A Matt Lorch surge

For reasons I cannot explain, over the last two days I have had a veritable tsunami of page hits from people searching the Web for Matt Lorch. Apparently this blog has become something of a landing place for Matt Lorch lurkers, since a post I ran in 2006 is the fourth most popular item that comes up in a Google search of his name.

So, why is Matt Lorch suddenly so popular? I have no earthly idea. I suppose it could be because he's rumored to be moving to another TV market or some such thing, but I'd like to think it has to do with this infamous clip of him attempting to do sports in a previous market:

The Bruins big gamble

You know what the best thing about October is? Hockey season begins again. And for the first time in at least 15 years, expectations for the Bruins are very high. After last season's surprise showing, the Bs are one of the favorites for the Stanley Cup.

Near the end of last season, the Bruins decided that their best chance to win a cup would be with Tim Thomas as their starting goaltender. So they went out and signed the then 34-year-old to a 4-year, $20-million contract. Well, I hope Bruins' management is right. Because they've tied themselves up in a salary cap knot for the next four years.

The problem with the Thomas contract is that the Bruins are hoping that he can do what almost no goalie has ever done before. Here's what I mean...

I've gone to hockey-reference.com and looked at every goaltender since expansion in 1966-67 to find those who started more than half of their team's games at age 34. There were only 28 goalies other than Thomas who met that criteria. Of the 28...

• At age 35, 19 were still their team's primary starter (appeared in more than half of their team's games).
• At age 36, 13 were still their team's primary starter.
• At age 37, 11 were still their team's primary starter.
• At age 38, 6 were still their team's primary starter.
• Of those 6, only three of them were their teams primary starter for every year between ages 35 and 38. (Ed Belfour, Tony Esposito, and Dwayne Roloson).
• Only two of the 28 won a cup as their team's starter between ages 35 and 38. (Patrick Roy at age 35 and Dominik Hasek at age 37).

Chances are at sometime over the next four years--if not for most of them--Thomas will be getting $5m to sit in the press box because he's hurt, or sit on the bench because his skills have atrophied. And because 8% of the cap is tied up in someone who can't play, someone else--Lucic, Savard, Wheeler, Rask--will be gone.

Obviously the Bruins felt that the best chance to win a cup in this window was to keep Thomas. Either they had to give him 4/$20m or they would have had to pay him $7m per year for a shorter deal. I guess they figured that it would be better to be hamstrung in '12 and '13 than to be short on money (or an experienced goalie) in '10 and '11.

But Thomas had better turn out to be Dominik Hasek (the only goaltender in the last 45 years to win his first cup over the age of 34--and even he missed half of his 35 season due to injury and did not play at all at age 38) or they'll be in trouble in the out years.

Rare Air for Bruins, Sox, and Celtics

Twice in the last four days the Bruins, Red Sox, and Celtics have all won games. Not only is that exciting (especially considering the dramatic fashion in which some of those games have ended), but it is very rare.

Over the 63 seasons in which there have been at least three major league teams in Boston--beginning with the 1946-47 Celtics--there have been only 24 occasions in which three Boston sports teams played and won their games. Three of them have been this spring--April 20 was the other day where we had three winners.

Only once before have we had three three-winner days in a spring. The last time it happened was in April 0f 1974. 1974 is also the last time that both the Bruins and the Celtics qualified for their league championship series in the same season.

19 of the 24 occasions saw the Bruins, Celtics and Red Sox all winning on the same day. On the other five occasions--including the first time on November 25, 1973--it was the Patriots that joined the Bs and Cs in the winners' circle.

I've posted the entire list below, but there are a few dates that stand out:

• On April 21, 2002, not only did the Bruins and Celtics each win their playoff games, but the Red Sox swept a doubleheader in Kansas City, making that day the only time that Boston has won four games in one day. That day is also one of just three where the Bruins and Celtics both played at hime on the same day.
  
  
• Another such day was April 24, 1983, which one might argue was one of the greatest days in Boston Sports history for sheer drama. Many remember that the Bruins beat Buffalo 3-2 that night in a game 7 overtime to advance to the Wales Conference Finals in one of the greatest Bruins games ever played at the Garden. But earlier that afternoon, the Celtics won their own elimination game as they ended a best-of-three series against the Atlanta Hawks with a 98-79 win. It appears to be the only time the Garden has hosted two elimination games on the same day. The Red Sox did their part wth a 4-2 win in Oakland.
  
  
• April 24, 1977 is the only of these occasions that two Boston teams have victimized rivals from the same city on the same day, as the Bruins beat the Flyers at the Garden and the Celtics defeated the 76ers at the Spectrum. The Red Sox were cruising that day in Toronto.

Here is the list:

DATE      BRUINS         CELTICS           RED SOX
5/12/09   W 4-2 @ CAR*   W  92- 88 v ORL*  W  4- 3 @ ANA
5/10/09   W 4-0 v CAR*   W  95- 94 @ ORL*  W  4- 3 V TB
4/20/09   W 4-2 @ MTL*   W 115-113 V CHI   W 12- 1 V BAL
4/25/02   W 5-2 @ MTL*   W  93- 85 V PHI*  W  7- 0 @ BAL
4/21/02   W 6-4 V MTL*   W  92- 82 V PHI*  W 12- 2 @ KC (W 8-7 @ KC)
4/7/01    W 4-2 V NYI    W 102-100 @ WAS   W  6- 2 V TAM
4/7/99    W 5-2 @ FLA    W 108- 87 V WAS   W  6- 0 @ KC
4/1/98    W 4-2 @ NYR    W  98- 87 @ ORL   W  2- 0 @ OAK
4/7/96    W 4-2 @ PHI    W  98- 97 V DET   W  3- 1 @ KC
4/24/83   W 3-2 V BUF*   W  98- 79 V ATL*  W  4- 2 @ OAK
4/11/82   W 5-2 @ BUF*   W 110-109 @ PHI   W  6- 0 @ BAL
4/14/80   W 6-2 V PIT*   W 138-121 @ HOU*  W  3- 1 V DET
4/13/80   W 8-3 @ PIT*   W 100- 81 @ HOU*  W  3- 1 @ MIL
4/8/79    W 6-3 V TOR    W 127-101 V NJ    W  7- 6 @ CLE
4/24/77   W 4-3 @ PHI    W 124-119 V PHI   W  9- 0 @ TOR
4/11/76   W 4-0 V LAK*   W 103- 99 @ WAS   W  6- 2 @ BAL
4/28/74   W 6-2 V CHI*   W  98- 93 @ MIL*  W  5- 4 @ KC
4/21/74   W 8-6 V CHI*   W  98- 91 @ NYK*  W  6- 5 @ CLE
4/14/74   W 4-3 @ TOR    W 113- 88 V NYK*  W  7- 5 V DET

DATE      BRUINS         CELTICS           PATRIOTS
12/28/08  W 2-1 @ ATL    W 108- 63 @ SAC   W 13- 0 @ BUF
12/20/87  W 4-2 @ CHI    W 124- 87 V PHI   W 13- 7 @ BUF
12/28/85  W 5-1 @ STL    W 110-108 @ UTA   W 26-14 @ NYJ*
12/16/79  W 5-1 @ BUF    W 115-112 @ NJ    W 27-23 V MIN
11/25/73  W 3-1 V LAK    W 107-101 @ CLE   W 32- 0 @ HOU

* - Denotes Playoff Game.

Tags: Celtics Patriots Boston Bruins Red Sox

My Red Sox All-Massachusetts Team

While I spent most of the weekend sitting on the couch recovering from a minor surgical procedure and bored absolutely out of my mind, I decided to put together a team of Red Sox players whose share last names with Massachusetts towns. If you ask why I decided to do this, you'll get no answer. I have no idea.

Anyway, I set a few arbitrary parameters for my research:

• The players name has to be a phonetic or spelling match to one of Massachusetts 351 cities or towns. For instance, Mike Lowell is an exact match to the city of Lowell. John Lester is a phonetic match to the town of Leicester.
• Players who have names of Massachusetts places that are not official cities and towns have been excluded (Chad Bradford and Reggie Jefferson, for instance).
• Finally, players whose names are part of a city or town name are not included. So Ted Williams is omitted even though his name is part of Williamstown.

I came up with a nearly complete 40-man roster (see update below), with 22 pitchers and 17 hitters. So I've put together a 25-man playing roster (12 pitchers and 13 hitters) and put the other 14 players in the minors. Here is my Red Sox all-Massachusetts team, with their stats with Boston:

Starting Pitchers

Player          Years      W    L   ERA  SV      IP    SO
Josh Beckett    2006-08   48   28  4.11   0   579.2   524
Erik Hanson     1995      15    5  4.24   0   186.2   139
Bill Lee        1969-78   94   68  3.64  13  1503.1   578
John Lester     2006-08   27    8  3.81   0   354.2   262
Tim Wakefield   1995-08  164  145  4.02  22  2781.2  1797

The starting pitching is clearly the strength of the pitching staff (and the team as a whole). There really weren't any tough choices in putting this group together. The only significant starter left out was Jack Russell, who had three consecutive 18-loss seasons between 1929-31 and ended his career with four straight seasons of 5+ ERAs.

Bullpen

Player          Years      W    L   ERA  SV      IP    SO
Tom Bolton      1978-92   21   23  4.45   1   368.0   231
Wes Gardner     1986-90   17   26  4.73  12   403.0   316
Sid Hudson      1952-54   16   22  3.73   7   361.2   137
Joe Hudson      1995-97    6    7  4.40   2   126.2    62
Mike Paxton     1977      10    5  3.83   0   108.0    58
Allan Russell   1919-22   27   28  3.74  10   527.2   210
Jeff Russell    1993-94    1    9  3.61  45    74.2    63

This is a really mediocre group. When Jeff Russell and Wes Gardner are holding down the back of the bullpen, you're in big trouble. Allan Russell, Tom Bolton and Mike Paxton could all be credible long men who could also start. But I wouldn't want to turn too many leads over to this group.

Starting Line-up (by position)

Pos Player          Years       G    AB    R     H   HR   RBI   SB   OBP   SLG   AVG
C   Bob Montgomery  1970-79   387  1185  125   306   23   156    6  .296  .372  .258
1B  Rip Russell     1946-47   106   326   30    65    7    38    1  .248  .304  .199
2B  Jack Barry      1915-19   319  1074  116   241    2    78   22  .286  .268  .224
SS  Larry Gardner   1908-17  1123  3919  496  1106   16   481  134  .347  .377  .282
3B  Mike Lowell     2006-08   420  1581  216   469   58   273    7  .353  .481  .297
OF  Fred Lynn       1974-80   828  3062  523   944  124   521   43  .385  .520  .308
OF  Carl Everett    2000-01   239   905  143   254   48   166   20  .338  .519  .281
OF  Lou Clinton     1960-64   412  1427  190   359   49   198    7  .307  .440  .252

Not a great group, although Lowell, Lynn, and Everett are all good players. Larry Gardner was a decent SS for his time. But the group of hitters is so weak, I can't even find a DH. Of course, had I expanded the rules I could have included Ted Williams (Williamstown) and Carlton Fisk (Fiskdale, a section of Sturbridge), which would have made for a much more formidable lineup.

Update: Commenter Phil noted that I left off Lou Clinton. I've updated the starting lineup and bumped two other players onto the bench and the 40-man roster.

Bench (by position)

Pos Player          Years       G    AB    R     H   HR   RBI   SB   OBP   SLG   AVG
C   Tubby Spencer   1909       28    74    6    12    0     9    2  .220  .176  .162
IF  Billy Gardner   1962-63    89   283   26    70    0    13    0  .283  .307  .247
IF  Fred Hatfield   1950-52   109   200   32    39    3    19    1  .297  .295  .195
OF  Cleo Carlyle    1927       95   278   31    65    1    28    4  .315  .345  .234
OF  Roy Carlyle     1925-26   138   441   58   137    9    65    1  .341  .454  .311

This group is a whole bunch of awful. Can't hit, can't hit for power, can't run. Yet, they're better than the ones left off the active roster.

Here are the other 14 players who I left off the "active" roster, but who are also all-Massachusetts players.

Pitchers

Player          Years      W    L   ERA  SV      IP    SO
Terry Adams     2004       2    0  6.00   0    27.0    21
Bob Adams       1925       0    0  7.94   0     5.2     1
Ed Barry        1905-07    1    6  3.53   0    79.0    34
Mike Gardiner   1991-92   13   20  4.80   0   260.2   170
Josh Hancock    2002       0    1  3.68   0     7.1     6
Craig Hansen    2005-08    3    5  6.15   2    71.2    58
Sang Lee        2000       0    0  3.09   0    11.2     6
Jeff Plympton   1991       0    0  0.00   0     5.1     2
Jack Russell    1926-36   41   94  4.58   0  1215.0   202
Al Worthington  1960       0    1  7.71   0    11.2     7

Batters

Pos Player          Years       G    AB    R     H   HR   RBI   SB   OBP   SLG   AVG
OF  Walter Carlisle 1908        3    10    0     1    0     0    1  .182  .100  .100
OF  Garry Hancock   1978-82   121   254   26    58    4    26    0  .249  .323  .228
SS  Chick Maynard   1922       12    24    1     3    0     0    0   207  .125  .125
C   Lenny Webster   1999        6    14    0     0    0     1    0  .176  .000  .000
IF  Ray Webster     1960        7     3    1     0    0     1    0  .200  .000  .000

Jack Barry, who was 90-62 as a player/manager for the 1917 Red Sox is the team's manager.

Hmmmm. Maybe I'll see if I can do the same thing with the other Boston teams...

Tags: Boston Red Sox Massachusetts

God help us all

I fear for what this country will become in a generation when these kids are in charge:

A school administrator wants to set the record straight: There are no vampires at Boston Latin.

The headmaster of the prestigious exam school took the unusual step today of sending a notice to faculty, students, and parents saying that "rumors involving 'vampires'" had begun spreading through the building Wednesday, causing disruption and anxiety for a number of students....

Officer Eddy Chrispin, a Boston Police spokesman, said police went to the school Wednesday after hearing that some students were spreading rumors there were vampires in the school.

"I'm not sure whether [the supposed vampires] were among the student body or whether they were inhabiting the old corners and crevices of the building," he said.

I hope school counselors and riot police are on guard next month when the students learn there is no Easter Bunny.

Tags: Massachusetts Boston Vampires

Flowers from Varitek

Regarding the latest Manny Ramirez controversy, Terry Francona had this to say:

I'll take a guy hitting .500 that's miserable, as opposed to somebody who seems like they're passing out bouquets of roses to teammates and they're hitting .145."

Like the universally-loved Jason Varitek, whose is hitting .148 since June 1 with all of four extra base hits. Yet he keeps coming up with men on base late in games and there is nary a pinch hitter to be found.

Bouquets of roses indeed.

Tags: Boston Red Sox Jason Varitek Manny Ramirez

Woo-frickin-hoo

I just couldn't be more thrilled about the latest offer from the Red Sox:

The Sox announced they're holding Central Massachusetts Day at Fenway Park on May 18, when they face the Milwaukee Brewers in interleague play.

Tickets for Central Massachusetts Day at Fenway Park will soon be available for purchase by residents of Central Massachusetts. Since there are a limited number of tickets available, applicants must fill out and submit a registration form to participate in this opportunity to purchase.

I wonder what special events they'll have at the park. Perhaps a rocket flyover in memory of Robert Goddard. Maybe a Polar Bear mascot will frolic with Wally. Better yet, how about installing pink flamingos along the bullpen walls.

Honestly, it's not like we rubes out here don't get a chance to buy tickets like everyone else. Last I checked we have phones and the Internet. Just because I can see cows out my front window doesn't make me part of some sort of special class who needs help getting tickets.

If you're from around here and want to sign up for a lifetime of Spam trying to get you to join Red Sox nation chance to win tickets, go to the Red Sox site.

Tags: Boston Red Sox Massachusetts

Bruin and Stewin'

A couple of thoughts that have been swirling in my head since watching last night's Bruins-Canadiens playoff game:

That was as much fun as I've had watching a hockey game in a long time. It was a true, edge-of-your-seat playoff game right from the opening drop to the Bruins' goal in OT. End-to-end rushes, fantastic goaltending, and good hard hitting. While it would have been a bitter disappointment if the Bruins had lost, it still would have been worth watching. Even the Canadian press liked the game:

BOSTON - If you want to sell the National Hockey League, you don't need more scoring, bigger nets or smaller equipment for goaltenders. All you need are more games played with the same intensity as last night's war between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins.

Neither team gave an inch as they battled for more than 69 minutes before Marc Savard of Orléans scored on a delayed penalty at 9:25 of the first overtime to give Bruins a 2-1 victory.

This was old-fashioned playoff hockey which kept the sellout crowd of 17,565 on edge all night, and the victory gave the Bruins new hope in this series. They trail the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal two games to one, with Game 4 here tomorrow night.

Unfortunately, the Globe decided it was Dan Shaughnessy's duty to write the paper's column. You'd think he hadn't even seen the game in person:

The Bruins haven't been in the playoffs since 2004 (also a first-round loss to Montreal) and it felt pretty flat - especially given everything that's going on with the Red Sox, Celtics, and the Boston College men's hockey NCAA championship.

Perhaps he'd have rather spent four-plus excruciating hours at Fenway Park.

Milan Lucic is a budding star. There are those who have compared him to a young Cam Neely and anyone who watched lsat night's game understands why. He finished his checks--and finished them hard--he was aggressive in front of the net and in the slot, scoring the first goal of the game. He was the dominant player on the ice last night. Now, he doesn't yet have the scoring touch of a Neely (number 8 would have had a hat trick if he'd had the same two breakaway chances that Lucic was unable to finish) and probably never will, but he could be a dominant player for years to come.

I didn't mind the influx of Canadiens' fans, but I was put off that the Jacobs family ended up selling ad space on the boards to Montreal companies. I noticed at least three ads for companies that do business exclusively in Canada, including one which was written in French. I suppose the Jacobses can (and will) do anything for money, but you'd think that there would be a couple of companies doing business in New England that would like to buy ad space.

Tags: Boston Bruins Montreal Canadiens NHL

Red Sox, Volvo not picture perfect

I'm flipping through the mail this evening and I get to this:

So I think, "This will be cool. Maybe I'll get a nice picture to tack up on Jackson's wall." It wouldn't have to be a shot of Big Papi or Dice K; a Dustin Pedroia or...hell, Kevin Cash...would be OK. So I open the envelope and pull out this:

OK, so the envelope doesn't explicitly say that a picture of a Red Sox player is inside, but it's reasonable to assume that with the Red Sox logo next to the words "Photos Enclosed: Do Not Bend" that the enclosed photo would be of something other than a red hatchback, isn't it?

This lesson in deceptive advertising was brought to you by the Boston Red Sox and Gallo Volvo of Worcester.

Tags: Boston Red Sox Volvo

Did the Bruins win, NESN?

I heard a rumor this morning that the Bruins won last night. I was watching the debate and "Lost" so I didn't get to see the game (the DVR can only do so much) and I figured that since the game was on NESN last night, I'd go to NESN.com to get the highlights. I assumed the network of the Bruins would be a good place to get what I was looking for. Here's what I found:

I see eight videos about Spring Training and one interview with Bruin goalie Alex Auld about a shootout win. But the last game the Bruins won was also a shootout, so I have no idea if that's about last night's game, or Tuesday's game.

Please NESN, The Bruins are in a playoff race and the Red Sox don't even play a real game for six weeks. I understand that we'll be all Red Sox all the time all summer long. But can I at least get Bruins coverage while they are in season? Is that too much to ask?

Tags: Hockey NHL Boston Bruins Red Sox NESN

Apparently no one uses the Pike anymore

According to statistics in yesterday's Boston Globe, the downtown stretch of the Mass Pike has essentially been abandoned:

It's a vital and busy artery bringing motorists from the western suburbs and beyond in and out of the heart of Boston. While the Mass. Turnpike may not be perfect, it's a roadway many commuters can't do without. Pike officials estimate 100,000 vehicles travel the road between downtown Boston and the Allston tolls every year.

100,000 vehicles a year? That turns out to be about 11 cars an hour. I haven't counted, but I think I get at least 11 cars an hour on the paved cowpath in front of my house that we charitably call a street. If it's that easy to get around Boston these days, I'm going to have to visit the city more often. More...

For at least several weeks now, GlobeWatch has noticed a growing number of lights over both east- and westbound traffic lanes on the Pike are dark, making the six-lane roadway more challenging to navigate at night.

But what makes the six-lane roadway less challenging for those 11 cars each hour is that the road is actually eight lanes wide, if you believe the visual evidence provided by the Globe. Oh, and huzzah! to the photograher for catching the Pike at a particularly busy time. I count at least 29 cars in the photo.

Tags: Boston Globe Mass Pike Massachusetts Traffic

Real fans drive to Fenway

A letter writer in today's Globe is "outraged" that the T stopped running before the game ended.

MY DAUGHTER and I were fortunate and excited to attend the second Red Sox Division Series playoff game Friday night...You can imagine our disappointment and outrage when at 11:45 p.m., the Fenway scoreboard announced that the last train out of Kenmore Station would be at 12:10 a.m.

We, along with thousands of other unhappy fans, were forced to depart Fenway Park during a tie game so that we would not be stranded in Kenmore Square after the game...

Guy, have you ever been to a Red Sox game before? If there is one thing I'd never do when attending a night game, it's take the T. I've been to Fenway at least twice when the T stopped running, and I had no trouble because I drove in.

Just another way to tell the difference between a Red Sox native, and member of Red Sox nation.

Tags: Boston MBTA Massachusetts

No Hitter!

After the bad news from last night, this was exactly what we needed. Thank you, Clay!

Tags: Boston Red Sox Clay Buchholz No Hitter

A chicken in every pot, a casino in every town

All of a sudden, it seems like everyone wants to build a casino in the commonwealth. Middleborough has voted yes (and no) on a proposed Indian casino in their town. Another tribe is looking to build one in Palmer. Mayor Menino is trying to lure casino developers to Suffolk Downs in East Boston. One of the richest men in the world wants to build one off route 495 in Marlborough.

I support the building of one or more casinos, but Governor Patrick is going to have to get this under control when he reveals his position on the proposals in the next few weeks. I fear that without strict control, we're going to end up with a hodge-podge of casinos across the state.

Rather than leaving the development options open, the state should designate a casino "district" (like Atlantic City in New Jersey, for instance) and allow the casinos to all build in that one area. Some cities and towns would probably fight pretty hard for that reward (New Bedford comes to mind, maybe Springfield), yet small towns like Middleborough or Palmer wouldn't be facing the possibility for significant upheaval.

But what we don't need is a string of casinos from Stockbridge to Boston.

Tags: Massachusetts Middleborough Marlborough Boston Palmer Casino

Wakefield on the verge of history

Well, on the verge might be a little premature. But did you know that this man, who celebrated his 41st birthday with a 7-4 win today over the Orioles, now leads the American League (along with five others) with 13 wins?

That's right, Tim Wakefield--the guy who just drives you crazy because you never know when he'll suddenly walk three in a row; the guy who has saddled the Red Sox with the unbearably bad Doug Mirabelli (today's three hits notwithstanding); the guy who doesn't get any respect because he doesn't throw hard, yet has almost identical statistics this season as Curt Schilling; the guy who is third all-time in Red Sox wins (behind only Cy Young and Roger Clemens, maybe the two greatest pitchers of alltime)--is on pace to lead the league in victories.

If Tim Wakefield wins seven of his remaining starts (he should have 11 starts remaining), he would become the only pitcher in history to put up his first 20 win season after the age of 40. In fact, he would be only the sixth pitcher in 131 years to win 20 or more games after 40. Here are the seven 20-win seasons by 40-year olds:

PLAYER	AGE	W	YEAR	Age First	Total 20
Warren Spahn	42	23	1963	26	13
Jamie Moyer	40	21	2003	38	2
Phil Niekro	40	21	1979	30	3
Warren Spahn	40	21	1961	26	13
Pete Alexander	40	21	1927	24	9
Cy Young	41	21	1908	24	15
Cy Young	40	21	1907	24	15

Cy Young and Warren Spahn each did it twice, but they also each had over a dozen 20-win seasons, starting in their mid 20s. Only Jamie Moyer was in the later stages of his career when he first won 20 games, achieving the milestone at age 38.

Tags: Boston Red Sox Tim Wakefield 02215

My Sox Memories -- Kevin Romine beats the Rangers, July 3, 1990

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been part of a couple of discussions about memorable Red Sox games that I've seen in person: two weeks ago tonight while sitting with my brother in the bleachers at Fenway (at a decidedly unmemorable game), and yesterday in a discussion on the Boston Sports Media Watch forum. I've been fortunate to have been at a number of memorable games (although none recently) and thought I'd share a few of them over the next few days.

On Sunday, July 2, 1990, I went with the family to see the Red Sox take on Nolan Ryan and the Rangers. The Sox won 3-2 when Kevin Romine hit a home run off then-rookie reliever Kenny Rogers. We sat in the left field grandstand, and had a great view of the game-winning home run into the screen.

At the time, Scott and couldn't imagine why Ryan didn't come out for the ninth, having allowed just two runs. Looking back at the game story from the Globe the next day, I can't believe he went eight innings. If you've ever wondered how things are different now than they were just 17 years ago, read along:

Outside Boston, Kevin Romine is mistaken for a fancy kind of lettuce.

In Boston, he is the magic maker....

Two years later, it was his leadoff, ninth-inning home run off lefthander Kenny Rogers that gave the Red Sox a 3-2 win, ending their 11-game homestand with a 9-2 record and boosting their American League East Division lead to 4 1/2 games.

Check your astrological charts on this one. It was a game that was supposed to feature Nolan Ryan and Boddicker. Both pitched well. Boddicker, the junkballer, improved to 11-3 and 33-17 as a Red Sox, winning his 10th straight game. Ryan, who lasted eight innings and threw 144 pitches, surrendered seven hits and left a 2-2 game in the hands of Texas' interim closer, Rogers....

On 3-2, Romine sent the second-largest Fenway crowd of the year quickly into Happy Hour. In one fell swoop, he saved Boddicker some deep frustration. Boddicker, who is still pitching with a tender elbow and threw 139 pitches, allowed 10 hits and walked three. He struck out nine. To have come away with no decision would have been like fingernails on a blackboard.

(OK, one thing that hasn't changed in 17 years is Nick Cafardo's writing--or lack thereof. "Kevin Romine is mistaken for a fancy kind of lettuce." Ugh!)

144 pitches in eight innings for the 43-year-old Ryan, and 139 pitches in nine innings for Boddicker. Having a pitcher go for 139+ pitches is almost unheard of. Having two pitchers do it in the same game...well, I'll bet that hasn't happened twice this decade if at all.

It's also amazing to think that Red Sox team won the AL East for the third time in five years. Looking at the box score and play-by-play from that day and seeing that the bottom four were Tony Pena, Carlos Quintana, Kevin Romine, and Luis Rivera. The big hit before Romine's heroics was a game-tying, pinch hit double by Ware's own Billy Jo Robidoux in the seventh. Wow. Not a murders row.

Tags: Boston Red Sox Kevin Romine Nolan Ryan Mike Boddicker

Southern Michigan Travel Journal -- Destination City

So, I’m off to Southern Michigan on business for a couple of days, and to pass the time and to deal with the boredom, I present the “Southern Michigan Travel Journal.” I’m sure this will be thrilling…

Destination City, 10:30 pm
Because I’m traveling on business and I refuse to write about my work on this blog, the name of my final destination shall remain a secret. Let’s just say that it’s like a mini-Fitchburg only bigger, if you catch my drift.

I took the old highway here from the Detroit area (as opposed to taking the interstate). As usual, it was worth the trip. I found out that the car was equipped with XM radio, so I cruised down the old road through bypassed towns with classic country on the radio. As it should be. I was fighting with the GPS system the whole way, as the voice kept yelling at me to turn onto the interstate, but I ignored it.

There was a couple of old 40s and 50s era motels with their big neon signs along the way. Entering this city I passed an Arby’s with an original sign, which was cool. Reminded me of the old sign that used to be in Webster Square in Worcester. Otherwise, there isn’t much of anything in this town. About the only other thing that stood out was that they have a huge self-service recycling center right in the middle of downtown. If you are envisioning a park full of dumpsters, you would be correct.

Oh, and the hotel has free wifi, which makes this place better than Logan Airport.

Tags: Boston Detroit Massachusetts Michigan Travel

Southern Michigan Travel Journal -- Hoarding toothbrushes

So, I’m off to Southern Michigan on business for a couple of days, and to pass the time and to deal with the boredom, I present the “Southern Michigan Travel Journal.” I’m sure this will be thrilling…

Canton, MI, 6:45 pm
Just dropped five dollars and change at one of the most beautiful Wal-Marts I’ve encountered. Not inside, of course—they’re all the same once you get through the doors—but the façade is brick with a gabled roof and attractive windows. I stopped to pick up some travel-sized toiletries—I try to travel without them since the whole three ounce, quart bag crazy rules aren’t worth the trouble. While scanning the display of travel-sized items, a very talkative, very annoying young lady asked me if I was going on vacation. I made the mistake of answering her, and she proceeded to give me all sorts of advice as to which toiletries were the best deals.

I attempted to pick up a travel toothbrush (for some reason, she had about eight of them), and she suggested that if I was just going to throw it out anyway, I should by the 50-cent model around the corner. I thought about asking her why she had a handful of the more expensive toothbrushes, and how she knew so much about Wal-Mart’s toothbrush inventory, but I decided that fleeing for the checkout was a better bet.

(Posted from Southern Michigan, because I wasn't going to hang around Wal-Mart looking for a place to post.)

Tags: Boston Detroit Massachusetts Michigan Travel

Southern Michigan Travel Journal -- The rest of me is also on fire

So, I’m off to Southern Michigan on business for a couple of days, and to pass the time and to deal with the boredom, I present the “Southern Michigan Travel Journal.” I’m sure this will be thrilling…

Canton, MI, 6:23 pm
Well, that was quick. In and out of the restaurant in about 25 minutes. Can’t complain about that.

What I can complain about is this heat. When I got in the car at around 5:20, the on board thermometer read 98 degrees. While driving to Canton, it hit 100 at one point. I’d guess it’s probably not that hot, since the direct sun and the radiating heat from the pavement probably added a few degrees, but it’s still hot. I had to wait in the parking lot for about five minutes for a car, and it was hot. (Have I mentioned it’s hot? Yes?)

Got a full-size car (only two dollars a day more than the standard), and it ended up being a Pontiac Grand Prix. Whatever. I was hoping for something a little better. I tried to talk the attendant into giving me a Cadillac, since my car wasn’t ready and there were a number of them just sitting out front, but no dice.

Oh, and it's hot.

(Posted from Southern Michigan, because as good as Don Pablo's is, it doesn't have free wifi.)

Tags: Boston Detroit Massachusetts Michigan Travel

Southern Michigan Travel Journal -- My Prairie's on Fire!

So, I’m off to Southern Michigan on business for a couple of days, and to pass the time and to deal with the boredom, I present the “Southern Michigan Travel Journal.” I’m sure this will be thrilling…

Canton, MI, 5:50 pm
My prairie is on fire!

OK, so that might not mean much to some of you, but others will appreciate that I’m at a Don Pablo’s Mexican restaurant, eating Prairie Fire bean dip. And enjoying it very much. Were I smart enough to have remembered my cell phone, I’d call my friend Stacy and yell, “My Prairie is on fire!” through the phone. But I can’t so I’ll keep eating.

And my food is here, just five minutes after I ordered it. Adios.

(Posted from Southern Michigan, because as good as Don Pablo's is, it doesn't have free wifi.)

Tags: Boston Detroit Massachusetts Michigan Travel