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April 1, 2009

Boston Magazine: Pedroia Interview


As part of its Obsessive's Guide to the 2009 Red Sox, Boston magazine has a lengthy feature on Dustin Pedroia.

Elsewhere, Hideki Okajima reveals that his unique pitching delivery is derived from a Japanese comic book he read as a child.
When he released the ball, his head was facing down and his hat fell to the ground. I was trying to copy the motion. I believed it would make me throw harder.
The set of trading cards is cute -- Kevin Youkilis really had a speaking part in the 1994 movie Milk Money?* -- but the magazine gets points off for including crap like "salary per hit" and "salary per inning pitched". Yes. Baseball players get paid a lot of money, much more than schulbs like us. We get it.

***

*: It's true. The movie was filmed in his hometown of Cincinnati. He was 14 (not 11, as noted at some sites) and had one line -- he's on screen for about three seconds.
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21 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 1, 2009 at 4:19 PM

    Okay--completely unrelated, but important. I assume you guys are already aware of this, but the knowledge should be spread so that people don't make the same mistake I did. My family bought MLB.tv, all exited over the new features, and as an afterthought asked about the "Some blackout restrictions apply" policy, only to learn that because we live in MA, we can't watch the Sox live.

    So, essentially, MLB is screwing over the hometown fans. This is pure, unadulterated bullshit and more people need to know BEFORE they buy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. allanApril 1, 2009 at 4:31 PM

    That sucks, of course, but isn't that the general blackout rules they have had all along?

    Like when the Red Sox are in Toronto, and I'm at work with no access to a TV, I still am forced to listen to the radio broadcast because mlbtv is blacked out.

    Is there a reason why they/you cannot watch NESN?

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 1, 2009 at 4:52 PM

    No cable here at my house, which is why we bought it.

    I get now what the blackout stuff means, but the amount of fineprint-reading and link-clicking you need to do to find it is unfair. Also, the homepage says that they show "... Watch all 2,430 regular season games online"

    Though I suppose that could be technically the archive.

    All I know is that I'm not getting my Sox video and I'm sad.

    Also--I heard NESN doesn't show all the games anyways.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousApril 1, 2009 at 4:54 PM

    Never mind on the NESN thing--they are showing all of the games.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousApril 1, 2009 at 4:55 PM

    Actually, just disregard my whole angry rant. It's not so much a lot of searching to find the blackout info, the info is just vague. I "May be subject to blackouts for the Boston Red Sox".

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  6. FenFanApril 1, 2009 at 5:10 PM

    I just went and checked. Right below the chart that shows MLB.TV versus MLB.TV Premier, in small print: "Blackout and other restrictions apply." Go further down the page and there is further information on blackout rules and a spot to enter your ZIP code and see which team's live games are blacked out in your area.

    Well, live and learn, eh?

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  7. JereApril 1, 2009 at 6:09 PM

    Those are the basic blackout rules. If you're in NESN's area, you can't get the Sox in any other way. That's standard, the way it's always been, for any region.

    The only way you personally would be getting screwed is if, say, both cable and dishes were not allowed/not offered where you live. They're not screwing the hometown fans (except for that one county, but I won't say it again), since the point of mlb.tv is to get out-of-town games, not hometown games.

    Did we ever figure out if that one trick works, where you just change your address on your account to an out-of-area zip code, and therefore be only blacked out of games for THAT zip code?

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousApril 1, 2009 at 6:09 PM

    Yeah.

    I kinda made an ass of myself in those posts.

    The fact is, I should have been more discerning.

    Just frustrating that I don't get my Sox.

    ReplyDelete
  9. 9caseyApril 1, 2009 at 7:23 PM

    vrictare said...


    Just frustrating that I don't get my Sox.




    Not to be a complete douchebag, but why not just get cable , rather then spending 15 bucks a month on mlb.tv or whatever the cost is..

    I had to change cable companies twice to finally get NESN in CT.

    ReplyDelete
  10. JereApril 1, 2009 at 9:53 PM

    You know, you actually could claim screwage--think about it: we're all so used to 90% of the games being on cable, which just kind of happened without any fans giving it the OK. All games used to be on free TV. (I remember during the changeover, when half the games were on cable--i.e. the era when Kramer said to Jerry in the "Cable Boy" episode, "the Mets have 75 games on cable this year"--seeing teasers for the Yanks on channel 11 saying "Yankees baseball, on free TV, the way it oughtta be!")

    So, basically, everybody's "paying" for most games on TV. Totally unfair.

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  11. ZenslingerApril 1, 2009 at 10:01 PM

    I don't want cable. Too afraid of watching it all the time.

    ReplyDelete
  12. PatrickApril 1, 2009 at 10:15 PM

    That story on Pedroia was amazing. It put most reporters to shame. I was reluctant to read it, because I assumed it would be the same repeated garbage I hear all the time, but It was so good.

    It paints a more sensitive complete picture of Pedroia, and while it's just an idea, and couldn't be the whole truth, it is a different idea about him. Was refreshing.

    It's not as hip to have MVP Pedroia as my favorite player anymore, but I love that guy.

    I haven't looked forward to a Monday this much before.

    ReplyDelete
  13. timApril 2, 2009 at 12:17 AM

    Did we ever figure out if that one trick works, where you just change your address on your account to an out-of-area zip code, and therefore be only blacked out of games for THAT zip code?

    My Directv account is registered to my mom's address in ME so I can GET Red Sox games - not so they can be blacked out...not sure what you're getting at.

    If you're referring to MLB.TV - doesn't matter what address you are registered at, it finds your current IP address and blacks out whatever games are in that region.

    ReplyDelete
  14. laura kApril 2, 2009 at 4:52 AM

    I don't want cable. Too afraid of watching it all the time.

    I highly doubt you would have that problem. There's nothing on.

    I hate - absolutely hate - paying so much money every month just to have TV reception and watch baseball. As Jere points out, we used to be able to just buy a TV and turn it on.

    But Zen, it's all the same crap that's on regular TV, just more of it. Don't pay extra for HBO, Showtime, etc. and you won't have any problem staying away from it.

    ReplyDelete
  15. AnonymousApril 2, 2009 at 12:08 PM

    Casey--you''re not being a douchebag at all, its what I might do. It just frustrates me that I'd get all that extra baggage. I just want baseball, thank you very much, not anythign else, and to pay for cable for just baseball seems off.

    ReplyDelete
  16. 9caseyApril 2, 2009 at 3:43 PM

    vrictare said...
    and to pay for cable for just baseball seems off.


    Oh it is off , but we all do it.

    ReplyDelete
  17. JereApril 2, 2009 at 5:00 PM

    "Don't pay extra for HBO, Showtime, etc. and you won't have any problem staying away from it."

    But when I buy the cable, to get baseball, then I go and pay for the movie channels because that's the only good stuff. I wish, like everyone does, that I could pay for just the channels I watch.

    Tim, I was referring to mlbtv.

    ReplyDelete
  18. laura kApril 2, 2009 at 6:50 PM

    But when I buy the cable, to get baseball, then I go and pay for the movie channels because that's the only good stuff.

    Luckily that stuff is all available on DVD, and I don't care if I watch something when it comes out or later. But you're right, it's the only good stuff.

    I wish, like everyone does, that I could pay for just the channels I watch.

    I know. I downgraded our cable package b/c we had to cut down on expenses, so I went from nothing on to really nothing on. But all I need is 4 or 5 stations, and I'd be all set. It's so stupid - maddening, really - especially since you know all the technology is there. They could do it, but they won't do it.

    ReplyDelete
  19. laura kApril 2, 2009 at 6:52 PM

    And Vrictare and 9C, lots of people pay for cable, and still don't get their team, because they live in the "wrong" place. Seriously fucked up.

    Vrictare, no ass was made.

    ReplyDelete
  20. 9caseyApril 3, 2009 at 5:18 AM

    L-girl said...
    And Vrictare and 9C, lots of people pay for cable, and still don't get their team, because they live in the "wrong" place. Seriously fucked up.


    I beleive now with the dish and mlb ei and mlb.tv you can have your team anywhere you live, you just have to pay for it....

    ReplyDelete
  21. laura kApril 3, 2009 at 5:33 AM

    I beleive now with the dish and mlb ei and mlb.tv you can have your team anywhere you live, you just have to pay for it....

    Right. But not what I meant. You can pay for cable TV, just to have any TV in your home, and still have to pay for yet another service to get your baseball games.

    The Extra Innings package used to be offered through any cable or satellite provider, but MLB did away with that.

    ReplyDelete