Playoff spot clinched (but...)

Bill:
"Winning the AL East is a distant second to assembling a rested, healthy roster for Game 1 of the American League Division Series."

 

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Mike:
Oh-kaaay …

 

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Bill:
I know. As logical as that statement may be, it still sounds hollow when you say it.

 

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Mike:
It's like when a girlfriend says "things are going too fast" and that she "needs some time" to, you know, "get some clarity."

 

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Mike:
And then you run into your buds and they're all "Hey, where's your girl Linder;" and you're like, "Oh, it's all good, we just decided to, you know, slow it down a bit."

 

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Bill:
Or they say, "Hey, I saw Linder at the Downtown Crossing with some dude in designah jeans" and you start rationalizing to yourself that it was probably her cousin or one of her gay friends.

 

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Mike:
Just like we're rationalizing the Red Sox fade with comparisons to St. Louis last year and Detroit before that.

 

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Comments

[Bob]

Back at work.

Now if the Sox would just do the same.

[vermonter]

"Linder"=funny.

[Natalie]

"Get some clarity"- great line. I am ashamed to admit I have used something similar. Is "it's not you, it's me" the most overused phrase in history?

Boy is moving to NYC going to be a culture shock. Was up and down the West side on Sat amidst a veritable of Yanks hats and jerseys. Now I know how Jason must feel here in Boston.

I am going to miss this town. I was listening to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me on NPR last night and they do a break for the day's news, both national and local/Boston. After like 5 minutes of national/interntional news they kick to the Boston correspondent who simply says "The Red Sox lost today." That was the entire news update for Boston. Hilarious.

[Youk Rules]

Natalie,

I live in NYC and, you're right, it's no picnic. They're everywhere: the subway, the sidewalk, the supermarket.

The only somewhat mitigating agent is the high proportion of Mets caps which, for the record, I have no problem with.

[Devine]

Fucking Yankees caps (for the most part) weren't out this year until September. Some of the fans ARE real fans, but the increase in Yankee caps in NYC in direct proportion to the Yankees' playoff chances makes me sick.

Win the division, dammit. I think a lot depends on how the Yankees do today...

[sonofhamulack]

I read it twice before the "Linder" registered. One of my favorite Boston conversations ever involved a name misunderstanding which was resolved, "No, Dawn's a guy. You know, Donald, not Dawner."

[Chris]

you should really stay off the 4 train when the yankees are playing in the bronx. it's quite the nightmare for any red sox fan (or any person who doesn't like loud and obnoxious sports fans).

[Scott]

Even in Denver the Skank Fan has come out from under the rock they were hiding under even since the Rockies put a beat down on them. It makes me ill.

[Natalie]

Dude, not just the 4 train, they infiltrated the 1, the 2, the 3, and the R/W/N. Not to mention the NJ transit from Princeton on Sunday. They are everywhere. Kinda like cockroaches. :)

[Natalie]

Oh and what is UP with NYC real estate? I have a pretty handsome budget (could get a sick 2 bed in Back Bay) and I was seeing places on the UWS whose kitchens clearly doubled as methampetamine labs. Why am I doing this again? :)

[Jason O.]

Yo Chris, try walking in the back bay with an NYY hat after Aaron Hill steals home on Pettitte and NYY falls 14.5 games back at 21-29.

The highlight was this group of creative chaps sitting at an outdoor table at the Parish Cafe:

"two-hundred-mil-lion" (clap clap clapclapclap) and repeat.

You can sell this "who's gonna win the division" shit to the tourists right now. I'll check back on this dialog when the magic number is zero.

It's called learning from the past:

1) 3-0 playoff leads, and
2) Twins closing like a freight train in Sept 2006.

[Youk Rules]

Natalie,

What were you doing in Princeton last weekend?

[Natalie]

YR- Mom lives in Lawrenceville, right down the road. Had a biz meeting in midtown on Friday, hung with a gf on the UWS on Fri night, spent Sat pounding the pavement looking for a place on Sat, spent Sat night with mom and bro in L'ville. Home to Beantown on Sunday. Am tired today. Do you know the Princeton area?

[Follower of Tito]

I know the cerebral arguements, but all this "the division doesn't really matter" talk sounds alot like "Good 'nugh" talk...you know, the kind of talk that would drive any of my old Jesuit professors or football coaches crazy. To quote one particularly crusty old-school coach (who played back when the helmets were leather), "I don't want you to just kick thier asses...I want you to stomp their dicks in the dirt!" Personally, I'd like to see alittle stomping

[Joe]

"Fucking Yankees caps (for the most part) weren't out this year until September."

Agreed.

I'm out in Arizona and all of a sudden I'm seeing the fucking "NY" insignia everywhere- cars, hats, shirts, ugh.

Typical.

[Youk Rules]

Nat, went to college there, so I know the area pretty well.

Thought you might have had a university connection or something like that.

[Natalie]

YR- well, my dad went there- graduated in '69. His dad taught philosophy at Colgate so I was on campus every year for the Princeton-Colgate football game. Dad taught from '77-'02 at the Lawrenceville School, mom still runs the community service program there. When did you graduate? I know tons of Lawrentians that went to Princeton. I, however, migrated north to the superior Ivy here in Boston :)

[COD]

Although the logic of worrying more about setting up for the playoffs might make sense, I wonder if you can really turn it back on if you mentally check out the last week because the games don't matter.

Any of the stat geeks here got quick access to a comparison of when a team clinched versus playoff success? I wonder of locking in early hurts your post season chances.

It shouldn't matter, but we are dealing with people that insist a pitcher that has dominated in the 9th all year needs time to adjust to pitching in the 8th.

WTF? 3 outs is 3 outs.

[Youk Rules]

Nat -- I graduated in 2003. I knew a bunch of people from L-ville, too.

I don't know how old you are but if your father's 59, you and I may have some friends in common.

[Natalie]

YR- Alas, I am a tad older :) I graduated college in 1997. The '03s didn't arrive on campus until I was long gone. But your L'ville friends are bound to know my parents (my dad died in '02, was a beloved English professor and bigtime Sox fan).

[Jason O.]

AJ Burnett just went home for personal reasons, NYY faces Jesse Litsch today instead.

I'm all broken up about it.

Yo, Natalie, why don't you just throw out your home address and SS# while you're at it?

[Natalie]

Jason- okay, um, 478-838-76... oh, you weren't serious?

[Scott]

JO,

Best line of the day! LOL

[yazbread]

Much in the way that Bill and Circle have their mini bios listed on the web site, I find the occassional personal details provided by regular contributors makes them 'real' rather than 'faceless'. So Nat and YK, the exchange was interesting to read at this end.

[Steve in MD]

/AJ Burnett just went home for personal reasons, NYY faces Jesse Litsch today instead.

I'm all broken up about it./

In a just universe, karma would get you for that...

[meredith]

Never mind the 4 train, try being stuck on Metro-North down from New Haven when the Sox are at the Stadium for an afternoon getaway-day game. All of the CT Skankee fans come oozing out of the woodwork and totally take over the entire train. Sure, there's the occasional Sox cap or jersey, but the whole thing makes me want to stand up and scream, "WE'RE IN NEW ENGLAND, DAMMIT!!"

(Until we cross the Housatonic into Fairfield County, anyway. Fairfield County might as well just secede and become part of New York, anyway. That'd make more sense than Staten Island not being in NJ.)

[Jason O.]

Matt Stairs: The second coming of Pete Incaviglia

[Follower of Tito]

I was in Dallas doing my residency Incy and the Rangers were playing in the alunimum-seated AAA stadium. As a New Englander, I nearly dropped a few times from the heat to see the Sox when they were in town.

Oh, karma...Blue Jays up 3-0 on Roger's boyfriend.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

"Winning the AL East is a distant second to assembling a rested, healthy roster for Game 1 of the American League Division Series."

"You play the game to win"
-Herm Edwards

[yazbread]

What a pathetic end to the season - watching the Jays on Gameday in the hopes that Jason's instant karma gives us an additional half game.

[chucks]

Wait, you mean I'm the only one using his work email address here?

As far as the division race goes, to me it'd be nice to break that skein of terror from the bad guys, but the stakes are so much lower than they were in 1978 it's difficult to get all worked up.

[Kaz]

In case anyone hasn't seen it yet, MLB just instituted a new chat application.

For each game, go to MLB.com and next to the gameday icon in the scoreboard is a blue chat bubble, click it to go to a "section" in the stadium to chat.

I'm in section 95 right now with a few other Sox fans.

[Kaz]

We need a permanent "always find you guys there" Soxaholix section for any game. Any ideas on a number?

[vasoxfan]

JO,
>>Matt Stairs: The second coming of Pete >>Incaviglia

For his weight gain or what?

Go Jays, maybe they can hold a lead today!!

[Kaz]

Alright, moved to section 26...more people. If I see a Soxaholix group that wants to stay in a separate place, I'll join them.

[Follower of Tito]

Yazbread, I know, gameday is about as exciting as watching paint dry...but being old enough to remember listening to am radio during the last period study hall at high school in 1978, I take this as a less stressful alternative. Go Blue Jays!

[Youk Rules]

Kyle "John Dillinger" Farnsworth has now relieved Andy "Soft-Spoken Horse Face" Pettitte.

[yazbread]

FoT,

I am old enough to remember kids sneaking transistor radios into class and running the earpiece up their shirt to listen to the Sox games in '67.

[lc]

What's work?

lc

[Follower of Tito]

lc, its what keeps distracting me from the Blue Jays v. Stinkees gameday...if that is possible.

Yazbread, I have fond memories of sitting on the front porch (folks did that back in those days in western Mass) with my grandfather listening to the '67 season...man, that bet the hell out of 2nd grade.

[yazbread]

lc - it's what people in Maine due between unemployment checks.

[Billy Mahty]

Hey Natalie and Y.R., Princeton is my hometown, and I'm an L'ville grad. Funny paths crossing. I'm a bit older than you, Nat, but you may well have known my younger sister, L'ville class of '95. I'm very curious as to who your father is, but in the interest of preserving some semblance of your identity, I won't pry.

Nice making the connection..

[Natalie]

Billy Mahty, crazy!!! How nice to run into an L'ville grad, especially on my favorite site. I just shot you an email.... Hopefully the one you use here is valid :)

[Billy Mahty]

Actually, the email I use here is a joke... I will try your address!

[tessie]

"Winning the AL East is a distant second to assembling a rested, healthy roster for Game 1 of the American League Division Series."

Somebody at the watercooler says that to me on a Monday morning and I either punch them or pay for their next therapy session.

[Bob]

Heh. Kaz, this MLB Chat is fun. It's nice being the Troll-er for once.

They didn't get the hair gell and gold necklace reference though. Weird.

[Natalie]

Mine is valid, Billy!

[COD]

//I have fond memories of sitting on the front porch (folks did that back in those days in western Mass) with my grandfather listening to the '67 season//

My grandfather was doing that in the 80s, when every game was on channel TV-38. I have no doubt that if he were still around today, he'd skip the HDTV in favor of his AM radio on the porch.

I still like listening to baseball on the radio. It's the only sport (IMHO) that works well in that format.

[yazbread]

COD,

It was easy to opt for Martin and Woods back in the day. But I think your gf would not find much to enjoy with the current announcers.

[Kaz]

Yeah, Bob, some of these guys in this room are just too easy.

I'm getting next to no useful work done...I'm so baaaad.

[pinstripe thunder]

Bob and Kaz -- behave. Taunting Yankee fans is pallid sport. But see the seductiveness of it all?

Speaking of Yankee fans... Nat, we'll have you in pinstripes before the decade is out. It will be so much fun corrupting you. With Princeton and Lawrenceville, you're already two-thirds of the way to being Ms. Mahty. Living in Manhattan will complete the trifecta.

OK, back to cleaning my joolery.

PT

[Follower of Tito]

Yikes! Juiambi's picture on Gameday...man, his publicist should've said something...he looks like a Man-toad!

[Follower of Tito]

And the Stinkees loooose...the Stinkees lose! Nice work Jays!

[vasoxfan]

There goes that nasty little 1/2 game!!!

[Bob]

"It's an A-BOMB, for A-....oh, wait. It's not."

God, I hate Skank announcers. For such a traditional team, their announcers are suprisingly over-the-top. Clownish, even.

[Devine]

Okay...our chances have improved.

I'm still quite nervous. I don't know how I'm going to handle it in October.

[Natalie]

PT- The only way you'll get me in pinstripes is over my dead body- and then I expect criminal charges to be filed against those tampering with my poor corpse. :)

[Devine]

You know, it's funny. I sort of nominally rooted for the Yankees (college friends were fans) until about two months after I moved to New York. Weird, huh?

[vancouversoxfan]

Bob, couldn't agree more re: Skankee announcers...also Youk, even in the wilds of Canada as a 9 year old I snuck my transistor into class, and listened to the '67 world Series...and unfortunately you are so right about how pathetic the series has become that I have the Gameday on to watch the Jay help preserve our little lead.

[soxdownunder]

Jays win!!
I assume, Kaz, there's a mathematical formula for the chances &/or of probability of blowing a 2 game lead with 6 to play at home?

[yazbread]

I wonder if A. J. Burnett regrets not taking the mound today?

[Kaz]

sdu, BP is showing an 80/20 split on the division lead *before* taking into account the Yankees loss today (they've also started counting any ties as Yankee division wins since the Yankees hold the tiebreaker this year).

So, I'm going to guess that our probability is around 85-90% of holding our lead as we play 2 vs Oakland and 4 vs Minnesota at home to end the season. If the Yanks perform as they have this season against Baltimore and TB (0.500 collectively), then they'll go 3-3 to finish the season this week. That means we'd only need 2 wins in our 6 games to hold the division.

NY has gone 2-4 against Baltimore in Camden this year in late June and July (1-2 each time).

They did 3-3 against TB in the dome (0-2 in April and 3-1 more recently). So it'll be interesting to see which Yankees team shows up for this last stretch run.

I'm liking our chances of holding them off though.

[soxdownunder]

Thank you. I feel so much better now.

[Billy Mahty]

Holy smokes, Natalie and I went to high school together.

[pinstripe thunder]

Easy to say from your current perspective in Massachusetts. Wait until you've spent a year or two in the den of iniquity. Maybe you could even take Jeter for a boyfriend (???). After all, it's only fun if you go willingly.

As for Kaz and his cohorts, I'll concede the division. But who does your computer like in a Red Sox-Yankees ALCS?

[Natalie]

Billy- It's a small, small, small, small world!

PT- I'll take it under advisement- but I did spend 18 years in NJ watching the Sox on WPIX and didn't waver. My brother, the turncoat, did. He's now a Spanks fan. Meanwhile, Jeter's not really my type (he's A-rod's). Doug M is pretty cute, though. Maybe I could get my hands on that 2004 ball!!!

(I am aware there is significant double entendre potential in that last statement).

[pinstripe thunder]

Potential recognized, realized and appreciated, as always.

[Rob in (NY) CT]

Well, Nat. Apparently your school mate didn't attend the same honors classes you were in. :-) Ride the short bus, Billy?

(Okay, okay. Just in a weird mood tonight. Combo of dread over the lost lead and the gain of the 1/2 game thanks to the BJs. 12,000 in the stands? "Felt like a makup game." - A. Petitte I mostly enjoy your inclusion in the day's comments, Billy. No real offense intended. Just joking around.)

Let me add my concurrence with other people's observations about fairweather Skank fans. This past couple-three weeks has seen a sudden resurgence in the number of denizens sporting the ripped off NYPD insignia from the later part of the 19th Century. Posers...

(Yes, I know RSN has, er, more than there fair share of same, but I'm finding the development down here much harder to stomach (obviously). Even some of the suits walking Wall Street in the morning are now wearing the dreaded blue and white. Yuck and yuck.

[bogus]

Hey all you L'ville grads, any of you remember Mr Lawler from shop class?

Its doomsday if the sox don't take the east. over