Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - April 28, 2013

I dedicate today's episode The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast to my brother, the amazingly talented Ted Sullivan. I talk a little bit about us growing up, the different ways we celebrated baseball and how we shared a baseball moment as recently as 2008.

Travis Hafner, Bryce Harper, Travis Woodand Matt Moore  owned baseball on April 27, 2013.

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - April 28, 2013

Happy birthday to "The Guy on the Phone"

Every once in a while I will get recognized and someone will say "you are the guy on the phone in Curse of the Bambino, right?"

This is referencing the wonderful HBO Documentary I was in and the story I told about Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, dialing the phone to rub the Red Sox win in the face of my uncle who is a big Mets fan.

My response is always "Yes, I told that story."

But if you saw the special and remember the story, I was NOT the guy dialing the phone. That would be my brother Ted who dialed after each pitch every number except the last one.

So in truth my brother is "the guy on the phone" in The Curse of the Bambino.
And today is his birthday.

Happy birthday buddy. I promise to call today... and every number including the last one.

For those of you who haven't seen it, here is my segments from the movie.

A Request from my Cousin Dave

I've mentioned my Cousin Dave before.

He's a huge Mets fan and a loyal reader of this blog.

I bet he is reading this sentence right now.

We were having one of our many e mail exchanges recently and I told him I was watching the 1973 World Series highlight film. (My brother Ted got me the World Series film collection for Christmas... a great present!)

Dave wrote me in an e mail that he wanted me to find a picture of Willie Mays complaining to the umpire after the controversial out call on Bud Harrleson in extra innings of Game 2.

And he was quite specific.

"Find a photo of that on the internet and email it to me. And not with him holding the batting helmet, I want the hands palm up to the heavens....."

And Lord help me I looked.

And I couldn't find one.

I found all sorts of strange stuff, including THIS, but no picture of Willie Mays, batting helmet off, palms up to the heaven from Game 2 of the 1973 World Series.

And it is up to Sully Baseball to solve this issue!

So I took my camera...

And then used the incredibly high tech process of pointing the camera at my computer screen. I just happened to have the 1973 World Series DVD still in my computer... and I snapped a few pictures.

Hey, this method worked on my 1979 World Series entry including the amazing shot of Don Stanhouse.

Then again, I was taking pictures of my HD TV... but that is nitpicking.

So, as per your request Dave, are pictures of Willie Mays, palms to Heaven, protesting the call at home plate.

And for the rest of the planet Earth, you now have these pictures on the internet, courtesty of your pal Sully.

What could take priority over blogging about the Red Sox and Yankees?

The pennant race is in full swing... the Yankees are coming to Fenway and the season is winding down.

How could ANYTHING distract me from that?

Well something is.

My brother Ted is getting married this weekend in Santa Barbara to the wonderful Marya.

And I am looking forward to celebrating that wonderful even and seeing my family.

My brother has been my great collaborator, my best creative partner and my best friend all of these years.

So needless to say he takes priority.

(Not that I won't be checking the scores on my cell phone!)

a Motley Crew at the San Francisco Saloon witnesses a bullet dodging

Watched the Red Sox tonight with my brother Ted, Santa Monica Daily Press writer Kenny Mack (an elementary school classmate of mine), the brilliant writer and editor Greg Lee (a high school classmate of mine) and the great actor P. J. Marino (who acted in a film I directed.)

Normally a group that diverse in my life will be at my wedding... or a strange dream where I am naked running to the SATs.

But instead we were in Los Angeles and a place called the San Francisco Saloon watching Boston baseball from Toronto.

It was a strange night.

It was a strange game for that matter.

When I arrived it was already 6-2 Boston.

An early 4 run lead with Beckett on the mound?

A walk in the park, right?

Well there were walks alright, and a lot of balls hit OUT of the park!

When the Jays tied the score 7-7, we all began grumbling about how this wasn't a playoff team.

Then the Blue Jays fielded an Alex Gonzalez bunt with the grace and dignity of the end credits of a Benny Hill episode.

And when Bard got into some trouble in came Papelbon... who proceeded to either walk anyone he faced or hang a dangling curve ball that any mere mortal could smack into the upper deck.

10-9 was the final.

When Josh Beckett starts and you score 10 runs, there should be no tension in the 9th.

LIKE IT MATTERS!!!!

It's a win! And there's no style points for victory.

Just win.

It was a great night and a wonderful cross section of my life all sighed in relief.

A bullet was dodged and the board needs an update.

DODGED A BULLET GAMES - 17

April 17 - 10-8 win against Orioles. (Overcame 7-0 deficit.)

April 24 - 5-4 win against Yankees. (Bay homers off of Rivera in 9th to tie it.)

April 25 - 16-11 win against Yankees. (Overcame 6-0 deficit.)

April 29 - 6-5 win at Cleveland. (Overcame 5-0 deficit.)

May 12 - 4-3 win at Anaheim. (Down 3-1 in the 8th.)
June 11 - 4-3 win against Yankees. (Down 3-1 in the 8th. Rallied against Sabathia.)

June 12 - 5-2 win at Philadelphia. (Overcame Ryan Howard's 9th inning shot to win in 13)

June 21 - 6-5 win against Atlanta. (The wind turns Nick Green's fly ball into a walk off shot)

June 27 - 1-0 win at Atlanta. (Masterson and Papelbon wiggle out of late jams.)
July 1 - 6-5 win at Baltimore. (Sox score 4 in the 9th and Lugo wins in in the 11th)

July 8 - 5-4 win against Oakland. (Wind keeps Hairston's 9th inning go ahead homer in the ballpark)

July 10 - 1-0 win against Kansas City. (Pedroia drives in the only run with 2 outs in the 8th.)

July 30 - 8-5 win against Oakland. (Ortiz tests postive then hits a 2 out 3 run go ahead homer.)

July 31 - 6-5 win at Baltimore. (Youk's 2 run homer saves Smoltz from another bad start.)

August 10 - 6-5 win against Detroit. (Sox snap 6 game losing streak with 7th inning rally.)

August 14 - 8-4 win at Texas. (Victor Martinez hits a 2 run 2 strike 2 out double to take the lead and make up for Buchholz's baserunning mishap.)

August 18 - 10-9 win at Toronto. (Ortiz homers and the Jays defense collapses, saving Beckett from a bad start.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 22

April 14 - 6-5 loss at Oakland. (Sox blow early 3-0 lead. Lose in 12)

April 28 - 9-8 loss at Cleveland. (Sox blow early 5-1 lead. Lopez drops 3rd out.)
May 14 - 5-4 loss at Anaheim. (Ortiz goes 0-7 stranding 12 runners.)
May 15 - 5-4 loss at Seattle. (Red Sox blow their second 4-0 lead in three days.)

May 17 - 3-2 loss at Seattle. (Red Sox strand two in the 9th. Lose in the bottom of the 9th.)

May 23 - 3-2 loss to the Mets. (Papelbon lets up a 2 out 2 run homer in the 9th to Omir Santos)

June 18 - 2-1 loss to the Marlins. (Rain washes out a tight game after 5+ innings.)

June 28 - 2-1 loss to the Braves. (Tying run on base in the 9th. Solid Penny outing wasted)
June 30 - 11-10 loss at Baltimore. (The Red Sox blow a late 10-1 to the lowly Orioles.)
July 3 - 7-6 loss to Seattle. (Red Sox comeback in the 8th only to lose in the 11th.)

July 4 - 3-2 loss to Seattle. (Saito walks three in the 9th as the Mariners rally to win)

July 9 - 8-6 loss to the Royals. (Bullpen blows early 4-0 lead.)

July 21 - 4-2 loss at Texas. (Beckett loses a complete game and the Yankees take over first.)

July 22 - 3-1 loss at Texas. (Sox are swept for the first time all season.)

July 28 - 9-8 loss to Oakland. (Sox blow 3 run lead in 9th. A's rally with 2 outs in 9th and 11th.)

July 29 - 8-6 loss to Oakland. (Down 5-0 in the first, Sox comeback falls short)

August 4 - 4-2 loss in Tampa Bay. (Longoria hits 13th inning walk off with first base open.)

August 5 - 6-4 loss in Tampa Bay. (Sox gets swept in a 2 game series with the tying run at the plate).

August 7 - 2-0 loss in New York. (A-Rod's walk off with 2 outs in the 15 ends a teeth grinding marathon.)

August 9 - 5-2 loss in New York. (4 outs from avoiding a sweep, Bard lets up back to back homers to Damon and Teixeira.)

August 13 - 2-0 loss to Detroit. (Verlander wiggles out of early and late jams.)

August 16 - 4-3 loss at Texas. (Red Sox can't rally and fall behind the Rangers in the Wild Card race)

-5... Inching closer to par.

I hope the San Francisco Saloon Company appreciates the plug!!!

Happy Birthday to the greatest whiffle ball teammate I have ever had

Growing up in suburban Boston (and in Europe and California) I was not alone in my baseball love nor my comic book reading.

When I played whiffle ball in the front lawn, it was with my brother Ted. (We once played a 100 inning game.)

When I cheered on the Sox, it was with my brother Ted. Butch Hobson was my favorite player and Jim Rice was my brother's favorite player.

When I went to games at Fenway, it was with my brother Ted.

When I went to Chain O Lakes Park in Winter Haven, I collected autographs with my brother Ted.

When I went to Games 3 and 4 of the 1988 ALCS in the Oakland Colosseum just to see the Red Sox lose the pennant, I was with my brother Ted.

And when I was hooked on Crisis on Infinite Earths, Teen Titans, Batman - The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, I was hooked with my brother Ted.

Now over the years my interest in comics has faded, but clearly my love of baseball hasn't.

Ted's home is filled with original comic art as his love hasn't faded one bit, but he's stopped following baseball.

I guess you can only retain one childhood obsession.

But Ted stopped by to see his nephews the same day as Game 5 of the 2008 ALCS... the game the Red Sox came back from down 7-0 to the Rays on the verge of elimination.

And when Crisp kept fouling off the pitches, I could see him get excited again.

And we both leapt off of the couch when J. D. Drew got the game ending hit.

I'm not expecting to have him be the big baseball fan again... but it was nice to have it back for a night.

Happy Birthday to my brother Ted.

Maybe I'll read a comic book in his honor today.

(Ooops. I'm sorry... a graphic novel.)