Greg Cunningham's Boston Red Sox fan blog

Exactly one year ago this week, I wrote the line, “…and if all is well in September, a slow start to the season will be laughed at as the playoffs begin.”  Oh the humanity (and the irony).

It is possible no other team in the history of the Boston Red Sox caused as much heartbreak as did the 2011 team.  A season that began like the Titanic righted itself and sailed along with great promise during a summer that listened to talk of World Series games being played once again at Fenway Park.  But when T.S. Elliot wrote "April is the cruelest month," Red Sox fans would have eagerly agreed, until September brought cruelty that even Elliot could not have envisioned; Fenway Park became a modern day "Wasteland” and lay dormant and barren during the month of October.

Continue reading "Opening Day 2012"

Lou Gorman, General Manger of the Boston Red Sox from 1984 to 1993, was asked what he was going to do after negotiations with a player had just broken down.  He replied, “The sun will rise, the sun will set and I’ll have lunch.’’  Somehow, I can hear him saying the same line this week, after one of the worst opening weeks in Red Sox history.  Lou passed away last week, on the morning of the Sox season opener.  What a difference a week makes.  It was just one week ago Red Sox Nation was talking about 100 victories and the best team ever to take the field.  And today, just seven days later, we are looking at a team with a record well below the Mendoza line.

This, after so much optimism during the off-season.  As we watched with delight and glee, the Red Sox acquired Adrian Gonzalez, a name so often talked about in these parts, it seems he’s been part of the team for years .  And just when the celebration was winding down about Gonzalez, a late night deal put Carl Crawford in a Red Sox uniform.  Adding to the euphoria was Cliff Lee, sure to sign with the Yankees, until he chose to head to Philadelphia.  Get the duck boats ready!!  Everyone was excited and could not wait for April to arrive.

Continue reading "Opening Day 2011"

Former commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti once wrote: “[Baseball] breaks your heart.  It is designed to break your heart.  The game begins in spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone.” 

Today, many feel baseball has broken our hearts all over again.  Instead of talking about how many bases Jacoby Elsbury will steal this year, many fans feel that Major League Baseball has stolen our opening day right out from under us.  The bright sunshine will be replaced by the moon, blue sky replaced by the stars and the planets and just how can grass look all that green under artificial light? 

Continue reading "Fenway Home Opener 2010"

Casey Stengel once said, “There's three things you can do in a baseball game - you can win, you can lose, or it can rain.”   

Today, it just may be the latter that begins another Red Sox season.  But even if Red Sox National begins the year with drops falling from the sky, we are still one step closer to the start of the season, and fans will flock to the park as they have since the very first Fenway opener on April 20th, 1912.  

It does not matter what the actual weather is outside today, because there is magic in the air!  The sky is as deep a blue as you can remember from your childhood, no matter how much rain or how many clouds actually materialize.  The grass is as green as a hill in Ireland and there is optimism in the air.  While it may not feel like Spring, the feelings of cold and wind are suppressed by the warmth of a new beginning.  No matter where you are today, you walk with an extra bounce in your step.  There is a feeling that, today, you could conquer the world, and for the Olde Towne Team, this WILL be the year AGAIN!!  For today is Opening Day at Fenway Park. 

Continue reading "Red Sox Opening Day 2009"

Yogi Berra once said, "I never said most of the things I said."  While that may defy the laws of grammar, he does take credit for this telling gem:  "Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical."

Yup, Yogi, after watching the Red Sox play the Angels last night, I know what you mean. 

The Angels made very few mistakes...really only one pitching and one base running.  But when you are in the playoffs facing a pitcher who may very well turn into the ace of the playoffs, one or two mistakes can cost you the game, as it did for the Angels last night.

You have to wonder, are the Angel players sitting around today thinking, "What do we have to do to beat these guys in the playoffs?"  The Angels took 8 out of 9 regular season games this year, only to have their playoff record against the Red Sox bump up to 0-10.  Ten consecutive playoff loses to the Red Sox.  There's Yogi's 90% mental right there.

Continue reading "No Angels in the Outfield"

There is no other time of year I enjoy more at Fenway Park than October.  While many members of Red Sox Nation complained last year about the TBS commentators and coverage overall, I was sitting in my right field box seats, watching the Sox destroy the Los Angeles Angels of Aneheim (playing in Orange County, in the state of California, United States of America, planet Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy).  It was not until watching Game 3 of the ALDS that I felt everyone's pain. 

Playoffs at Fenway mean more excitement, louder crowds, flyovers, The Dropkick Murphy's and (oh yeah), concentration on the game of baseball.  It is rare we do the wave.  People are there to watch the game and cheer on the Olde Towne Team, not to sing Sweet Caroline (don't get me wrong, I love

Continue reading "Finally...the Playoffs!!!"

A small snapshot it is, but Coco Crisp has had an amazing week for the Boston Red Sox.  Since September 8th, he has 17 at bats with 12 hits, a .706 batting average!  During that time he also has 3 walks and has stuck out all of once.  For someone who was absolutely going to be traded before Spring Training ended, and then no doubt about it by the trading deadline, Crisp has become Mr. Clutch during some must win games.

Not to mention his batting average is up to .285, 5 points higher than his career average, and more than 20 points higher than last year.  He is one of the players Terry Francona would point to when talking about getting the little things done to win games. 

With J.D. Drew still having back problems, the Red Sox have needed all the outfielders they have on the roster, and needed them all to do what they do best:  make great running catches in the outfield and have productive at bats. 

Continue reading "Loco for Coco!!"

Douglas Adams writes sound advice in his novel (and handbook), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: "Don't Panic."

Was last night's game against the Tampa Bay (don't call me devil) Rays annoying?  Yes!  Was it frustrating?  Yes!  Am I more annoyed and frustrated because I sat at Fenway Park until after midnight to see a 14th inning loss?  You bet I am!

But here's why I'm not particularly worried today:  With the exception of the home run given up by Mike Timlin, the bullpen pitched very, very well last night.  Now I realize that might be the same as asking, "Other than that interruption Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?"  But truly, they pitched well.  They got into jams and got out them; they went after hitters and didn't throw around them.  It was a fine effort from the pen, the one we have been waiting to see for weeks now.

Continue reading "Don't Panic"

There's an old joke that goes something like this:  A guy is skydiving for the very first time.  He jumps out of the plane, pulls the cord, and nothing happens.  He pulls the emergency cord and nothing happens.  He looks down and sees a guy coming toward him and yells out, "Hey!  Do you know anything about parachutes?"  The guys yells back. "No!  Do you know anything about lighting gas stoves?"

In the world of jokes, the New York Yankees have become the punchline...they've pulled the emergency cord, and nothing works; and just when you thought the Boston Red Sox were about to have the season blow-up in their faces, they are flying high!

The look on Hank Steinbrenner's face after Dustin Pedroia's grand slam tonight was more telling than the Joe Castiglione "Swing and a pop-up" line that has become a fan favorite soundbite on Sports Radio WEEI. 

Continue reading "Up Up and Away!!!"

Where is everyone?  The Boston Red Sox play their last regular season games this week at Yankee Stadium (and most likely, the last games ever).  The place that Ruth built, site of the Aaron Boone homerun, the place where the greatest come-back (and greatest melt-down/choke) of all time occurred.

And even if none of those things were in play, did I happen to mention the Red Sox NEED to win these games.  Not only would it send the Yankees to the golf course earlier than ever in the past 15 years, but we also wouldn't need to listen to the worst joke ever told: What's the difference between a Fenway Frank and a Yankee hot dog?  You can buy a Yankee hot dog in October.  (For the record, I've been to 17 different Major League ballparks, and have yet to find a worse tasting hot dog than what is served at Yankee Stadium.)

Continue reading "Where Is All the Hype?"