Now it's stuck in my head, too

In his head, Bill, feeling both sullen and melodramatic, sings a song to himself set to the tune of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" …

Bill (thinking to himself):
The legend lives on from ol' Mattapan on down of the mistake Theo made with John Smoltzy.

 

---

Bill:
One mistake it is said, isn't too much to dread, unless compounded by Lugo and Penny.

 

---

Bill:
With thoughts of a ring more, this team we came to adore, but the tales of October were a bit early.

 

---

Bill:
The farm was the pride of the American side, Baseball Prospectus had told us. As salaries go, the roster was richer than most, and built for a 98 win season.

 

---

Bill:
At the All Star turn, the lead was most firm, and they hit the road believing. But later that trip after a 5 straight dip, crept in the worst sort of feeling.

 

---

Bill:
A couple blown saves and too many grounded into double plays, the CHB thought of Bambino.

 

---

Bill:
We learned Papi was on dope, but V-Mart gave us hope, entering the heart of the schedule.

 

---

Bill:
4 in a row and only a 1/2 game low, they went into Tampa with high spirits. But there at the Trop site of previous flops, this trend sadly continued.

 

---

Bill:
So swept by the Rays, Francona had little to say, Longoria was never seen so happy.

 

---

Bill:
Do or die time, was then the new line, from fans still very much behind them.

 

---

Bill:
But each passing day, the lead slipped further away, until even the wild card passed by them.

 

---

Bill:
Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when innings turn the minutes to hours?

 

---

Bill:
The Yankees and Rays at the end of the day, had the best plans to make runs for October.

 

---

Bill:
After 162 there was little to do, and Fenway stood sad, silent and empty.

 

---

Bill:
Later critics would say, they'd been a lock for postseason play, if the deal for King Felix had happened.

 

---

Bill:
The legend lives on from Piscataqua on down, of a season that ended too early.

 

---

Comments

[Go Sox. Go Heels. Yankees Suck. Dook Sucks.]

http://wror-105-7-fm-rectum-of-edmund-fitzgeral-mp3-download.kohit.net/_/395979> The Rectum of Edmund Fitzgerald?

Great post, h.b.! This almost cheered me up.

[da kine]

My no-no hole was insufficiently greased for last night's loss. It hurts to sit down.

[[email protected]]

Sublime strip that says it all, hb. Salutations.

Abby and Bob and I had a truly great meal last night at o ya. We were getting positive texts from Australia about the progress of the game. Then we left the restaurant and went to Petes. Muy ouch! Incredible as it may seem to regular readers, I have photographs.

http://picasaweb.google.com/soxdownunder/NoChinsEtc#5367071388727533890 "> Top of the fourth
[Look Natalie - no chins!]

http://picasaweb.google.com/soxdownunder/NoChinsEtc#5367072735751753106 "> Bottom of the fourth

[Natalie]

Aw, cute. Almost enough to ease the malaise. hb, brilliant strip, but I almost reached for the razor blades. Is it time to start watching cricket????

[Matt of CT]

I had to reach into the back of the fridge for a Double IPA last night to keep me in my happy zone last night. IF this crap continues I may just go straight to everclear tonight.

[Scott]

Phenomenal strip today h.b. You never fail to impress. I expected a Sox loss last night. Didn't bother to watch too closely. What really pisses me off is this teams inability to beat the Rays. It cost them homefield and a trip to the WS last season and may end up costing them the wildcard this season. Theo has built this team to beat the Skanks. 8-1 is not too shabby but in the meantime the Rays have come into their own. He must address this in the offseason assuming he isn't fired.

Pats picked up Burgess yesterday. That made me smile.

[COD]

Can we admit yet that the Smoltz experiment is a failure?

[mp]

Excellent strip today. How is it, that despite completely expecting a terrible loss last night before the game even started, I am so depressed today?

[Ryan with a capital "R"]

Great strip.

Well, at least it's almost time for the World Track and Field Championships.

[Kaz]

I picked the wrong day to keep drinking.

[Harwich Rich]

One more day until my vacation.Is this what I have to look forward to?? "In my mind I'm already gone"

[louclinton]

what.

the.

fuck.

was.

that.

We all thought it would work. It didn't.

sincerely, me of little faith.

lc

[Bob]

Great meal with Abby and SDU last night. Truly fun and delicious. Hmmm, what was my fav? The foie gras with balsamic chocolate kabayaku, raisin cocoa pulp and a sip of aged sake, or the wild bluefin maguro tuna with soy braised garlic and micro greens?

Oh, Nolasox, we had the Hamachi with with spicy banana pepper mousse in your honor.

Those pics at Pete's later aren't staged BTW.

My chins reached the floor at one point during the bottom of the 4th.

[Bob]

(Great strip today, H.B. But now I've got that horrble sing-song song stuck in my head. Still, it's worth it.)

[Betsy in RI]

I need berrocca and I don't even drink...

[Daubie]

...

at least the yank-hole didn't call, like my yank-hole "friends" did in real life. 1 and 8 doesn't have the same ring....

[bosoxed]

smoltz needs to man up and tell theo and everone who will listen that this is not working, the experiment is over, and he is hurting the team.

[Professional Hitter]

Wow. What time do you get up in the morning, h.b.?

[yazbread]

Great strip. I love that song. This team is sinking fast and Ortiz is killing us. 0-5 and 9 LOB. Someone should suggest jettisoning him overboard.

[Steve in MD]

The lastest redundant first baseman hits a dinger and I'm felling pretty good. Then a co-worker who happens to be skaky fan calls about a problem with a file I sent him and I spend twenty minutes on the phone in my office with him getting it straightened out. I come back down stairs and it's fricking 3-9! WTF? My only consolation is that the skankee fan missed it to...

It's time to move Smoltz to the bullpen, the moment Wake is back.

If Beckett can't both go deep and win tonight, we are in trouble.

[h.b.]

/What time do you get up in the morning, h.b.?/

This strip came to me at midnight last night so I worked about 95% of it it out then and it was just waiting for me when I awoke.

Meanwhile, anybody notice that Lugo is on fire in St Louis? He's like Renteria. Sucked with us, fine with other teams. Jeez.

[pseudosanity78]

Bought a lottery ticket for the first time in ages today. Hoping £35mil will ease my depression.

[Kaz]

So, I'm sitting in South Station waiting for my 11 AM train to Philly. I'm online via hacked internet tethering on my iPhone. Shhh, don't tell AT&T (fuckers).

Lugo didn't suck with us, h.b. He was performing at or near par at the plate compared to his predicted outcome at the start of the season (even a *little* bit better in some offensive categories). And that's the rub...we couldn't suffer his absolutely shitty defense...

...which he seems to have left behind here! THAT's what kills me about Lugo right now. He's turned twice as many double plays in St. Louis in less than HALF as many innings! He's piled up almost as many putouts AND assists in HALF the time...

AND! AND! To top it all off! He's done it from BOTH sides of the goddamn bag (33 innings @ 2B, 69 innings @ SS)!!!

What the FLYING FUCK is THAT about?? I refuse to believe that the NL Central is THAT fucking slow on the basepath.

[SAC]

Takes a Lightfoot to ease a Heavyheart...

...(sorry.)

Where have you gone, Clark Rockefeller?

[ponch in jerz]

easy, fellow campers. Hold the panic until the weekend is over and we see how the dust settles.

What did you say? Smoltz to the pen? Bring up Bowden because he couldn't do worse? Fine suggestions!

Nice work, HB. Give yourself a cookie.

[Kaz]

FYI: I've heard Smoltz's name brought up at least a dozen times in as many conversations near me here in South Station.

From what I'm hearing, you'd think his first name is "Fucking".

[Bob]

Kaz, your Lugo post has coffee coming out of my nose AND my right ear. (Weird.) I can just see you getting madder and more frustrated about the freaky-deeky NL Lugo stats.

And now, I'm going to have a coffee with Berocca in it. Probably dangerous health-wise, but what the stroke.

[Professional Hitter]

@ Ponch, I hear you. Let's be honest, that lineup Tito trotted out last night wasn't exactly HOF material and reeked of bad outs at the bottom. Kotchman is a decent bench guy and everything, Nancy Drew is off solving the case of the missing personality, Reddick seems to have a little pop and Youk apparently has a CDL and can drive the team bus if needed. Last night felt a bit patch-worked to me, that's all. Right? Please?

[Snerdly Mortsnerd]

I believe the technical term for the Bosox's post All Star game performance is, "shytting the bed".

I'm all the way in western Canada, and against prevailing winds, I can still catch a whiff!

[Seamus]

Smoltz to the bullpen. He seems capable of getting through the order once and we need someone for long/middle relief now that Masterson is gone.

Still and all, it's hard not to see this team as a sinking ship . . .

[sonomasox]

brilliant again HB! almost enough to cheer me up.

To include us Mainers in the present state of dread, maybe move the river up to the Allagash?

Not like we knew him much but LaRoche is also killing it in ATL.

If I took berrocca with wine would it prevent the next day's pain?

[vancouversoxfan]

Smoltz hit "11" on the sucktitude scale last night.
Trying to keep it all in perspective, but those losses to the Rays just seemed to start a bad vibe that I see them having a hard time shaking.

Great, creative, strip today h.b. Tip o' the cap to ya.

[Sean L.]

Okay, dude - it's now about 3 hours since I read the strip and uh, I can't get that damn melody out of my head.

Curses!

[Bob]

Shite. Just checked my calendar and notice I have meetings until 5:00 (late beer cart? Unacceptable).

Anyway, have a great weekend all. Hopefully we'll have something fun to yak about on Monday.

But being in an uncommonly sobor mood (and yes, I mean that in both definitions), I'd like to ask a favor.

As you probably know, I've been obsessed with the Manson murders since I was a child.

This Sunday marks the 40th anniversary.

Maybe, before we go to bed that night (Sunday), we can say a prayer. Not necessarily for Sharon Tate or the LaBiancas. I think they get enough attention and enough prayers. And deservedly so. But maybe on Sunday, a prayer for the forgotten one.

I've always felt sorriest for the victim we always overlook. A kid who just wanted to have a beer with a friend, and maybe sell him a clock radio.

Everyone knows about the movie star and the coffee heiress and the celebrity hair stylist and the ne'er-do-well friend of Roman Polanski. Everyone knows about the rich grocery store owner and his rich clothing boutique wife.

But even I sometimes forget about the nobody kid who happened to drive to 10050 Cielo on the night of August 9, 1969.

His name was Steven Parent.

[wellbasically]

You even imitated that odd couplet in the original song that doesn't rhyme at all.

[h.b.]

Well said, Bob.

Ever since I was a kid, too, the Manson thing has effected me in many ways.

I'll never forget reading Helter Skelter as a kid and finding out that one of the Manson chicks was from NH. Just spooked me out in a way that is difficult to explain.

[louclinton]

That's chilling, Bob, especially when read in tandem with his wiki entry.

Great fortune today: I am listening to a stream of a Jeff Beck concert from 1975. "Freeway Jam" may be the most perfect song of its genre. Regardless, it has nudged out "The Wreck of the Deadarm Smoltzuzaka" or whatever hb's song is called.

fortunately, I have plans tonight. I don't think i could handle a bellyflop by Beckett, if that happenz.

hugs and kisses,

lc

[yazbread]

Bob - Squeaky might be in need of a halfway house if you're volunteering.

[w8r]

besides the obvious wtf moments last night, somebody gotta pay for the clearest of wtfs. Up 8-9 runs or whatevah it was and some effin hack reliever throws over Pedey then goes high and drills em. F that shit is right Dustin(if you can read lips). My suggestion: Bard cranks one up to triple digits at say... melky(hit for the cycle,now stay all runnin my mouth and fist pumpin on routine plays) cabrera. Dont rub it melky, makes it worse.

[w8r]

almost forgot the funniest wtf moment. PUSSadas take out slide on vmart. May i have this dance?

[Bob]

Yazbread, the only place I'd let that nutbag stay in my apartment is in the blender.

Okay, know I'm actually starting beer cart (the meeting went really well, if anyone cares about MY NEEDS).

Have a great weekend all. Hopefully we'll have something fun to yak about on Monday (the sequel).

[Professional Hitter]

Smoltz is designated for assignment. Next stop, the PGA Champions Tour.

[yazbread]

The FO, it is said, never gives up her dead ...

[Kaz]

Am I listening to an amazing pitching duel...or the shittiest offensive appearances from 2 of the 3 AL leaders? I can't tell.

[bosoxed]

can anyone tell me what is a strike these days?

[Devine]

Would anyone disagree that THAT was the worst loss of the season? I mean, was it 4 hits in 15 innings? REALLY? And the second bullpen-burning extra-inning loss of the week.

No 3rd (or 4th or 5th) starter, crap defense, no SS, no offense to speak of. Pretty bleak tonight.

[h.b.]

Update: Rare Saturday strip today (with Marty).