Okay, I really don’t know how this will work (I’m sensing less photos than usual until I get my groove here) – but I’m settled in to live blog the Reds v the Red Sox at City of Palms Park!
Sox Sistah Brenken is at the game today and on NESN there is a Wally sighting in his green jersey.
Let the baseball begin!
1:05 – On April 12th, the Sox are going to wear the green jerseys and caps in honor of the Celtics and Red Auerbach. I’ll be at the games on the 10th and 11th so I’ll miss it. Oh well…hey I think Jere will be there! He’ll get some good pictures!
1:07 – Papelbon’s appearance today is his fourth of the Spring. Kevin Cash is catching him today…it looks gorgeous in Ft Myers today.
1:08 – HEY the bases are green too! Coolie! 🙂 Sox are playing Orioles tomorrow at Ft Lauderdale and that game is on NESN too…oh I can’t wait for real baseball.
1:09 – 65 degrees in Ft Myers today. 30 in Boston. I’m weeping for you, Brenken. 🙂
1:10- Papelbon runs up a full count on the first batter – hey there’s the back of Mark Bellhorn (number 46) – Dude! Chris Denorfia just hit a homerun over David Murphy’s head.
1:11 – Well, that sucked.
1:11b – Josh Hamilton has a 3-2 count. I should want him to do well, but, really, I want Papelbon to strike him out…so, of course, instead he walks him.
1:12 – NESN just showed the cover of the Reds’ media guide with my boy Bronson on the cover. I have one of those coming in the mail soon.
1:13 – 1-2 count to the number three guy whose name I should know but I was too distracted by Bronson.
1:14 – Hit back to Papelbon, to Lugo to Youk….beautiful double-play boys!!!!
1:15 – Adam Dunn is up. "He’s got power and he strikes out a lot…." says Jerry Remy.
1:16 – And that’s what he does! 1-0 going into the bottom of the first.
1:17 – Kyle Lohse, or as I call him "Not Bronson" is pitching against Lugo…It looks like Christmas on the field with the green Sox jerseys and the red Reds jerseys.
1:19 – Lugo flies out. Alex Gonzalez would be laughing if he took the trip with the Reds today.
1:20 – Ooh, there’s Mike Lowell!!!! (In th dugout!) Youk flies out to Josh Hamilton.
1:21 – Sox go down in order and NESN goes to commercial playing "The Unicorn"…
1:24 – Encanarcion gets hit on the elbow to start the inning…and up comes Scott Hatteberg. Don Orsillo calls him "old friend". Blech.
1:25 – Hatteberg gets a single…men on 1st and 2nd…"it’s only spring training, it’s only spring training…".
1:26 – Javier Valentin is up. If you want your son to be a baseball player, you should name him Javier. There seems to be a plethora of them in MLB…
1:27 – Javier strikes out swinging to bring up Juan Castro. Come on, Pap, no batter. Strike one, baby.
1:29 – Javier pops up and ooh…a Mark Bellhorn interview!!!!!! He’s talking about Alex Gonzalez and Kevin Cash boots a ball to move the runners up. Nice work.
1:31 – Only took two minutes for Orsillo to bring up the fans booing Bellhorn. What took you so long, Don?
1:32 – Pedroia throws out the guy who came up after Javier (hey I was distracted by Bellhorn!) and the Reds leave two on base. 1-0 going to the bottom of the second.
1:34 – Google’s spellcheck keeps screwing up my posts so if you see squibbled sentences or repeated words…I’m working on fixing it!
1:35 – Manny is up and is a rainbow of color! And the rainbow strikes out.
1:36 – I have to laugh that they’re advertising Red Sox tickets being on sale. Yeah, if you’re a geek like me who doesn’t mind going alone.
1:36b – Mike Lowell flies out on one pitch. That’s okay, Mike. Rest that cute tushy.
Photo of Mike Lowell taken by me last year
1:37 – Wily Mo slams the first pitch into the left field corner and now stands on second. Well played, WMP.
1:38 – Here comes Brandon Moss…
1:38b – Moss kills a rally with one pitch. Three batters all making contact with the first pitch. Is Nomar the new batting coach? 1-0 at the end of 2.
1:40 – That Denorfia kid was born in Massachusetts and raised in Connecticut. Strike his ass out, Jonathan.
1:41 – Or give up a base hit to right field. Apparently he was in a hurry to pitch to Josh Hamilton.
1:42 – Behind an off-speed pitch, Denorfia steals second. Sheez.
1:44 – Well, at least Hamilton struck out…
1:45 – Papelbon just hit 92 "up and in" nice pitch. In the comments "Dionysus" mentions he is struggling…he is…but his good stuff looks REALLY good.
1:46: As I typed that he struck out Brandon Phillips looking. Nicely done.
1:47 – Three strikeouts in three innings…ah, and Papelbon gives up a single to Adam Dunn to knock in another run. 2-0 Reds with two outs.
1:49 – Mike Lowell makes a great dive as well as a great throw for the third out. 2-0 heading into the bottom of the third.
1:52 – You can never see enough replays of Mike Lowell making amazing plays at third. Dustin Pedroia is up. Spring training has been so good to him…but, still we hope…
1:53 – Jon Lester pitched two innings, one hit, struck out two yesterday…ooh, there he is with facial hair!!!
1:56 – Oops, attention got diverted and there are two outs, a guy on first and Youk flies out to end the inning.
1:57 – Okay, Hazel, lose the bangs…I’m just saying…
1:59 – Top of the fourth and the score is 2-0. Papelbon gets the first out…
2:01 – Brandon Moss learns that unless you’re Coco Crisp or Trot Nixon you shouldn’t go into the dive…guy on first with one out.
2:02 – Papelbon strikes out five, including Juan Castro and his day is done at 72 pitches.
2:06 – Joel Pineiro is in for Papelbon…I have a few distractions in the house so I apologize for not being more up to date with the live-blog…that should change in a minute or two…
2:08 – Pineiro strikes out someone…and this half of the inning is over…
2:10 – Apparently, I missed Big Papi the first time he was up….he’s 0-1.
2:11 – Orsillo and Remy are talking about that "Sox Appeal" show. I’m pretending that show doesn’t exist.
2:12 – Papi smashed the ball, and yet it is still an out….here comes Manny…
2:13 – I can’t imagine going on a first date to Fenway Park. I’d never have a second date because I really don’t talk all that much during a game…
2:14 – I love Manny’s hair. (See the game is a little slow and Jerry and Don are giggling over ‘date lines’ such as "How YOU doin’?") Manny pops out. Here comes Mike Lowell.
2:16 – Another 1-2-3 for the Reds…Jerry and Don are way more entertaining that this game right now. 🙂
2:19 – Jerry and Don are as distracted as I am…Sox got Hamilton out pretty much as NESN came back to the game so we didn’t see it live.
2:21 – They’re still going on about pick up lines at a ball game. "Do you like matching hats?"
2:23 – Brandon Phillips hits a triple thanks, in part, to Wily Mo’s wonderful fielding talents.
2:25 – 1 out, man on third and Adam Dunn up. Don Orsillo reminds us the Sox only have 1 hit in five innings as Joel walks Dunn.
2:27 – Encarnacion makes Joel’s job easy by chasing a pitch. So men at the corners, two outs and whine-meister Scott Hatteberg is up (I don’t get over things easily…).
2:29 – Joel gets out of trouble and NESN goes to Papelbon’s ‘presser’. He cut his hair. I shouldn’t be noticing things like that in March.
2:30 – "I felt really, really good today", so says Mr. Papelbon. That’s all I need to hear.
2:33 – Wily Mo is up, I barely noticed because they’re still showing Papelbon answering questions…
2:34 – Freaky. They show me Wily Mo…then Papelbon…then Brandon Moss getting a hit. I have no idea what the hell is going on in the game…
2:36 – I’m pretty sure Dustin Pedroia just got hit….yep he did, NESN decided that was important enough to replay and finally leave the press conference…right on the hand. Friggin’ OW! He’s out of the game…
2:41 – Two on, two outs and Julio "God I need a cheeseburger" Lugo is up with a 2-2 count. Who hits into a force out to end the fifth inning. 2-0 Reds.
2:44 – On March 30th, NESN is going to have a special on the 1967 Sox team. It looks to be a very cool show.
2:45 – And we have a Hideki Okajima/George Kotteras sighting!
2:46 – And another sighting of Curt wearing his "38 Studios" hat. I want to set that fucking thing on fire. It’s 
baseball season (even if it is pre-season)…drives me crazy when baseball players don’t wear their club’s hat – it’s just adding fuel to my fire when the hat in question is an advertisement for the player’s ‘side line’.
2:47 – As I ramble I realize Castro hit a single off of Hideki. Remy thinks Okajima reminds him of Alan Embree…I guess his delivery does resemble it a bit.
2:48 – Youk makes a tough catch…two down…
2:48 – Denorfia just got hit. If you’re keeping count, that’s 2 Reds players, 1 Sox player who’ve been hit and no fighting has occured.
2:51 – Nice strikeout for the guy who isn’t Matsuzaka! 2-0 going into the bottom of the sixth.
2:55 – Dustin Hermanson is in for the Reds. I’m not sure that I knew he was WITH the Reds (if I did know, I didn’t remember).
2:56 – Youk flies out to Chris Denorfia…man spring training games seem long…
2:57 – Apparently we don’t want to see Big Papi hit, we want to see Tim Wakefield’s press conference (he pitched over at the minor league complex today). OOH we get split screen for these two!
2:58 – Papi flies out…and now we have Wake of full-screen looking mighty fine!
2:58b – But not for long since Manny is up. Hello split-screen.
2:59 – Wake pitched five innings, gave up two hits and no runs or walks with 3 strikeouts on 58 pitches. Nice work, Tim, good to see!!!!
3:00 – Manny does what Papi did…end of 6, 2-0 Reds.
3:02 – NESN has Hazel Mae, Kathryn Tappen, Tina Cervasio and Jayme Parker…that has to be the most estrogen on a local sports station in the country huh?
3:03 – David Murphy is in the game…which means my reference to him earlier is totally wrong. Manny Delcarmen is also in the game…and he makes a great play to first to throw out Brandon Phillips.
3:05 – Delcarmen walks Adam Dunn. He’s a big dude, I’d walk him too.
3:05b – WOOO! Mike Lowell triggering the 5-4-3 double-play to end the inning. We still have the cornerstones of the Santana Infield!!!
3:08 – Mike Lowell makes the first out..and some dude named Mark Bellhorn is at first. I THINK Kelly is at this game today. Boy I hope she is so she can see Mark!!
3:10 – Wily Mo gets a base hit. "R-o-w-d–i-e, THAT’s the way we spell rowdy, rowdy, let’s get rowdy! Woo!" (That was a Revere High cheer. Spelling wasn’t, apparently, high on their list of importance there.)
3:11 – David Murphy’s interpretation of being rowdy is to hit a pitch he has no business swinging at and making the second out. Joe McEwing (filling in for Pedroia) is up.
3:12 – Joe gets a sweet little base hit and there are two on, two out with dangerous George Kottaras up.
3:14 – The Reds’ lefty pitcher (or, as I like to call him, whatshisname) walks George and Dick Pole comes out to find out what the frig is wrong with him.
3:15 – Julio Lugo leaves the bases loaded and Dan Shaughnessy begins to furiously type a column about how much we miss Alex Gonzalez.
3:19 – Mark Bellhorn is up. Last year, in 115 games, he batted .190. Yep, the reason the Red Sox designated him for assignment was because of the booing…
3:20 – …and now he’s walking back to the dugout…
3:22 – Hansack is in the game. He has one out and a 1-2 count on Chad Moeller.
3:22 – Moeller strikes out swinging. Two outs, baby.
3:23 – So much for the 1-2-3 inning. Janush(sp?) is on with Dewayne Wise up and two out.
3:25 – I can’t tell if the game is boring me or I’m just wiped out, but I’m actually falling asleep watching this. 🙂
3:27 – NESN just showed someone doing needlepoint at the game as Manny catches the 3rd out. Going to the bottom of the 8th, 2-0 Reds. Hey, at least the bullpen is pitching well!
3:29 – NESN just showed the two blonde chicks from that "Still We Believe" movie…aren’t their 15 minutes over yet? Please, God?
3:30 – Papi is up. And then he strikes out. He’s 0-4. When does CHB write the "What’s wrong with Papi" piece?
3: 32 – Manny hits a bomb all the way to the centerfield wall. He has a double and Alex Ochoa replaces him at second.
3:33 – Okay, in possibly the strangest base hit I’ve seen, Bobby Scales breaks his bat and watches the bat, yet the Reds’ infielder boots it and the Sox score a run and have a guy on first with two outs and Wily Mo (who is 2-3) up…Wily Mo lines out and the score is 2-1 Reds going into the ninth inning.
3:37 – Runelvys is in the building! And Theo is in the booth. Yay, Theo!
3:38 – About Timlin, Theo says: "I think Mike will be okay, by opening day or shortly thereafter". I can’t wait to read the story tomorrow about how Timlin won’t be ready at all…
Theo, as seen on my tv today3:39 – Okay, boys, let’s finish this game. I have an invitation to dinner, I’m starving and, being a ‘chick’, I need to start getting ready…
3:40 -A double-play is the perfect way to speed things up. Good job, fellas.
3:41 – Bottom of the ninth coming up and Theo is coming back. 2-1 Reds.
3:36 – Two outs already and George Kottaras here to save the day…
3:49-Or not…strike three called. Game over.
That was uneventful. Man, here’s hoping the ‘real’ season is more interesting than this. 😉
Thanks for stopping by folks!!!
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