Bush versus the Packers

Here's an interesting factoid for alls y'all: If history holds true, the final homegame for the Washington Redskins before the American Presidential election could very well tell us who will win the election. If the Redskins win their final homegame, the incumbant party retains the Presidency. If the Redskins lose, the incumbant party loses the White House. The election is on Tuesday and the Redskins have a homegame today. They are playing the Green Bay Packers. This strange streak has held true for the past 17 elections. I read it in a local newspaper so it's gotta be true. Just checked the scoreboard; Packers up 10-0 early in the second quarter.

Spooky Halloween Movie

Yesterday I Saw a very spooky movie. Normally, I tend to avoid scary/gory movies, but now and then one lures me in.. Whenever I see a movie that I like, telling people all about it is not my style. I like to just say, "it's good, go see it". This one had a good premise and, this being Halloween weekend, we went ahead and checked it out. Biscotti's not so sure, but I'm glad I Saw it. It's a well-made low-budget thriller. If you're thinking that I haven't given you the name of the movie yet, you're wrong. I have. To help you out, and possibly lure you into seeing the movie, here's a synopsis that I swiped from the internet: Two men (Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell) wake chained to pipes in a subterranean bathroom. Neither knows how or why they got there, but a cassette recorder left for them slowly reveals the clues to a fiendish game. "It's good, go see it."

I was standing in the park the other day, wondering why a frisbee gets larger the closer it gets. Then it hit me.

Red Sox: World Champions

There is an aspect of the curse that I hadn't given any thought to: The players have had the curse forced upon them. They are out there on the field trying to win games. It is the fans who project(ed) the curse onto the team. Many players, including Cabrera and the heroic Schilling, have been on the team for less than a year. This is why I am at peace with the curse being reversed. "From cursed to first" one sign in St. Louis said. Congrats Red Sox. They just thoroughly dominated the Cards, who had been the best team in baseball during the regular season. Eight straight wins to capture the title. A record of 11-3 in the postseason. And, of course, that unprecedented comeback versus the Yankees (Suck).

As I end this post, and move on to other topics in future posts, I would like to conclude with this: I am very happy to have seen the BoSox play at Fenway while the curse was alive and well.

What is going on?

The Red Sox are up three games to none versus the Cardinals in the World Series. Trying to come up with a short phrase to summarize how I feel about this, here is the best I can do: This is nutty. For the last couple of days, and increasing after last night's game, I've been thinking, huh, could the curse actually end this year? Tonight? The curse could end tonight. Of course, as many, if not all, Sox fans are no doubt considering, the World Series is not over. After winning three games, teams still have to win the fourth game. Right Yankees (Suck)?

So here's what I just realized. Much like flipping a coin, there are now two possible outcomes for the conclusion of the World Series. You may be thinking, 'well yeah, even before it began, it would either be 1) Sox win, or 2) Cardinals win'. (You might have read somewhere that there are actually three potential outcomes to coin-flipping. That is a lie.) Two outcomes: 1) Sox win, thereby ending the curse and putting an end to 86 years of futility; 2) Cardinals win, thereby accomplishing what the Sox were the first team ever to do, coming back from a 3 games to none deficit in a best-of-seven series. Either result is just plain nutty. The Red Sox are going to finally win the World Series, in the same postseason that they were down three games to none to, of all teams, the Yankees (Suck), and in the same season that I actually saw them play for the very first time, at good ol' Fenway? The Cards are going to pull off what all 25 other teams before this year's Sox team couldn't do, coming back from a (everyone say it with me) "three games to none deficit"?

As much as I've been pro-Sox since seeing them at Fenway, I'm not sure I want the BoSox to win the World Series. The legend of the curse is too great. If they finally win, how many people will care anymore? It will become a forgotten story. Right now there is so much history to it, all the way back to 1918.. No other sports team has that kind of story. Coming back against the Yankees (Suck) was fantastic, but it would have been just fine, and even appropriate, if they had then gone down in flames in the World Series.. "Oh man," the Fenway faithful would say, "that damn curse.. Well, there's always next year.." But now, being up three-zero, I don't want the Cards to pull off the same upset that the Sox just did. That would suck. So I'm torn. It's either hope for the curse to end, or hope for the Sox's unprecedented-comeback to be repeated in the very same postseason, by another team? My vote: Repeat the comeback. Keep the curse alive.

I Feel Sick. Baseball Fever?

Game one of the World Series is today folks! Let's go Wakefield, make that knuckleball dance..

Here's a joke from a book I read:

A man and his dog walk into a bar. The bartender sees the dog and says, "Sir, you're gonna have to leave your dog outside." The man responds "But this is a special dog, he can talk", and lifts the dog up onto a stool. The bartender says, "If you can prove that he talks, both of you can stay". The man says "Okay" and turns to his dog. "What do you call the thing on top of a house?" "Roof Roof" "Good. How does sandpaper feel?" "Ruff ruff" "Excellent! Who is the greatest baseball player ever?" "Ruth Ruth" The bartender interrupts, "That's it, I've seen enough. Take your dog and leave please." So the man lifts his dog back down and they head to the door. As the man opens the door, the dog turns to the bartender, shrugs, and says, "Dimaggio?"

See, The Yankees Really Do Suck

Wow. Just a few days ago I really did not think that I would be able to say that the Red Sox are going to the World Series. And yet, "the Red Sox are going to the World Series!" This team is so good that they decided to spot the Yankees (Suck) a three games to none lead. As has been said, and written, many times recently, the Red Sox are the first team in baseball history to win a postseason series after being down three games to none. It's never happened in basketball and has happened only twice in hockey. Football does a one game showdown so they don't factor here. Now, while the Red Sox have made history by winning a series after being down three games to none, there is another point of view that I haven't heard much of. And that is that the Yankees (Suck) are the first team to ever lose a baseball postseason series after being up three games to none. It takes a very special team to pull that off.

Game one of the World Series is on Saturday folks. 4:30 local (Vancouver) time is what I've heard.. I doubt it can match the drama that occurred in the seven games against the Yankees (Suck), but still, it's the Red Sox in the World Series. It's been 86 years since the Red Sox last one the World Series. After that win, they traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees (Suck) and The Curse was born. Four times since 1918 the Red Sox have been in the World Series, and each time they lost in game seven. But, who cares? This team is clearly ready to kick all historical stats aside, proven by the fact that they are going to this year's World Series. Wow.

Get a Roundabout Life!

So as I was saying, I nearly got hit by a driver again today.. I bike defensively, which, even on the designated "bike routes", is a necessity, but some drivers are just too ignorant.. This afternoon I was headed south on Cypress Street, and turning right to head west on 7th.. I should note that both of these streets are designated "bike routes".. A driver, who was driving a van for a company that shall not remain nameless (Mr. Rooter), was heading east on 7th and wanted to turn left to head north on Cypress. This intersection has one of those fun roundabouts that people don't seem to know how to use. Or they just like to shortcut. This driver, instead of going the proper counter-clockwise direction to turn left, simply took a hard left.. Upon seeing me directly in front of him, he slammed on the brakes.. "Go the other way" I told him, making the appropriate hand gestures.. He rolled down his window and said, "Some vehicles can't make it around that way". "Really? Well, I have no doubt that this vehicle can make it around." This van was no bigger than the average mini-van.. I asked him to prove to me that he couldn't make it around, but he instructed me to "get a life" and drove off..

Should I inform Mr. Rooter of this driver? By telling them the intersection and date/time they can probably figure out who it was.. Although I don't think they would care.. I'm wondering if the police would care, and if they ever patrol any of the "bike routes" in this city for negligent drivers. They should, and they should do it disguised as regular cyclists to get a true sense of what it's like..

Who Has the Edge?

A baseball commentator made the following statement the other day during a game, and I'm paraphrasing a little, but this is in essence what he said: "Selecting a player to be the Red Sox MVP would be so difficult, you could essentially just flip a coin.. Would it be Ortiz? Damon? or Ramirez?" Okay. Now we all agree that coins the world over all have the same shape, right? There are usually just two common outcomes to flipping a coin.. heads or tails. I suppose the commentator, when stating that there are three players in contention, is thinking of the much less common outcome where the coin is on edge, and therefore neither heads nor tails. I say "much less common outcome" because I have seen many a coin be flipped, and I have yet to see the edge be the outcome. I believe it is uncommon the world over also, since I have never heard anyone respond to the request of "call it.." with "Edge!"

The Red Sox are down two games to zero. But remember, the Yankees suck, and in a best-of-seven series, the suckness factor tends to play a large role. Go Sox.

SO GOOD, So Good, so good...

Go Sox! (is what I've been saying) Yankees Suck! (is what my t-shirt has been saying)

Just like last year, the Boston Red Sox are flirting with success in the playoffs.. Right now they are up two games to zero on the Angels in the best of five divisional series. If they win today then they move on to the American League Championships against either the Twins or the Yankees. That series is tied at one game apiece.

If the Sox can reverse the curse and win the World Series, it would be über-cool for this reason: I attended a game at Fenway this season! To be able to say that I saw the Sox play, at Fenway, during the season in which they broke the curse, would be something else.. The only other major league games I've attended were on consecutive days at the Kingdome (now extinct), Mariners vs the Angels. At Fenway this year, I saw the Sox defeat the Blue Jays. Many knowledgeable baseball people say that win turned the season around for the Sox, as it started a long winning streak. Shortstop Cabrera was booed mercilessly by the hometown fans as he tried to do too much and ending up doing nothing (grounder through his legs scored a run or two). The fans weren't yet over the loss of Nomar.. (guy sitting in front of us, on a foul odor in our midst: "it wasn't me, I swear to Nomah, it wasn't me..") It's good to see Cabrera doing well. That bases loaded triple in game two was huge.

In other news, thank you all for your input regarding the French novel. The number of suggestions surprised even me, and it will take me many days, possibly weeks, possibly months, to sort through the comments and select my debut "roman". I will let you know what it is when I know what it is.