Rod Begbie

I am the ghost of groovymother.com. Woooooo!

This is an old page from Rod Begbie's blog.

It only exists in an attempt to prevent linkrot. No new content will be added to this site, and links and images are liable to be broken. Check out begbie.com to find where I'm posting stuff these days.

Filed under 'baseball'

➠ March 9, 2011

Enjoy Spring Training games and regular season games on Apple TV | MLB.com: Subscriptions

Holy shitting crikey. I was hoping this would happen and it has. MLB’s all-games streaming service will work on your Apple TV (along with your iPad and iPhone) for a price that’s $100 cheaper than buying the equivalent package on cable or satellite (basically covering your purchase of an Apple TV if you don’t already own one!)

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➠ March 2, 2011

Baseball Flowchart

Not sure who to support? This’ll help.

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➠ October 28, 2010

A Love Letter To The San Francisco Giants

Fab summation of why SF is so electric this week. There is a lot of happiness in the air, and anyone who sneers at it (either by moaning about fairweather fans, or about how sports is dumb) is missing the point.

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➠ October 25, 2010

A-Rod Finally Leads Rangers To World Series | The Onion

Perfect.

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➠ October 6, 2010

BBC Sport - Liverpool to be bought by Boston Red Sox owners

Seems like a good match, both in terms of cities and teams. John Henry has been a great principal owner for the Sox organization.

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➠ July 1, 2010

How Mariano Rivera Dominates Hitters

Lovely vid from the NYT. As a Sox fan, I loathe Mariano Rivera, for he is so damned good.

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➠ April 7, 2010

My window to Fenway Park

My window to Fenway Park

Thank you Apple, NESN and MLB.TV.

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➠ August 22, 2009

Me & Joy

Me & Joy

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Casey Kotchman’s RBI Double

Casey Kotchman’s RBI Double

I didn't bring a telephoto lens on this trip, so this is about the best photo I have of the game!

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IMG_1890

IMG_1890

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What makes Fenway, Fenway.

What makes Fenway, Fenway.

A silly little detail, but one I loved. They've installed these lovely high-resolution multi-colour animation-capable LCD displays, but show the scores, stats and messages in a dot-matrix font that resembles the screens they replaced.

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Fenway Park

Fenway Park

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Atop the Green Monster

Atop the Green Monster

Watching the Yanks take batting practice.

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➠ July 30, 2009

Report: Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 - ESPN

*le sigh*. The inevitability of this news doesn’t really take the edge off the sadness. The Red Sox had been lucky with the steroid testing leaks and reports so far. Now, the 2004 & 2007 World Series wins are _officially_ tarnished.

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➠ July 20, 2009

When Barack met Beckett

There is nothing I do not love about this photo — not least the look on Youk’s face!

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➠ July 12, 2009

The Evolution of Tim Wakefield, Knuckleball Pitcher

NYTimes profile of the mighty Wake.

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➠ July 8, 2009

Tony’s got his rally cap on

Tony’s got his rally cap on

Didn't help! The Giants lost 7-0.

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Fantastic day for a game at AT&T Park.

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Garlic Fries

Garlic Fries

With a much-needed bowl of breath mints nearby.

The best ballpark food in the country? Possibly. Also outstanding: the Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs for sale at the Tres Agaves cart.

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➠ June 22, 2009

Flip Flop Fly Ball

“A love of baseball plus a love of infographics equals Flip Flop Fly Ball.” Lots of great stuff, the comparison of ballpark ticket prices being my favourite.

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➠ June 4, 2009

Bill Simmons - It's hard to say goodbye to David Ortiz

Great piece by Bill Simmons on the decline of the Large Father. FWIW, I don’t think Papi’s current decline is a sign of stopping using a banned substance — Why would he stop now? Nothing has changed in MLB testing over the last couple of years.

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➠ May 18, 2009

The World's Best Illusion: The Secret of the Curve Ball

Simple Flash animation which explains the “breaking” of a curve ball.

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➠ May 7, 2009

Manny Ramirez's positive drug test makes the Sports Guy confront his worst nightmare

Great piece by Bill Simmons on the Manny-being-juiced revelations today, and what it means for the Sox 2004 curse-bearing World Series win.

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➠ April 19, 2009

MLB.com for iPhone and iPod touch

The official MLB At Bat iPhone app is *killer*. Last year’s version was my second App Store purchase (after Super Monkey Ball), but the addition of live radio coverage of games is fantastic. Sitting at work, or driving somewhere, with the sound of Joe Castiglione calling the Sox is well worth $10.

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➠ April 15, 2009

Waiting for the BART home

Waiting for the BART home

My wife? She is a cutie.

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Complete Game

Complete Game

Wakefield pitched a complete game, which I'm sure was a relief to the bullpen who put in 11 innings of pitching last night!

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The end of the no-hitter

The end of the no-hitter

Wakefield pitched 7 no-hit innings, but the second batter in the 8th broke the run.

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Joy, behind the screen

Joy, behind the screen

She *might* like the Red Sox. Hard to tell.

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Bay hits a 3-run homer

Bay hits a 3-run homer

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Youk gets intentionally walked

Youk gets intentionally walked

Having a batting average over .500 will do that to a guy.

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Tek!

Tek!

Walked *right* past us!

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Jackie Robinson Day

Jackie Robinson Day

Every player wore number 42, which made it nearly impossible to work out who was warming up in the bullpen!

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➠ April 14, 2009

Nick Swisher and his 0.00 career ERA

This made me smile. Another of Billy Bean’s “Moneyball” characters proves his value on a big $$$ team.

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➠ March 6, 2009

A's agree to terms with Cabrera and Garciaparra on one-year contracts

Both of Boston’s 2004 world-champion-ring-owning shortstops will be playing in Oakland this year.

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➠ October 2, 2008

Manny Being Manipulated

Outstanding (and lengthy) article by Bill Simmons about the end of the Manny era in Boston. Sums up everything I felt about the whole affair — that it stank to high heaven, and I miss Manny as a player. I wish him all the best this postseason, and pray he doesn’t become a MFY next year.

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➠ September 28, 2008

The final strike of the season

The final strike of the season

SF beat LA 3-1.

Joy & I had been a wee bit disappointed not to see Nomar Garciaparra or Manny Ramirez play, but understandably they're resting before the postseason. It wasn't until the 9th inning that we discovered that Nomar was actually making his managing debut at the game -- apparently a tradition of Joe Torré's.

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The Pacific Ocean, as seen from View Box 331

The Pacific Ocean, as seen from View Box 331

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AT&T Park

AT&T Park

Ever since I first saw the Red Sox on TV playing at "SBC Park" (as then was), I've thought the Giants' park was gorgeous. This afternoon, Joy & I went to see their season closer against LA, and it was as lovely as I'd hoped.

Large, but intimate, and right next to the Pacific, I dream of the day the Red Sox ditch Fenway and build something as special as AT&T Park.

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➠ September 2, 2008

MLB At Bat

MLB At Bat

The MLB's official iPhone app finally has pitch-by-pitch game tracking. Hooray! (This screenshot was taken while I was following the game at the Embarcadero BART station!)

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➠ August 15, 2008

Manny Ramirez Likes Red Sox's New Blue Uniforms | The Onion

“I’m also happy that they shortened the Green Monster, and painted it blue, because that wall was too tall before”

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➠ July 4, 2008

Boston Red Sox - Balance ball

Bizarre event at today’s Sox/Yankees game. Johnny Damon caught a hit before colliding with the wall and losing the ball… which balanced atop the wall for a good second or two. The photos are worth it for the gobsmacked Sox fan in the background.

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➠ May 24, 2008

Manny, not getting HR 499

Manny, not getting HR 499

Yes yes, I realise I probably jinxed him by deciding to film this at-bat. Hoping he hits 499 and 500 at tomorrow's game.

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I suppose my seat was *alright*

I suppose my seat was *alright*

I was five rows behind home plate at McAfee Coliseum last night for the Sox/A's game. Not a great game by any measure, but it was fun to be in a seat where it felt like the players could conceivably hear you when you shouted your support/abuse.

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➠ May 16, 2008

The Best of "Manny Being Manny"

ESPN’s Baseball Tonight runs down some of the best WTF?! Manny moments.

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➠ April 14, 2008

San Francisco Giants Band Together To Score Run | The Onion

I really shouldn’t laugh at this, since I now work across the street from AT&T Park, but… heh.

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➠ April 10, 2008

Best Game Ever

Improv Everywhere make a Little League baseball game into a massive event. Lovely.

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➠ April 5, 2008

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IMG_0549.JPG

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IMG_0548.JPG

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➠ April 2, 2008

MLB.TV Mosaic

MLB.TV Mosaic

Since NESN isn't really gonna be an option when we're in SF, I've signed up from the MLB.TV package. Their Mosaic application is pretty cool (if a tad rusty and prone to collapse at the moment) -- you can stream up to six games live to it, and flip the audio between games. Can definitely see hooking this up to the TV later in the season.

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➠ March 18, 2008

6 days, 22 hours and 7 seconds to go!

6 days, 22 hours and 7 seconds to go!

My current favourite Chumby widget -- Counting down the seconds until the Red Sox season opener in Japan next week.

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➠ February 21, 2008

Obama of Dreams

Obama t-shirts in a baseball-logo stylee. (Notably lacking in any donation to the campaign, though)

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➠ February 14, 2008

My upcoming trips on DOPPLR

My upcoming trips on DOPPLR

Can you spot the connection between all my upcoming trips? To Toronto, Baltimore, New York and St Petersburg (in the Tampa bay). (Clue)

S'gonna be a fun season!

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➠ December 8, 2007

“Ducky Wucky”

“Ducky Wucky”

Best! Hall-of-famer player nickname! EVER!

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Terry Francona’s 2007 World Series pullover

Terry Francona’s 2007 World Series pullover

Now banned by MLB under the new "Francona Rule"!

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The Bloody Sock

The Bloody Sock

and Curt's "K ALS" shoes from the 2004 World Series.

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Joy lurves Mike Lowell

Joy lurves Mike Lowell

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The Phillie Phanatic

The Phillie Phanatic

A member of the Mascot Hall of Fame

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No Hitters

No Hitters

Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe and Clay Buckholz are the last three Sox pitchers to record a no-hitter.

(Joy & I were there earlier this year when Curt Schilling came incredibly close to appearing in this display case)

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Ted Williams infographic

Ted Williams infographic

Expected batting average by area of the strike zone.

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Joy at the Baseball Hall of Fame

Joy at the Baseball Hall of Fame

Turning 35 in style

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Cy Young’s Red Sox jersey

Cy Young’s Red Sox jersey

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NOTICE TO FIRST BASEMEN

NOTICE TO FIRST BASEMEN

"No Irish need apply"

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➠ November 16, 2007

SF Gate: Better with Age

Excellent infographic which certainly suggests that Barry Bonds’s alleged steroid use may have improved his batting skills.

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➠ November 15, 2007

Baseball Pitches Illustrated | Lokesh Dhakar

Nice infographics explaining the difference between a slider and a cutter.

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➠ October 22, 2007

Game 7 — An IM conversation

Joy & I watched tonight’s Game 7 in different rooms (Joy upstairs in the bedroom, me downstairs in the living room), but we both had our laptops open, because we’re both massive geeks. Here’s some edited highlights from our IM conversations:

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8:57:00 Joy Begbie: tell us, Dane Cook!
8:57:04 Joy Begbie: how many Octobers are there??
8:57:32 Rod Begbie: Frankly, I am So Fucking Excited about tonight’s game, even my distaste for Dane Cook can’t bring me down.

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9:15:54 Joy Begbie: the commentator just said, “a base hit cuts the lead in half”
9:16:05 Joy Begbie: uh, no… a RUN does that.
9:16:08 Joy Begbie: fuckwad

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(Mike Lowell catches the ball for a double-play, with runners on 1st and 3rd)

10:54:24 Joy Begbie: heart attack.
10:54:40 Rod Begbie: That was 99% luck, 1% awesomeness.
10:55:09 Joy Begbie: Mike Lowell was involved. There was easily 3% awesomeness.
10:56:02 Joy Begbie: but also a HELL of a lot of luck
10:56:10 Rod Begbie: Especially on Lofton’s base running.
10:56:16 Rod Begbie: That should have been a run-scored.
10:56:19 Joy Begbie: and many thanks to their third base coach for confusing Kenny Lofton

—

(Jacoby Ellsbury makes a great catch in left field)

10:59:51 Rod Begbie: Jacoby would be a good name for a basset hound.
10:59:53 Rod Begbie: I’m just saying.
11:00:01 Rod Begbie: “Jacoby Begbie”

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11:02:47 Rod Begbie: Glimpses of Batshit in the dugout. I miss Batshit.
11:02:58 Joy Begbie: me too
11:22:39 Rod Begbie: Do you think Tito might include Batshit in the world series order, instead of Gagné?

—

(Jonathan Papelbon strikes out two to end the top of the 8th)

11:21:27 Rod Begbie: It was great, looking at the intensity on Papelbons’ face as he walked off the field…
11:21:39 Rod Begbie: Knowing that in about 45 minutes, he’s going to be letting it all out by dancing around like an idiot!

—

(A Fox announcer mentions the MVP award)

11:30:21 Rod Begbie: Who do you think should get MVP?
11:30:22 Joy Begbie: ooh, good question, who will be the MVP?
11:30:26 Joy Begbie: Josh Beckett
11:30:30 Rod Begbie: Almost definitely.
11:31:20 Joy Begbie: Grand slam notwithstanding, there’s nobody else I can think of that has put in such a phenomenal performance
11:31:12 Rod Begbie: No-one is as responsible for the comeback in game 5 as Beckett.
11:31:41 Rod Begbie: It was almost like “Hey! Beckett’s pitching! We’re bound to win this one, so let’s have some fun!”
11:31:52 Rod Begbie: Set the tone for the games back at Fenway.

—

(Dustin Pedroia hits a three-RBI shot off of the Green Monster)

11:43:44 Joy Begbie: I am GRINNING right now.
11:43:49 Rod Begbie: PETEY!
11:43:59 Rod Begbie: He may suck at cribbage….
11:44:04 Rod Begbie: but I’ll take that hit!
11:44:12 Joy Begbie: hot dog!

—

(Cameras show David Ortiz in the dugout, already wearing goggles in preperation for the champagne shower)

11:56:13 Rod Begbie: GET THOSE GOGGLES OFF, PAPI! DON‘T JINX IT!!!!!

—

(Coco Crisp smashes into the bullpen wall, making the catch that finishes the game)

11:57:59 Joy Begbie: SMART defensive move from Tito…
11:58:07 Joy Begbie: ouch
11:58:12 Rod Begbie: So glad that Coco got to make his mark on the game.
11:58:33 Joy Begbie: he is going to feel that later, i think
11:58:47 Rod Begbie: If only we had someone else who could take his place in the lineup…..

—

(The Sox win)

12:02:02 Joy Begbie: that was a DIRTY slo-mo of Tek and Pap
12:02:06 Rod Begbie: I want Papelbon’s crazed star jump as my wallpaper!

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12:12:09 Rod Begbie: “Is that Papelbon? He’s a little whacko, isn’t he?”
12:12:23 Joy Begbie: ah, such insight
12:12:25 Rod Begbie: Why yes, Fox idiot, yes he is.

—

12:14:28 Rod Begbie: Losing manager doesn’t get a press conference? Looks like they’re interviewing him round the back of a concessions stand!
12:14:46 Joy Begbie: sad, really.
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➠ October 6, 2007

Manny Being Manny Being Interviewed

Manny Being Manny Being Interviewed

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➠ October 5, 2007

Helpful Reminder

Helpful Reminder

You have twenty minutes to run, if you want to catch the T home. Stupid 8:30pm starts!

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View from Grandstand 7 Row 12

View from Grandstand 7 Row 12

Not as good as our normal seats (pillars preventing us from seeing home plate or the Pesky Pole very well), but still a fun place to spend an evening.

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➠ September 18, 2007

papel-blog

My current-favourite Red Sox blog. “[world’s saddest little fist pump]” is now a running joke between Joy & myself.

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➠ September 4, 2007

Magic number (sports) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What is this “magic number” of which I speak?

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➠ August 9, 2007

Barry Bonds' HR Record Tainted by Elbow 'Armor'?

Yet another asterisk to go next to Bonds’s name in the record books?

It’s very conflicting to be a Sox fan, now rooting for A-Rod to hit more home runs and overtake Bonds’s record.

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➠ July 14, 2007

Pickleview on iPhone

Live baseball game tracker for iPhone. Uses Twitter as a chat channel.

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➠ July 3, 2007

Sox win - Extra Bases

“The Sox ended their first half at 50-31, which was also their record last year.” And we all remember how last year turned out. This is why Red Sox Nation is only cautiously optimistic about our 10.5-game lead on the AL East.

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➠ May 6, 2007

Sox caught by surprise by Rocket - Extra Bases

I remember Joy explaining to me who Roger Clemens was when he got a standing ovation as a Yankee at Fenway after announcing his “retirement” in 2003. Four years later, he’s back with the Yankees again! S’gonna make the next Sox/Yankees series all the sweeter!

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➠ April 11, 2007

weather.com - Red Sox games

Weather.com are now serving up weather reports for baseball fans — warning you what the weather’s gonna be like where and when your team is playing.

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➠ December 14, 2006

Boston Red Sox : News : Sox unveil Matsuzaka

The negotiations are finally over: Dice-K will be wearing Number 18 on the mound at Fenway come April. A snip at $102m

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➠ December 5, 2006

A baseball player answers his fan mail 15 years later - Slate Magazine

Former baseball player finds a box of fan mail from 1991 while cleaning his garage, and replies to them!

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➠ November 14, 2006

Red Sox win Matsuzaka bid

The Sox today paid $51.1m for the rights to negotiate exclusively with a (reportedly outstanding) Japanese pitcher. $51.1m to *negotiate*. It will cost them many millions more to actually sign him. Wow. Just… wow.

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➠ October 8, 2006

Erik J. Heels » Pity The Yankees

Since the Sox didn’t make the playoffs, all we have to fall back on is sweet sweet schadenfreude. After reading Moneyball, I’m rooting for the Oakland A’s.

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➠ April 17, 2006

Baseball Salary Treemap

Player salaries laid out by team, division and league.

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➠ April 10, 2006

1986 World Series Game 6 Re-Enacted in RBI Baseball

“It gets through Buckner” in an 8-bit NES stylee.

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➠ April 7, 2006

ESPN Baseball Gamecast

ESPN Baseball Gamecast

This flash app on ESPN's MLB site is simply lovely. Just enough information to follow the game, with handy infographics showing the pitches and plays.

I'm currently watching stuff recorded on my TiVo with my laptop next to me, displaying the gamecast. When I see something exciting's happening, I can drop to live TV and watch the game. Hooray for technology.

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➠ December 21, 2005

ESPN.com - MLB - Yankees snatch Damon away from rival Red Sox

Everyone’s been expecting this for months, but it looks like it’s official: Johnny Damon will be in pinstripes come April.

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About This Site

This is an archive of groovmother.com, the old blog run by Rod Begbie — A Scottish geek who lives in San Francisco, CA.

I'm the co-founder of Sōsh, your handy-dandy guide for things to do in San Francisco this weekend.

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