Not Such Deep Thoughts; Special Leap Year Edition

Had an extra day, thought I’d make the most of it. And away we go…

Lots of interesting stuff happening down at The Fort. Comings, goings, sage advice and weak excuses; yep, it’s Spring Training time again, and there’ll be lots to talk about. I’m not really sure why they call it Spring training, though. I just don’t associate February with spring, especially when it’s snowing. I think Winter Ball would be a lot more appropriate.

Speaking of the Sox, and comings and goings, first Wake hangs up his cleats, and now Tek is following suit. Wow. That’s a lot for Sox fans to deal with; they’ve both been such a big part of the team for such a long time. It’s going to seem really strange not seeing them on a daily basis. In this age of the mercenary sports star, players that remain with a team as long as they did, and contribute as much as they did, are few and far between. They become woven into the fabric of the franchise, and it’s hard to imagine the team existing without them. It will, though. We’ll move on, but we won’t forget the great memories they’ve given us, or the great things they’ve done for our area. I wish them both prosperous times going forward, and send my heartfelt thanks.

While we’re on the subject of Tek, did I ever tell you my Varitek/Hooters story? Doesn’t matter, I’m going to anyway. My wife used to have a severe case of anti-Hooterism; wouldn’t go if you paid her. Well, we ended up stopping at the Fort Myers Hooters one day on the way back from the pahk. We had a request for a Hooters calendar from a friend, and we were going right by, so there we were. The wife and I were both hungry, and the wings smelled sooooooooo good, that she decided to throw caution to the wind and accompany me inside.

She got a kick out of the kitschy décor and the lively music, and our waitress turned out to be from Nashua, so things were off to a pretty cool start, and wings and cold beverages quickly ensued. As we were sitting there, I noticed that Jason Varitek was sitting a couple of tables away. I told my wife, who’s a huge Varitek fan, and I offered to go get her an autograph. Smart woman that she is, she suggested that rather than bothering him, we should send a round of drinks to his table, so we did. We told the waitress to tell him they were a thank you from some home town fans, and we kind of thought that would be the end of it.

It wasn’t. After a little while I saw him get up from his booth and head our way. He came over, leaned down on the table, and introduced himself. Like he really needed to, but that’s the kind of guy he is; unassuming and very personable. He chatted us up for quite a while, and then grabbed the menu and signed it for us with a nice little personal message. My wife was over the moon, and so was I, but not for quite the same reasons. She had met Tek, her favorite player, and he turned out to be all that a fan could ask for, Me, I was pretty thrilled by meeting him too, but the best part for me was that I knew I now had a lifetime pass to Hooters, at least the Fort Myers one, anyway. Nice.

Well, if I’m going to retell old stories, I guess I owe you a new one to go with it. Here goes; A Deacon, two Priests and a Bishop walk into this bar… Actually, it was a church, and this isn’t going to be one of those lame jokes. It’s a somewhat amusing real life story that happened just this past weekend, and it involves said clergy, pomp, circumstance, and a flying tackle. Got your interest? Good.

My nephew was being confirmed last Sunday as part of a pretty large class, and the Regional Bishop was presiding to boot, so the church was packed and seats were at a premium. One of the nephews and I left the seats to the ladies and stood in the back of the church, along with many others. We were the first two off of the main aisle, which is a pretty good spot, viewing wise. The procession slowly filed past us, as did our confirmant, and the festivities got under way.

As I said, the church was packed, and it was starting to get a bit stuffy as the mass went on. Suddenly we heard a woman gasp loudly, and we looked across the aisle to see the woman struggling to keep her husband erect. He appeared to be in the process of fainting, and I could tell that he was either going to smash his head on the back of the last pew, or face plant on the fancy marble. It also registered that she was never going to be able to hold him; she had a bad angle, and he was a pretty big guy. The last thought I had was that the way she was tugging at his right arm was causing him to spin a little so that I had a good view of his chest, and at that moment a little green light flashed in my head and I was off.

I zipped across the aisle, dipping as I went, and my shoulder made soft but firm contact dead center on his chest. I wrapped my arms around him in a bear hug and kept churning, forcing him up and back against the wall, and we came to rest like a couple in a loving embrace. His eyes were still closed, and I started to have a panicky “now what do I do” feeling. Of course, dead silence had fallen over the congregation, this was a major interruption to a major ceremony, even the organist had stopped playing, and that made it all the more unreal and uncomfortable, but as his wife fussed over him, and I still hugged him tightly, his eyes began to flutter open. He turned his head slightly until we were nose to nose and officially Eskimo kissing, and his eyes went through this amazing transformation; from unfocused, to uncomprehending, and then to angry, and he began trying to push me away.

Although I was a little leery of loosening my grasp, I decided it was time, and slowly disengaged. I’ve never been much for hugging guys anyway, and my job there was done. I lift things up, I put them down.

The fainting man’s family quickly whisked him outside, and as I turned away to leave, I noticed that everyone in the vicinity was watching our little drama intently. Even the organist had craned his neck over the railing and was staring down at us. I felt a little sheepish as I returned to my original post, but the smiles and thumbs up I got from my family went a long way to remedy that.

The rest of the mass proceeded uneventfully, thank goodness, and my new found fainting friend never returned, which is probably a good thing. The frosting on the cake for me, though, came during the collection. A friend of ours had our area, and as he passed by with the basket he smiled and said “It didn’t surprise me when I looked back and saw you at the center of things.” I just smiled back, because that pretty much sums up my life. I am Forrest Gump.

Apropos of nothing, my lower back is really bothering me this week. I don’t know what I did, but I seem to have done it well.

OK, on to some serious stuff. Davy Jones passed away this week, taking with him another little bit of my past. When the Monkees first arrived on the scene, I was just a wee lad of 11, and like most of my contemporaries, I was a big fan. I saw every show, had every album, and I still know every word to every song by heart. I know, they were a manufactured group, yada, yada yada. Doesn’t matter. They had some of the greatest song writers of that time period penning their lyrics, and they were happy, infectious tunes, and the Monkees were happy, infectious guys. They’ve stood the test of time, also. They’re the guilty pleasure on my iPod, and through the magic of cable, they reached whole new generations. My sons watched their TV show with me when they were just little spuds and quickly became fans. Their Great Woods stop on their 20th reunion tour in the late 80’s was the first concert they ever attended, and the night was one of those classic family bonding moments that I’ll carry with me to my grave.

Last year they came to the Lowell Auditorium, and my wife received some tickets as a birthday gift. It turned out that the Bruins happened to be playing for the cup that night, but we went anyway. Both my buddy and I had an earphone in one ear listening to the game, as did half the audience, and Davy was smart enough to give updates and wave around a Bruins jersey. It was a great night, on a lot of levels, and has become another little “stepping stone” in the river of my memories.

So, old Davy has caught the last train to Clarksville, or wherever it is that rock stars go when they pass too soon, but he’ll live on in our hearts and minds, and our iPods.

It’s been a pleasure, Mr. Jones.

That is all.

It’s Just Snow Fun Anymore

Growing up here in New England, winter doesn’t usually bother me that much. I’ve learned to roll with it, taking the good times with the bad, balancing the drudgery of the cold and snow with the small joys of the season, like skating, skiing, or just sitting snug by the fire.

This year has been different, though. We’ve been stuck in this pattern where every 2nd or 3rd day it snows. Sometimes just a little, sometimes a lot; 2” on a Sunday, followed by 16” on Tuesday, followed by another 6” on Friday, has taken all the fun out of the season.

Actually, there’s just no time for fun. Shoveling, snow blowing, and then shoveling some more, followed by a healthy dose of roof raking, followed by the disposal of the freshly displaced roof snow. Over and over and over again. And when it’s not snowing, I seem to be spending all of my time moving snow around, cuz there’s just no place left to put it, or chipping ice, cuz when the snow melts, there’s no run off.

I don’t think I can take much more of this; I’m beat and beat up. My right hand has been alternating between numbness and throbbing pain (Carpal Shovel Syndrome?), my back is killing me, and being wet and cold has become a way of life.

I’m tore down, baby; I’m almost level with the ground. I need to go someplace warm. Of course, the way this winter is going, my roof would probably collapse while I was away…

Speaking of rooves, what I’d value as much as a getaway, is back to back sunny days. We got all rain on Saturday night, as well as some intense thunder and lightning, instead of the predicted snow, and then a warm up to the mid 40’s today with bright sunshine. Between all of the roof raking and the warm up, I made some decent headway on the ice dam front. I even got most of my gutters reopened and the ice flows around the doors greatly reduced. One more day of sun would be huge.

Funny how your priorities can be so situational; with two more storms predicted for this coming week, one more decent day could make all the difference.

So for now I’ll just bide my time, wrap my claw, and hope for sun.

That, and the knowledge that the boys of summer have started arriving at City of Palms should be enough to get me through. I’ve got my place booked for almost all of Spring Training this year, and I’ll need to bop down between tenants for some quick landlord duties. Maybe I’ll even manage a trip or two to the park. That’ll get my sap flowing again.

Oh yeah.

2010 Spring Training Report

I've been off the grid for a while as I've been down in Fort Myers and I couldn't get the phone and Internet turned back on until late this week. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I think being unplugged did as much for my attitude as the sunshine, and that's saying a lot!

Anyways, if you're a Sox fan and you've never been down to Spring Training, I highly recommend it. It's a whole different experience than attending the games during the regular season. The players are much more accessible, especially when they’re at the Player Development Complex. You can get up close and personal with them, which is pretty cool, and they give out balls to the kids like candy and are usually more then happy to autograph them also.

Speaking of the Player Development Complex; right now it’s on a separate site a couple of blocks away. The Sox provide shuttle bus service from the park for $2, talk about cheap entertainment, but they have plans to build a new stadium with 6 practice fields on site. It’s currently scheduled to open for the 2012 season, and will be very Fenway-esque with its own Green Monster and identical outfield dimensions. The plan is to build it over on Daniels Parkway, which is closer to the airport and has a lot more to offer to tourists than the downtown area. Sounds pretty cool. Here’s a link to the press announcement and artist’s rendering.

As for the 2010 squad, it’s hard to tell this early. They’re mostly doing drills and taking batting practice now, but they all look to be in great shape, and they were certainly in fine spirits. There's a lot of new faces this year, and even though some will be long gone before the season starts, its still fun to see them as they’re likely to show up on a visiting team somewhere down the line.

Not all of the new faces are throwaways, though. Lackey, Beltre, Scutaro, and Cameron all promise to make an immediate impact. Plus the Sox have picked up Boof Bonser and Tug Hulett. Even if these two are a bust at their respective positions, ya gotta love having a Boof and a Tug on the roster. Sounds like something you’d order at a less than reputable massage parlor; “Yes, ahem, I’d like the Boof and Tug special, please.” I can’t wait to hear Don and Jerry’s take on these two guys, it should be priceless.

Just in case you can’t make it down to City of Palms, I’ve included a little slide show below of photos from this past week; there are pictures of the Park and Player Development Complex, as well as some shots of familiar, and not so familiar, faces. There’s also a great sequence of David Ortiz giving his son D’Angelo some hitting pointers. Good stuff.

And if you are planning a trip, you have to check out our “New Englanders Guide to Spring Training” over on berryjooks.com. There’s a little something for everyone, and we’re always open to suggestion, so if you know of any hotspots we’ve missed be sure to let us know.

Almost Time For Spring Training!

Although there’s still a considerable amount of winter left around here, it’s always summer in Florida, and the Red Sox equipment truck has arrived at City of Palms Park. The players are starting to trickle in and it won’t be long before the season begins.

The first Spring Training game is a double header against Northeastern and BC on March 3rd, and the Fenway home opener is just a little over a month after that, on April 4th. It’s a Sunday night game this year, and I think that’s a great idea. I’ve been getting kind of sick of watching the opener on TiVo, I always end up hearing the score before I get to it, and that just takes all the fun out of it.

If you’re thinking about heading down south for a little Spring Training warm up, be sure to check out “A New Englander’s Guide to Spring Training” over on berryjooks.com. We give you the skinny on what’s hot and what’s not in the Fort Myers area, as well as other wicked important things, like where you can get your Dunkins’ fix while you’re there.

The Fort Myers Area Dunkin' Donuts Now Have Free Wi-Fi!

Old berry has his traveling shoes on, and he's got big news for all you Red Sox Spring Training devotees; the Fort Myers area Dunkin' Donuts now have free Wi-Fi.

The Cleveland Ave. Dunkies has now become a full service pit stop for me on my way to and from the pahk. I can get my large iced coffee, make room for it, and check my email. How cool is that?

Don't be checking your email while you're emptying your tank though. Handhelds don't float...

Thoughts While Mindlessly Moving Snow

I’m sure that there are some very good employees at Circuit City, and I hate to see anyone lose their job, but I think one of the main reasons that they’re going out of business is customer service. Every time I go in there and need help, I can’t get anyone to even acknowledge my existence, and I am not shy. There always seems to be plenty of sales associates, it’s just that they’re gathered in little clumps, deep in important conversations, working overtime at not making eye contact. I’ve never understood this, especially when there’s always a Best Buy within a mile that sells the same stuff for the same price.


Winter sucks.


People should stop demanding to know what’s wrong with Steve Jobs and let the man have some peace. I know he’s a huge part of the whole Apple mystique, and everyone is afraid that without him the company may stumble and fall, but come on people, get over it. He’s a large part of a small subset of people who are responsible for bringing us all into the digital age, changing the way we do business and how we interact with each other. He’s certainly earned my respect, and hopefully yours. I say if you’re concerned about his health, you should send him a get well card, or even just some good thoughts or a few prayers.


I LOVE my Toro Power Throw!


How about that, the craptastic Cardinals are headed to the Super Bowl. It kills me that a 9 and 7 team is off to the big dance, especially since they rolled over against our Pats just weeks ago, but I have to admit that I’m happy for Kurt Warner. Hopefully his wife has gotten over her feathered boa stage. I don’t think I could take seeing that again.


My back hurts.


Although I often feel overworked and underpaid, I’m really glad I have a job, and I really like what I do. A lot of people I talk to lately seem to feel the same way, and I think this bodes well for the future. When things are good, people move around from job to job, always looking for that next big pay increase. For quite a while now, loyalty and continuity have been kind of frowned upon. In the high tech world it’s almost a badge of honor to have a huge list of past employers, but to me, there’s no reward in that. If you’re changing jobs every few years, you’re definitely not focused on the long range plans of your company, and without people pushing and shoving their organizations into the future, nothing much happens, and consequently both business and the economy suffers.


My gloves are soaked through. I probably should stop and change them.


Tomorrow it will be one year since my Dad passed away, and the day after that, the country’s first black president will be sworn in. I really wish he was here to see it. He lived through a lot of changes in his 84 years; The Great Depression, World War II, television, space exploration, computers and cell phones, but with all the change he saw, he was still convinced that the country wasn’t ready for a black president. We started this debate in 2006 after my youngest son’s graduation. Barack Obama was the commencement speaker, and when he finished and walked off the stage, I said that the Democrats would be crazy not to nominate this man in ’08, that he represented their best shot at getting back to Pennsylvania Avenue because he had that indefinable power to move and unite people. Although my Dad agreed that he very well could be the right man for the job, he felt that people weren’t ready for it. He grew up in a very different world, a world in which racism was always present, and he just couldn’t see it happening. I think he would have really dug it.


S#*t, I can’t feel my fingers. Should a changed my gloves. Gotta go, but I'll leave you with one more thought:


Only 4 more weeks until pitchers and catchers show up at Spring Training!

The Boys Of Summer Are Back!

It's that time again, and it isn't a moment to soon. The Sox are back in sunny Fort Myers and spring training games are underway.

I was psyched to see and hear our old pals the Remdawg and Announcer Boy this weekend on NESN. There's something about drowsing in front of the tube during a weekend day game. It's like a tonic for my winter weary mind and body.

I'm back and forth to the Fort Myers area a lot so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite stops with you. Like where to find a Dunkins, cheap decent eats, beach side fish places, best barbecue, best frappes, and the complete list of local Hooters franchises. Gotta go to Hooters. My wife was never crazy about the place until we met *sigh* Jason and some of the boys there. Now I'm golden! Man is he a nice guy.

So, don't be fooled by imitations. Get your info from our New Englander's Guide To The Fort Myers Area (or Where Can I Get My Dunkin' Fix). You'll be glad you did.

Go Sox!