Fatherhood, satellite radio reception, the weather, Fox Sports and the Yahoo Ticker all conspired against me today

The Defending World Champion Boston Red Sox played the Yankees again today on a nationally broadcast game.

No way I was going to miss it, right?

Well I didn't, but let's just say my enjoyment of the game was constantly being derailed by forces bigger than myself.

First of all today my wife and I took our boys to their friend's birthday party in Santa Cruz.

We drove from our home in the Silicon Valley over the hills to Santa Cruz... listening on my trusted XM radio to the Brewers/Mets game, wishing the Defending World Champions were playing earlier.

At the birthday party there were plenty of 3 year old boys and girls (including my twins) which means there was screaming, laughing, running around, fighting over toys and a giant blow up jumping tent.

To my utter salvation, there were also enough dads who were interested in the game to put it on the flat screen TV. So I was able to watch my kids and the game at the same time.

Of course one of my boys and a little girl wandered off and I had to keep them in view... so I did the fatherly thing of following them and then catching them turning on a bathroom sink and trying to splash each other.

I dragged them both out and looked at the TV in time to see I had missed a home run by Manny Ramirez.

We left the party and started driving up the hills separating Santa Cruz from the SF Bay Area. The Yankees had taken the lead but the Defending World Champion Boston Red Sox were rallying. Second and third with 2 outs and Manny at the plate.

And my satellite reception started going in and out.
I kept trying to adjust my antenna but my wife reminded me that we were driving on a windy mountain road and I should pay attention to driving.

The reception came back.
I had missed Manny's 2 run double.

We arrived at my in law's house where my mother in law was preparing a feast.
She is sympathetic to my Red Sox obsession and told me to sit in the living room and finish watching the game.

The drama is reaching a fever pitch as the Defending World Champs cling to a 4-3 lead but the Yankees have 2 on, 2 outs in the 8th... Papelbon on the mound and A-Rod at the plate.

And then the rains came.
And a 2 hour plus rain delay.

I of course didn't know it was going to last 2 plus hours and I couldn't bring myself to completely leave the living room.

It... might... come... back... on.

So I sat through Jeannie Zelasko, a NASCAR pre game show and the end of the Rockies/D'Backs blow out.

All the while ducking my head into the kitchen to ask how I could help.

Finally, after a delay roughly as long as the movie Amadeus, the game was back on.

Joe Buck openly wondered about Papelbon's effectiveness with the delay and whether or not he should be used... and then he struck out A-Rod on three pitches.

On to the ninth... 1 run game... the two rivals facing off...
Papelbon strikes out Giambi and then Posada.

Despite missing the two big Sox offensive plays and having the gaping delay, I am now into the game big time.

And I could tell my mother in law was almost done cooking...
And my kids were awake from their naps...
I needed this game over because pretty soon I would HAVE to help!

Papelbon gets the count full on Robinson Cano with Matsui getting ready to pinch hit.
The biggest pitch of the year coming up...

And FOX cuts away.
They go to lap one of the Subway Jared Is No Longer Fat 500 NASCAR race.

There are 499 more laps of these hillbillies driving their car and they are pushing the potential last pitch of a Red Sox/Yankees game off the air.

I am informed the game is on FX.
I start flipping looking for FX but I can't find it.

I hop onto the internet and click the Yahoo Sports Game Tracker.
It's still 3-2 on Cano.

I'm staring at the ticker waiting to see it change.
And I see that little Mac pinwheel spinning.

The computer is freezing up.
I force quit out and click on it again.

Now the game is listed as a Final Score... Sox 4-3.

So I followed the whole game using three pieces of technology and STILL missed the Ramirez homer, Ramirez double and the end of the game.

Oh well... my boys won and the dinner was terrific.
Dice K tomorrow