There as bit of a hump day morale lift
yesterday when I returned home from work. I had forgotten that my Favorite Panamanian
told me earlier in the week that the Neighborhood Mafioso had invited us over
for dinner. Of course she waited to remind me until after I’d already changed
out of work clothes into my signature evening outfit of gym shorts/t-shirt so I
had to execute a smart about-face and head back upstairs to change again. That
minor effort was more than rewarded by a dinner spent with good friends as another
element of the Worcester Chapter of the Panamanian mafia also attended. The
food was great but the company as even better with some authentic belly laughs
included. The only downer was a night without granddaughter video calls which I’m
sure neither the FBR or BRS minded at all.
 |
| The Fun Bunch Last Night |
It’s been my personal credo to refrain
from criticizing one of my sports teams if they’re coming off a championship
season. Having spent the past couple decades in the golden age of New England
sports I’ve had an enviable opportunity to enforce that stance. For that reason
I’ve been silent this year as the Red Sox imploded. Last night the last vestiges
of flickering hope they could somehow resurrect the magic of last year was extinguished.
They look like an overpriced, underachieving bunch of disinterested has beens
just playing out the string. This is with the definite exception of Rafael
Devers. This does provide an object example for my children, who have been spoiled
by Red Sox success recently because this team resembles so many of the 1970s
and 80s teams that regularly broke Sox hearts.
I fervently hope this serves as a
wakeup call for the team who came out of spring training unprepared to defend
their crown. They’ve been sloppy and their starting pitching has been uniformly
abysmal, especially when it needs to step up. The team has fatal flaws that
have to be addressed in the off season to surround some of the young talent
with some solid starting pitching and a bull pen that doesn’t lead the league
in blown saves. Most of all the team needs to re-acquire some of the character they
exhibited on a regular basis last year. Thank God for the impending return of
football.
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RECURRING
CHARACTERS
BRS
- Blog Reader the Sequel
- second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog
Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA –
Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Keene
Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene,
NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt = my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since
grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to
attract women; Pittsburgh College
Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which
grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two
close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3rd musquetera
(musketeer); Riggins - also known as
the Grandpuppy, son's dog, surrogate grandchild while awaiting arrival of the
BRS; PanaGals – female
relatives/friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin
Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we
have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood
Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of
course); First Friday – celebrations
to mark the First Friday of the Week; Deckzilla
Dude – senior citizen carpenter/contractor; Voices of Inappropriate Worth - members of public who come to every
Worcester public meeting to complain, all are on public assistance along with
demeanor issues
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