FRS

Blame Me

I sensed it was over right after B.J. Upton hit the three run homer in the third inning. I turned the game off at the end of the 4th with Tampa Bay leading 5 to 0 to watch an old Law & Order rerun on TNT.

There is a comedian (I say comedian, I think he wants to be considered an impersonator, but of the numerous imitations he does, the only one I recognize is George W. Bush, and that is not very good) called Frank Something-or-other who has a show on TBS that is getting relentless promotion during the baseball playoffs on that network (so much so that in an effort to try and take the edge off, they even filmed a commercial with Frank threatening even more promos if we didn’t watch the show or whatever.) So what do you think happened during breaks of L & O on TNT? Right, I got a couple of Frank TV promos…sigh.

I checked in on the baseball game later via the web to see if I was correct in my gut feeling that the FRS were going to lose, hoping against hope that they had had an offensive explosion and I was way wrong. It didn’t happen, they were losing 9 to 1 in the ninth inning. The official Sox web site put the best positive spin on things they could by trumpeting the fact that the FRS had scored a run in the seventh — the Nation rejoices. Who are they fooling, the headline should have just said, “Red Sox Are Road Kill!”

You can blame me for the defeat though, it is all my fault. When I crossed paths with a fellow Red Sox fan (Hi Jerry) at work today I said, “We’re back in Fenway tonight, home cooking and lights-out Lester is on the mound, we can probably go ahead and chalk this one up in the win column.” We are both old-school Sox fans and are more used to having our hearts ripped out in game sevens than this whole World Series Champ thing, so he smiled, shook his head and replied, “I wish.” I knew the feeling, so volunteered, “Yeah, will probably get our asses whooped.”

Damn if it didn’t happen.

Started down, still down.
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Outlaws

We watched Episode #16 tonight instead of tomorrow because tomorrow the FRS play game three of the ALDS at 4:30 PM and if the game goes as long as last night’s it will be past my bedtime, leaving no time for TDTVS viewing. In the flashback we learn a lot about Sawyer’s motivation in the flashback and on island we learn that he is not smarter than your average boar.

In between this morning’s cloudy dampness and this evening’s rain we actually had a nice, albeit windy, day and after lunch instead of a bicycle ride around town to pay our bills (that windy thing) we walked.

Right now I’m couch-ridden with Endoftheweekenditis, but don’t worry about me, Dr. Gregory House is on the job.

Started up, went down, still down.
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All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues

Episode 11 is chock full of Jack. Pre-island Jack rats on his dad being drunk in the Operating Room and on island Jack gets monkey stomped by Ethan the Other.

Last night the FRS had their earliest starting time for any game in the 2008 playoffs, 7:30 PM, but played their longest game — 12 innings in five hours and nineteen minutes. Because this is our early starting nine hours days at work, I went to bed at 11:00 PM in the middle of the 7th. The game was tied at four runs a piece at that point and the Angels ended up winning the game, but I got 6 hours sleep instead of 4-1/2. Tonight’s game starts at 8:30 and I’m still going to bed at 11 even if it is only in the 5th inning.

Started down, still down.
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Regular Season Wrap

The FRS are finishing out the the last of their 162 game regular season today. Ordinarily these last three games with the MFY would be very meaningful and have every Sox fan (and Yankee fans too) on the edge of their seats, this year it is different. The Red Sox clinched a Wild Card Playoff spot several days ago and the Yankees are not going to the playoffs for the first time since 1993. I am sitting here listening to the broadcast and most of the time I’m not sure who is batting and who is in the field. Not because I’m not paying attention, but because both teams are playing the scrubs.

I started listening to this afternoon’s game, but quit for a bit because I had something else to do, when I tried to reconnect I couldn’t get back to the Boston web site. I couldn’t even get to MLB.com. I guess a lot of people took advantage of the daily or weekend pass for MLB TV and they overloaded the servers.

When I first checked the Boston home page this morning to see what they planned on doing about yesterday’s rain out, I noticed an advert to buy some Red Sox playoff gear. I’m not sure if you can read the hat, but it says “2008 Division Champions.” Someone forgot to check their facts because that ship sailed on Friday when the FRS lost a squeaker to the Yankees 19-8. If you clicked on the link you got to see the gear the Sox really earned, the much coveted “Wild Card” or “I Kissed My Sister” hat.

Myrtle Beach

We are staying in a place called Sea Crest in their 15 story tower with a room that has a balcony. From the room you can see the beach, but you can’t hear the surf over the 20 water features in the kiddie pool. And even if you could shut off the water there would be the music from the bar to contend with…

I didn’t really pay to close attention to all the hotel had to offer, because if I had I would realized that the place didn’t offer in room internet. My first clue was when I opened the wireless utility and there wasn’t any signal labeled with any variation of Sea Crest. There was however about a dozen unsecured connections, several with real good strength, labeled Hotel Blue, a 15 story neighboring monolith.

We went for a big loop drive today and took Post Office pictures, a baker’s dozen. We also took a walk on the beach, went to a Greek Festival, looked at the fishies in the Ripley’s Aquarium, didn’t watch the FRS (they were rained out), took a nap, bought some souvenir t-shirts and when it got dark we drove a feww miles south and west for a nightcap, one more Post Office.

Started up, went down, went up, back down, up again, still up.
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Pilot – Part 2

Show 2 of 82. Does this photo look familiar? I think it does. Just six days ago I posted a photo I had taken of the Shannon Rutherford “Action” Figure that was based on the scene from this episode.

After Sunday’ games the FRS had a magic number of 1 for clinching a wild card playoff spot. They were also only 1-1/2 games out of first place and winning the division was once again in play. But last night they lost and Tampa Bay won dropping them back to 2-1/2 games behind. Because the Yankees had the night off the playoff clinching magic number remained at one. Tonight the Yanks are winning and Tampa Bay has won the first game of their doubleheader and although the FRS are winning, they are making it look hard, they are up by only one run and the Indians have loaded the bases the last two innings. Update: The FRS managed to stave off defeat and are going to the playoffs.

The weather has turned positively March like all of a sudden here, High near 80, low in the upper 50s and 20 MPH winds. Even though it is our long days and 1 hour earlier start, we got up even earlier so we could ride the tandem to work. The good thing about the extra hour early start, there is nobody, and I mean nobody, on the road at that time. The good thing about the wind is it is coming from a direction that makes it a tailwind on the way home.

Started down, still down.
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Synchronized Horseback Riding

We walked back over to see the balloons fly again this morning (more pictures.)

After the skies cleared they held some equestrian type stuff, go figure, the event is called Ford Trucks Equestrian America Balloon Festival. We stayed a while to watch our neighbor and another member of the Aiken Pony Club do a musical dressage demonstration. They did a 5 minute walk, trot, canter, etc. in sync inside a small ring set up to the music from TDPM.

Coincidentally I got to watch the last 15 minutes of that movie on USA after the FRS beat the Blue Jays on TBS that segued into a House marathon, which I have been glued to ever since. If you like House like I like House check out Medical Reviews of House on Polite Dissent. The fellow is a doctor which gives him a very unique slant on the show. Don’t forget to read the comments as they are almost as good and at times even better.

Just like us, the Emperor took the day off.

Started down, still down.
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