Red Socks

Red Socks
Originally uploaded by Ol' Mr Boston.

I love this photo...4 days to opening day!

Grillin'

I am Boston Dan. I am a Red Sox fan. I was born on April 4th, 1981.

Brewster Jill is also a Red Sox fan, and was also born on April 4th 1981.

She is approximately 97 minutes older than I am. We received tickets to the Opening Day as a birthday gift. Red Sox vs. the Yankees. April 3rd. The Bronx.

Someone doesn'€™t want us to turn 24.

Stay tuned for photos, and a recap of the weekend. If we survive€...

The Truth

The Truth
Originally uploaded by Boston Dan.

The Celtics are so good right now... that Paul Pierce can use some of his game minutes to pay attention to other things...

"I don't know if he gets the concept of a teammate or if he grasps that"... Doug Mirabelli talking about Byung-Hyun Kim

Check out the article about Kim by Jeff Horrigan in today's Boston Herald: Sox C tosses barbs at Kim -- Mirabelli torpedoes pitcher.

I can't help it, but since Kim flipped off the crowd at Fenway during the pre-game introductions of the 2003 ALDS, I take pleasure in reading stories about his misfortune -- especially those that involve Mirabelli torpedoing him.

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I'm off to play with my new favorite toy -- the Red Sox World Series Champions Talking Bottle opener. This thing is amazing. When the bottle cap touches the opener you can hear the authentic game call of the Sox World Series win. I don't recommend getting one of these if you are trying to cut back on drinking.

Quote of the day: "All I know is that the more this goes on, the better I look. Now I'm just the big fat guy with no steroids."

--- Red Sox pitcher, David Wells talking about the steroid hearings.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

We are out celebrating...be back tomorrow!

Here's what we're playing on iTunes today:

"The Foggy Dew" -- The Chieftans
"King of the Fairys/Western Junk" -- Blood or Whiskey
"Drunken Lullabies" -- Flogging Molly
"Fishy" -- The Ruffians
"Streams of Whiskey" -- Pogues
"Black Velvet Band" -- The Irish Rovers
"Alleyway Rover" -- Toad in the Hole
"Good Rats" -- Dropkick Murphys
"What a Day" -- The Saw Doctors
"Paddy Rolling Stone" -- Shane McGowan and the Popes
"Tim Finnegan's Wake" -- The Clancy Brothers
"Whiskey in the Jar" -- The Dubliners
"Broken Heart in Every Empty Glass" -- The Skels
"Seven Drunken Nights" -- The Tossers
"Green Suede Shoes" -- Black 47
"Green Eyes" -- Coldplay
"Strummerville" -- Stiff Little Fingers
"Who are the Strangers" -- Radiators From Space
"The Worst Day Since Yesterday" -- Flogging Molly
"Fisherman's Blues" -- The Waterboys
"Black and Tans" -- Amadan (They have a didgeridoo player.)
"Far Away Coast" -- Dropkick Murphys
"The Sick Bed of Cuchulian" -- Pogues
"Beautiful Day" -- U2

Did we miss anything good?

Green Monster Mint

Oh man -- I can't wait to sink my teeth into some of this! Hood, a Boston based dairy distributor, has unveiled "Champions" ice cream, "the official ice cream of the championship Red Sox". There are three other flavors, Comeback Caramel, Fenway Fudge and Peanut Butter Nation....

Insoxicated

This is just a quick plug for our newest shirt. I want to say thank you to Julie Smith and Pat Ryan of Brewster, MA for submitting the idea. Julie and Pat wanted us to make this shirt last fall after the Red Sox won the World Series, but we didn't get around to it until now -- so we made it our Opening Day 2005 shirt. We hope everyone likes it!

"Insoxicated" is now available in sizes Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large at the one and only www.drunkenbleachers.com

Red Sox Home Opener Sweepstakes

Just an FYI for Red Sox fans:

If you don't have tickets to opening day at Fenway, be sure to enter the redsox.com "I Live for the Home Opener Sweepstakes." One winner will receive a pair of tickets to the Red Sox - Yankees game on Monday April 11th. It's worth a try, right?

24 Days and Counting

Does anyone else miss this swing?

Photo from Boston.com

I'm not sure why David Ortiz and his swing didn't get invited to be on Bravo TV's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy with Kevin Millar. I guess Ortiz isn't in need of a makeover. According to the Boston Herald:

"Not only will Millar get a makeover, but Bill Mueller, Tim Wakefield, Doug Mirabelli, Jason Varitek and yes, Johnny Damon will also participate. Carson Kressley, the most fabulous of the show's five hosts, will don a special pink Red Sox jersey to help him focus on his duties"

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Why is it such a big mystery as to why Barry Bonds did not get a subpoena to testify in front of a congressional committee investigating baseball's steroids policy? The man is a wack-job. Is that a word?

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By the way, no matter how bad your job is, at least you weren't on the stage at the Starbucks corporate motivational leadership conference where apparently Jefferson Starship's "We Built this City" (which topped an international critics poll of the worst songs ever last year) came to life again as "We Build this Starbucks on Heart and Soul" with very special lyrics to celebrate the evil coffee empire. You can listen to it all here. The song is even getting radio play in Seattle. Oh how I miss Dunkin' Donuts.

Outside the Hub -- Red Sox Weekend in Seattle

I guess it's safe to give this information out -- now that I have my twelve centerfield bleacher seats purchased and family and friends have their plane tickets in hand.

One of the best deals to see the Red Sox away from Fenway is when they play the Mariners in Seattle the weekend of May 13th - May 15th. At the time of writing, tickets are still available for all three games and no, there is no "camping out for tickets" involved or "lotteries for the chance to buy tickets". Safeco field is an amazing place to watch a game and the garlic fries alone are worth the trip.

Yes, okay, so Seattle is about as far away from Boston as you can get without leaving the continental United States. Distance-wise, you might as well be seeing the Sox in France or Germany, but several airlines are offering rountrip fares from Boston that weekend for under $250.

As for hotels, if you make the big bucks, you could stay here, if you don't, you could stay here, and if you're on a serious budget, stay at one of these.

It is crazy the way that Seattle gets overrun with Red Sox fans when the team is in town. Last year we were in a bar down by Safeco Field after the game and probably 80% of the the crowd in the bar were Red Sox fans. A Mariners fan actually remarked to me: "Where did all of you people come from?" "Red Sox Nation is strong", I responded. As a recently transplanted Bostonian, it has become my favorite weekend of the year.

If you can get yourself out to Seattle, meet us at this bar down by Safeco field an hour before the games wearing your Drunken Bleachers gear and we'll be sure to buy you a beer (or two). The more the merrier!

Moment of Zen

Yankees GM, Brian Cashman (from Boston.com)

Sunday Morning Reading

...okay, I mean Sunday afternoon reading...

If you spend half your day scouring online newspapers and blogs for juicy articles about the Red Sox, check out Red Sox Wire. It's a blog that posts "Red Sox news and blog links updated throughout the day by hand." Good stuff.

Another of my favorite blogs is Call if the Green Monster, which is a Red Sox parody website. Head over there if you want to see headlines like: "Several Red Sox Players Hit by Line Drives While Staring at Johnny Damon's Wife."

If you are just in the mood for some warm and fuzzy memories, click here.

Fever Pitch

I have to admit that I was absolutely giddy last night in the movie theater when I saw the trailer for the movie Fever Pitch. The reeling lightheaded sensation was more a product of seeing actual Red Sox footage on the big screen, including a David Ortiz homerun swing and his two finger salute, than it was excitement over the sweet romantic plot. What I do know though is that I'm looking forward to April 8th when the movie is released in theaters. Any excuse to relive the 2004 Red Sox season is okay with me.

A couple of facts about the movie:

• The movie is based on the book Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby, a memoir of a fanatical fan of British football.
  


• One of the Red Sox games filmed is the September 4, 2004 game against the Texas Rangers. The Red Sox lost 8-6.


• Another game filmed for the movie was the 20th of September game against the Baltimore Orioles. The Sox lost 9-6. The filming was done after the game and consisted of Drew Barrymore running across the field to where Jimmy Fallon was sitting near the Red Sox dugout. About half of the crowd stayed to be extras.


• The finale of the film was shot on October 27, 2004 during Game 4 of the World Series. During the Red Sox celebration, Barrymore and Fallon were filmed also celebrating together on the field.


• The end of the movie actually had to be rewritten to include the Red Sox World Series victory.

News Alert: This just rose to #1 on the list of stupidest comebacks ever:

"Trot Nixon, what's that? I thought it was a racehorse."

---Yankees oldtimer, Reggie Jackson in response to Trot Nixon's attacks on A-Rod.

hmmm...

Quote of the Day: Johnny Damon (talking about his son):

"He knows every single president," Damon said. "His favorite, of course, is Zachary Taylor because he carried a sword. So I'm going to tell President Bush (to) start carrying a sword. He's going to have a stronger fan base."

The Drink that Satisfies

Have you ever wondered about that sad little bottle of Drambuie that is found on the top shelf of every liquor collection in every bar across America? It's really only there "for show" because nobody ever orders it.

The word Drambuie is derived from gaelic meaning "the drink that satisfies". It is a combination of aged Scotch whiskies, heather honey and additional "secret ingredients".

My curiosity got the best of me and I ordered Drambuie for the first time last weekend. I admit that the best part of the process was the look on the bartender's face: "Drambuie? Are you sure?"

For your reference (you never know -- your boss may bring up drambuie at a company cocktail party), here are six ways that drambuie can be enjoyed:

6. DRAMBUIE ON ICE - Pour into a whiskey tumbler with plenty of ice.

5. DRAMBUIE WITH MINT - Drambuie, six mint leaves and ice.

4. DRAMBUIE MANHATTAN - 1.5oz Drambuie, 1/3oz Dry Vermouth and a dash of bitters. Stir and pour into a pre-chilled cocktail glass with a lemon twist.

3. DRAMBUIE SOUR - Shake together 1.5oz of Drambuie and 1oz lemon juice and add a dash of bitters. Strain over ice into a tumbler glass.

2. DRAMBUIE COOLER - 1.5oz Drambuie and 1oz of orange juice into an ice filled highball glass. Top off with ginger ale and add a slice of orange.

1. RUSTY NAIL - 1.5 oz of Scotch with 1/2 oz of Drambuie over ice.

It's Spring Training...

I love this picture (from Boston.com)

When you are done enjoying the picture, check out this article by Jayson Stark about how Aaron Frickin' Boone changed the world: "A-Rod to New York. The Brawl. The Comeback. The Curse removed. It all started with Aaron Boone's decision to play pickup hoops 13 months ago."