Land of the Rising Sun and Sinking Fastball.

SANPU (1647-1732)
First cherry blossoms,

a cuckoo, the moon and snow:

another year closes

Closes? That's right winter is ovah! Are you ready for some besubaru? Well, BANZAI! プレイボール!

The Sox kick off their adventure in Edo tonight in the first of two exhibitions against Japanese clubs before they go for the real thing on Tuesday. The great news is that opening day against the A's is at 6 am! I told you that we would be showing all of the games. (Of course, since the bar isn't legally open, this will be a private party and you are invited.)

Phew. Finally, baseball before work. There's nothing worse than going to the grind sober and baseball-free. Well, no more. Why didn't they think of this before? Next Tuesday and Wednesday the World Champion Sox will be on at Thom's once again. Get there early for a seat. What's early? If you ask nicely we'll lock you in the night before.

In honor of the Samurai Sox we will be serving kobe beef hot dogs on special all weekend in addition to Smuttynose Hanami Ale. Smuttynose, a New England brewer, named this beer in honor of the Japanese tradition of cherry blossom viewing in Japan. So, obviously, we're into it. (Here's a quick Japanese lesson.)

Contest Time!

Whoever sends me the best Haiku appropriate to the Sox trip to Japan will win a special prize.

I know. I know. It's tournament time, March Madness. Yeah, and the Celts are kicking some serious butt. But, I can't help but get giddy about the return of the cherry blossoms-I mean baseball. I'll see you Tuesday morning.

Cherry blossoms are blooming;

Pink, sweet, and fragrant;

They grow high around the temple wall.

Lisa Renee.

Vintage Red Sox

There's no whining in baseball. Sour grapes? The Red Sox defy all saws and sayings by winning and wining.

Charity Wines has announced that they will be releasing three more wines named for Red Sox tipplers. And, they're holding off production on a fourth until Bartolo Colon makes the team.

Also in the works is a Dustin Pe-Drysack Sherry, a Bruins Bordeux Vintage 1972, a Pokey Riesling, a Brian Daubach 30-pack, and a non-alcoholic Raspberry-Lime Rickey Henderson (Rickey don't drink alcohol.)

NCAA

The tournaments leading up to the tournament are in full swing with many of Thom's favorite teams being beaten last night. We will have all of the games on this weekend and, of course, next week when the tournament begins.

Thommies Trying to Make the News

Support our team. There are about one million filmmakers that hang out at Thom's and some of them need your help.

Evan is used to winning. He won a beautiful Narragansett tie at an event we had last year. So, help him win again: Vote for the Sox-inspired "Pound" on YouTube for a short film award.

You helped these guys make the top 20 for Super-chef Anthony Bourdain's contest. Now put them over the top and bring the Super-chef to Beantown. Vote for "Here is Boston".

Red, red wine

Stay close to me

Don't let me be alone

Its tearing apart

My blue, blue heart

-Neil Leslie Diamond

Dugout Doug, No More

The Boston Red Sox announced today that the most famous back-up catcher in baseball, Doug Mirabelli, was released. This is not the first time that Doug has left the Sox. In 2005 Boston traded Mirabelli to the Padres for Mark Loretta. Then, frustrated by the catching of Josh Bard, they traded Bard, Cla Meredith, and $100K to the Padres to get Mirabelli back. Doug was escorted by the Boston police from the airport to Fenway Park in time for Wakefield's next start.

Thom's has a soft spot for Mirabelli who once shared an episode of "Red Sox Stories" with the catcher. In the show hosted by Tom Catlin and Colleen Reilly, Thom's was depicted as a haven for Sox fans in New York City.

Bye bye Dougie, for now. No more going deep.

Thom's Baby Thom's

What is wrong with me that I watch "Gone Baby Gone" and actually miss home? It's a violent, disturbing movie that is set in an ugly, ugly place. That being said, I couldn't help but feel a bit of heimatweh. It's probably the first film to represent Boston with some honesty since that scene on the Charles in the snow in "The Last Detail" or the street hockey scene in "Monument Ave." or the whole "The Friends of Eddie Coyle".

So, for the next couple weeks I'll be posting on the blog some nostalgic YouTube clips that I remember growing up in the Athens of America. ("I can walk like a penguin.") If anyone out there has a suggestion or some 8 mm film of me bowling at Sammy White's drop me a line. (Check out my YouTube page for more clips.)

During the whole film, instead of paying attention to important plot lines, I watched Casey Affleck's Celtics jacket and couldn't help but think I was missing the Boston/Detroit game?

No matter what the Celtics do they still don't get the respect they deserve. When they beat ALL of the teams in the West without losing a game I heard, "Well, what would happen in a 7 game series?" After last night's win against Detroit I heard on ESPN, "Well the Celtics shouldn't have shown the Pistons what they're capable of. Now the Pistons will adjust come playoff time." What? All they do is win. They clinched the playoffs quicker than the Pats did- Ok, bad example. I won't do that again. I promise. It's that damn movie that put me a bit off-kilter. I've been having flashbacks of Hano Street all day.

Need a pick-me-up now? How about this: The Sox are on ESPN at 1pm today. They're playing the Dodgers. You know, Nomar, Lowe, Torre, those Dodgers. Time for a liquid lunch!

Shipping Off to Boston?

If you're going to Boston this weekend stop by the bar first. We have free passes to Harpoon's St. Patrick's Day parties this weekend. They're behind the bar.

a pedestrian foot bridge covers turnpike

I read all of the spray paint from my bike

down the slope, look left and right

I once fell down and almost died

but I've taken hits to the head before

and always made it back to my front door

"All Hands On Hano Street" by The Stairs

Play Ball

It's finally here! The day you've all been waiting for! That's right, it's Sadie Hawkins Day! Come on, I know you 3 or 4 die-hard Li'l Abner fans have been waiting for this day all year when "the homeliest gal in all them hills" comes a-courtin'. Well, leave a note on your door so when she does come she'll be able to find you at Professor Thom's watching the Red Sox spring opener!

Oh yeah, the Sox are on tonight against the Twins. It's time to play the music. It's time to light the lights. It's time to get things started (Why don't we get things started.).

What do we have going on? I'll tell you. Let's start with a special on Thom's Ale by Harpoon: $3 during the game.

And, in honor of this year's induction of Thom's regular, former Sox pitcher, and Yankee killer Bill Lee into the Red Sox Hall of Fame we'll do the Spaceman on special too. $12 Spaceman Ale Pitchers at the tables. during the game.

What else? Any leaplings out there? If so, your first drink is on us. (Note: if you are a true leapling you're probably only 6 or 7 years old and therefore will not be able to drink. Wait another 75 years until you're 21, kid.)

Let's check today's birthdays:
Actor Alex Rocco is 18.
Actor Dennis Farina is 16
Rapper Ja Rule is 8

And, to give it that old Thom's twist how about a regional delicacy? We'll be featuring Rhode Island style calamari battered in Harpoon IPA.

Happy spring every one.

Muppets: And now let's get things started

Audience: Why don't you get things started

Kermit: It's time to get things started

Muppets: on the most sensational inspirational celebrational Muppetational

This is what we call the Muppet Show!

(Gonzo blows his trumpet)

I'm Still a Sailor Peg.

In just one week we're shipping off to Hammond Stadium, spring home of the Twins. Ok, maybe that doesn't have a great ring to it, but it's the spring, we're still working out some kinks.

Next Friday the 2008 spring training season commences when the Sox take on the Minnesota Twins in sunny Florida. I know a bunch of you are going south for some games so send me your photos and I'll post them on the blog. If you can't be at the game be at Thom's. We'll be showing all the spring training games they allow us to show including the March 17 game against the Yankees.

Manager Terry Francona has said that the approach to each spring training game will be to focus on a different, important skill. On March 17, for instance, the entire team will practice hitting it at the shortstop. And on the 7th when they play Baltimore in Fort Lauderdale they will practice not going to Jose' Canseco's house for a barbecue. Special fielding advisor, Bernie the attorney will be on hand to help the players field uncomfortable questions after the game.

For the spring opener we will have some specials including but not limited to: Harpoon beer (yum), and Rhode Island style calamari battered in Harpoon beer (yum), and give-aways featuring Harpoon beer (yum).

The Green Team

As suspected the first half of the season was absolutely meaningless. Sure, the Celts dominated, but all of their competition has gotten better since then. After going 16-0 in the first half against the West they are now 0-2 in the second half. Tonight, the play the newly Shaqified Suns. This game is huge for the Celts to show they can win number 17. Looking ahead the Celts return to NYC on April 14th. There might be a couple tickets left.

More Thom's Foolery

The advanced word on "Blessed: Still We Believe II" is the gang at Thom's dominates the film! You guys rock. It starts out with some Ka(y)reoke footage from early in the season and finishes with the trophy party we had a couple months ago. In all, some 50 Thom's regulars appear on screen. Look for the DVD to hit stores on April 4th.

I am blessed, with my attorney Bernie

I'm impressed, with the way he runs the store

He's got Dodger season boxes

and an office full of foxes

It's amazing all the different things

your average guy might need a lawyer for.

-Dave Frishberg

Jeter Stinks, Coco Crisp Good.

Ok, so I've been taking a beating lately from anonymous Giants fans. It doesn't matter to them that I don't even know them, or that most of my friends are Giants fans, or that my wife and most of my in-laws are Gaints fans. All that matters to them is that I'm from Boston and therefore should be yelled at, screamed at about the supreme choke of the Patriots, the inepitude of Thom Brady, and the peeping of the Hooded One. Not one of them actually ever mentions the merits of the Giants. They are completely fixated on the Patsies. In fact, I think these yahooes are closet fans and I never miss the opportunity to tell them so. Which ironically is how they so often describe Sox fans as fixated on the Yankees. Hmmm. Well, I usually don't go in for the Yankee baiting, but this one is too good to pass up:

Derek Jeter is the Worst Shortstop in Baseball.

According to the NY Post, "[T]he numbers prove it, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania said yesterday at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in Boston." Ahh, Boston, the Athens of America.

The study says, "Alex Rodriguez was the best everyday shortstop in the league, saving 10.40 runs each season for the Texas Rangers. Derek Jeter, the New York Yankees shortstop who is often hailed for his defensive prowess and has won three Gold Gloves, ranks dead last in the majors, coughing up 13.81 runs per season. "

The Cap'n has faced this sort of appraisal before. His response:

"I'm the worst? I don't think I would say that. But I couldn't really care less what some mathematical equation comes out with. How do you rank defensive shortstops? I don't see how a formula can evaluate how somebody plays. You get a strikeout pitcher on the mound as opposed to a ground-ball pitcher, it's going to affect the statistics you use to evaluate defense. So I don't really think you can."

The annual meeting of AAAS which concludes tomorrow also presents such topics as "Ocean Iron Fertilization and Carbon Sequestration: Can the Oceans Save the Planet?" But, somehow I don't think that will get as much play on ESPN.

Also featured in the report was former Yankee Bernie Williams cited as one of the worst outfielders in baseball during his time and Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp and former Sock Trot Nixon as among the best.

Baseball season has begun officially with the first salvo launched from Beantown.

Here is a synopsis of the findings at all positions according to SI.com:

The top three, and the worst, fielders (some of whom are no longer playing), based on the SAFE rankings, were:

• First base: Best, Ken Harvey, formerly with Kansas City; Doug Mientkiewicz, now with Pittsburgh; Eric Karros, formerly with the A's and Dodgers; worst, Fred McGriff, formerly with Tampa Bay.
• Second base: Best, Craig Counsell of the Brewers; Brandon Phillips of the Reds; Chase Utley of the Phillies; worst, Enrique Wilson, who last played with the Cubs.
• Third base: Best, Damian Rolls, formerly with Tampa; Counsell; Placido Polanco of the Tigers; Worst, Travis Fryman, formerly with the Indians and Tigers.
• Shortstop: Best, Clint Barmes of the Rockies; Rodriguez; Jason Bartlett, traded from Minnesota to Tampa Bay in the offseason; worst, Jeter.
• Left field: Best, Crisp; Reed Johnson of the Blue Jays; Carl Crawford of Tampa Bay; worst, Higginson.
• Center field: Best, Michaels; Andruw Jones, now with the Dodgers; Darin Erstad, now with the Astros; Worst, Williams.
• Right field: Best, Matthews; Trot Nixon, who played with the Indians last year; Dustan Mohr, who last played for Tampa Bay; Worst, Pena.

Please Report!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. How appropriate that today of all days the love of my life has returned.

It's official. At noon today pitchers and catchers reported to their respective spring training camps. Thus, beginning the 2008 baseball season. Well, it's not really begun until you report to Thom's to kick it off. So, show up tonight for a little spring work-out. Get that elbow ready for a season of bending.

Let's see. What else is going on? I'm misremembering right now. Oh, yeah! That nice man from Dayton, Ohio, William Roger Clemens did y'all a favor yesterday by doing a performance of Punch and Judy for all the nation to see. Somehow, the Texas Con-Man remembered very little himself except that everyone else had remembered wrongly, or "misremembered".

Meanwhile, the namer, Brian McNamee, the man who supplied the illegal drugs to Clemens (Debbie), Knoblauch and Pettitte admitted to everything except being a "drug dealer". "That's your opinion," he said when asked why he didn't consider himself a drug dealer. Brilliant! "That's your opinion" should be the defense of everyone that gives testimony in front of Congress. "Did you have relations with Monica Lewinsky?" "That's your opinion." "Did you lie about torture?" "That's your opinion." Brilliant!

Then, there's Herbie Stempel, Clemens' bff, played by Andy Pettitte who is somehow a hero for eventually not lying as much as he did before. What a guy! Hear that kids? Do whatever you want, just make sure you apologize and turn in your friends when faced with imprisonment.

I just really wonder how Andy will be treated at Fenway the first time he starts there. Will he receive the old-fashioned "Ste-Roids" chant invented for Canseco? Or will he get one of those ironical applauses for turning in Clemens. This never stops entertaining me.

What were we talking about? Oh yeah, pitchers and catchers report today (well, some of them) and the Sox are still champions. I can finally take down from the blog the Superbowl footage from the bar. Blech!

The Green Team

The Celtics just keep on keeping on despite the fact the Garnett has been out over a week and now Davis and Scalabrine are injured too. It's a credit to Doc Rivers who has played the entire bench all year so that they could fill in in big spots. Powe played 38 minutes last night. Who? Exactly.

Come see some of the Celtics play in the All-Star Game Sunday. Ray Allen found out last night that he'll be on the team.

I miss my Andy and the ... good fun

I Fought the Law and the ... law won

I Fought the Law and the ... law won

-Sonny Curtis and the Crickets

A Dark Day

I have no time for an elegy today. I have to grade hundreds of prop sheets that I handed out before the game. That means I have to RE-WATCH the game to get the correct answers. I should be done by July if I start in June.

Strangely, no one that won cases of beer last night took it with him. That means I'm drunk now.

The Home Stretch

"There goes Swifty" was probably the most common phrase uttered in my home growing up.(That and, "Mr. Greenfield! You promised!") Swifty was the robotic rabbit that the dogs chased at Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere. And that phrase was pronounced over the PA at the start of every race.

Yes, my house like every other mixed-blooded American's was a gambling one. And, this race is in the home stretch.

The Giants came out of the gate fast attacking the Pats' linemen as cheaters and predicting, nay, guaranteeing victory. But all the while the Patsies stayed their course. Thom Brady waxed all week on what an honor it was to be compared to the great QBs of all time and Bruschi talked about this game as the most important of his career.

Then something happened. The Giants let up. Following Strahan's approbation of Brady earlier in the week, Plaxico backicoed off his sure thing prediction and Osi APOLOGIZED to Matt Light. Weird. The bettors weren't impressed. The line didn't move. Still 12 points.

So, if we can't get anything from the players what about the media? Do you think they'll have anything to say?

Predictably, this isn't a battle between teams in the media's eye; this is an epic battle between cities, again. Boston is that smallish nasty walled outpost somewhere off across the Aegean that has stolen Helen (In this butchered parable Helen would be sports pride.) from Gotham and it's associated city-states. For years this was a pitched battle, but no more. Now it will be fought hand-to-hand. In this tragedy, the role of the Greek armies will be played by the new York media.

These annual comparisons are getting so dull. Who's better looking Thom or Eli? Duh? Who has the better chowder (Also, here.)? Then Mike Celizic shows his chops by writing an error riddled piece on why New York is better than Boston. (Spoiler Alert: New York is bigger.) In it, he doesn't know how many World Series the Sox have won and he says that the city is so boring that the band Boston never sang a song about the city Boston. Hmmm (see below). And, the kicker, he calls the Pats "the Foxboro Patriots". The Giants play in New Jersey. That brought out the big guns.

First Ken Tremendous at FJM.com ripped him apart then Mark Starr took him to task in his blog.

Now, the NYPost is at it again. In today's paper they lament that NFL.com is already selling "19-0" merchandise for the Pats. Which is sure to jinx the team. What they failed to report is that NFL.com is also selling "NY Giants Superbowl XLII Champions" merch. Jinxes even.

So, we at Thom's got a bit tired of all of the comparisons. We decided to weigh in. Check out a bunch of Thom's regulars on SNY today at 5:00 and 11:00 pm and 1:30 am (Towards the end of the show) defending their team.

Well, we were just another band out of Boston

On the road to try to make ends meet

Playin all the bars, sleepin in our cars

And we practiced right on out in the street

-Boston

Playing with Fate

I had the bejeezus scared out of me this week when I opened The Globe (online) and saw this article: bejeezus scaring article link.

I had never seen such hubris in the home of humility (and humiliated). Had the days of the doormats finally been forgotten to the point where we count on victory? Should we all be punished with Bruins' season tickets? Then, I was forwarded this link: Amazon, which no longer works. But, if you read the web address (http://www.amazon.com/19-0-Historic-Championship-Englands-Unbeatable/dp/1600781500/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201620514&sr=1-1) you'll see a disturbing site (pun intended). The Globe was shilling a book commemorating the perfect season before the fact. Amazon had the foresight to take it down lest they tempt fate themselves.

Could "The Globe" be so naive as to doom the Patsies' chances or were there greater powers at work? Dig a bit deeper and you'll find that The Boston Globe is owned by The New York Times which just happens to be from New York. Coincidence? I think not. They tried to pull the old reverse evil eye. But, any fear-frozen New Englander knows very well that toying with black magic is wishing it on your self. The Giants are now cursed thanks to The Times and its minions at The Globe.

Of course, that is just a theory. But, there is proof that a reverse jinx is already afoot:

• Chief Osi calls out Matt Light for cheating. (He then retracts quicker than Castanza in cold water.)


• A "Giants fan" beats the hell out of a Pats fan in Brooklyn home of many ex-patriot New Englanders. The Giants fan's name was "Divine"-bad mojo, very bad mojo.


• Plexi-glass Burress guarentees a victory in the Superbowl!

Not since Menelaus and Agamemnon tore down the walls of Troy has there been such hubris. You too, Giants, will be cursed:

Peace to that braggart’s vaunting vain,

Who, having heard the chieftain’s tale,

Yet boasts of bliss untouched by bale!

-Aeschylus

'omoi peplegmai kairian plegen eso'

Apeneck Sweeney spreads his knees

Letting his arms hang down to laugh,

The zebra stripes along his jaw

Swelling to maculate giraffe.

-Thomas Stearns

To The Carriage House

Bad news, bad news,
Come to me where I sleep,
Turn, turn, turn again.
Sayin' one of your friends
Is in trouble deep,
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
-Bobby Zimmerman

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
January 29, 2008 -- BROOKLYN

A Park Slope bar patron was arrested after he brutally beat a man for saying the New England Patriots were going to win the Super Bowl, police said yesterday. Michael Divine, 25, struck up a conversation with the victim in the Carriage House Bar last Monday. Divine asked the man whether he thought the Giants or Patriots would win the Super Bowl. When the man picked the Pats, Divine punched him in the face, leaving him unconscious, then repeatedly kicked him in the head, police said. A witness blocked Divine and helped the victim off the floor. The injured man, who was treated at Methodist Hospital, later identified Divine from a photo array. Divine was caught in his grandmother's home last Saturday and charged with assault, menacing and harassment, police said.

No Longer a Team of Old Doormats...

I thought I'd pass this along. It came from a friend. I haven't checked it for accuracy; bias forbids. Are the Pats and their fans getting too confident? Look what the Globe wrote today: "Parade for Pats is issue in vote".

The Giants played the Patriots tough in Week 17:

The banged up Patriots, on the road against a fired up Giants team, took a 10 point lead with 4:36 to go and won by 3 as they took a knee at the end of the game. Their last 4 possessions ended TD, TD, TD, kneel down.

The Giants pressured Tom Brady all night:

Playing without RG Stephen Neal, RT Nick Kaczur and TE Kyle Brady, the Pats gave up exactly one sack. And Brady was 32-42 for 356 yds and 2TDs.

Eli Manning has found himself in the playoffs while Brady has looked bad:

Fredo's passer rating for the playoffs is 99.1. Brady's is 105.7.

Brady's nursing a bad ankle:

The last time Brady hurt his leg in an AFCCG, a game in which he was pulled and never returned, he went on to win the Super Bowl MVP. And there was no two week break between the games.

The Giants will be wearing their road whites. They haven't lost in them all season:

The Pats will be wearing their home blues. They haven't lost in them either. Or white. Or silver. Or red throwbacks. Or...

The Patriots offense has tailed off lately:

In their first nine games, the Pats scored 355 points, tops in the league. Over their last nine, playoffs included, they scored 286 points, tops in the league. And every single one of those games was played outdoors, at night, in the Northeast.

The Gints are playing inspired football since that Week 17 game:

Tampa Bay sucks, objectively. Dallas beat them in every statistical category including 100 more total yards and 13 more time of possession minutes, but a tequila-hungover Tony Romo coughed the ball up in the end zone at the end of the game. Then in the NFCCG, Brett Favre handed the game over to them so efficiently it should've come in a Domino's box with dipping sauce and cinnamon sticks.

The Giants will play "physical" against the Patriots:

We've been hearing this all year. Coming into the Divisional Game, Jacksonville was a threat because they were so "physical." Brady was 26/28 against them and Maroney ran through them for 122 yards.

"Physical II": Randy Moss "doesn't like to get hit":

In the last game, Gibril Wilson decked Moss with a good clean hit to the face. Moss sat out one play as the rules dictate, then on the next play caught a TD pass in triple coverage.

You can run on the Pats:

Jacksonville, No. 2 rushing team in NFL: 80 yards. San Diego, No. 7 rushing: 104 yards.

The Giants are on a roll:

They outscored their opponents by 1.4 points per game. The Patriots outscored theirs by 19.7 PPG. And as ESPN points out, the G-Men could be possibly be the worst team to ever reach the Super Bowl. Oh, and how's 18 straight wins for a roll? Pretty good?

Let's Go Celtics!

Man, we had a pisser time at the Celtics game today at MSG. The Knicks didn't have much of a chance from the outset and neither did my sobriety. My friend Rich upgraded my ticket to the 2nd row right behind the legendary Thommy Heinsohn and his friends brought us beers at every chance. And speaking of Thommies there were several in attendance. The picture on the top left shows Horton, Brandt, and Robert at the game.

The picture to the right shows Scalabrine looking at Horton, Brandt, and Robert at the game.

And obviously, the third picture is Thommy Heinsohn.

Since this was my first time seeing this team live, a few observations:

• Rondo really sees the floor well.
• Garnett moves non-stop.
• Doc Rivers rarely sits down.
• The Celtics are preparing for the playoffs already by playing their bench at every opportunity. Powe?

Party. Party. Party.

Holy crap! What a night. When I heard on Monday that the trophy might come to the bar on Friday I never imagined in a million years that I would carry it through the bar. What a thrill!

A big fat thank you to everyone that made it possible: Bob Potter and the gang at Bombo and Colin Burch and the Red Sox and all of the regulars that made this year and tonight so great. Let's do it again next year!

I took a bunch of photos. If you were in one and want a copy email me with the number of which one you need.



Check out them all on Flickr and add your own.



(If the link doesn't work search here for "professor thom's" or World Series Trophy")

Don't Rain on My Parade.

We are but 6 hours from the World Series Trophy's triumphant return to NYC. It's the second time in 3 years that it's made it's made to Gotham and not one of those times was it for the Yankees. It's been my pleasure-no, honor to be involved in bringing it down both times and this should be a blast. But, the heavens have erupted over our fair metropolis. It would seem the Yankee fans have been praying hard for our evening to be ruined by rain on steroids, but we won't let it happen. The show will go off as planned with probably a slight delay due to traffic caused by the inclemency.

See you all there tonight. I'll try to get some pictures up by tomorrow

We Are The Champions, Again.

You've undoubtedly heard the news by now. I'm still trying to digest it. It's just mind-blowing. The Celtics lost last night!

It was their fourth loss of the year and their second at home. Just yesterday I made an online bet with Ulose.com that the Celts would never, ever lose again (I got decent odds). That's $3 down the drain. Thank God ESPN is running a special on the career of Doug Flutie. It really helped me out of a bad place.

One sure bet is that the 2007 World Series Trophy is still coming to Thom's on Friday night. Look for the celebration upstairs in the Loft around 7pm and don't forget to wear your gear; there will be cameras there. There will also be plenty of Riverdancing, so make room.

After you kiss, hug, molest, pose with, or do whatever you do with the trophy head downstairs and catch the 4-loss Celtics take on the Nets.

One last party:

I've paid my dues -

Time after time -

I've done my sentence

But committed no crime -

And bad mistakes

I've made a few

Ive had my share of sand kicked in my face -

But Ive come through

-Farrokh Bomi Bulsara

More Trophy Info

The results are in and we have a winner: Thom Brady has been voted AP MVP and Offensive Player of the Year.

And, in the other race Thom's has been voted the first place in New York to get the 2007 World Series Trophy.

That's right, the Trophy is coming to Thom's this Friday between 7 and 8 pm (depending on traffic). Also coming to Thom's will be Bombo Pictures ("Still We Believe") to finish their new Sox documentary tentatively titled “A Day at the Park”. If you're at Thom's Friday, you might make the movie so consider yourself disclaimed.

More good news: The Celtics play the Nets Friday at 7:30 pm. So, you'll have something to do all night long.

World Series Trophy Comes to Thom's

I just got word that the Red Sox will be bringing the 2007 World Series Trophy to Thom's this Friday, January 11th around 7pm. I'll post more details as I get them.

Perfect!

We've been talking about it for months. Since the Pats started the season annihilating their opponents it was obvious that they had a chance to go 16-0. And, last night they did.

Many Thommies were on hand (including myself) at the Meadowlands to witness history. The game was much closer than any of us imagined (i.e. I lost money), but in the end Tom Terrific marched the Patsies downfield for 22 unanswered points and the lead, for good. It's playoff time again at Thom's! More game photos below.

Break out the Guinness (Book of Records)

As the sage once said: "Saturday night's alright for fighting.'" And fight we will. The Patsies will attempt to be the first team to go a perfect 16-0 against the visting Giants. Visiting? That's right, there'll be more Pats fans at the Meadowlands than a Building #19 7/8 Black Friday sale in Lynn. (It should be less dangerous too.)

And, it's only on at Thom's! That's right the NFL Network-ah, ok the NFL Network caved and you can conceivably get the game on 4 channels in NYC. So, I guess we'll have to lower our beer from their price gauging levels. How about this? Everytime the Pats break a NFL record (Brady TD's, Moss TD's, 16 wins) we'll lower the price of Guinness $1 (while supplie last). We should still have a great crowd of Patriot loyalists, so get there early if you're not going to the game. But, if you are going to the game, let me know.

In case you haven't heard, Boston fans travel. Fitzy of Townie News will be shooting tailgaters for his ESPN show and he needs you. (You can also catch his game preview filmed at Thom's).

Boston College does battle against Michigan State tonight in the traditional Champs Sports Bowl. The game starts at 5 pm, so start hinting at how sick you are and why you have to leave work early. And, if you are thinking of coming late, know that Happy Hour ends at 7pm.

More Thom's Foolery

Just when you thought that Brady was getting a bit too big for his britches he brings it down a notch with this embarrassing ad. Good for you Tom. Way to keep it real.

There are still tickets available for the January 21st Celtics game at MSG. This is an holiday 1pm game and there is already a good contingent of Thommies going. Let me know if you'll be there.

It's getting late have you seen my mates

Ma tell me when the boys get here

It's seven o'clock and I want to rock

Want to get a belly full of beer

-Bernie Taupin

Me and Youk and a Dog Named Boss.

Have you seen my baseball?

Here we go again...


It wouldn't be a Red Sox World Series win without a final out baseball controversy. (I guess it's better than that other controversy surrounding a certain dynastic team.)

Jonathan Papelbon is claiming that his dog Boss (pictured) ate the ball used in the final out of the World Series against the Rockies. According to the Hattiesburg American, Papelbon said, "He plays with baseballs like they are his toys. His name is Boss. He jumped up one day on the counter and snatched it. He likes rawhide. He tore that thing to pieces."

That's strange. He knew that his dog liked to play with baseballs and left the World Series baseball just sitting on the counter!

Sheila Papelbon, Thom's regular (seriously) and Jon's mother said, "That boy ain't right in the head. But, he means well."

When asked what punishment the dog received, if any, the Red Sox closer said, "I hit him on the snout with my glove which he caught in his mouth and chewed to pieces like it was leather or something. It's a shame because that was the glove that I used when I threw the ball that was the last out of the World Series. So, I grabbed one of my cleats and dang it if the same thing didn't happen. So then, I took him to be neutered again."

"Boss used to have quite a bark", Sheila added. "But, since this second neutering he just sits around and mumbles to his sons. It's sad really."

What's Gong Om at Thom's

The holiday parties continue to invade the New Towne saloon that is Thom's. Last night Gareth and the boys brought by 100's of suited imbibers that rocked the bar till the wee hours of this morning.

But that should be nothing compared to the crowd we get for the record setting game against the Dolphins this Sunday at 4pm. The Pats are trying to set the all-time record for wins to start the season against the team that has said record, the Miami Dolphins. The wayback machine has been set to 1986 and "Squish the Fish" will be heard to Houston St. Just for added measure I've been wearing my Celtics hooded sweatshirt that I won for raising money for JV hoops in 1986. It's got to work.

Me and you and a dog named Boo,

Travellin' and livin' off the land.

Me and you and a dog named Boo,

How I love bein' a free man.

-Kent Lavoie

Can I Get an Amen?

I got this from Josh, a regular at the bar:

from eric wilbur's Boston Sports Blog on Boston.com:


Since Game 5 of the
ALCS, your Boston teams (Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots) are a combined
59-13-2-1.

Take away the Bruins, that record is 41-2, which is eerie in itself.
Not to get all Biblical on you, but let's read from the Book of Isaiah,
shall we? Chapter 41, Verse 2, reads: “Who has raised up from the east someone
to whom the Lord gives victory with every step he takes?”

The Mitchell Report List of Players.

For what it's worth the actual list of players from the Mitchell Report is below. (The previous list was bogus, as suspected by many.) There's not a name on this list that surprised me or should surprise anyone. For the most part all of these people have been tied to investigations before. And, this report only serves to finally allow the journalists and analysts to discuss the alleged steroid users without fear of repercussion. Strangely, there have been very few denials thus far.

The list:

Allen, Chad

Ankiel, Rick

Bell, David

Bell, Mike

Bennett Jr., Gary

Bonds, Barry

Brown, Kevin

Byrd, Paul

Cabrera, Alex

Caminiti , Ken

Carreon, Mark

Christiansen, Jason

Clark, Howie

Clemens, Roger

Conseco, Jose

Cust, Jack

Donnels, Chris

Donnelly, Brendan

Dykstra , Len

Franco, Matt

Franklin, Ryan

Gagne, Eric

Giambi, Jason

Giambi, Jeremy

Gibbons, Jay

Glaus, Troy

Gonzalez, Juan

Grimsley, Jason

Guillen, Jose

Hairston Jr., Jerry

Herges, Matt

Hiatt, Phil

Hill, Glenallen

Holmes, Darren

Hundley, Todd

Jorgernson, Ryan

Justice, David

Knoblauch, Chuck

Laker, Tim

Lansing, Mike

Lo Duca, Paul

Logan, Exavier

Manzanillo, Josias

Matthews, Jr. Gary

McKay, Cody

Mercker, Kent

McGwire, Mark

Miadich, Bart

Naulty, Daniel

Neagle, Denny

Morris, Hal

Palmeiro, Rafael

Parque, Jim

Pettitte, Andy

Pratt, Todd

Randolph, Stephen

Rocker, John

Riggs, Adam

Rios, Armando

Roberts, Brian

Santangelo, F.P.

Santiago , Benito

Schoenweis, Scott

Segui, David

Sheffield, Gary

Sosa, Sammy

Stanton, Mike

Tejada, Miguel

Valdez, Ismael

Vaughn, Mo

Velarde, Randy

Villone, Ron

Vina, Fernando

White, Rondell

Willaims, Jeff

Williams, Matt

Williams, Todd

Woodard, Steve

Young, Kevin

Zaun, Gregg

Here It is.

The Mitchell Report

REPORT TO THE COMMISSIONER OF BASEBALL
OF AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO
THE ILLEGAL USE OF STEROIDS AND OTHER
PERFORMANCE ENHANCING SUBSTANCES
BY PLAYERS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
GEORGE J. MITCHELL
DLA PIPER US LLP
December 13, 2007

These are players connected to the Red Sox that were named:

Mo Vaughn, Mike Lansing, Kent Mercker, Mike Stanton, Eric Gagne, Brendan Donnelly, Steve Woodard, Jose Canseco, Manny Alexander, Mike Spinelli (minor leaguer), Paxton Crawford, Jeremy Giambi, Josias Manzanillo (minor leaguer), Roger Clemens, Chris Donnels

Leaked List?

This is the list of players on the Mitchell report that WNBC is claiming was leaked to them. Take it for what it's worth:

Brady Anderson, Manny Alexander, Rick Ankiel, Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds, Aaron Boone, Rafael Bettancourt, Bret Boone, Milton Bradley, David Bell, Dante Bichette, Albert Belle, Paul Byrd, Wil Cordero, Ken Caminiti, Mike Cameron, Ramon Castro, Jose and Ozzie Canseco, Roger Clemens, Paxton Crawford, Wilson Delgado, Lenny Dykstra, Johnny Damon, Carl Everett, Kyle Farnsworth, Ryan Franklin, Troy Glaus, Rich Garces, Jason Grimsley, Troy Glaus, Juan Gonzalez, Eric Gagne, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Giambi, Jeremy Giambi, Jose Guillen, Jay Gibbons, Juan Gonzalez, Clay Hensley, Jerry Hairston, Felix Heredia, Jr.Darren Holmes, Wally Joyner, Darryl Kile, Matt Lawton, Raul Mondesi, Mark McGwire, Guillermo Mota, Robert Machado, Damian Moss, Abraham Nunez, Trot Nixon, Jose Offerman, Andy Pettitte, Mark Prior, Neifi Perez, Rafael Palmiero, Albert Pujols, Brian Roberts, Juan Rincon, John Rocker, Pudge Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Scott Schoenweiss, David Segui, Alex Sanchez, Gary Sheffield, Miguel Tejada, Julian Tavarez, Fernando Tatis, Mo Vaughn, Jason Varitek, Ismael Valdes, Matt Williams, Kerry Wood.

According to a friend of mine that has seen the report there are inaccuracies to this list. Varitek, he said is not in the report.

I Want a New Drug

We did not want to take such drastic measures but you forced our hand. Mandatory testing will begin at Thom's immediately. Before you are allowed to pay your bill you will be tested for sobriety. If any trace of sobriety is found in your system you will be asked to stay and poured another drink. The reputation of the bar is at stake! I also have to state that this will not be a urine test, so please stop doing that at the bar. (You know who you are.)

The field sobriety test that will consist of naming Roger Klemens' kids, spelling "Mientkiewicz", and doing a Jim impression. The names of those found to be sober will be released in these pages.

In case you haven't heard, MLB's study of steroid use in baseball dubbed "The Mitchell Report" comes out today. Many doubt the integrity of the report due to the fact that George Mitchell is involved with the Red Sox and reportedly there are many Yankees on the list: Clemens, Pettitte, Giambi. But, according to a "leaked" list of players on WNBC several former and current Sox will be listed: Varitek, Trot Nixon, Jose' Offerman, Mo Vaughn, Rich Garces, and Nomar. We won't know if this list is at all accurate until the real report is released at 2pm today. Rich "El Guapo" Garces (pictured above) is the only accused player who began taking steroids after his baseball career. MLB is claiming that his list has errors.

But, there are no errors in the fact that we've extended our Celtics "Big Three Special". Celtics fans will get $3 Thom's Ale through the end of the season. Wow! That's like a good deal on steroids.

Don't forget to be at Thom's this Saturday at 7 pm to celebrate our 2nd anniversary. As a token of appreciation we're going to have a 2 hour open bar. Warning: this will not be a sobering experience.

And finally, to all you Boston fans that think you got it so good, this guy is here to keep you in check.

When the door came crashing down

And billy turned around

He felt the heart and soul inside him fall

He stood face to face

With the long arm of the law

You cant out run the long arm of the law

No, you cant out run the long arm of the law

You can hide out for a while

He says with a smile

But you cant out run the long arm of the law

-K. Rogers

The Hits Keep on Coming!

Alright, it wasn't enough that the Sox, the Celts, and the Pats have brought endless joy this season. No, there just had to be more from the most unlikely of sources. My hometown Brighton Bengals went undefeated (12-0) and won the Division 4, Massachusetts state football championship. Brighton High! This is incredible, because when I grew up in Brighton, The Zoo (as it was called) was only known for dropping out and a threat by your parents and teachers to do well where you went to school or you'll wind up there.

In addition to winning on the field apparently their academics have improved too. US News and World Report recently gave B.H.S. a bronze star in its evaluation of America's high schools.

No, I didn't go to Brighton High (My alma mater ranked 19th in the nation in the report.) but it was the first team I supported. When I was 5 years old my brother pitched in the state championship for Brighton High. That is my earliest memory of rooting for sports. Of course, through the eyes of a five-year-old the park I remember was enormous. I remember chasing foul balls that flew behind us out of the park. And, I remember looking around and seeing all of our neighbors there. I didn't understand then that they were all there just because they were from Brighton and Brighton never won anything. They eventually lost in that championship.

Go Bengals!

The NFL Network is om at Thom's.

Tonight at Thom's

The higher powers at the NFL have decided that only those with NFL Network may watch the Dallas/Greenbay battle for the NFC tonight. Don't they realize that like no one in NYC gets the NFL Network? Sheesh! Well, I have good news. The game will be on at Thom's. So, don't worry about going home after work; come straight to Thom's, have dinner and enjoy the game. As a bonus we'll also be showing the Celtics against the clown princes of the court, The NY Knicks.

Let's see. Is there anything else going on in Boston Sports?

Well, where do we start? Bobby Orr is nude. How's that for an opening? Just when you thought the public was losing interest in the sport. Now that's what I call Old Time Hockey.

The Spaceman Bill Lee isn't allowed in America and frankly is ok with it. According to The NY Daily News he said, "I never thought the U.S. government would send me to heaven prematurely, but maybe I'm destined to live in Canada." (Does this mean no more Spaceman visits to Professor Thom's?)

The Patsies got all the haters out in full force when they almost lost to the Eagles last Sunday night. The pundits are dubbing the loss a "Blueprint to beat the Patriots." But, will super genius Brian Billick follow that plan Monday Night when the Pats take on the Ravens? Or, will he eschew it in favor of his own genius? I 'spect the latter. Either way come out Monday for Clamapalooza V: The Clamcake. We'll be serving our version of Rhode Island style clamcakes during the game. So, everybody wins.

Dr. Charles "The Dentist" Steinberg, former head of PR for the Sox has announced that he will not return to the team next year. Steinberg is heading out to LA "to accept a top front-office position with the Los Angeles Dodgers".

With the doctor out can Larry be far behind? Some are already speculating that Steinberg's exit might signal an eventual exit by Lucchino too. One would think that this would leave Theo squarely in charge to run the team how he wishes.

Also in the rumor mill is talks of Johna Santana going to Boston for a slew of Sox. How are the New York media reacting to this? Apparently it would be"[T]he end of baseball as we have come to know it around here." I got news for you Mr. Matthews, that happened years ago.

Speaking of NY media, have you ever wanted to meet Michael Kay? For the 3 of you that answered yes you can catch him at Hooters next week during the Jets/Miami supermatch.

And finally, the rumor to end all rumors: I have it on good authority that the Red Sox 2007 World Series trophy will be making a stop at Thom's in the near future. details to follow.

That calls for a pot shot at Kay:

If you see Kay,

Tell him he may.

See you in tea,

Tell him from me.

-J.Joyce

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well the impossible happened. Just when you thought you understood this crazy, mixed up world of sports, a wrench gets thrown in the works. Are you sitting down? The Celtics have lost a game. I know it’s tough to handle, but it was inevitable. Luckily, just as Paul Pierce’s last ditch effort to win with a 3-pointer back rimmed Brady threw his 50th TD of the game to Randy Moss. It was that small distraction that we Boston fans needed. Thanks Tom.

And speaking of distractions: As if this winter hasn’t been wonderful enough with Pedroia winning ROY, Jacoby’s homecoming, and Bonds indicted, and the Yankees thinking they’ve made all the right moves by re-signing the team that lost this year for more money than last year. The Red Sox are reportedly signing World Series MVP Mike Lowell to a three year deal. Now, the Sox have their team back that won it all this year. This is a time to be thankful.

Ah, Thanksgiving. Normally, I’d be spending Thursday morning freezing my two pairs of socks off at Harvard Stadium (It rained like a bastard last year.) watching my high school alma mater play in its annual Turkey Bowl exhibition with arch rivals English High. Sure, the match up of the oldest public school and the oldest high school in the oldest high school football rivalry has been a laugher since the Boston public school system fell apart in the 70’s. Still, the tradition and homecoming has drawn me to it lo these many years. But, this year, the Old Lady has to work and so do I. So, if you’re around the night of Thanksgiving swing by the bar. There’s an 8 o’clock football game and I’ll need leftovers to nosh on. You can expect a little egg nog and cider and holiday cheer. Try to give me a head’s up if you’re coming.

If you can’t make it, Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Saturday night, I’ll be out in Boston meeting some friends. Let me know if you’re around.

Looking Ahead!

BU Hockey: BU and Cornell square off this Saturday at MSG in a sold out event. Thom’s will be hosting an after party for some former players and personalities from BU like paly-by-play man Bernie Corbett. It’s open to anyone, so get to the bar after the game.

UMass Basketball: The first televised game of the season will be on at Thom’s on Wednesday, November 28th. Travis Ford had a great time at the bar last month and promises to come back.

Clamapalooza V: Clamcakes. There is much debate about what a Rhode Island clamcake is, especially from those that hail from the Buzzard’s Bay area of Mass (shout out to Fall River!). Well, we’ll be serving our very own version on Monday Night December 3 during the Pats game. This will, of course close out the Clamapalooza season.

Turkey for me

Turkey for you

Lets eat the turkey

In my big brown shoe

Love to eat the turkey

At the tableI once saw a movie

With betty grable

-Adam Sandler

7 Down.

I watched my first Celtics game of the year last night. I liked it. The defense was much better than I expected and it seemed like they could score from every position. But, judging from their fast break, it didn't appear the team had completely gelled yet. That's scary. They're 7-0 and have room to improve.

What impressed me most was the the role players. Perkins played the center position well, defending the inside, grabbing boards (8), and disrupting shots (4 blocks). He even kicked a few out for easy baskets. His offense wasn't so pretty, but it didn't have to be; we have plenty of guys that can score. Still, I'd like to see the Chief teach him a few upfakes so he could draw some fouls.

It feels so good to root for this team again. Look for the Celtics' crowds to get big at the bar.

The Undefeated Celtics

With their win last night the Celtics (6-0) are taking a run at the Patriots record (9-0). Paul Pierce led scorers with 31 and reportedly even did push-ups between free throws to taunt the crowd. If anyone has a picture or video of this, please send it to me. As the Celtics roll, so do the Knicks.

After being told that he would not be starting, Marbury left the team on Tuesday then told a source who told the NY Daily News :

"Isiah has to start me. I've got so
much (stuff) on Isiah and he knows it. He thinks he can (get) me. But I'll (get)
him first. You have no idea what I know."

Blackmail! I love it. This is the most ridiculous franchise in sports.

More blackamil: Because of the success of the Big Three Thom's is now offering Thom's Ale during Celtics games for $3.

Baseball Book Preview

As we used to say around Rogers Park in Brighton, "I'm pretty stoked." I got a galley proof of the book I worked on this Summer and it looks great.

The book is "Change Up: An Oral History of 8 Key Events That Shaped Modern Baseball" by Larry Burke and Peter Thomas Fornatale with Jim Baker. Basically, it's an exploration of the changing dynamics in baseball since the 1960's in the words of the people that were involved in those changes. The 8 key events outlined are as follows: Expansion (told by way of "the 1962 Mets"), "The Latino Wave", "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton, "The Birth of the Players Union", "The Designated Hitter", "The First African American Manager", "Cal Ripken's Streak", and "Ichiro Comes to America".

My job included interviewing former players like Dennis Eckersley, Luis Tiant, Rico Carty, et al. In addition to the players I interviewed executives Bud Selig, Fay Vincent, and Lou Gorman. They were all extremely cooperative. It takes talking to these people to understand just how much the love the game of baseball.

Look for the release in early March and a release party at Thom's.

Across the Bar with Bill Nowlin

Bill Nowlin is a true renaissance man of Red Sox Nation. A native of Lexington, Mass. he has conducted tours dressed like a Minuteman, co-founded Rounder Records (and later Rounder Books), served as a professor of political science at the University of Lowell, traveled the world visiting some 130 countries, sits as VP of SABR (the Society for American Baseball Research) and has somehow found time to write no less than 17 compelling, informative books about the Boston Red Sox. His newest book co-authored with Chuck Burgess “Love That Dirty Water: The Standells and the Improbable Red Sox Victory Anthem” documents the history of the music associated with the Red Sox.


1. To date, you have published 17 books about the Red Sox. Why do you think one team has been so well covered in literature?

The Red Sox are based in Boston, which has a large number of colleges and universities. And which also used to like to think of itself as the "Athens of America", too. For a long time, there's been a more literary aspect to coverage of the Red Sox. The Boston newspapers may have led the way. There were really rather few books about the Red Sox until the later years of the 20th century, though - really, but a handful in the 1940s - 1960s. (After all, what was there to write about the Red Sox of the 1920s?) I really think the reason the team captured the imagination of so many writers was a reason that would likely elude aspiring authors today: the team's living out of a "Greek tragedy." To have come SO close so many times, only to fall short. The years roll right out of memory: 1946, 1948, 1949, 1950 (save for Ted's injury....), 1967, 1972, 1975, 1978, 1986, right up through 2003! It was a great story that now is the prelude to something else, something we might consider Uncharted Waters.


2. I am so grateful for your new book "Love That Dirty Water". So many Sox and non-Sox fans ask me why certain songs are associated with the team. I finally have the answers. What made you want to delve into this subject?


It was a "who" not a "what." Chuck Burgess is the answer. The book's co-author. It was all Chuck's idea. I thought it was way too narrowly focused an idea at first. The idea percolated for a while, and grew on me. I'd already done a lot of research on music in the history of the Red Sox. Finally, we just started doing it. That I'm in the record business made Chuck think I might be interested in a whole book linking music and the Sox, but it took me a while to come around - and then had a blast working with Chuck on it.

3. You have been producing music and writing about the Red Sox for many years. Is this the first time you've combined your love of the two?

Yep. Though I very much enjoyed writing an article for Red Sox Magazine this season on the very self-conscious use of music to accompany a ballgame as practiced these days to good effect under the leadership of Dr. Charles Steinberg and his colleague Megan Kaiser. Rounder Records turned 37 in October. My writing about the Red Sox began about a dozen years ago. I've really enjoyed looking at the team through so many different perspectives - writing books about some key players (Ted Williams and Johnny Pesky), about the park itself (Fenway Saved), about the people who work there (Fenway Lives), etc.

4. What does this second World Championship in 4 years mean to Sox fans? Will literary interest wane now that the "suffering" is over?

I do think there's a real risk that literary interest will wane. For years, we all wondered what it would be like if the Red Sox ever won it all. Would it rob Boston of its very soul? My answer was: I'd sure like to find out. Let's put it to the test. Well, it felt great, and I think all of us still enjoy remembering how 2004 played out. What could any team ever do to top it? First of all, they'd have to build up 80 years of suffering. OK, the Cubs are primed. But even the Cubs haven't had all those last-minute losses (1946, etc. etc.) Then to have a chance to beat the Yankees and go to the World Series in 2003 - and have that all snatched away at the very last minute by one admitted steroids user hitting two home runs (which I still want disallowed), and to have Pedro taken out of the game, congratulated, and then sent back in! Hollywood couldn't have written a better ending - and didn't! (They had to re-shoot the ending to Fever Pitch!) It could hardly have been better. And then, just three years later, to do it again - well, it wasn't the same, though they did stave off a late Yankees threat, and did have to win three sudden-death games in a row to win the pennant.

To me, the main thing 2007 means is: this ownership, this leadership knows what it's doing. Maybe there is a "Red Sox Way." It also means I am very much looking forward to 2008. Unlike 2004, there are many more reasons to think we could see a repeat. Am I getting greedy? Yes. What am I supposed to do - hope the Red Sox lose? I don't think so!


5. What do you think of all of the "Red Sox bars" that exist outside of Boston? Do other fan bases have such a phenomenon? Could they?

There are dozens of them, as best I can tell. Certainly New York has quite a few, and I'm aware of others in Santa Monica, Denver, Tokyo (pre-Daisuke, even). There is really something very special about Red Sox Nation. I don't know just what it is, nor how long it will endure ("will success spoil Red Sox Nation?"), but it's really a nice phenomenon that seems to be uniquely Boston.


6. 17 books and counting, what's next in your exploration of the Red Sox?

Two books this coming year will be on special teams from the past. One will be on the 1918 Red Sox, done in collaboration with 20-plus members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). The book - like the ones we've arleady done on the 1967 and 1975 teams - will largely consist of biographies of the men who made up the team. Another will be on the TWO Boston teams of 1948 - the Braves, who did make it into the World Series, and the Red Sox, who fell one game short of playing the Braves. Again, that's a SABR project.

There will be one other book that will gather together all sorts of bits and pieces about various oddities and tangents from Red Sox history. I already had a section on Native Americans who had played for the Red Sox. There have been a lot of them, including ones with such unlikely "Indian" names as Gary Waslewski. Now that we've had a great debut by Jacoby Ellsbury, I've extended that section a little further. Stay tuned....

7. What are your duties as VP of SABR (the Society for American Baseball Research)?

I'm one of the members of the Board of Directors of SABR and have very much enjoyed helping give whatever guidance I might offer as part of the board to this 7,000 member all-volunteer organization that really sets the "gold standard" in baseball research, from stats to stories to depths of database building. There are some very exciting things going on in SABR at the moment, which will begin to be unveiled in the next couple of years that will help researchers interested in deeper and deeper research.


8. Legend has it that when the Sox won the pennant in '67 you were the first to the mound to congratulate Lonborg. Could you describe that moment? Do you miss the days of fans rushing the field?

It's true. My sister Lisa (15 at the time) and I (22 at the time) went to the game and as the last couple of innings played out, we worked our way down into the lower box seats - crouching in the aisle - on the third-base side. There was no security to stop us, so at the final moment - I don't recall planning this; it was purely spontaneous - I jumped over the low wall and sprinted to the mound along with about 20-30 other people, getting there in time that I actually clapped Lonborg on the back (not my usual style, but I'm not sure I was entirely in my right mind). Then I saw hundreds of people headed toward us, and I got out of there quickly. I pulled up a handful of grass and shoved it in my pocket. Wish I still had it today, even if was only dust, but I have no idea whatever happened to it. It truly was "pandemonium on the field." Sure, I miss it in a way - but I do admit to rushing the field in a way as recently as 2004. It was a different situation. I was in the park with my son and a friend and his son. We were watching the players board the duck boats to head out on the parade. I noticed that there were maybe a couple of hundred people walking around on the dirt alongside the first base area near where the tarp is, and there didn't seem to be any security paying particular attention so, once again, I climbed over the wall and the four of us walked along as the boats began to move and head out. A minute or two later, I saw that a couple of hundred other people had followed and then the grounds crew started becoming concerned - not that there was going to be another game for five months. People strolled around out to the scoreboard in left, etc. The new ownership has been wonderful about extending the hours of the tours, welcoming charitable groups onto the field before the game, and working in so many ways to help people enjoy Fenway Park more. I think people today have plenty of contact that way - and I'm glad that it's still possible, even for the World Series, to line up outside the park and have a pretty good chance at a ticket. I did it three times myself this year when I'd already passed on my tickets, but then decided to go to the game. It was great that Mike Lowell and Dustin Pedroia brought tacos to fans waiting in line before the World Series. I've got some nice memories of waiting in line overnight in 1975 and again in 1986. Folks that show that level of commitment are real fans.