Day 319: Jonny Gomes... A Fresh Shave for a Fresh Season

Noooooooooooooooo! Not The Ironsides!!

Jonny Gomes was in New York this week for a special occasion (depending on how you look at it.) With the start of the 2014 season right around the corner, Gomes decided to get himself a fresh new look with a fresh shave. The superstitious fan in me is screaming: Are you nuts? That beard won a freaking World Series!

But since it was for a good cause, I'll let it slide. Gomes teamed up with Norelco and the Travis Roy Foundation to shave off his beard for charity. Norelco donated $10,000 with the funds earmarked for buying wheelchairs for those less fortunate. The foundation, set up by the former North Yarmouth Academy hockey star who was paralyzed on the ice just seconds into his first collegiate game with Boston University in 1995, helps spinal cord survivors and funds research for a cure.

Jonny let Fox & Friends host and New Englander, Elisabeth Hasselbeck do the honors of shaving off The Ironsides that had been Gomes' identity for the better part of the last year. Click HERE to see the video... I laughed right out loud at the way Elisabeth just dives into her task, and also Jonny's reaction to losing the fur. He truly looks frightened.

While in NYC, Gomes also had the honor of meeting newly crowned Westminster Best in Show champion Sky, and I think he's holding out hope that some more Championship charm rubs off on the Boston left fielder. Sky is no stranger to winning—in two years of competing, she has taken home 129 Best in Show titles. Something for the Red Sox to aspire to, perhaps?

BEFORE SHAVE: Jonny Gomes and Sky. Champions unite. Photo from HERE.

AFTER SHAVE: Time to start fresh. The Ironsides will be back. Photo from HERE.

So now, the lone holdout on the clean shave is Mike Napoli who has no plans to shave off The Siesta. That's ok though... all those furry faces will be back in no time. The season is pretty long, you know!

Day 220: More Talk Shows...Gomes Says, "Everyone in Boston Deserves a Ring!"

If there's one talk show host I just can't stomach, it's Conan O'Brien. I'm not sure what it is about that guy, but he just makes me want to throw things at the television. But when I heard Jonny Gomes and Shane Victorino visited Conan, I knew I had to bite the bullet and watch. Conan was annoying as usual... but it was Gomes that stole the show.

Once again, Jonny was sporting his brand new World Series LL Bean boots and he even took one off so the camera could get a better view. Seriously, these boots are one of my most favorite thing that came from this World Series win... and I just love that Jonny can't seem to stop wearing his.

They talked about the usual: beard tugging, team chemistry, Boston Strong, parades and duck boats. They talked about how special the season was to them after the Boston Marathon tragedy... and what it meant to put the World Series trophy at the finish line. They talked about what it was like to play for the city in a time when people were looking for something positive after a brutal act of terrorism.

Even if you can't stand Conan, this interview is totally worth the pain. Gomes is very entertaining and such a natural in front of the camera. Victorino is a little awkward, but so genuine and maybe just a little nervous to be on a talk show. But in the end, they come across like a couple of regular guys... a couple of regular guys that just won the World freaking Series!!

 

Be sure to click on the link at the end of the video to see parts two and three... I promise it's worth it.

Day 211: No One Could've Picked that Game Four Ending

See what I did there? Picked... Sorry, I couldn't resist. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, you must be currently residing under a very large rock. It was the pick-off heard round the world. Red Sox closer, Koji Uehara, snapped a throw to first base that found Cardinals rookie, Kolten Wong, leaning the wrong way for the final out of game four. Red Sox win 4-2, series tied 2-2.

It was a finish that the Red Sox needed. After falling victim to that horrible obstruction call the night before, they needed an equally dramatic finish to game four. One that found the boys of Boston on the winning end. And that's exactly what they got.

But let's just say the road to that final out in the ninth was nothing short of heart attack inducing. The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the third, the Sox came back and tied it up in the fifth. And then the magic happened in the sixth. With two outs in the inning, Dustin Pedroia singled to center. David Ortiz then followed with a walk—one that appeared to be unintentionally intentional. (Who wouldn't? The guy was batting .727 at that point in the series!)

Jonny Gomes, who found out he was playing only an hour and a half before game time, followed... desperate to break out of his 0-for-9 World Series slump. Cardinals relief pitcher Seth Maness threw a steady stream of sinkers to Gomes, but on a 2-2 count, he left that last sinker just a tad high and Gomes made him pay. Big time. He launched a line drive over the left/center fence for a three-run (and eventually game-winning) home run. Sox up 4-1.

Then came the stress. Like most of the close games throughout the post season, I felt nauseous every time a Cardinals' bat connected with a pitch. I felt barfy each time a Cardinals' runner reached base. And I felt the bile rise in the back of my throat when they scored a run to cut the Sox lead to 4-2. With each passing inning, my knees started shaking violently as I sat nervously on the couch.

The bottom of the ninth finally arrived and it was Koji Time. An out... a single... a pinch runner... another out and then it happened. The thing no one wants to see. Carlos Beltran at the plate representing the tying run. Oh shit. I almost couldn't watch. But then... well... see above. There's nothing better than a pick-off to end a game that leaves Beltran standing there at the plate... helpless and alone.

That win, my friends, means one very important thing. This World Series will be headed back to Boston!