Big Papi Wins Home Run Derby

This one goes out to my friends over in Red Sox Nation... how great was it to see David Ortiz win the 2010 Home Run Derby? We all cringed as we saw Papi struggle in April barely securing a spot in the rotation, and now he is the FIRST RED SOX player to win a Home Run Derby.

This was Ortiz 4th attempt at a Derby title. He won the title by besting Hamely Ramirez and hitting 32 home runs during the competition (eight homers in Round 1 and 13 more in Round 2 and 11 in the final round).

During the final round you could seem how calm and collected Papi was; smiling as he swung the bat and knocked ball after ball out of the park. Aside from having a good time batting Ortiz also sat by and cheered on his good friend and competitor Hanley Ramirez. During Ramirez's last at-bat Big Papi even brought Ramirez a drink and wiped off his sweat with a towel.

State Farm donated $573,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America at the end of the night.  A total of 12 gold balls each worth $17,000 left the ball park during the event.  A gold ball is thrown when a competitor is  down to his final out.

Undefeated!

No not any of my teams but ME!  So far I have only seen wins!  The sweetest by far came Monday Night @ Fenway.  Nothing like seeing your team dominate at a time when they were in a slump.  Looks like all the Red Sox needed was a visit from little old me!  So I arrive at Fenway at 3:30 and was able to upgrade my Coke Deck Standing Room Tickets for 2 seats in the grandstand behind HOME PLATE!  My man Youk hit 2 homeruns! Sweet Caroline was sung, and Tessie and Dirty Water were celebrated to on the way out the park.

No its time for my rant.  Scott Schoeneweis! why why why!  Just when I was finally starting to recover from the havoc he wrecked as a Mets pitcher, and now he's on the Red Sox why oh why!  At the top of the 9th the Sox were up 17 to 4.  By the time the Scho was done the score was 17 to 8, with bases loaded twice and runners being walked home.  During this process I was completely suffering cuz I knew what to expect, sox fans looked at me like I was a nut.

Visting fans

So working this past week at Citi Field, I've noticed an over abundance of visiting fans.  Cubs Country is huge apparently.  I'm just grateful that their fans are among the nicest and kindest fans I've encountered in all my MLB experiences.  I would really love to visit Wrigley one day to repay the visit.  Another team that I have seen a surprisingly large number of fans walking around the stadium is RED SOX FANS.  Damn we are every where!  I'm just been amazed at the large groups of fans that enter the park wearing Mets t-shirts and Red Sox hats or vice versa.

In other news I myself will be bringing a visiting fan to Citi Field on Sat.  This Sat is doggie day, and I'm very very excited to be bring my little Havanese MOOKIE MONSTAH.  Joining me for my baby's first game is my friend Dom a self proclaimed Yankee Fan from the womb, has agreed to attend the Mets v Braves game wearing Mets gear I can't wait!  It gets better in 2 weeks I'm visiting Boston, and my dislocated Yankee fan friend living up there has agreed to shop for Red Sox jersey for me to wear to the game!!! Oh and last night I came home to find My favorite Yankee Fan watching the Mets game lol... Nation, I'm getting there, 1 Yankee fan at a time! ;)  I love when rival fans can coexist!

Let it be known that the Red Sox are on an 11 game winning streak, and that as of tonight they are also in FIRST place!!! And if/ when the METS SWEEP the Marlins they too will also be at first.

Gee I know this is supposed to be a METSOX blog, and feel bad that it has been mostly Sox oriented, but the METS aren't giving me anything spectacular to write about, so JERRY MANUEL if you're reading this light a fire under the ORANGE and BLUE

End of the weekend but bury the hatchet NEVER!

So one must live far far under a rock to not be aware of THE RIVALRY. Don't ask which, for there is no rivalry greater than the one that exists between the BOSTON RED SOX and the NEW YORK YANKEES. A rivalry to big that is has long surpassed baseball, Jets fans hate the Patriots and vice versa, the Celtics and Bruins are also outstanding enemies of NY sports fans, but that's not it the rivalry has torn families, cities and states apart.

I myself am a blood traitor as a fan of all things BOSTON and the METS. My father's biggest disappoint wasn't that he never had any sons, but that his only sports loving daughter as a matter of fact the only true sports fan out of all my cousins, chose to become a BOSTON fan. I think he would have accepted me being a Boston fan the same way most METS fans are Red Sox fans. However that wasn't the case. As a product of 86, the Sox have been deeply ingrained in my personal history. My first baseball game surely by g-d's great master plan and not in any way my father's happened to be METS v RED SOX, as the years went on and my daddy tried to get me to fall in love with football I turned my back on his beloved Giants and not even for the Jets which he would have accepted, but for the NE Patriots, and so became my total and complete fascination for NE/ Boston Teams.

I for one blame my history teachers, for if they hadn't made the TEA PARTY and the Witch Trails seem so cool, Boston would be just another city with historical stuff like DC and (gag) Philly (gag).

So here's my history lesson to you:

The Yankee Red Sox Rivalry is the oldest and strongest Rivarly in all of Sports history. Spanning more than 100 years, it's NOT only about Babe Ruth, he's just factor. Many Yankee fans blame the rivalry on jealousy as the Yanks have numerically been the more successful team 26 world series titles compared to 7 for the Red Sox. But like I said before this has everything to do with HISTORY, even before this country was formed the hence before there was major league baseball, the cities of NY and Boston already shared a rivalry, much of which had to do with economic success during the nation's early years.

Then baseball got involved; the RED SOX won the first WORLD SERIES title in 1903. All went well for the Sox until, they were sold in 1916, and after the 1919 season the Sox new owner sold 16 players to the Yankees, including BABE RUTH.
1918 was the last year the Red Sox would see a World Series title until 2004, and the beginning of the CURSE OF THE BAMBINO.

During this 86 year long curse, the Red Sox only won 4 pennant titles compared to 39 Yankee Pennants. Each W.S. that the Sox lost was played up until the 7th game. Adding insult to injury the Red Sox finished 12 seasons just behind the Yankees including 1998- 2003 and almost 2004.

1978 saw a revival of the BOSTON Massacre this time at the hands of the Yankees and not the Brits. During which the Sox lost a once 14.5 game lead to the Yankees during a 4 game series in which the Yankees score a combined total of 42–9. Ultimately both teams were forced into a once game tie breaker for the playoffs, a game NY won.

For 86 year the Yankees enjoyed the luxury of being on winning side of the rivalry, and in 2004 the rivalry took a turn for the worst. Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling sported a "Yankee hater" hat, and A-Rod and Jason Varitek even found them self in a bench-clearing brawl. In SOXtober, the two teams met again this time for the ALCS for the 2 straight year. The Yanks won the first 3 games with a poetic 3rd game victory of 19-8 (last Sox ws 1918), no team had ever comeback after being down 3-0 in 7 game series, Red Sox fans were just about ready to hang their hats for the season until Fenway was struck by lightening (figuratively) and the Sox came back to win the extra inning game 4, and the extra inning game 5, game 6 with Schilling's bloody sox and finally winning game 7, and sweeping the WS leaving a nasty taste in NY's mouth for a change.

2005: Gary Sheffield cost a RSN a season ticket holder after the fan was involved in a fight with the Yankee Outfielder. Both teams finished with identical records; however.

2007: Sox win the series again, this time a full sweep through the alcs and WS.

2008: During construction of the Yankees new stadium, a true Red Sox Nation member buried an Ortiz Jersey in the stadium (see earlier post), although it did not last, the "curse" allowed the Red Sox to clinched their playoff and eliminate the Yankees from the postseason.

During the stadium's constructions Red Sox President Larry Lucchino, the same man who named the Yankees the "Evil Empire" said "There's some that want to build the 8th wonder of the world, we just want to preserve one that already exists."

Yankee's Wang is Broken

What a better time to brag then this...
Highest starting pitcher era:
Mets: Pelfrey era 8.10
Red Sox: Matsuzaka era 12.79
Yankees: Wang era 34.5

So much for having the highest payroll in the MLB.
Let it also be known that the Indians hold the record for the most runs scored against the Yankees at the Old Yankee Stadium and now at the New Yankee Stadium as well. The Indians have also made history for breaking the record number of hits and runs scored against the Yankees in all of the evil empire's history.

I guess the fact that they dug up the Ortiz Jersey aint worth sqat, the stadium is cursed... for 86 years perhaps?