Spinsterblog

Nick Cafardo and I are in a fight.

Last night, he was doing the Boston Globe blog (which is a tragedy, because Amalie Benjamin is awesome and should *always* do it) and he typed this in his wrapup:  ” One word describes the Rays - awful.”

One word describes this observation: STUPID.

First of all, the blown call in Boston’s favor in the seventh inning allowed two runs to score that shouldn’t have. Without that blown call, the Devil Rays would have won this game. In what universe does that make them awful?*

Second of all, they tied it up in the 9th and took the game (that they should have won) into extra innings. Twelve innings, in fact, where the Devil Rays went up against the best bullpen in baseball. Does the fact that the Rays lineup was unable to score against them make the entire team awful?  I think not. Furthermore, there were three innings where the Red Sox were unable to score any runs against the worst bullpen in baseball. If one of the two teams is awful, I vote for the Red Sox.

So, yes, two of the Rays relievers gave up six runs in the twelfth and lost the game.  And, yes, a six run inning is awful, no matter how you look at it. But to characterize the entire team as awful because of that?  Give me a break. That’s dumber than choosing Wily Mo Pena to be a starting outfielder. (Yes, “dumber.” Nick Cafardo’s observation has irritated me so much that I begin making up words and throwing grammar aside.)
* Please note that this does not mean that I’m not longer broken up with the Devil Rays. We are so over. I’m just saying–Nick Cafardo’s comment is stupid.

Jason Varitek

Originally uploaded by emmyl658

Yes, I’m trying to make up for the fact that I update this thing like every six weeks (I blame my annoyance at my FAVORITE player, Julio Lugo.)

I took a bunch of pictures at the San Diego series, and you can browse through them all at flickr.

So, I was talking to kate the other day and, since she knows what a giant baseball jinx I am, she asked if I’d broken anyone during my trip.

Umm, myself?

Read more…

On my list of books that I would take to a desert island is Ellen Emerson White’s Long Live the Queen. I love it beyond words. Well, now there’s a sequel to LLTQ coming out, called Long May She Reign, *and* Ellen has a spiffy (if I do say so myself) website here. Go check it out! And while you’re there, pre-order her new book!