Red Sox at As 2009 Game 3

Tim Wakefield was fantastic, nearly perfect in fact - a no hitter thru 7 1/3rd. Boy did he provide a big lift to a team in desperate need of one. Home runs by Lowell and Drew provided the spark. Red Sox win 8-2 on Wake's complete game 4-hitter.

A sunny and warm day in Oakland and a great crowd helped make up for last night's debacle. Jackie Robinson Day; all the players wore 42. Life is good again.

Red Sox at As 2009 Game 2

It was windy and cold. Really windy and cold. On the plus side, I finally found a hot dog vendor in the stands, and the Red Sox scored three in the top of the first. But Dice-K was not good and gave it all back plus two in the bottom. At least last night, Lester made the As work for two innings before giving up five.

But Masterson came in and pitched really well. The Sox rallied to tie it in the fifth with timely hitting (finally!).

The rest of the night was an exercise in self-torture. First cause it was really windy and cold (did I mention?). And second cause I did not want to leave a tie game. But the wind and fears of a lingering illness forced my hand. They lost in 12, 6-5. We were at home recovering.

Change of subject: listening.

At the Coliseum BART station, we met a young man who is a first-year high school teacher. An As fan, but a nice guy; we got to talking. We watched as the announcers tried to get the passengers to step back from a train so it could move forward and open its doors. There was a lot of leaning, and heads turning, but no one stepped off the yellow safety line. Two, three announcements; no one listened. The train did not move. Finally after about five minutes of announcer stale-mate, the doors opened, and the fans could step into the heated cars.

The high school teacher and I recognized it: just like getting kids to listen in class. It seems that things don't change much when they get older.

Some things just make you scratch your head. Not much good to take from the night.

Red Sox at As 2009 Game 1

Standing in the Rockridge BART station, I must have seen two dozen Red Sox fans before I saw one As fan. I ran into a former student, Patrick, who was wearing a Yankees cap. Obviously he was not rooting "for" but "against". We smiled, greeted each other and wished each other luck. We could not have been less sincere.

Lester vs Braden, two good lefties - but Lester did not hit his spots tonight, and Braden mixed and moved his pitches really well. Youk homered in the top of the second, but the As had five runs on the board before Lester could get five outs. Lester actually struck out the side in the second, but obviously, not a good thing. My first chance to see Nick Green, who started at short; did not make a positive or negative impression - but at least held his own. My first chance to see Saito as a Red Sox, too, and he did not perform too well as Holiday tripled off him to right to close the scoring at 8-2.

There were two "diving plays" by Sox OFs - one by Bay that resulted in Giambi's double, and one by Drew that was Holiday's triple. Both seemed like they should be catchable. Maybe it was the angle from behind the plate (I had really good seats), but it sure seemed like they did not track the balls well.

The As mascot "Stomper" hung out behind us for qute a few innings; was a little annoying to have that thing hovering behind me.

The Red Sox are 2-5; last place. And I do not like the new road uni's, either; they need more red.