Damned if you do, damned if you do

The Boston Globe is reporting this morning that Pittsfield Mayor James Ruberto and former Red Sox General Manager Dan Duquette are being hauled in on ethics charges for not conducting an illegal transaction:

The Massachusetts State Ethics Commission is holding a hearing today in a controversy involving Mayor James M. Ruberto of Pittsfield, former Red Sox general manager Daniel Duquette, and a pair of tickets to the 2004 World Series.

The commission's investigators allege that Duquette's sale of two tickets to the 2004 World Series to Ruberto at face value – when they were commanding as much as $2,000 apiece -- violated the state's conflict of interest law.

Here is the problem with that charge: If Duquette had sold the mayor the two ducats at $2,000 each, he'd have been in violation of the state's anti-scalping laws. In fact, if Duquette had got $250 each for the tix, he'd have been breaking the law.

And we all know what would happen if it wen't the other way. What do you think woulld happen if someone found out that politician X got two tickets to a Bruins-Thrashers game on a snowy Thursday in January for half-price. Do you think think the fact that scalpers on the street were only selling them for half-price would help him or her out?

So I guess the moral of the story is that officials subject to the ethics law--at least as it was written in 2004--can only attend sporting events where they pay full price for a ticket and where the street value of the ticket is no greater than full price. So if you are a pol looking to go to a Sox game, best to find a cold night in May when the Royals are in town so you don't have to go before the ethics commission.

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

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

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

Best Letter Ever

At first blush, this letter to the editor of the Telegram and Gazette is a tour-de-force of senile induced stream of consciousness. But then I looked up some of the stuff the old man wrote about, and I'll be damned if his memory isn't pretty good:

I watched the football game between the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys. The Patriots beat the Cowboys. Good. I noticed a lineman on the Dallas Cowboys whose name was Jolly. I haven't seen that name around in ages. When I first followed big league baseball back in 1932, the Boston Red Sox had an outfielder whose name was Smeed Jolly.

The centerfielder was Dusty Rhodes and the other fielder was Suitcase Seeds. The New York Giants had a pitcher whose name was Fat Freddy Fitzsimmons.

Then World War II came along and I went to war and forgot about Fat Freddy. I think the three years I spent in the Navy in World War II were three of the best years of my life.

Before I get into the facts, I hope you take a moment to appreciate what you've just read.

OK.

Looks like there was a Red Sox outfielder named Smead Jolley in 1932. Dusty Rhodes wasn't an outfielder, but rather a pitcher on that 1932 team (there was an outfielder named Dusty on the 1933 Sox). Still, that's pretty good recall after 75 years. And while "Suitcase Bob" Seeds wasn't on that team, he did play with the 1933 team. Fat Freddy Fitzsimmons had a long and successful career.

I've got to give the letter writer credit. Not only did he find some way to get from the 2007 Patriots to the 1932 Red Sox and back to World War II in a matter of three paragraphs, he essentially got his facts right as well.

Previous T&G Letters to the Editor:
In God we trust, in e-mails we don't
"suspiciously left-wing"
T&G Readers are off their meds again
"I like Jasmine Guy"
BREAKING: Election fraud in Auburn
"The sting of unboozed Democrats"
"Why is Mitt Romney ashamed of Massachusetts?"
"hot condiments cause them to be...interested in sex"
Disgust with that nasty Francona grows
It's that dirty Francona's fault
T&G reader takes on terrorism
Worcester: the San Diego of the East
Is State Senator Barrios a Bush Crony
Rem-Dawg Debate Rages in Worcester
Jerry Remy has "lost all touch with reality"

Tags: 1932 1933 Red Sox

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

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

Never Forget: Jerry Trupiano was not good

Some freelance writer named Ted Weesner, Jr. hijacked the Globe opinion page this morning and subjected many unsuspecting readers like myself to a mournful, wistful wet kiss to Jerry Trupiano's unemployed mug.

Yuck.

Accepting that we're all entitled to our own opinions, however misguided, I think it's important to point out that at his best, Jerry Trupiano was merely tolerable. At his worst, he was unlistenable. But Weesner disagrees with me, so I'm going to take this opportunity to explain why Weesner hasn't the first clue what he's talking about.

Early in the column, the author claims that there has been a torrent of unhappiness over Trupiano's exile from the broadcasting booth:

Longtime broadcaster Jerry Trupiano's contract was not renewed by the organization, and many feel like a loved one has been stolen away.

The degree of unhappiness is both surprising and not hard to locate. Google "Trupiano" and you get a glimpse of live grief on display.

I took Weesner up on his challenge, and googled "Trupiano." Among the top 50 hits, here is what I found:

• 22 Tony Trupiano, Radio Host/Political Candidate
• 10 Jerry Trupiano
• 3 Trupiano's Italian Restaurant
• 15 Assorted Trupianos

Of the 10 references to the deposed sportscaster, four were news interviews with the broadcaster and five were biographical references. Just one was a fan reaction piece, and even that one spent more time listing Trupiano's shortcomings than his redeeming qualities.

In other words, after googling Trupiano as instructed, I found exactly no "examples of live grief," save for Trupiano's own disappointment in being fired.

Weesner continues:

...if you listen to the new team of broadcasters -- there are two who alternate with Jerry's old partner, Joe Castiglione -- there's been no mention of the missing personality.

This despite the fact that baseball announcers refer regularly to the past, both near and far. It's a little eerie. In the way that Lenin purged Trotsky's image from official photographs, it's as if Trupiano never existed.

Or, in the way that Weesner doesn't mention the names of Dave O'Brien and Glenn Geffner, as if they do not exist. I'm going to give Weesner the benefit of the doubt here and assume that he is being intentionally ironic.

Back to the column:

A good broadcaster is also a good storyteller, providing sharp detail, colorful character, a lucid view of unfolding scenes, all the while trying not to get in the way of "our" picture.

I couldn't agree more. Which is why the man who spent the last 13 years muddying every last fly ball by yelling "Way Back! Waaaaay Back!" only to follow that with the news that the drive was caught 10 feet in front of the warning track was not a good broadcaster. Worse than getting "in the way of 'our' picture," he often described a picture that didn't exist.

More Weesner:

It may not be too much to say that Trupiano's paternal gravitas offered -- much like the experience of listening to baseball itself -- a kind of temporary shelter from life's storms.

Trupiano's gravitas was on display every night as he informed us that Tim Wakefield, Mike Lowell, Fred Lynn and Daryl Boston were members of the All-Massachusetts Town Team, or that Jim Rice and Bob Lemon headed the All-Food team. A temporary shelter from the game at hand, if not from life's storms.

The author goes on to explain that he gained an affection for Trupiano while driving across New England to visit his ailing mother, that Trupiano's voice provided comfort and excitement to the anxious traveler. I can appreciate the sentiment. Over the years, I have traveled home alone late at night a number of times from out of state and I knew that I could always find Lovell Dyett or David Brudnoy on WBZ after dark. There were definitely some nights when the sound of home kept me driving.

There were nights when the sound of Jerry Trupaino made me wish I were driving off a cliff.

Weezer finishes his column with this:

Someone once told me we can never have too many mothers. The same can surely be said of fathers. For many of us, for a while, Jerry Trupiano was one, unseen but very much heard.

Touching, but I've always thought of Trupiano as that crazy uncle that corners you at a family reunion. You know, the one who talks your ears off, spewing unlistenable craziness until someone--in Troop's case, Joe Castiglone--jumps in to rescue you.

Tags: Jerry Trupiano Boston Red Sox Boston Globe

Bill Richardson needs to pick a side

You know, I don't really care which sports teams are the favorites of the politicians I support. On the list of issues I care about, allegiance to one baseball team or another isn't high.

So I really don't care if Bill Richardson is a Red Sox fan, a Yankees fan, or not a fan at all. But at least get your story straight:

Earlier this year, Richardson said that if he were not running for president, his dream job would be playing for the Yankees. Yesterday, on NBC's "Meet the Press," he explained: "I've always been a Red Sox fan. But I said if I weren't running for president, I would like to be No. 7 -- Mickey Mantle -- playing center field for the New York Yankees..."

See, if he'd stopped there, this would not be a problem. I mean, I'm a Bruins fan, but if I weren't sitting here typing on this computer, I would like to be Wayne Gretzky. That doesn't make me a bad Bruins fan. And wanting to be Mickey Mantle doesn't make Richardson a bad Red Sox fan.

But he didn't stop there, and that's where he got himself into trouble:

"My favorite team has always been the Red Sox," he said, then added, "I'm also a Yankees fan. . . . This is the thing about me. I can bring people together."

Oh, cut it out. That's not bringing people together, that's pandering. Besides, the right answer would have been the Albuquerque Dukes or whatever the AAA team in New Mexico is called now (it's the Isotopes, apparently).

Tags: Red Sox Yankees Bill Richardson Election 2008

Better enjoy the Red Sox while you can...

...because it looks like slim pickings down on the farm:

Padres' Class-A team drubs Red Sox farm club, 30-0

LANCASTER, Calif. -- This minor league game quickly turned into a major rout: Lake Elsinore 30, Lancaster 0.

The San Diego Padres' affiliate put on a record-setting performance, beating Boston's farm team Friday night in the Class-A California League.

Lake Elsinore posted the most-lopsided victory ever against Lancaster. The Storm came close to the league mark for runs, set by Fresno with 34 in 1947.

At least in Little League they have a mercy rule!

Tags: Red Sox Padres Minor League