And the baseball world gets a little smaller

Earlier this season, we lost the voice of Fenway when Carl Beane died.

Yesterday, we lost the heart of the Red Sox with the passing of Johnny Pesky.

Despite knowing that he couldn't possibly live forever, I didn't think the end would come this soon. My heart is broken. I'm sure many, many people can relate when I say I felt like Johnny Pesky was my grandfather.

Johnny always had a minute to spare for anyone who wanted one. I met him on a few occasions, and he was always wonderful and accommodating. Johnny once said that his autograph was worth about ten cents, and maybe he's right about that. The autograph may be worth ten cents, but the experience of getting to talk to him for even two minutes was priceless.

I cried when I heard. I always wondered what I would do when Johnny passed away. I didn't expect that the answer would be 'bawl like a giant baby and mess up dinner because I just couldn't properly roll arancini through my grief.' Dinner came out ok despite my inability to roll risotto, but it tasted sad. If you can taste the love put into a meal, you can taste the sadness behind it as well.

My boyfriend laughed at me last night. Maybe he was right to. I probably looked ridiculous sitting on the couch, clutching a tissue, with tears rolling down my cheeks as I watched the NESN special on Johnny. He said he didn't understand why I was getting so upset over the death of someone I didn't even know. I told him he didn't have to understand, he just had to accept.

It eases my grief a little that the last game Johnny attended was a win. Also knowing that he got to play such a prominent part in both the 100th anniversary celebration, Opening Day, and the World Series victories. I am thankful that the Red Sox officially declared the right field pole "Pesky's Pole" and retired his old number 6 while he was still around to see it. I don't think anyone loved the Red Sox, Fenway, or baseball more than Johnny Pesky, and now no one can ever separate Fenway and Johnny. His name, his fingerprints, his stories are all over that park.

Johnny, if there is a ball park in the afterlife, I honestly hope to see you there. And if I do, I suspect that you will be sitting in a folding chair, signing autographs and telling stories. Rest in peace, dear man. You are loved and missed.

Opening Day: The Pictures

I can write out a long, wordy post telling you about opening day... or I can just do this:

-My eyes got misty when Tek and Wake walked out from behind the American flag. I had hoped they'd be throwing out the first pitches, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. And who better to catch those pitches than Dewey and Jim Ed?

-It was awesome seeing Grandpa Pesky shouting Play Ball! It scares me how frail he's looking.  I don't want to think about the fact that it took three people to hold him up.

-Beckett was amazing. The Sox kicked ass, and we won 12-2. Talk about the benefits of a home cooked meal.

-The loss of Pretzels is going to hurt. If only he hadn't let his marshmallows soften.

-Here, have a couple pictures!

Opening Day: Success For Everyone Except Pitchers!

I mean, wow, did Beckett look like garbage or what? 4.2 IP, 5 ER, and I believe only 1 K. What was that? Does he remember that this is a contract year and he's supposed to care? For goodness sake, that was probably the worst pitching performace I've seen out of him since God only knows when. But you know what? I loved it. Oh man, I savored (and yelled at) every pitch. And the fact that once the 6th inning hit, and Sabathia ended up being just as bad, made me feel so much better. Then we got to Rambo, and I felt a little sad again. But, Chan Ho Park made the smile return! Listen, when your final score is 9-7, you know that it wasn't a pitcher's duel. Yeah, I was expecting better from a Beckett-Sabathia match up, but we didn't get it. We'll get it somewhere further along the line, and maybe in the next match up, the two can actually act like they remember how to pitch.

Though, I'm not about to go all crazy, praising the Sox up and down for their incredible offense. Nine runs was fantastic, but I'm trying to be a little tempered in my expectations. I liked a lot of what I saw. There was a lot of working the count, and a lot of swinging at good pitches. Then, of course, there was plenty of staring at strike 3 (Drew! Jacoby! Damnit, you two should know better!) But, over all, I don't think I'm going to mind the offense as much as I thought I would.

And I promise, I will try to minimize the number of times I watch Scutaro miss a ball and say "Gonzo would have had it." Because, even though Gonzo WOULD have had it, Gonzo is gone again (for now) and I really am trying very hard to embrace the new guys.

Though it did give me a sense of complete satisfaction hearing the ovation for Mikey last night. Do the people of Boston love that man, or what? I know the way we cheer for him doesn't change his situation as a ball player, but in the end, it's got to make him feel sort of good, right? Goodness, I love that man. I really do. I hope he appreciates that we care so much. Hell, not even Pedro got the same kind of love... unless the audio on my TV was being warped for some reason. Pedro got the love. He absolutely did. I just think Mikey got more love.

Granted, I was far more giddy seeing Pedro, because my Pedro spottings are few and far between. I always love the look on his face when he comes back to Boston. You know that he really, truly loves the place. I don't know if it's because we treat him like a king, or because he just enjoys the scenery, but Pedro looks like he's home here. Hear that, Sox? PEDRO should be HOME in BOSTON. Perhaps in the second half. Just throwing that out there. Plus, the Pedro/Pesky hug? Adorable. Then again, who doesn't want to hug Johnny Pesky? I know I do.

And not for nothing... I have NO idea who that kid was, but that speech that he memorized? Loved it! Dr. Charles sure knows how to put on an opening day show. Neil Diamond... Steven Tyler... fireworks.... Pedro. Man, that was a variety show for the ages. But, Neil... it's time to let go. The Dodgers haven't been in Brooklyn for a good, long time and they're not going back. Move on with your life.

Pedro. Still happy about that one. There was no way they didn't win while Pedro was in the park. Perhaps Pedro could find our current ace and give him a stern talking to about how to pitch better. Perhaps.

Two more days until the next baseball game. Seems so unfair. But, we've got Jon to look forward to, and there's nothing wrong with that. Welcome to the 2010 season, everyone! We finally made it!

John Cena: Total Asshat

I was perusing through the wasteland known as mlb.com again today. I swear, it's a form of self-inflicted psychological torture. Anyway, I was there, and I see a link.... John Cena Backs the Rays With a Message to Sean Casey. I'm sure it's all in good fun, as it's pretty well-known that Sean Casey is a giant wrestling fan (prompting the "Wooo!" t-shirts he handed out in the clubhouse - he's buddies with the Nature Boy Rick Flair, you know.) But the fact is, John Cena is from Boston. They could have picked any no-good hack to call Casey and tease him, but a Boston boy? That's unacceptable. Poor form, John. No wonder I never liked you.

And on a side note, this is a pretty cool interview with Sean Casey. It made me smile.

I'm not going to inundate everyone with cries of "OMFG Beckett's hurt!" To be honest, I'm not worried. I haven't been worried. I know the Angels are a good team, but let's see what Jon can do before everyone jumps off a cliff in panic. Beckett isn't going to not pitch, I can just about guarantee that. An oblique strain can heal in the off-season if need-be. He'll pitch. Although this kind of messes everything up, considering Jonny pitches better at home, and Commander pitches better on the road... still not worried. We'll be fine.

Disappointed that Munchkin more than likely will not win the AL batting title. He had it wrapped up, but had one bad week, and it fell out of his hands. It's ok. He's our MVP, and we love the kid. He doesn't need your stupid batting title.

I'll be honest, I'm more than a little pissed off about Manny running his mouth. I tried to just let him go, to remember the good parts about Manny. I was a Manny-apologist. I can't do it any more. Even after his less than graceful exit, I stuck up for him. Now, he's just rubbing salt and acid in the wound. He keeps saying that the fans in Boston were so great, but at the same time, he insults how the fans live and die with the game, and expect 100% out of the team. Heaven forbid! We're paying ridiculous ticket prices in a small, cramped (but adored) ballpark so guys like Manny can get big paydays to produce for the team. And when they don't produce, yeah, we're pissed. I guess Manny doesn't understand that some people value their money, and we don't want to waste it on an expensive team that doesn't give a shit! You know, if I never read that article, perhaps I wouldn't be so infuriated with Manny.

I know Manny speaks without considering what he's saying. One minute, he says he loves Boston and there's no where else he'd rather be. The next minute, he wants to be traded. Now, he wants to stay in LA forever. He's always been like that, but to disrespect a city, a fanbase who supported his immature self for over seven seasons is just not right. You say you want us to let you be happy somewhere else? Why don't you try letting US be happy about our time spent with you, instead of turning it bitter? I never thought I'd even type this, but Manny, just shut up and go away. I don't want you in my consciousness any more.

Anyway. Different topic. I'm terribly ashamed of myself for missing the Johnny Pesky number retirement ceremony. I can't even remember what I was doing on Sunday that distracted my attention, but I missed it. Hopefully I'll see it someday. I'll have to look up videos of it.

Come on, playoffs. It's only been two days, but I already miss baseball!

Johnny Pesky: Deserving of what may come

Rumor has it that the Red Sox are finally coming around to the idea of changing their number retiring policy, so that Johnny Pesky's #6 will hang up on the Fenway facade with the other Sox greats.

It's about time that they considered changing the policy, considering their tendency to part ways with superstars before they can retire with us... Pesky deserves to have his number retired. He's been a part of the organization so long, I'm almost wondering when they're going to build him a statue...

The Globe speculates that the announcement could come as early as today. Who knows what other Sox greats could benefit from this rule change? This is a good thing