Rain.
Rain?
RAIN!
Rain on this day of all days?
Opening Day.
My wife's birthday.
The sun must shine on such occasions!
Figuratively, it always does. But, come on, a Red Sox win for the birthday girl would have been a perfect confluence. Instead, we have a perfect confluence down at the Portland Fairgrounds, where the Connecticut River is overflowing its banks and will take that scenic stretch of road out of my bike rotation for the rest of the week.
So, to paraphrase another April 6 baby -- none other than your favorite sports fan and mine, Elizabeth Barrett Browning -- I find soggy grounds to say, "Rain, how do I begrudge thee, let me count the #*#@* ways."
Rain?
RAIN!
Rain on this day of all days?
Opening Day.
My wife's birthday.
The sun must shine on such occasions!
Figuratively, it always does. But, come on, a Red Sox win for the birthday girl would have been a perfect confluence. Instead, we have a perfect confluence down at the Portland Fairgrounds, where the Connecticut River is overflowing its banks and will take that scenic stretch of road out of my bike rotation for the rest of the week.
So, to paraphrase another April 6 baby -- none other than your favorite sports fan and mine, Elizabeth Barrett Browning -- I find soggy grounds to say, "Rain, how do I begrudge thee, let me count the #*#@* ways."
One upside of rain delays and rainouts is the time and space it allows for fun and creative games to challenge one's mind, competitive spirit and ability to multi-task -- such as Dyslexic Scrabble, Beer Pong and Bong Hit Backgammon.
But, ah, who's kidding who? I quit those games long, long ago or, closer to the truth, never could be sure I was playing them right to begin with, wonk tahw I neam?
Instead, in my mellowing middle age -- turned Hank Aaron (the ol' Double 4's) yesterday -- I find myself matching up April 6 babies with their favorite Red Sox, real or imagined.
Like my wife. Loves Jason Varitek. Doesn't matter what he hit last year. Jason Varitek can do no wrong in her eyes. "He's team captain, handles the pitchers and without him, the team doesn't hang together the same way," she says, to prove that she very much knows what she's talking about.
She's got a Varitek jersey. I think it's going to be our kid's first blanket.
An old college friend of mine, Mary Camp, celebrates a birthday on April 6. She's a Sox fan, and if I had to pick her favorite, I'd say .... hmm, maybe Papelbon, maybe Jason Bay. Not sure. She'll have to let us know in person with an e-mail response. (Shameless plug to expand readership, yes, admittedly so.)
What about ol' Beth Browning? Easy. She was something of an recluse, you know, until Robert Browning came along. So you figure she'd be all over J.D. Drew. ("What is it that puts thee on the DL, let me count the ways?")
(I actually like J.D. Drew and feel bad writing that, but it sure does fit.)
Here are some other April 6 babies and their likely Sox favorites:
*Butch Cassidy: The Revolver, Josh Beckett.
*Merle Haggard: The dearly departed Mike Timlin.
*Gertrude Baines, the world's oldest woman, who turned 115 today: Tim Wakefield, and that's meant in the best way. ("Wouldn't it be Rickey Being Rickey?" my wife chimes in. "He was with us for a while, wasn't he?" She's got a point.)
*Zach Braff, actor: Jacoby Ellsbury. Meteoric rise, though "Garden State" was much better than, what's it called? Scrubs?
And, best for last:
*Bob Marley: Heh, heh, heh. You think Manny plays a lot of backgammon? I do. I really, really do.
But, ah, who's kidding who? I quit those games long, long ago or, closer to the truth, never could be sure I was playing them right to begin with, wonk tahw I neam?
Instead, in my mellowing middle age -- turned Hank Aaron (the ol' Double 4's) yesterday -- I find myself matching up April 6 babies with their favorite Red Sox, real or imagined.
Like my wife. Loves Jason Varitek. Doesn't matter what he hit last year. Jason Varitek can do no wrong in her eyes. "He's team captain, handles the pitchers and without him, the team doesn't hang together the same way," she says, to prove that she very much knows what she's talking about.
She's got a Varitek jersey. I think it's going to be our kid's first blanket.
An old college friend of mine, Mary Camp, celebrates a birthday on April 6. She's a Sox fan, and if I had to pick her favorite, I'd say .... hmm, maybe Papelbon, maybe Jason Bay. Not sure. She'll have to let us know in person with an e-mail response. (Shameless plug to expand readership, yes, admittedly so.)
What about ol' Beth Browning? Easy. She was something of an recluse, you know, until Robert Browning came along. So you figure she'd be all over J.D. Drew. ("What is it that puts thee on the DL, let me count the ways?")
(I actually like J.D. Drew and feel bad writing that, but it sure does fit.)
Here are some other April 6 babies and their likely Sox favorites:
*Butch Cassidy: The Revolver, Josh Beckett.
*Merle Haggard: The dearly departed Mike Timlin.
*Gertrude Baines, the world's oldest woman, who turned 115 today: Tim Wakefield, and that's meant in the best way. ("Wouldn't it be Rickey Being Rickey?" my wife chimes in. "He was with us for a while, wasn't he?" She's got a point.)
*Zach Braff, actor: Jacoby Ellsbury. Meteoric rise, though "Garden State" was much better than, what's it called? Scrubs?
And, best for last:
*Bob Marley: Heh, heh, heh. You think Manny plays a lot of backgammon? I do. I really, really do.
To a sunnier Tuesday, mon.
No rainout, no cry.
No rainout, no cry.
Mary Camp here, still 364 days older than you! Hope you enjoy your hank aaron year as much as I enjoyed mine.
ReplyDeleteWith a last name like Campagnolo, could my favorite Sox player be anyone but Rocco Baldelli? (and for the record, loved Lou Merloni back in the day, but Tony Graffanino and Lenny DiNardo got no points for their ethnicity)
Before Rocco turned up north of RI, my fave was Mike Lowell. Tough guy, shuts up and plays, cancer survivor and just plain hot, really.
Looking forward to game #2 tonight. Game #1 was a delight; especially after the news of CC's implosion and Texeira's 0-fer the evening before - likely early season jitters, but still, in the absence of our opening day victory actually occurring on my birthday, the Yanks loss was a nice substitute gift.