Green Grow the Rushes, O

Your omniscient author in absentia:
No strip today as I so overslept, and now I'm in an enthusiastic torpor trying to catch up.

Many of you may be in similar circumstances from having stayed up into the wee hours replaying moments in your head from the Celtics improbable victory last night.

 

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Comments

[Harwich Rich]

zzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Natalie]

Glorious night in the Fens, sitting four rows back from the Sox dugout, sporting the 'Tek jersey. While I was not up late last night watching the Celtics (damn, basketball bores me, which many people assure me is a hole in my soul), I WAS kept up by the following baseball brainteaser, presented to me at the game by my friend: "A team hits 2 singles, 2 doubles and 2 triples in one inning and scores no runs. How is this possible?" I figured out the slightly "quirky" play that ends the inning, but I cannot figure out the sequence of hits/outs up to that point. So now I torture you all. Have at it!

[Bob]

"Torpor."

Is that your fancy way of saying "so tired and hung-over you're vommiting out of your nose"?

If so, it's a good term.

[h.b]

I'll confess to being a total bandwagon Celtics fan, because, like Natalie, it's my least favorite sport to watch, except when the Celtics are on a Championship run.

So let's just say the last time I was this into was back in the days of Bird and McHale and Chief et al and shorty shorts.

[Bob]

My freshman year at Loyola Marymount, I attended and had to endure the Lakers beat the Celtics at the Forum during a finals game.

And while Lakers' fans are no Celtics' fans, they're much louder and more intense than Dodger fans.

(T-shirt spotted on Hanover St. on my way to Pete's Pub last night: picture of Jack Nicholson at a Lakers' game with the line, "You can't handle The Truth.")

[Steve in MD]

Like you h.b., I'm a total bandwagon Celtics fan. I really don't like the game at the NBA level (although I'm a huge college BB fan, men's and women's). That said, I have to say watching Ray Allen's late play was just as exciting as Mikey's Grand Slam. And the replay of Sasha V. (I can't begin to spell it) pound the chair afterward with tears in his eyes was sweet indeed.

[Rob in CT]

line, "You can't handle The Truth.

Bob - I saw that t-shirt in a little shop on Winter St. on my way to work the other morning. It gave me a chuckle. They had another that had Jack's face from the climactic chopped door scene in The Shining with "Hey Jack! We're Baaaccckk".

Unbelievable victory last night. I saw a quick score update in the early 3rd Qtr. and went to bed. Couldn't believe it when I turned on the car radio around 4:45 this morning. (This commute is killing me.)

[Scott]

Go Celts! Awesome game. Just turned the game on in time to see the huge Lakers lead and then the amazing comeback. It doesn't matter if your a fan or not, you have to appreciate the accomplishment of the Celtics team last night. Especially since it was the bench players that really stepped it up.

I must admit I haven't watched the Celts since the playoff run in 2002.

[Matt from FL]

Natalie - try this sequence (I'll use the current batting order rather than batter A, etc.)

Ellsbury hits a triple and is thrown out at home trying to stretch it to a homer.
Pedroia hits a triple.
Drew hits a double, but Pedroia does not advance.
Manny hits an infield single to load the bases.
Lowell hits an infield single, but Pedroia misses home plate and is tagged out.
Youk hits a double, but Drew is trotting home so slowly that Manny passes him for the third out.

I think that works.

[Matt from FL]

Natalie - try this sequence (I'll use the current batting order rather than batter A, etc.)

Ellsbury hits a triple and is thrown out at home trying to stretch it to a homer.
Pedroia hits a triple.
Drew hits a double, but Pedroia does not advance.
Manny hits an infield single to load the bases.
Lowell hits a single, but Pedroia misses home plate and is tagged out.
Youk hits a double, but Drew is trotting home so slowly that Manny passes him for the third out.

I think that works.

[Matt from FL]

Crap, double post. My bad. I think I'm clicking too hard.

[ParkerStPete]

"No Novocaine. It dulls the senses." Here's hoping that on Sunday Jack Nicholson experiences the kind of pain he "enjoyed" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce8IvnUuNzU
Rob in CT, is the "little shop" you were refering to?

[Natalie]

Matt, that sort of works, although it seems to me it requires Pedroia having been lobotomized by space aliens upon reaching third base. Who doesn't score from third on a double?

[Steve in MD]

Matt/Natalie, Pedria misreads Drew's high flyball to left and remains at third to tag up. The ball hits off the wall one foot above the left fielder's glove and bounds quickly to the covering center fielder who fires home, holding Pedria at third. This certainly isn't anymore rediculous than Jeff Suppan's running play in the 2004 WS.

[jfm]

I dont want to take anything from Posey or House but, the celts comeback started when I went got my tattered 33 jersey out of the closet and put it on, for a little mojo. Combine that with the odds that probably a couple thousand other Celts fans did the same thing, and you have some serious mojo.

Seriously though, I havent enjoyed a basketball game that much since the 80's. Every Posey three that when down had me jumping up and pumping my fist like I was Papelbon. Awesome game.

[ettubloge]

As a early-50's Sox-celtics fan, my sports years were filled with great joy at many inevitable Celtic championships coupled with heart-breaking Red Sox chokes. Except for a few HR or BA champs, I could handle the Bosox chokes because I wore the imaginary crowns won by the Celts (with the Orr-led Bruins thrown in). Then I had to suffer the almost 2-decade drought of the Celtics (largely caused by Bias' death and Rick Pitino's incompetence) until all was forgotten through the miracle of the Sox in 2004 (and those Pats). We then have added 2007 and this year to my domain. Finally, all has become truly right with the world with the Big Green on the verge of #17 hanging from the rafters. The surge in Iraq is working very well, Hillary may be politcally dead and maybe the US voters will find a way to vote for a patriot over a leftist. I am hoping for the roll to continue.

[Kaz]

Re Natalie's brain teaser:

Mix the 2 triples and 2 doubles and 1 of the singles however you like to leave at least one baserunner and 2 outs on the board.

6th guy up for the inning hits a rope at the baserunner on his way to the next bag and hits him with the ball. By rule, it's scored a hit and also out 3.

[jfm]

ettubloge

Amen brother! Once that leftist wuss loses we can start dropping bombs on Iran. It will take a real patriot like Mccain to direct our war against the terrorist heathens. Plus once we destroy their governments and takeover their countries we can get back down to 1.50 a gallon and be free from terror! Maybe we can even find the WMD's and free their women from the crazy imam's(whatever those are) First baghdad, next stop Tehran.

Pretty cool how we took over Afghanistan, then Iraq. If you look at a map, well Iran's right in the middle. We have them injuns surrounded. Yippy Kiyah Mofucker.

jfm

[jfm]

Or you could go post at little green footballs or some other "patriotic" site and leave politics out of soxaholix.

IMHO

jfm

[Scott]

Go Obama!

Seriously go away you old coot.

[sonomasox]

growing up in the late 70's, 80's, 90's and still trying...few received my venom more than the Yanks and Lakers

NOTHING is better than watching the massive collapse the '04 ALCS and now I can throw last night's game in - truly incredible. As much as I disagree w/ the Truth's style of game - his number easily goes up w/ the others on the rafters.

Now the Green need to finish it.

Oh yeah, the Sox game was great, too.

[Kaz]

maybe the US voters will find a way to vote for a patriot over a leftist.

Look, McCain is no Huckabee or Bush, but calling him a leftist is hardly fair.

[Natalie]

Kaz, from what my friend said, you (and I) were right about the final play- runner is hit by the ball in play, scored a single, and an out to end the inning. However, if a single is the final out, I cannot make two triples, two doubles and a single not account for any runs. Can you? Perhaps I am just braindead.

[birthofasoxfan97]

I hadn't watched a complete basketball game - or even a quarter - in my life until the C's started in on Lebron (who really irritates me.) Now, I am freaking hooked, staying up late, biting my nails, taunting my Spurs-loving family, wearing green. Who knew getting on the wagon was this much fun?

[Matt from FL]

Natalie/Kaz - this sequence should do it (remember we're talking possibilities and not what you "expect" to happen):

First three batters remain the same - triple out at home, triple, and double with no advance.
Now, Manny hits a double, Pedroia misses home for the second out, and the newly lobotomized Drew holds at 3rd.
Lowell's infield single loads the bases, and Youk hits Manny on the noggin with a line drive.

[Natalie]

Okay, that works, Matt. Although that is some serious-ass shitty baserunning. :)

[Bob]

Natalie, the easy answer to your brain-twister: a forfeit.

No matter how many runs that team scores, if they forfeit, they officially get no runs ("winning" teams' run total is based on innings played I believe.)

[Natalie]

Bob, your comment somehow reminds me of another brainteaser: A Sox pitcher throws a complete game no-hitter (for the win). The opposing team's players' batting averages do not change. How is that possible?

(And the answer is not forfeit.:)

[ParkerStPete]

Natalie: because it's opening day.

[Natalie]

Ding ding ding, PSP. That was an easy one... Okay, off to play some golf. Have a good weekend everyone. Bob, t minus an hour for beer cart?

[RonF]

I was 4 when the Celtics won their first title. When I went to Boy Scout summer camp at the age of 8 (I stayed in the cabin at family camp with my mother while Dad and my older brothers were actually camping) the camp had a problem with kids leaving candy wrappers, etc. on the ground. They solved it by hanging #10 tin cans on the various power poles, etc. around camp with "Cousy Bucket" painted on them. The kids would shoot their garbage in them and it was in the can instead of on the ground.

I watched all the great Celtics teams play, when you could - back in the '50's and 60's and even '70's you didn't get to see the games regularly on TV, but I made my first sports bets on the Celtics with kids at school, especially when I moved to the Chicago area.

After the Bird era, the NBA had been so successful marketing Bird/Magic that they started to concentrate marketing individuals instead of teams and team play and the whole league became one of egos. I got sick of it, except that living in Chicago you had to watch Michael (no last name needed out here) play once the team got him some help. I go against the conventional wisdom around here when they say he was the best ever. I say, "You never saw Bill Russell play." I'm tolerated as being an obvious lunatic in that regard.

So I've kept track of the Celtics, but there was little hope. Then Danny Ainge channeled Red Auerbach (oh, you think Theo can swing a deal - how about what Ainge pulled off this winter?). People said, "Ah, so what?" My rejoinder was "If Doc Rivers can convince those 3 to play with one basketball, look out." That's quite the trick that Doc pulled off to do so, but the main trick was that Ainge found some veteran players who see the end of their careers closer than the beginning and decided that a ring was worth more than stats and a few extra $100,000's in contract and endorsements. Which is what the old Celtics were all about, including the ones that Ainge played with. Great players are one thing. The right great players are another. Just ask the Lakers after Sunday or Tuesday.

[Bob]

T-minus 8 minutes, Natalie.

Have a great weekend everyone.

[Natalie]

RIP Tim Russert. I am so sad right now.

[Bob]

He was only 58, right? What's up with that?

[Bob]

Okay, actually leaving now.

BTW, anybody here a police officer, fireman, or EMT?

If so, 71 cents for a burger at The Hard Rock tomorrow.

My best buddy's a part-time EMT, so I'm gonna go all Wimpy on their hair rock asses.

[Larry Here]

As usual, late to post. And as usual, RonF checks in with a great post. RonF, just wanted to tell ya how much I enjoy when you check in. You are a writer.

[jen in HI]

Natalie- I'm with you. So sad about Tim Russert. I teared up watching Williams and Brokaw talk about him. Sigh.

good weekend, folks.

[louclinton]

Nobody likes to see a guy go out like that.

However, Russert completely turned his back on Imus, a guy who had basically made him mainstream accessible. That was unforgivable.

There's nothing good about the situation.

lc