Day 91: Let's Focus on the Good Stuff. Red Sox Take 3 of 4 from Jays!

Last week was full of bad stuff. Aaron Hernandez might be a serial killer. Doc Rivers left the Celtics—along with what felt like a bevy of star players. The Bruins didn't win the Stanley Cup. So I'm in need of a big pick-me-up and I know just the Boston team for the job.

The Red Sox took three of four games from the Toronto Blue Jays over the long weekend series. You might think that's no big deal—it is, in fact, the lowly, last place Jays. But if you've been paying attention to the other teams in the AL East this month, you would know that the Blue Jays recently had an 11 game win streak where the swept the Rangers, the Rockies and the Orioles. But in the last week, they've lost two of seven. (That's more like it.)

The first game of the series was taken handily by the Sox behind a strong pitching performance from Jon Lester and a seven run second inning. Nice to see Lester have a good game after he's sucked so much over the past month. I hope this gets him back on track.

Game two was more of a struggle behind Alan Webster. The rookie starter pitched four scoreless innings before surrendering three runs in the fifth and a run in the sixth. And then Andrew Bailey came in and gave up the game tying dinger, killing the kid's chance for a win... which made me really mad. In the bottom of the seventh, the evening's hero, Jonny Gomes, pinch hit with the bases loaded and drove in the go ahead run with a single. Then Jarod Saltalamacchia walked to drive in an insurance run and that's all she wrote.

The Sox lost game three in unspectacular fashion but bounced back this afternoon to take the final game of the series. They had a one run lead going into the ninth when new closer, Koji Uehara took the mound. Unfortunately, this time he screwed up and gave up the game tying homer to Jose Bautista, forcing the Sox to, once again, create some walk-off magic. And they did, scoring the winning run on an error by the first baseman on Shane Victorino's ground ball. Doesn't matter how they get there...as long as the get the W.

So June is officially over and the Red Sox finished with a respectable 17-11 record for the month. They still have the best record in the American League and sit second in the majors in total wins behind (yes, still) the Pittsburgh Pirates. The San Diego Padres come to Fenway for a three game series before the Sox embark on a 10-game west coast swing heading into the All-Star break. I hate those 10:05 starts. I'm usually asleep before the second inning.

Day 90: These are a Few of My Favorite (Fenway) Things

Ahhhhh... a Friday night in late June at Fenway Park. Definitely not a bad way to spend a few hours. Every time I step foot onto Yawkey Way, I feel like a kid again—ridiculously excited to walk into the bustling concourse and up the ramp that reveals the field in all its green glory. As I sat there last night witnessing yet another hard-fought win by the Red Sox over the Blue Jays, I tried to pinpoint what makes this ballpark so special.

Maybe it's the history. The 101 year old Fenway Park is the oldest Major League ballpark still in operation. This park has been home to some of the greats like Babe, Ted, Yaz and Pedro. It has seen glorious championship celebrations in 1912, 1915, 1916 and 1918 but wouldn't see another one for 86 years. It has seen dramatic home runs and no hitters and strike out records. And it has seen the ultimate in disappointment (but I won't go there, for all our sakes.)

Maybe it's all the green and the red and the blue. The meticulously maintained field... the Green Monster, the green fences surrounding the field. The one red seat in a sea of blue in the bleachers in honor of a Splendid Splinter. The Citgo sign. The blue Boston Strong logo fueling a team to try just a little bit harder because "This is our f---ing city."

Maybe it's the sounds. The man behind me explaining to his two small children each play as it happens... The food vendors pedaling their peeeeea-nuuuuuuts and haaaaaawt doggggggggs... The PA announcer's introduction of the batter at the plate... a "Let's Go Red Sox" cheer started somewhere in the right field corner that quickly spreads from section to section.

Maybe it's the smells—good or bad. Peanuts and popcorn and hot dogs and sausages and cotton candy and pizza and beer. The current temperature has quite a bit of an impact on whether those smells make you want to pig out or vomit. Just for the record, when you stuff yourself beyond capacity pre-game at Boston Beer Works, those smells have an adverse effect.

Maybe it's the closeness. By Major League ballpark standards, Fenway Park is not considered voluminous. Quite the contrary... while you never feel far from the action, you also never feel far from the person sitting next to you. Sometimes they're just too close. Like the fat guy who sat next to me for a few innings... and who also spilled over just a tiny bit into my seat.  *gag* Some might say there's not a bad seat in the house. But those people probably never sat in the right field corner, or behind a support beam.

Maybe it's the energy. While I'm not one to do the wave (call me a commie if you must), I love the fan participation in all parts of the game. Whether it's the guy next to me passionately singing the National Anthem... or the kids in the bleachers belting out Take Me Out to the Ballgame... or the slightly drunk, middle-aged ladies on the Green Monster dancing like nobody's watching to Sweet Caroline... it all makes me smile.

Or maybe it's just the passion. The love Sox fans have for their ball club, win or lose. How we live and die with every pitch, every swing of the bat, every deep fly ball, every diving catch... hoping that in the end, when the last out is made, the sweet sounds of the Standell's Dirty Water fill the park and send fans home with a smile on their face.

Day 89: Hey Guys! What About the Red Sox?

With all that's been happening in Boston sports the past few weeks, not much attention has been paid to the Red Sox. Sure... the Bruins were in the Stanley Cup and the Celtics just cleaned house in preparation for their rebuilding phase. Oh yeah... and then there's this thing going on with Aaron Hernandez. But the Red Sox are still in first place, folks—and they've officially passed the halfway point of the season!

The Sox lead the AL East by 3.5 games over the Orioles and continue to hold the second best record in baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates are tied for the best. (Yes, I did say Pirates... are you as shocked as I am?) Over the last week alone, the top four in the lineup—Ellsbury, Victorino, Pedroia and Ortiz are ALL batting over .420 with 41 total hits. And Ellsbury and Victorino, after enduring early season slumps, are both inching closer to that .300 mark.

John Lackey had yet another great start against the Rockies earlier this week, notching his fifth win with a season high 12 strikeouts. Jon Lester also looked a lot better last night against the recently wicked hot Blue Jays after struggling through most of the month, but left the game when he jammed his hip early in the eighth. Oh dear. The bullpen still needs some work, but Koji Uehara appears to have settled nicely into the closer role. We shall see...

Last night's game was especially entertaining with the Sox sending 11 men to the dish in the second inning and scoring all seven of their runs. Magical, I tell you! The Toronto starter, who had currently gone 16+ innings without allowing an earned run, never finished the inning. If you went to bed soon after the second, you didn't miss much. That's the only scoring they did all night and fortunately, the Blue Jays couldn't catch up.

I've always been a glass half empty kinda girl when it comes to the Red Sox. For some reason, I just can't accept that they're actually good this season, especially when coming in to this year, no one had high hopes for them. Kudos to John Farrell for making it work! I'd really love to start believing in them again, but I'm afraid I might jinx it.

Day 88: Aaron Hernandez is a Dumbass

I feel the need to rant a bit about the Aaron Hernandez situation. Actually, what is it with the NFL players in general and their brushes with the law? From Lawrence Taylor's taste for crack pipes and underage hookers, to Ray Lewis pinning a murder on his pals to save his own ass, to Michael Vick's despicable dog fighting ring, it's disgusting that these grown men can't properly conduct themselves in the presence of fame and fortune.

Over the years, you hear about the professional football players who screw up and get caught with drugs or smack their wives or, in some cases, are tried for killing their wives—who doesn't remember being glued to the television watching the police chase after the white Bronco and OJ Simpson? But this year, there seems to be a violence epidemic.

Since the Super Bowl earlier this year, reports say that 29 NFL players have been arrested. If you figure out the percentages, 29 out of 1,650+ players is only 1% and that might not be too bad if that was over the last decade or so... but this is in less than six months! Most of the charges fall under the assault and battery or drunk driving categories. And some are a lot more serious... *cough* Hernandez *cough*

I just don't get it—most of these guys have everything handed to them. THEY PLAY FOOTBALL FOR A JOB, for crying out loud! Aaron Hernandez signed a five-year, $37.5 million dollar contract extension with the New England Patriots less than a year ago. With the departure of Wes Welker and the injury to Rob Gronkowski, he had the opportunity to become Tom Brady's go-to guy, catch a bunch of passes and make a real name for himself. Dumb. Ass.

Hernandez had so much potential and he just pissed away because someone did something he didn't agree with? So your willing to throw away the fame and fortune for the thug life? Do murderers get paid more than football players? I don't understand how these morons think they're invincible and above the law. I don't understand how stupid someone can be to think that in this day and age of surveillance and cell phone videos they can get away with murder.

And now we find out Hernandez is also being investigated for ties to a double murder from last year? He really isn't too smart, is he?

Day 87: So I hear Aaron Hernandez is in some trouble...

Today was one of those days in the world of sports that just made my head spin. Today was also one of those days that having a full-time job bummed me out because all I really wanted to do was stare at the Twitter and the interwebs all day and just watch the news roll in. Today, some real shit went down.

It's been over a week since the brutal murder of semi-pro football player, Odin Lloyd and during that time there's been a ton of speculation, and even the false report of a warrant for Aaron Hernandez's arrest, but no actual action. Well today, we got finally go that action.

At approximately 8:45am, Aaron Hernandez was taken from his North Attleboro home in handcuffs. That part of the story didn't surprise me—especially since he had destroyed evidence soon after the discovery of Lloyd's body. I was expecting the arrest—at least for obstruction of justice. But unfortunately for Hernandez, with the handcuffs came more bad news. Less than two hours later, the Patriots announced the release of Hernandez. The Pats did the right thing. Robert Kraft and the Patriots organization, first and foremost, must protect the integrity of the team.

It wasn't until early afternoon that the actual charges were announced: first degree murder and five weapons charges. (What? One gun wasn't enough?) The criminal complaint against Hernandez, 23, states that:

"On 6/17/13, [he] did assault and beat Odin Lloyd with intent to murder such person, and by such assault and beating, did kill and murder such person."

Does "assault and beating" = shoot repeatedly? I know it's all "innocent until proven guilty" but if the verdict is guilty, the only uniform Hernandez will ever put on again will be prison-issued and possibly orange.

The Washington Post reported the supposed chain of events on the night in question.

Surveillance footage from Hernandez’s home showed him leaving with a gun, and he told someone in the house that he was upset and couldn’t trust anyone anymore, the prosecutor said.  

The three men picked up Lloyd at his home around 2:30 a.m., according to authorities. As they drove around in their rented car, they discussed what happened at the nightclub, and Lloyd started getting nervous, McCauley said.  

Lloyd texted his sister, “Did you see who I am with?” When she asked who, he answered, at 3:22 a.m., “NFL,” then, a minute later, he sent one final text: “Just so you know.”  

Within a few minutes, people working the overnight shift at the industrial park reported hearing gunshots, McCauley said. Surveillance video showed the car going into a remote area of the industrial park and emerging four minutes later, the prosecutor said.  

A short time later, Hernandez returned to his house, and he and one of the other men were seen on his home surveillance system holding guns, McCauley said. Then the system stopped recording, according to the prosecutor.

The signs point to Hernandez being the mastermind of an execution where the victim was shot multiple times. He is currently being held without bail and, if convicted, faces life in prison without parole. He's 23 years old. That's a long friggin' time to be in the big house.

What is it with these NFL players lately? Since the Super Bowl, 29 players have been arrested. Is it too much money at a young age? Feelings of invincibility? Tiny brains? Steroid rage?

So who the hell is Tom Brady going to throw the damn ball to this season? Hernandez? No... murderer. Gronkowski? No... broken. Welker? No... gone. I don't know if he's worried yet, but I sure am.

Day 86: Well, Bruins Fans... The Fat Lady Has Sung.

It's been a sad day for Boston fans... last night the Bruins' incredible run at the Stanley Cup was cut short by 17 seconds. In those 17 seconds with less than two minutes left in the game, the Bruins went from the possibility of forcing a game seven, to watching the Chicago Blackhawks celebrate as Stanley Cup Champions on their home turf.

After playing 58 plus minutes of hard-fought hockey, the tying goal, scored by Bryan Bickell after the Hawks pulled the goalie for an extra attacker, deflated the B's. That slight deflation caused enough of a lag in their play to allow Chicago to score the go ahead and winning goal just 17 seconds later while Johnny Boychuk just stood there and watched.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who stared blankly at the television in disbelief as the seconds ticked off the clock, revealing the new Stanley Cup Champs. And even more traumatic was having to witness the Cup presentation pomp and circumstance on your home ice.

Both teams played an unbelievably tough series. Four of the six games were decided by one goal and three needed extra time, including a triple overtime event in game one. It was a heartbreaking loss, but at least the Bruins were beaten by the best team in the NHL, and not a bunch of schmucks. Like the Penguins.

The Chicago Blackhawks showed class and sportsmanship throughout a series that didn't always go their way. The cheap shots where scarce, even when they were being hammered consistently by the hard-hitting Bruins. My hat's off to the new Stanley Cup Champions—you were quite the formidable opponent.

And does anyone else love the handshake tradition at the end of a playoff series as much as I do? Such a gentlemanly ritual for such an aggressive group of men. I would love to hear what the say to each other... "Hey Tuukka, nice job, but at least now you can shave that half bald ferret off your chin now!"

On another note, I think it's about time to give out the second Big Balls Award. This time the honor goes to Patrice Bergeron. Patrice finished the playoffs while suffering through a broken rib, torn cartilage and a separated shoulder. Damn, hockey dudes are tough. Just one of those injuries would sideline a baseball player for an entire season.

Day 85: Dismal Days in Detroit for Red Sox

Look what happens when the Red Sox stink up the joint... I'm reduced to alliteration in my titles. I blame them. I'm not even sure where to start with this weekend series in Detroit. The Sox came into the four-game stint with the best record in baseball, but coughed up three of the four games and now... well, they've got company.

Thursday night was by far the most frustrating of the series. John Lackey pitched another outstanding game, allowing just two earned runs and striking out five in seven innings. Boston rallied for the go ahead run in the top of the eighth and looked pretty confident going into the bottom of the ninth with a slim one run lead. And then Andrew Bailey entered the game. And blew the save. Jerk.

The Red Sox bounced back on Friday night for an 17-hit, 10-run attack where Shane Victorino exploded with four hits and five RBI, including his third home run of the year. It was just what the doctor ordered for the struggling Jon Lester who hadn't won a game since May 15th. Both Stephen Drew and Jose Iglesias had three hits in the offensive attack. Iglesias, by the way, is batting .426 this season. Guess he was tired of people crapping on his offensive skills.

Just when you thought the Sox had the Tigers figured out, they go and give up 10 runs and 15 hits. What the...? Detroit took full advantage of rookie Allen Webster's inexperience at the major league level, tagging him for four runs in the first. He lasted just 4.1 innings and the Red Sox offense never could climb out of that early hole. How could they when facing Max Scherzer? The 11-0 Max Scherzer...

But wait! There's still another game—they still have time to come away from the weekend with a split. And after Felix Doubront's shutout performance against the Rays in his last start, how could they lose? Well, I'll tell you... Andrew Miller gave up three runs in the eighth sparked by a controversial double that Daniel Nava caught but then dropped on the transfer. The umpires huddled up and called it a two base error which was just stupid. That was the end. Blerg.

So all in all it was a pretty sucky weekend. While the Red Sox still sit atop the AL East, it's a rather slim lead—just two games over the Orioles. But honestly... did you even think they would be in this position on June 24th? I certainly didn't.