Attack of the Sox Vol. 1 Issue 2

The future of the Boston Red Sox

AAA Pawtucket won the wild card from the international league's northern division with an 88-58 record. They were eliminated by the scranton Yankees in the first round of playoffs.

AA Portland clinched a playoff spot with a 74-66 record,but were knocked out by Trenton - another Yankee farm team.

A (advanced) Lancaster won their division in the California League in both the first and second halves with an overall record of 76-64, but lost the championship to the Stockton Ports an affiliate of the Oakland A's. Next year the Lancaster Jet's will be representing the Houston Astros while the Red Sox will move their affiliate to Salem in southwest Virginia.

A Greenville won their division with a record of 47 and 22.

A (short-season) Lowell won their division in the New York - Penn League with a 40-33 record, but were eliminated from playoffs by Batavia an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardnials.

Rookie League GCL Red Sox finished third in their division with a 28-27 record. 

My Top Five Favorite Prospects '08:

5) Yamaico Navarro - SS in 2008 for Class A Lancaster and Greenville, 20 years R/R

83 games for Greenville: .280 with 54 RBI and 46 runs. 

42 games for Lancaster: .348 with 23 RBI and 33 runs. 

Signed as an international free agent in 2005 he has shown great improvement in '08 with improved patience at the plate and is getting better at defense in the ss, 2B and 3B roles.

4) Josh Reddick - OF in 2008 for Class A Lancaster and Greenville as well as AA Portland, 21 years bats left and throws righty.

14 games for Greenville: 0 homers, 7 runs, 9 RBI and a .340 avg.

76 games for Lancaster: 17 homers, 60 runs, 57 RBI and a .343 avg.

34 games for Portland: 6 homers, 22 runs, 25 RBI and a .214 avg, but had a .290 OBP

17th round draft pick in 2006 is an excellent outfielder with a great arm. While his averaged dipped in AA he did take the time to work on his plate discipline. 

3) Lars Anderson - 1B in 2008 for Class A Lancaster and AA Portland, 21 years L/L

77 games for Lancaster: 13 homers, 58 runs, 50 RBI, .317 avg and a .408 OBP

41 games for Portland: 5 homers, 27 runs, 30 RBI, .316 avg and a .436 OBP

18th round pick in 2006 is probably the best 1B prospect in the minors right now. Has great patience and could have amazing power. Decent defense might be his only weak link. Red Sox named him offensive player of the year.

2) Daniel Bard - RP in 2008 for Class A Greenville and AA Portland, 23 years R/R

16 games for Greenville: 43 K in 28 innings with a 0.64 ERA

31 games for Portland: 64 K in 49.2 innings with a 1.99 ERA and 7 saves

1st round pick in 2006 he struggled at first in AA, but quickly calmed down . Has a 97-98 fastball, a cut fastball, a slider and a circle change with movement. Should be in the bullpen at some point in 2009. Red Sox named him their pitcher of the year.

1) Michael Bowden - SP in 2008 for Class AA Portland, AAA Pawtucket and at the MLB level, 22 years R/R

19 games for Portland: 9-4 with a 2.33 ERA, 101 K's in 104.1 innings with a 4.21 K/BB

7 games for Pawtucket: 0-3 with a 3.38 ERA, 29 K's in 40 innings with a 5.80 K/BB

1 game for Boston: 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA struck out 3, walked one in 5 innings

1st round pick in 2005 with a 90-94 four-seam fastball, 12-6 curve a great circle change-up. Has excellent control and I would rather see him in the rotation that Bucholz.

Best pick in the 2008 draft: Casey Kelly SS/Pitcher in 2008 for Sarasota High School, Rookie League GCL Red Sox and class A Lowell, 18 years R/R

Has great power potential and could be a great defensive SS. Wants to play SS, but the organization may move him back to pitching where he has a low 90's fastball, hard curve and a changeup all with good command. He was their first round draft pick this year.

Trade 'im or play 'im: Charlie Zink SP in 2008 for AAA Pawtucket and the MLB team, 28 R/R. Ok forget about his horrible debut start against Texas. He is a very good knuckleball pitcher who deserves to play somewhere wether in the rotation or in someone's bullpen. This year he was 14-6 with a 2.84 ERA. 

Other Red Sox award winners were: Che-Hsuan Lin (20 year old OF for class A Greenville) for Defensive player of the year, Wilfred Pichardo (18 year old for GCL Red Sox and A Lowell) for Base Runner of the year (42 of those in 55 games), Manny Rivera (18 year old LHP for rookie league DSL Red Sox) for Latin Program pitcher of the year and Eddie Lora (19 year old 1B for rookie leagues DSL & GCL Red Sox) for Latin Program player of the year.

The future of the Red Sox looks very bright. 

Dear Diarrhea: The Joys of Skype

So a few weeks ago my cell phone broke. The up, down and select buttons stopped working and you'd be surprised how much those three tiny things do. I cannot check or send text, check my missed call log or access my phone book for starters. All it can do is check my voice mail and pick up incoming phone calls. How did I get it fixed? Well I didnt because it was going to cost me about three hundred dollars. So while I save up to buy a new phone I needed to come up with a short term alternative.

Enter Skype (again). When I first moved to my current apartment and had sprint as a cell phone service I could not get any reception. To fix that tiny problem I signed up for Skype service. I guess you could call a VOIP since you are talking through your computer, but I feel like too many people would compare it to Vonage. Anyway I switched to T-Mobile and wonder upon wonder I had reception at my house and felt I no longer needed Skype.

Now here we go again. Why am i using Skype as my alternative? Well its costing me 7 a month to have a home phone. Skype is a service that runs through your computer. Yes your talking through your computer. You can use a usb phone, one of those stupid bluetooth headsets, or buy one of this big boxes to plug your regular home phone in. They even have wi-fi cell phones now that allow you to install Skype directly onto them.

So what is the advantage? Well if you know other people on Skype you can talk to them for free no matter where in the world they are. You can still call regular land lines as well. For an unlimited amount of calls to US & Canada a monthly subscription costs 2.95/ a month. Want to call Mexico too? 5.95 a month. The rest of the world? 9.95 a month. If you dont want to subscribe monthly they also have a pay as you go feature. 

What if someone from a land line wants to call me? Well thats why I signed up for the call in service. I can buy a phone number that will allow anyone to call my computer. The price varies depending on your subscription plan, but it is basically costing me 4 bucks a month. So between my phone number and the US subscription I am just paying $7 dollars a month to have a home phone. I even get free voice mail with it. 

I was talking to a friend of mine who (if I remember correctly) has Verizon and is paying around 45 dollars a month. He was switching over to Comcast and was going to save $9 a month. Thats still almost thirty dollars more then I am paying. The reception is fine and a usb phone is cheap. Bluetooth is even a better way to go. If your looking to cut down on your monthly costs and you still need to have a home phone then I can't imagine why you are not looking into this service yet.

Now lets say you live in southern Maine and one of your best friends lives in....Oh I dunno...let's say..... Ireland. Would you pay $9 a month to call your friend? Well I guess it depends on how often you call. Do you know what would be an even better idea? If your American friend in Ireland and you both had Skype and talked to each other over this amazing piece of software. If you both have skype and talk to each other through skype then your international calls will be free. FREE. YOU WOULD BE AN IDIOT NOT TO TRY IT OUT. FOR FREE. 

Anyways thats me doing my good part on introducing you to a great a little company & program that could save you a lot of money or be a cheap way to have a home phone.

Debates Round 1

I think I need to invest in a defibrillator. Not because the debate the other night kept my heart pumping, but because about 30 minutes into it I wanted to make sure I didnt go into coma. Figure a good shock to the heart would wake me up. While the two candidates talked around each other last night I had the MLB scoreboard running to my side in the hopes Milwaukee could upset the Mets and the Sox could steal the AL east crown. I wishI had a monitor to tell me how much time I spent watching the debate and how much time I spent hitting the refresh button on a browser that was set to automatically refresh itself every 30 seconds. Any ways I guess this blog comes down to who I think won. Well as you probably have heard a hundred times now there was no knock-out blow on either side so we have to start nit picking the small things. First things first: yes, Obama said John McCain was right about a dozen times. Republicans would look at this as a win for the candidate and they probably should've. Only problem is their candidate blew and continues to blow that momentum. John McCain couldnt look his opponent in the eye. Normally I wouldnt give a shit, but the particular format of this debate was the two candidates would come out and give a two minute answer each and then have five minutes to talk to each other about it. Obama continually tried to look over and turn it into a conversation, but McCain refused to make eye contact. Instead he stood their with a condescending smile and did that annoying thing where he constantly just seems to hop in place. Yes Obama kept saying John McCain was right, but because John McCain stood their like a pouting old man who refuses to listen to those "pesky youngins" it made him look like he was not open to change. It made Obama look near brilliant. Barack came off looking like he was the one who was trying to be bi-partisan while John McCain looked like he could give a rats ass about listening to anyone elses opinions or reaching across an aisle. The whole thing played like a very boring episode of Scooby Doo. In the end Barack jumped in his van and took off in a puff of smoke while McCain was left their shaking his fist at the meddling young kids as he was hauled off by the police. So McCain blew the opportunity last night to make Obama look stupid for saying McCain was right all the time, but John could still spin it in his favor the next day right?.........right?

wait.......what? Watch it again. This ad shows Barack Obama agreeing with John McCain 3 times.

Then it asks you if Barack Obama is ready to lead and answers the question for you with a "no". .......have you figured out my frustration yet? In an ad supported by John McCain we are told BarackObama is not ready to lead because he agrees with John McCain. So if John McCain thinks agreeing with John McCain's ideas is bad who exaclty is he going to be voting for? You are blowing it McCain. Between your odd week running up to this debate and the horrible Palin interview with Couric things are quickly going off track. Ok. What else can we nit pick. How about when Obama tried to one up John McCain with his bracelet only to screw it up by forgetting the name and making it look like he read it off his wrist. All right Johnny gets a point now right?.......nope. Because foreign policy is supposed to be Jon's forte and he could not remember the name of a world leader. Its a tough name I will grant him that, but he spent so much time name dropping to try and show up Obama and then blew it on the home stretch. So again no points to either candidate. You remember in Karate Kid one when the blond kid from cobra kai kept getting a point on Daniel San, but then would lose the point because of a foul just to wind up back at square zero? This is how it felt to me. This was John McCain's home turf and he failed to drop a crane kick to Obamas chin or at least to one of his ears and that is why in my opinion: The edge in debate 1 goes to Barack Obama. By the slimmest of margins. They went toe to toe and both stood their ground. Thats the problem. A tie in this debate is a win for Barack. John McCain needed a strong and clear win, but he did not come through. So what is everyone else saying: Looks like Obama is the winner.

From CBS:

From CNN: 

Who Did the Best Job In the Debate?

Obama 51% McCain 38%

Who Would Better Handle Economy? Obama 58% McCain 37%

Who Would Better Handle Iraq? Obama 52% McCain 47%

 Who Did the Best Job In the Debate?

Obama 51% McCain 38%

Who Would Better Handle Economy? Obama 58% McCain 37%

Who Would Better Handle Iraq? Obama 52% McCain 47%

From Fox News:

And when conserative web sites like The Pundit Review and National Review Online call it a close win for John McCain then you know something is wrong. Both reviews seemed deeply upset by McCain strategy, but being consertative still gave the nod to McCain......barely. Their is a lot of work needed to be done by John McCain in the next week and a half. Somehow he has to hope Sarah palin does not screw up his campaign anymore then she already has with three simple television interviews and he has to prepare himself to have a clear victory for the October 7th town hall debate. 

Issues: Social Security

Social Security. My arch enemy. For years I have looked at my beloved pay check wondering where all my hard money goes. I knew who you were SS. I even knew most of what you did, but I had heard the rumors. The rumors that all this money I was giving to you would never be seen by these eyes again. Now I finally get of my ass to figure this out. What are you really? Are the rumors true? Finally, what if anything, will be done about this system by the two men running for the White House?

Social Security is a program signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935. It has changed a lot through the years, but the basics of the program remain the same. We the people are taxed directly from our paychecks and all the money is put into a fund nicknamed the "federal old-age, survivors and disability insurance." Its like a little savings fund the government forces on us in case we have a rainy day. Don't let my language mislead you. Forcing us into action on something like this is actually a good idea. I am horrible with my money and it is nice to know that my hard earned cash will be there when I get older or when doctors finally admit that I am mentally disabled.

Anyway this fund covers me for when i want to retire (the retirement age of course being set by the government babysitting my money) or if I become disabled. If I die the money will go to my wife (that I dont have) or my children (that dont know I exist) and all the accumulated monies are invested in treasury securities. It is apparently against the law for this money to be invested into the private sector like Wall Street. Thats not a joke, the money can only be invested in government securities instead of taking a chance on a high rate of return on wall street or other private sector investments.

If that were not enough that very same government our funds are invested in can, and does, reach into this social security surplus when it needs some extra cash by replacing it with government bonds. Basically imagine you are a small child trying to save up your allowance money to buy the newest super soaker gun (man I loved those things) so you can out duel the neighborhood kids. Only daddy needs a case of beer and all of his money is wasted somewhere else so he opens your money jar, takes out your money and replaces it with a little piece of paper with I.O.U. written on it. Thankfully every four to eight years mommy gets smart and gets a new daddy. However, this new daddy needs money for his crack cocaine and the whole freakin process starts all over again. Suddenly you wonder if you will ever see that fancy new super soaker. Fun fact: in 2007 the social security surplus fund held 2.2 trillions government bonds i.e. daddy's I.O.U.'s

The final kick in the balls from this shoddy operation is that the social security tax is only taken out of the first 102,000 thousand you make. So thankfully after that 102,000 all the rest of my money is.....awwwww, fuck. Never in my days did I ever dream of hitting it big so that I could make enough money to stop paying social security. I wanted to make mucho money to have golden super soakers and be comfortable in life. Sadly I doubt I will ever come close to that $102,000 threshold. So if a person stops paying at $102,000 they get less benefits right? Nope. The upper class pays less into the system and makes the same benefits of the middle and lower classes who need the money more.

More controversy comes from those politicians in the government who think we would benefit more by privatizing the program. There are many different ideas on how to do this, but the simplest way seems to be making it like a 401(k). A 401(k) is already like privatized social security. If your job has it as an option and you choose to take it, then a portion of your weekly paycheck will go into a 401(k) account. This money is invested in stocks, bonds, money markets or a mix of anything you want. You are the one who usually chooses how the money is invested. None of this money is taxed until after you decide to remove it from the fund.

Barack - He strongly opposes privatizing social security and wants to fix the payroll system so that it applies to more then just the first $100,000 a person makes. I believe I read that he would increase the cap to $250,000,but don't quote that number. He has also said that he will work with congress to get a new reform package on the books that will keep the program healthy for at least the next half century.

note - many people attack Obama because they feel he wants to raise taxes. In fact by removing the social security tax cap there will be a 1.3 billion tax increase. However since anyone making under $100,000 is already putting in the full amount they can, then this tax would only affect people with incomes greater then $100,000. So the talk of him taxing the middle classes in this case is false.

McCain - He advocates supplementing the social security benefits with individual investment accounts and prefers slowing the growth benefits to raising the taxes.

My View - I am not much of an economist and I have not seen a serious plan from either one of the candidates, but instead just quotes on what they would like to do. Like I said above their are many different ideas on how to privatize and I don't have the first inkling on how McCain's plan would work. Hopefully we learn more during one of the upcoming debates. Having said all of that and read all I have on this subject i would personally vote to privatize social security. The program is not working in its current state, its not making enough interest as it could on the private market and quite frankly its my money and I should be able to invest it how I please. Every week workers in this country pay into social security and many of them also pay into 401(k) accounts. The government should be able to find an intelligent plan to combine these two systems while still insuring our money that is invested just as I described last week with my housing blog. Why the government will insure investors in the housing market, but not insure our social security benefits is beyond me. Obviously the hardest part of this would be the change over. I am not sure how it would be done or if it could be done, but I am willing to listen to ideas on privatizing more then I am willing to listen to ideas on how to fix a failing pyramid scheme.

Obama - 2
McCain - 1

Attack of the Sox Vol. 1 Issue 1

The Story of the Bitter End

In my hands I struggle to hold a small cardboard box which contains a cheap piece of bread surrounding sausage, vegetables and the saliva of a man who hasn't eaten all day. As I push by thousands of people to find my place to sit, as I revel in my surroundings, as I follow an adult friend who moves with the anticipation of a small child I try in vain to put some of this cheap bread with sausage and vegetables into my gullet, but fail to get anything more then a few onions and maybe one pepper. Finally I arrive at my seat and sit down. The cheap piece of bread has turned into two pieces of cheap bread and it no longer surrounds meat and vegetables as they are now lying in a pool of oil and grease at the bottom of the cardboard box. It doesn't matter though because its September 10, 2008 and I am sitting in the bleachers of Fenway Park. The failed attempt to eat a whole sausage meets with no ill will from me; it means little when everywhere I look, everything I smell, every noise rattling in my ears is an onslaught of history. Its the first inning and I am breathless, I am bliss, I am on the edge of a seat that can barely hold my fat ass and I am friggen starving for more.

It takes little time for the Tampa Bay Rays to score and leave me fearful that Josh Beckett may not be fully recovered from his recent stint on the disabled list. Willy Aybar shoots a triple to deep right to score Cliff Floyd for the first run of the game in the top of the second. Thankfully thats all Beckett will allow in this inning. This is the first time I have ever seen him pitch in person. The last time I sat (or stood) in this majestic park was during memorial weekend way back in 2004. My good friend the J-Train and I had spent a few days in Boston watching the Red Sox face the New York Yankees. They were two of the most intense games I have ever attended especially in the wake of the Yankees destroying our World Series dreams in the previous year's American League Championship Series. Of course 2004 was a different story. The tables turned and for the first time in 86 years my team finally won the championship which set in motion a series of events that made it nearly impossible for me to get back to Fenway. The sox win a championship and suddenly everyone in New England loves them again. Tickets go quickly and the prices on EBAY rise dramatically. In fact the only way I even made it to this game in 2008 is because of the kindness of my friend Kyle's mother who gave me two free tickets that are usually saved for her company's clients.

Am I bitter that Red Sox fever has caught on with the rest of the population? No, not at all. In fact I am very proud that Red Sox nation broke the MLB sellout record just last week. I do feel upset though that while I sit at home watching all these games on NESN their are people who get to come out to Boston more often then I and whom do not notice how lucky they are. In fact they take their seat, this park, this amazing team and all of its true fans for granted. For example the gentleman from Gray, Maine who sits behind me. While thousands of people are enjoying every pitch of this game within these walls, this one "fan" who has come on a man's night out trip with the boys is ruining the experience for everyone around him. The man has spent these first three inning berating another fan who simply moved up to an empty seat to get a better view (threatening him at one point) and when he wasn't doing that he shot his mouth off at his friends. Clearly all these men were drunk before even coming in the park. Nothing wrong with that it happens all the time, but in this case he cannot hold his drink. He can do nothing more then shoot off his mouth and swear left and right trying to make a spectacle of himself. This is would be the one reason I despise the new Red Sox fever. This man who is being thrown out by security in the third inning (and forces his saddened friends to leave as well) has wasted a seat that could've gone to someone who actually wanted to see the game. To someone that would not have distracted me from seeing Dustin Pedroia double in Jed Lowrie for the tying run.

As the innings tick on so do the memories. I remember seeing both games of a double header against the Orioles as my mother's favorite player Lee Smith closed out both games for a sox sweep. I remember sitting behind third base with my uncle after getting lost all over Boston while the fans around us did everything they could to distract the Blue Jay's Kelly Gruber. I remember seeing Yaz's number retired. I remember sitting so close to David Wells in the Yankess bullpen that you could spit on him. I am sure someone did. I can remember sitting outside not once, but twice overnight with the J-Train. I remember taking my good friend Jon to his first baseball game to see them face off against the Royals, when for a brief time they were formiddable. Fitting now, since I am seeing the Tampa Bay Rays during the first season in their history where they have been a team to fear. The only thing I do not remember is how or why Neil Diamond became the 8th inning mascot, but good god its impossible not to sing along.

Now the 9th inning has ticked away and you would think I would be sad, but the game lives on. This game has been locked in a 1-1 duel since that drunkard was heaved away from my section. Its like that moment has frozen this game and condemned it to live on forever. Which is fine by me because its been too long since I have been here and as some of the crowd begins to leave I stay behind with my friend Jeff to take in every moment that is allowed to us.

Anyone who has talked baseball with me for more than five minutes knows that I am a fan of the pitcher's duel. Each team has moved into their bullpen, but still the pitching continues to shine. Now in the bottom of the tenth inning as I eagerly hope for a walk off win the hardest working player (and mouth) Dustin Pedroia leads off with a double. The crowd erupts. The cowards from Tampa intentionally walk Mr. Clutch David Ortiz. These are the moments when the crowd stops being a crowd and we all take on one form. One super fan. With our powers combined we can will another run. Kevin Youkilis comes to the plate and does one of the things I never expect from him...he hits into a double play. Dustin moves to third with two outs now and it is left to Jason Bay whose theme music comes blasting through the speakers. Pearl Jam's "Alive" seems incredibly fitting right now as Bay comes to the plate, but instead it becomes ironic as he grounds out to shortstop. The crowd becomes slimmer as fans head for their cars unable to go another inning.

That feeling that comes from being on the edge of your seat to having your head in your hands is one that I have become use to with the Red Sox. I remember Buckner. Morgan Magic. Aaron Boone and every year in between those events. Getting to the edge, but never crossing the line. Getting an inch closer each year, but the goal is always a foot away. Its what Red Sox fans know. Its who we are. Thats why I collected myself after the tenth inning and placed myself back on the edge of my seat. Just in time to. Just in time to see men at first and second with only one out. Just in time to see a sox catcher I have never even heard of have one of the worst at bats I have ever seen. Just in time to see Jacoby Ellsbury fly out to center. The crowd becomes slimmer as fans head for their cars unable to go another inning.

Oh the feeling of joy to discontent. We became so use to it. Their had been times to celebrate, but never the big time. Then came 2004. Down three games to zip to the Yankees in the ALCS and to the rest of the world it seemed to be over for the sox. Not in New England though. No in new England it doesn't matter how many times the Yankees kick us in the balls. In the pit of our stomachs we feel sick, but that sickness wrestles with hope. We felt it in game 4 as deep into extra innings we came back to win and again in game 5. Hope became something else. Now we believed and we did the impossible coming back from three games down to win the ALCS. Then they did what many said would never be done again: the Red Sox won the world series. So here in the twelfth inning with two men on and one out once again the pits of our stomachs screamed at us again. However two more quick outs dispels that feeling. The crowd becomes slimmer as fans head for their cars unable to go another inning.

The 13th inning comes and goes with nothing of any importance. Well seemingly nothing of any importance. For it is this inning I learn no matter how bad the song they play through the PA it will find a way to pump me and the rest of this crowd up to dizzying proportions. Eddie Money is screaming for me to take him home tonight and all I can do is scream back with a few hundred other people: "Be My Little Baby!". But the 13th is gone and the crowd becomes slimmer as fans head for their cars unable to go another inning.

In the top half of the fourteenth inning my worst nightmare comes true: Mike Timlin comes out of the bullpen with only one out in the inning. He promptly gives up a three run home run to Carlos Pena into the Green Monster. Everyones heart sinks. The crowd becomes slimmer as fans head for their cars unable to believe.

The announcer mocks us as he requests us all to stand for another seventh inning stretch. There is still a few hundred of us left. We will see this out to the bitter end. We have been here before. We feel weak and sick to our stomachs....,but still.....something else stirs. Tampa brings in their closer Troy Percival and something feels.....we don't know.....it just feels. Jacoby Ellsbury leads off with a double to right field. Suddenly we realize that feeling in our stomach can be dispersed by standing and screaming. Our boy, our MVP, Dustin Pedroia comes to the plate. We chant the title he has earned. "MVP!MVP!MVP!" and he walks. We are all bent over banging our hands against the many empty seats around us. Thousands of people have left and it is up to us to make enough noise to replace them....and just like that David Ortiz walks as well. The bases are loaded with nobody out and we are down by three runs in the bottom of the fourteenth inning.

Troy Percival decides he is injured and must leave the game. We wait on our heels, biting our nails as Jason Hammel seems to take forever to warm himself up. Then like a wave the sound of boos erupt through the park. Only on second listen it is not boos, but the chant of "YOU!". Kevin Youkillis has come to the plate and we believe he can deliver. Deliver he does. A sacrifice fly to right field brings us within two runs with only one out. The sounds of Pearl Jam's "Alive" come blaring through the PA.:

I, Im still alive Hey i, but, Im still alive
Hey i, boy, Im still alive
Hey i, i, i, Im still alive, yeah
Ooh yeah...yeah yeah yeah...oh...oh...

Jason Bay has stepped up to the plate. Our blood boils with anticipation. Pitch after pitch we wait without breathing. Then he strikes out swinging. Yet, we still believe. We have one opportunity left in the form of Alex Cora. We believe. When his bat strikes the ball we hold our breath. When we see the ball quickly dart into left center field dropping fast we open our eyes as wide as we can. When the center fielder catches the ball ending the game we feel our hearts drop one final time. The crowd becomes slimmer as we've reached the bitter end.

I do not feel bad though. Red Sox fans have seen this (felt this) bitter end hundreds of times before. Its what defines us. Its what makes us stronger. Its this team that teaches us to believe in hope. No matter how bad we are one year we always believe that next year we will be greater. No matter how bad we are one day we always believe we will be greater the next day. No matter how bad we are one half inning we always believe we will be greater the next half inning. Its this belief, this hope that brings us together in a way that makes me feel that I truly can use the word "we" to describe this team. The fans of Boston are as much a part of this team as the players. More so then any other professional team. Its this belief that can make a man like myself who believes in no God understand people of faith. This hope that leads me to believe. This faith that teaches us no matter how many bitter endings we may experience in life that we can always believe that their is at least one more moment of glory left in us to erase everything dark that has come before it.

Summer/Fall Movies

The films I saw this past summer with a quick review:

Iron Man: A-. Robert Downey Jr. is excellent as Tony Stark and Jon Favreau has made a great movie to re-invigorate the Marvel line of movies.

Indiana Jones: B+. The most fun I have had at a movie in a long time. I don't care what anyone else says this film stands up with the rest of the series and is much better then Temple of Doom. The few things I found wrong with this film I know came from the mind of Lucas, but Spielberg and Ford deliver.

The Happening: D. Their were some interesting moments in this film, but all in all it sucked. Horrible screenplay with atrocious dialog and some of the worst acting from good actors I have ever seen.

Hellboy 2: C. It was entertaining, but too long and just like the first one left me with the feeling that I could've lived without seeing it.

The Dark Knight: A. An almost flawless film. The best comic book adaptation to ever be put onto the big screen and one of the most innovative action films I have ever seen. On top of that one of the great film performances of all time by Eric Roberts. Totally outshines Heath Ledger.

Pineapple Express: B-. Not one of the better Apatow films, but funny none-the-less and a good time.

Tropic Thunder: B+. Incredibly funny film by Stiller and I was quite happy to see him behind the camera again. Downey Jr was terrific and in fact just about everyone in the cast is hilarious. Crude, clever and a good way to close out the summer.

My Most anticipated movies of the fall, why I want to see them, and a trailer if available:

Burn After Reading (9/12): All I have to say: Coen Brothers

Appaloosa (10/3): I love a good western and in the last few years their have been quite a few. Now this one comes along and just happens to be Ed Harris' second attempt at directing after his excellent "Pollack"

Blindness (10/3): Some great actors with a great young director from a book I loved. If done right this could be a great film.

Body of Lies (10/10): I did not like the first trailer for this movie, but with this cast and Ridley Scott directing I won't skip it for a poorly made preview.

W. (10/17): Oliver Stones first 2 president movies (JFK & Nixon) were both amazing films. I am hoping Stone hits his stride again because despite a few misses in the last few years he is still one of my favorite directors.

Changeling (10/31): As a director Clint Eastwood is on an amazing run of films and this looks like it will continue his streak.

Quantum of Solace (11/14): Casino Royale was awesome and I refer to it as Bond Begins. If its half as good as the Dark Knight or the trailer makes it look then it will be a great film.

The Soloist (11/21): I always loved Robert Downey Jr. and this year he is on a roll. I will check it out simply for that reason.

Australia (11/26): Baz Luhrmann takes familiar genres/stories/ideas and twists them around in ways you could never imagine. Now he is tackling the western and war genres in one film. I can't wait.

The Road (11/26): Great book and a great concept plus I love post-apocalyptic films. Haven t seen a preview yet, but I am hoping for good things.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (12/25): Brad Pitt and David Fincher for the third time after Se7en and Fight Club. Can't wait for it.

The Wrestler (12/?): Darren Aronfronsky and it won the top prize at the Venice film festival.

P.S. The Lion Sleeps No More:

Issues: Housing

I have decided to research all the issues that CNN claims to be the most important during this election season in a random order. I did this to educate myself and I am writing about it in hopes to also educate you if you care. I believe every issue is important whether it impacts me directly or not. I am not America I am a part of America and my vote will effect not just me, but everyone who chooses to live in this country. It will also effect how the rest of the world looks at us and America needs the rest of the world just as much as the world needs America. Vote for who you want, but DO NOT be selfish with your vote.

Issuses: Housing 

All right, this one was a little hard to throw my tiny brain around. I have never owned a home or even thought about it so I really have no idea how the housing industry works or in this case how it failed. I think I have a grasp of it, but it took about 15 different web sites and a flashy BBC interactive animation.

So basically regular folks with good standing credit go to the bank ask for a loan and get money to buy a house. The homeowner gets a loan with a fixed rate of interest so that our economies constantly changing interest rate wont drastically change what they owe the bank each month. However because of these fixed rates their is a possibility the bank's will lose money on the loan depending on where interest rates fall. Because of that, bank's look to insure themselves by selling bonds to investors. These bond's insure the bank against any lost interest or in the case the homeowner is unable to make payments.

The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) are both government sponsored, stock-holder owned corporations that deal with the buying and selling of mortgages and their bonds. These two companies provide insurance to investors who buy bonds from banks. If a homeowner defaults on a loan (which has been sold to an investor via bonds) Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Mac will swoop in an buy the bonds from the investor. This insures that their is no risk for the investor. The two companies own about half of the thirteen trillion dollar mortgages in this country. They make their money by charging a fee for this "insurance". This system helps to make sure their is a supply of money for mortgages and home purchases so the housing market never stops.

So what caused the problem? The main instigator appears to be the sub prime mortgage crisis. Sub prime mortgages are given to people who do not normally meet the requirements of a regular mortgage loan. People with low income and bad credit for instance. There was a surge of these mortgages all over the country, but the main problem came from deceptive loan practices. These sub prime loans looked good to homeowners because of a very loan interest rate. Most of them however were not fully informed that these were what are called adjustable rate mortgages. Meaning the loan starts with a a very low "introductory" interest, but will reset to normal or higher mortgage rates after two years. Once these rates jacked up many homeowners were not able to keep up with the loans and fell behind and were foreclosed on.

Because these sub prime loans became a huge sell, demand for houses went up drastically and with all supply and demand situations the price of houses skyrocketed. It was a seller's market and people were buying left and right. On top of that people who already had normal mortgages took advantage of the increased price of their house by re-financing them at a higher rate and taking out a second mortgage. This second mortgage was extra cash for these folks and they used the money for just about anything.

Then the federal interest rate increased and sub primer's 2 year introductory rate ended. Like dominoes everything began to go wrong. Homeowners (both sub prime and normal due to re-financing) could not keep up with their bills. Loans stopped being paid and houses began to get foreclosed on in record numbers. Banks who had loans that were not insured by bonds began to lose money and some went out of business. The loans that did have bonds began to pinch Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The two businesses were starting to not be able to keep up. They were quickly running out of money and many people speculated they would go bankrupt.

If those two companies went bankrupt they would not be able to insure the investors who bought all those mortgage bonds. The American economy would go spirally out of control. If you thought the economy was slowly headed in the wrong direction before then this would put us at about 80MPH towards the wrong direction. Just a few days ago the federal government stepped in to save Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. They took control of the two companies and the $5 trillion home loans they insured. The Federal Housing Financing Agency will run these two companies until they are both on better footing.

Barack - He proposes a $10 billion fund to help prevent foreclosures and would eliminate taxes and fees for families who must sell their homes. People who are in danger of being foreclosed would re-finance loans that would be insured by the Federal Housing Administration. In addition he would boost funding for law enforcement programs aimed at housing fraud by $40 million and establish new criminal penalties for professionals found guilty of fraud. He would require lenders to report suspicious or fraudulent activity and would establish a database of disbarred mortgage professionals.

McCain - Give homeowners a chance to have their loan modified provided they meet certain criteria. He believes a government bailout should be a last resort. He would create a justice department task force that punishes individual's or firms that defraud innocent home owners or forged loan applications. He would also assist state attorneys investigating abusive lending practices and improve transparency in the lending process so potential home owners know what they are getting into.

My Take - On the justice side of things I think they are both very close with their plans. I actually have to stop and wonder why it took the government this long to punish dealings like this and to find a way to prevent situations like this. Having said that it is Barack's plan that I have to give a point to. I don't believe the government should have a hand in everything, but one of those things they should be there for is crime & punishment. The government should not have been blind sided by fraud on this level. I understand McCain's point that a bail out should be a last resort. The governemtn should not be there to baby us everytime we make a mistake just as we should not baby our governemnt when they make mistakes. However in this case I believe there is blame to go all around. Nobody did their jobs in this matter and I believe from what I have read and seen that this is the time for last resorts. There should already have been safeguards in effect and the plans of both candidates sound like something that should have already been common sense. Its Barack's plan that does the most to make up for this mistake. It does the most to make up for these mistakes. Its does the most to insure the economy can get back on its feet quickly.

Obama - 2

McCain - 0

Issues: Cuba

I have decided to research all the issues that CNN claims to be the most important during this election season in a random order. I did this to educate myself and I am writing about it in hopes to also educate you if you care. I believe every issue is important whether it impacts me directly or not. I am not America I am a part of America and my vote will effect not just me, but everyone who chooses to live in this country. It will also effect how the rest of the world looks at us and America needs the rest of the world just as much as the world needs America. Vote for who you want, but DO NOT be selfish with your vote.



Cuba: Should the U.S. lift its embargo on Cuba?

Before Fidel Castro took over Cuba the United States and corporations owned by Americans owned over 40% of the land in Cuba. When Fidel and communism took over in '59 they passed The Agrarian Reform Law which allowed expropriation of all land holdings. Basically Cuba was taking its land back for its own people whether the actual owners liked it or not. Of course the U.S. were the ones who did not like this nor did they feel the compensation Cuba offered was good enough for the amount of land they lost and money they would lose. On top of that Cuba was starting to become closer partners with U.S. cold war rival Russia.

On February 7,1962 the U.S. imposed an economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba. Basically they prohibited America and its businesses to trade or deal in any form of commerce with Cuba. In 1992 America passed the Cuban Democracy Act because they felt Castro's government (which was dominated by its military) was violating the freedoms of its people. The act fined any business that went into Cuba and forbid all travel to the island. On top of that the act promised that any other country who provided aid to Cuba would risk losing aid from the U.S.

In 1999 Bill Clinton modified the embargo by forbidding subsidiaries of U.S. companies from doing business with Cuba. Basically American companies had found a loop hole by creating a sister company (subsidiary) in another country then had that new company make dealings with Cuba. So if I had a company called Rawson Inc in America and created an offshoot in Mexico called ....I dunno....The Jim Gray Eats Babies Company they could then legally deal with Cuba until this new modification by Clinton. He did, however, allow sale of certain items to Cuba for relief.

Most of these embargoes have been put in place with the assumption that when Fidel lost power or passed on that things would change in Cuba. However when his health began to decline and he stepped down from power, his brother Raul was elected president. Raul has promised changes, but it seems to be talk more then anything else.

The embargo of course has had its fair share of criticism. Most people believe that the embargo hurts the people more then it does the government. The food shortages that have plagued the country for many years now were blamed (by the U.S.) on the fall of communism and the end of the USSR back in the early 90's. However most people believe that it is the embargo itself that has caused the food shortages and The United Nations has claimed the embargo is a violation of international law.

McCain - John McCain has said he will keep the embargo and not allow economic aid to the island. He will push the government into freeing its political prisoners and push it to democracy . He wants to see Cuba adopt free speech, free media, allow labor unions and begin internationally mandated elections. McCain says he supports the Cuban peoples quest to be free and he would continue to fund radio support to talk directly to the Cubans.

Obama - Barack Obama would not lift the embargo until Cuba begins to democratize itself, but he would meet with Cuban leadership to discuss matter in a hope to at least normalize relations with the island. He would also allow family travel and remittances to the island.

Notes - Obama has been accused of flip flopping on this issue. In 2004 he said he would lift the embargo completely. It is important to note that issues like this change like the weather. Anything can cause a difference in opinion on foreign matters even in just 4 short years. The election of Raul Castro to the Cuban presidency soured many people on the idea of lifting the embargo. It is also important to note that during the 2000 election, while running against George Bush during the Florida primary, John McCain said he would lift the embargo and talk to Cuban leadership.

My View - I believe that after over 40 years of this embargo it is clear that it is not working. It has only oppressed the people of Cuba even more than its government has. The government of Cuba will take what little goods it has for itself and the leftovers will go to its people. Its not that Cuba is totally oppressing its people anyhow. They actually have a better health care system then the U.S. currently does. If the U.S. wants the people of Cuba to revolt it is clear that the embargo will not help that happen. On top of that Russia is quickly regaining its strength, power and money. It would be smart to make peace with an island that is only 90 miles away from American shores before the Russians start giving money/aid and decide to make it a base again. Plus we need the points with the U.N. and the rest of the world.
So....point Obama.

Obama - 1

McCain - 0

Its The End Of The World As We Know It

Months.....months ago I created this blog. Not because I really wanted to write a blog, but because I am obsessed with clicking the "even more" button on Google and playing with all of their wonderful toys. Pretending I had a real big boy blog (instead of my junior diary-esqe one on MySpace) for hours was fun while on vacation in the middle of nowhere. However, the inspiration to actually write one disappeared about as quickly as that week did.

Somehow my good friend Nik discovered this so-called blog (probably when I was bitching about how insulting McCain's Country First slogan is) and added it to his blog roll which has pretty much forced my hand. People can click on that link and realize how lazy I am since its never updated or I can fool the world (as its known to Nik's blog) and actually start writing in it. Why not just delete it you ask? Well, what if I get bored again? Plus I really am that lazy.

Too lazy to write more blogs? Nope. I am too prideful not too. Nik has thrown down the gauntlet by challenging my laziness. I will not be called lazy by anyone but me! So here it begins: an onslaught of my thoughts and opinions that you never asked for and that you will wish you had never read.

What will you see on here? Random musings of my inner thoughts or long rambling rants from my inner asshole. You'll see many a report on my beloved Red Sox, but in the year 2008 you will read nothing about the New England Patriots since their season has been officially canceled. You'll get my crazy views on politics and world news. You'll see my photography and I'll introduce you to my inspirations and heroes. I might even introduce a feature that goes into my Google obsession/love.

There will be days you might expect me to update and I don't. Deal with it. There will be days where I will be too tired or drunk or pissed to edit these writings. Deal with it. There will be days I insult something you love or tell you how much I love something you hate. Deal with it. Get off your own ass and write your own blog. Feel free to comment, but if I dont give a shit about what you say go cry on someone else's shoulder. Finally, enjoy this while it lasts because you never know when I will become too lazy/busy/apathetic to do this anymore. It could be next week it could be my next life. I hope you enjoyed the peace and quiet while it lasted. If you need to blame anyone then blame it on Nik and his not so random thoughts.

P.S. Speaking of hating things you (for some god awful reason) seem to love...It would appear from the title of this article that the MPAA and I finally have something in common.