Thursday 4/14

Captain V.Tek Drives it home

Renteria double in the eight followed by a 2 RBI Varitek triple wins the rubber match for the good guys.

Sox take it to the Yanks 8-5 in a drama filled match.

Sox hitting coach, Ron Jackson- Ejected

(After arguing with home plate umpire)

Terry Francona- Ejected

(After arguing with home plate umpire)

Sheffield-Assaults fan

Me- Too many Sam Adams

(No reasonable excuse)

Wednesday 4/13

Yanks Get to Schilling in the 6th

Schill shouldn't have come off the bench in the 5th never mind the 6th as his velocity and placement was clearly wearing thin, but may not have mattered as Sox offense was quiet.

Giambi (2R) & Williams (Solo) HR's in 6th do the Sox in.

Tuesday 4/12

Sox have the day off

Bill Simmons take on the ceremonies

Peter Gammons Chat

Derek Lowe confused by Dodger fan reaction to his wearing sox jersey during ceremony. (As he should be)

To Come tomorrow: Brooklyn Sox Fan Interview with Eric C. of Sons Of Sam Horn Website.  Eric & Brooklyn Sox fan talk about the new book "Win it For"

Monday 4/11

Sox in control all game, win 8-1

Sox down Yankees 8-1 to cap off a glorious opening day.

Wakefield pitches a great game 6IP, 1R, 0ER, 5H

Mirabelli 2 Run HR (Best #2 catcher in baseball)

It was our day!

Wow!

Opening Ceremonies- Spectacular.

Sox drop World Series banners of all winning years from left field wall and then the 2004 banner drops covering the entire wall

James Taylor plays "America"

Rings handed out to all players, Lowe & Roberts were present to get their rings. Big ovations for all.

Johnny Pesky last one to get his ring and crowd goes nuts. Pesky walks to flag pole in center field raising the 2004 W.S. flag.

Yankees are introduced. All are booed until Mariano Rivera is called out and the crowd erupts cheering the loudest they have all day. I fell out of my chair.. Rivera himself couldn't hold back the laughter.  It was pretty comical.

Sunday 4/10

Mama I'm coming Home

...and hopefully it will get us in gear

Sox lose another close one today but come to

 Boston tomorrow to hand out the rings & raise the

 banner (and the roof!)... Going to be a great day.

Can't seal the deal in Toronto today, Lose 4-3

Clement-6IP, 3ER

Saturday 4/9

Sox downed hard in Toronto

Sox handed a Loss 12-5

Wells- Unimpressive 6IP, 6ER

Ortiz- 3 Run HR

Sox out hit 16-8, Hillenbrand 3 for 4, with 3 Runs

Greg Zaun Grand Slam in 8th Closes Door on Sox

Nothing Short of Spectacular

V.Tek is showing why he wears the C.

Friday 4/8

Sox Win 6-5 @ Toronto

Sox Take 6-3 Lead into 9th and Sox (Foulke) slightly implode

But....hang on to win it after Blue Jays bring it to 6-5 in the 9th with bases loaded before a ground out ends the game.

Wheww.....

Varitek hits titanic solo homerun. Nixon solo shot as well.

Arroyo 6IP, 2ER.. Solid...

Francona watched the game from home. Was released from hospital and said he wants to get back to work.  Medical Director said the symptoms were a possibly a result of a recent viral infection. - TV38 Postgame (Bob Lobel) & AP Report today

Yanks fans outnumber Sox fans in CT

43-35% Yanks fans in CT

Sox Fans in London Gathering

-Calling all London Sox Fans

Red Sox Nation London Supporters Club is holding its launch party on Monday April 11 at 7.30pm at the Sports Café on Haymarket in London to watch the home opener live from Fenway Park.

Curt gets walloped in Indy

But says "He is ready"

Schilling, recovering from offseason ankle surgery, allowed 11 hits, including two solo homers, a triple and a double. He struck out six and walked none, throwing 77 of 104 pitches for strikes in a 7-5 loss to the Indianapolis Indians.-AP

Thursday 4/7

Sox have the day off

Schilling pitching for AAA Pawtucket in Indy today. If all goes well he will be on the hill for the Sox on Wednesday of next week!-WEEI

Pedro says Sox can keep ring

-Bitter Pedro still flapping his gums

Bill Simmons laughs it up for us at the expense of Mariano

Major League Baseball on Wednesday set April 8 as the date for the historic start of the conclave to elect a successor to Mariano Rivera, as the Yankees made final arrangements for the funeral of a great career that is expected to draw millions of Yankee fans and world leaders to the Bronx.-Full Article by Bill Simmons on Page 2 of ESPN

Wednesday 4/6

Yankees Choke.. Again

Rivera is ineffective against Boston.

Sox come back and win in 9th against Mariano.

Arod makes huge error on a double play ball to cost NY the lead!

Rivera blows yet another save:

Ortiz dribbler to first drives in Bellhorn... Sox take lead and don't look back

Millar- hot bat 3 for 3, 2RBI

Renteria-2 for 5, 2 RBI's in 9th
Wakefield 6.3IP, 2R, Solid outing.

Sox win 7-3

Jeter was hit on the helmet by a Timlin pitch.

Nothing intentional, Jeter sent to hospital with ringing in his ears. Hopefully nothing serious. (Yes we are somewhat civilized when it comes to peoples health, even Yankees)

Terry Francona taken to Hospital

-Taken to medical center with tightness in chest

Supposed to be ok.. Said to be a precaution.

Red Sox Pet Parade Sunday

-Sunday April 10th, 11:00 a.m. Faneuil Hall

Tuesday 4/5

The No Good Yankees Win Another

4-3

Jeter HR in 9th puts us away

Sox tie it in the 9th with V. Tek Solo HR...but not enough.

Sox Runs- Ortiz Solo shot,  Damon RBI, Varitek Solo Shot

Matsui seems to have the Sox Number. 3 for 4 (2Run HR)

Box Score

38 Minor League players caught using juice!

-Face penalties and suspensions

Sunday 4/3

Well(s), it's only 1 game!

Sox lose opener in the bronx 9-2

We lost last year's opener as well (and 4 straight years before that)

162 Game season folks..162 Games..

D. Wells, 4IP, 4ER, 10H

Randy Johnson duped the sox and pitched a very good game

-6IP, 1ER, 6K

Varitek-3 for 4

Damon's Words of Wisdom

   ``I don't encourage people to steal pumpkins or to throw them off tall buildings but that's the kind of cra-zee (sic) thing that keeps you loose,'' he writes. ``I let that baby go and I could see it drop all the way down to the ground, before it smashed into a million pieces. I was sure our luck had changed.'' -Boston Herald.

Damon's self titled book "idiot" is available in stores this coming week.

Thursday 3/30, Friday 4/1, Saturday 4/2

Lou Gorman was the Boston Red Sox general manager from 1984-1993. The South Providence, Rhode Island native has had a long and distinguished career in baseball, having worked in the front offices of the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners and New York Mets before coming home to his beloved Sox. He's just written a book about his life with the Red Sox called "One Pitch From Glory", which will be released on April 1. Recently I had a chance to talk to Lou about Ted Williams, Jeff Bagwell, Fenway Park, the 2004 champions, and of course, the 1986 team he put together.

JBQ: Where were you on October 27, 2004, when the dream of every Red Sox fan finally came true?

LG: Well, I was invited to be at Busch Stadium in St. Louis to see all the World Series games live, but I decided to stay home in Boston to watch all the games with my wife. When the final out was made, I pulled out a bottle of Chardonnay and we drank a toast to the Red Sox and their championship.

JBQ: What thoughts were running through your mind as the last out was made and the Red Sox were officially World Champions?

LG: My first thoughts were of the Yawkeys, Tom and Jean. I knew that wherever they were, they were smiling and happy. I also thought of Dan Duquette, and how a lot of the 2004 championship club was put together by him. I also drank a toast to Theo Epstein, John Henry, Larry Lucchino and Tom Werner, to the absolutely brilliant job they all did in the short time they had been with the club.

JBQ: There also had to be some pain in seeing the Red Sox finally win the World Series.

LG: Oh yes, I definitely remembered the pain of the loss in the 1986 World Series. It was the only regret I had. I thought of a lot of those 1986 players that night, like Bruce Hurst, Jim Rice and Dwight Evans. I only wish we had brought that elusive title to our fans that year.

JBQ: What else do you think about when you remember the 1986 club?

LG: Coming so incredibly close and not winning it will always be what I think of first about that team. I think of things like if we had had Tom Seaver in the postseason he might have made the difference, but an August knee injury ended his season. But I also remember the outpouring of love and support from the Red Sox faithful the day after the World Series loss. Nearly one million people came out to a parade to honor the club. It was extraordinary and overwhelming, and I'll never forget it.

JBQ: How long did it take you to write "One Pitch From Glory"?

LG: It took me four years to write it. I wrote it out long hand, on 2900 pages of legal paper. I had a lot of help organizing it, and my wife did most of the proofreading. I turned in a 600 page manuscript, and my publisher thought I was turning in a book the size of "War and Peace". So we decided to divide the manuscript into two separate books.

JBQ: So there will be a second book?

LG: Yes. This book is about my life with the Red Sox and the inner workings of being a GM, and the years beyond that. The second book will be about my life in baseball before the Red Sox, when I was with the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners and New York Mets.

JBQ: Who was your favorite player growing up as a Red Sox fan?

LG: Without question it was Ted Williams. When I was 10 my father took me to my first game at Fenway Park. It was a dream to finally go there and see my hero. I was thrilled by the whole experience. After the game we stood outside the players' parking lot and watched all the Red Sox come out. I saw Johnny Pesky, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio. I was looking out for Ted, and finally a huge cry went up, "There's The Kid!!" The fans chanted for him, and then I finally saw him. He was tall, angular, and handsome. He signed a few autographs, then jumped into a taxi and was gone. I just stood there in awe, and it was one of the most memorable days of my life.

JBQ: You were also present at Fenway when he was honored at the 1999 All-Star Game. What do you remember about that night?

LG: It was an incredibly special night. The Red Sox arranged for a special flyover of the park by some Navy pilots. Ted was really touched by that. Afterwards the pilots, along with some Marines, were brought over by me to meet Ted. Ted talked to them about his military service, and he asked them about their experiences. He told them that he had many great honors in his life, like being a Hall of Fame baseball player, but he said his greatest honor was having been a Marine. They were all moved when he said that. I really believe that if Ted had not gone back to his baseball career after his tour in Korea, he would have continued his military service and made that his career.

JBQ: Do you still get asked about the Jeff Bagwell trade?

LG: All the time! I always tell people that we had a legitimate shot that summer to catch the Toronto Blue Jays and reach the World Series. I would have really regretted if I had not done everything I possibly could to get us there. That summer we had some serious bullpen problems. Jeff Reardon, our closer, had been hurt with back problems, and we couldn't bank on Jeff Gray, who was pressed into service and did a good job. But we needed more help out there. One of our best scouts, Eddie Kasko, highly recommended getting Larry Andersen from the Houston Astros. He had a terrific year as a setup man there.

Jeff Bagwell was not really considered a big prospect. He was more of a line drive hitter. He hit only four home runs at AA New Britain that year. He was not really a third baseman, and he had to move positions. Manager Butch Hobson loved the competitor in him. But we had Wade Boggs at third at the time, and big prospects like Mo Vaughn, Scott Cooper and Tim Naehring on the way. It was a real shame about Naehring. He was a tremendous talent. He was derailed by injuries, otherwise I thought he was going to be a big star for the Red Sox.

So I thought to myself, "I'll regret it if I don't make this trade." So we did it, and Andersen helped us big time in September, and we won the AL East on the last day. But unfortunately we couldn't get past Oakland in the ALCS and reach the World Series. We ended losing Andersen to free agency because of the collusion settlement, and he went to the San Diego Padres in 1991.

JBQ: What do you think of the fact that the Red Sox will be staying at Fenway Park?

LG: I think it's great. Fenway Park has such a unique charm that no other ballpark has. People come to Boston not just to see the team play, but to see the park. It is one of Boston's biggest tourist sites. I think the clubhouse improvements are great and the seats on top of the Green Monster are really special. I didn't think anyone could ever put seats up there. The new ownership has done some wonderful things to improve the experience of being at Fenway Park. They listen to fans, and realize that the park is an historical monument.

JBQ: Who have been your greatest influences in your baseball career?

LG: I started out in baseball with the Baltimore Orioles in the mid-60s and Harry Dalton was the GM then. He gave me my first job as director of minor league scouting and after three years I moved over to director of minor league operations. The Orioles had some terrific people over there then, like Earl Weaver and Lee McPhail. It was in Baltimore that I got my best baseball education.

JBQ: What do you do for the Red Sox today?

LG: I am an executive consultant and I do community relations work, such as meeting with groups for the club. I was Senior VP for a while. During the season I am at Fenway Park for just about every game. I'm very happy what I am doing for the team now.

JBQ: What is your proudest accomplishment in baseball?

LG: I am very proud of the 1986 Red Sox club, and also the fact that we won three division titles in five years. After winning the '86 pennant, attendance at Fenway climbed to new record highs, and we also developed many great young players, like Mike Greenwell, Ellis Burks, Jody Reed and Mo Vaughn.

But I will never forget the exhibition game we played against the Mets at Shea Stadium in 1987 for charity. Mets owner Fred Wilpon asked me to throw out the first ball before the game. He also had an announcement made over the PA system that I was the man who had helped build both teams that faced each other in 1986 World Series. That was really classy gesture on his part, and one I will never forget.


"One Pitch From Glory" will be released on April 1, and will be available at most major book retailers. Lou Gorman will be signing his new book at many bookstores in the upcoming months.

April 2: Circle Books, St. Armand's Circle, 478 John Ringling Blvd, Sarasota, FL, from 1-3 PM
April 3: Sarasota News and Books, 1341 Main St, Sarasota, FL, from 1-2 PM
April 28: Borders Books and Music, 476 Boston Turnpike, Shrewsbury, MA, from 7:30-9 PM
May 3: Woodland Gift and Country Club, 1897 Washington St, Auburndale, MA, from 6-7:30
May 12: Borders Books and Music, 10-24 School St, Boston, MA, from 12:30-2 PM
May 12: Borders Books and Music, 85 Worcester Rd, Framingham, MA, 7:30-9 PM
May 14: Borders Books and Music, 255 Grossman Dr, Braintree, MA, from 2-4 PM
May 15: McCoy Stadium, Ben Mendor Way, Pawtucket, RI, from 11AM-1 PM
June 2: Barnes and Noble's, 1 Worcester Rd, Framingham, MA, 7-8:30 PM
June 9: Borders Books and Music, 142 Providence Place, Providence, RI, 7-9 PM
June 16: Borders Books and Music, 90 Pleasant Valley St, Unit 110, Methuen, MA, 7-9 PM
July 28: Borders Books and Music, 739 Donald J. Lynch Blvd., Marlborough, MA, 7-9 PM

 

John Brian Quinn, Brooklyn Sox Fan is available for interviews, articles, suggestions, and other writing assignments. Please feel free to contact him.

Loug Gorman's Book is available at Chowdaheadz.com

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