Of Blogging, being Blocked and Batteries

Please don't throw batteries at JD. (Photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor and used with permission.)

So in trying to get back into regular season blogging shape, I go three days without an entry. Not a good way to start the season!

I’m still a little blocked and hoping to shake the cobwebs off this week.  I don’t normally go this long even in the off-season without writing something.  I need to get my head in the game!  Tonight’s Sox game might help.  The Yankees visit Ft Myers (and Tito is already in mid-season form, sitting Clay Buchholz because he’s already pitched against the Yanks this year) and  NESN is airing tonight’s game (7:05) as is, according to the Red Sox schedule, ESPN2.

I need to put this in the “Wow” file:  According to Peter Abraham, I think I get to label  T.J. Furman of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ass of the Month.  He wins this for two reasons:  The obvious one, for encouraging Phillies fans to throw batteries at J.D. Drew when the Red Sox visit the Phillies this year for interleague play.  But he gets bonus points for dodging a fellow reporter’s questions and just pointing him to the editor’s note on the piece he wrote.  The editor’s note claims the line about fans getting their “D-cells ready” was “ a regretful attempt at humor”. Not defending his own work to a colleague makes me believe one thing:  Trying to be funny or not, Furman wrote what he meant to wrote.   I need to add a third reason he wins the title…for his bringing up a part of Philadelphia sports fans history that they would like to get over.  Phillies fans, while having done some lousy things, don’t hold a monopoly on being jerky.  Furman comes off as the CHB of Philadelphia…attack your own fan base for having passion for a game that makes it possible for you to make a living.  That is an ass at it’s best (worst).

Abraham hopes that there will be extra security in Philadelphia for those games.  Last year, the Sox visited the Phillies without much incident (there was the booing that is always there and I seem to remember a mention of coins being thrown but I haven’t been able to find anything to validate my memory) so I’m not sure if Abraham forgot that or if he genuinely thinks a line from Furman will encourage folks to go out and chuck batteries at JD Drew.  I know the fans can be harsh but I’m willing to give them some credit here.  If they weren’t throwing batteries at JD last year I don’t think a deleted line (at least from the online version) in a  story in early March will make them do it in June.

Then again, who knows what’s going to happen in three months?  I commend Abraham for not letting it die because I think Furman definitely deserves to be called out on it, but I’m willing to wait until June before I decide JD needs extra security.  I know about their history but I have to admit that any interactions (in real life and online) that I’ve had with Phillies fans have been positive ones, especially when I went with my friend Kay to Citizens Bank Park for the weekend Sox/Phillies series in 2005.  So maybe I give them too much credit.  We’ll find out in June.

For now, we still have 17 games left in March before we get to Opening Day!  Almost there, folks!