Sunday Morning...


posted on Youtube by jayceecartago

Sunday morning...baseball off-season..it is an easy thing...until the football games start in the afternoon!  As my good friend Scott pointed out, things are very quiet on the baseball front and probably will be until at least after Thanksgiving.  There are a few tidbits from the Hot Stove...

http://www.cubaencuentro.com/var/cubaencuentro.com/storage/images/encuentro-en-la-red/deportes/articulos/vuelve-el-pasatiempo/el-pitcher-aroldis-chapman-mejor-zurdo-de-la-recien-concluida-copa-mundial-encabeza-la-seleccion-de-holguin-ap/499438-1-esl-ES/el_pitcher_aroldis_chapman_mejor_zurdo_de_la_recien_concluida_copa_mundial_encabeza_la_seleccion_de_holguin_ap.jpghttp://www.cubaencuentro.com

This move just leaves me scratching my head.  Aroldis Chapman - the pitcher with the 100mph fastball who defected from Cuba, has fired his agent Edwin Meija and has signed with the Hendricks Brothers.  Now players change agents all the time - but Meija helped Chapman when he defected to establish residency in Andorra and to help him achieve free agency in the majors.  In addition, Meija has been taking Chapman around to a number of teams - including the Red Sox - to see if he could work out a contract with one of them.  The firing comes as a surprise to Meija.  There were no complaints from Chapman about all that was done for him.  Why Meija was fired might remain a mystery but hey - at least he didn't didn't sign with the Devil himself!

And speaking of the Devil, the Boston media is reporting that the Red Sox have at least some interest in four of his clients:  outfielders Matt Holliday and Rick Ankiel, lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez and third baseman Adrian Beltre.  Matt Holliday name has come up before as a backup plan if the Red Sox are unable to resign Jason Bay (Theo - what are you waiting for??), but it is the interest in Adrian Beltre that makes me a bit sad.  Were we to sign him, it would come at the expense of this guy...

http://www.projo.com/photos/20080410/sp0410_sox1_bb_04-10-08_159NI99.jpg http://www.projo.com

I know, the Red Sox have to plan for the future; they have to assemble the best possible team.  And Mike Lowell was hampered last season from his hip surgery.  But he will be a whole year removed from the surgery this season - I really hope the Red Sox will give him a chance.  We need his bat; while he might have had trouble running he most definitely could hit!

There is sad news from the Oakland A's family today.  Art Savage, the majority owner of the A's Triple-A team Sacramento River Cats, has died at the age of 58. 

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Mr. Savage's son reports that his father collapsed at home and died on the way to the hospital.  Mr. Savage recently recovered from a long battle with lung cancer and the cause of death is not immediately known.  Before Mr. Savage became involved in baseball, he was the first President of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League and he was instrumental in convincing the City of San Jose to upgrade it's sporting arena so as to attract an NHL team.  I send my condolences to the fans of both the Oakland A's and the San Jose Sharks.

Can you help with this?

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Once again this holiday season Xerox Corp is sponsoring an effort to have cards of support and thanks sent to our service men and women.  It is easy and doesn't cost you anything.  Visit the Let's Say Thanks website.  You can click on the card you like (all of them have been drawn by children across the country), either choose one of the messages there - or write your own - hit click and it is on its way.  It is easy, simple and you can send as many as you would like.  You know how I feel about our men and women in uniform - please, take a moment today and send a card or 2 or 20!  Trust me - you'll feel good about doing it.


Saturday Roundup - 11/21/09

Time for my weekly roundup of stories you might have missed, follow up stories and a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

1. http://multimedia.heraldinteractive.com/images/33bc13dd7c_Kottaras_03202009.jpg bostonherald.com

This past Monday, at his request, the Red Sox released George Kottaras and he was picked up by the Brewers.  Kottaras never really got the chance to develop into the catcher that he might be while he was here in Boston.  His role was mostly as Tim Wakefield's catcher and with the arrival of Victor Martinez, that role was future diminished.  I wish him much success with the Brewers.


2. http://cdn0.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/67669/134824_diamondbacks_mariners_baseball.jpg http://cdn0.sbnation.com

In a minor move, the Red Sox added 26 year old, right handed relief pitcher Robert Manuel to their 40 man roster.  He was acquired off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.  Last season he made his pitching debut with the Reds on July 9th and he had 3 scoreless appearances over 4 1/2 innings before he was traded to the Mariners.  He spent the rest of the season with the Mariners' Triple-A team.  It will be interesting to see how he fits in with the team.


3. http://www.projo.com/a/2009/08/27/pawsox_405.jpg projo.com

If the reports from the Providence Journal are correct, then Ron Johnson - the manager of the Red Sox Triple -A will be promoted to the majors with the Red Sox to fill the spot vacated by Brad Mills when he was hired by the Astros as their manager.  It is not expected that he will be the bench coach as Mills was, but that he will most likely be either the first base or third base coach.  I like that the Red Sox are looking from within to fill this vacancy and getting their coaching staff in order. I wonder if Scott is happy with what the Yankee are doing with their coaches?  ;-)

4.  It was a split night on Friday for the other Boston teams. The Boston Bruins beat the beat the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 in OT.  It was a good win for the B's, but the number of OT and shootout games they have had recently has been concerning.  They need to focus and come out with more aggressively.  The Boston Celtics on the other hand....ugh...(Scott you can skip right over this section!)  It is nothing short of a miracle that they lost the game by ONLY a score of 83-78 to the Orlando Magic.  While they did attempt to make a run of it, it is very clear that the C's have some very serious work to do if they are going to be in contention this season.  They need to regroup and do it NOW!

5. http://www.glogster.com/media/1/2/72/66/2726666.jpg http://www.glogster.com


You all know that the Yankees are NOT my favorite baseball team. (Shocking I know..)  When it comes to football there is a team that I dislike as much as the Yankees - the New York Jets.  I really, REALLY do not like the NY Jets...and guess who my Patriots are playing this Sunday?  In Foxboro? At home.  Yup.....GO PATRIOTS - BEAT THE JETS!!!



The Bewitching Hour

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http://www.ombwatch.org

At the stroke of midnight November 20, 2009 the fun begins!  Free agency commences.  Who will go where - who will talk to whom?  It is being reported that one of the top players on the Red Sox radar screen - Jason Bay - has rejected the Red Sox's initial offer and that he too will be free to talk to whomever he wishes.  Oh joy.  But this really is the part of the off-season we have all been waiting for...

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http://www.scandiastoves.com

The Hot Stove Season!

It has been a dull few weeks as we waited for something big to happen.  And now?  We will be wondering - what players will both the Red Sox and the Yankees be fighting over?  (Memo to Scott JBay will not be wearing pinstripes next season!)  Will the Red Sox acquire a new starting pitcher?  What about a shortstop?  So many questions...so much "hurry and wait"...so many answers we have to wait for.  And seriously - I wouldn't miss it for the world!  Let the games begin!  I can't wait - how about you?

Is it good for baseball?

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http://www.wickedlocal.com

There was a time when boys and girls grew up cheering for the baseball teams of their fathers..their mothers.  When everyone in the community rallied around the local team.  Win, lose or draw they were the team you rooted for; the team you laid your hopes on each year.  There was no need for players names on the back of the shirts - everyone knew who the local boys were.  Players stayed with the same team year after year.  Yes, baseball was a business but it wasn't a big business yet.  When your team traveled there were few of their own fans at the other ballparks.  Home field advantage really meant something in those days. 

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In the mid 70s "free agency" was introduced to baseball and the way people thought of the game began to change.  Players started following the money around and the differences between the have and have-not teams got bigger.  With rare exception, the teams that could (or would) spend the most money were the winners.  And with the introduction of the internet and 24 hour news/sports channels anyone anywhere could have almost instant access to teams from around the country.  You could follow a team on the west coast even if you lived on the east coast.  You could see who were the teams that were winning and decide "Hey, my team isn't winning so much, maybe I'd rather cheer for someone else."  And baseball as we knew it was changed forever. 

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Fans stopped supporting their local teams and became fans of teams in far away places as "nations" and "universes" started popping up.  Travel packages, arranged by the teams, became common place and people no longer felt any obligation to root for the boys from town.  Part of that can attributed to the fact that we live in a mobile society - a lot of us no longer lived in the communities of our birth - and part of it can be attributed to the fact that people no longer wished to root for teams that lost year after year.


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We see that now.  There are certain parks where the number of people rooting against the home team far out number those rooting for the home team.  I see it when my Red Sox travel to places like Camden Yards in Baltimore.  The last few years have not been kind to the Orioles and when the Red Sox are in town, it would be impossible not to notice that the stadium is sold out and that you can hear "Let's Go Red Sox" loud and clear.  I even laugh about it.  But is it right?  Shouldn't the Baltimore players have the support of the "home crowd" when they take the field?  Why should they be made to feel like visitors?  Is winning all that matters to the fans now?


posted on YouTube by thelonewayfarer

Being older then many of you, I have seen many winning and losing seasons with my Red Sox.  (The Yankees didn't win the World Series for how many years in a row?  Sorry - you can't even begin to understand the pain of losing seasons.)  And yet there is one thing I know - I will never, EVER switch my allegiance to another team even if, God forbid, the Red Sox go back to playing like the teams of my youth.  I can't even fathom how a fan could do that!  And yet we see it in too many places.  The team isn't winning so the fans stay away!   Until a winning team - a big name team - shows up to play.  Then the fans show up - to cheer for the visitors!  Is this good for baseball?  That a few teams from large markets, with lots of money and buying power, are the ones to dominate the sport when it comes to winning championship?  That these few teams have such a wide fan base that it really does rival a small country?  I don't think it is.

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Baseball is poorer today because there is less fan loyalty.  Because people only want to support winners.  Yes, here in the Boston area there is - and always will be - a large base of people who support the Red Sox.  I love walking through the area and having people yell out "Go Sox" when they see my hat.  It makes me feel a part of a larger community; a fandom community.  And I think that it isn't right that fans all across the country don't have that same feeling.  Look, none of us want our teams to lose - winning does feel better - but are so many people such fickle fans that winning is a prerequisite for them cheering a team on?  We can't go back in time and do away with free agency (nor do I think should we) but I think we need to go back to the days when people cheered for and support the local team.  Not just the winning team from a few states over.  Trust me - you'll like the feeling you'll get.

Hmm...don't like this news...

According to a report on csnne.com the Red Sox have been rebuffed by Major League Baseball in their request to have the 2012 All-Star Game be played at Fenway Park as part of the 100 Anniversary celebration of America's Most Beloved Ballpark.

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http://www.soxualaddiction.com

The report states that MLB will award the ASG to Kansas City, in keeping with its tradition of givng the games to cities that have new or renovated stadiums.  Really?  And the Yankees had the ASG in 2008 why?  Gee...I guess tearing down a stadium is more important then celebrating a team that has done everything they can to preserve a piece of baseball history.  I have nothing against the fans of the Kansas City Royals - but they could have waited until 2013.  I hope that we find this report to be wrong....

http://cache.boston.com/images/bostondirtdogs//Headline_Archives/BDD_JD_chisox_7.29.07_ap.jpg boston.com

Might this man be coming to Boston?  The Chicago White Sox have decided to buy out Jermaine Dye's contract instead of having him back next season.  Yes, his end of the 2009 season was pretty bad (in the second half he hit only .179 with 7 HRs) but if you look at the records over his career, they are actually quite good.  So could the soon to be 36 year-old be coming to Fenway?  As a backup to Jason Bay?  Or as a replacement if JBay doesn't sign?  Say the Red Sox were to sign Dye (he would probably only cost around $7 million or so next year) that would free up some money for say another top tier starter like John Lackey.  I'm NOT saying this would be the option that I would prefer (Memo to Theo - RESIGN BAY!!) but it is something interesting to think about.

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Could he be coming back?  The Red Sox have declined to pick up Alex Gonzalez's option (though there could be some negotiations to bring him back at a lower price.)  so as of right now we don't have an everyday shortstop.  (Sorry Jed Lowrie fans - I just don't think he is the solution.)  So...could Orlando Cabrera be finding his way back to Boston?  Yes..his defensive skills were lacking last season but his offensive skills were top-notch and he would most likely be an inexpensive pickup.  hmmm....

http://digitalderek.typepad.com/sawxblog/photos/2006/redsoxtickets.jpg  They're back....

Or they will be soon!  The Red Sox have announced their ticket prices for the 2010 baseball season.  2/3 of the tickets will remain at the 2009 level (which were frozen at the 2008 prices) and no single ticket will go up by more then $5.  63% of all the tickets will cost $52 or less and the cheapest ticket will still be $12.  And when can you buy them?  Well the first opportunity will be on December 12th at the Red Sox annual Christmas at Fenway celebration.  I know I'm looking forward to taking some trips into Fenway - with old and new friends! - and maybe if I'm a really, REALLY good girl this year, this guy might help me out...

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http://imagecache5.art.com/

A Short Pause....

I know - baseball blog - BUT I am also a HUGE football fan....so if you don't like football, come back later today to read some baseball news.  For those of you still here...

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WHAT WERE YOU THINKING BILL BELICHICK???

For those of you who didn't have the pleasure of seeing the end of the New England Patriots-Colts game, let me spell it out for you...Pats up 34-28 with 2:08 left in the 4th quarter.  It was 4th and 2 from our own 28-yard line.  Conventional wisdom has the Pats punter coming out and kicking the ball and then sending our defense out to hold them.  And hey - Manning had already been intercepted TWICE by our defense.  BUT NOOOO....What is the call that Belichick makes?  WE ARE GOING TO GO FOR IT!!!!???  You're kidding me...?  And we all know what happened...right.....

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http://lgo.mit.edu

Inches short, the Colts take over on the 30 yard line and oh look....THEY ARE STILL UNDEFEATED THIS MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!  Really Bill?  The Boston Globe today is comparing him to Grady Little!  Yes...Grady Little...that is how confusing the call was.  If this were a playoff game and that call was made, the city of Boston...nay...all of New England would be calling for Belichick's head on a platter...

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I kid you not....

It is hard to tell what statement Belichick was trying to make.  That he had complete confidence in his offense - they had piled up 468 yards - or that he had no confidence in his defense - they did allow 21 points in the 4th quarter.  If you ask retired Patriots great-turned football announcer Rodney Harrison he'll tell you that the message Bill send loud and clear was that he does not believe in his young defense.  Not good Bill...not good at all....

And I thought the artificial grass catching fire was as ugly as the game was going to get.  (Memo to the Colts' staff - setting off fireworks inside a CLOSED stadium is never, EVER a good idea.  But at least all of America now knows that in a pinch you can use Gatorade to put out a fire.)

If the play had worked - and the Pats made the first down - Bill would be the hero today.  But we never should have been in this position.  You never - EVER - go for it on 4th down on your OWN 28 yard line unless it is a playoff game, there is little time left in the game and you are losing.  The stunt last night most likely cost us the conference title and it might have cost us a playoff berth.  It is a lose that will haunt us for years to come.  In "Bill we Trust" but I have to tell you, it is getting harder to do....

Saturday Roundup - 11/14/09

Time for my weekly roundup of stories you might have missed, follow up stories and a little bit of this and a little bit of that.


1. http://theghostofmoonlightgraham.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/jason-bay.jpghttp://theghostofmoonlightgraham.com

The Boston media is reporting that the Red Sox have made a 4 year, $60 million offer to Jason Bay.  Bay's agent said while Bay is weighing all options, he does prefer to stay in Boston.  Can we wrap this up boys?

2.http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/photo/photogallery/ps/y2002/ana_sf_game7/01.jpg mlb.com

While teams are not allowed to negotiate with free agents until November 20th, Theo Epstein is reported to have met with John Lackey's agent during the GMs meeting in Chicago this past week.  While the Red Sox do have some interest in Lackey, they are taking a bit of a wait and see approach; they want to see what the market is for him.  But think about this rotation - Beckett, Lester, Dice-K, Wakefield, Buchholz...and Lackey?  Sounds good huh?

3. The Red Sox are in the process of interviewing members of their minor league coaching staffs to find a replacement for Brad Mills who was hired as the manager for the Houston Astros. Those being interviewed include PawSox manager Ron Johnson, Lowell manager Gary DiSarcina, Red Sox minor-league field coordinator Rob Leary and Tom Goodwin, the organization's outfield and baserunning coordinator.  The person hired wouldn't necessarily be the new bench coach - current 3rd base coach DeMarlo Hale or first base coach Tim Bogar could become the bench coach and the new hire could take on a different position.  Good luck to all - any of these gentlemen would be a fine addition to the staff.

4. http://ladiesdotdotdot.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/tim-wakefield-grip.jpghttp://ladiesdotdotdot.com

As most of my regular readers know - I am DELIGHTED that the Red Sox have signed Tim Wakefield to a two year deal.  There have been those who have questioned the wisdom of a two year deal - please, not only is the deal a low dollar risk, what Wakefield brings to the team - his skill, his leadership, his "I'll do anything the team asks of me" attitude - is worth every penny.  What bothers me more are the rumblings that Wakefield will not have a good season next year since the Red Sox have both V-Mart and Tek on the team.  That without his own "special" catcher that Wake will faulter.  Really?  I know he only catch for Wake a few times, but I thought V-Mart did an excellent job in that role!  Why can't V-Mart be used as a catcher for Wakefield?  I question if these "excuses" for not having Wake back - or for his impending failure - are nothing more then that - excuses by those people who do not understand what exactly Wakefield means to the Red Sox and their fans.  All reports are that Wakefield's surgery was a success, so why shouldn't we expect him to be as strong as ever on the mound? Patience people - and keep the faith...

5.  http://www.chinawholesalegift.com/pic/Sport-Outdoor-Leisure-Gifts/Basketball-Coach-Gifts/Basketball-banner-flag/NBA-Boston-Celtics-Deluxe-Wallhanging-21510897768.jpg  My Celtics had a tough game last night and they lost to the Atlanta Hawks by a score of 97-86.  I fully expected to have an email from my friend commenting on the C's lost.  There wasn't one and when I opened up the sports page I saw why....hey Scott how did the Lakers do last night?  Yea....my C's lost by 11, but at least it wasn't by 26 points! ;-)

The Awards Season

http://mysportsrumors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/jason_bay.jpghttp://mysportsrumors.com

Congratulations to Jason Bay of the Boston Red Sox for winning his first Silver Slugger Award!  JBay had a great year!  He had a career high 36 homeruns and 119 RBIs and he had a .537 slugging percentage and a .921 OPS.  Bay was the only Red Sox player to win a Silver Slugger award this season.  This award is voted upon by the Major League managers and coaches and it is an honor that goes to a worthy positional player.  So...THEO, if all the managers and coached think that Jason Bay is a great player, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?  Resign Jason Bay NOW!!

http://nothingbutballs.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/dice-k.jpg http://nothingbutballs.files.wordpress.com

While in Chicago for the GMs meetings, Theo Epstein did mention that Dice-K would be returning well before spring training to begin his conditioning program.  While he is leaving shortly for Japan, the belief is that he will be back in the States in December and it appears that he will be working out the Athletes' Performance Institute in Phoenix.  The Red Sox I'm sure will insist that he start his conditioning early so that we don't have a repeat of last season.

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Well this is interesting news...Billy Wagner, when he was traded to the Red Sox required that they not pickup his optional year.  He wanted to be able to go to a team to be their closer and not a setup man.  Now it appears that playing setup man in Boston might be okay with him.  Wags agent Bean Stringfellow (I kid you not, that is his name..) is now saying that Wags enjoyed his time so much in Boston that he is considering accepting salary arbitration.  It would be a risk for Wagner - he could end up earning less then he might in the free market but if he is willing to do that it would be foolish of the Red Sox to pass it up.  I'd like to see Wags stay with us.  He not only would be a great setup man, but he certainly would give us some options when it comes to closing out a game.

I wonder if Scott saw this?

http://asknardo.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/boston-celtics-logo.jpg

The Boston Celtics beat the Utah Jazz Wednesday night by a score of 105-86.  That imporves their record to 8-1 and they are tied with the Phoenix Suns for the best record in the NBA.  The Celtics' start this season reminds me of their start in the 2007-2008 season and we all remember what happened that season - right Scott? ;-)

Welcome Back Captain!

http://kylepdiddy.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/jason-varitek1.jpghttp://kylepdiddy.files.wordpress.com

The Red Sox announced late this afternoon that Jason Varitek - our Captain - has exercised his $3 million player option and will return for his 14th season in 2010.  There are a couple of questions about his return though - how much of a role will he have with the club?  (Victor Martinez will be the day-to-day catcher)  And - will he remain as the team Captain?  I hope that he does.  No - he will not be playing a day-to-day role on the field, but we all know that he will play a huge role off the field.  And that is enough in my book for him to keep that "C" on his chest.  Welcome back Tek!  I'm glad you decided to come along for the ride.

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/01/0112_sportsstars/image/matsui.jpg http://images.businessweek.com/

This has to be one of the strangest things I have heard so far this off-season.  A Japanese website is reporting that the Red Sox are interested in Hideki Matsui if they can not resign Jason Bay or trade for Matt Holliday.  Really?  He wasn't able to play left field for the Yankees last season because of his knees but somehow he is going to be able to do that for us...at Fenway...very interesting.

http://multimedia.heraldinteractive.com/images/6189da90cc_green03312009.jpghttp://multimedia.heraldinteractive.com

It is being reported that Nick Green had back surgery this past Monday at the Massachusetts Hospital.  There is no further news about his surgery at this time.  He and Joey Gathright have both field for free agency as opposed to being outrighted back to the PawSox after both men were removed form the Red Sox 40 man roster.  I wish Nick Green well.  I also wish this guy well...

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62 year old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's all-time leading scoring, is suffering from Chronic Myeloid Leukemia; a rare form of leukemia that strikes about 5,000 Americans each year.  His prognosis is encouraging  - with treatment he can live a productive life.  Yes, he might have been a great rival of my Boston Celtics, but those of us who saw him play can not deny that we saw greatness whenever he was on the court.  Good luck to him!


And a time out for an anniversary wish....

Happy Anniversary to Julia's Rants!


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http://www.raumfahrt.com

On November 12, 2008 I wrote my first blog and Julia's Rants was born.  475 blogs and 1 year later I am still going strong!  I love baseball - my Boston Red Sox! - and I started this blog as a way to share that love with like minded people.  I found that; but I found so much more.  I found a baseball family.  People who not only care about this game, but who really care about each other.  I've made new friends.  I've had the pleasure of meeting some of my fellow bloggers - Scott of I'm Not a Headline Guy, Elizabeth of The Future Blog of the Red Sox and Emily of I Live for This.  And there are commenters who I have become friends with and who I look forward to meeting in the near future.  I've made friends who love the Red Sox and the Yankees and the Rockies and every team in between.  And friends who span just about every time zone in the world - and I do my best to keep track of what time it is where they are - whether they are 3 hours behind me or 14 hours ahead! 

The people I have met here has also confirmed for me that baseball fans are the best fans - the best people - there are.  They are knowledgeable, and for the most part, they have a great respect for each other and for each others team.  I have had the pleasure of "watching games" with the friends I've made - and it never mattered if we were rooting for the same team or against each other - we always had fun.  AND if you told me a year ago that I would ever end up wearing a pink Yankees hat I would have told you were crazy!  But the wagers I had with a certain Yankee blogger made the season just that much more enjoyable.  (Are you ready for 2010 my friend?)

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So thank you to all of you for stopping by, for reading, for commenting, for taking the time to become my friend. I hope you enjoy this blog as much as I do.  Everyone is always welcomed here - it doesn't matter what team you love - and make sure you say hello when you stop by.  I want this to be the place where everyone knows your name....

 

posted on YouTube by BertoneBeatle

Stop by often - "come grow old with me - the best is yet to be!"  Thank you!  GO RED SOX!!

~~  Julia

True American Heroes

President Barack Obama speaks at a memorial service at Fort ...
AP

November 11th.  We call it Veterans' Day in the United States.  In other parts of the world it is called Armistice Day in honor of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when hostilities ended after World War I.  By whatever name it is called, it is a day set aside to honor those who serve in the military.

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Major League Baseball understands the importance of supporting our troops and their efforts were front and center on the first night of the World Series when MLB's Welcome Back Veterans program was highlighted.  Throughout the season, teams and their season ticket holders donate thousands of tickets so our "True American Heroes" have an opportunity to take in a game with their families.  A little bit of normalcy - a little slice of Americana - for families whose lives are anything but normal.

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On Memorial Day we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice - those who laid down their lives for our freedom.  But those men and women who serve, and who by the grace of God come home safely, have also sacrificed for us.  They and their families spend years - be it 1, 2, 5 or 20+ years - in a state of upheaval.  Moms and Dads don't see their sons and daughters.  Children don't get to spend time with their parents.  Parents who leave to serve miss so much - birthdays and births.  School plays and football games.  The chance to kiss a skinned knee and make it all better.  To see a child leave for the high school prom.  Memories that they will never get back; memories that we civilians take for granted.

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Yes, they volunteered for this job.  No one made them do it.  And their reasons for serving are as varied as their faces.  So many join seeking a better life.  To see the world!  Because of a family tradition of military service.  They felt the need to do "something" after the attacks of 9/11.  To make the world a better place.  Whatever their reason for putting on a uniform, they wear that uniform with pride.  And they make us Americans so very, very proud.

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No matter where they serve, they are always helping; they are always in danger; they are always doing their best to represent the ideals of what it means to be an American.  And while it seems wrong to have just "a day" to honor all those who have served - shouldn't we honor them every day? - that is exactly what we do on Veterans' Day.  We honor and give an overdue thanks to everyone who has ever worn a uniform.  Be it to those who served in wars past - like my dad during the Korean War.  Or to those who serve now - like Mike and John.  And everyone in between.  You all represent the best of America.  Our country might not be perfect - but there is no place that I would rather be...



posted on Youtube by garin4x4

It is Veterans' Day.  Fly the flag.  Enjoy your freedom.  Thank a Vet.  And know just how blessed you are to be living in the America.  Our men and women in uniform are our heroes - those who come home and those who don't...



posted on YouTube by BOBTHESHLOB

From the bottom of my heart I thank each and everyone of you.  God Bless you and your families - I hope you are home with them - with us -  very soon!  And God Bless America.



posted on YouTube by beevmeister
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