Baseball is back

Spring is finally here and that means the return of baseball.

After a false start because of weather, the Red Sox started off strong on Tuesday...Josh Beckett was on fire. Last nights game wasn't so great....John Lester started off strong, but quickly faded in the 4th inning and Boston ended up losing. And things aren't going so great this afternoon for game 3 with Tampa Bay. I know it's only the 3rd game of the year...but I hate losing this early on.

Of course tonight is the Portland Sea Dogs season opener against the Connecticut Defenders. I'm excited to see how new pitcher Junichi Tazawa will play for Portland. The Sox obviously have high hopes for him...he was signed last year as amateur free agent after four years with the Japanese Industrial League.

If this kid does well how long do you think it will take them to print up a bunch of T-shirts and jersey's with the name TAZ on the back?

And finally, as excited as I am about the Sox and the Dogs...I'm more excited about Hollis Little League. Both of my sons will be playing their first season of baseball! Nick played two years of
T-Ball...but as he frequently reminds me, this is the real thing with uniforms AND he has t wear a cup! Can I tell you how thrilled they both were to wear a cup...UNTIL they had to wear it!

Let's hope it's a good season for all of our teams.

What's up with MLB?

It's October...and for baseball fans that means one thing...PLAYOFFS!

So let me pose this question...why does MLB insist upon putting games on TV so late at night? Our beloved Boston Red Sox don't take the field until 10 p.m. EST! If you live in California where the Angels play...that's GREAT...there's plenty of time to get home from work, have dinner, grab a frosty brew of choice and kick back for the game.

Hey MLB...how about a little love for us friggin' east coasters? By 10 p.m. I'll be sawing logs...and even if I can make it to 10 o'clock I'll be bobbin' for chest hair midway through the 1st inning.

Is putting the game on at 8:30 p.m. EST too much to ask? That still gives Angels fans time to get home and see the majority of the game. And even if they miss a couple of innings...who cares...most people don't watch the entire game anyway. Even if we stay up to watch the first couple of innings it's still a late night...and most everyone I know WORKS for a living and gets up at the butt-crack of dawn!

Plus think how much money MLB is losing out on in advertising dollars from east coast viewers. Here's a tip Bud Selig...if we're asleep we don't see the commercials...and then we don't buy what they're selling on TV.

All I can say at this point is thank God for ESPN Sportscenter and the Internet so I can see what happened.



OK, that's it...I'm off to catch a nap so I can at least see the first inning.

Talk to you in the morning!

I have a crush...

Let me start by saying that I'm a happily married guy...my wife and I just celebrated 10 years of marriage, we have 2 kids, and a pretty good life. With that said, I have a crush on another woman!

The thing is...I don't even know her...I've never met her...but she's in my house everyday. I actually hurry home just to see her! Her name? Martha MacCallum....she hosts The Live Desk on FOX News weekdays at 1 p.m.

This whole crush happened innocently enough...I never intended for it to happen. There I was...flipping through the channels one night, alone and bored out of my mind, feeling beat up and tired after watching the Red Sox lose one to the Rays. My wife was out for the evening, the kids were in bed...and there I sat with the remote in one hand, a cold Shipyard in the other...vulnerable...and then she showed up! Smart, sassy and smiling...blonde hair beautifully framing her gorgeous face...those lips so full and red...her eyes brightly twinkling...the sound of her voice and her sexy laugh made me immediately take notice. I was captivated...instantly addicted!



That night when my wife arrived home I put her on notice! I let her know that in no uncertain terms that the day Martha MacCallum came calling for me that I was gone...hasta la vista baby...so long sister...see ya when I see ya.

My wife, obviously having put up with me long enough to know what a dolt I really am, just smiled and said, "When she comes for you...she can have you!"...and then went to change clothes.

Wow! I thought she'd take it harder than that. I'm sure it was just some kind of Jedi wife reverse psychology thing...weird thing is though...I'm still waiting for Martha to show up. Hmmmm...I'm sure she just got bad directions on Mapquest.

Hahahahaha!

Seriously Martha...call me!

Talk to you in the morning.

I Found Manny Ramirez at Disneyland

I thought I'd take time out from vacation to check in from the road...

Heidi scoffed on Friday when I said that I'd be hanging with Manny Ramirez at Disneyland while on vacation in California! I tried to tell her that Manny and I were tight..but she just rolled her eyes.

Oh thee of little faith.

Less than 3 hours after entering Disneyland on Sunday...I ran smack dab into Manny as he left the Soaring California. I couldn't believe my eyes...there he was sporting his brand new LA Dodger colors...a big 99 on his back...walking with his agent, taking in all of the wonderful attractions offered at Disneyland and California Adventure.

He was shorter than I thought he'd be...and where were those trademark dreads? Hmmm...I guess Joe Torre must have made him cut them off already. As I got closer, and called out his name, he turned and gave me that famous Manny grin...

It was then that I realized that I'd been hoodwinked!

That wasn't Manny...it was a 10 year old kid wearing Manny's new Dodgers shirt...well, that explains where his dreads went! And the agent? That was the kids dad...oh man...whatta a rip off!

Although I didn't see the real Manny, I can tell you that he is alive and well in Los Angeles. The entire city is caught up in Mannymania...they absolutely LOVE the guy.

The kid and his dad went on to tell me that they had been at the game the night before when Manny got his first home run. You could hear the excitement in the voices as they described how he came to the plate, the sound the bat made when it struck the ball, and how cool Manny glided around the bases.



They also apologized. They know that their teams gain was our teams loss. And they weren't the only ones who offered up condolences.

As I walked around the park with my family, sporting my new David Ortiz T-shirt, I was met with chants of Go Sox, and Yeaaah! Boston. But most people simply said, Hey, sorry about Manny.

My response...yeah me too.

On a funny note...after a full day of chants and shout outs for the world champs I had kind of gotten used to it...but I wasn't prepared for what happened as I was leaving the park the first day.

Walking with my youngest son (he was wearing his Coco Crisp shirt)...I could hear a group of people talking softly. Occasionally I'd hear David Ortiz name, or someone whisper Red Sox...when I turned to see who was following me...I was met with a group of about 15 Japanese tourist being led through Disneyland by a tour guide.

As I caught their eye they all smiled, gave the thumbs up, and said Ohhh Red Sox...Dice K!

I almost fell over laughing! I smiled back, gave them the thumbs up and said Yeah! Dice K!

As we walked out the front gate, my son asked me if maybe hose tourist thought that he was really Coco and that I was Big Papi! I told him probably...after all I thought I'd spotted Manny Ramirez just a few hours earlier!

I guess when we talk about Red Sox Nation it's not too far of a stretch.

Love At First Sight

According to the Lewiston Sun Journal an Auburn couple, Tracie Weston and Clayton Morse, got married on Thursday at the Lewiston Bus Station.

I can almost imagine the movie of their lives playing on the big screen at the Saco Cinemagic...the camera pulls back from the hazy exhaust of a Greyhound bus, our groom-to-be dressed in his Sunday best, hair coiffed to perfection...searching the curb for his beloved fiance.

Suddenly, he spots her next to the candy machine...a Baby Ruth in her hand...the same hand that he'll hopefully hold for the rest of his life.

As their eyes meet across the busy parking lot, the music begins to play softly in the background. They run to each other...careful to avoid being struck by a fast moving bus, or to trip over a stray piece of luggage...finally, they come together as one...embracing, pausing to look deeply into each others eyes.

It's then that Clayton notices the time on his watch and realizes that they'd better hurry before the 11:15 to Augusta arrives and the lobby is full of strangers. The happy couple race inside...and there behind the glass of the ticket window...the very same ticket window where he met Tracie just 50 some odd days ago...stands the minister/bus terminal PA announcer...ready to join them in holy matrimony.

As people stumble off an inbound bus from Portland, and others sit around waiting to leave...the love birds take their vows...for what they each pray will be the very last time!

We cut to the end of the ceremony...the new husband and wife introduced over the station PA. As they head out the door and board the next bus to Happily Ever After, the camera pans the crowded lobby of well-wishers...some with that far away look of love in their eyes, others look on with amusement, while a couple of old guys just look like they need to find a toilet.

The newlywed's jump aboard their Greyhound carriage and ride away into the sunset...eternally blissful and deeply in love.

OK...so maybe I made most of that up...my mom always said I had a vivid imagination as a kid. I suppose some things never change!

At least the first sentence was true...Tracie and Clayton did get married last week at the Lewiston bus station. Here's the real story...

Clayton went to the bus station to buy a ticket to Arizona. As fate would have it, Tracie was behind the counter that day and sold him the ticket. They started up a conversation...and all the way to Arizona, Clayton couldn't get Tracie off his mind.

I guess that's sort of the same feeling I get when I know there's a box of donuts in the house...I just can't stop thinking about them! Alright, so maybe it's a little different...but you know what I'm saying!

While suffering the heat of Arizona, Clayton was busy burning up the phone back to Maine, talking to Tracie.

I'm not sure if he used some lame excuse like, "Hey, I was wondering...did I leave my Red Sox hat at the counter that day I bought the ticket? It's no big deal...I can pick up another one....but I'm kinda attached to that one 'cause I was wearing it back in '04 when they won the Series."

Or maybe he just called up and said, "Tracie, I can't get you off my mind. You might be the hottest chick I've ever seen working at a bus station ticket window in my life. Would you like to go bowling when I come home?"

However the conversation went, the two started dating as soon as Clayton got home to Maine. Now these must have been Red Bull fueled dates because these two were so hyped up that they said their "I do's" just 50 days after that first meeting at the bus station!

Now far be it from me to shun true love...after all, my 10 year wedding anniversary to my long-suffering wife is this Friday. What kind of makes me scoff a bit is the fact that these two have each been married a couple of times before...so you'd think they'd know better!

What's the rush...where's the fire...slow down a little...walk before you run...heck try crawling before you run!

Maybe I'm being a bit cynical...or maybe I just don't believe in love at first sight...LUST at first sight YES...especially if it's Megan Fox!

Love? I think that love is a little more elusive...but hey, what do I know? As long as they're happy...then that's all that's important...and I wish them well.