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Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Baseball's Back!

In a mere 32 hours or so, the Boston Red Sox (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) will take the field against the Minnesota Twins in the first Grapefruit League game of the season. How sweet is that? Even if you hate spring training baseball and don't like to watch it, it's just a good feeling knowing that the team will be playing games again.

I tend to get very into the spring games for the first week and a half, before getting bored with it then jumping back in maybe 3 days before the regular season. It'll just be really nice to be able to listen to the Sox on the radio while doing homework, check box scores in the morning, and do all of those other cool baseball things.

I'm pretty pumped that Daisuke Matsuzaka's first appearance will come against the Boston College Eagles in the annual exhibition between the two teams. C'mon BC - do you believe in miracles? ;)

On a related note, College baseball's been underway for over a week now. BC started the year 0-3 with 3 ludicrously heartbreaking one run losses against three very good southern teams. On Sunday, they led #1 Vanderbilt 6-5 in the 9th with 2 outs and nobody on before the closer walked a man then gave up a walkoff two run blast for his 2nd blown save of the young season. It would have been a monumental win for the Eagles, probably one of the biggest in program history.

Even though they're not expected to do that well in the tough ACC, I'm looking forward to checking out a number of games at Shea Field since 1) it's baseball and 2) it's free. I encourage any of you to come join me for some BC baseball games. ACC baseball is superb.

There are some Spirit connections, too: ex-Spirit Joe Hastings is the assistant coach of the baseball team. I'll also be going to a few softball games - Jenna Macchi, Brian's sister, is one of the better players on the lady Eagles softball team, and Brian apparently serves as an assistant coach / advisor.

Should be a fun spring/summer/fall. Play ball!

13 comments:

SoSayethI2006 said...

How bout it Sparko??

SoSayethI2006 said...

Tentative schedule has Daiske Matsusaka (sic) throwing his 1st pitch @ Fenway against none other than Seattle and ...you guessed it.... Ichiro!!.Load the cameras baseball Fanaticsan.

Anonymous said...

Also my cousin Brian is one of the team managers on the BC team this year. He gets to hang out with thet team and helps out. He says its a lot of work, but he likes what he does. So you might see me down there as well for a few games.

Jack

DaveCo said...

I'm looking forward to seeing Dice-K pitch...I think he's gonna be good. And now I can't wait for opening day even more. I scored tickets and if that's really who's pitching and batting leadoff my camera's definitly going off. :D

Anonymous said...

Also you can check out the BC baseball team again at Fraser Field on April 17th which is a tuesday at 3pm, which is the opening round of the Baseball Beanpot. The Eagles opponent will be Harvard. I'm sure some of you will be there for that.

Grant Salzano said...

at Fraser? nice!!

and Dice-K? you mean NICE-K!

Joe Grav said...

BC-Harvard in the first round? Might as well just call that the championship game...

Wooden U. Lykteneau said...

Dude, I think they're sending the UMass team from Amherst, not the JVs in the "@" school in Boston.

Joe Grav said...

BC beat the $#!t out of UMass Amherst in the first round last year, something like 11-4 IIRC. And Northeastern is just Northeastern... if it's a Beanpot, they won't win it.

If BU were in it, and sent their club team, they'd probably win. heh

DaveCo said...

I liked the beanpot last year at Fraser...minus that incident where the guy got hit. :(

I'm looking forward to that and hanging with you guys again. :D

Wooden U. Lykteneau said...

Yeah, Joe, I guess the UMass program will just have to take solace in the ten major-leaguers it's produced in the past 40 years (11) as opposed to Boston College's one (Brian Looney).

Joe Grav said...

I don't really care about a few players in the past 40 years. UMA went something like 10-16 in the A-10. The A-10! They're not that good.

Wooden U. Lykteneau said...

I don't much care for college baseball -- it's what arena football is to the NFL -- I was just bustin' on ya.

Blue Rocks -- They were the Sox affiliate but they're back to being a Royals affiliate. Lot of buzz in camp about Natale, but I didn't see anything that special about him; not like Ellsbury.

Guy I did like who bears watching for sentimental reasons: John Barnes. OF turned P with a decent knuckleball. Needs to develop a 2nd breaking pitch, but has potential, even if he's already 30.