Be a man.

The gas went out in my apartment last Wednesday night. It was a combination of us not switching the gas service to our names when we moved in and the fact that our landlord owes the gas company $3000 in bills from December 2003. How $3000 in gas heat can be used in a vacant (work was being done before we moved in) apartment for five months is beyond me. Needless to say we switched the service and the gas will be turned on sometime today. However, that still meant that we had unheated water for five days.

I tried to take it like a man. Oooooooo it was cold. Nothing made me happier than Friday when it was so hot and muggy out that the water was almost lukewarm for 30 seconds after I got back from the gym. My roommates did it differently -- one went on a planned vacation, one showered at his girlfriend's and one showered at his parent's. I yelled at them that I was a man. They yelled back that I was not.

This got me thinking about all the hardships we are without in this age in this great country of hours. Most peoples' problems involved their Internet service being cut out for an hour. I'm the first to admit that I enjoy a Dunkin' Donuts within throwing distance of my house; an extensive public transportation system at the end of my street; a computer in my bedroom and about a zillion cable channels on TV. However, have I lost the ability to tough it out?

I spent 20 minutes frantically plugging and unplugging the cable modem and router in my apartment because the Internet cut out. I was still in my bathing suit from coming back from the beach, growling at a couple pieces of electronics because I couldn't bear the thought of being unconnected. I get whiney when I have to drive too far for anything. I hate handing my money over to gas stations and to supermarkets that overprice their products.

What am I getting at? I guess I'm wondering where the line is between what the human race deserves and what the human race wants. It seems like we're way beyond that line in 'deserve' territory -- practically on the other side of it, in the 'excessive' zone. As far as I can tell, we deserve for everyone to be healthy and unoppressed -- good reason to invade Iraq. Do we deserve door-to-door chauffeur service or stadium-style movie theaters? I don't know anymore. Maybe I'm a communist. Maybe I'm overly grateful.

100 years ago my one of my great grandfathers was in a coal mine, the other three were farmers. Here I am at age 24 working in front of a computer with enough free time to write what you're reading. Things have gotten good in the last century, I just sometimes wonder if I could do what they did.

I'm sure I deserve more time to think about this subject, but I'll probably just let it lie until I take my medium black coffee on the T on the way to a movie -- maybe I'll just forget once I take that long-missed hot shower.

Pitching and Defense Don't Mean Shit When...

... you can't get people safely to home plate. Dale Sveum is allowed to make a mistake here and there -- we're all human -- and he should not be solely to blame about yesterday's Red Sox one-run loss to the White Sox. Blame the hitters for not making contact and blame the management for bringing in such star defensive players such as Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz. With one of the worst one-run game records in the majors, we traded away a clutch hitter for two players that are going to protect non-existent leads for us. Brilliant.

An observation

I'm not going to name names, situations, or places. This is just a comment.

In the realm of dating and relationships, there are is a certain, unspoken etiquette that both sexes follow. It's not like there is a handbook or classes for this sort of thing, it's just learned throughout the trials and tribulations of life and love. Little boys passing notes and throwing things at girls may work in elementary school, but it obviously wouldn't fly in post-college life.

What can be said about trying to show some interest can also be said about rebuffing or rejecting interest as well. Some people should realize that they're adults and take a second to look at the big picture, grow up, be respectful, and above all be honest and upfront.

Some may agree that honesty is the best policy, but the truth could hurt when it comes to love. Is the truth really what really hurts, or is it maybe the absence of respect the results in covering up honest feelings and thoughts?

Stupidest Move in Baseball

#1 You don't trade your franchise player, the player who gives 110% when he's on the field, the player who won't stop talking about one thing: winning a championship for his team and town.

#2 If you absolutely, postively have to trade that player, you don't trade him for a shitty shortstop with an on-base percentage below 300 in order to "upgrade" the defense. You also don't trade him for a fourth firstbaseman with a .246 batting average, just because he won a Gold Glove three years ago.

So what if Nomar bristled with the management? Everybody hates their boss(es) to some extent. Who can blame him after the awful handling of A-Rod/Manny/Nomar/Ordonez trade rumors during the winter? Money issues? The man gives his all whenever he is on the field. His grit and his desire to win should be included with his on-field and at-bat play when considering a contract. Manny Ramirez has been known to dog it. Pedro can't seem to shut up about how much he feels he deserves to be monetarialy treated right by the Red Sox, however, they're both still here.

You know who else is still here? Derek Lowe, Alan Embree, Kevin Millar's mouth and the marble sculpture known as Gabe Kapler. Thank God Derek Lowe has kept his mouth shut... or else he might have gone somewhere else. We can really use his numbers. I'd list them a few bad ones to point out his failings, but they're all bad. Where's the rejuvinated Ramiro Mendoza in the starting rotation? Where's BK Kim version 4.0?

The Sox were in a tough position, but they did little to alleviate the pressure. For the players in their contract years: Lowe is a joke and unsignable. Pedro's arm will fall off sooner or later. Varitek will want more years than the team is willing to give him. My bet is that they're going to do everything to keep Pedro and Varitek (probably with incentive-laced contracts to ensure his health). Though only 33 in October, Pedro is on pace to pitch about as many innings has he did in 2000. What happened in 2001? After five straight years of 200+ innings, a couple trips to the DL and only 18 appearances for the whole year. Pedro's first three years in Boston were absolutely magical, however he is a different player today and he needs to be treated and paid as such.

The Red Sox season is on a crash course to disappointment and mediocrity, and this may just be the beginning of a multi-year stretch. Nomar loved this town and its fans and he was huge figure with local charities. He may have been at odds with the management, but money is a great motivator and tool. It only took about 15 years to go from Yaz to Nomar, so I can't wait until 2019.

As for now, I'll be on Yawkey Way, looking in the bargain bin for some Nomar memorabilia.