My random Sox thoughts

I miss baseball. Football is nice, but, it's one day a week. I also miss Remy and Orsillo!!

I am so proud for Pedroia. Him playing with his broken hand for the past two months is the 'bloody sock' of 2007! And, I'm calling Jacoby for ROTY 2008. Hells yeah.

Beckett got robbed. I think I will always refer to him as Cy, until he wins it.

A-fraud signed with the Yankees for a decade. Good. Keep him off our team. Plus, that just means we get to smoke 'em in the playoffs for a loooong time.

If the Sox don't get Lowell back, I may very well cry.

I want to buy a NESN Bobbledesk for someone for Christmas. Think they're still available?

Nobody here?

We are in Ohio, found some friends to watch the game with. I thought Tuan would have filled this space by now, but he's probably still making his own little champagne shower thing at home.


So....we're tired. Great game, great times. Hard to match the furvor of '04, but seeing all the new guys, the young ones especially, pull this off has its own unique flavour. More thoughts when its not 1am and I've had more than 2 hours of sleep a night (long story).

Yes, in fact.

We let the kids stay up to watch the playoffs, just like my dad did with me in the 80's.

It's funny...

I delete because they got ML. That's okay, though :)


Oh, and did I mention that MY AUNT AND UNCLE ARE AT THE GAME RIGHT NOW????!!!!

***lucky***

Yes!

9 batters an inning, I can dig it.
We'll be posting all night long, babies!

Oh, this is gooooood!

JB strikes out the side.

Pedroia blasts a HR.

Yooooouk slams a double.

And I'm drinking a Pumpkin Head.

Life in Maine is gooood right now!!


ah- and it's Papi

bunting.

WTF ??

High Fives All Around

I hope y'all are watching this. Gotta go in hot against the Rockies.

So I realized recently that we'll be on the road to Columbus, OH during most of the World Series (leaving early Thursday AM), and staying with non-sports-watching friends for almost a week. This is horrible. And apparently we wont be back until the whole series is done. Patrick, I'm sure you're not reading this, but you better have some neighbors who like some Fall Classic. Or there's gonna be trouble: by which I mean you, watching my kids while we hit a bar somewhere.

It's a good day to be a sox fan

I love grand slams.

I appreciate J.D. Drew picking NOW to come alive.

I love me some Jacoby Elsbury.

I believe we can win game 7 again.

Crazy like a FOX

I hate FOX. I hate FOX in a boat. I hate FOX in a coat. Was it just me or did anyone else hear a lot of complaining in game one of the ALCS about the fact that it was a blowout. Then in game two.... camplaining about the length of the game. I hate FOX.

a plague?

I realize others have hinted at this, but seriously, SWARMSSSSSS of bugs on the yankee players at the jake seems like a plague. I realize the indians also suffered, but hey they won, so in my mind, they are ultimately plague free.

oh and- YESSSSSSSS Yanks down 2 to Cleveland, Sox up two vs the LAAOA or whatever the heck they are called. its a good october

Manny vote

Our beloved Manny Ramirez hit a fabulous homerun last night to bring us a 9th inning post season win. He watched his beautiful hit soar out of the park with hands in the air, THEN, he ran the bases.

vote for your feelings on this:

1. a thing of such beauty should be watched soar out of the park, I thought his reaction was fabulous and appropriate

2. he's a showboat, it was bad form (and he might get beaned at his next at bat)

3. it was hilarious but he's going to get beaned in his next at bat

4. its manny being manny and is acceptable behavior for him, and maybe papi but no one else

5. any combo of 1-4 (tell us which 2 or 3 you pick)

looking forward to your votes in the comment section

So happy!

Last night I anxiously awaited the results of the yankees orioles game, then I gleefully drank a pumpkinhead and was happy all night. What a bunch of goobers dancing around, it was hilarious!
Yeah us! Way to make life exciting these last few weeks, and thank goodness they pulled it off.

I may never cheer so hard for Baltimore again!

For the first time since 1995...

Your Boston Red Sox are the AL East Champs!!

Isn't it funny how they all turned into little kids after it was official? I loved it.

Guess who?!
Three cheers for Jay Payton (who?), and for squeeze bunts. I was, however, really hoping that My Boy Millar would have been the hero. Oh well. It was still awesome. So awesome that my cheering woke up Tyler and I spent the majority of the celebratory coverage rocking my baby back to sleep. Bad,loud Momma.

Bring on October, baby!!!

bring it.

NESN calls it 'Soxtober'. I call it "please be nice and win the games early so i don't have to go to work in a sleep-deprived, 15 inning marathon series haze-tober"

oh. And David Ortiz should stick to hitting and not ever EVER try to steal THIRD BASE ever, ever again.

Timing is Everything.

Its 4 to 1, good guys. Ortiz at the plate. I say to my wife "If Papi makes it 7-1 then I'd allow Gagne to pitch, but I think right now Francona's got to go for the win."

Next Pitch.

7-1.

If I could say it better myself, I would.

But I choose to believe that this is (mostly) true.

Thank you, Billy Joe.

Wake me up/
When September ends

Mama said there'd be days like this.

Since I was taught to say nothing if I have nothing nice to say, I'm leaving the Sox talk to someone else. Instead I'll do a bit o teeth talk. I am impressed with my son. "Why" you ask? Because he grew 2 teeth. Rae and I knew he was working on something by the changes in his eating and his sleeping (or lack of sleeping) habits. I know it is a silly thing to be impressed by, but I am nonetheless. There are a lot of things that I am proud of when it comes to Tyler, and yes most of them are silly to non-parents, but all of the parents out there know what I mean. Remember the first time your kid rolled over or reached for you in an effort to get you to pick him / her up? Proud parent moments. Remember when he /she learned to give kisses? Another proud parent moment. Remember when your kid went out and pitched a no-hitter in his second MLB start? Remember when your kid hit his 13th career walk-off home run? I mean... we, as parents, can all agree that it's the little things that make it so worthwhile. And speaking of little things.........2.5 game lead and counting (down unfortunately).

Whoops

After seeing Hinske bat in the 8th (I thought they'd pinch for him, I don't know who I thought they had, I was just frustrated) I announced "If the Red Sox aren't going to care about this game then neither am I." I went to bed.

I missed this:













(image via Surviving Grady)

It's officially fall.

It is officially fall, as of last night. You can tell by the way David Ortiz hit one of his patented late season walk-off home runs. I love this time of year.
I have been looking to see who has the most career walk-offs, but I have been stymied. Someone help a brother out.

It's about time

On the way home from dinner with friends tonight, I turned on the game to hear red sox 6 Tampa Bay 9.
EXCUSE ME? WHATTTTT?

We're losing to Tampa Crappy Bay?

I am now home and happily watching back to back homers and a nice double by Youk and enjoying a 16 to 9 lead. I feel like the world has been righted, balance has been achieved in the universe again. Seriously, you can;t lose 2 nights in a row to tampa bay.

It's about time the bats woke up and the bullpen acted like the one I have come to love this year...

Joe Buck

I can't say for sure, but I believe Joe Buck is the Fox all purpose sports announcer. I am confident he has some sort of contractual obligation to mention his man love of Derek Jeter, every game he announces. Even if the game is football, or tennis, or curling. This coming Saturday the Sox vs Yankees game is on Fox. Be warned when Ole Joe is announcing a Yankees game the Jeter love fest is out of control. I think this Saturday will be a Sox via the radio kind of day. If you are unlucky enough to have to watch the game........ keep an empty chip bag handy as Joe's biased, Jeter loving, no stat having, Jeter loving, Red Sox hating, Jeter loving announcing style can turn the stomach of the most seasoned roller coaster fanatic (or Red Sox fan). Did I mention Joe Buck's absurd love of Derek Jeter?

The Mama

All I could think of Saturday night when Clay Buckholtz (aka The Kid) was throwing that no-hitter was:

“Man, I bet his mother is in tears right now! I bet she is so proud of him!”

baby names

I needed to write about this, even though it has nothing to do with the not winning lately Sox. I was enjoying a cup of bad coffee when ol' Al Roker went to say hi to a baby in the Today Show crowd. STONE. The baby's name was Stone. I can only hope that his last name is Jackson, because the only thing more silly than being named Stone is having a middle name of Wall and the last name Jackson.

Here is a list of baby names from 1994 in NYC, abbreviated of course:

Weird names for Boys:
Abba, Abyss, Amen, Andrew's (note the apostrophe, as if the mother were reminding herself of who the father was!), Apple, As-Matik (say it fast, you'll see what I mean), Bear, Blade, Brando (8 different ones!), Charm, Confession, Dwarf (I don't even want to think about that kid's childhood),GQ (must have been a handsome lad), Gal, Go, Godly, Gospel, Hey (makes it easy to call him in for dinner, Hey! Hey! HEY!), Holy, Infinite (3 different Infinites, you do the math!), Knight Sir Lancelot (I'm not kidding),Lisa (A boy named Lisa?),Nadir (which means "absolute lowest point", thanks Mom.), Stalin, Stallone, Truth ($100 bucks the kid becomes pathological liar), Unique (15 different Uniques, and one Uneek, which when you think about it,makes him unique)
Weird Names for Girls:
Alaska, Albert, Beautiful, Beautiphul (beautiful, but in a strange way), Boat, Chaos (what were they thinking?), Chevy (I mean, why not Saab?), Chevette, Choice (as in, "If I had one, I'd have chosen another name!), Cuba, Dynasty, Final (does this mean her younger sister is a mistake?), Galaxy (hope she ain't shy), He (a she named He?), Infinity (I guess infinity is any gender), N/A (as in, not applicable?), Nada, Precious, Angel, Prince, Promise, Providence, Sin, Sparkle, Story, Symphony, Tall (you better hope she is, that's all I have to say), Tangerine, Tequila (this means Mom won't get upset the first time you come home wasted)

All I can say is sorry Dan, but this isn't a contest. For the sake of any offspring you may have, don't name him / her Sandwich no matter how much you love them.

How Many Licks

So how many games do we have to win this week? Is there a number, prior to mathematical elimination, when you will consider the Yankees done?

phew!

7.5 games seems a whole lot better than 4 games!!

Bring on the YANKEES!!!!!

The DH

When we first moved to Philadelphia in 2001 we had the opportunity to see a whole new kind of ballgame. National League ball really can have a different pace, which some fans of it describe as purer, more strategic, or just plain better. Those people are all wrong.

Maybe having the pitcher take at bats is a purer, even more logical thing to do. After all, its baseball, and everyone else does it on the team, why make exceptions? And yes, there is an added layer of strategy dealing with double-switches, more pitcher/pinch hitting replacements, and such in the latter innings, but all of these arguments are just smoke and mirrors for the main issue:

Pitchers suck at hitting.


Check out these numbers. All National League pitchers, those with the most at bats at the top. Of the 43 pitchers with over 40 at bats, 4 of them are hitting over 250, one over 300. This is just wretched. All the extra strategy that is cited is needed because everybody knows that an average pitcher, and most good ones, will tend to hit like a 40 year old third string catcher with bad knees and cataracts. I don't care if its more logical or more pure, so are Vulcan virgins. I don't want to see either play baseball. I want to see guys who know how to swing a bat.

If the average major league pitcher's performance at the plate was on par with, or even within 20 on base percentage points of, say, a catcher or other primarily-defensive position, I would not have such a problem with it. This has nothing to do with my interleague objections either, which center around forcing players to do something for two weeks that they don't do the rest of the year, which is risky and unfair. I want to see guys that can hit. I want David Ortiz to wobble his rickety legs up to the plate and slap some baseballs around like unruly step-children, and take a turn around the bases that make Babe Ruth seem like Ricky Henderson without being forced to see him play a latter-day-Bucknerian first base. Each team has pitching-only specialists, and a hitting-only specialist, and thats fine by me.

Interleague play

So the question of the day is does interleague play help or hurt?

Being a Sox fan I know that EVERY GAME counts, which is why opening day I am on the edge of my seat till the last out just like every other game of the 162 game season. I feel that interleague play is good for fans outside of the Sox "Home Town". Having been designated "America's Team", I have a hard time voting against interleague play, as I wouldn't want to take seeing the Sox play from any Sox fan (even if they live in St Louis). Stupid online writers don't believe in dates for the following quotes (I think they are from June 07), but here it is:
"The Red Sox have the best inter league record at 11-1, with the White Sox, Tigers, Twins and Mariners each losing twice to NL foes."
"The Red Sox are 20-6 in their last 26 interleague home games
The Red Sox are 40-12 in their last 52 interleague games vs. a right-handed starter."
So the world series *crossing fingers* would look good.
Interleague play is ok by me.

Fear teh Math, Bridge Climbers

http://joyofsox.blogspot.com/2007/08/what-has-to-happen.html

The good life

Watching the Red sox score five runs in one inning in Tampa while eating popcorn and cuddling with two beautiful kids.

That right there is near perfection!

Great Names for a Great Game

I'm playing a week of away games in Philly this week, so posting my be light from me, apologies.

Choosing a name for your child is obviously a very emotional and important project. Many names seem to indicate future proclivity or vocational options, and that's something you don't want to ignore.

There are names, good names, bad names, funny names, creative names, and the most important category of all: Great Baseball Names. Here are some of my favorites. Add yours to the comments, and tell me what you think makes a Great Baseball Name. Mine will feature, of course, Boston players primarily, but feel free to branch out.
If you really feel ambitious, put together a starting lineup (and multiple pitchers) with players from any era based entirely on the Greatness of their name. We'll work towards a single All-Star-Names lineup.

Keep in mind that this is for Proper Names (or thereabouts) only. We'll do Great Baseball Nicknames later.


(no particular order, more to come later)
Wade Boggs 3B
Trot Nixon RF
Chase Utley 2B
Nomar Garciaparra SS (This may only be a GBN in Boston, where its NO-MAAAAH!)
Mo Vaughn 1B
Tris Speaker CF
Jackie Robinson 2B
Pee Wee Reese, SS

Pitchers:
Whitey Ford
Cy Young

Bonus Question: Is Bo Jackson a better baseball name or a football name?

Teaching the important stuff

Today Tyler and I are playing catch. Well, I am pretending to throw the ball and Tyler is pretending that he can catch it. I then give him a sip of milk. But the important thing here is I am repeating the word "ball". It is the only word that Tyler has heard me say today. In an hour it has become a word that incites pure glee, and a word that Tyler is trying very hard to say.
My point to this is, I am spending all of my time and energy teaching Tyler the most important thing in the world........playing ball is fun and it can put food in your mouth.

Life Lessons

And THIS is why you should always wear clean undies when you leave the house:

"On Friday, Kevin Cash was in Ottawa, watching the Red Sox-Angels score by computer on the Pawtucket team bus to Lynx Stadium, when he saw thatDoug Mirabelli had injured his leg. Two seconds later, Cash said, PawSox manager Ron Johnson received a call. Seven hours later, Cash was in Boston."

So cool. Even cooler that he can catch for Wake AND the Sox decided they would score some runs last night!!!

Don't Fear a Broken Heart: Chapter Four

Even if you play games for a living, its still good to take a day off for rest once in a while.

Some diaper facts

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/05/how-to-green-your-baby.php

1. The average baby uses approx 6,000 diapers before potty training.
2. Petroleum-based disposable diapers take between 200 and 500 years to decompose.
3. Disposables used per day: Australia uses 2.2 million, Japan 6.7 million, the UK 9 million, and the USA 49 million.
4. A home-washed cloth diaper has only 53% of the ecological footprint of disposables, and a nappy laundry service has a mere 37% of that footprint.
5. Disposable diapers contain chemicals that were banned in the 1980s in women's tampons, but continue to be used today to improve absorbency in children's diapers.

Toy Recalls

Not that you couldn't find them yourself, but here are some links on the FREAKING ZILLIONS of children's toys that are being recalled. From the department of "oh, so lead and choking and stuff is bad? we'll look into it".

Mattel Consumer Relations

US Consumer Product Safety Division

Remember: Guns don't kill people, unless they are toy guns covered in lead paint and removable delicious magnets.

Don't Fear a Broken Heart: Chapters Two and Three

(Continuing a series of lessons in life and love my children will learn from the Red Sox)

2. Thou Shalt Not Steal.
If you steal 30 times, and get caught 10 of those times, you may think you've gained something. You haven't. Getting caught once is enough reason to not do it at all, and it shows that you don't have faith in your hitting. I think the romantic and other life applications to this should be obvious, or else I can't think of any and want you to do the work. Thats what the Comments section is for.

3. Pitching Wins Games
I know. You're powerful, a big strong strapping person (I have a daughter as well as son, and I expect greatness from both), and you think that hitting one out of the park is the way to success. Well kids, I'm hear to tell you that man shall not live by the long ball alone. The Sox of Red won that big shiny ring a few years ago with not just one ace, but two. And it wasn't the cleanup hitter who was held together with duct tape and baling wire to get them through, it was a pitcher.

There will be a time in your life when this becomes very important. You need to see a certain result in a relationship, a job, or a 6th grade science fair, so what do you do? Is it time to swing for the fences and win the game with a mighty blast? Maybe. But it might be time for some good pitching.

Approach your adversaries with finesse (thanks for agreeing to meet with me on short notice, i know you're busy). Set them up on the outside, about knee high, so they have to reach (i've been thinking about the increasing responsibility and workload we've all been experiencing lately). Back them off the plate a little with some chin music to show them who is in charge (i've been offered a position in another company and i'm strongly considering it). Baffle and defy all expectations, don't be afraid to use the knuckleball to keep them off balance (its not an easy decision, i value the relationships i have here but it might be time for a change). And then dare them to hit your high heat (it would take a pay increase for me to stay here, what do you think?)

You could go in guns blazing, showing off your might accomplishments and making demands, but take a moment to remember the bloody sock, the crazy guy who ran to second from the mound in an attempt to pick of a runner, and the knuckleball. Pitching wins games, kids.

Work is Boring Part Two

work is boring

Knock Knock?

Who's there?

Johnny.

Johnny, who?

Exactly.....

Stolen Directly From My Blog

I was just thinking of my childhood, as I usually do when playing with Tyler. And I got to thinking of television and the silly "good parent TV limits" that are so popular today. My brother and I weren't given tv limits. But I don't remember prefering to stay in and watch it over going outside and playing. How did kids' TV habits go from saturday morning and a few miscelaneous hours after school to needing parents to set limits on what is on and when TV is watched. And most importantly if TV is limited to 30 minutes or an hour per day, how do the children get to see their favorite Sox players win in the 13th inning (also applies to bedtimes)? Riddle me that "TV limit" parents of the world!!

Party Games?

OK, who's out there reading? Stand and deliver.
Topic: Red Sox or baseball themed party games for my son's 2nd birthday party this Friday. Children may range in age from pre-1 to post-3, so be creative.

Here's what I've got so far:
1. Roll the ball to first like Tavarez (courtesy Rae-Anne)
2. (For the non-walkers) crawl across the room as fast as Big Papi stealing second.
3. The ever popular Eric Gagne Pinata. (In the event that he picks up his game this week, subject to change to Dan Duquette Pinata) (I can't make that thingy over the n, use your imagination.)
4. Show your plate discipline like Kevin Youkilis: Eat those vegetables.

Don't Fear a Broken Heart: Chapter One

Thankfully, we're a few years away from having to deal with inter-gender relational issues, tissues, and miss-you's (woah....), but raising our young Sox fans will give them plenty of experience of drinking joy and sorrow from the same fountain.

I'll be posting a few chapters on things I hope our kids learn from us through our seasonal highs and woes.

Chapter One: Impending doom is not the same as doom.
I know that this is the time of year when we get that butterfly feeling in our collective fan-bellies, just like the one you get at the top of the log flume ride. Even though its not your first ride you are not thinking about those final turns, screams, and splashes. First you were cruising around the easier turns, taking in the view, enjoying the breeze; then you begin the deliberate, clunky climb up to the top. You pause to think "we're not rowing, how are we floating uphill?", but then you hear the machinery underneath, a tiny mechanical bucket-brigade passing your logful of friends up the ramp one click at a time.

When you reach the top you can see the whole amusement park for a minute, and then as you move beyond the rim, in that half second before the real business of the ride begins, your internal organs inform you that they will not be making this trip, instead they will climb down the emergency ladder and meet you at the bottom.

The parallels, in love and baseball, should be apparent. Early in the season the air is sweet with possibility. You enjoy the scenery, you tell people "I think this could really be it, everything is aligned perfectly." And then you get that strange, climbing feeling. A building of anticipation and nervousness. Tensions mount. Did you overcommit? Is this ride more than you bargained for? Should you have hedged your bets, not given yourself so foolishly to hope? As you prepare for the final run, the home stretch, the meeting of rubber and road, time stops. You scream but there is no sound. Your liver is volunteering itself for donation. In that split, frozen second you have all the time in the world to think "This is the Biggest Mistake I've Ever Made."

But you know what? Most people make it. Many ride more than once. Red Sox fans, the true ones, do it every year. That fear of the end? Its not really the end. Its just a moment before things get really good. And if its not all you hoped for, if it leaves you wanting a little more? You can always ride again.

More parenting, less Sox

For just one post, I swear....

Tyler is now 6 months and one week old and on the verge of 1) crawling 2) getting teeth 3) talking (Mamamamama) and 4) developing stranger anxiety (sorry, Auntie Amanda). Additionally, he has begun his 6 month growth spurt and has tried some tasty solid food. I love watching him grow. It is so amazing and rewarding. It's also scary as hell.

I still don't see why so many private things become everyone's business when you have kids Okay, so, here are list of random comments we have received since being parents. Some from strangers, others from friends, family and / or coworkers. . I have added some of my internal responses. Names are left out to protect the foolish.

"Are you going to keep the dogs when the baby arrives?" Nope. And when we have another baby, we'll probably get rid of Tyler... We're easily bored by things.

"He should be sleeping through the night by now. Better Just let him cry, it only takes three nights and then you'll get some sleep" right, because i'd totally rather get a few extra hours of sleep in my life in exchange for my son developing abandonment issues.

"If you hold him all the time he's going to be a spoiled brat" or, a well adjusted, kind boy. whatever.... same thing.

"He's pretty big, we don't want him to get over weight. You should start stretching out his feedings" (this one was from our old pedi. we fired him).

"He's big, you really need to give him some cereal, there's no way you will be able to keep him fed." huh? how the hell do you think he got this big. I make milk, what's your superpower?

ETA:

"I hope you don't wash the diapers in your washing machine, that's gross" You smell funny and have no friends.

Learning to Share

Besides counting down from 11, we can teach our kids to share.

If someone wants your Wily Mo Pena, you let them have him. Don't keep him to yourself. Maybe they have a bag of balls or something they will let you play with in exchange. Or a sock full of nickels.

Math is hard

Thanks to the Red Sox, by the time Tyler is 10 months old, he will be a subtraction genius. 11 games up, then 10, 9, ... 6, 5, 4... what comes next, son?? Wild Card, Mama! Good job, Ty.

Night Games

One nice thing about night games is that my son will be asleep instead of learning new interesting words from his daddy when Eric Gagne comes in.

Sports in New England

Now, I do enjoy a good baseball game, but I love me some football. It is Seahawks vs. Chargers tonight and I couldn't be happier. I think the difference between baseball and football, as a viewer, is in baseball you watch your favorite team when you can or listen to them on the radio, but in football you watch the games regardless of the teams playing. I consider myself a Sox fan and a football fan, though I do prefer the Patriots. Maybe in baseball there is less of a need to cheer for the home team. We all know that crazy Yankee fan living in Maine. Or the Los Angeles Dodgers fan living in Dubai, but where is the Patriot hating Giants fan living in Worchester? I mean I could be horribly wrong, but I don't recall meeting an anti-New England Patriot in Patriot territory. But I hear there are Yankee fans living in the area, teaching our kids, and even marrying friends. So what is the deal with these two sports and the difference in being fans of each. I'll have to put more thought into it and get back to you all......

Tyler Hoa

Hello Internets. Rae-Anne, here! Thought I would continue with Bridget's fashion show theme. Tyler is behind in the clothing and accessory department, but,we're working on it!

Opening Day 2007:



Dice-K gets paid HOW MUCH????There's a better chance of Tyler learning to yo-yo than there is of Manny being someone other than Manny....


More from me this weekend....

So Good

I guess this has been around, but I just came across it for the first time over here.

Indoctrination

Bridget here, also known as Bridggymama.
In order to assure that we are raising Sox fans, we begin the indoctrination early.

First, we buy them Red sox clothing at an early age (Gillian, 2 months old)
Brucie- about 7 months old

Also, when dressing them in non-team specific gear, make sure the colors are basically red and blue or at least red and gray (away colors) so as to communicate that the only baseball that matters is Red Sox baseball.

Secondly: Take them to games...obviously. Bruce has been to two games.

This one when he was two months old at Camden Yards
this one when he was a whole whopping 9 months old. (notice the head to foot Red Sox apparel)
Gillian is behind in this aspect, for which we are sorry. She may have to suffice for AA or AAA ball games at first.

Thirdly: Buy them Red Sox accessories. This one in particular we use to illustrate the high highs and low lows of being a Sox fan. Bruce does indeed love his BoSox sippy cup, and thinks it the epitome of all that is good in the sippy cup universe (straw, belt clip etc). However, I most often use it to give him water, a drink he thinks served best with juice. This causes great heartache. Welcome to life as a sox fan buddy. It's like that sometimes.

Finally: Teach them the wonders of baseball on radio, the internet and TV. We have succeded in doing this with Brucie, to the extent that he says base-a-ball when we tune in to it on the radio without prompting.
You are progressing well, young apprentice.

Small Children in Loud Places

We took our first child to see the Red Sox play in Baltimore (Fenway South) when he was just three weeks old. We didn't plan it that way; we had intended for him to be 5 weeks old, but he was born two weeks late.

He did well for the most part. The only real difficult thing for him was when a home run or near-miss would cause the thousands of Sox fans and hundreds of O's fans to stand and yell, then we'd have a minor crying fit that he recovered from quickly.

The following May, when he was closer to 8 months old we took him to see the Sox again at Citizens Bank Park. This is the only use I had for interleague play, and now that we don't live in Philadelphia I'd be just as happy if they ended the ridiculous experiment once and for all. We went with my brother's family, including their son who is a month older than mine, and they seemed to have a good time watching the crowd and each other.

Now that he's almost two (and "holy cow" to that) I'm not sure that I'll be taking him to the park for another couple of years, since he really needs to be engaged and entertained a little more directly than watching a ballgame from nosebleed seats. I can't wait to take him to Fenway when he's older though. Back before the team was sold to the current owners there was a lot of talk about moving them out of Fenway, and I was worried that I'd never get a chance to go with him, the way that my father took me when I was younger. It looks like I'll get that chance now, with all the improvements and investments being made to the property. As soon as I generate enough blood plasma to donate to get some tickets (already used the spare kidney, but thanks for the suggestion) I'll begin saving towards that day.


Oh, we took him to a AA Wilmington Blue Rocks game once too, but I don't remember much about it. Nice park, though.


How old/young do you think is a good time to take your kids to the ol' ballgame?

Playing "What If" is scary.

What if the Red Sox end up with ARod?
What if my son, who is now two, reaches the age where he can have a "favorite player" a few years from now, and chooses the Sox' own shortstop (hoping that if they get him they will do the right thing), and wants an ARod jersey?

And why not? He'll be threatening the Bonds* home run totals, setting other records, and helping Boston win games.

My son won't remember Slappy McBlueLips, or the slide into Pedroia, or ARod the Yankee, so he'll have no reason not to cheer.

Would I tell him the truth, or let him have his favorite player?

Hi and welcome

Tuan here, nice of you to stop in. I am posting with one hand as the other is holding a sleeping Sox fan. I am a stay at home dad, and a Sox fan. I am also a Bonds realist. So look forward to some extreme opinions on sports, a few (dozen) diaper stories a day, and lots of insight from a crazy half asian SAHD.

Welcome

There are two things that take up most of our time these days: Parenting, and the Red Sox. We have a lot of thoughts about both, and this is where we'll share those with you. Hopefully you can expect to hear from Luke and Bridget Stevens, and Rae-Anne and Tuan Nguyen on a variety of issues from cloth diapers to steroids. Stay tuned.