Straight Flush

So a lot is being made in the local and national media concerning this upcoming series between the Sox and Yankees. The recurring storyline highlights the fact that this is the Red Sox last regular season series in the boogey-down Bronx. I just don't get why everyone, especially around here, is getting all sentimental about Yankee Stadium, aka America's largest outdoor urinal. The place is a dump - I say the sooner they blow it up, the better. You won't see us here at the Ejected Fan doing any foolish tributes or regaling you with nonsensical anecdotes. Save that for your grandma's blog.

That said, this upcoming series is a huge one in terms of playoff implications. The Red Sox have the chance to bury the Yankees for good, and have us get a head start on planning our Yankee elimination parties. Most Yankee blogs I have read think the Yankees need to sweep this series to keep their post-season hopes alive. I can't say I disagree.

Here at the Ejected Fan we tend to get a little fired up for Sox/Yankees showdowns, and this series is no different. So in honor of that, yours truly will be live-blogging tonight's game, and possibly tomorrow night's as well. So if you're looking for a solid breakdown of the action complete with passion, humor, and plenty of swearing, check it out. SB has you covered. And don't be afraid to let me have it in the comments or via email: SmartyBarrett@gmail.com

See you tonight!

The No-No Song

So I have another bigger post coming, but first I feel like I have to address a certain local baseball event that occurred last night.  Seems as if almost as soon as I said Lester should spend some time in the minors to work on his control, he has been just absolutely dominating, culminating in last night's no-hitter.  I'm certainly fully prepared to admit I was wrong, and while we all are aware of the dangers of a small sample size, there were many things I saw last night that were very encouraging.

The first and biggest one being that, as far as I could tell, wherever Tek put the glove, Lester hit it.  He wanted the cutter inside, it was inside.  Curves in the dirt, fastballs away, Les was hitting every spot.  Period.  It's that kind of control that I wish we saw more of, and we saw it top to bottom, pitch after pitch last night.  Truly masterful.

The second was that Lester was getting swings and misses, which is huge. Eight strikeouts on the night and all the while maintaining his velocity all the way through was a huge key.  He's not exactly a power pitcher, but he was able to keep the hitters off-balance just enough last night by mixing up his stuff.

The final encouraging factor is that maybe all of us Sox fans have underestimated how much of a toll Lester's cancer took on him.  I know I was quick to assume that if he's back in a uniform, he must be 100%.  Maybe he's still working his way back.  Maybe he hasn't reached his peak yet. If that's the case, I may be expecting some crotch-shots from the ejected fan.

Also, as a side note, can Yankee fans please finally give up the

HUGHES + KENNEDY >>>> LESTER + BUCHHOLZ!!!!!11111!!!oneoneone

Anyone who still thinks that is going to get laughed at by even the most common of baseball fans.

And side note #2: Your editors here at the EjF are now the proud sponsors of Bartolo Colon's Baseball Reference page.

And what's this? He's pointing to the right-field bleachers, probably at a dying little boy.

It's time for your mandatory Miguel Tejada weekly update, folks! Much to dubb's displeasure, Tejada launched his 5th homer of the season on Friday night, and it turns out that he promised a young boy with muscular dystrophy that he would go deep. I've always been a semi-sucker for stories like this, but I'm sure the ejected fan is going to start crafting phony letters from fictional kids with serious illnesses and mail them to Tejada in hopes of winning his $20 bet. I say here's to you Miggy!

So I guess the ejected fan would be upset if I didn't recap the rest of my weekend, being that I went to all 3 Sox games vs. the Devil Rays, and although I probably won't be able to weave a tale as eloquent as HzMLS did, here goes:

Friday Night:


Saturday Night:
Our evening began with HzMLS and I stopping off at a watering hole near Fenway, where I promptly inhaled 2 rather strong (and rather expensive) adult beverages. They would prove to be helpful, as fellow fan EGD2 and myself were sitting in the CVS Family Section, aka the alcohol-free zone. Our particular section was patrolled by none other than Mr. Miyagi, who confiscated beers and roughed up hooligans. Needless to say, we saw many ejected fans. The ejf himself would have been jealous.

After the game, HzMLS and I went to a local karaoke bar that we often frequent to get absolutely top-tier sidewalk-puking obliterated. After a few more beverages, we begin to jot our blog addresses on a karaoke slip or 30, and leave them scattered around the bar. Then, after a riveting performance of a popular rap tune, HzMLS began shouting out "EJECTEDFAN.BLOGSPOT.COM" until the DJ's cut his mic and made us promise to not drive home. Big beats hit streets, see bloggers roamin'...


Sunday Afternoon:
After waking up with a trash can next to my bed and bits of Cracker Jacks stuck to my pants, I prepared for my final trek to America's Most Beloved Ballpark. I put on my alcohol-and-food-stained Red Sox sweatshirt that I had worn to the previous two games and got ready to go. The Sox hoodie was absolutely necessary no matter how dirty it was, because they had won the previous two games when I wore it, and yes, I am that superstitious. I didn't care that I looked incredibly homeless hungover.
The highlight of this game was the ever stereotypical Sox fan about 10 rows in front of us who frequently stood and screamed Let's Go SAWX! amongst other re-taahhhded things. We called him Sully from Quincy, although it could have easily been Smitty from Dorchester or Mikey from Southie.


All-in-all, the Sox are now 5-0 in games I attend, including 3-0 in games all 4 members of the EjF attend. So I assume all you loyal readers will want to take us to a game to ensure a Sox win, so hit us up!!