AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2007 > October > 25
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Who’s the Empire now? And no K.J. for Coco
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I was standing on the corner Lansdowne and Brookline (which is better than standing on a corner in Winslow, Ariz.), just behind the Green Monster, chatting with Sam Morton, a 19-year-old college kid wearing paint-spattered Vans, a black Red Sox hat, and a red shirt with “AGAIN” across the chest in blue letters of the font used in the Red Sox logo.
It was Thursday afternoon and he’d been here, oh, 27 hours, and was going to be out here a few more until the Red Sox released 200 or 300 tickets they sell two hours before every game.
The Massachusetts College of Art and Design student and his buddy passed on standing-room only seats to Game 1 on Wednesday, believing they’d get good seats if they stayed overnight and moved up to the front of the line, which, by the way, was about 600 strong, all the way down the block, four or five across, by Thursday afternoon.
Sam, who’s from Eliot, Maine, had slept in a tent overnight, and was wearing the same clothes he wore when he got here at 1 p.m. Wednesday. He was haggard and rumpled and, frankly, funky. He looked like he could use a shower and shave. In other words, he looked like I did most morning during college.
But Sam was just thrilled that he was 15th in line, certain to get decent seats to the second game of the World Series.
“I’ve done this before, for a couple of Red Sox-Yankee games this year,” said the sophomore who was “absolutely” skipping some classes at Mass Art (that’s what they call it here) to be in this line.
He’s a native of Eliot, Maine, a Red Sox fan all his life, like just about everyone else he knows in New England.
“It’s sinful not to be,” he said, and then I told him that I couldn’t remember people sleeping on the sidewalk overnight to get tickets to a Braves game. “It’s a whole different atmosphere here,” he said.
Then I had to ask him: Was it better to be the luckless underdogs the Red Sox had been for most of a century, or the big-spending franchise going for a second World Series title in four years? After all, it’s hard to call the Yankees the Evil Empire when the Red Sox are spending more than anyone but the Yankees, and when the Red Sox are the team going for their second ring in four years while the Yankees haven’t won one in seven years.
“That’s a great question,” Morton said. “Growing up we were always underdogs, always in the Yankees’ shadow. Now we’ve got this powerhouse team. We really pounded the Rockies last night.”
He didn’t answer my question, but that was OK. Scruffy Sam seemed like a cool kid. It’d been a long night. And he was about to get good seats to see his beloved Sawx. Carry on, Sam.
Kelly Johnson for Coco Crisp? That rumor’s been hot-and-heavy on the ol’ Man In Black blog here today. But after speaking with a person who should know, I can tell you it sounds unlikely the Braves would trade for Crisp to be their new center fielder, and extremely unlikely that they’d trade Kelly Johnson for Crisp.
In other words, if the Braves can’t do better in finding a replacement for Andruw Jones than Crisp, then maybe they’d consider trading for the no-longer-starting Red Sox center fielder. But they wouldn’t trade Kelly Johnson in a straight-up deal for Crisp, who would kill to have an offensive season like the one K.J. just had in his first full season.
Johnson, after missing all of 2006 and after moving to a new position (second base), hit .276 with 26 doubles, 10 triples, 16 homers and 68 RBIs in 521 at-bats, with a .375 OBP and .457 slugging percentage.
Crisp, 27, has had five major league seasons with at least 400 at-bats, and has career highs of 16 homers, 71 RBIs and 50 walks. In the past two seasons, he’s gone .264-8-36 with a .317 OBP and .385 slugging in 2006, and .268-6-60 with a .330 OBP and .382 slugging in 2007.
Things are going to get interesting this winter as the pieces start to come together, but right now I don’t have a good read on who’s going to be at second base or center field, and not certain about shortstop. I don’t know that the Braves do, either, until they really start to get into trade talks.
Gotta love the creativity: Walking to Kenmore Station after last night’s game, saw a guy selling T-shirts with these slogans on the front — Derek Jeter Drinks Wine Coolers and A-Rod, Mr. April/Miss October.
And at a Boston University bookstore they were selling T-shirts in Red Sox blue and red with a superhero-looking guy in a baseball uniform on front and this in comic-book lettering: Fighting Evil for the Good of the Game.
Great night from you all on the blog last night. So what do you say we do it again? Let’s roll.
First, some stats and facts:
_ The Game 1 winner has won all six playoff series this year and nine of the past 10 World Series.
— Red Sox have outscored opponents 43-6 in their last four games in this postseason, and also have won five consecutive World Series games.
— Josh Beckett is 5-0 with a 0.93 ERA in his past five postseason starts, including four in this postseason. He could get the chance to become only the third pitcher to win five games in one postseason.
— After five innings in Game 1, the Sox already had tied a World Series record with eight doubles, and had scored nine runs with two outs on the board. They went 11-for-15 with two outs in those first five innings.
— The Sox have scored 36 runs in their last 21 innings before tonight.
— David Ortiz has had a sore knee for a while now, and might not play much first base during the two or three games at Colorado when the series shifts and the DH is dropped in the NL park. If Big Papi doesn’t play first base for the Sox, Kevin Youklis will.
— Dunkin’ Donuts is a huge Red Sox sponsor. Guess who was in the Dunkin’ Donuts suite for Game 1? According the Boston Globe, it was a motley assemblage including an actor/comedian named Mike O’Malley (never heard of him), Bruins NHL Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, Fox baseball folks Jeanne Zelasko and Kevin Kennedy Arizona center fielder Eric Byrnes and … Darth Vader intro, please … Scott Boras.
OK, that’s all. Let’s do this.
But before we get going, a tune. I’m sure there are plenty of people who don’t feel or act like those in this song by the bard Greg Brown. But I can’t say I’m one of them. Don’t know about you all, but always feel like I’m just another fella “at pink slip’s mercy in a paper universe.”
“JUST A BUM” by Greg Brown
I saw a man, he’s a well-dressed man
He had a tan from the Yucatan
He had a car, he looked like a star
I said, Hey, don’t I know who you are
But when he glanced into my eyes
I saw yes I saw was such a big surprise
He was afraid that he’s just a bum
Someday when all his stuff is gone and he’s left without a dime
Time ain’t money when all ya got is time
And you can see him standin on the corner with a nine-day beard and bright red eyes
I know a guy, he’s a pal of mine
I say, hey. He say, I’m doin fine
I’m movin up the ladder, rung rung rung
I’m gonna get my million while I am still young
But at night when he’s had a few
His eyes say different than his tongue
They say I’m afraid that I’m just a bum
Someday when all my stuff is gone and I’m left without a dime
Time ain’t money when all ya got is time
And I can see me standin’ on the corner with my nine-day beard and my bright red eyes
Goin hey, hey hey hey hey, come on and listen to my story, hey, hey hey hey hey, ah hey
Some people live to work, work to live
Any little tremble and the earth might give
Ya can’t hide it in a Volvo or a London Fog
Can’t hide it in a mansion with an imported dog
No matter how we plan and rehearse, we’re at pink slip’s mercy in a paper universe
And we’re afraid that we’re just a bum
Someday when all our stuff is gone and we’re left without a dime
Time ain’t money when all ya got is time
And we can see us standin on the corner with our nine-day beards and our bright red eyes
Goin, hey hey hey hey hey hey hey
Hey hey hey hey, come on and listen to my story man hey, hey hey hey hey, ah hey
The man of sorrow’s acquainted with grief
Stands in line waiting for relief
He will tell ya it wasn’t always this way
One bad little thing happened one bad little day
Heartbreak has bad teeth and a sour smell and lives when he can in a cheap hotel
And he’s afraid that he’s just a bum
Someday when all his stuff is gone and he’s left without a dime
Time ain’t money when all ya got is time
And you can see him standin on the corner with a nine-day beard and bright red eyes
Goin, hey hey hey hey hey hey hey
Hey hey hey hey, come on and listen to my story man hey, hey hey hey hey, ah hey
