Spring Means Baseball and Sunshine and Melting Snow... and Baseball. Did I Mention Baseball?

Well, it's not spring yet, but it is March 1st—the day I am officially over winter. Granted, February set a record for coldest month ever in the state of Maine—or at least since they've been keeping records—so I'm going out on a limb and saying that I was over winter sometime last month. And I'm a fan of winter, so you know it had to be a bad one.

But March is full of hope too. It's full of days to look forward to that actually might just signify that winter is on its way out and we could possibly see bare ground before the month's end. The town I live in, Gray, Maine, has received nearly 100" of snow so far this year and I'm fairly certain all of it is still on the ground so we're going to need some seriously warm days to get rid of this white shit.

The days get longer. There's a holiday that's dedicated to drinking. And let's not forget, if the old adage is right, March goes out like a lamb. A nice, soft, cuddly lamb I like to call April—a month that is chock full of good stuff.

So come, sit down next to me and let's dream of days in the not too distant future that will make us ridiculously happy... especially after Mother Nature tortured us for no apparent reason the last couple of months.

Tuesday, March 3rd: The Red Sox kick off their spring training game schedule with their annual doubleheader against the college kids of Boston College and Northeastern. 

Sunday, March 8th: Daylight Saving Time! Yay, we get an extra hour of daylight after work!! Although we do lose a precious hour of weekend so that sort of aggravates me.

Monday, March 9th: National Napping Day. To make up for that lost hour!! Although I'm not sure my bosses would appreciate me sleeping on the job. Again.

Tuesday, March 17th: St. Patty's Day. Gotta love a holiday dedicated to drinking. The only day of the year, the Irish pub near my office has a full deck at 8am. Now that's commitment. 

Friday, March 20th: THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING!! And yes, it did deserve the shouty caps. It's also the day where any snow that occurs after pisses us off more than any other snow of the season. Unless you're a skier.

Wednesday, April 1st: April Fools Day. Don't believe a word of anything anyone says to you. And watch out for saran wrap on your toilet. 

Sunday, April 5th: Easter Sunday. Chocolate eggs. Chocolate bunnies. Chocolate everything. Did I mention chocolate? I'm sure there's another reason for Easter, but right now all I can think about is chocolate! 

Monday, April 6th: Opening Day for the Red Sox in Philadephia. It's a fresh start after a dismal 2014 season. Could they perhaps become the only team to go worst to first to worst to first? Fingers crossed. 

Tuesday, April 7th: National Beer Day! Excuse me... wouldn't it make more sense to have this day on... say... a Saturday? Whatever. It's beer. And baseball season so... yeah. 

Friday, April 10th - Sunday, April 12th: Red Sox vs. Yankees, Version 1.0. Gotta love that first series of the year between these two rivals. And we'll see a Jeter-less Yankee team for the first time since 1995. 

Sunday, April 12th: Happy Birthday, Dad! And Sunday at Augusta National for the final round of the Masters. 

Monday, April 13th: Red Sox Home Opener! I can only hope they're 6-0 by the time they make it to Fenway Park. I am expecting a championship, you know. 

Monday, April 20th: Patriots Day... a holiday only celebrated in Maine and Massachusetts, but it's the day of the Boston Marathon and the Red Sox play at 11am—the only game I watch in my PJs while eating breakfast. 

Friday, April 24th: Happy Birthday, Mom! (And it just happens to be National Pigs in a Blanket day. Who knew??)

So there you have it. There is a light at the end of this long, dark, snowy, COLD tunnel and it smells like grass, sunshine, and beer. This list might just keep me from throwing myself in front of plow truck during the next (and you know there will be a next) snow storm.

Happy Almost Spring!!

One Year Ago Today...

April 15, 2013—just another Patriots Day (for Maine and Massachusetts, at least.) That day when the Red Sox play early enough that you can watch while still clad in pajamas. (Isn't everyone still in their PJs at 11am on a day off from work?) That day that I mark as the deadline to get all that crappy raking done—that is if the snow has melted. And every Patriots Day, the Boston Marathon snakes through the streets as Fenway comes alive with the sounds of baseball.

But April 15, 2013 was anything but just another Patriots Day. At 2:49pm, as runners and spectators crowded the Marathon finish line, an explosion rocked a city.

One year ago today... a tragedy shook the Boston Marathon. A vile, terrorist act that took the lives of three innocent souls and injured over 260 others. When you think of how gravely many of those were hurt, it's a miracle there weren't more casualties.

One year ago today... we learned of a young man named Jeff Bauman who viciously lost both legs in the blast, but perseveres. He's not angry, he's thankful. He's thankful for the people who rushed to his aid, the people who saved his life, and the people who cheered him on throughout his recovery. Jeff played a pivotal part in the identification of the terrorists.

One year ago today... we learned of a man named Carlos Arredondo who, like many others, rushed towards the blast to provide help to the injured. He was the first to get Jeff Bauman and saved his life.

One year ago today... we learned about the Richard family. They stood closest to the backpack. Mother Denise lost an eye. Father Bill suffered damage to his eardrums. They lost their 8-year-old son, Martin. Their daughter Jane lost her leg, endured 14 grueling surgeries and had to learn to walk again.

One year ago today... changed the lives of hundreds of people, their families and the city. Two backpacks. Two bombs. Two loathsome and deplorable monsters. A day the people of Boston and the country will never forget.

One year ago today... a city came together to become Boston Strong.

I don't live in Boston. I didn't run in the Marathon. I didn't know anyone injured in this horrific act. I'm not going to pretend to know what the people involved went through or are still going through. But like many, I'm inspired by the stories of those who refused to give up in the face of adversity.

Day 305: Boston Marathon Bomber Will Face Death Penalty

Do you remember what you were doing at 2:49pm on April 15, 2013? I do... I had the day off because it was Patriots Day (yay!) and I was doing yard work (boo-hiss!) I remember coming into the house, checking my phone and seeing an alert that simply said there had been an explosion at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. There was nothing simple about what had happened.

What followed over the next five days stunned and horrified the whole country and put the city of Boston on high alert. On Friday, April 19th the entire city of Boston shut down. The internet soon was filled with images of empty streets and freeways and popular gathering places. The images were eery and strange. Residents were asked to stay home while law enforcement and military personnel scoured the city, looking for this piece of shit. 

We were glued to the television that Friday evening, waiting for the word to come that they had found the younger bomber. When it finally did, the city of Boston erupted into a celebration and rightfully so. When, if our lifetime, has any one douche bag shut down an entire city the size of Boston? He deserves every thing that comes his way... and it sounds like none of it will be pleasant.

I'm not going try to sugarcoat my incredible glee for the news that was published today. If Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is found guilty of planting bombs that killed three and wounded 264 people at the Boston Marathon last April, he will be put to death. The only thing I have to say about that is good riddance, pond scum.

This decision is for Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell and Lingzi Lu... and while it won't bring these three back to their families, at least those families won't be paying for that piece of turd to rot in prison for the rest of his life. This decision is for Jeff Bauman's legs and everyone else who lost limbs and suffered injuries—both physically and mentally. It won't change what happened, but it will hopefully give these victims some piece of mind that the monster responsible will pay.

I can only hope that when the Boston Marathon happens in just a few short months, the crowds are even bigger and more supportive as the city of Boston extends a big, giant middle finger to any would-be terrorists who would dare try and take down this city again.

Day 275: 2013 Boston Sports Stories Thrilled and Chilled

What a year, what a year! For us Boston sports fans, 2013 both thrilled us and chilled us. There were things that happened that we'd like to forget... and things we want to hold onto as long as we can. There were things that happened that made us cry, laugh, cheer and cringe. 2013 ran the gamut of emotions—from the darkest of days with the Boston Marathon bombing to the highest of highs with the World Series Championship. 

The year began on a somewhat low note with the New England Patriots losing to those annoying Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game. A low point for sure since there's nothing worse than having to watch that douche bag murderer, Ray Lewis, celebrate. 

The year only got lower when tragedy struck at the Boston Marathon finish line where three were killed and countless others horribly maimed. And then things got even lower as the terrorists responsible for such a grisly act shut down the city of Boston while law enforcement searched for them and subsequently killed one and caught the other surviving monster. I don't remember ever seeing photos are eery as those of empty Boston streets.

And then some more bad news. After the Patriots sadly let Wes Welker go to the Broncos, tight end and key member of the offense, Aaron Hernandez was arrested for murder. Well... shit. DUI is one thing...assault is little more serious...but murder is a whole different ball game. The Patriots promptly released him and he still sits in prison awaiting his trial, most likely in late 2014. I know there's that whole innocent until proven guilty crap, but I'm going out on a limb and saying Hernandez won't know life outside the prison walls for a long, long time...if ever.

Boston was in need of some good news... 

The Boston Bruins were inspiring in 2013. From the thrilling seven game series with the Toronto Maple Leafs that the Bruins won in overtime...to the four-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins, many thought they were a team of destiny. But unfortunately, the Chicago Blackhawks had other ideas. Not even the valiant play of Gregory Campbell and Patrice Bergeron, both skating injured, could boost the Bruins to their second Cup in three years. But man...it was a fun ride to watch!

And while the Bruins were skating their asses off, the Boston Red Sox were quietly putting together a respectable season of their own. Not much was expected from a team that had such a disgraceful previous year and then didn't really make any huge off-season moves. They signed a couple of "good clubhouse guys" to short contracts and hoped for the best. And BEST was what they got! That group of bearded men surprised us all with gutsy performances and some clutch hitting to with the World freaking Series! There was a time when I wasn't sure I would ever see my beloved Sox as Champions and now it has happened three times. Yay!

What would the World Series win be without the Duck Boat parade. The season came full circle with the team pausing at the Boston Marathon finish line for a quick moment to remember those who were affected by the bombing with the World Series trophy, the 617 Red Sox jersey and of course, an emotional rendition of God Bless America. A perfect ending to an amazing season that was so deeply impacted by the tragedy back in April.

So long, 2013... and here's hoping that 2014 is filled with more thrills than chills! Happy New Year!!

PS: I now enter the final quarter of my Balls of All Sizes quest—just 90 days left!

Day 216: I Love a Parade: Red Sox Rolling Rally

Saying this 2013 Boston Red Sox season has been an emotional one would be an understatement. With the tragedy of the Boston Marathon bombings happening just two weeks into the season, the Sox have rode the emotional "Boston Strong" battle cry throughout the regular season and postseason. The Red Sox played each game with the 617 jersey in their dugout as a reminder of what they were working towards... to put a smile on the faces of Bostonians and New Englanders everywhere by winning it all.

Just days into spring training, Jonny Gomes had no doubt that he would be a World Series Champion as a member of the Red Sox. Ryan Dempster remembers a conversation he had with Jonny early in the preseason. Dempster asked Gomes how he was doing. He replied, "Hey, we're one day closer to the parade."

Well, Jonny... you got your parade.

This gorgeous fall morning, millions crowded the streets of Boston as the Red Sox boarded the now famous duck boat (some bearded) convoy and celebrated their World Series victory with their fans. Unfortunately, I'm too lazy and never made it down to Beantown for the festivities, but I did watch the NESN coverage which included a completely awesome poem by the Red Sox PA announcer, Dick Flavin. In case you missed it, click here! It was pretty friggin' amazing.

As the motorcade of duck boats approached the Boston Marathon finish line, they came to a stop. Jonny Gomes (clad in his brand new, custom-made LL Bean World Series Champs boots) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia got off the boats and set the World Series trophy on the finish line with the 617 Boston Strong jersey. It was an emotional scene for all involved, which included a group picture with some of those affected by the bombing, and also a tear-jerking rendition of God Bless America. This scene at the finish line made me cry... (surprise, surprise!)

Did you see Jonny's boots? Pretty awesome, eh?

Other than the tears at the finish line, I basically sat on my couch and smiled like a damn fool watching this parade. It was a much deserved end to an amazing season for a bunch of extraordinary baseball players. Pedey said it best...

"We played for a lot more this year, obviously," said second baseman Dustin Pedroia. "It's important the way the Red Sox play the game, but this year we were playing for other things, and it was pretty special the way we ended it. Hopefully we made a lot of people happy."

Phenomenal season... incredible team... World Series Champs... and lots of really happy fans. How many days until pitchers and catchers report? I'm having withdrawals already!!

Day 142: Fenway Park Hosts a Special Game While Sox On West Coast

The Red Sox are currently on the road playing on a dreaded west coast swing—those games you barely see the first couple innings of before your eyelids slam shut. You cross your fingers as you check the scores the next morning, just hoping they notched a win in the wee hours of your morning. And last night they did win behind a gem of an outing from Jon Lester and they still hold that slim one game lead. Yay!

Last night, Fenway Park hosted a different kind of game. It was the kind of game where the players didn't earn paychecks that could buy a small country. A game where the fans were admitted to the park for free and asked only for a donation. This game was a game for heroes.

The Wounded Warriors Amputee Softball Team made a stop in Boston to take on the Boston Marathon First Responders in a charity softball game to benefit the One Fund. According to MLB.com, the WWAST is made up of both veterans and active duty soldiers who have lost limbs and was formed in 2011 when the University of Arizona received a congressional grant to finance a disabled-veteran sports camp. After the week-long camp ended, many of the attendees didn't want to stop and the WWAST was born. The team travels around the country playing against mostly police and fire departments. Pretty much kicking ass and taking names.

The Boston Marathon First Responders was pulled together shortly before the game and evidently learned quickly they were in over their heads. MLB.com says:

The First Responders should've had a few practices beforehand, a theory they realized shortly after the game started. It wasn't that they didn't take their opponent seriously -- "To be on the same field as these guys is an honor itself," said Boston firefighter Phil Byrne, who was three blocks away from the first explosion April 15 -- they just never thought to organize a practice.

The WWAST is such a great role model for both adults and kids, with and without limbs. They display such persistence and determination. There are men who play nearly as well now as they did before their injuries. And they show the younger amputees that life doesn't end with the loss of a limb. General manager, David Van Sleet, an Army veteran, says they have a motto: "Life without limb is limitless. But more importantly, life goes on."

By the way, the First Responders got their butts kicked, 28-11.

Day 108: Those Rolling Stone Idiots Really Have No Clue

Rolling Stone magazine usually doesn't get mentioned much in a sports blog, but when the do something so utterly deplorable, it's sometimes necessary to discuss—even if it's not exactly sports-related. But it sort of is...

Usually one of the first things I do in the morning is scroll through my Facebook timeline to see what sort of hijinks went on overnight. This morning, what I found nearly knocked me off my feet. A posting by a local news station featured the cover photo of the newest issue of Rolling Stone. Now I'm sure this magazine has a whole team of editors and writers and publishers that sit around a table and discuss what musician, celebrity or notable news figure is going to be featured on the cover. Dr. Hook wrote a friggin' song about it so it must be a pretty important place to be. (You're humming the tune right now, aren't you?) So you would think that at least one of these people would have a speck of common sense, right? Wrong.

Rolling Stone decided to write a cover piece on the Boston Marathon bombing. Understandable. It's still a current topic—one that affected countless New Englanders. Many of the victims still struggle daily with their injuries. And there are those families that continue to mourn for those lost in this horrible tragedy. The magazine could've easily picked one of these stories to recount.

What about Richard family? Eight-year-old Martin, whose life was unfairly cut short by that black backpack. Or how about Martin's younger sister, Jane? The seven-year-old endured 39 days in the ICU at Boston's Children's Hospital, undergoing 12 surgeries on her amputated leg. And then there's Martin's mom, Denise, who is blind in one eye.

Maybe Rolling Stone readers would be interested in hearing about bombing victim, Jeff Bauman and the cowboy hat wearing Carlos Arredondo who heroically leapt into action after the blast, saving Jeff's life. Both of Jeff's legs were blown off yet he made the most miraculous recovery, being released from the hospital faster than any other amputee victim. Jeff now has a shiny new pair of legs he showed off before Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals.

But they chose not to write about a victim. Instead, they elected to write about the demon behind this gruesome tragedy. They glorified and rockstarified this useless piece of shit, showcasing his diabolical face on the cover of a national magazine. A magazine that would be prominently displayed in the aisles of local stores across the country, and more importantly New England.

The face of this murdering savage would be staring at victim's families as they shopped at their local grocery store, book store or corner store. Thankfully, many local businesses and chains have boycotted this issue of Rolling Stone. Tedeschi Food Shops, CVS/pharmacy, Roche Bros., Stop and Shop, Cumberland Farms and Shaw's/Star Market have all opted to keep the offensive periodical off it's shelves.

I started to read the article titled: The Bomber: How a Popular, Promising Student Was Failed by His Family, Fell Into Radical Islam and Became a Monster. WTF? I barely made it through one page before I was forced to stop, the bile rising in the back of my throat. I was overwhelmed by disgust and outrage. I don't give a crap what kind of upbringing this asshole had, a shitty family does not give you the right to blow up innocent people... children! Take responsibility for your actions and stop making excuses for your evilness.

I refuse to link the story in this post. If you feel the need to read this steaming pile of vomit, you'll have to use the Google. I'm glad I haven't given that publication a dime of my paycheck since college. Rolling Stone is dead to me.

Day 58: Jeff Bauman Throws Out First Pitch at Fenway

You may remember the name Jeff Bauman from the April 15th Boston Marathon bombing tragedy. He's the young man made famous by a photo that went viral. The photo depicted a battered Bauman being helped by Carlos Arrandando—a complete stranger that risked his own life, running towards the blast site. Carlos picked up Jeff (whose legs had been blown off in the blast), put him in a wheelchair and kept him from bleeding out by holding on to his femoral artery. Carlos saved Jeff's life.

Jeff has become something of a hero around Boston. His continued upbeat attitude in the face of adversity is a testament to not only his will to live, but his will to heal, to get moving and to get on with his life. Bauman spent about two weeks in the hospital before he was shipped off to rehab—well before any other injured victim. Now he's home and getting ready for his new legs.

The Red Sox invited both Jeff and his rescuer, Carlos, to throw out the first pitch tonight at Fenway Park. In an interview with Dennis and Callahan on WEEI a few weeks ago, Jeff said he would do it only if Carlos did it too so they both took the mound. Prior to the first pitch, Pedro Martinez met with the pair and gave Jeff some tips on putting some action on the ball.

David Ortiz served as Carlos' target, while Jarrod Saltalamacchia, as requested by Jeff, caught his pitch—a fastball right down the middle. Jeff wasn't worried about muffing the pitch though. He told D and C this morning that if his pitch wasn't that great, Salty would frame it. Looked like no framing was needed for that one. Jeff even called it a strike!

Jeff Bauman is an inspiration. A Boston Strong inspiration.

Day 37: Stay Classless, Toronto!

Since the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15th, the displays of sportsmanship towards the Boston teams and the city of Boston has been more than anyone ever expected. Even from their most hated rivals. The gestures have been heartwarming and reminiscent of sporting events post-9/11.

Baseball teams across the country showed support by adopting Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" for one night. The rival Yankees posted a United We Stand banner on their stadium facade with both their logo and the Boston B. Sox jerseys were displayed with the 617 area code...bats were engraved with names of victims.

NBA teams like the Knicks, Rockets, Timerberwolves, Magic and Nuggets observed moments of silence before their games, as did teams throughout the NHL and MLB. The Philadelphia Flyers held a moment of silence before their game the night following the bombings, and also showed a tribute to victims and first responders during "God Bless America." Phoenix Coyote and Boston native, Keith Yandle wrote "Pray for Boston" on his skate.

Fans everywhere adopted the battle cry born from this tragedy—Boston Strong. This city needed to heal after those horrific events and staying Boston Strong was the way. No one complained. No one selfishly wondered why their town couldn't be "strong" too. Until this week.

Last night, the NHL playoff series between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs moved to Toronto for Game 3—the series tied 1-1. And one fan was keen on making the arena uncomfortable for not only his fellow fans, but for the men in black and gold. Not only was this one of the more classless acts I've ever seen at a sporting event, it's almost as if this man has no clue what he did was wrong.

REALLY?? Not sure if this guy has suffered a traumatic brain injury or if he's just comes by his stupidity honestly. What I do know is his douchebaggery knows no limits. You poked the bear, dumbass. Not smart.

Day 19: Boston Breathes a Sigh of Relief

Like most of New England and the country, I've been riveted to the news coverage since early this morning. I awoke to the reports of one Boston Marathon bombing suspect having been killed overnight and the second suspect on the lam. Although I live over 100 miles away, my guts clenched with every "this just in" I heard over the course of the day.

This one lowlife scrap of pond scum escaped police custody in the wee hours of this morning and led the city of Boston's authorities on a man hunt of epic proportions. This one 19-year-old douche bag who was worse than a dirty piece of chewed gum stuck to the bottom of my shoe, shut down the entire city of Boston for a whole day. This child-murdering pile of steaming rat shit forced an entire population to stay locked inside on a beautiful spring day and forced the Red Sox and Bruins to postpone games.

If you haven't seen the pictures of an eerily deserted Boston, click here. One of the creepiest things I've seen in a long time. And here you can see the views from inside and what Bostonians saw all day.

But now... that evil terrorist is in police custody and miraculously still alive. The authorities found him after someone saw some suspicious movement in a trailered boat. He was surrounded and taken after a couple hours and a few rounds of shots fired. Congratulations to the Boston Police Department and all the many other law enforcement agents that helped to get this dirty bastid.

I'm sure there are a lot of big, relieved sighs in Beantown. A lot of stomachs unclenching. A lot of stir crazy people taking to the streets to try and enjoy the last hours of the warm, spring weather. And I'm sure I'm not the only one happy to see this gunfire-riddled day end and peace restored for my friends to the south. Sleep well, Boston.

[I know this technically isn't a sports post, although I did mention the Sox and the Bruins, but I just thought it would be disrespectful to pretend like none of this ever happened.]

Day 16: Stay Strong, Boston!

Patriots' Day... the unofficial kick-off to spring. A day off from work for some of us. Boston Marathon Monday. The Red Sox play at 11am. This year, Patriots' Day coincided with Jackie Robinson Day and it also happened to be a beautiful, sunny day, with bright blue skies.

A day that started so perfect, but ended so tragic. Sidewalks stained with blood, and a city reeling from an unprovoked attack. A city in shock.

I originally wanted to title this post, "People Suck." Someone is out there, hiding somewhere, someone so vile... so loathsome... so heinous... responsible for the death of three innocent bystanders, three fans just cheering on their friends and family to just hang in there—the finish line was in sight. Not to mention the more than 170 other casualties. But I couldn't give those deplorable monsters the satisfaction.

Instead, I'd rather focus on the people who come away from this day as heroes. The people who ran towards the blast to help rather than away from it. The people who broke down barriers to help the wounded. The people who sprung into action, applying dressings to wounds, and tourniquets to amputated limbs. The people who carried the injured away from danger. The people who contributed by rushing to donate blood.

This day will be yet another in our growing list of "where were you whens." I was doing yard work, enjoying my day off. And then I wasn't. It felt wrong to be happy when the images on the news coverage were so horrific.

Stay strong, Boston... you have a nation behind you.