FanNation

Cheering for a job well done

Joba Chamberlain just had a tremendous outing in Rochester.  Apparently, the fans gave him a standing O when he was done, prompting one of our local sportswriters to chide them (in print) for cheering for the other team as we head down a tight stretch for playoff positions.  Jingoistic garbage.  I hang my head. 

Some years back, Jim Abbot had a tremendous outing in Fenway. The fans stood as one as he walked off the mound, his team in the lead.  With obvious emotion, Abbott told the press after the game that he understood why Boston fans were considered to be some of the best in baseball.

The next chapter

TomSix writes to remind me that tonight is a great night for baseball.  He's so right. At 7:05 ET, after almost a year of anguish and anxiety for many, Jon Lester takes the mound.  He beat cancer, and now perhaps he can beat Cleveland.  Clearly, the former is a much greater feat. 

Go Sox.  Go Jon.

The Real Thing, Baby

Our friends were in from Hollywood, FL and Saugus, MA.  The 16-year-old boy had never been to a pro game, so we packed the 9 of us into 2 cars, and drove down to Frontier Field to see the Pawtucket Red Sox play the Rochester Red Wings.  It was an extraordinary night--warm, but not humid, with a gentle breeze.  Seats just by 3rd base ($9 apiece), cameras and dogs (and for some, beer) in hand, we settled in for the game.

And what a game!  Great play, no errors, a HR or two, finishing with a 5-4 win for Rochester and a final, dynamic double play.  But that's not why I'm writing tonight.  Tonight, as the second half of the MLB season begins, I'm thinking about that 16-year-old's face as he watched the game and took pictures.  I'm thinking about running into the Rochester GM, Dan Mason, who patiently let everyone take a picture with him.  I'm thinking about our 2 girls, who watched happily this time, not even requesting Dippin' Dots.  And I'm thinking that sometimes, just sometimes, bigger isn't better.

The right values

It's a horrifc and sad thing:  5 young women from Fairport High School, just graduated last week, all cheerleaders at one point, ran head-on into a tractor trailor last night on their way to a lake house.  All were killed.

Let's remember to love our children first and foremost.  If they can't throw a ball, complete a tumbling pass, or hit a free throw, forget about it.  We can do all those things in our dreams.  They should have their own dreams.

Some ground rules

This is very simple.  I love sport.  Sport rocks.  My big love: the Red Sox.  So Sox fans who might wander into this territory, please take note:   I hate, hate, hate, hate throwdown taunts.  I do not tolerate the Yankees/Spankees Suck discourse, and you won't see it coming from me.  "YEAH! JETER IS A JERK" is not intelligent commentary.  Now saying, "Jeter makes an awful lot of errors for an allegedly elite shortstop..."  Well, better.  As one of my new friends pointed out, these FanNation blogs often degenerate into **** matches that have nothing to do with the original topic.  So let's play nice.  I may even compliment a Yankee from time-to-time.  Take Yogi Berra, for example...