mr. blackandwhite

Mission: 8W. Sox / Indians sounds so much better than Sox / MFY.

Ernie — 2007-10-12T13:04:23-04:00

The '07 ALCS starts tonight and I am looking forward to it. It's looking pretty wet outside right now so I hope the game will not be rained out. This first post-2004 ALCS trip for the Red Sox has a much different feel to it for me. Of course I want to see the Sox win the ALCS and get into the World Series, but I'm not feeling that life or death, hyper-ventilating, if they don't win this thing it's the end of the world type feeling that I had when the Sox were going into the '03 and '04 ALCS.

Finally winning the World Series in '04 has taken a lot of the edge off and this is not a bad thing. I feel like I can actually enjoy the game itself a little more now. We don't have to be hyper-focused on how long it's been since the Sox have won the Series anymore and we don't have to worry about waiting in fear for the 'how are they going to blow it this time?' moment.

It is nice to be able to enjoy the ALCS for what it is, your favorite team and a shot at getting into the World Series. Of course there will be stressful moments over the course of the ALCS, of that there is no doubt, but it will be the stress of wanting your team to win and advance, not the stress of wanting your team to win and advance because they haven't won a championship in almost 90 years and HOLY FUCK are they going to do it this time? ARE THEY EVER GOING TO DO IT??

(Cubs fans, I feel for ya.)

I'm not sure if I'm in the minority on this, but I have to say, I am extremely glad that the MFY were eliminated in the ALDS and we are not facing them in the ALCS this year, not because I was afraid of playing the MFY again, but because I can totally live without the drama of 'THE RED SOX / YANKEES RIVALRY' for once. I mean really, thank God we are being spared 'THE RIVALRY' this time around! We won't have the build up, the hype and everything else that would have surrounded another Sox / MFY ALCS circus. I'm sure the people at FOX are very disappointed, but I'm not missing 'THE RIVALRY' a single bit. In '99, '03 and '04 we had to face the Yankees. Enough is enough, don't you think? Red Sox / Indians. It feels like a breath of fresh air.

For some reason I'm not as nervous about this upcoming series as I was about the last one. I'm not feeling the superstitions that badly right now. They were dialed up pretty high for the ALDS but so far it's not that bad for the ALCS. The superstitions are there, they're just not owning me.. yet. That might change as we get closer to the game though. Hopefully the skies will clear and there will be baseball at Fenway tonight.

GO SOX

I got erection.. Turbonegro at The Paradise. (Part uno.)

Ernie — 2007-10-11T14:00:00-04:00

I went to see Turbonegro at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston a few weeks ago. A few days after the show I started writing this for the re-opening of Faster Than the World, but then, after imbibing an entire bottle of Old Grand-Dad and choking to death on it's own vomit while listening to AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell', FTTW never re-opened, so this thing has been sitting around half-written. Due to extreme laziness, I've decided to split the story into two parts so I can post what I've written so far. Part uno is the semi-well-written part. Check back for part dos, a.k.a. 'the thrown together part', in a couple days..

~~This past Monday~~ Several Monday's ago, I went to see the band Turbonegro play at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. It was a Monday night show and I was tired after work, but I kicked my own ass, told myself I was getting old, and headed into the city.

The Paradise was pretty easy to get to. It is located in the same neighborhood as Boston University, right down the road from Fenway Park. The first thing to do once I found the club was to park the car. Once that was accomplished, number two on the list was refreshment. Luckily for me, T's Pub happens to be conveniently located right next door to the Paradise. Perfect.

I walked in, found a good seat at the bar where I could see the blabber-mouths on ESPN and ordered up a shot of Jack and a Harpoon. By the time the Harpoon arrived, the Jack was gone. I asked for a menu, ordered a buffalo chicken wrap with the works and sipped my beer while I watched the 'experts' on Monday Night Football, noting with some amusement how many of them were currently 0-2 with their picks. By the time my sandwich arrived the first Harpoon was gone. I ordered a second to go with my sammy. I was now sufficiently primed and nourished for the show. I hung out in the bar till around 8:30 then I headed over to the club.

The last time I had seen a show at The Paradise was at least 15 years ago, so as I walked down the dark, narrow hallway leading into the club, it might as well have been for the first time. The Paradise is a pretty small club. It's about 8 steps from the bar in the back to the stage in the front. I guess you could describe it as 'intimate'. I was thinking how cool it was going to be to see Turbonegro, a band that generally fills stadiums over in Europe, play in this little bar. As I walked in to the club, the band Mondo Generator was in the midst of their set and I quickly wished I had headed over to the club a little sooner. They put on a kick ass set, despite the fact that I knew none of their songs. Mark them down as another band I'll be checking out later.

After Mondo Generator finished it was time to wait around for Turbonegro. One thing that I could not help noticing were the signs that were plastered everywhere around the club that read:

NO STAGE DIVING
NO CROWD SURFING
NO MOSHING
HAVE A GOOD TIME AND KEEP YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND!!!

'Yeah, we'll see how that works out' I thought. I also thought about getting another beer, but I wasn't in the mood for Pabst Blue Ribbon, which seemed to be pretty much all they were serving, or at least, that was all that people seemed to be drinking. The stage guys were setting up for Turbo and the floor was already littered with empty PBR cans...

Even though it was a Monday night, the place was full to the gills and the crowd seemed to be pretty jacked up in anticipation for Turbonegro to come out. There were more than a few people who pointed to the 'No Moshing' signs and made some kind of derisive comment while asking, 'what the hell is that all about?' One could not help but wonder, but I've noticed that the 'no moshing' thing seems to be a growing trend.

I stood in the back of the club and waited. I was not in the mood and did not have the energy to try and push my way any closer to the stage. The distance between the back of the club and the front of the club was so small, what difference was a few feet backwards or forwards going to make? Zero.

(Part dos coming soon!)

Resitance is futile, most of the time.

Ernie — 2007-10-10T15:48:20-04:00

I went to CVS pharmacy on my lunch break to get some Tylenol. My mouth is sore today from the dental work. Anyway, I walked in to CVS and they had a full-on Patriots display set up right near the entrance. They had everything. Stickers, pens, fake tattoos, trash-cans, baby-bibs.. you name it. It was like a mini Patriots ProShop! I was completely sucked in. I will pretty much buy anything if it has a Patriots or Red Sox logo on it.. except for Bud Light. I won't buy Bud Light just because the can has a Patriots helmet on it. I draw the line there. Sam Adams with a Pats helmet on it? I'm in. Miller Lite with a Pats helmet on it? Fully there. But Bud Light? Sorry Budweiser marketing team, but my answer is no. Even I have limits*.

The Patriots display had some Red Sox stuff set up too but it all had DICE's face on it, which also equals zero interest from me..

I need a trash can for the basement so I almost bought the Patriots trash can. Then I thought, 'wouldn't this bib be nice for my youngest? She would look so nice on game-day!' And who doesn't need more pens? Especially, Patriots pens!! I know I could use some of those! I could take notes, make lists, all kinds of things! And it would be with a Patriots pen! Awesome!

Thankfully my better judgment kicked in and I did not buy any Patriots stuff. But I wanted to. Oh, I wanted to.

After I left CVS I went to Dunkin's for a coffee since I was out. There was a John Denver song playing inside the shop. He was good. RIP John Denver.

*Just because I won't buy Budweiser product does not mean I won't drink it if you hand one to me. I'm only a beer snob with my money, not yours. There's no such thing as bad beer, just some are better than others.

Perversions of Pain.. or something.

Ernie — 2007-10-09T12:42:44-04:00

Well it's been a few days since my dental thing and now I'm back at it. I had intentionally scheduled the procedure to coincide with the long weekend so that I'd have an extra day to recuperate and I'm glad I did. Yesterday I was still feeling pretty sore but so far today it's not bad at all.

I think the worst part is over. Now I've just got to heal up and in a few weeks I'll be back to normal. For now I still can't eat anything except for a soft diet, which basically means no chewing. Over the past few days, my diet has mainly consisted of the following:

- Various Campbell's 'Soup at Hand' soups. (These are basically soups that come in a microwavable cup. After you microwave the soup you can drink it right out of the cup. They are pretty tasty I have to say.)

- Hunt's snack pack pudding. (Chocolate and vanilla. Yummy.)

- Vicoden. (When I tell people I'm taking vicoden they're all, 'ooooo, that's the good stuff!' I don't see what the big deal is. It gets rid of the pain, which is nice, but other than that, so what? What's all the fuss about over this stuff? I'm not seeing any cool colors or anything and my hands haven't felt just like two balloons yet..)

- Harpoon IPA. (No, I'm not mixing it with the vicoden.. I know what your twisted little brains are thinking.)

- Homemade smoothies. (My Wife makes a mean smoothie: banana, strawberries, yogurt and pineapple. Super good AND good for you!)

I've lost about 6 pounds so far but I think three of those pounds was 'Oreo weight'. (My Wife bought me some Oreo cookies to have as a treat on the night before my dental procedure. I ate about 6 Oreos plus a big glass of milk. I think Oreo cookies are probably the most concentrated fat producing substance on the planet. Each cookie equals about 2 pounds on the scale I think. But they are sooooo good! Obviously one of Satan's best inventions.. I dip mine in milk before I eat them.)

So how do you like your Oreos?

I wish I could have one right now but it's time to have some Campbell's Soup at Hand instead. (Creamy chicken! I'm not lying these things are actually really good. You're welcome Campbell's.)

Worth the wait: Red Sox take ALDS Game 2

Ernie — 2007-10-06T11:14:34-04:00

(Reuters Photo)

Red Sox / Angels, ALDS Game 2: This was one long ass game..

As the clock was nearing 12 AM I began to think, 'I don't know if I can stay up for this whole thing.' Then I thought, 'I've been up this long, I may as well see how it turns out at this point.'

As the clock was nearing 1 AM and the game headed to the bottom of the 9th still tied at 3-3, I began to think, 'I've stayed up this long, it better be worth it. This thing better turn out good.'

It was better than good. It was great. Papelbon is The Balls and Manny is The Man. His game winning home-run was an absolute thing of beauty. He fully deserved to stand at the plate and admire it for an extra second as it went over absolutely everything in left field and completely left the ball park. The Dark Horse, Okajima and the rest of the Sox bullpen were phenomenal in relief for you know who, whose performance was about as I expected it would be. Eh, I'll give Dice some credit. He at least kept the game within a run for the Sox offense.

Mission: 9W

(Bonus: The Yankees lost to Cleveland in extra innings. Cleveland now leads their series 2-0.)

GO SOX

What channel are the Red Sox on?

Ernie — 2007-10-05T20:41:05-04:00

Hey what's up you-all? I'm just sitting here, killing time, rooting for the Indians and waiting for the Red Sox / Angels game to start. What channel are they on? Are they on after this Cleveland / MFY game? Or are they on some other channel? It's 1-1 in the bottom of the 9th at Cleveland right now. What if this thing goes to extra innings? Then what? Do they wait for this game to be over before the Sox / Angels game starts?

Dudes and ladies I'm somewhat in an f-ing confused state.. I'm in another state, another state of mind. Yes.

And what are those bugs flying everywhere at The Jake? Ladybugs? Mayflies? There's a lot of bugs flying around in Cleveland.

The Pats face off against the Browns in Foxboro on Sunday. The Browns are one of my backup teams basically because of the presence Romeo Crennel and Willie McGinest. I like to see those two guys doing well. It should be an interesting game on Sunday, with Belichick facing his friend and former defensive coordinator and Willie facing the team he used to lead on a weekly basis.. I hope Romeo and Willie get a nice ovation coming into The Razor, but once the game starts, those guys are the enemy.

Back to the Sox, I see the game has started on an alternate channel. Confusion solved. Let's go DICE. Prove to me that my feelings about you are wrong, please.

GO SOX
GO PATS

Superstition update:
I'm wearing my Red Sox socks and my 04 ALCS t-shirt. Sam Adams is in a Patriots glass and an October candle is burning. I think I'll go put the Patriots cap on. Let the Patriot Power flow down into the Red Sox stuff. Maybe I'll put it into rally-cap mode, right at the outset too. Because well, I have a feeling The Sox will need it tonight. (Yes, it's weird the way my mind works..)

Update 2:
It's the top of the 8th, the score is tied at 3 - 3 and it's approaching midnight. My superstitions all went to bed a while ago. I'm the only one still awake at this point. This is a long ass game.. GO SOX.

I can has cheeseburger? No.

Ernie — 2007-10-04T13:21:52-04:00

Later today I have to have some rather unpleasant dental work done. To say I am not looking forward to it would be an extreme understatement but at this point, I just want to get it over with and be done with it.

One of the side effects of this procedure I'm having done is that I won't be able to eat solid food for a few weeks until I am healed up, just liquids and basically stuff that does not require biting or chewing. That means lots of smoothies, lots of pudding, soup and that kind of stuff. No cheeseburgers. So if you ask, can I has cheeseburger? The answer is a definite, no, I cannot has cheeseburger.

I expect to lose about 10 pounds. I guess the weight loss part isn't so bad. I won't mind that.

Accentuate the positive.

Mission 11W: The '07 version..

Ernie — 2007-10-03T20:51:59-04:00

Sox / Angels, game one. Currently top of the 8th. Superstitions are cranked up for this game for some reason. But then, it is the playoffs after all..

Game one = crucial with Dice going tomorrow. Not that they're not all crucial, but.. well you know. I don't want to say it. In fact, I'm just stopping here. I think this typing is bad luck.

GO SOX

Update:
Sox win game 1, 4-0. Beckett went the full 9 and was awesome. Whew. Now I can relax. I was tense through that whole thing. Didn't want to move or do anything to break the spell. [lets out a deep breath..]

Mission: 10W

Ok DICE, you're up. Feel free to, you know, do your thing.

Pats / Bengals: 2nd half

Ernie — 2007-10-01T23:00:41-04:00

Quick thoughts:

As much as I bitch about these MNF games going to midnight or whatever, this is so much better than back in the day when I'd be sitting with my Dad in his living room, trying to tune in some fuzzy, snowy looking UHF TV station out of Springfield to try and see the Pats game because it was blacked out on the Boston stations..

They didn't show The Pats on MNF back then, so keep that in mind and enjoy the prime-time slot Pats fans. You don't need me to tell you that though..

Let me also tell you how thankful and happy I am that I can listen to these games with Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti calling the games on the radio. I have no idea what they are saying on ESPN. Thank you Gil and Gino!

The Pats just kicked a field goal to go up 27-10 with 13 and change in the 4th Q. Grind time...

A little over 9 min and the Bengals just kicked a 48 yard FG. 27 - 13, Pats. Nice job once again by Samuel on that drive. He stripped the ball away on what would have been a Cincy reception to stop the Bengals drive and limit them to three.

Let's hope the Pats can just run run and run here... or not? Everybody's expecting the run and Brady is slinging it. Whatever!

Now with 3 min and change, The Pats go up 34-13 on a Brady to Moss TD pass. The Pats won't score 38 today but at this point this game is pretty much academic. I think we can chill out now. Besides my battery is about dead. 4-0 sounds good. I can't believe the season is a quarter of the way gone...

Go PATS