shave ice & gelato

I know this is very off topic for an Italy blog, even more so than my Hawaii posts have been. I guess I should start thinking about a new name for my blog. Any ideas?

I have stayed away from any Red Sox comments but today was a day for the record books and I just had to comment on an such an amazing feat.

If you are not a baseball fan, let me explain. A "no-no" is a no-hitter. That means that no one on the other team gets a hit. The scoreboard will reflect this by zeros all the way across the board:

What made this no-hitter even more amazing was that the pitcher accomplishing this feat was a 23-year old kid who was pitching his second game ever in the major leagues. I say kid because he looks like he is 16 or 17!

Clay Buchholz pitched his first ever major league two weeks ago against the Angels. I happened to see that game on TV while staying up on the North Shore. I had been trying to explain baseball to my friends from Italy and was thrilled to find the game on TV when I woke up. I remember commenting about how young he looked as we watched a few innings together while eating breakfast. I didn't even know he was on the Red Sox roster and had no idea where he came from. I do remember being quite impressed with his pitching though, probably because he looked so young.

After our 4 game skid losing 3 to the Yankees and then a very close game to the Orioles, I wasn't sure what to think when I heard Clay Buchholz would be pitching again today. I was just hoping for a win and never expected a game as exciting as today's game ended up being.

There were a few nail biting moments in the game today and of course the last couple of innings were pretty intense. Dustin Pedroia, who in my humble opinion should be rookie of the year, made yet another amazing play which prevented a hit and should make the top 10 plays on ESPN. Coco Crisp certainly did his part out in center field as did the rest of the defense. The offense also helped by scoring 10 runs to take the pressure off Clay and Jason Varitek was an important part of the game, but in the end, the kid made the pitches and threw the no-hitter. What a thrill for Clay Buchholz, for the Red Sox, and for all of the faithful fans.

And for a little history, Clay Buchholz became the 17th rookie to throw a no-hitter and the third pitcher since 1900 to throw a no-hitter in his first or second major league start. he is 2-0 with his second game as a no-hitter, something many very famous pitchers never accomplish in their lifetimes. Simply Amazing!!

GO SOX!!!!!

What a great season and a great series!
Red Sox win the ALCS 4-3!!
4 more games to go!!!!

Here is a baseball related tidbit that my be of interest to even non-baseball lovers. Taco Bell is offering a free Crunchy Seasoned Beef Taco to "every legal resident" in the US (50 states + DC) if a base is stolen during the World Series. Crazy huh? Of course, Taco Bell needs to determine that it is an "eligible" stolen base, whatever that means. The other catch seems to be that it needs to be at a "participating" Taco Bell restaurant, again whatever that means.

You can get your free taco on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 if the base is stolen during games 1 or 2 and on November 6, 2007 if the base is stolen during games 3-7. Pick up time is between 2 & 5 pm local time. The fine print also says that if you are in line by 5, you can still get your free taco. Do you think there will be a mob scene at each Taco Bell?

It was pretty funny today listening to two of the Red Sox players discussing this offer in the dugout during the game. They were trying to figure out how this offer could be for real. How would Taco Bell know if you already got a free taco at one Taco Bell and then went to another Taco Bell for another free taco? It actually says in the fine print that Taco Bell has the right to deny you a free taco if the management thinks you already got a free taco. So don't forget to use a napkin and hide those Taco Bell bags when you go for your second free taco.

Now in no way am I promoting Taco Bell. I personally do not eat at Taco Bell...so please feel free to have my taco if there is a stolen base. Sorry Leslie, you will have to fly to one of the 50 states to get your free taco.

I will update my blog after each game to let everyone know the stolen base situation.

Game 1 - Red Sox 13 - Rockies 1 - no stolen bases.

GO SOX!!!!

Jacoby Ellsbury stole second! Free tacos for everyone next Tuesday, October 30th, from 2-5 pm local time!! Spread the word.

Game is tied, bottom of the 4th.

GO SOX!!!

As I am sure you all know by now, the Red Sox are the 2007 World Series Champions!!!! Congratulations Red Sox!!!!

At the end of the season, I was just so happy for the Red Sox to be in first place in the AL East. Having the best record in baseball this year was thrilling. Winning the World Series was really more than I ever dreamed when the season began. What an amazing season it was!!

I thought Mike Lowell was a good choice for MVP, but there were many many MVPs on this Red Sox team. It was definitely a true team effort where every single member made a significant contribution. I am just so proud of all that they have accomplished this year.

It certainly was a very different win this year. After all those years of always thinking something was going to happen, even after 2 outs in the 9th with a huge lead. This year, I just knew in my heart when it got to the 9th with a one run lead that we were going to win. I have to thank the 2004 Red Sox team for that. Although I was not screaming as much this time, I still had that big grin on my face for many hours after they won along with a few tears of joy.

I sympathized with the Indians and Rockies and all of their fans. We certainly have been there many many times and know how it feels to watch another team celebrate. Hopefully someday it will be their turn (and I still hope one day soon to see the Cubbies win). But this is our year, and again, I am thrilled!! I do have to say though that I am glad I won't have to watch those white annoying towels anymore!

I was so thankful to actually see the Red Sox win the World Series once in my lifetime. After all those years of hope and pain, and now, they have won twice! It really is more than I ever dreamed of. Thank you Red Sox for an incredible year, one I will never forget!

Oh, and Kim, your congratulations meant quite a lot to me. My sincere hope is to see the Red Sox and the Yankees finally make peace with each other. I may need to go into a little bit of therapy to help make this happen but am going to try and hope others will too. There is enough unnecessary fighting already in the world.

I apologize to anyone reading this twice (here and on the Everything Else section of Slow Travel). Since that is a members only thread, I decided to post here also.

OK...enough baseball talk, I promise...
I will get back to regular blog posts real soon!

I am going to be good, sit on my hands, and refrain from commenting on the whole Roger Clemens/Brian McNamee testimony today.

Instead, here's my photo of the day (taken yesterday during our field trip).

Annie recently wrote a post called "What's a Tar Heel?". In her post, Annie wrote about her team, the North Carolina Tar Heels. She also wrote about the history of the name "Tar Heels" and about the team's mascot. I loved how she described the Tar Heel mascot:
But here’s what really confuses people. Our mascot is a ram named Ramses. But we are NOT the UNC Rams, we’re the UNC Tar Heels. Even I don’t completely understand that. Maybe it was just too hard to make a furry suit that looks like a foot?

I made a comment on her blog about my trying to picture how one would portray a tar heel. Annie in turn asked me about the Red Sox mascot. Well, I am always more than happy to talk Sox here, so Annie, here is the short history of our Red Sox mascot, Wally the Green Monster.

The Red Sox did not have a mascot until 1997. I personally think they should have kept it that way. However, being a huge Red Sox fan, I am usually happy to go along with most of their new promo ideas and I guess the mascot is fun for kids. Our mascot, Wally the Green Monster, like the Tar Heel's mascot, Ramses, has nothing to do with the name of the team it represents. I guess like the Tar Heels, it would probably be pretty silly seeing a person dressed up as a Red Sock. Instead of being connected to a red sock, Wally the Green Monster, is supposed to somehow represent the "green monster", which is the famous big green wall in left field. I personally think it is a big stretch.

I find the history of Fenway Park and the Green Monster much more interesting than our mascot, Wally the Green Monster. Fenway park opened on April 20, 1912. The original wall in left field was a 37-foot wooden left field wall. In 1934, the wall was replaced by a more durable, 37-foot sheet metal structure. The wall was covered in advertisements. In 1947, the wall was painted green and the Green Monster was born. In 2003, 247 seats were added atop the Green Monster. What a cool place that must be to watch a game. For more detailed history about Fenway Park, check out this link and this link.

The Green Monster (the big green wall):

3 days, 8 hours, 5 minutes til opening day...GO SOX!!!!

The baseball season has begun! And the Sox are in first place!! They have the best record in the league and are a half-game up on the Yankees!! Yeah I know, no one else has played yet (except the A's) but still I am always happy when we are in first place and especially when we are ahead of the Yankees.

The first game of the season started at 12:11 am this morning my time. I only lasted an hour and then fell asleep. I watched the rest of the game this morning. Final score: 6-5 Red Sox with the game going into extra innings. There were a few blunders on both sides, but in the end, luck was on our side. A win is a win and we will take it.

I love the way the post "It Feels Like Christmas Eve" on the blog Center Field describes the excitement of the beginning of a new baseball season. It is the same excitement I feel each year. The post also has a great video I loved, which I thought you might also enjoy.

Ok...enough about my boys and the beginning of a new baseball season. Have I mentioned I love baseball?? and I love the Red Sox??

Both Annie and Sandra asked about my favorite baseball movie. I don't think there has been a baseball movie I have not liked, even a Yankees baseball movie. I love the game and enjoy any movie about baseball. A few movies that I would rank as my favorites include Field of Dreams, The Natural, A League of Their Own, and Bull Durham, but my all time favorite would have to be Fever Pitch.

Fever Pitch is about a die hard Red Sox fan, Ben (played by Jimmy Fallon), who is torn between the woman he loves, Lindsey (played by Drew Barrymore), and the baseball team he worships. Yes, I know it is a sappy love story, but what makes this movie my favorite is the way they portray the life of Ben as a passionate out of control Red Sox fan. Ben lives in apartment, which is decorated in a Red Sox gift shop theme. He even has a green monster wall in his living room. I love how Ben reacts when his season tickets are delivered, how he decides which friends get which tickets, and how he gives Lindsey a little black ring box with a ticket for opening day inside.

There are so many classic lines in this movie, including when Ben tells Lindsey that he attends spring training every year to figure out which players they should keep and which players they should get rid of and Lindsey asks, "And the Red Sox ask your opinion?". Another one of my favorite scenes is when Ben is depressed after Lindsey breaks up with him and his friends find him sitting in front of the TV watching the moment in the 86 World Series when the ball goes through Buckner's legs over and over again and one of his friends says, "Oh, my God. The Buckner game? I thought you took that away from him!"

But the best part is the end of the movie. When the Farrelly brothers, life long Red Sox fans, wrote this movie, they did not want to jinx the Red Sox. They wrote an ending where the Red Sox lost, figuring they would do just that. Once the Red Sox came back to beat the Yankees, and the thought that the Red Sox could actually win this time after 86 years, they had to scramble to write a new ending.

My favorite line in the entire movie, the actual WEEI radio announcement of the final out of the game, which gives me goose bumps and brings me to tears every time I watch this movie, is: "Back to Foulke. Red Sox fans have longed to hear it. The Boston Red Sox are world champions."

And that is why Fever Pitch is my all time favorite movie. Of course if you are talking real life, my Boston Red Sox 2004 World Series Collector's Edition DVD box set which includes the all 7 ALCS games and the 4 World Series games ranks right up there.

Fever Pitch (preview):

Today is Opening Day at Fenway Park. Sadly, I have never attended an opening day game. It is something I would love to do one day.

Today is a very special opening day. The ring ceremony will take place to honor the 2007 World Championship Red Sox Team. Boy would I love to be at Fenway Park today. Since it is only being broadcast locally, I can't even tape it to watch when I get home from work. Hopefully there will be some good video clips posted on the internet to watch tonight.

So to get you in the baseball mood...

If you haven't seen it yet, check out this very funny one minute video of a play-by-play done by John Mayer during one of the two Red Sox/A's games played in Japan. I have no idea how or why he was was asked to do a play-by-play announcement and why he was even at this game since he obviously knows nothing about baseball.

I am not a huge John Mayer fan, but I would definitely say that he is quite an improvement over Joe Buck as well as a few other irritating announcers at Fox, ESPN, and TBS.