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| Me at Fenway Park |
I was 21 years old when I became neighbors with the Boston Red Sox.
I was a freshly minted college dropout with little going for me. I was living the cliché life the directionless youth in the small seaside resort town of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. I met a girl. We fell in love. When she got into a great college in Boston, I followed her there. We moved in together into a small, one bedroom apartment near the corner of Park Drive and Jersey St. in the Fens. Around the corner if you walked two blocks, past the 7-Eleven and the Brown Sugar Cafe (the restaurant where my obsession with Thai food truly began), crossing over Boylston Street, you'd find yourself on Yawkey Way in front of the oldest professional ballpark in the United States -- Fenway Park.
From our bedroom window I could look across rooftops towards the stadium, seeing the large scoreboard with the John Hancock logo. All summer long and into fall the booming voice of PA announcer, Ed Brinkley, could be heard introducing the next batter to the crowd throughout our apartment. It was like living in baseball heaven. The newly acquired pitcher, Pedro Martinez, was the kind of ace fans had long wished for. Shortstop Nomar Garciaparra was clearly a better complete player than the Yankees' Derek Jeter and John Valentin . . . . well you just didn't F with John Valentin. To this day he is still the only player in MLB history to have an unassisted triple play, hit for the cycle and hit three home runs in one game.
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| John Valentin was one of my favorite players when I first became a fan of Boston's hometown team. |
When I moved into the Red Sox's neighborhood I could have cared less about baseball. I grew up for a good part of my childhood in house full of women, my mom having divorced my dad when I was only 2 years old. There just wasn't a lot of male influence to get me into sports at a young age. I had no rooting interest in any sort of sports team by the time I went to my first game at Fenway.
It was June 6, 1998 and the New York Mets had come to town to play an interleague game against the Sox. The pitcher for the home team was some guy who threw a pitch called a "knuckleball". I didn't know much about it, but it was explained to me by the friendly drunk guy sitting next to me in the bleachers that very few pitchers ever mastered the knuckler and "Timmy" Wakefield was one of the best. Well, he didn't win that day as the Mets won a squeaker 1-0.
But for me it was like being born again. There was a time where I scoffed at guys who followed sports, jocks if you will. I didn't get the whole preoccupation with this game and how it could occupy people's attention so much. Now though, I began to understand it. Baseball was about history. The drama of the moment. It was also about community and a shared appreciation for all that came before and all that could happen.
I think in many ways, as I went to more and more games, that year and in the years to come, I experienced what a community really could be when I found the Red Sox. New Englanders, for the most part, are not afraid to tell you their life story, and even though I wasn't technically one of them, I felt like I was home. Times have changed, though. Back then, before they won their first World Series in 86 years, Sox tickets weren't as difficult to come by. Often I could just walk into the box office and purchase bleacher seats for $14. There were no pink hats. No Sweet Caroline. No Monster seats.
Now it's a new era. Major League Baseball has a new commissioner in Rob Manfred. New rules are being added to the game in an effort to speed it up, like time limits between innings and restrictions on leaving the batter's box. Last year we saw San Francisco starting pitcher, Madison Bumgarner pretty much singlehandedly defeat the entire Kansas City Royals team in an epic World Series for the ages. It's an exciting time for baseball.
This weekend marks the official start to the 2015 season and I thought I would make predictions for this year. First, I'll bring down the winners of each division.
There's no getting around it, the Nats have the best starting rotation in the entire league. In fact, they may have one of the best that has ever been assembled. It's a veritable murders' row of talent that represents every hitter's worst nightmare. Lets count them off: Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez. Almost every one of those guys could contend for the top of the rotation on most teams. Let's not forget that they also have strong offensive producers like Anthony Rendon, Ian Desmond, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman as well. On paper, the Nats have one of the best teams in baseball. If they all can stay healthy this should certainly be the year they make a run to win the whole thing. They are my pick to win it all in 2015.
I know . . . ho hum . . . . another year with the Cardinals winning the Central. I know I may piss off some of the St. Louis fans out there (are there any out there that even read this blog?) but the Cards are the most boring team in baseball. Every year they contend and every year I ask myself, "These guys again?" No, it will be another year of watching the Cardinals in the postseason. I know it has nothing to do with how talented they are. I mean, clearly they are a very good team and a well run organization but, for me, they just don't have any personality or character. The pitching is good, though, with ace, Adam Wainwright leading the charge. And nabbing Jason Heyward to shore up right field was a big win. Now, the Chicago Cubs have been busy in the offseason and the pieces are starting to fall in place for GM, Theo Epstein, but they are still another year removed from serious contention.
NL West
At first look one might think that the Dodgers totally dismantled their offense in the offseason. If you thought that, you'd be wrong. Adding experienced veterans like Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick, along with Yasmani Grandal will still give this team the pop it needs. Joc Pederson, Carl Crawford and Yasiel Puig present one of the best outfields in baseball. And let's not forget they have the best one-two punch in Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. I find it difficult to argue that Kershaw won't win another Cy Young this year. It won't be all wine and roses for the Dodgers, though. The San Diego Padres spent a lot of time and money retooling by adding firepower in Justin Upton, Will Myers and Matt Kemp. Their team and the Giants will give LA more of a fight than last season.
I know what you're thinking. What a homer. He picks his own team to win. You might also be thinking, "Isn't this the same Boston team that was awful last year and ended up in last place?" Well, yes they are my team, and yes they sucked terribly in 2014. But, it's a new season and the Red Sox were busy over the last five months. They added serious talent in bringing in Hanley Ramirez to play left field and Pablo Sandoval at third. There is also the rise of Mookie Betts, the young outfielder who tore through Spring Training. He is drawing comparisons to the like of Pittsburgh superstar, Andrew McCutchen. The only thing that scares me is, of course, the pitching. I can't say that I feel overly confident having Clay Buchholz as the ace of my team. That being said, I don't feel like any of the other teams in the AL East are looking that much better, so I find it safe to say, with no bias, that the Red Sox should come out on top.
This division is a tough one to call, but I am feeling pretty good about the White Sox chances. Chris Sale is the real deal and he's my pick to win the AL Cy Young award this year. There is also the emerging talent of last year's AL Rookie of the Year winner, Jose Abreu. Abreu hits baseballs as well as Rick Grimes kills zombies. Abreu is so good that he makes Roy Hobbs look like a minor league washout. Jose Abreu is the reason the nuclear deal with Iran got done last week. If you want to know who is going to fix climate change . . . . . Jose Abreu. I guess you could say I have a man crush on the guy. Besides all that, I feel like the White Sox have what it takes to dethrone the Tigers this year, but don't count out the Cleveland Indians. I have them losing the division to Chicago by only 2 games.
Seattle fans take note: Just because your football team suffered a soul crushing defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, doesn't mean you shouldn't get excited about your baseball team. If everything goes like my crystal ball says it will, then Robinson Cano will be the American League MVP and the Mariners will be headed to the postseason. It's a good thing too because this team's fans need a little happiness in their sports lives. Felix Hernandez will continue his dominance on the mound and Nelson Cruz will add the protection that Cano needs to get on base with regularity. The Mariners are my bold prediction to make the World Series against the Nationals this year. We'll see if I'm totally crazy by October . . . . .
It was June 6, 1998 and the New York Mets had come to town to play an interleague game against the Sox. The pitcher for the home team was some guy who threw a pitch called a "knuckleball". I didn't know much about it, but it was explained to me by the friendly drunk guy sitting next to me in the bleachers that very few pitchers ever mastered the knuckler and "Timmy" Wakefield was one of the best. Well, he didn't win that day as the Mets won a squeaker 1-0.
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| Tim Wakefield was a fan favorite for over 17 years. |
But for me it was like being born again. There was a time where I scoffed at guys who followed sports, jocks if you will. I didn't get the whole preoccupation with this game and how it could occupy people's attention so much. Now though, I began to understand it. Baseball was about history. The drama of the moment. It was also about community and a shared appreciation for all that came before and all that could happen.
I think in many ways, as I went to more and more games, that year and in the years to come, I experienced what a community really could be when I found the Red Sox. New Englanders, for the most part, are not afraid to tell you their life story, and even though I wasn't technically one of them, I felt like I was home. Times have changed, though. Back then, before they won their first World Series in 86 years, Sox tickets weren't as difficult to come by. Often I could just walk into the box office and purchase bleacher seats for $14. There were no pink hats. No Sweet Caroline. No Monster seats.
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| I took this photo from the right field grandstand at Fenway. I was having a fun exchange with the guy at the center of the picture. |
Now it's a new era. Major League Baseball has a new commissioner in Rob Manfred. New rules are being added to the game in an effort to speed it up, like time limits between innings and restrictions on leaving the batter's box. Last year we saw San Francisco starting pitcher, Madison Bumgarner pretty much singlehandedly defeat the entire Kansas City Royals team in an epic World Series for the ages. It's an exciting time for baseball.
This weekend marks the official start to the 2015 season and I thought I would make predictions for this year. First, I'll bring down the winners of each division.
NL East
Washington Nationals
There's no getting around it, the Nats have the best starting rotation in the entire league. In fact, they may have one of the best that has ever been assembled. It's a veritable murders' row of talent that represents every hitter's worst nightmare. Lets count them off: Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez. Almost every one of those guys could contend for the top of the rotation on most teams. Let's not forget that they also have strong offensive producers like Anthony Rendon, Ian Desmond, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman as well. On paper, the Nats have one of the best teams in baseball. If they all can stay healthy this should certainly be the year they make a run to win the whole thing. They are my pick to win it all in 2015.
NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals
I know . . . ho hum . . . . another year with the Cardinals winning the Central. I know I may piss off some of the St. Louis fans out there (are there any out there that even read this blog?) but the Cards are the most boring team in baseball. Every year they contend and every year I ask myself, "These guys again?" No, it will be another year of watching the Cardinals in the postseason. I know it has nothing to do with how talented they are. I mean, clearly they are a very good team and a well run organization but, for me, they just don't have any personality or character. The pitching is good, though, with ace, Adam Wainwright leading the charge. And nabbing Jason Heyward to shore up right field was a big win. Now, the Chicago Cubs have been busy in the offseason and the pieces are starting to fall in place for GM, Theo Epstein, but they are still another year removed from serious contention.
NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers
At first look one might think that the Dodgers totally dismantled their offense in the offseason. If you thought that, you'd be wrong. Adding experienced veterans like Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick, along with Yasmani Grandal will still give this team the pop it needs. Joc Pederson, Carl Crawford and Yasiel Puig present one of the best outfields in baseball. And let's not forget they have the best one-two punch in Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. I find it difficult to argue that Kershaw won't win another Cy Young this year. It won't be all wine and roses for the Dodgers, though. The San Diego Padres spent a lot of time and money retooling by adding firepower in Justin Upton, Will Myers and Matt Kemp. Their team and the Giants will give LA more of a fight than last season.
AL East
Boston Red Sox
I know what you're thinking. What a homer. He picks his own team to win. You might also be thinking, "Isn't this the same Boston team that was awful last year and ended up in last place?" Well, yes they are my team, and yes they sucked terribly in 2014. But, it's a new season and the Red Sox were busy over the last five months. They added serious talent in bringing in Hanley Ramirez to play left field and Pablo Sandoval at third. There is also the rise of Mookie Betts, the young outfielder who tore through Spring Training. He is drawing comparisons to the like of Pittsburgh superstar, Andrew McCutchen. The only thing that scares me is, of course, the pitching. I can't say that I feel overly confident having Clay Buchholz as the ace of my team. That being said, I don't feel like any of the other teams in the AL East are looking that much better, so I find it safe to say, with no bias, that the Red Sox should come out on top.
AL Central
Chicago White Sox
This division is a tough one to call, but I am feeling pretty good about the White Sox chances. Chris Sale is the real deal and he's my pick to win the AL Cy Young award this year. There is also the emerging talent of last year's AL Rookie of the Year winner, Jose Abreu. Abreu hits baseballs as well as Rick Grimes kills zombies. Abreu is so good that he makes Roy Hobbs look like a minor league washout. Jose Abreu is the reason the nuclear deal with Iran got done last week. If you want to know who is going to fix climate change . . . . . Jose Abreu. I guess you could say I have a man crush on the guy. Besides all that, I feel like the White Sox have what it takes to dethrone the Tigers this year, but don't count out the Cleveland Indians. I have them losing the division to Chicago by only 2 games.
AL West
Seattle Mariners
Seattle fans take note: Just because your football team suffered a soul crushing defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, doesn't mean you shouldn't get excited about your baseball team. If everything goes like my crystal ball says it will, then Robinson Cano will be the American League MVP and the Mariners will be headed to the postseason. It's a good thing too because this team's fans need a little happiness in their sports lives. Felix Hernandez will continue his dominance on the mound and Nelson Cruz will add the protection that Cano needs to get on base with regularity. The Mariners are my bold prediction to make the World Series against the Nationals this year. We'll see if I'm totally crazy by October . . . . .
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