Super Blog Hog: Don't Go!

Oh my gosh, Dear Criss, Bruschi retired. I mean, anything else? Yes, I knew when Vrabel left, it meant that nothing was holding him back. His best bud was gone to the Midwest. You don't think he's having a beer with Brady on their free time? Who does he have over for family barbecues? Most importantly, who do I root for?! This is awful. I thought I'd have at least one more season to watch Tedy. I can't take it. The man spent 13 years with the Pats. Wow. And coach got choked up at the press conference. Did you know Bruschi plays the saxophone? Totally random, I know.

By the way, did you see Penny's going to San Francisco? Whoa! They really shipped him out far.

Roxy


Barry Chin, The Boston Globe

Blog Hog: Still in the Race

I have to admit, Dear Criss, I haven't really kept track of the games these last few days. I just checked in today, and it looks like we're still in the running. Still holding on to our wild card spot, still behind your stinkin' Yankees by about a steady six.

But I am impressed that we swept the Blue Jays (what?!). Billy Wagner and Bucky did very well. Good to know our new guy isn't too bad. (I'm not sure how I feel about Penny possibly going to the Yankees.) Wakey on the other hand's got some pain issues. It isn't looking good this season. I hope it's fixable and doesn't force him to call it quits earlier than planned. Yes, he's in his 40s, but I thought at least one more year. Let's see.

Did you see that Tom Brady hurt his shoulder in the pre-season game? Are you kidding me? And did you see that show with Shaq playing against Ben Roethlisberger? It was funny, and Shaq is crazy - completely.

The Sox held a nice tribute to Sen. Kennedy this week, and the fans added their own touch. Very nice.


Roxy

AP photo

Goodbye, Friend

I don't need to watch the news, you ARE SportsCenter. I didn't realize Plaxico got sentenced already. Oh, geez. And I agree with you on your Vick comments. What?! We agree?

On Sox news: Billy Wagner? Hm. I kinda feel good about this. And Wakey is back tonight. Woo hoo!

But I'm really sad about Sen. Ted Kennedy dying. I heard it on the radio when I woke up and just didn't expect it so quickly. Some people you just think will be around forever. It just breaks my heart. He was a receiver while at Harvard, but wait, there's more. I learned this morning on ESPN that the Green Bay Packers actually contacted him about playing for them, but he declined. Can you imagine? Brett Favre and Sen. Kennedy playing for the same team?! Okay, it would have been totally different decades, but still. The Sox held a moment of silence for him and lowered the flag to half-staff.

We will miss him.

Roxy


The Boston Globe, Jim Davis

Battle in the East

Yes, another battle starts this week, Dear Roxy. I am extremely happy with the Yankees’ run since the All-Star break, and hopefully that won’t stop in Bean Town this weekend. Game on!

The Marlins 15-game streak of 10+ hits is over but it was a great run! The best since the 1930s! They definitely hit a road block in Houston but it’s still very possible to make it into the playoffs. One more month of nail-biting games left.

In other sports, the Dolphins won their first pre-season game! It wasn’t pretty, but hey, it’s a start! I can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s game will bring.

And speaking of the NFL, it’s good to see Michael Vick got a second chance with the Eagles. Hopefully he’ll take full advantage of it and not screw up again.

But speaking of screwing up, Plaxico Burress got a hefty 2-year sentence for shooting himself! Like one of the NFL analysts on ESPN said, “He got 2 years in jail for being stupid.” –I agree with him; it just doesn’t make sense. I think 2 years is a bit too much.

Ochocinco cracks me up and the Williams sisters are now in talks about owning a share of the Dolphins. Oh boy!

And you’re right about Brett Favre, I have nothing to say.

Usain Bolt broke another record on the 200-meter race. Well, what else can be said about this guy’s speed that hasn’t been said before? Nothing. Congrats, Bolt!

And what’s with the International Association of Athletics Federations investigating South Africa’s Caster Semenya’s gender? That’s outrageous and cruel. Just because this woman looks athletic and masculine by no means means she’s a man. Shame on them for questioning it.

-Criss

Photo: Ben Margot, AP

Blog Hog: I Hear a Heartbeat

We swept the Blue Jays?! WOW! And Bucky did well this week, too. Fantastic! He's gonna be just fine.

NY this weekend, Dear Criss. You're not sweeping us this time. And Varitek's not feeling well. His neck's acting up. No, no, no - get the physical therapists on this! FASTER!! Send one home with him. Get him some heating pads,more ice packs, anything! We need him this weekend.

Good luck to Smoltz in St. Louis.

Can I say that I want to go to the Pats game now, since I found out it's a night game? That would be very cool. It was bound to happen that I would regret not also going to this game. But when I think about having to shell out a million dollars for nosebleeds...

Roxy


AP photo

I'm Bored

Okay, they hit Youk before that incident and set him off the second time around. If you still had Giambi, he would have snapped the guy in two. Hello!

Brett Favre. Oh, Brett Favre. I don't think we even need to write about why we're not writing about him. Actually, Dear Criss, we could probably go into our archive and copy and paste the same entry from last summer.

So we were leading big time in the game against Toronto, but now we're tied in the eighth. Typical.

Hey, what do you think about unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in baseball for onfield celebrating (i.e chest/back bumping)?

Dusty headed to Boston where his wife is having a baby. Good luck to them!

What else is happening?

Roxy


AP Photo: Kevork Djansezian

Another Record Broken

No need to call the dogs on me, Dear Roxy, I'm here. I'm here to torture you since that's what you want! The Yankees continued to play great in the West Coast as they won 2 out of 3 in Seattle. And while at it, Jeter's 2,674th hit surpassed Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio for most hits by a shortstop! How amazing is that?! I know, I know... you're peeing in your pants from excitement! Congratulations, Jeter! Here's to many more records to break =)

The Marlins are also playing good baseball. Hopefully they'll hang in there and win a spot on the playoffs. How exciting would that be?

And I guess Tiger Woods doesn't win them all. By looking at this picture, do you think Y. E. Yang was excited to win the PGA Championship? Congratulations to Yang for doing what seemed impossible! By doing so, he became the first Asian to win one of golf's majors.

The Dolphins are playing tonight. I'll be watching the game back and forth. While I agree with you that pre-season games are kind of boring, I want to see what the Dolphins are bringing to the table this year. Hopefully it'll be great stuff. I'm excited.

And the USA soccer team got beat by Mexico again! They played well enough to win, but like many times before, they gave away the winning goal just minutes before the end of regulation! Argh. They're going to have to do better than that if they want to be contenders in the World Cup.

And how can I forget about Jamaica's Usain Bolt? He ran the the 100-meter final at the World Championships in 9.58 seconds, breaking the record he broke during the 08 Olympics!!! This guy is too fast for words!

-Criss

PS: And don't tell me Youk didn't deserve to be suspended for charging pitcher Rick Porcello? I'll charge you if you do. jk!

Photos: John Froschauer; Robyn Beck.

Blog Hog: Settle for a Slowdown

I know, I'm all songs lately with my titles. I'm a little melancholy.

In 2004, there was a great fight that proved to be the season's turning point. Could the Tigers-Sox fight be the 2009 moment, Dear Criss? Not a chance. This thing's headed for a break down. It's sad what the season has come to now. How did this happen? Am I giving up? Not totally, but it doesn't look good. I'm getting a little tired of the nonsense. I don't want to go in as a wild card and choke. Might as well not even make it. Wow! I'm all gloom and doom today, sorry.

So they showed the pre-season Steelers-Cards game. It was nice to see Ben for a few minutes, but, man, those games are snoozers. I always last like 10 minutes.

Why are you so quiet? No insults, no taunts? I'm concerned.

Roxy

AP photo

Turn Around: Every Now and Then I Fall Apart

I can't tell you how frustrating this weekend was and the last five weeks, Dear Criss. And then there's Papi. I'll still support him. The union guy said being on that list doesn't necessarily mean he tested positive. If he took the magic supplements, were they really illegal? Not in 2003. And PLUS, your geeks admitted their steroids, true, but of course, they ONLY took steroids for one week - maybe even one time - and never again since 1994. You can't compare your people to mine. Blech.

I can't take the 15 inning games just to lose. Can't take my pitchers being thrown out when yours just get warnings. Can't take the A-Roid walk-offs. I'd rather stay up until 2 a.m. watching a scoreless soccer match. I'd rather drink rotten milk. I'll take the lopsided losses over watching that person cross home plate to win the game. Augh!

So tell me again why we traded Masterson? Why do we still have Delcarmen? Oh, and I am so sorry about Smoltz (truly). I hope there's a chance he decides to go to the minors, turn things around, and come back. I know things don't look good, and let's be honest (as Papelbon comes into tonight's game against the Tigers), even if the Sox enjoy a random resurgence, they cannot win the World Series playing like this. I will add that if we don't make the playoffs, like a bunch of dorks, and you do, there's NO WAY you go to the World Series. If you do, or if we do, we should both be very scared. Very, very scared.

Roxy

P.S. Didn't know about Hamilton. Bummer. I always wish him well.

AP photo

Big Yankee Weekend

You're going to need more than another vacation to get over your Red Sox's faults and losses, Dear Roxy.

I've heard Big Papi's story before. It's like a broken record. "I used supplements and vitamins that I didn't know were illegal... blah, blah, blah!" You're guilty! Just like everyone else on that list. If you're giving me grief about ARod and the Yankees, I'm sure you can take the one I'm giving you now.


And on top of that, the Yankees have swept the Red Sox Nation! With great pitching and timely hitting, they've opened up a 6 1/2 game lead and, well, you know how I feel about that :) Joba, AJ, CC and Andy were great in the series. I couldn't be happier about this team and the way they're playing baseball. May it continue!

In sadder news, I heard about Josh Hamilton's relapse with alcohol. What a sad story. Just like millions, he continues to struggle with it. The worse part about it is how he reacted once he began to drink. I feel for him and his family and everyone who struggles and is hurt by this disease...



How about Peyton little brother's contract? Eli got himself a hefty pay increase. I guess winning a Super Bowl in grand fashion does that to you, huh?



And Tiger wins again. What else is new?

-Criss

PS: I didn't realize I hadn't written in a while but I want to congratulate Melky Cabrera for hitting for a cycle last week against the White Sox! Whoo-hooo!!!

PS: You crack me up about Brady, the Yankee fan Brady. Blah!

Photo: Bill Kostroun, AP; Ray Stubblebine, Reuters.

Time for a Serious Talk

For sure, Dear Criss, I thought you would have posted nasty words about my players. Sigh. I'm not sure how to handle this. Now that it's not just your Yankees, I don't know what to think. Actually, I think that the whole league has a problem, and that list of 100+ will show that every team was/is tainted. It's really a disappointment, and I'm a little scared now to know who else is on that list.

I sort of need a break from baseball, and I'm glad football will be starting soon (as if it's clean). I would totally walk away from baseball if I didn't love my Sox so much (except for a few fools I woulda traded long time ago. How could they get rid of Masterson?!!) Then Tom Brady gives his opinion on Papi and talks almost nostalgically. WHAT?! “In football, we’ve been kind of immune to it, but no one likes to see that, especially guys that are in your town and you root for ... ’’ Does anyone remember him wearing a Yankees cap? He's not the person to talk about Papi. Oh, please, please, please.

I won't give up on Papi. I'll wait to hear what he has to say. And who's this new catcher they got? No one's gonna just push Varitek out of the way.

We lost to Tampa Bay - again.

I need another vacation.

Roxy


Photo: Getty Images