The top of the eighth inning just started. The Red Sox have a 5-3 lead but the Rays have a runner on second with nobody out.
Am I panicking?
Hell yes, I’m panicking!
Panic!
Hold that lead!
Addendum: I haven’t even had time to click the publish button and it’s 5-4 with a runner on second and still no outs.
Shitshitshitshitshit
Heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Red Sox are up 5-1. All five runs came in the bottom of the third. That was fun to listen to.
Now we are getting to the nervous point. Tampa Bay just scored for the first time in the top of the fifth. I am afraid of overconfidence. It was during the 2004 World Series run, when they broke the 86 year slump, that everyone in my family (I think, at least) started using the phrase “cautiously optimistic” all of the time, which probably annoyed the crap out of everyone.
It’s important though. Over confidence leads to the ball going through Bill Buckner’s legs. Cautious optimism leads to coming back from a three games to none deficit to beat the Yankees.
Cautious optimism, folks. Let’s hold that lead and put the best team in the AL away tonight.
I think I posted a pic of Patches on the back of the couch last night and the Red Sox win.
Obviously that was the key to the win, so I made sure to take another one today.
I’ve gotta do my part, right?
I wrote about struggling to leave the facebook this morning. Here’s an example of why leaving is annoying.
That Pedal Show, the guitar gear centered weekly show on youtube that I really enjoy watching, does a live show on Mondays at 5:00pm UK time, which translates to noon for me. I try to tune in during work but sometimes I miss out. Today being a holiday, I was looking forward to watching without any distractions. I was going to put my feet up, listen to the discussion, and maybe noodle on my guitar a little to kinda get into the spirit of the thing, you know.
Noon comes along and there is no notification on youtube. There’s nothing on their youtube landing page. There’s nothing on their web page. That last one isn’t unusual, they generally don’t put news there. They put it on facebook. There is a really active facebook group and that’s where I go when I want to find out if they had to cancel a live show. At least… it used to be. All I wanted to do was look at posts around noon time and see if they mentioned anything. I couldn’t though… because I made myself boycott the whole bookfaycey experience.
Shit.
Okay, so I’ll try again next Monday.
Unrelated note: The Apple Watch Activity app dangles these monthly challenge out to users. This month’s challenge, for me, is to burn a specific number of calories. The goal they set is higher than what I would have if I just hit my normal goal every day. In fact, I would miss the challenge by quite a bit.
Usually I don’t pay much attention to things like this. I just keep my head down and do my thing and yippee, right? For some reason though, I really want to hit this one. It told me how much I would have to average each day in order to hit it and I changed my calorie goal to match that number.
I’ve already closed my exercise ring (I’m actually two whole minutes over the 30 minute goal). I’m still only at 80% of the move goal (they call the calorie burning ring the Move ring). I’m going to have to exercise more today, aren’t I. Crud.
Unrelated note again: Kyle Schwarber played first base for the Red Sox last night. Early in the game he made a pretty terrible error. He fielded a ground ball and tried to throw it to the pitcher, who was covering first base, and he underhand tossed it to somewhere near the orbit of Neptune. I didn’t see it because I was listening on the radio, but it sounded really bad.
Later in the game he was faced with an almost identical play and this is what he did (roll the video, please):
Given the epic screwiness that was game three, I figured I’d share MLB’s highlight video.
So the Sox won, but there is controversy… or not. I’m not sure. Traditionally the heartbreaking call goes against us, so I’m not sure what to do.
Top of the 13th, runner on first, bomb hit to right hits the wall on the fly, bounces off, hits the ground, hits the right fielder and lands in the bullpen. That’s clearly a ground rule double. Hitting the fielder is the only thing unusual, but it hit the ground. Had it gone off the wall then off the player then out it would have been a home run, I think, but hitting the ground makes it two bases. Period.
I don’t think that’s the question though. The question is where to place the runner who was on first. At the time the ball left the field, I believe the runner had already reached second base. So does he get two bases from there, or two bases from where he started.
If you had asked me this out of context I would have said he ends up on third. Two bases from the start of the play, but I would have asked if the umpires had any discretion in the matter. If they did then he scores. Fortunately for the Red Sox (or not, as it turned out) the umpires do not have any discretion on the call. Two bases from the start of the play. The runner on first advances to third. Period. End of discussion.
Tampa would have taken a 5-4 lead, the inning still would have ended when the next batter fanned, and the Red Sox would still have had a runner on base when Vasquez hit the walk off home run in the bottom of the 13th. The Sox would have won 6-5, but the runner was placed on third instead of being allowed to score, so the Sox won 6-4.
Either way, holy shit what a game!
The Red Sox blew their two run lead in the top of the eighth inning. It was just a matter of time before our shaky bullpen returned to form.
Here’s hoping the offense comes through big in the bottom of the eighth.
Patches isn’t as interested in baseball as she is hockey, but I’m keeping her up to date on the Red Sox score. 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth.
We are at the mid point of game three, heading into the top of the fifth. The Red Sox are holding a 3-2 lead over the Rays.
Am I feeling confident?
Aw, hells no!
It’s nice to have the lead though. I’m taking the good where I can get it. How about we tack on a few insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth. What do you say?
Addendum: I wrote the above while waiting for the chicken to finish cooking. I was proof reading when the oven timer went off. In the time it took me to dish out dinner and get back to my phone the Sox scored again. They did in fact tack on insurance in the fifth.
Game three of the ALDS between the Red Sox and the Rays is underway at Fenway Park. Eovaldi gave up a two run home run in the top of the first and then Schwarber lead off the bottom of the first with a home run. Is this a sign? Are we in for another wild one today? 2-1 Rays in the top of the second.
Inside the Red Head's Head 