A few things to talk about today. I don't want to fret over the division lead and the lack of hitting, but would rather keep it interesting with a couple of thoughts and some random non-Sox commentary.
Kevin Youkilis is on my nerves. I have honestly not disliked a player more in team history. None of this has to do with his slow bat and inability to swing at first pitches that cruise in at batting practice speeds, because pitchers know he won't swing. It's like the anit-Nomar philosophy, which of course was to throw something nowhere near the plate, because you knew he would swing. No this issue goes deeper than that. Kevin Youkilis is our Paul O'Neil. Now I hated Pauley with a passion, because that guy never once in his mind let a strike go by. He whined more than any player in the history of the game and had a myriad of facial expressions to represent his temperment level. Youk is the same guy. I'm so tired of his whining at the plate. If it's close then swing. Simple as that. When guys are on second and third and you have one out to hell with the walk. You're paid to hit. What kills me is that it's a cancerous issue, because he is dragging others into it. Manny has complained to the umps, while watching clear strikes sail by, more this month than in his entire career. Heck even level headed Mike Lowell is a bit grumpy. I don't like it. It's always warranted occaisionally, but never as a constant.
Now let's have some fun. Once and for all we need to decide on Papelbon's entrance music. Nothing is dumber and more cheesy than "Wild Thing" by The Troggs, especially given the fact that Mitch Williams had that nickname in the 90's. This Saturday I was at the Angel's game. I cringed when heard Wild Thing and heard a thousand people scream "Ricky Vaughn!". They kind of made up for it because the song is so short that they are now backfilling it with an edited version of "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" by the Dropkick Murphy's. This is the Song from "The Departed" for those not in the know. Using that alone is credible and Fenway is the only park it makes sense to play in. However I think there are some others that make sense. Keep in mind that the song has to meet certain criteria.
1. Will the crowd go nuts the second it hears the first note?
2. Are we sure no individual player in the league or another local team (i.e. the Patriots using "For Those About to Rock" by AC/DC) has used it?
3. Does it fit the player?
4. Will it fire him up?
5. Will it bring the house down once it gets going?
"Fade to Black" Metallica: The theme alone is perfect given the dominant performance by Paps these past two years.
"Battery" Metallica: The intro alone would bring the house down and "battery mate" is a word used to describe relief pitchers so it makes sense.
NOTE: I see the risk in using a Metallica song as Mo Rivera has utilized "Enter Sandman" forever.
"Cemetary Gates" Pantera: Another song where the title alone is so fitting plus like "Battery" has a killer intro, albeit longer, which leads to the proverbial explosion of sonic metal thunder.
"Rock n Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" AC/DC: Another great intro that gets a crowd going.
"T.N.T" AC/DC: This one is a classic that works on so many levels.
NOTE: You cannot add "Hell's Bells" as that is Trevor Hoffman's intro song.
"No More Tears" Ozzy: This is a sleeper, but the title truly fits the pain the opposition is about to feel.
"More Human Than Human" White Zombie: I'd prefer "Dragula" but the title is fitting plus Rob Zombie is a local boy so there is a cosmic connection there.
"Paradise City" Guns n Roses: Another song that would make everyone crazy plus when Paps is pitching we're as close to paradise as we've ever been with this team.
"D.O.A" Van Halen: Another sleeper that nobody would ever consider but if youhave the chance listen to this. The music and the lyrics are perfect.
"Everybody Wants Some" Van Halen: A big intro that would make any crowd crazy and lyrics that would scare the begeezus out of any opponent.
"Numb / Encore" Linkin Park & Jay-Z: I needed to throw in something modern for the kids.
"Angel" Massive Attack: If I were a closer this is EXACTLY what I
would use. This song is so dark and scary that even the fans would be
afraid to see Papelbon, which is why I love it so much.
So please send this along to all your friends. I want to see what everyone thinks and perhaps we can start a grassroots movement to force a change at Fenway. Please don't hesitate to add a song or two that you think would work.
Couple of random closing thoughts.
Why do asian women, young and old alike, wear nylons with strappy shoes in the middle of the summer? I'm totally perplexed.
Why do I see so many people wearing Michael Vick jerseys? This isn't a race issue. It's an animal cruelty and gambling issue that crossed many state lines and thus became a federal issue. If it was kept in Virginia then the state prosecutors would have handled it, but his crimes are on a massive scale and deserve to be treated accordingly. Vick is also one of the top 5 most popular NFL players in terms of merchandise sales and therefore you can't treat him as a victim here. If this were some random ignorant "country boy" we would never hear about it, but since Vick is as popular as he is the case is receiving the attention it deserves. Hopefully others learn from it, because dog fighting is plain stupid. It's not about the rush of watching the gladiators battle (thanks Deion Sanders). It's about power and control over a species and forcing them into situations that they don't deserve to be in. Sound familiar? Also, and this is what is more sick, many of the people involved in the sport kidnap dogs from loving families, break their hips, legs or tape their mouth shut (so they can't fight back) and let their fighter go at it. How manly is that? How much of a coward can you be? When I see folks wearing his jersey, out of solidarity I presume, I want to throw up...and then let my dog poop on them.
