Red Sox Rookie Throws No-Hitter in his Second Start, What it Means to Me

 In my opening post when I started this blog I mentioned I would be writing about the war, politics, and such. I also metioned I would maybe throw a post in about the Red Sox and Patriots. Of course nobody saw that post and with the exeption of this post, which was a politically motivated post, I haven’t posted about anything related to the Sox or Pats. This will probably be my last post on sports, but you never know. Before I go into the no-hitter last night I wanted to reflect on my changing opinion of sports, and why I don’t feel there is anything really worthy of posting about sports-wise.

  For years and years, since I was a child actually, I listened to and watched the Red Sox. I lived and breathed Red Sox. When they lost a big game, I would lose sleep. It would nag me all day. When they won a big game I naturally felt exuberent all day.

I actually let how the Red Sox performed the night before affect how I felt the next day. Of course, it was never to the point where I couldn’t function or enjoy life. I have never been one to just be miserable all the time. I am an optimist. But, there could be a little nagging feeling deep down in the back of your mind just sitting there to remind you of the losers you were routing for.

  At work we would gather during breaks and just bitch and moan about how the Red Sox suck, they will never win. The manager needs to be fired, as does the general manager. And on and on it would go. As if this was the most important thing in life. And that is when I began to think differently. Just a little at first, and then more and more.

  The local sports radio station in Boston, which I listen to on and off, not nearly as much as I used to, is constantly filled with callers whining and crying about the local teams. It matter’s not how well the team did the night before, they will find something to bitch about. It can really get on your nerves. This is what started to turn me away from sports radio. I started thinking about what it was that these callers were so upset about.

  Callers would call in and say things to the effect of. I am really concerned about…., or I am worried about…., I am frustrated about….. I began to realize that these people were talking about sports as if it were life and death. I began to wonder if they paid attention to the world around us. There is much more to be worried about than if the Red Sox will make the play-offs, and how they will do if they get there. I began to wonder if these people follow the news and pay attention to issues that really matter in the world. Somehow I doubt it. I wish I could believe differently, but I don’t.

  Issues such as terrorism, the war, healthcare, taxes, and many others are so much more important than whether the Red Sox won the day before.

 To me the Red Sox have become a diversion from the real world. They are my way of escaping for three plus hours a day and forget about politics. They are no longer life and death to me rather a diversion from life and death. A time when you can just do nothing but watch the competition. Sure, I still care about the Red Sox. I still feel frustrated when things don’t go their way. I still become upset at a three game sweep at the hands of the Yankees, but at the end of the day I don’t lose sleep over it. I don’t fret about it anymore. What kind of an escape would baseball be if it only managed to further your frustrations you may already be feeling from the real world?

  But sometimes something happens that you don’t see every day and it brings you joy. Yesterday was one of those days.

  Just hours earlier in the day, the Red Sox called up from the minors their prized twenty three year old pitching prospect, Clay Buchholtz. Earlier in the year Buchholtz was called up for a spot start, before he pitched, Terry Francona said, ” I don’t care if he throws a no-hitter, he will be going back to the minors.” He won his spot start and was sent down right after the game. Yesterday Buchholtz made his second career major league start, and this video shows what happened.

 First inning:

Fly out

Ground out

Line out

  Second inning:

Strike out

Line out

Strike out

  In the bottom half of the inning the Red Sox score a run.

  Third inning:

Strike out

Fly out

Bunt grounded to the pitcher for the out at first

Rather uneventful so far but the seeds are being sown.

  Fourth inning:

Ground out

Fly out

Fly out

The Red Sox tack on three runs in the bottom of the fourth, the big hit of the inning was a bases loaded double by Ortiz.

   Fifth inning:

Strike out

Fielder choice grounder, put out at second

Fly out.

  It is here that I begin to think about the possibility of a no-hitter.

  Sixth inning:

Walk, base runner picked off first

Fly out, Crisp has a long way to run, but tracks it down

Strike out

In the bottom of the inning the Red Sox score four more, including a homerun by Youkilis that he hits just to the side of where his father is sitting.

  Now the outcome of the game seems no longer to be an issue, my thoughts turn to the no-hitter. I don’t even want to watch the Sox bat any more. I had called my youngest son, Tim, who was on the computer working on a new web-site he and his cousin started just today ( he is very excited about this web-site, he wants to be like his Dad), over and tell him to look at the box score before the inning started, not willing to tell him that there is a no-hitter going on. I don’t want to jinx it. He has become an avid Red Sox fan since the second half of last year. When Curt Schilling lost a no-hitter earlier this year with one out to go he was distraught, now he realizes what is going on and is captivated.

  Seventh inning:

Ground out, this ball was barely missed by Buchholtz and seemed headed into center field. Dustin Pedroia makes a great diving stop. Jumps up very quickly and makes the throw to first. Almost as great as the stop itself was how quickly he got up and threw the ball. Kevin Youkilis’ stretch at first base is the third great part of this play, a bang bang play at first.

 My son and I give high fives and yell.

Strike out

Foul out

This is really starting to look like a possibility now. I see a little nervousness in Tim who is gaining enthusiasm, but still remembers the Schilling game.

  Eighth inning:

Fly out

Strike out

Ground out, this ball also seemed headed into center field, but somehow Buchholtz managed to snag it himself and underhand to first.

  Again my son and I exchange figh fives. Now I run upstairs and grab my oldest son, Andy. I told him it was the ninth inning and something was going on. He asked me what was going on and I told him I couldn’t say. He immediately knew what that meant and also came down to watch. Andy is an avid football fan, not really caring too much for baseball but everyone likes to see history and so he watched.

  We had to sit through the bottom half of the eighth as the Red Sox added two more runs. It seemed like the ninth inning would never get here. But it finally did.

  Ninth inning:

My heart is racing

Strike out, we are getting close now. Tim, who is never at a loss for words, is quiet. I see the smile on his face, and can tell he is nervous. Andy is quiet and enthralled.

Line out, this ball looked like a possible double but it hung up in the air and Coco was able to get there relatively easy. Heart is really pounding now. I think of how disappointed Tim was the last near no-hitter, and I want this for him. Tim is still silent, this is very rare for him.

  Then, Clay Bucholtz throws a nasty two strike curve ball that froze the batter for strike three. Game over, no-hitter. My two sons and I are jumping around the living room, screaming and high fiving each other. I feel like a little kid again, if only for a little while. As I am jumping around, celebrating with my boys it hits me. This is why I love sports. I spent this time with my children, we watched something incredible, and while it is not life or death, it was a little quality time with my boys. This is the true meaning of sports. Here was a young man called up just hours ago, who performed above anyone’s expectations. While feeling the pressure of 40,000 fans routing for him he managed to block it out and achieve something that no one expected.

  So while I no longer feel the lows I once did about sports because there are so many more important things in life this is an example of how sports can take you away from real life for a few hours. This showed me how sports can still be used to draw yourself closer to your family, to sort of bond, for in these busy times sometimes you don’t spend enough time with you children. For a brief moment in time, all of the issues I blog about every day were gone, I was a kid again, and I was jumping around with my two children like there was nothing more important in the world at that moment. The only thing that mattered was the baseball game and my family.

  Now as I write this I slip back into reality and I think about our troops who are overseas fighting for our freedom. Our freedom to enjoy a meaningless baseball game that allowed me a few exciting moments with my family. Once again I am in awe of what they do that allows me to sit at home and enjoy my freedoms. It makes me feel guilty sometimes that I didn’t do more when I was younger, and I hope they all come home safely in the near future so they may be able to enjoy a simple pleasure like the one they afforded me last night.

 I only wish people took sports a little less seriously, as I do now, and took the threat of the world a little more serious.

 In closing, I would like to thank the troops for what they do, that allowed me this time enjoy a game with my children. All too often people forget that it is because of them that we are free to do whatever we want.

THANK YOU!