da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM

Doug:
Note to self: When on a beach vacation do not, repeat, do not watch "Shahk Week" on Discovery.

 

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Mike:
Heh. Galeophobia is ruining your friggin summah!

 

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Doug:
Seriously. But what the fuck, bettah shahks than the Red Sox giving me nightmares.

 

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Doug:
Go on vacation with Sox up by 7 and return from vacation with the Sox up by 7. This I like.

 

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Mike:
Absolutely. Winnahs of 5 straight series since the I'd-rather-not-mention dropping of 3 straight to the Royals … 3 out of 4 from the White Sox and Indians, 2 of 3 over the Devil Rays, Orioles, and the Marinahs.

 

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Doug:
And tonight we get a sense of what Schilling's got for us in the final 8 weeks.

 

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Mike:
As Schilling goes, so go the Red Sox.

 

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Comments

[louclinton]

welcome back, hb.

We can now tend to our constant obsession knowing the support system is in place.

lc

[Harwich Rich]

Monday....Thank God it,s Mon-dayyyy. (and I,m on vacation ) Welcome home h.b.

[Bob]

Yes, we should get a good sense of what Schill can give us the rest of the way.

But these west coast games also give me a good sense of what sleep deprevation provides.

Urg.

[buckner was framed]

Things are definitely looking up when Coco, who is finally resembling the player the FO traded for, avoids serious injury during the "Moose crossing" incident Sunday. Last year he would've torn an ACL, been lost for the season and Youk would have been our starting CF

[yazbread]

I think HB was at Warm Springs, rather than the beach, given that withered leg that we were forced to look at all last week from the beach panel.

My shark story. Sailing in the Bahamas in 1982 with my future in-laws. Soon to be father-in-law (FIL) is a combination of Hemingway, Indiana Jones, and Antoine de St. Exupery. I have fear of sharks and ocean since seeing Jaws (as a new release). So when we go swimming off the boat, I make comments (half seriously) about shark watch. FIL gets irritated after some time and tells me to shut up. Last shark he saw was 25 years earlier and it was probably a quarter mile away from his boat. Eventually we end up snorkling at Mama Rhoda Rock near Chub Cay. Snorkling over reef on one side of rock. Soon off to other side of rock - no reef - to dive for conch for dinner. FIL is on edge of small dingy, flips into water a la Jacques Cousteau, and immediately jettisons out of water like a polaris missle (despite fact that he is about 55 and a little overweight). Dingy is rocking violently, I am trying to stabalize it, and he is yelling 'There's a goddam shark in the water'. Seems FIL went into water and landed on top of a 7 to 8 foot shark. Not a sand shark. Something much bigger. I guess I should have been on shark watch FIL. Anyway, FIL soons takes viewfinder, takes a look in the water, and says 'I think I probably scared him as much as he scared me'. Goes back into water, puts head under water, and takes a look around. Pops back up and looks up at me and lays down the challenge. 'Are you coming in?'. No, I think I'll stay in the boat and protect your daughter. That would have been the wrong answer. So I go into the water to find dinner or to be dinner. FIL brings up 3 or 4 conch without a worry in the world. I got 1, all the time looking out for shark. I think I did ask FIL later if this shark was closer than the one he had seen 25 years earlier.

[Natalie]

Welcome back, hb. Lovin' the shout-out to Shark Week. That programming always reminds me of fishing for shark off of Montauk on my step-grandfather's boat as a teen- scary, intense and so much damn fun.

I am starting to exhale a bit, knowing that despite how damn hot the Yanks have been they haven't gained on us. Could this be the year of no August swoon? How much wood do I have to knock even typing that?

[buckner was framed]

where'd you get a change of swim trunks out in the middle of the ocean?

[Jason O.]

yazbread, this guy sounds like a badass.

But: I have known courageous people and stupid people. A fine line.

[Ryan with a capital "R"]

Natalie,

I've taken the liberty of shipping a sequoia to you via Priority Mail. I love old growth redwoods as much as the next guy who loves old growth redwoods but this is important.

[Aaron]

Thank Jeebus. No sooner do I leave Seattle and move back East, when the Sox finally stop that inexplicable losing streak at Safeco. Maybe I was their bad luck charm there all along? Wicked sorry about that.

Better news: since the Blue Jays have crept back above .500, the Yankees' creampuff streak of consecutive games against losing teams finally ends tonight at 25. And after Toronto, they get a road series against the Indians...although, just our luck, Cleveland's in a major slump right now. Of course.

If the Sox can just hold it together through the last six games of this murderous road trip, they will savor a closing schedule featuring 25 out of 45 at home and 12 games against the Devil Rays. It's almost in sight...

[Devine]

I'm happy that while the Yankees feasted on some very crappy baseball teams (the winning they've done recently is pretty impressive anyway), the Sox held them at bay, fighting through the Indians and Mariners recently. That's not bad at all. Soon we get our share of crappy baseball teams and the Yankees will face some pretty tough teams in the next few weeks (though the Sox are on the road most of the time, and the Yanks at home, so I'm not sure how this August will work out...).

[pudge]

I am happy to report the Red Sox are no longer under .500 against the AL since May. June-July-Aug record is up to .500, 22-22.

Oh, and we only dropped two straight to the Royals. Which was so bad it felt worse than it was, especially since the previous four of the previous five series were bad: 2-2 against Toronto, 1-2 against Texas, and sweeps by Seattle and Detroit. At least we took four in a row from Tampa Bay in between.

As long as we keep winning series we'll be OK, even if we only go 2-2 against LAA next weekend. But ... it would be nice to have a sweep. TB a month ago was the last one, before that was SF in mid-June which barely counts. Then we had a couple in May, the aforementioned Texas and Toronto.

[Jason O.]

BTW, people say classical music is on the wane? Maybe, but John Williams's movie scores (see title today) are proof that they symphonic music is still vibrant...also see the work of John Barry.

[da kine]

Speaking of shahks, Kevin Smith of Clerks and Chasing Amy fame has a funny-ass podcast called "SModcast" available via iTunes. He is obsessed with Jaws, but also spends an inordinate amount of time obsessing over faeces and sex. Good times.

[yazbread]

BWF - Didn't need a change of swim trunks, I just vigorously swished the ones I was wearing in the ocean.

Jason O - My father-in-law was neither a badass nor stupid. He just led an adventurous life combined with a sort of devil may care attitude. Which perhaps explains why he never really warmed up to his future son-in-law the accountant.

[Jason O.]

No offense intended of course, yazbread. But even if I was evel knievel I would be digging the kind of life that a profession like accounting could provide for my daughter.

[Youk Rules]

Speaking of a new change of trunks, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in California will need some after the Red Sox rip them a new asshole this week.

[mikeya2k1]

my shark story is to long to tell but the readers digest version; seeing two basking sharks ( i know filter feeders ) off of north truro. one was about 21 foot long the other about 24 foot long.. and when in a 13 foot boston whaler thats two big ass fish

[vermonter]

Who would win...a shark or Ditka?

[Steve in MD]

Ditka, easy. Unless it's a landshark...

[Steve in MD]

My shark story. Scuba diving on top of the Johnston Atoll reef, water was only about 8 feet deep. Huge Manta Ray directly to my right about 15 feet away and an 8 foot White Tip directly to my left about 15 feet away. Both the first I'd ever seen underwater. Couldn't watch both - elected to watch the shark. Big wave broke over the reef that turned the underwater world white with foam and bounced me around a bit. Couldn't see anything for ten or twenty semi-terrifying seconds. When the water cleard, both were gone. Looked all around for the Ray but never found it again.

[pinstripe thunder]

As Schilling goes, so go the Red Sox. Just trying to be agreeable for a change -- only SDU will be reading at this hour anyway.