Jon Arnold's Blog

April 21, 2008

Yankee Stadium Visit - First and Only Time

As mentioned in earlier posts, the Dialogic analyst event last week included a guided tour through Yankee Stadium, and I've finally been able to post my photos. I've never been to this ballpark, and don't expect I'll ever have a chance to see it again. The Yankees were on the road, so this was a full tour, and we got to see a lot of the ballpark. Pretty inspiring for any baseball fan, even a life-long BoSox fan like me.

Up until last week, my Nokia N81 had been quite reliable, but all of a sudden it's got a mind of its own, and most of my photos are scrambled, and probably beyond recovery. I was able to salvage what's here, but had so many other good ones, and it's going to take a while to get over this meltdown. Perhaps it was the ghost of Babe Ruth who didn't want a Sox fan getting too close and cozy on his holy ground. Whatever --- here's what I got - enjoy.....

As they say in this part of the world, "it's hard to be humble"...

Any 7 year American kid has this image etched in his memory forever. Your first visit to a ballpark, and you're walking up the ramp that will momentarily reveal the hallowed ground of the field in brilliant green and the vastness of the stadium itself. You never forget it...

Can you imagine sitting here to watch a game? There's a great story that I learned on the tour about the origins of the Yankees logo, which I never knew, but am sure is first nature to any Yankee fan.

Views from the Press Box...

Monument Park

Lou Gehrig, Miller Huggins, the Babe

View from the third base line in shallow left field, looking home...

Right place, right time. The Sox were playing here the next night. Gotta love this - Sox glory in the belly of the beast. I can die happy now...

Don't get to do this everyday - sit in the Yankees dugout. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. We analysts may be smart people, but I don't think we'd do to well in this ballpark...

The bullpen phone in the dugout. I wasn't able to determine if it's VoIP, but at least this lets me work in a telecom angle for my post...

All the key extensions, including Brian Cashman's. I'm sure there are lots of clever Red Sox fans who would love to try hacking their phone system and making a few prank calls to the GM...

Thanks for tour, Dialogic - see ya........

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Dialogic, Jon Arnold, Yankee Stadium

Posted by jonarnold at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)

April 18, 2008

Yankee Stadium Photos - coming Monday

This week's Dialogic analyst event included a tour of Yankee Stadium, which was a very big thing for me. As cited in an earlier post, I got a handful of good photos, and plenty more that may not be recoverable.

I was determined to post what I could salvage today, especially since the Red Sox just played there - and won last night. As they say, due to circumstances beyond my control, I can't do it today. If you're a fan of baseball, I'm sure you'll enjoy these, so come back on Monday, and I'll have them posted then.

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Dialogic, Jon Arnold, Yankee Stadium

Posted by jonarnold at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)

April 08, 2008

Serious Hardware

If you're a geek, you can skip this post. It's not what you think.

This is serious hardware for pro sports - MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL. They were all on display today as part of the Red Sox home opener. Basking in glory doesn't get much better than this, with the 2007 World Series being commemorated today, another NBA title looks pretty likely, and Super Bowl that could'a, should'a, would'a.

Any way you look at it, this must have been sports heaven on the field before the game with current and past stars/legends on hand from all the teams, along with the trophies.

Photo courtesy of Boston.com

As far as I can tell Boston has more championships in total across the big 4 team sports than any other city with one team per sport. It's not fair to lump in all the teams for megacities like New York, Chicago and LA. I also like to note that Boston one of only 3 cities to have champions in all 4 sports - Chicago and NY are the only other ones. My only qualifier here is that only SuperBowls count for NFL. The NFL is almost completely a product of television, and before 1967 it was a pretty minor and regional sport. That's another topic altogether, but I'll leave it at that for now - but happy to keep the conversation going!

And for what it's worth, DiceK pitched a beauty today, and shut out Detroit 5-0. The Sox stranded about 100 runners, so it should have been more like 15-0. It's tough to lose when you have this much pre-game hoopla and uber-karma going. Let's just hope they can bottle some of this for the rest of the season.

Oh - and I heard Bill Buckner was honored today. I guess exonerated is a better word - his Game 6 legacy can be pretty much forgiven and forgotten now that we've got a couple of new World Series under our belts. Talk about a great way to publicly wash away your sins and feel really good about it. Nicely done, and now we can focus on all the good things he did in his career. He's done his time.

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball

Posted by jonarnold at 08:08 PM | Comments (0)

April 07, 2008

Red Sox 2008 - Shaky Start - Time to Worry....

Busy as always, but with the Red Sox home opener finally upon us, I feel obliged to at least say something about their 3-4 start on the road.

Well, this past weekend was pretty good for the Celtics, disappointing for the Bruins and downright awful for the Sox, who were swept right here in Toronto by the Jays. I'm in the camp that says the Jays will be solid competitors this year, and they sure showed it against the Sox. Poor defence and relief pitching did us in, and all I can say is you have to hope this is not a sign of things to come.

There's lots to be worried about already - Beckett getting injured early on, Schilling's injury, and now Colon has a minor injury. Will Dice-K be better? Will Kevin Cash be an improvement over Mirabelli? Is Ellsbury really ready to take Crisp's job? Should Coco be traded before he becomes too disgruntled? Are Lester and Bucholz really ready to be starters? Have hitters finally figured Okijama out? Does Papelbon still have it? Is Lugo the best we can do at SS? Will Drew finally adjust to AL pitching? Is Sean Casey a good backup for Youklis?

The long, crazy road trip to start the season is a legitimate explanation for the poor start, and let's hope their return to Fenway, and receipt of their World Series rings get them back in the groove. Sure, we get to play the 0-6 Tigers, but I find it hard to believe they'll be 0-9 by Thursday night. Well, one game at a time, I guess. Lots of room for improvement, and even though they're in last place right now, you just know that's not going to last. And so far, I don't see any signs that A-Rod will single-handedly carry his team through April like last year.

With the Red Sox, there's ALWAYS something to worry about, even only a week into the season. It was no different last year, and upon re-visiting my post from this time a year ago, I can see that that the basic questions remain the same. On one level I worry that nothing has changed, but on the other hand, they did win it all with these question marks, so maybe that's not such a bad thing. Let's just hope the Tigers are 0-7 after tomorrow - the Sox really need to get their homecoming off on the right foot....

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball

Posted by jonarnold at 11:23 PM | Comments (0)

February 06, 2008

Losing is as easy as 1-2-3 --- but hope awaits...

No, this isn't about YahGooSoft - how's that for a new name? How about Yahoogle? SoftGooHoo?

This is more to do with a strange alignment of numbers that only someone like me would ever pick up on.

My Boston teams are on a losing streak right now, just days after it was looking like this would be a once-in-a-lifetime Triple Crown year for winning three world championships. Not gonna happen now - and maybe never.

Since Sunday night....

Celtics lose by 1 - AGAIN - to Cleveland, 114-113
Bruins lose by 2 to Ottawa, 4-2
Patriots lose by 3 thanks to the Manning Miracle, 17-14

Yup, easy as 1-2-3 - lose, lose, lose. Is it just me, or isn't that a neat confluence of events?

There was similar alignment a few months back where on the same day, all 3 teams had the same number of wins - 11. Again, is it just me?

So, where's the hope?

Celtics - the Big Ticket will be back soon, and with a full lineup, they don't lose games like this.

Bruins - actually not much hope there at all. Classic middle-of-pack team, going nowhere. Will make the playoffs - who doesn't?, but won't get past the first round.

Patriots - should have won, but the football Gods deemed it was time to even the score and have the bounces go the other way for a change. Pats have won their share of Super Bowls by 3 points, so now it goes the other way. Don Shula is very happy. So is Terry Bradshaw. Both stand alone in the record books, and would have had to make room for the Pats had they won. Am still in shock over this one, but it's clear the Pats need more youth on the front line. To me, they've been running on fumes since the Ravens game, and haven't beaten anyone convincingly since. I think they simply ran out of gas, and got cocky near the end. Randy Moss's true colors came out when he celebrated his TD catch, and the Pats started to look a bit like the Rams team they knocked off the first time around. And of course, why did Belichick change his hoodie? Bad move - that was their mojo, man!!!

But the biggest hope of all - thought you'd never ask - of course, comes from the Red Sox, where Spring Training is a mere 7 days away. Time sure flies, and it will be a very welcome sign. I'll still be in disbelief over the Super Bowl, and a healthy dose of hardball optimism in February should go a long way to getting over Sunday's game.

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Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold

Posted by jonarnold at 04:20 PM | Comments (0)

October 30, 2007

Happy Town

I haven't been in the city of a major sport championship when a team has actually won it since the Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series in 1992-1993. That was really great, but it's tough to beat being in Boston when the Sox swept the Rockies Sunday night. Luckily, I've been here since Saturday for Fall VON, and Jeff Pulver sure had some competition today.

The victory parade was today, and I think pretty much the whole town saw it, except for all of us holed up at VON. The convention center is pretty far from where the parade was, and there was no easy way of getting there to see it. All I could do was take in the street scene up til this morning, well before the parade made its way from Fenway Park to City Hall. The route ran right by where I'm staying, so I got a chance to see the calm before the storm.

So, the best I can do is share some photos from my N95 to capture the mood leading up to the parade last night and early this morning. Happy town, indeed....

Looking towards Fenway Park, maybe a mile away, where the parade starts...

Then, continuing along Boylston Street going towards City Hall...

The venerable Prudential tower, a real icon of the Boston skyline. All Sox fans remember how during the 2004 playoffs, the building had a huge silhouette of "Go Sox" that lit up the side facing Fenway Park.

True fans, getting a front row seat for the parade at 7:30 this morning...

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, World Series

Posted by jonarnold at 09:09 PM | Comments (0)

October 22, 2007

Sox and Rox on Fox

Gotta like the sound of that, huh? Well, I'm not going to get into a long post-mortem, but so far, so good. I've been calling for this matchup since the postseason got underway, and now we're there. 4 wins away from another championship.

Things didn't look good last week, but I was still certain they could overcome a 3-1 deficit. In my mind, the storyline was clear - Cleveland wins if it's a 5 game series, but not 7. The Sox have too much playoff experience and depth to go down in 7. Their Achilles heel has been sustaining a team effort for more than a few games. It's been true all year, and it happened with Cleveland. Great start, but they ran out of gas after the draining loss in Game 2. Once Cleveland got by Papelbon in Game 2, they had a good chance of hanging on to win that game, and that's exactly what happened.

The Sox tend to get hot top-to-bottom for a few games, and then nada. But they ALWAYS bounce back - that's been their saving grace all year long. Too many good bats in the lineup to stay cold too long.

The Sox bats went cold in Games 3 and 4 - it's just the way this team goes. Pitching wasn't really the problem those games - Cleveland was getting all the bounces and the Sox weren't. We were hitting the ball hard and well, but not in the right places. It's not like Cleveland's pitchers were overpowering the hitters. One or two breaks going Boston's way, and they could have won those games. Especially Game 4 when Cleveland got all their runs in 1 inning. If that ball gets by Wakefield to Pedroia, it's a DP, and inning over. Instead, it glances off Wake's glove, all runners are safe, and next thing you know, they've got 7 runs.

In the end, the Sox bats came around when they had to, and it was a laugher the rest of the way. With Beckett pitching so well in Game 5, you knew then that the momentum had shifted back to us, and this time, to stay. Those breaks started working against Cleveland, and at that point, they never had a chance. All I can say is poor Kenny Lofton. He's come close a few times before, and has tasted a lot of bitter losses. He had clutch hits against both the Yankees and Red Sox, but in the end, he made a couple of bonehead moves that would have been game - and Series - killers had things stayed close going into the final innings - esp Game 7.

Well, here come the Rox, and we'll soon know if the long layoff kills their mojo - and if the Sox can keep it going. Gotta play well first 2 games since we lose Ortiz's bat at Coors Field, and who knows how the cold weather and/or snow will effect guys like Beckett. I've got a feeling he'll be slated to pitch 3 times, and that could be the difference. I know what I'll be doing Wednesday night. And if the Series streches out 6 or 7 games, guess where I'll be? Fall VON - yet again, Jeff's timing is impeccable!

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, World Series

Posted by jonarnold at 04:49 PM | Comments (0)

October 08, 2007

Nervous Prediction - Sox and Rox - Sox in 6

So far, things are unfolding to plan. 3 neat and tidy sweeps in Round 1, and after last night, I can see the Yankees/Indians series going 5. But to me, that one's a total toss-up now. Indians made it look too easy in the first 2 games, and let's face it, they got some timely divine intervention in the 8th with the swarm of gnats that totally threw off Joba's game. Under normal conditions, he doesn't throw wild pitches like that, and I think Hafner was out, anyway (I think it was Hafner).

Anyhow, Cleveland got the breaks, and the Yankees were pushed back to the wall - which is when they play their best. Just wait --- A-Rod will bring his A-Game tonight, and if their bats keep booming, there will be a serious momentum swing, and Game 5 could be a formality. After all, NY did go 6-0 against the Tribe during the regular season.

In my last Red Sox post, I had conceded we were better off getting the wild card and letting Anaheim do the dirty work to take out the Yanks. Well, I'm glad I was wrong, as the Sox made it look easy - the Halos just don't have the bats, and like most teams, don't have a strong bridge to their closer, K-Rod. That's why I wanted to see the Yankees gone because they're the only team that comes close to the Red Sox to having a strong bridge. I think Joba is terrific, and the back end of their bullpen is every bit as good as the Red Sox.

At this point, I'd like to think the Sox would prefer to play Cleveland, but they really are strong, and with Clemens done, the Yankees rotation is vulnerable. I do like the Tribe, and my heart tugged when Damon hit that clutch 3 run homer yesterday to totally turn things around - shades of his clutch hitting in 2004. And again, when Trot Nixon made that fatal error on Cano's single that ended up clearing the bases and putting the game out of reach. Ugh. Two Sox mainstays doing Cleveland in when they had NY on the ropes early.

Regardless, I think the Red Sox can beat either team - so long as they play the way they are playing now. They have a habit of playing very well then playing very flat, and with almost a week layover, who know which team will show up Friday? In a way, we'd like to see the NY/Cleveland series go 5 and hope they tire each other out, right?

Presuming the Sox do their thing, it's not the Yankees I'm most worried about, and it's not the Indians either. Nope, it's the Rox. I've seen the Rockies as a dark horse ever since the Sox played them back in June, and when they opened the Phillies series by striking out the side, I could see they have the hot hand right now. Especially following their great winning run to make the playoffs and beat San Diego in that tie-breaker game. Pretty impressive.

While 3 games isn't much to go on, they definitely got the better of the Red Sox at Fenway in June. The Sox struggled to beat them 2-1 in the opener, and Wakefield pitched great. But they tore down Schilling in the second game, 12-2, and then handed Beckett his first loss of the season in the finale, 7-1. No big breakout innings, either - they just kept hitting and scoring runs, and Sox hitters just couldn't get a handle on Colorado's pitchers, none of whom are All Star material. And of course, they didn't have a DH, so on paper, we should have taken at least 2 out of 3.

I don't think the Rockies can outlast the Sox in a 7 game series, especially with us having home field/DH advantage. But I don't see a 4 game sweep either - like we did against what seemed to be a far superior Cardinals team in 2004. Who knows? All I can say is watch the Rox - they're better than you think, and the Sox will have their hands full, presuming both teams get that far. I think they will, and I'm saying now, Sox in 6.

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball

Posted by jonarnold at 09:25 AM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2007

Red Sox Freefall - Bring it On - Where's our Mojo?

HUH?

This may sound like heresy right now, but hear me out.

After last night's latest meltdown, the Sox are barely hanging on in 1st place, where they've lived comfortably for most of the season. Is The Nation in panic mode? You bet. Big time. I'm sure the New Yorker whispers of "who's your Daddy?" will be getting louder by the day. And no doubt, after the Jays play well enough to sweep the Sox at home, they will reverse the charges and lay down for a nap at Yankee Stadium the next 4 games. All of a sudden, my last post about the Sox, from our Holy Grail visit to Cooperstown - barely a month ago - seems so wistful and from another time and planet.

Amazing how much the world can change in a week. After their last win - an inspiring and emphatic 10-1 win over NY, personified by the "Hinske Charge" at home plate - order had seemed restored, especially after the unprecedented disaster the previous game. Don't forget, going in the series last weekend, the Sox had a rest day, and before that, 2 memorable come-from-behind wins over Tampa Bay. They were in a groove.

Since then, though, the Sox - like Austin Powers - have completely lost their mojo, and basically handed it to NY. These two teams have totally flip flopped compared to how the season started, and there's no doubt in my mind who the best team in baseball is right now. Have the Yankees ever had a more dominating lineup? And their playoff pitching rotation is good enough to win, and if things don't change, the Sox have nothing on them pitching-wise. All of a sudden Papelbon and Okijama - and of course Gagne - are not effective, and there are no more easy wins happening.

Even though I live in Toronto, I've been unusually lucky to be able to watch the last 5 Sox games on TV. Saturday they were on FOX, Sunday they were on ESPN, and the Toronto games here were all televised. Can't remember the last time I saw them 5 games in a row on TV. Aside from Mike Lowell, the entire team is either hurt or playing in a stupor, no doubt feeling the pressure. Oh - Schilling has actually been great too - can't fault him his last 2 starts - losing 1-0 to Sox-killer Kazmir, and then taking a 2-1 lead into the 8th Sunday, until throwing 1 pitch too many to Jeter(shades of Bucky Dent there).

Actually, if you have to boil their troubles down to one thing, it's the 8th inning. That's where they've been losing their games lately - last night's grand slam to....Russ Adams - huh? Or Tuesday night's double - again to Russ Adams. Or Jeter's bomb on Sunday. Or Okijama's total meltdown last Friday, giving up a seemingly rock-solid 5 run lead, and allowing 6 runs for the Yankees to turn a 7-2 loss into an 8-7 win. All of these in the 8th, and all our relievers had a hand in the damage. I don't know how to solve that one, other than getting the mojo back. And fast.

Enough. So, why do I say "bring it on"??? Gotta think strategically here. It's all about the playoff matchups now. NY can handle Cleveland, but not Anaheim. Right now Cleveland is hot, and even though their record is the same as Anaheim's, they should be able to finish with a better winning percentage. IF that happens - and it's a big if - it behooves the Sox to stay the course and concede 1st place to NY. It would be tough to give up home field advantage and swallow your pride for a chance to finally take the division back from NY. However, if Cleveland can finish ahead of Anaheim, the wildcard is where the Sox want to be. Am pretty sure that's how it works for the matchups.

I like the Sox's chances a lot better in this scenario - who wouldn't? Last time they played Cleveland in the playoffs (Pedro, Nomar, Bruno, Valentin...) they won in memorable style. Of course, these teams are totally different now, and today's Tribe is a very good team, but I think the Sox could beat them, and wouldn't have to leave their time zone. Let the Yankees play Anaheim and do the West coast thing, where they do not win very often. The way things are going right now, it's much better to let Anaheim do the dirty work, and give us a chance to round into playoff form with Cleveland.

It's all for naught, of course, if the Sox don't get their mojo back. If God is a Red Sox fan, Manny will come back to life, JD Drew will start hitting, Ortiz will stop trying to stretch singles into doubles, and the pitchers will revert to form. That's the team that can win it all - no doubt - but what's on the field today is going nowhere fast. Anybody seen our mojo???

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball

Posted by jonarnold at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)

August 13, 2007

Cooperstown - Will the Holy Grail Save the Sox?

I don't often do a baseball-only post, but I think this one has merit for any baseball fan. My sons and I visited Cooperstown this weekend, and it sure was fun. I can now check that one off the father/son bonding checklist, but something tells me we'll be back.

The Baseball HOF is camera-friendly, and I'm just going to post a few photos here, courtesy of my Nokia N93. Got lots more if anyone's interested.

In case you're wondering, the Holy Grail - at least for Red Sox Nation - is the "bloody sock", and we found it alright - see below. I can now say that I've lived a full life - seen all 4 Boston teams win championships, and now I've seen the sock. I can die happy now.

Oh - Cooperstown is very much Yankees country, and it's not hard to tell with all the New Yawkers there - can't miss them. I can report no incidents though, while wearing my Red Sox cap, as there were tons of New Englanders there too. And Max wore a vintage Toronto Blue Jays jersey, which registered about zero on the attention scale there.

Aside from being Yankees country, this part of NY state is classic small town America. I just can't get that Arlo Guthrie song out of my head - "City of New Orleans". Good morning, America how are ya?....

Baseball heaven - literally and figuratively...

The Phil Rizzuto "Holy Cow"; Dean in a staring contest with Christy Mathewson

Everywhere you look around Cooperstown, it's Yankees-Red Sox...

Yankees-Red Sox....

You get the idea. They sure know their market (tons of Mets stuff too). Pretty tough to be a Jays fan around here...

And to give you a warm fuzzy feeling while waiting in line to buy your tickets to the hall, you're greeted by these 2 guys....

The Red Sox Holy Grail! We finally found it - in a rather inauspicious corner, but it's there. The sock...

The shoe...

The ball...

The Holy Trinity of Red Sox Baseball...

As much as I hate to say it, the Red Sox are very much in a pennant race, thanks to their indifferent play the past 2 months, and the Yankees catching fire - and you knew they would. There's a huge NY logo in the Red Sox rear view mirror, and all of a sudden, things are looking scarily like 1978. We were up 14 on the Yankees then too, but I'd rather not complete that sentence.

So, while far from being a practising Catholic, I needed to see this Holy Grail to restore my faith that the Red Sox can hang on, and find a way to play like they were earlier in the season. They did beat Baltimore the day we were there, so that was a good sign. And the mojo from seeing Schilling's sock here sort of carried over to his start yesterday. He only gave up 1 run, so he did his job. The bullpen didn't though, and the O's won again. It's 4 games now, and Yankees look upstoppable. Better focus on something else... (but how can you?)...

Well, I will shift gears just for moment. Aside from Max's Blue Jays jersey, there were 2 visible references to Canada at Cooperstown. First, of course, is Fergie Jenkins. As far as I know, he's the only MLB player inducted to both Cooperstown and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, which we visited the week before. Are my kids, lucky, or what?

Anyhow, the second Canada siting was a rather obscure plaque outside the hall commerating a maple tree planted to recognize our links to the game, and the fact that we have a HOF too. We only stumbled across this by accident, but I can at least say Canada is part of Cooperstown. Sure hope that tree grows big and strong.

Lunch! Could there be a more perfect spot to go? As American as apple pie...

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, Cooperstown, Baseball

Posted by jonarnold at 09:07 AM | Comments (1)

August 10, 2007

In search of the bloody sock...

Heading off to Cooperstown today with my sons for the ultimate American father-son bonding experience. Been planning this for a while, and we're good to go. Should be an interesting visit in the wake of all the recent milestones - Bonds, A-Rod and Glavine - esp Bonds, of course.

Red Sox are still in first place, but it's very tenuous now, so I'll be looking for Schilling's bloody sock for some inspiration. Sox play 19 road games in August - by far their toughest month of the schedule, and if they're still playing .600 ball after that, then I'll feel a lot more confident that they'll finally win their division after the Yankees incredible run at the top.

Photos coming when we get back....

Posted by jonarnold at 09:25 AM | Comments (0)

July 06, 2007

Israel Baseball League Update

I don't post about baseball as much as I'd like, but it's nice to see that my post the other day about the Red Sox and the Israel Baseball League got some nice attention.

From all accounts, the IBL is off to a great start, and my man in Israel, the ever-present Moshe Maeir, sent me this great article on the inaugural IBL game. If you like baseball, and are even the least bit curious about its connections with Israel, you'll find this a very fun read. Gotta love this.

Technorati tags: Jon Arnold, Israel Baseball League, Baseball

Posted by jonarnold at 10:05 AM | Comments (2)

July 04, 2007

Happy July 4 - Red Sox and Israel - ??

This post is a nice excuse for an expat to say Happy July 4 - at least what's left of it. Perhaps more importantly, it's half-time for the Red Sox. I've been meaning to post about them for ages, and you may be wondering what Israel has to do with this. Read on.

I sure was nervous about the Sox after Opening Day, but the ship quickly righted itself. I've hardly written about them since, but they're pretty much on course to play .600 ball, and if this keeps up, they should crack the 100 win mark, which should be enough to finally topple the Yanks from their 11 year stranglehold of the AL East.

For a while, I wanted to post about the "Youklis Factor", and by now, it's pretty clear that Kevin Youklis is a major league talent. He's arguably the key difference from last year to explain how the Red Sox have been able put so much distance between themselves and NYY. When you go up and down the rosters, and compare players on a positional basis, the Yankees have it all over the Sox - at least on paper. The only spot where the Sox have a clear advantage is 1B, where Youklis usually plays. Last year, Ortiz was their only clear-cut advantage, but his mojo is somewhere else right now.

Pitching, of course, is the other big difference, and no doubt, the Sox have the edge on the Yankees, pretty much across the board. I think Papelbon/Rivera is a toss-up - most people would say Papelbon hands-down, but Rivera has had so few chances to close this year. It's not that he's lost it - he just hasn't been needed very much since the Yankees have been losing so often, and worse, blowing leads late in the game.

When they're all healthy - and that includes Timlin, Donnelly, Lester, and even Clement - I'd say the Red Sox have the strongest pitching staff in baseball, and that alone should be able to carry them to win it all. I really think so.

I digress. Back to Youklis. The media often says he's Greek, but he's not. He's Jewish - really! He's definitely in the minority as a ballplayer, but there are a handful of others - such as Shawn Green, Brad Ausmus, and until last year, Gabe Kapler. Anyhow, that was my original tie-in to a Red Sox/Jewishness post.

It's a thin connection, I know, and it harkens back to an old post from 2005, where I drew some parallels to the Green Monster and the Wailing Wall. It may sound strange, but it's clear as mud to me, although I've yet to see anyone else make this connection. Check out the photos for yourself.....

Let's zoom back to the present. I recently read an article in the Globe & Mail about the newly-formed Israel Baseball League. I'm not kidding! It's a great article, and that was going to be the basis for my tie-in to an updated post on the Red Sox, and would be a great theme to build on the "Jew-klis" factor. That all ties together nicely, don't you think?

Anyhow, the online version of the article is only accessible on a paid basis, so I can't link it here. That's too bad, as it had some additional Red Sox/New England/Jewish threads that would have made this post even better. Dang.

I'll have to leave that one to your imagination, but here's a pretty good Plan B. How about this for another believe-it-or-not citing? You ready ---- a writeup of the launch of the Israel Baseball League in Al Jazeera. Who'd-a-thunk? Not a source one would normally attribute to a story about a decadent Western past time, let alone a league that's based in Israel. I could have cited many other sources telling this story, but when I saw this, I just had to share it. Mainly because it's really well written, and it's 100% objective. Straight-up reporting, with no agendas or political or religious slants. It's really nice to see, given how readily this source is slammed by the Western media. Of course, their op-ed section may be a different story, but hey, this post is about baseball, not the Middle East. How's that for a nice twist to tie all this together?

Just to conclude, some thoughts on what the second half of the season holds for the Sox. The Red Sox are a streaky team, and that's the only thing I can see that will do them in --- barring major injuries. They've had contributions at various times up and down the lineup. That's a big plus from last year where they leaned so much on Papi to win games for them, and occasionally Manny. If they get this balance, they'll win 100 games. Plus, it's a lineup that's well below its potential. The heart of the order is at half-production - Ortiz/Ramirez/Drew. If/when they play where they're supposed to be, they'll truly be a dominant team that can easily afford to carry the lightweight bats of Lugo and Crisp. We'll see.

On the mound, if Beckett doesn't revert to NL form in the second half, the Sox should have 2 20 game winners, and possibly 3 if Schilling comes back healthy and pitches at peak performance. I don't think he will, but it's nice to dream. If Lester can pitch at a major league level, they'll have the best starting 5 in team history, plus having a lefty in the mix. Tavarez has been very effective in his place, he'll help make their middle relief a very strong bridge to the best setup/closer tandem in baseball - Okajima and Papelbon.

Overall, I just don't see any big holes here. Do you? Well - one. I mentioned their offense is streaky. They've lost a lot of low scoring games by 1 run lately, and this doesn't happen when they're hitting. When their bats go into a collective funk, they choke - leaving men on base constantly - especially with Manny up, popping out on 3-1 counts, striking out, hitting weak rollers on the first pitch, etc. The Red Sox psyche is very fragile, and when it's not happening, they seem to go on autopilot, and get beat by very ordinary pitchers. Even worse when it's Rivera time. Enough about that - let's stay positive.

Here are 3 very strong positives to take away going into the All Star break...

1. Only 6 games left to play with the Yankees. Barring another massacre, there aren't enough head-to-head games for NY to make up lost ground.

2. Incredibly, no games yet with Tampa Bay until yesterday. How could this happen - playing half a season without facing this team at all? Sure, these are the "pesky" Devil Rays, but it's comforting to know that 1 in 5 of your remaining games will be against one of the worst teams in baseball. Gotta like that. It's ours to lose, right?

3. Only 1 more West coast trip, coming in early August. They had 2 of these trips bunched together in June, and came out of it ok - not great, but ok. In fact, aside from this August swing, they only travel outside EST for 1 other series - 4 games in Chicago. Actually, their remaining Western trip will be a real test. They have 3 in Seattle, where they've lost 7 straight, including a 3 game sweep out there last week - the last 2 being 1-run losses. Seattle is very hot right now, but with their manager quitting on them out of the blue, I suspect they won't be so lucky next time around. After Seattle, they have 3 in Anaheim. The Sox handled them very well early in the season at home, but the Angels always start slow, and right now, they're on par with the Sox, and many feel they are a more dangerous and better balanced team. This series could well be a preview of the ALCS. Looking forward to it.

Better stop now - I think I've covered everything. If you're still with me here, then you must be a Red Sox fan, and I'm thrilled you're along for the ride. Go Sox!

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, Israel Baseball League, Baseball

Posted by jonarnold at 08:28 PM | Comments (3)

June 13, 2007

Skype History Made in Fenway Park

Very cool post from fellow blogger and Torontonian, Jim Courtney. As you may know, he's quite the techhie, and writes - very well - for Skype Journal.

Well, Jim is at a Skype Developer's conference in Boston this week, and he took in his first-ever visit to Fenway Park. Just when you thought I was about to sneak in a Red Sox post - which is long overdue, but the way they're tanking tonight, I'm not in the mood - this is very much an IP communications story.

As you'll see in his Skype Journal post yesterday, Jim made history at Fenway Park on Tuesday. The big deal is this - Jim figured out how send a Skype IM over his Blackberry at the conference, and by his estimation, sent the first such message ever from Fenway Park. Very neat. Not quite a "Watson, come here, I need you" moment, but when the annals of Skype are written - and perhaps sold off on eBay... - this may well find its way into the historical timeline chart. Maybe not, but it sure must have felt good doing so.

And guess what? I was supposed to be his Watson on this first-ever event! Yup, I was the first person Jim Skyped to have this IM conversation via his Blackberry, but nooooooooooo, I was too busy to partake. Plan B - not surprisingly, was Alec Saunders - and not surprisingly, Alec was there for Jim, and you can read all about their IM chat on Jim's post. Way to go, Alec! At least Jim kept the thread going in Canada. Would have been really cool if Alec was in Brantford at the time, but Ottawa will do.

Technorati tags: Skype, Jon Arnold, Skype Journal, Jim Courtney, Blackberry, Alec Saunders

Posted by jonarnold at 09:03 PM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2007

Blogs, Baseball and a Bloody Sock - Why Not?

Just a quick post about a news item that combines a few things that I really like - baseball and blogging. Not so sure about the blood part, but just like Tommy Lasorda bleeds Dodger blue, it's only fitting that players for the Red Sox bleed red - right?

So, there's been a bit of a story brewing in the sports media that the fabled "bloody sock" from Curt Schilling during the 2004 ALCS Series against the Yankees - perhaps THE defining moment in Red Sox history - was bogus. You don't have to look far to find this story, along with the subsequent denials from the Red Sox to discredit this ridiculous claim. The more I think about it, this is sounding a bit like Verizon's patent claims - I digress.....

Well, this could be a lame excuse to talk about the Red Sox, who are off and running, and have a golden opportunity this weekend to stick it to the Yankees right in George's house - weather permitting. I won't deny that, but what I really want to post about is that the protagonist in this story - Curt Schilling - who we all know is outspoken and very media friendly (he's a regular on the Boston sports talk show scene)- also happens to have a blog. It's called 38 Pitches, where he blogs not just about baseball, but his personal life and his activities outside of baseball. If you're a gamer, you might already know this, as gaming is one of his passions, and 38 Studios is a venture he started up to develop games. It's all there on the blog if you want to poke around.

Back to the sock incident - they picked the wrong guy to accuse for a sensational story, and Curt has wasted no time putting up his personal take on the matter. Today's post, titled "Ignorance has its privileges", provides his rebuttal to this nonsense, along with his some criticism about the media in general, especially when the media itself becomes the story, as opposed to getting the story.

I've scanned the major U.S. sports sites, and while everyone is talking about this story, outside of the Boston sports media, Curt's post isn't being picked up. Either they're steering clear of it because they don't like the message - or they don't know what to make of jocks who blog (which may well be true). Or they don't know he's got a blog - which I would be surprised to learn. In any event, if ESPN was smart, they'd get an RSS feed going to my blog, at least for my Red Sox posts! :-))

There's a whole can of worms here around sports stars and celebrities who blog, since they're going to have a built-in following, and you never know what their real agenda is. That's another discussion, but I just wanted to tie in a few themes here, since this story just emerged the other day, and it happens to focus on a guy who blogs, and is pretty articulate in the first place, and just happens to play for the Red Sox.

I'm done - back to work...

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, Curt Schilling, baseball

Posted by jonarnold at 09:44 AM | Comments (0)

April 03, 2007

Red Sox Opening Day - Worried Already

I haven't blogged about the Red Sox for ages, and probably should have written up my outlook for this year. Too late now, and I'm worried already. No need to re-hash yesterday's ugly loss to the Royals, but for a Red Sox fan it's never too early to think the sky is falling.

Lots of ominous signs for sure, and I really hope this isn't a sign of things to come....

- no offence to speak of - but they do get off to a promising start, scoring in the first inning
- Ortiz drives in the only run
- Manny comes up empty
- JD Drew gets a hit, but no damage
- Coco Crisp is invisible down at the bottom of the order
- Varitek doesn't produce much either
- Schilling has his shortest outing in 10 years

We saw a lot of this last year, and the patterns are repeating already. Ughhh. They produced no offense during Spring Training, and you have to wonder why. No way they'll be able to keep pace with the Yankees and the Jays hitting like that. The pitching will be fine, but you need offense to win games. And Lugo/Pedroia is not an upgrade defensively over Gonzalez and Loretta, and that will catch up to them sooner or later.

Anyhow, it's a day off to regroup, and see how Beckett does tomorrow.

I'm away at a Cisco channel summit this week, so blogging will be light the next few days. I'll leave you with one more source to mine if you're still dwelling on the Opening Day letdown. Curt Schilling has a blog, and it's widely/wildly followed by the Nation, so be my guest if you want to read his blow-by-blow account. And if that doesn't sate your anxiety, you can just keep going and read the 200+ fan comments about his post. How's that for tying in the Red Sox and the world of IP?

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, Curt Schilling, baseball

Posted by jonarnold at 06:06 PM | Comments (0)

December 13, 2006

Red Sox Land "Dice K" - the Nation Smiles

I've been quiet on the Red Sox front, but just have to cite the good news. From all accounts, the Sox have a deal with Daisuke Matsuzaka, and if things go to plan, they should have the best rotation in baseball, end of story. So, Johnny Damon and friends will now have to learn a new word - all together now - MAT - SU - ZAKA. It's a bit like Matsui, guys, but he doesn't have the gyro pitch.

Here he is, arriving on Red Sox Airways! A bit like the Beatles at Shea, at least for some of us. Photo courtesy of the Boston Globe.

So, if he's the real deal, the Sox will be in great shape. It's been a banner day for the Nation, as Julio Lugo was introduced today, and even Doug Mirabelli has agreed to stay on another year. Add in J.D. Drew - who may or may not work out - and Timlin staying for another year, and the team will have filled a lot of holes, and possibly upgraded their offense.

Oh, and for what it's worth, Gabe Kapler has retired at the ripe age of 31, and is staying around to coach in the Sox's minor league system. Always liked him, but after tearing his Achilles heel - right here in Toronto, that was just about it for him. Anyone who saw this would surely say it was one of the most bizarre things they've ever seen on a sports field. Ask me later if you didn't see it.

Now, two BIG questions remain:

1. Manny - will he stay or will he go? I say he stays, which would make for a scary 3-4-5 combo - presuming he's motivated and can still be Manny in Papi's large shadow.

2. A closer. Still the big hole, but there's time to figure this one out. Let's not forget that Jon Lester recovered nicely, and has a great future when he's healthy enough to play again

Smaller question - Coco Crisp. I still think he's another Renteria, but maybe he can bring his game to where everyone thought it would be next year. He's still with us, so I guess that's what the hope is.

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball

Posted by jonarnold at 08:22 PM | Comments (1)

October 26, 2006

These are a few of my favorite things...

If you read my blog regularly, you know I really love music, and this lyric comes to mind for this post. I'll just stick to the vocalized version, but you can be sure I've got John Coltrane's epic version going on in my head. It doesn't get any better than that, but that's another conversation...

With the World Series thankfully resuming tonight (and can you believe there are NO New York teams in it???), there was a really great and timely feature in today's Globe & Mail about MLB.com. Next to Google, this is the best Web 2.0 platform ever created, and I don't think anybody ever thought it would be so successful and profitable.

Grant Robertson does a great job telling the story in today's paper, and it's a solid read that brings two of my favorite things together - baseball and the Internet. One of the points that really sticks with me in the article is the fact that while baseball is the most traditional of all major league sports (Pro Sports 1.0 at best), they have written the book Pro Sports 2.0, and are miles ahead of all the other sports in terms of embracing the Internet.

To me, that's a HUGE takeaway, and validation that any business in any industry has an opportunity to do the same. So, when you hear about the Big 3 auto makers getting buried again by their Asian competitors, don't tell me there isn't a way for them to use the Net to somehow - someway connect with car buyers in a Web 2.0 way that really grabs them, and redefines their relationship with the customer. The possibilities are endless, and I have no doubt they're on the case, as I'm sure others are in other industries.

All I'm trying to say is that if MLB can do it, pretty much anybody can. After all, in baseball parlance, we're only in the first inning of the game, and it's a l-o-n-g season.

Go Tigers!

Technorati tags: Major League Baseball, Jon Arnold, Web 2.0

Posted by jonarnold at 08:31 PM | Comments (0)

September 26, 2006

Red Sox Fade to Third - Down and Out

The Red Sox season has been over for a while, and I'm not going to get into that now. Last night they played the finale of a 4 game set here in Toronto, and it was the Jays's last home game of the season. The Sox played like they cared in the first two games, but went out meekly and quietly in the last two. Taking 3 of 4, the Jays slipped past the Sox, moving 1/2 a game ahead into second place. Oy.

Sorry folks, but I can't remember the last time the Sox were in 3rd place this late in the year, and the same for the Jays being in 2nd place. Well, being a Sox fan living in Toronto, it was a strange game last night. I was in the cheap seats courtesy of a baseball buddy who talked me into coming out to the game. I expected the Sox to be flat, boy, did they deliver.

So, that's all I'm gonna say - I'm sad to say I was witness to this trading of places in the standings. It may not last, but for a least a day, the Jays can be pretty happy about where they are. Actually, they've had a great season considering their injuries, and they will definitely be a factor next year and beyond.

For what it's worth, the combined payrolls of the Jays and Sox are a touch less than the Yankees. I think if you took the best 10 guys from each team and put them together, the Red Jays could give the Yanks a good run for the money. But that's not gonna happen, and boy, do the Sox have some work to do in the off season.

Here's the view from 500 level seats in the Rogers Center courtesy of my Nokia N90 - I can't imagine being this far away from the action in any ball park, and I've been to quite a few.

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold

Posted by jonarnold at 09:34 AM | Comments (3)

August 28, 2006

Next Year, Next Year

Last time I commented about the Red Sox I said I wouldn't get into a lengthy post-mortem. The Boston Massacre II had taken place, and well, it was pretty clear that when it matters, the 2006 Red Sox are not in the same league as the Yankees. It's hard to come out and say that, and for much of the season it wasn't true. But it's true now, and the Fenway sweep pretty much says it all.

When the Sox play well, they're solid - not a complete team, but top tier. But looking at where these two teams are at now, and the road ahead, a positional breakdown comes out heavily in NY's favor:

Lowell/Hinske vs. A-Rod - NY
Gonzalez/Cora vs. Jeter - NY
Loretta vs. Cano - NY
Youklis vs. Giambi - NY
Varitek/Mirabelli vs. Posada - BOS (maybe)
Ramirez vs. Sheffield/? - BOS - but not by much
Coco vs. Damon - NY - in spades
Nixon/Pena/Kapler vs. Abreu/Matsui - NY
Ortiz vs. anyone else - BOS - in spades
Top 3 starters - EVEN - slight edge to BOS
Starting rotation - EVEN - both inconsistent
Middle relief - NY
Setup - NY
Papelbon vs. Rivera - NY
Francona vs. Torre - NY
Epstein vs. Cashman - NY - this time around
Heart/soul/desire/will/clutch - NY

Looking at like this, it's really hard to see how the Red Sox can come out ahead, and even though there are 30+ games left, you just know it's over. Ever the optimist, I still held out some hope after the big sweep. After all, the Sox hit the road, regroup and maybe get their mojo back. And yes, the Yankees have faltered, and if things were going right, the Sox could still be in range. But the Yankees have left the Sox on the mat, and they've shown no signs of getting up.

Six games into this road trip, and it's clear, they're not bouncing back, and it just looks to me like they've stopped playing for Tito and conceded the season. Now the injuries are popping up, and all kinds of things will start to go wrong. The Red Sox psyche is fragile by nature, and when it falters, it spirals downward in a hurry. No doubt there will be housecleaning, and Coco is looking a lot like Edgar Renteria. If Vernon Wells chooses not to stay here in Toronto, he would be a huge upgrade for the Sox, and this is one case where they won't lose him to the Yankees.

So, I'll leave it at that, and just wonder a bit if the Babe is still looking over our shoulder...

Source: Boston Public Library

Finally, the inspiration for this posting came from an email one of my long-time Boston friends sent the other day, and wraps things up nicely...

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball

Posted by jonarnold at 10:24 PM | Comments (0)

August 21, 2006

Back to Work - Fall VON Ramp Up

It's great being on vacation, but there's no way to ease back to work. I've had 4 briefings today, and not much bandwidth left to get back into a working rhythm. I can see it will take a few days to catch up on news and old emails and re-energize for things like blogging. When I'm on vacation, I'm on vacation, so I have no idea what's been happening in the last week. But I'll have to work fast to catch up as back-to-school is around the corner, and when you have kids, there's no escaping what's needed to re-program them.

That said, one thing I do know is that Fall VON is coming up fast. It's certainly worth citing since this is the 10th anniversary, which I think is a pretty big deal in this space, and Jeff will receiving a healthy share of well-deserved kudos over the next while.

You don't have to look far to get a taste for the buzz around this event, which is going to be the biggest VON yet, and one with a fresh focus on video, which Jeff has been keenly focused on all year. Easiest place is to go directly to the source, as in Jeff's blog, where he posted about the show today.

I'll be attending the full conference, so feel free to let me know if you want to connect that week. You can also catch me on the Analyst Roundtable on Monday afternoon, during the FMC pre-conference track.

To close off here, I can't mention being in Boston in September without talking about the Red Sox. Normally, this creates conflicts for me at Fall VON, but not this year, certainly after today. I'm as die-hard as they come, but as of about 1:15am early this morning, I conceded the season. It's not worth talking about, but over a beer in the Back Bay at VON, I'm happy to deconstruct the season and Theo-rize about how to put Humpty Dumpty back together again for 2006. Any takers?

And to bring this back to Jeff, the Yankees are all yours. It's not going to be the 1986 Mets/Sox rematch I was thinking about, but rather another NY subway series.

Technorati tags: VON, Jon Arnold, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jonarnold at 09:51 PM | Comments (1)

June 30, 2006

Coco Saves the Day

Yeahhhhh....sometimes a picture is worth 1000 words. Nothing to add - great homestand, Red Sox. Coco saves the game, and the Mets go home empty handed. Sorry Pedro....

Photo courtesty Boston.com

Posted by jonarnold at 10:51 AM | Comments (0)

June 27, 2006

Sox-Mets - World Series Preview?/1986 Revisited

Only in Boston do they celebrate losers! I'm not sure if this is pathetic, or the mark of a great sports town with a sense of history. The answer is obvious to me, and believe me, they wouldn't be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 1986 World Series if they hadn't won in 2004. That would be really sad.

All I can say is that if it goes well, I have no doubt next year will be the 40th anniversary of the 1967 "Impossible Dream" Red Sox, who lost heroically to the Bob Gibson Cardinals, of course, in 7. The Sox always lose in 7! I remember it like it was yesterday, as do millions of Nation followers, and if the Cardinals are slated for an interleague visit next year, it sure would be fun to see the likes of Yaz and Gibson again. I digress, but in a nice way....

So, tonight - weather permitting - interleague play continues, and the Red Sox host the Mets. Normally this wouldn't merit a blog post, but the stars have lined up to make this a special event. At this point in the season, these are arguably the two best teams in baseball, and I think there's a pretty strong chance they will meet again in October.

With all this good karma happening, it's no surprise the Red Sox are making a big deal about the 20th anniversary of the 1986 World Series, which does not bear repeating here. But in case you need to know, I'll reprise the box scores, and you can draw your own joyous or painful conclusions...

Perhaps things will be different this year - the season is barely halfway over - lots can and will happen. If you thought Johnny Damon's return to Fenway was fun, I can't wait to see how things go on Wednesday when Pedro makes his return, squaring off against Beckett.

I'm going to close out with two short references to 1986. It's hard not to get pulled back to this today, so this is a form of catharsis to get it out of my system. Then I can serenely return to the 21st Century and think about what today's heroes - Papi, Manny, Papelbon - might do in this series.

First, an anecdote. I watched Game 7 of that series at a friend's house. I lived in an apartment building then (in Toronto), and after parking my car in the garage (following a very quiet, pondering drive home), I get on the elevator up to my floor. I'm joined by someone else, who I recognized as a neighbor on my floor. Yeesh - I remembered, he was from Boston too, and we both had this sullen, hollowed-out look of defeat. It was obvious we had both come home from watching the game, and never raised our heads to make eye contact. Just stared blankly at the floor - WE KNEW - there was nothing to say, just silent suffering. Never saw him again...

On a visual note, Jeff Pulver's office is quite a site. Amidst all the rock momentos, cool posters, gadgets and knick knacks, this sits quietly in the corner, propped up against the window...

Oh, cruel ye gods. Captured at the moment of humility, the Buckner Incident that in an instant tore the heart out of New England, because we knew then and there that victory had been snatched away again by the baseball gods. There was a lot more baseball to be played before the series was over, but you just knew then it was over.

Not only is this picture a painful reminder, but it's autographed by both Buckner and Mookie!!!!! It's hard to see from the photo, but it's there. Jeff is a lucky guy to have this, and I hope he enjoys it. I could never do the same. Mind you, I need to be nice to Jeff because he has Mets tickets! If our teams meet again in October, I'll make sure to let him know that if he needs company, I'm there.....

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jonarnold at 09:29 AM | Comments (1)

June 09, 2006

White Sox/Tigers Highlights

On the last night of Globalcomm (Wednesday), my good friend Kevin Petschow, who's with Cisco, took me out to the ballgame. He's a long time CWS supporter, and I didn't mind cheering for those other Sox for a change. Turned out to be a good move, based on how vocal the fans around us were! As it turned out, the Sox won a close game, 4-3. And my Sox were rained out with the Yankees, so I wasn't distracted watching the scoreboard.

This is my last post related to Globalcomm. Again, the photos and video are from my Nokia N90. Not so great for wide angle pix, but the best of the bunch are here. Video is always tricky with live sports, since you never know when a big play will happen. Of course I missed the home runs, as well as Bobby Jenks making short work in the 9th to notch the save, but the clip I did get was fun. Check it out - the link is at the bottom of this post. I managed to catch what unfolded leading up to the winning run being scored, but the real fun is watching the fans razz the Tiger left fielder who misplayed the ball right in front of us. Yeowww. Enjoy!

Take me out the ball game.......

Kevin in his home whites; and me, in my....well, at least I've got my Red Sox cap

Picture perfect night for a game. See the pinwheels on top of the giant scoreboard - fireworks come out when the Sox homer or win.

Our view - twilight before the game, then during the game. Everyone loves a winner - the Sox draw real well these days. No longer the poor South Side cousins to those uppity Cubs.

Jim Leyland says "we're gonna win tonite".
Mr. Contreras, warming up right by our seats, is thinking the same thing. He turns out to be right, upping his record to 6-0. He's won 14 straight decisions, so it's hard to argue with the hot hand. Cy Young material? Maybe. I'll stick with my iron horse, Schilling for that call. He subdued the Yankees last night, and is 9-2 now - tops for wins in the AL.

The Sox finally got some championship banners to show off. Take that Cubbies - this is our town now! 1908? That's so last century, and no signs of changing history anytime soon. Such passionate fans - oh my, this is something you'd never see in Toronto...

Finally, here's the video clip I was describing earlier. It starts slow - not much happening, and then a hit. The left fielder Gomez boots it, allowing a runner to score, which turns out to be the game-winner. Towards the end of the clip, the chants of "GO-MEZ" get louder and louder. Tough crowd - poor guy.

If there's any consolation, the Tigers won the next game and are still in first place. If the season ended today, the White Sox would just barely edge out my Red Sox for the wildcard. However, we have a long way to go, and both the Tigers and Yankees will fade. The White Sox don't quite have the mojo this year, but enough to take the division, and if the Red Sox pitching holds up, this could finally be the year they finish ahead of NY. Now, if the Sox - Red and White - meet again in the postseason... I'm not going there yet - way too early to suss that one out.

Quick coda - if you're a White Sox fan, you may want to poke around on the YouTube site where my clips are stored. On the page that hosts my clip, you'll find tons of other user-generated clips by White Sox fans. Have fun...

Technorati tags: baseball, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold

Posted by jonarnold at 10:23 AM | Comments (1)

May 01, 2006

Mayday, Mayday! - Johnny Comes Marching Home

Well, it's May 1st - and it really does feel like May Day. Well, Mayday, actually. The Red Sox Nation has had this date circled on their calendar ever since Johnny Damon went over to the Evil Empire.

When Johnny met Manny... happier times - never! (courtesy of Boston.com)

Tonight marks the return of JD to Fenway, as the Yankees and Sox meet for the first time this year. On paper, the two teams are fittingly tied for first place in a competitive division, but on the field, they're going in very different directions. It's only one month into the season, and I'm worried - very worried.

The Yankees are playing the kind of baseball that won them championships a few years back, while the Red Sox have gone into a black hole that I have no idea how they'll get out of. They return home after a disastrous 3 and 6 road trip - first time in 3 years they've dropped 3 series in row.

The first game of that trip was right here in Toronto, and it may have set the tone for the rest of the season. Going into that game, things were going smoothly, and the Sox were looking like the team to beat. They were cruising along 6-2 in the 8th inning, and Beckett was looking like the guy we wanted when we signed him. Then the wheels came off, and the Jays made an inspired comeback to tie it, and outlast the Sox to win it in 12. Beckett was shelled even worse next outing Cleveland, giving up 9 runs in like 3 inninings. Huh?? The only good that came out of that trip was Manny ending the longest homerless drought of his career.

It's the nature of a Sox fan to worry, and there's plenty of reason right now. I think everyone is happy to see Theo Epstein back, but the roster overhaul is not giving us the team we need. Just a few things to consider that are not working out yet as planned...

- Coco Crisp - should, and probably will be right move. But he's been hurt, playing only 5 games so far. So, nothing there, and we don't have that table-setter to get those big rallies going. So far, it doesn't look like Damon has missed a beat in NY - he's brought so much to their game, and they sure look strong now.

- Josh Beckett - a bit of a risk, but a key move to get a second ace for the rotation. Had a great start, but has totally flamed out the last 2, and he faces the Yankees tomorrow night. What, me worry?

- Tim Wakefield - has actually pitched very well, but Josh Bard can't handle the knuckleball, and he's losing games he normally wins, and all those passed balls are costing us games. To boot, having Varitek sit every fifth game to have Bard's weak bat in the lineup is a bad idea. Can someone please make a deal to get Mirabelli back?

- Giving up Arroyo for Pena - these are the kinds of bad moves the Sox used to make. What looked like a strong pitching unit has turned out to be anything but, and Arroyo is sorely missed. He's shining in Cinci, and is even keeping pace with Manny in the HR department. To think that he took below market value to stay with the Sox, and we then shipped him to the NL... To boot, Wily Mo is a strikeout machine and a liability in the field. He did come through yesterday, but he's left a lot of men on base. So, the Sox have taken two steps backwards on this deal.

- Manny who? What is he waiting for? You have to wonder if he's feeling overshadowed by Papi and doesn't like being second slugger. Manny being Manny - that never changes, but we need his bat, big time.

- Mark Loretta - his defence has been good, for sure, but he's barely hitting .200. Should he really be hitting second? We need something better in this spot to set the table for Ortiz and Manny.

- Matt Clement/David Wells. If these guys pitched well, the Sox have perhaps the best rotation in baseball. Of course that's a big if. It looks like Wells is done, and Clement has quickly reverted to form for the second half of last year, which was awful. He does give you innings, but when he loses it, we lose. Why can't we have the Matt from the first half of last year when he was a deserving All Star?

- Pitching roster is looking very shaky overall. On paper, we have 5 quality starters, which should carry you a long way. Wakefield will never be fully effective until the catching situation is fixed. Right now, we only seem to have one reliable starter in Schilling, and the middle relief is just a disaster. There's NOONE in that group who can come into a game and stop the bleeding. This is where the Sox are losing games - in the 6th and 7th innings, before they can bring in their good arms. Again, this is where Arroyo would have been so valuable.

- Where's the offence gone? Aside from Ortiz's superman numbers in April, there's nothing shaking here. Nobody else is coming up with clutch hits, and they can't get any rallies going. They must be leading the league with runners LOB, and near the bottom for homers and stolen bases. Time after time they've got good hitters coming up with men on base, and they're just not cashing in. It's costing them games, they're losing ground to both the Jays and Yankees who definitely have a knack of bringing their runners home.

- Finally, what you see is the team we've got. It's not like the Sox are racked with injuries. Aside from Coco and Wells, the team is pretty healthy. The offence just has to improve or we're going nowhere. The pitching has been problematic, but good hitting and offence will negate a lot of that, especially when you've got a great closer.

So, there's LOTS of room for improvement. Of course, there have been some bright lights so far, and that's at least given them a winning record in April. Papelbon has been perfect, and is preserving the wins that Foulke was giving up so painfully last year. That's huge. It's been a while since the Sox have had anyone they can trot out to shut down the Yankees and counter the all powerful Rivera. That said, Foulke has pitched well, but even he knows that Papelbon is the man right now to close.

Schilling has also been great, and really does look to be back in winning form. The Sox have to have that to be contenders. Same goes for Beckett, but now he's got to prove his mettle after his last 2 train wreck starts. He'll have his chance tomorrow night.

Of course, Ortiz has been even better than hoped for, but it's very troubling to see Manny not feeding off this to raise his game.

Finally, the new look infield has been a huge upgrade, and the Sox are right at the top alongside the Twins in team defence. Again, they're saving games that guys like Renteria were throwing away for us last year. Gonzalez has the good glove, and we can live with his low average in the #9 spot - so long as the guys ahead of him are hitting a lot higher. That's not really happening right now, and the bottom 4 of the order is too weak for a contender.

So, a lot of problems are compounding each other, and the good things are being overshadowed by problems that weren't supposed to be there. Well, they've been laid bare, especially on this last road trip. This mini-series with the Yankees will be a big reality check. Is it too soon to be screaming Mayday??? Hopefully not. The Sox have a way of picking up their game against New York, but if they get blown out, I can guarantee you, the alarm bells will be ringing by Wednesday.

Posted by jonarnold at 09:10 AM | Comments (1)

April 21, 2006

Google, Miro, Slingbox, Red Sox - Many Questions

It's one of those days where I don't have much to say, and am quite busy fulfilling projects for my clients. So for today, I've just got some loose ends to share - but these stories raise some really interesting questions. In this Web 2.0 world, the ground at our feet is like sand - always shifting, and everyone leaves a different imprint.

First up, fellow Canadian/Bruins fan/gadget guy, Jim Courtney.

Jim has recently become a contributing editor for Skype Journal, so he's got a great high profile soapbox now. Loved his post yesterday about getting interviewed by CBC about Slingbox.

It's a great sign of the times when our #1 national TV broadcaster does a story about Slingbox, which was just launched in Canada at the end of March. For those who can watch CBC, the segment is supposed to air next Monday or Tuesday at 6:30 according to Jim. Hopefully this piece will help spread the word about Slingbox and what place shifting is all about. As Jim says, it would be even neater if they made the segment available on their website, which is really another form of place shifting. Great going Jim - will try to watch it.

Next item - Miro and Google. You've all seen it, right?

Have to admit, it's well done, and the intentions seemed right - to honor Joan Miro's birthday. Given how Google is everywhere these days, you just know something had to come from this. I don't think this had much to do with their great earnings numbers, but there doesn't seem to be much right now they can't do.

Anyhow, I'm too busy to get into the details now, and I'll steer you instead to today's post by Alec Saunders. It's a great read and touches on the kinds of questions that come to mind for me.

It has raised all kinds of issues around copyright, artistic license, and plagarism, and makes you really wonder what rules will ultimately prevail in the digital world. I don't think Google expected the response it got, especially from ARS - the Artists Rights Society. And as Alec points out, the Miro family is probably missing out on a wonderful opportunity for Google to actually bring Joan Miro's art to a broader audience. Talk about a different kind of mashup! Just another hat for Google to wear - goodwill ambassador for the arts. Maybe this is the start of a trend where we'll start seeing stylized logos from Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. for other artists. The possibilities are endless and could create a whole new pot of gold for licensing logos to get treatments by other artists. No doubt Andy Warhol would just be loving this...

Finally, the Red Sox.

Am a bit anxious after last night's finale of their homestand. Should have swept TBay and gone 7-3, but we may be seeing an early Achilles Heel here - their inability to hit southpaws. Kazmir had them stoned, and Wakefield wasted another great outing. Go figure - he only gives up 1 hit through 6 innings - and is down 2-1. Huh???? Another passed ball cost us a run, and then the wheels came off in the 8th. Can we do something, please, to get Mirabelli back? At least Foulke pitched well, and the tying run did come up with only 1 out in the 9th. But it was not to be.

Well, I get to see the Sox for real tonight - no Slingbox for me this time, Jim! They're here to play the Jays, and I'm going with my 13 year old, Max - hope to post some pix and clips over the weekend. Jays took 2 of 3 at Fenway, so we'll be looking to get even. The big hope is that Manny hits very well at Rogers Center - nee SkyDome - and he's so due it isn't funny. And talk about a fab pitching matchup tonight - Beckett vs. Burnett - the 2 biggest off season pitcher signings. Should be a great game. Only a true fan can get this into a ball game so early in the season - can't help it....

Posted by jonarnold at 11:19 AM | Comments (0)

April 11, 2006

Papi Hapi - Let's Play Ball!

Gotta put VoIP aside for a few minutes to contemplate Opening Day at Fenway for the Nation. It's the 95th home opener for the Sox, and for the first time in many seasons, all looks well. Strong start on the road, everyone is contributing, the new players are fitting in, the Yankees look anemic, and we've got Mr. Ortiz on our side for the forseeable future. He got his $52 million, 4 year extension, and everyone seems happy about the situation. So, bring on Josh Beckett's Fenway debut at 2pm - against the Jays - of course!

Posted by jonarnold at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)

April 03, 2006

VON Canada - Day 1

It's been a full day at VON Canada here in Toronto, with the highlights for me being Alec Saunders's presentation (filling in admirably where Niklas Zennstrom was scheduled to speak), the Skype developer's panel, and the blogger panel at the end of the day.

Right now, time only allows for me to post some photos and a video clip off my Nokia N90. Hope to add some narrative tomorrow...

Mark Evans, Dror Bukai:

Alec Saunders, Ronald Gruia/IMS General Session:

Sue/Ally (VON's PR dynamic duo), Blogger's panel:

Jim Courtney, demonstrating the magic of Slingbox. My world stopped at 2pm when Jim told me we could watch the Red Sox season opener on his PC via his Slingbox home setup. Boy, it was hard to walk away from this. Second photo is a closeup capturing Coco Crisp's very first regular season at bat for the Sox (he struck out - but the Sox won 7-3!). Pretty good picture quality - this stuff works.

I had enough memory to do one video clip today. It was the first few minutes of Alec Saunders's keynote this morning. He did a great job, and the clip will give a good flavor of his message. Alec mentioned that the full slide set can be downloaded off their website, but I don't see it up there quite yet. You can watch the video clip here.

Posted by jonarnold at 11:43 PM | Comments (1)

February 24, 2006

Spring Training - Red Sox Hiber-Nation Over

Yesterday marked the start of Spring Training, and the official beginning of anxiety and fragile promises for the Nation. I just wanted to note the occasion, and say that it will soon be time to wear this hat and share my occasional thoughts on our prospects in the Johnny-Go-Home era.

Here are some fun photos of Day 1, courtesy of Boston.com.

What every kid dreams of.... but those clouds in the sky - looks ominous. I'm worried ALREADY!

The Fab Four - with David Wells conspicuously absent - gosh, can these guys really carry us to the promised land? Ya gotta believe...

Another question mark. Geez, pitching coach Al Nipper is so thrilled to see Foulkie at camp, he applauds even when he's throwing a water bottle! Hands together now, let's all pray he's still got it....

Literally, and figuratively, Papi carries this team on his back, Manny included. In Ortiz we trust!

You don't think the fans are happy he's back???? Go Theo!

Nobody looks happier having Theo back than Tito! Gee, he looks a little too happy for my liking - but they do make a nice couple...

Posted by jonarnold at 05:51 PM | Comments (0)

January 16, 2006

Life Goes On – Patriots Out, Big Night for the Blues

Just a quick post about some of the other important things in my life…

Am still in shock about how the Patriots lost to Denver.

I’ll be brief and then move on. It’s hard to ignore how their incredible run – certainly one of the top 5 NFL runs of all time – could end in such an ugly, ignomious way. Will just say they were NOT beaten by a better team. A couple of BAD calls were enough to do them in, and on top that, those 5 turnovers were just plain unreal. Vinateri missing a chip shot. Brady getting picked when they were on the verge of taking the game over. They don’t make mistakes like this – absolutely no explanation for it.

Denver’s offense was a non-factor in the game – all their points came at the expense of Patriot miscues and bad calls that robbed them of a game they should have won. To be fair, Denver’s defence really was the story – they forced a lot of those mistakes that did the Pats in – they beat themselves - this was no Orange Crush, and Jake Plummer is no Tom Brady. And the AFC final should be a great game.

All I can say is that the same sports gods who slipped the mojo of my Red Sox to the Chisox decided it was time to do the same to the Patriots. It’s just how they even things out in the big scheme of things. All the breaks that always seemed to go the Patriots’ way the past 4 years were balanced out in one game here, and most of that in the last 90 seconds of the first half! Cruel, cruel, ye gods.

No doubt, the “tuck rule” Super Bowl Patriots would have had those calls go their way – so, pass interference getting called on Denver, not us – which is what should have happened. Ben Watson’s brilliant effort to stop Champ Bailey could have resulted in a Patriot touchback, changing the whole complexion of the game. But they didn’t get those calls, and the gods can now rest easy – there will be no 3peat, and the rest of the football world can take solace in watching the Pats get some comeuppance. Ok, I'm over it now.

Given this was a full moon weekend, and it was Friday the 13th, it’s not surprising that the sports gods had other teams on their mind as well. How else do you explain Vangerjagt missing yesterday with the season on the line?? All I could think of was how similar it was to Vinateri missing in a situation on Saturday where he’s come through without fail. Of course, Van’s was much more critical, and it didn’t help to be wearing #13! I’ll bet those two guys will have a lot to commiserate about in the off-season.

And Bettis fumbling for the first time all year, in a situation that could/should have let Indy pull off a fantastic come from behinder??? This just doesn’t happen. And it’s no way for the Bus to end his great career. And just to come full circle, I had a feeling Pittsburgh would win, letting them do the dirty work to dispatch the Colts. All the Pats had to do was beat Denver – as they should have – and the road to Detroit would have then gone through Foxborough, where you know they would have beaten the Steelers. Yeah, yeah, whatever. Bring on the Panthers….. I’ll be busy reading up on the Red Sox spring training schedule…..

Let’s move on the present – it’s much more uplifting….

Blues is another of my passions, and tonight is our version of the Academy Awards in Canada. I’m a long time board member of the Toronto Blues Society, and tonight is our Maple Blues Awards event. In recent years this has grown to a national event and I recently posted a link for Canadian blues fans to vote online for their favorite homegrown blues performers. It’s really cool and it’s a great way to recognize our best, many of whom toil endlessly in the clubs, keeping the blues alive. Can’t help but