Official Navs blog launches

This blog isn't going anywhere. I'll still be here, updating, talking about the wide world of baseball, the Navs, and Spirit alums.

But if you want in-depth coverage of the North Shore Navigators, my three fellow Sports Information interns and I have launced the Official North Shore Navigators blog.

That will be your source for inside information, stats, news, updates, and discussion about the Navs. Check us out!

CanAm final scores

Wow. The Pride rallied back from a 6-0 3rd inning deficit to score a 10th inning walkoff win over the Rox. Luis Rodriguez hit the walkoff single off of Jamie Baker. Hooray old friends!

Speaking of old friends, Alex Trezza, BJ Weed & co. smashed Gary Galvez and the Sussex Skyhawks, 14-5.

Finally, Ottawa was rudely welcomed to the league, making 6 errors in their home debut and falling 6-0 to the Jackals.

Can-Am Opening Night live post

I'll be checking in on CanAm games from time to time...

Looks like old friend Gary Galvez is starting for the Skyhawks, and he's picked up right where he's left off as Worcester is up 3-0 on Sussex in the first inning.

BJ Weed & Alex Trezza are on Worcester's roster but I haven't heard whether or not they are in the starting lineup.

Old nemesis Hideki Nagasaka is starting for Nashua against Brockton.

Atlantic City and Quebec got rained out up at Le Stade.

----

7:32 "Hi, this is Worcester Tornadoes catcher Alex Trezza and you're listening to the Worcester Tornadoes on WTAG." - just heard on the webcast

7:35 Francisco Lebron's 2run homer gives Brockton a 2-0 lead over Nashua in the 1st...

7:38 Trezza smoked a home run in the first as part of the 3-run outburst for the 'Nadoes

9:03 5-2 Worcester in the 6th (yay!), 7-2 Brockton over Nashua, also in the 6th (indifferent)

CanAm League Opening Day

Atlantic City at Quebec - 7:05 p.m.
New Jersey at Ottawa - 7:05 p.m.
Brockton at Nashua - 7:05 p.m.
Worcester at Sussex - 7:00 p.m.

It's almost Navs time

We had the first full staff meeting at Fraser Field. All the fun stuff is underway: contacting media outlets, getting the name out there, getting the mascot out there, doing ads and promotions.

What I can tell you is that the Navs have put together a committed and talented staff, the park looks great, and everyone is excited for the season to start.

I'll fill you in on more details when I get the chance.

The Red Sox indoors since 2003

Pretty staggering stuff.
****

2003
@Tampa 5-5
@Toronto 4-5
@Milwaukee 2-1
@Minnesota 1-2

2004
@Toronto 5-5
@Tampa 6-3
@Minnesota 1-2

2005
@Toronto 3-6
@Tampa 4-5
@Minnesota 1-2

2006
@Toronto 3-7
@Tampa 3-7
@Minnesota 0-3

2007
@Toronto 5-4
@Minnesota 2-1
@Arizona 2-1
@Tampa 6-3

2008
@Minnesota 1-3
@Toronto 0-3
@Tampa 0-3

Something Different: Music Review - This Blue Heaven at Great Scott, 5/13/08

Note: This is the first in what may or may not be a series of off-topic posts at the blog. Why? Cause it's my blog. Deal.

.

As you all know, most of my entertainment budget goes toward attending local sporting events. It's not that I don't have other interests, it's just that I often find the alternatives aren't worth the time or money - particularly when it comes to musical performances

The big time acts are so expensive that it needs to be someone that I really enjoy - and among major modern acts that list is pretty much limited to U2 and Muse. And the small local rock shows aren't really my scene even though I like indie rock just fine. For the most part I find most of the bands to be pretty good, but very noisy - and very few of them actually stand out from the rest.

But in October, I stumbled across a local band that truly did distinguish itself. This Blue Heaven, a Boston-based quintet, put on a splendid show at Boston College and instantly struck me with their deep, introspective lyrics and sweet melodies.

It's rare that I find a band that truly reflects my mood, but This Blue Heaven does just that. Their mixture of melancholy and bliss struck a chord with me. Their songs have the kind of lyrics that make you think and re-think their meaning for hours, combined with catchy hooks that also linger with you long after the show.

Thus, I sprung at the chance to catch them in person again at Great Scott in Allston. They did not disappoint.

This Blue Heaven are led by lead singer and songwriter MacKenzie Outlund, whose voice is powerful yet sweet; it sounds equally likely to come from a major radio star or the girl down the street who sings a mean national anthem.

She comes across as an awkward yet friendly, deep-thinking person, whose interactions get the crowd involved from the get-go. Her philosophy major background is evident in lyrics such as "the philosopher says there's no deeper despair / than remembering a future that will never be there."

Any group on the rise needs a likable leader, and Outlund is just that -she has the type of contagious on-stage personality necessary to help a small band from Boston take off.

To me, the backbone of the band's music is Aaron Rosenthal, the keyboard player, who adds effects whose moods can be chilling, relaxing, or very upbeat.

Stu Dietz does a solid job on guitar, while also occasionally contributing a deep, rich counterpoint to Outlund's lead vocals - most notable in the song "Insomnia," in which his voice helps create the ominous mood of a song about sleepless nights.

The group is rounded out by Mark Desrosiers, bassist and BC '08 (woo!), and drummer Brandon Erdos.

The band can rock with the best of them: they performed the dance number "Where the Living Starts," which almost sounds like it's ripped from a hoedown, and the piercing "My Disgrace." where Outlund sounds almost Gwen Stefani-like, belting it out while the rest of the band jams in the background.

But This Blue Heaven are at their best when at their most introspective. "This Time" and "You Can't Take Back What You Said" stole the show at Great Scott, creating that aforementioned mood of melancholic bliss.

While they are a musically talented bunch, what truly makes them stand out is not the instrumentation but the songs, which are strong right on down the line. Whether they have you thinking or have you dancing, This Blue Heaven's songs will have you waiting in anticipation for their debut album, which comes out this fall.

This Blue Heaven:

-You Can't Take Back What You Said-



-Where the Living Starts-


-This Time-


www.myspace.com/thisblueheaven

Forthcoming:

...research that (I think) will prove my long-held thesis that the Red Sox suck in domes. Another series loss @ Minnesota. Luckily, the next stop on the 10-day road trip is Fenway South.

And how about those RAYS?

Spirit Ad Wins Award!

A couple months back I asked for people's opinions on what to send into the Telly Awards, a distinguished video/film contest with over 14,000 entries a year.
Well........I DID IT! =D
I sent in the North Shore Spirit Championship Ad I made for LynnCAM in the "Commercial Sports" category,and took home a bronze Telly in that category. In order to qualify for the Bronze I had to recieve a rating off a 10-point system from a panel of judges that measures between 7.0-8.9. A Silver award would warrent a rating of 9.0 or higher.

So yeah.....I'm pretty excited that I won this thing-and I'm gonna opt to get the statuette & cetificate. Thought I'd share.....and for those of you wondering exactly which ad it was,here it is again:

NEW Navigators LynnCAM Ad

The new Navigators ad that will be shown on LynnCAM TV soon.


Hope ya liked. =] I think it's a step above these plain ones I made before-but they're still as effective....

This one stings

Did anyone else see the Sox' 10-9 loss tonight? I feel like I jumped into a time warp and came out in 2003 - complete with the terrible pitching, the crazy comeback, the exciting offense, the late-innings drama, and the end-of-game meltdown.

This is the first really stinging loss of the season, IMO - a chance to sweep a good team on the road squandered due to, for the most part, bad luck.

I feel for Papelbon. Take a look at how it went down:

• A check-swing with 2 strikes that only resulted in an infield hit because it rolled so slowly
• An indecisive butcher-job by Lugo letting there be runners on 1st & 2nd with 0 out. It's easy to be angry with Lugo, although this was also a bit of bad luck - everyone watching the game was thinking 'lead runner,' but once again the ball was rolling slowly which really screwed things up.
• A successful bunt
• A simple 4-3 ground-out, which resulted in a run due to the aforementioned bad luck -> Tie game
  
• A little broken bat flair into very shallow left -> Loss

Papelbon was pretty good, things just rolled out of control with the crucial moment being the Lugo play and the subsequent sac bunt. Oddly enough, 'small ball,' which had been shooting Detroit in the foot all night (remember Magglio getting thrown out running to 3rd in the 8th? or the bunt with 2 on and 0 out while in the lead that resulted in 0 runs?), came back to be the deciding factor in the end, as without that bunt the tying run would not have scored. Go figure.

The only real questionable managerial decision I think was whether or not to intentionally walk Granderson w/ runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out, but I still think they made the right call by pitching to him. Granderson was struggling (he continued to struggle with a weak groundout that just so happened to drive in the tying run) and you never want to create a situation where you can walk in the tying run or winning run.

This doesn't suck as much as it would have in the pre-World Championship days, but it still stinks. Gotta have some of these days though - it's all part of the journey of baseball season.

On to the next phase of the road trip.

EDIT: Also: That game was Four. Hours. Long. Eff that.

Celtics win, order restored to the universe

Well, that was how the whole series was supposed to go, right? Bring on LeBron.

With the Sox sweeping the Tampa Rays and the Montreal Canadiens being eliminated from the NHL playoffs, I think it's safe to call this a victorious weekend.

On a whim, I picked up a $12 ticket to Game 7. It was pretty fun.









Celtic introductions


SHOUT! - panning the crowd (29)


Hey! the scoreboard told me to get loud! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAA (32)


Game over (51)

Red Sox Win In A Rainy Showdown In The Fens

I went to the Red Sox game last night. For anyone interested I wrote up a game report and included a few pictures I took.

To see my post check out my blog or click HERE

Sports month in review: April 2008

I'm going to try out a new feature here at the blog - the Sports Month in review. I've been working on it as the month has gone along, with the thought that it can be a one-stop place to reminisce about each month's great sporting events. Let me know what you think. -JG

APRIL 2008

Biggest local story - BC wins hockey national championship (So shoot me, I'm biased)
Most pleasant surprise - the Bruins make the playoffs & push Montreal to the brink
Biggest disappointment - the much-ballyhooed Celtics start the playoffs 2-2
Most exciting game - Bruins vs. Montreal, Game 6: Bruins win, 5-4
Player of the month - Manny Ramirez, who has absolutely gone off this year and is approaching HR 500
Overrated event of the month - NFL Draft
Underrated event of the month - NCAA hockey tournament

QUOTE OF THE MONTH – "THERE IS NO CALL!" – Jack Edwards, after a non-penalty call against the Canadiens in Game 6
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To me, April 2008 will be remembered as the month that re-affirmed my belief that nothing is better than playoff hockey at its best.

And no team perfected high-flying, exciting, offensive-minded hockey like the Boston College Eagles late in the season. BC scorched its opponents in the Hockey East tournament by a combined score of 21-6, then bulldozed powerhouses Minnesota and Miami in the NCAA regionals to earn a berth in the Frozen Four. The offense didn't slow down in Denver, as BC smoked North Dakota 6-1, then outlasted hated rival Notre Dame, 4-1, to bring home the third national championship in school history.

The on-ice fun didn't stop then, as the Boston Bruins brought hockey fever back to Boston for the first time in a long time with a scintillating first round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens - proving once again that Boston can and will get very excited over a good Bruins team.

Despite prognostications of doom, the Bruins did indeed show up at Le Centre Bell for game 1 of the playoffs on April 10, but they were blown out by Montreal, 4-1. In game 2, however, the Canadiens' armor cracked. The B's trailed 2-0 in the 3^rd period, but they dominated most of the game play. Finally, they cashed in with two goals to force overtime. Unfortunately, the Habs drew an overtime power play on a patented swan dive by Markov, and cashed in shortly thereafter with a game-winning goal.

Game 3 in Boston was a wild, nail-biting affair. I was there in person, and I can attest to how absolutely insane the atmosphere was. Milan Lucic put the Bruins on the board in the first period, but Alexander Kostitsyn evened it up with a second period tally. The teams remained deadlocked until overtime, when Marc Savard gave the B's their first win over Montreal in 13 games:

A 1-0 game 4 loss derailed the B's momentum, and hope appeared lost. But the Bruins regained their composure and blew the doors of the Canadiens in game 5 with four 3^rd period goals. This thrilling, season-saving win unleashed a wave of Bruins frenzy that I hadn't seen since I was just a wee lad. I went online to buy tickets to game 6. Tickets were previously so easy to get at face value that 6-8,000 Canadiens fans were able to bus down from Montreal and infest the Garden. Now, all of a sudden, a ticket was an impossible commodity to find: people were selling nosebleed seats for $150 on Craigs list, and trading tickets to the Celtics playoffs, Red Sox field box seats, and just about everything short of their wedding rings to get in the door for the highly-anticipated Game 6.

As it turned out, the game proved to be very, very worth it. Words can't describe the insanity of the game, but this video can:

The victory resulted in wide-spread looting, mass riots, and burning cop cars. Oh wait, I'm sorry, that's what Montreal did after they won game 7. Still, Bruins fans had quite a time after game 6:

Bruins Fever then shifted into overdrive. I was in Boston for the Sox game at Fenway the next day, and I was one of many people rocking a Bruins shirt. There was a definite buzz in the air.

Sadly, once again, the Bruins were buzz-kills, losing 5-0 in the deciding seventh game. But Bruins fans can rest easy knowing that unlike the last time the Bruins lost in game 7 to Montreal, the future looks very bright for the black and gold.

The Garden's other inhabitants, the Boston Celtics, closed out the regular season in dominating fashion in April, then opened up what all parties assumed would be a very easy four-game coast against the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Unfortunately, nobody alerted the Hawks to the fact that this was a goddamn show; they think it's a goddamn fight.

The Hawks made themselves look silly by celebrating their game 3 win like it was the NBA championship, with confetti pouring down from the rafters, many man-hugs shared in the stands, and Al Horford taunting Paul Pierce as the clock ran out. Everyone figured the Celtics would exact their revenge by kicking da ATL to the curb in game 4. But it didn't happen. The Hawks tied the series at 2, and the potential early exit of the supposed-juggernaut Celtics has the early lead for 'May 2008's biggest story.'

Meanwhile, the smell of beer, grilled meats, homeless people, dirt, grass, and a low-IQ mass of humanity returned to Kenmore Square in April. No, it wasn't the start of classes at BU; it was baseball – the return of the world champion Boston Red Sox. The Sox raised their flag honoring the '07 champs:

…then proceeded to have a bang-up stretch in which they started 15-6 despite a four-nation road trip to start the season. Unfortunately, they have hit the skids as of late, losing 5 in a row to the LA Angels and the Tampa Bay Rays (nee Devil), but they are still locked in a 3-way tie for the AL East division lead.

Also, this guy right here:

…had an awesome month, making pitchers shudder in fear and perfecting his patented 'stand there with his arms raised' technique. It won't be long before Manny joins the 500 HR club. I wish every year was Manny's contract year.

The next person who complains about Manny Ramirez is getting smacked in the mouth. Yeah, he's a kooky one, but that's all part of what makes him the most fun player to watch in all of baseball. Watching him hit is like watching Monet paint or Mozart compose symphonies.

Elsewhere in New England sports, the Revolution kicked off their much anticipated 2008 campaign, with millions of locals hoping and praying that "this is the year." OK, not really. But after 3 consecutive losses in the MLS Cup final, the Revs hope to finally take the next step in '08. They got off to an encouraging start, ripping into the hated Houston Dynamo, 3-0. Gambian sensations Mansally and Nyassi brought new life to the Revs attack, which was beleaguered early by injuries to Steve Ralston, Taylor Twellman, and Wells Thompson.

Since the opener, the Revs have been up-and-down, but they sit in a decent spot after a month of competition with a 3-2-1 record and 10 points, 2 behind conference-leading Columbus.

There was plenty of interesting sports action outside of route 128 in April as well.

The most hyped event, of course, was the NCAA Final Four, which was met with pants-wetting glee by Dick Vitale and other ESPN personalities as the 2^nd best thing to DOOK making it to the Final Four happened: all four #1 seeds made it to the Final Four, and one of them was UNC. It was talking-head heaven. People were dubbing it "The Greatest Final Four Ever" before tip-off. As such, I was greatly amused by the fact that the two semifinal games were absolute blowouts, with Memphis and Kansas wiping the floor with UCLA and UNC, respectively.

The final, however, lived up to expectations, as plucky underdog Memphis squandered a late lead against equally-plucky overdog Kansas, who nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force OT:

It truly was a great all-time highlight, and Kansas backed it up with a dominating OT performance, earning Jayhawk Nation a national championship.

Colleges across the nation also eagerly anticipated the annual ritual of spring football. Tens of thousands of fans packed the stadiums at places like Alabama, Nebraska, and Georgia to watch their teams participate in glorified practice sessions, confirming nationwide suspicions that there really is nothing to do in places like Alabama, Nebraska, and Georgia. BC had its spring game, in front of a frenzied (defined here as 'kind of awake') crowd of maybe 7,000, in which Chris Crane officially took the reins of the up-and-coming program.

Matt Ryan, BC's star quarterback, became saddled with the burden of high expectations, as he was arguably the highest-profile pick in this month's NFL draft. He was picked #3 by the Atlanta Falcons, who hope they can rebuild their franchise around Ryan. He seems like the kind of guy Southerners can really embrace: polite, hard-working, motivated, clean-cut, and white.

The Patriots addressed their biggest need during the NFL draft: they set Ellis Hobbs on fire. No, seriously, they drafted a mess of linebackers and cornerbacks, including Tennessee inside linebacker Jerod Mayo at #10 overall.

Internationally, soccer once again provided great theatre, as the European Champions League, the world's most watch professional sports competition, moved into the quarterfinal and semifinal stages.

English clubs Liverpool and Arsenal clashed in the quarterfinals in what would become an absolute game for the ages. For those unfamiliar with the Champions League, the playoff rounds are contested as two-game playoffs. Each team plays one game at home, and whoever scores the most total goals between the two games wins. If the teams are tied on total goals, whoever scores more goals on the road wins. If both teams have equal away goals, the game goes to overtime, then penalty kicks.

Here was the situation going into game 2: Liverpool and Arsenal tied 1-1 at Arsenal in the first leg. Arsenal came out swinging in the first fifteen minutes of game 2, scoring a precious away goal to go up 2-1. Liverpool equalized before halftime, then added a thunderbolt by Spanish sensation Fernando Torres to go up 3-2 at the 60 minute mark.

Then, all hell broke loose. Arsenal scored with less than ten minutes to play to tie the score at 3, but because they had more away goals, Arsenal was poised to advance to the semi-finals. But less than one minute later, Liverpool earned a penalty kick which their talisman, Steven Gerrard, knocked home to give Liverpool a 4-3 lead. Liverpool added a late insurance goal to earn the dramatic 5-3 victory.

Following the game, Grant had the runner-up for 'quote of the month: "Oh, so that's why British people like soccer. What a game."

I strongly encourage watching this video, if only to see the goals. Most of them came on incredible efforts.

Chelsea and Manchester United also won their quarterfinal matches to put 3 English teams in the final four. Spain's Barcelona FC topped Roma to punch their ticket to the semi-finals.

Both semifinal matchups are through game 1 – Liverpool and Chelsea are tied 1-1, while Man U and Barcelona are tied, 0-0.

Back at home, NASCAR had another uninspiring month, continuing the once-proud sanctioning body's death march. However, its most recent race bucked that trend, as Kyle Busch won an incredible race at Talladega, which featured 53 lead changes, laps clocked at over 200 MPH, and two late-race incidents which totally shook up the running order. Jeff Burton leads the points standings, but who cares? They're going to re-set the points for the Chase anyway.

The Spanish commentary makes this the most unintentionally funny video of all time:

The NHL playoffs continue to be the nation's most exciting event, with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia on course for an all-Pennsylvania clash in the Eastern Conference Finals. Detroit continues to be heavily favored in the West.

With April coming to an end, the biggest stories in May are shaping up. Locally, the big question will be whether or not the Celtics can re-gain their once-dominant form, while the specter of RED SOX NATION!!!111 always looms large in the background. Nationally, the NHL and NBA playoffs will heat up, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes will go off, and an Indy 500 champion will be crowned. And internationally, a European champion will be crowned in soccer, while liberals and conservatives both will line up at torch relay sites all over the world for the right to throw rocks at the Olympic Torch.

The excitement never ends.

New Navigators Mascot Unveiled

From the Navs website:

"The Mascot Alligator, still unnamed, threw out first pitch at Lynn Shore LL, marched in the Wyoma LL parade and visited the Capital Diner, then Ricky Ford's place in West Lynn and finally City Hall on Saturday."

Here's some pics of the new mascot......

Anybody got name ideas?

In other news.....see the post below. It's concerning a trip to Worcester later on this month.....