-night Turkish fast food joint when you need one?
_ Mezzo Mix. It's a freaking Coca-Cola brand, f'cryin out loud. Why can't I get it here?
_ German ice cream Best. Ice. Cream. Ever. (OK, so Mexican ice cream also kicks burro, and I miss it, too.)

Hey, wait. There's a German deli a half-mile from my house. Sulze, ho!

[Bob]

Ever have frikadels, SinKC?

Rouladen with hot mustard?

Eisbein?

Kassler Ripchen?

(I am currently drooling, Homer Simpson-style.)

[NolaSox]

SinKC, in re: MezzoMix - try mixing coke and orange soda when you get to pour your own fountain drink.

I miss Laugenbrötchen.
But Erdnussflips not so much.

[Bob]

Kaz, I think Lugo wuld end up managing this minor league team in Oxy-Bizarro-World:

http://www.biscuitsbaseball.com/

After all, he makes a lot of dough, but easily crumbles.

(I'm here all week, try the veal.)

[Kaz]

Witty, but that's not oxymoronic, Bob. It's appropo.

Hillary Duff is to musical dignity what Julio Lugo is to baseball pride.

[Steve in MD]

Fest Chicken - at least that's what we called it...

Saslich (I can't spell in English, let alone German)

But what I really miss is the whole German attitude toward drinking and eating, and eating and drinking. They knew how to get blasted and have a really good time without causing touble - I never saw a fight at a beerfest that didn't invole a couple Americans or Brits...

[h.b.]

re the Germans and not fighting... you think the two World Wars tired them out?

(Sorry, couldn't resist :)

[SoCal BosSox Fan]

No, it's not that hb.

It's just that a fist fight is just not on a grand enough scale for them.

[h.b.]

Ah... well said.

herr lolz

[Ghengis Ortiz]

Another reason why Dr. A-Freud's teammates probably hate his guts...

"Rodriguez, who now has 31 home runs and 87 runs batted in — both best in the majors — said of Pettitte, “It was good for Andy’s psyche to get a win.” "

If one of my teammates (other than the captain) was opining to reporters about 'what's good for (my) psyche", I'd remind him to shut his f'ing cakehole and concentrate his Armchair Psychology on himself...

[Steve in MD]

/It's just that a fist fight is just not on a grand enough scale for them/

I'd say a fist fight isn't ORGANIZED enought for them.

BTW, is the mfy spend $30 mil per year on a 5 year contract for A-rod, that ought to put a dent in the ability to fix the pitching staff...

[SinKC]

Frikadeller, yes ... the others, no. Must try.

NolaSox, thanks for the Mezzo Mix recommendation. Will have to give that a shot the next time I get to mix my own.

I was in Germany last year for the World Cup, and was struck at how boisterously mellow the atmosphere was. Got invited to a pub to watch Germany-Poland (no, nobody promised to "party like it's 1939") with some new friends. The celebration spilled into the city center when Neuville scored late for a 1-0 win, but nary a hint of nastiness. One poor guy in a Poland jersey wandered through, looking lost and sad, and people practically elbowed each other to hand him a beer and throw an arm over his shoulder.