The Dream City Of Champions - once again!

The last time we blogged ever-so dreamily...

the Boston Red Sox were about to take Game 4 

and square up that World series all up at 2 games apiece! 

Next, they took a 3-2 lead in the series 

winning a second one in a row - in St.Louis! 

And then, heading back home 

in the position to finally win another championship 

at the venerable Fenway Park 

-the first one since 1918- 

they did so in brilliant... even luminous fashion

with a roaring 6-1 win in Game 6! 

A third World Series title for the once-cursed team 

with the other two having been sweeps 

(over Colorado in 2007 and St.Louis -again- in 2004) 

and all three with a certain BIG PAPI 

on the team: this year's Series MVP...!

And so here was the scene after all that transpired: 

 It was a mere six months ago. An eternity, or so it seems. 

 Lives were changed forever by a tragedy;  

 another one triggered by some men's folly. 

 The finish line of the Boston Marathon  

 had been turned into a scene of desolation and despair. 

 Where there should have been triumph, 

 there was only death and unnecessary torment. 

 It took this many months, actually, 

 for things to be made right again. 

 But, finally, this Saturday, November 2nd,  

 the tragedy gave way to the triumph 

 that should have permeated those streets back in April.  

 It had to wait until November to finally be restored  

 with this victory parade -that could have been  

 the second this year, had the Bruins won just two more games  

 back in June.... The Bruins' run was uplifting, but incomplete. 

 And THIS is what the city of Boston sorely needed 

 in order to fully heal from its tragic April of 2013...  

 And here they have it, then: in the form of 

 the World Series champions Boston Red Sox!  

 The healing process required crossing the exact same finish line 

 which had been the scene of that atrocity 

 and make it a scene of triumph and joy again 
 for crowds expected to reach one million people  

 as the parade covered the entire celebration route.  

 At the end of all this, at that finish line, a touching gesture 
 designed to assuage every Bostonian's pain  
 over the last six months: 

 Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes  

 depositing the World Series trophy on that very spot, 

 The trophy was draped with a team jersey  

 upon which all could read  

 "Boston Strong 617"  

 the very heartfelt slogan conceived in the nick of time 
 in order to help an entire population overcome  

 the horrid feeling in their hearts and souls 
 following the ignoble terror attacks. 

  Click the print screen above for a video  
  and check out more Wochit videos on Yahoo Screen.  

Thank you Jonny! 

That was cool! 

Thank you Big Papi! 

Thank you Boston Red Sox 

and the two Johns;

John Farrell and John Henry

All hail Boston's latest Champions - 

the 2013 Boston Red Sox! 

Congratulations! 

+++

Agony & Ecstasy - Yet Neither Dreamy?

With the glaring exception of GAME ONE of these 2013 ''WORLD SERIES'' (the game that saw Jon Lester get accused of greasing the ball as to alter its velocity significantly enough in order to gain an unfair advantage, as he was dominant on the mound for the Boston Red Sox as they crushed with such ease the St-Louis Cardinals 8 to 1 and left no doubt which one was the superior team, that night...) - said series has been a roller-coaster ride of ho-hum feelings and sensations...

Fans (meaning RED SOX NATION; all other fans of ''America's Pastime'' are obsolete) are compelled to question the questionable (calls such that ''fielder's indifference'' aka OBSTRUCTION call in Game 3 - that made no sense) question the unquestionable (our manager, Farrell, inexplicably keeping handing the ball over to Breslow - who hasn't pitched well since the BIG DANCE began here!  He was effective against Tampa Bay and Detroit though; so maybe he's one of those guys that goes ''strictly the American (League) way'' then?) and dodge all the rest - that is when they're not just feeling queasy, jittery and all-together ooky.

However, the series is so evenly-matched, with both teams having garnered the exact same record this year (97-65) during the regular season (which does include ''intraleague'' play) that it is pointless to get too nervous early on: it is almost assured that this will go down to the last pitch.  Game 7. Ninth inning. Full count. Bases loaded. RED SOX WIN!  (That's my scenario and I'm sticking to it!)

Still, having blogged all this and all that - let's have a closer look at all the infuriating things from the past few innings... shall we?

Didn't have the luxury to be at the *main work station* prior to this hour, so it was prepared through, ah... other means!  Have a look:

Can't believe they'd complain more about the way FOX intersperses 

the game's (often uneventful) innings with interviews, 

and not rage against the refs and their controversial call...?!?

Anyway...

Onwards to GAME FOUR - 

where the Sox used THREE STARTING PITCHERS! 

Buchholz, Doubront and Lackey! 

And, in the end, it was Tazawa and Uehara that got it done! 

Sure, it was a total team effort 

at the most crucial time, 

but, truly, Junichi Tazawa is the main relief pitcher 

and absolute set-up man 

for closer... terminator... 

Koji Uehara! 

The Boston Red Sox 

would be nowhere near the elite team 

that they are, now, without 

these two! 

It was a trying week-end, to say the least: but, now, we've got them crimson birds right where we want them!  No doubt about that!  GO, SOX, GO!  FEAR THE BEARD(S)!!!  

And Game 5 is on as we blog...! 

:-! 

Dream Beards

Everything old is new again - and everything that works (or, that is, at least, a time-honored tradition that works to some extent; most of the time) can be transposed onto a new setting, new environment and new sport!  Such is the case of the proverbial playoff beard...!  

What worked for the Boston Bruins (particularly well in 2011) has also been seen, in the past, put to use in the wondrous realm of Major League Baseball, too - but, now, it truly has come full circle whilst becoming the main trait of this decidedly hirsute 2013 edition of the Boston Red Sox!

And may the shavers and Gillettes of this world stay away for another while, too! 

Because this Bostonian Barbarian with Big Bats look works! 

Big Time! 

See the Sox triumph! 

Sport the Sox facial hair style! 

And, if you're an opponent, 

FEAR THE BEARD! 

There can be no doubt that it is working: already, the Boston Beards have triumphed, first of hated rivals from T-Bay (the Rays, they say? They're still the Devil Rays to me! And why not demonize thugs who hang out in Tampa, hmm?) Destroying these self-proclaimed ''new East perennial contenders'' in a short series to start October was just perfect: from the lopsided first win all the way to the last out that clinched a 3-1 series win: truly, 'twas the joy of Sox...!  (Pun intended - we're tipping our hats, here!)

And then the Sox disposed of the dreaded Detroit Tigers who, aside from having the distinction of hailing from a city in ruins, worthy of an apocalyptic Z-movie (not a B-movie, no; that would be too good for the ol' Motor City) in grand style, 4 games to 2 - with big swings from great bats: GRAND SALAMMIES as some have been heard saying (especially during those eight decades that saw other teams, with fanbases considerably less-cultured and far less eloquent, were getting it done; all during the woeful years of ''the Curse''...! But that is another story - and, THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, old history, all in the past now!) 

Fittingly, the Boston Red Sox triumphed in such grand style of the Detroit Tigers just as the Detroit Red Wings have come onto Boston Bruins territory (the new Atlantic Division, duh) and Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons are challenging each other for the bottom of the standings; and best strategic position for the next NBA lottery...! (The New England Patriots and Detroit Lions have no issues with each other: for several years, now, they're at the opposite end of the NFL pecking order! No need to precise which ends those are and for whom they are - EH?)

The Bruins lost a pre-season game to the Wings in embarrassing fashion: but then came back and blanked them the very next time they faced each other in training mode.  They split up a pair of games in the regular season so far and sit atop their division, with the oddest runner-up of all in-between them, Toronto! The old Adams Division/Northeast foes are bottom-dwellers or bound to be: Montreal, Buffalo and... er... where have Hartford and Quebec gone to, again? They've gone south alright! 

Boston's clearly Detroit's superior in hockey, too (in this titanic battle between The Hub Of Hockey and this self-proclaimed Hockeytown - Ha!) as it unquestionably is in baseball, as well.  And it is doubly satisfying to behold, in the latter case, as Boston defeated a team that repeatedly bested the hated New York Yankees in recent years; for, when the Yanks tried again and again to buy another two or three championships, the Evil Empire was thwarted by none other than the Tigers - who then promptly veered back to kitty-cat form once they reached the World Series.  Still...  The Tigers roared all over the hapless Yanks! And, just now, we saw what the Red Sox accomplished once up against those very same Tigers, who boasted such a fine pitching rotation and such an impressive collection of bats, overall... Well, it was the Boston Red Sox' bats (and beards!) that roared the loudest!  And it was over in six games, one-hundred sixty-two outs - and two Grand Slams! 

Now, them St-Louis Cardinals stand in the way: they better whimper and fold as they did in 2004, because once again, as in 2004 AND 2007 too, the team of destiny is clearly the BOSTON RED SOX!

They can get it done in a myriad of ways, too... 

;-) 

T-shirt designs available at 

http://backtobeantown.spreadshirt.com

- just click on them and see the choice! 

Looking Ahead To 2014... (DREAMING!)

What has gotten into NESN to cling on so to former Boston Bruins that are no longer in the fold - EH?

Well, yeah, sure, Andrew Ference has been named the captain of the Edmonton Oilers - largely due to his great work ethic, undeniable leadership (the leading-by-example variety: the best kind) and proven track record, mostly after his recent campaigns spent as a member of the Boston Bruins.
(We have all forgiven him, in both cities, that he played before for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Calgary Flames! Nobody's perfect - right, Andrew?)

Sure, it is somewhat significant (in an amusing way) that he becomes the 14th captain in the history of Edmonton's NHL franchise, and he is, also, entering his 14th season in the NHL - plus, this captaincy is really good for 2014 (the Oilers see their new captain inspire the youthful core of players that they have there all the way onto a playoff berth and several cinderella-team story-like upsets over better, proven teams...  Not gonna happen, but it is nice to dream, eh?)  and so, this triple occurrence of the number 14 is... intriguing, maybe.  But not much more than that!

And sure - as the Associated Press rehashed, Ference is 34 years-old, won the Cup in 2011 with Boston and, now, despite career stats that are somewhat less-than stellar (37 goals, 156 assists and 645 penalty minutes in 760 career games: not quite an all-star performance...) he finally gets treated like a star player indeed, the moment he joins his old hometown team's ranks, thus we can all feel good about this and be happy for him... (All the moreso due to his attachment to Beantown.  For, to be honest, his real hometown remains Boston: he would have stayed put there, if NHL politics had not made it impossible for him to stay, salary caps this, arbitration that...  But the fact remains that he was very well treated in Boston, being awarded a handsome yearly sum for his services as well as having the honor bestowed upon him to serve as an alternate captain for his last two years there: hence, the captaincy in Ed is simply a continuation of this treatment, rather than a promotion... really!)

Alas, Andrew has gone astray, just like Tim Thomas, Tomas Kaberle, Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, Nathan Horton and, if one goes further back on the former-B-regrets list, Chuck Kobasew, Vladimir Sobotka, Brandon Bochenski, Petteri Nokelainen, Matt Lashoff, Mark Stuart, Aaron Ward, Cameron Mann, Glen Murray, Ted Donato, Peter Ferraro, Tim Taylor, Dmitri Khristich, Jon Rohloff, Bob Beers, Mariusz Czerkawski, Dave Reid, Steve Leach, Fred Knipscheer, Sandy Moger, Milan Jurcina, Bobby Allen (ok, he was no Orr, but...) Petr Kalus, Brad Boyes - heck, even Colton Orr, dammit!

So, NESN, why not re-adjust your aim here and put the spotlight on who fully deserves it right at this current time - not to, say, repeat the errors of the past, hmm?

Why not focus more on guys such as Reilly Smith and Jordan Caron indeed,  one (the latter) relatively new to the team and the other (the former) freshly-arrived in the line-up this still aborning season - and both newbies are forming, with veteran Chris Kelly, the Bruins' most reliable offensive line so far!

Why not gear that ol' spotlight upon Carl Soderberg, poised and ready as he should be, in the coming months, to take over and pick up where Tyler Seguin (and, before him, Phil Kessel) had left off - when they were productive, that is!

Why not focus upon new B's guns Loui Eriksson and Jarome Iginla now -one of which did come from Alberta, Canada, coincidentally enough- rather than still tearfully look towards a guy who helped, helped a lot, but who, in the end, simply returned back where he came from -Alberta, Canada!- and, truth be told, he was never a game-changer here so how could he be one there, now, either...?  (The Edmonton Oilers average three goals a game - but allow five. LOL)

So, yeah, NESN - Ference did contribute in bringing back the Stanley Cup to the city of Boston and we will always remember the moment when the Bruins visited the Red Sox dugout and Ference handed the Cup to Big Papi... However, now it is time to let go, NESN - the guy is no longer one of ours: he's in league with the enemy! Forget about him already! LET GO! As Andy himself did, when it came time to part with his playoff beard, this past summer... (It's not like he's going to get to grow a new one any time soon, y'know - maybe EVER!  But that's another story... Eh, Andy?)

Say Goodbye, Andy! 

You're not the only one 

who can shave, either -

however, right now, 

NO ONE's shaving in Boston! 

Capisce?!?

Photo: NHL Properties 

+++

UPDATE: now, we look ahead to 2014 as the time when, 

possibly, we see Loui Eriksson BACK 100% 

after the concussion he sustained in a game 

versus the lowly (and lowlife) Buffalooooow Sabres. 

We can be optimists and look to 2014 for the return 

of another concussion victim - Marc Savard.

What a phenomenal powerhouse attack 

the Boston Bruins would have in 2014 

if both of these guys returned 

and the core stays intact as well...! 

Fear The Bear - Fear The Beards - 

there's a concept, here!

In related BEAR growls, 

we can all look forward to 2014 

for either the terminal suspension 

of one John Scott, neanderthal-on-ice; 

or his annihilation, on ice... 

It's one or the other, NHL - 

*you* decide...

...