2008 Year in Photos - Part 1

One way I like to recap the year is a photo review of the events and cool places I got to see in 2008. I'm no globetrotter, but I do my best to participate in a wide variety of industry events. This goes a long way to keep me current and connected to a whole lot of interesting companies that are leading the way in IP communications. I also love photography, and try to live in the moment with whatever camera I've got.

This summarizes my travels in the first half of the year, and tomorrow I'll do the second half.

CBC's Test the Nation, Toronto, January

What a fun way to start the year. Test the Nation is a national quiz show on CBC TV, and is based on teams from various walks of life. I was invited to be on the Blogger team, and we were up against ths likes of Chefs, Pilots, Taxi drivers, and... Celebrity Look Alikes! Definitely the best perk I've had as a blogger.



The celeb look-alikes were better looking than the bloggers, but were the top team in the end. Got more pix like this in my original post.




Not only did we win as a team, but fellow blogger Rick Spence came away with the top personal score among all the contestants. Whoo hoo.




TMC's IT Expo, Miami Beach, January

Can't think of a better place to be in the dead of winter. The big giveaway prize was this red Mustang, and it sure helped bring traffic on to the show floor.




Jeff Pulver's Social Media Breakfast, Toronto, March

Jeff's never-ending world tour of social media breakfasts made a well-received visit to my town at our local deli. Definitely the shortest commute I've had outside of my home office.




eComm 2008, San Jose, March

Probably the most important event I attended all year, and it should be even better in 2009.





Above: Lee Dryburgh, me - moderating the wireless panel, Truphone's James Body helping my son Max unlock his iPhone, just bought that morning from the local Apple store

Dimension Data Analyst Day, Boston, April




Dialogic Analyst Day, New York

Really enjoyed this event, but the camera in my Nokia phone had a major meltdown, and I have no photos from the sessions. The personal highlight for me, though, was the Yankee Stadium tour they gave us. What a fantastic experience, especially for Red Sox fan like me. I was able to salvage a few shots from the tour, and here's one. You can view a bunch more on my original post.



IT360 Conference, Toronto, April

Canadian telecom conferences are few and far between, and generally smaller than U.S. events. This was one of the bigger ones, and I had my hands full chairing the tracks on Unified Communications.



MetaSwitch Forum, New Orleans, April

April was my busiest month in 2008, and the MetaSwitch Forum was the most fun. They always put on a great event, and the setting made it so enjoyable. Got plenty more photos of N'awlins if you're into virtual tourism on my original posts - view them here and here.





Above: Andy Randall, the amazing Mardi Gras World, a taste of the French Quarter


Nortel Analyst Day, Ottawa, May

I was one of only 3 analysts/media attending this event, and we got a very sneak preview at some things that Nortel had not previously shared with the public. It was quite the day, and you can read/see more about it on my original post. Things haven't gone too well for Nortel since, but they do have some cool technology that is going to find its way to your desktop sooner or later.





Above: Project Chainsaw demo, Telepresence demo


Cisco Channel Showcase, Toronto, May

Do You Believe in Miracles?

I do, and I saw one last night.

Either you saw the game or you didn't, so I'm not going re-hash what happened. All I know is that was the greatest comeback game I've ever seen, and that's saying something considering how high the Sox have set the bar with their ever-familiar Lazarus scenarios.

Just as expected, Dice-K was getting touched - and the Rays continued to do absolutely everything right. It's not like they were lucky or catching all the breaks - just like the ChiSox did in their series against the BoSox in 2005. No. They were just flat-out playing and executing better than us in every facet of the game. It really was hard to see how this could be anything but a humiliating sweep at home by a team with incredible potential.

That all changed when Ortiz hit his home run. The big swing we've been missing all series long. Just like Drew's grand slam last year. Finally, after looking so lame and overmatched, it all changed. It's the same team, the same players, but just like that, the momentum has shifted. For the first time in the series, there's a ball that Upton doesn't get to, then Longoria makes a rushed throwing error, keeping the ninth alive. You know the rest of the story, and here we go again.

It's one thing when you win an elimination game that's close all the way through. You know then you have a bit of chance to live another day. It's better when you win a blowout game to totally turn the tables and grab the momentum. But nothing tops a big-time comeback like this, especially after it looked totally over when our stopper, Papelbon, gives up 2 more runs in the 7th. What could we possibly have left with just 9 outs to go? Well, plenty.

We live to play later in the season than Manny did, and more importantly, we've got the mojo, baby. That's what really matters. We took it away from Tampa Bay, if you believe in things like this, you just know Beckett and Lester will do their thing this weekend. The mark of a champion team is coming back to win when you're left for dead, and with the Rays showing signs of weakness and finally making some mistakes, it's ours to win now. Isn't sports great?

This is one of those times where I'm happy to be wrong, and it's a whole new ball game now. Looks like my Boston trip will be more than just attending Avaya's conference. Sox in seven.

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball

Next Stop Boston - But Not What You Think

Early last night, with a full moon beaming out there, it looked like the stars were lining up nicely. I'm going to be in Boston next week for Avaya's global analyst conference, which is the news item in this post.

I last attended their global analyst event in 2006, but a lot has changed since then. Am not sure why I didn't go last year, but I did attend their Canadian Analyst Day last December here in Toronto.

I'm really looking forward to attending, with two reasons standing out in particular. First, they're a private company now, so these events become more important for staying informed and getting insights as to how they're doing as well as their strategic roadmap.

Second is seeing Charlie Giancarlo at the helm - which a year ago would seem about as improbable as seeing Carl Ford moderating at the IT Expo last month. That sure will be interesting - so will the flip side of things, when I attend Cisco C-Scape in December. Oh, and speaking of improbabilities...

Back to the stars lining up. Going into last night's game, there was reason to believe for the Red Sox. Wakefield would stymie the Rays, the bats would come alive, and they'd put the 9-1 embarrassment behind them. Clean slate - series tied 2-2, good momentum going into Game 5, and a chance to regain control over those "pesky Rays". Quick aside - I promise never to use that term any more. Johnny Pesky's number was just retired, but more troubling is the fact that it simply isnt' true any more. Ugh.

Well, that train of thought got derailed about 10 minutes into the game, and the beating was even worse than Game 3. Boy, do the Rays ever look good - just pick any "team of destiny" moniker from any major sport, and they fit the bill. Pretty hard to see them not going all the way. I love what the Phillies are doing, but how can they possibly match the Rays? They have dominated the Red Sox in every facet of the game, and they sure have youth on their side. In contrast, the Sox sure look tired and broken down. And awfully white. In this day and age, they really look like a throwback to the fifties, when there was hardly any racial diversity in the game. They sure could use a Carl Crawford or B.J. Upton. These guys are g-o-o-d.

I digress. Sure, they could eke out a 2-1 pitcher's duel with Dice-K tomorrow, and go to the Trop with a faint ray of hope. Sure, pull out another miracle like last year with Cleveland or the Yankees in 2004. Not gonna happen - even if Lester and Beckett pitch well. Last year they were clearly the best team in baseball from Day 1. They had home advantage and could win on the road. Gee, that sure sounds like the 2008 Rays to me.

This time the opposite is true. No way they can win 2 big ones on the road against the best team in baseball. Last year they had Manny and Lowell leading the offence. I don't care how good Bay is - he's not Manny. Unless Ortiz, Ellsbury, Drew, Kotsay and Lowrie wake up and take the weight off Youklis and Pedroia, it's over in 5, and Dice-K's luck will run out big time. Of course, you can still believe in miracles, but I think we're seeing a changing of the guard here.

So, had the stars lined up as I was hoping, the Avaya conference would have coincided with the beginning of the World Series. And should the Sox advance, they would open at home thanks to another AL All Star win this summer. Last year I was in Boston when they won the World Series, which was just great. This time around, it sure looks like I'm just going to be attending a conference, and casually watching the Patriots struggle to generate some offence against Denver Monday night. Oh, what could have been...

And just to tie this post up nicely, there are some notable parallels to Avaya and the Red Sox. Though not by design, Avaya's corporate color is a bold red, just like the Sox. They're also a long time team sponsor, and believe it or not, Avaya provides the telephony infrastructure to the Red Sox organization. Bet you didn't think there was a VoIP angle to this story, huh? How's that for convergence? There, I've covered all the bases now, and it's time to get my mind off of baseball...


Technorati tags: Avaya, Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold

Vacation Time - Back August 7

Gotta take a break every so often, and it's time now. We're off on a driving trip for a few days through New York state, with the first stop being Cooperstown. It's just part of the great American sports experience, and we're looking forward to going back.

We went there in 2007, and I did a full posting about that visit here. If you're a baseball fan I think you'll enjoy that. Having done the full treatment then, I don't plan on doing another big post this time around.

That said, I'll be off the blogs, and pretty much off everything until we get back August 7. If you really need to reach me, email is the way to go.

Red Sox: Mid-Season Thoughts - Tampa Who?

Well, it's Canada Day - whoo hoo! Am just getting this post done and then off for the day to enjoy our birthday.

What could be more appropriate than navel-gazing about my Red Sox? I dunno. Well, I planned to post this before the Tampa series in anticipation of a W last night - which would have put us back in first place. That's a much better vantage point for reflecting on the season so far, but come to think of it - now that we're 1.5 games out of first - this is a more appropriate place since 2008 has not been the walk in the park we had in 2007.

So, what's different this year? The team's record is about the same as last year at this point, but in 2007, the Yankees were all but buried and we were miles ahead in first. We were 10.5 games ahead of everyone a year ago today! Hmmm.

A few items from last night's loss go a long way to explaining why the Sox have been losing games they should be winning...

- giving up LOTS of walks and runs with 2 outs

- Chris Smith loading the bases in the 8th on 12 pitches - wow

- the Tampa Bay crowd cheering more loudly for the Rays than the Sox - when was the last time that happened?

- Lugo coming up with tying run at 3rd in the 9th with 2 outs - gee, just the guy you want. Actually Sean Casey was going to pinch hit, but the plans changed. To Lugo's credit, he ran the count full, but, well - clutch hitting isn't quite his thing...

- as a team, they continue to struggle on the road - at this time last year, they actually had more road wins than at home

- the offence waiting too late in the game to wake up - yet again, they almost pulled it out in the dying moments, but those get to be long odds when you're playing with a less-than-full lineup

- losing yet another 1 run game - 3rd loss in a row by a run

Overall, though, the Sox are in pretty good shape, but there's more competition this year. They were so-so for interleague play, compared to last year when they were dominant. As usual, they live and die as a team. When they're all hitting, the Sox are the best team in baseball. But there are lots of nights when they look very ordinary and nobody can hit the ball. Lately, they've been sitting quiet until the late innings, but that's not the way to win over a long season.

Anyhow, there are lots of bright spots to build our hopes for repeating upon....

- Dice K seems to be a bona fide top starter. He's been more effective this year, while Beckett has not gotten run support. Their respective records are basically the reverse of last year, where Beckett was pretty much unbeatbable. Dice K seems to have a knack of pitching poorly but not giving up runs, but in the crunch, I'd still go with Beckett.

- Dustin the Destroyah has been the hottest hitter in baseball lately and is finally hitting a great stride - they really need that

- Manny, Youklis and Lowell are all a bit off from last year, but still being very productive, esp without Ortiz

- JD Drew is no longer JD Who - looks like he's gotten himself together and made the adjustments to AL pitching. No doubt he's been the biggest turnaround for the Sox and that's a must-have with Papi being out of service for the foreseeable future.

- the bench is bit deeper this year - a bit like the Celtics - but still could be stronger. Sean Casey is a great addition, for both his bat and glove.

- starting rotation has great balance between experience and youth as well as types of pitchers. They've adapted very well without Schilling, and I don't think he'll be back. I think the starters were more effective as a group last year, but this battery is only going to get better as the young guys mature. I think Lester is for real, but Bucholz and of course Masterson are still a year away.

- Bartolo Colon is another great dark horse move, and he could turn out to be very valuable down the stretch. I would love to see him be switched out into a middle/late inning reliever - that's where the Sox are weakest and could really use his strong arm.

So, what's not to like? A few things...

- Lugo. Did I say Lugo? In case you missed it - Lugo. Why is it when they acquire NL shortstops they bomb here, but then they blossom again on their next teams? Renteria and Cabrera come to mind here. Lugo - I expected more from him - we all did. We can live with a weak bat in this lineup, but not when his defence is this bad. This would be my #1 priority for making a move. They really have no other notable holes in the lineup.

- Timlin - love the guy, but I really think Mike's time is up. He has been completely ineffective and don't see how this will change. Maybe his DL stint is the answer - we'll see. I'd love to see him pitch well again, but am not optimistic.

- Okijama - not so ok dokey. I can't tell if hitters have finally figured him out, or if he's lacking confidence. He's been a real liability lately, allowing almost all his runners to score. That's been costing us games we would have won last year.

- Ellsbury - a great talent, no doubt. Don't think the Sox have ever had a package like this, and he's definitely earning his keep running the bases. Problem is his lack of hitting and getting on base. Like Johnny Damon, his primary value is being the dangerous leadoff hitter. When he gets on base, things happen and the offence really flows from there. I'll still take him over Crisp any day, and of course he'll only improve with time. But for now, he's not being the leadoff guy they need to have those big innings to blow teams out.

- The Captain has got to be a concern. Defensively, Varitek has no peer in baseball, but his bat speed is gone. He will get the occasional clutch hit, but he's now more like a .240 hitter. Together with Lugo and the light-hitting Crisp, this makes for a fairly weak bottom third of the order. He may only have 2 or 3 decent years left, and replacing him has got to be a top concern for Mr. Epstein.

- Manny - his numbers are respectable, and he's finally got the 500 homer monkey off his back. He's not getting the clutch hits, though, and he's striking out more than he used to. And his behavior lately has been odd and worrisome to say the least. Not sure if Papi's absence is putting more pressure on him to be the Man, but I sense that not all is right in Manny Land. Maybe he's thinking too much about his contract???

- Middle/late relief corps has been the team's Achilles Heel without a doubt. Virtually all the games they're losing are unravelling in the 7th and 8th innings. They just don't have a reliable bridge to hold the lead for Papelbon. This was a real strength last year, esp with Oki being so solid in the 8th as a setup for Pap to close out the 9th. They don't have that 1-2 punch this year, and the guys leading up to Oki have been very inconsistent. Guys like Aardsma, Delcarmen, Lopez - they all have struggled. They'll have good runs, but some real crappy runs. Rarely lights-out. So, unless the Sox have a fat lead - which hasn't been the case very much this year - come the 7th inning, all bets are off.

- Papelbon - last year he was The Guy, but this year he's just elite. I still think he's the best, but the Sox have needed to use him more often this year, and that takes its toll. He has been mortal this year, giving up hits and runs where last year this hardly ever happened at all. Am not sure why, but I'd have to say he's a notch or two below 2007. Still very, very good, but not a sure thing, at least so far.


I think I'll stop now. Wakefield pitches tonight - could go either way with him. They would so love to win these next 2 and leave Tampa Bay back in first place, and then head into Yankee Stadium for what could be a crucial series. This road trip is a huge test for the Sox, and the next 6 games will go a long way to setting the stage for the stretch run. If things go well, they'll return home in first place with the Yankees at a safe distance. If the pitching and hitting collapses and there's another Massacre in NY, we could be looking at a 3 horse race by Monday. Nervous? Uh huh. Papi - please get better soon!


Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball

Win it for Red

I don't blog much at all about the Celtics, and I'm really due for a Red Sox post.

However, last night's comeback was just so inspiring and historic, it can't pass unheralded. We've all seen blowouts and comebacks before, but this one was pretty special and speaks volumes about what can happen and how quickly things can happen when momentum shifts sides.

Everything was going LA's way early on - they seemed to score on every possession, everyone was hitting shots, the bounces and rebounds were going their way, they were getting to the free throw line a lot. And that pesky peanut - Farmer - hits a 3 from a ridiculous distance at the first half buzzer. C'mon. When guys like that are scoring, it just couldn't get any worse. Turns out that was the only time he scored all game. Hah!

Totally the opposite for the Celtics early on. They were getting plenty of chances and open shots, but nothing was going in. And incredibly, this takedown was unfolding without a single basket from Kobe. Had to wonder how out of control this would have been if he was actually scoring? Turns out that was the key to their success - he decided to trust his teammates and spread the ball around. Luckily for him, it worked, at least in the first half.

If you saw the game, you know what happened after that, and no need to deconsruct it. The result is all that matters, and to do it without two starters - Rondo and Perkins - tells the story. The Big Three did their job, the bench came through, their team defence shut the Lakers down, and Doc Rivers made great adjustments and reminded his players to be themselves and just play the game.

Momentum is so important in sports and the difference in this series is about when it happens. The Celtics were having their blowout in Game 2, and the Lakers were pretty much left for dead. And I'm pretty sure the peak margin was the same as last night - 24 points. You just don't blow a 24 point lead and lose, especially in the Finals. Well, the Celtics almost did, but they tightened up and hung on.

I didn't give up on the Celtics last night because they got buried early, not late. In Game 2, the Lakers were behind early, but they stayed deep in the hole until late in the game. They made a great comeback too, but it was fast and too late. If the game had gone on another 5 minutes, they probably would have won.

Last night was different. I'd much rather be down 24 in the first quarter than the fourth. It was great for the Laker fans to see some carnage, but it happened early. You knew they would go cold sooner or later, and eventually the Celtics started clicking at both ends, and had lots of time to make up the difference. And once they had the momentum, they kept it. After taking the lead for the first time in the game, they pretty much kept it. Very sweet.

I'm pretty confident now they'll win it on Sunday, and have to think this one will be for Red Auerbach. It would be their first title since his passing, and only fitting for the Celtics to deny Action Jackson his 10th ring to break the tie with Red among coaches.

Let's not light up the cigar just yet - still got one more game to win, but the storyline is looking a lot more certain now than 12 hours ago. I've never understood why the Lakers were so favored in the first place. Sure, they made it look easy knocking off the Spurs, etc. Don't forget, the Celtics did beat them twice during the regular season. However, the Celtics won three tough series to get to the Finals, and these were more physical teams than the Lakers. When push comes to shove, I don't think the Lakers can play as tough as these teams, and if you ask me, Lebron James was a tougher one-man band to beat than Kobe and his cast. Thoughts?

You gotta believe. Go Green and Go Red!

Technorati tags:

Boston Celtics, Jon Arnold, NBA Finals, Red Auerbach

Yankee Stadium Visit - First and Only Time

As mentioned in earlier posts, the Dialogic analyst event last week included a guided tour through Yankee Stadium, and I've finally been able to post my photos. I've never been to this ballpark, and don't expect I'll ever have a chance to see it again. The Yankees were on the road, so this was a full tour, and we got to see a lot of the ballpark. Pretty inspiring for any baseball fan, even a life-long BoSox fan like me.

Up until last week, my Nokia N81 had been quite reliable, but all of a sudden it's got a mind of its own, and most of my photos are scrambled, and probably beyond recovery. I was able to salvage what's here, but had so many other good ones, and it's going to take a while to get over this meltdown. Perhaps it was the ghost of Babe Ruth who didn't want a Sox fan getting too close and cozy on his holy ground. Whatever --- here's what I got - enjoy.....

As they say in this part of the world, "it's hard to be humble"...

Any 7 year American kid has this image etched in his memory forever. Your first visit to a ballpark, and you're walking up the ramp that will momentarily reveal the hallowed ground of the field in brilliant green and the vastness of the stadium itself. You never forget it...

Can you imagine sitting here to watch a game? There's a great story that I learned on the tour about the origins of the Yankees logo, which I never knew, but am sure is first nature to any Yankee fan.

Views from the Press Box...

Monument Park

Lou Gehrig, Miller Huggins, the Babe

View from the third base line in shallow left field, looking home...

Right place, right time. The Sox were playing here the next night. Gotta love this - Sox glory in the belly of the beast. I can die happy now...

Don't get to do this everyday - sit in the Yankees dugout. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. We analysts may be smart people, but I don't think we'd do to well in this ballpark...

The bullpen phone in the dugout. I wasn't able to determine if it's VoIP, but at least this lets me work in a telecom angle for my post...

All the key extensions, including Brian Cashman's. I'm sure there are lots of clever Red Sox fans who would love to try hacking their phone system and making a few prank calls to the GM...

Thanks for tour, Dialogic - see ya........

Technorati tags:

Dialogic, Jon Arnold, Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium Photos - coming Monday

This week's Dialogic analyst event included a tour of Yankee Stadium, which was a very big thing for me. As cited in an earlier post, I got a handful of good photos, and plenty more that may not be recoverable.

I was determined to post what I could salvage today, especially since the Red Sox just played there - and won last night. As they say, due to circumstances beyond my control, I can't do it today. If you're a fan of baseball, I'm sure you'll enjoy these, so come back on Monday, and I'll have them posted then.

Technorati tags:

Dialogic, Jon Arnold, Yankee Stadium

Serious Hardware

If you're a geek, you can skip this post. It's not what you think.

This is serious hardware for pro sports - MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL. They were all on display today as part of the Red Sox home opener. Basking in glory doesn't get much better than this, with the 2007 World Series being commemorated today, another NBA title looks pretty likely, and Super Bowl that could'a, should'a, would'a.

Any way you look at it, this must have been sports heaven on the field before the game with current and past stars/legends on hand from all the teams, along with the trophies.

Photo courtesy of Boston.com

As far as I can tell Boston has more championships in total across the big 4 team sports than any other city with one team per sport. It's not fair to lump in all the teams for megacities like New York, Chicago and LA. I also like to note that Boston one of only 3 cities to have champions in all 4 sports - Chicago and NY are the only other ones. My only qualifier here is that only SuperBowls count for NFL. The NFL is almost completely a product of television, and before 1967 it was a pretty minor and regional sport. That's another topic altogether, but I'll leave it at that for now - but happy to keep the conversation going!

And for what it's worth, DiceK pitched a beauty today, and shut out Detroit 5-0. The Sox stranded about 100 runners, so it should have been more like 15-0. It's tough to lose when you have this much pre-game hoopla and uber-karma going. Let's just hope they can bottle some of this for the rest of the season.

Oh - and I heard Bill Buckner was honored today. I guess exonerated is a better word - his Game 6 legacy can be pretty much forgiven and forgotten now that we've got a couple of new World Series under our belts. Talk about a great way to publicly wash away your sins and feel really good about it. Nicely done, and now we can focus on all the good things he did in his career. He's done his time.

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball

Red Sox 2008 - Shaky Start - Time to Worry....

Busy as always, but with the Red Sox home opener finally upon us, I feel obliged to at least say something about their 3-4 start on the road.

Well, this past weekend was pretty good for the Celtics, disappointing for the Bruins and downright awful for the Sox, who were swept right here in Toronto by the Jays. I'm in the camp that says the Jays will be solid competitors this year, and they sure showed it against the Sox. Poor defence and relief pitching did us in, and all I can say is you have to hope this is not a sign of things to come.

There's lots to be worried about already - Beckett getting injured early on, Schilling's injury, and now Colon has a minor injury. Will Dice-K be better? Will Kevin Cash be an improvement over Mirabelli? Is Ellsbury really ready to take Crisp's job? Should Coco be traded before he becomes too disgruntled? Are Lester and Bucholz really ready to be starters? Have hitters finally figured Okijama out? Does Papelbon still have it? Is Lugo the best we can do at SS? Will Drew finally adjust to AL pitching? Is Sean Casey a good backup for Youklis?

The long, crazy road trip to start the season is a legitimate explanation for the poor start, and let's hope their return to Fenway, and receipt of their World Series rings get them back in the groove. Sure, we get to play the 0-6 Tigers, but I find it hard to believe they'll be 0-9 by Thursday night. Well, one game at a time, I guess. Lots of room for improvement, and even though they're in last place right now, you just know that's not going to last. And so far, I don't see any signs that A-Rod will single-handedly carry his team through April like last year.

With the Red Sox, there's ALWAYS something to worry about, even only a week into the season. It was no different last year, and upon re-visiting my post from this time a year ago, I can see that that the basic questions remain the same. On one level I worry that nothing has changed, but on the other hand, they did win it all with these question marks, so maybe that's not such a bad thing. Let's just hope the Tigers are 0-7 after tomorrow - the Sox really need to get their homecoming off on the right foot....

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball

Losing is as easy as 1-2-3 --- but hope awaits...

No, this isn't about YahGooSoft - how's that for a new name? How about Yahoogle? SoftGooHoo?

This is more to do with a strange alignment of numbers that only someone like me would ever pick up on.

My Boston teams are on a losing streak right now, just days after it was looking like this would be a once-in-a-lifetime Triple Crown year for winning three world championships. Not gonna happen now - and maybe never.

Since Sunday night....

Celtics lose by 1 - AGAIN - to Cleveland, 114-113
Bruins lose by 2 to Ottawa, 4-2
Patriots lose by 3 thanks to the Manning Miracle, 17-14

Yup, easy as 1-2-3 - lose, lose, lose. Is it just me, or isn't that a neat confluence of events?

There was similar alignment a few months back where on the same day, all 3 teams had the same number of wins - 11. Again, is it just me?

So, where's the hope?

Celtics - the Big Ticket will be back soon, and with a full lineup, they don't lose games like this.

Bruins - actually not much hope there at all. Classic middle-of-pack team, going nowhere. Will make the playoffs - who doesn't?, but won't get past the first round.

Patriots - should have won, but the football Gods deemed it was time to even the score and have the bounces go the other way for a change. Pats have won their share of Super Bowls by 3 points, so now it goes the other way. Don Shula is very happy. So is Terry Bradshaw. Both stand alone in the record books, and would have had to make room for the Pats had they won. Am still in shock over this one, but it's clear the Pats need more youth on the front line. To me, they've been running on fumes since the Ravens game, and haven't beaten anyone convincingly since. I think they simply ran out of gas, and got cocky near the end. Randy Moss's true colors came out when he celebrated his TD catch, and the Pats started to look a bit like the Rams team they knocked off the first time around. And of course, why did Belichick change his hoodie? Bad move - that was their mojo, man!!!

But the biggest hope of all - thought you'd never ask - of course, comes from the Red Sox, where Spring Training is a mere 7 days away. Time sure flies, and it will be a very welcome sign. I'll still be in disbelief over the Super Bowl, and a healthy dose of hardball optimism in February should go a long way to getting over Sunday's game.



Technorati tags:
Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold

Happy Town

I haven't been in the city of a major sport championship when a team has actually won it since the Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series in 1992-1993. That was really great, but it's tough to beat being in Boston when the Sox swept the Rockies Sunday night. Luckily, I've been here since Saturday for Fall VON, and Jeff Pulver sure had some competition today.

The victory parade was today, and I think pretty much the whole town saw it, except for all of us holed up at VON. The convention center is pretty far from where the parade was, and there was no easy way of getting there to see it. All I could do was take in the street scene up til this morning, well before the parade made its way from Fenway Park to City Hall. The route ran right by where I'm staying, so I got a chance to see the calm before the storm.

So, the best I can do is share some photos from my N95 to capture the mood leading up to the parade last night and early this morning. Happy town, indeed....


















Looking towards Fenway Park, maybe a mile away, where the parade starts...



Then, continuing along Boylston Street going towards City Hall...



The venerable Prudential tower, a real icon of the Boston skyline. All Sox fans remember how during the 2004 playoffs, the building had a huge silhouette of "Go Sox" that lit up the side facing Fenway Park.




True fans, getting a front row seat for the parade at 7:30 this morning...




Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, World Series

Sox and Rox on Fox

Gotta like the sound of that, huh? Well, I'm not going to get into a long post-mortem, but so far, so good. I've been calling for this matchup since the postseason got underway, and now we're there. 4 wins away from another championship.

Things didn't look good last week, but I was still certain they could overcome a 3-1 deficit. In my mind, the storyline was clear - Cleveland wins if it's a 5 game series, but not 7. The Sox have too much playoff experience and depth to go down in 7. Their Achilles heel has been sustaining a team effort for more than a few games. It's been true all year, and it happened with Cleveland. Great start, but they ran out of gas after the draining loss in Game 2. Once Cleveland got by Papelbon in Game 2, they had a good chance of hanging on to win that game, and that's exactly what happened.

The Sox tend to get hot top-to-bottom for a few games, and then nada. But they ALWAYS bounce back - that's been their saving grace all year long. Too many good bats in the lineup to stay cold too long.

The Sox bats went cold in Games 3 and 4 - it's just the way this team goes. Pitching wasn't really the problem those games - Cleveland was getting all the bounces and the Sox weren't. We were hitting the ball hard and well, but not in the right places. It's not like Cleveland's pitchers were overpowering the hitters. One or two breaks going Boston's way, and they could have won those games. Especially Game 4 when Cleveland got all their runs in 1 inning. If that ball gets by Wakefield to Pedroia, it's a DP, and inning over. Instead, it glances off Wake's glove, all runners are safe, and next thing you know, they've got 7 runs.

In the end, the Sox bats came around when they had to, and it was a laugher the rest of the way. With Beckett pitching so well in Game 5, you knew then that the momentum had shifted back to us, and this time, to stay. Those breaks started working against Cleveland, and at that point, they never had a chance. All I can say is poor Kenny Lofton. He's come close a few times before, and has tasted a lot of bitter losses. He had clutch hits against both the Yankees and Red Sox, but in the end, he made a couple of bonehead moves that would have been game - and Series - killers had things stayed close going into the final innings - esp Game 7.

Well, here come the Rox, and we'll soon know if the long layoff kills their mojo - and if the Sox can keep it going. Gotta play well first 2 games since we lose Ortiz's bat at Coors Field, and who knows how the cold weather and/or snow will effect guys like Beckett. I've got a feeling he'll be slated to pitch 3 times, and that could be the difference. I know what I'll be doing Wednesday night. And if the Series streches out 6 or 7 games, guess where I'll be? Fall VON - yet again, Jeff's timing is impeccable!


Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, World Series

Nervous Prediction - Sox and Rox - Sox in 6

So far, things are unfolding to plan. 3 neat and tidy sweeps in Round 1, and after last night, I can see the Yankees/Indians series going 5. But to me, that one's a total toss-up now. Indians made it look too easy in the first 2 games, and let's face it, they got some timely divine intervention in the 8th with the swarm of gnats that totally threw off Joba's game. Under normal conditions, he doesn't throw wild pitches like that, and I think Hafner was out, anyway (I think it was Hafner).

Anyhow, Cleveland got the breaks, and the Yankees were pushed back to the wall - which is when they play their best. Just wait --- A-Rod will bring his A-Game tonight, and if their bats keep booming, there will be a serious momentum swing, and Game 5 could be a formality. After all, NY did go 6-0 against the Tribe during the regular season.

In my last Red Sox post, I had conceded we were better off getting the wild card and letting Anaheim do the dirty work to take out the Yanks. Well, I'm glad I was wrong, as the Sox made it look easy - the Halos just don't have the bats, and like most teams, don't have a strong bridge to their closer, K-Rod. That's why I wanted to see the Yankees gone because they're the only team that comes close to the Red Sox to having a strong bridge. I think Joba is terrific, and the back end of their bullpen is every bit as good as the Red Sox.

At this point, I'd like to think the Sox would prefer to play Cleveland, but they really are strong, and with Clemens done, the Yankees rotation is vulnerable. I do like the Tribe, and my heart tugged when Damon hit that clutch 3 run homer yesterday to totally turn things around - shades of his clutch hitting in 2004. And again, when Trot Nixon made that fatal error on Cano's single that ended up clearing the bases and putting the game out of reach. Ugh. Two Sox mainstays doing Cleveland in when they had NY on the ropes early.

Regardless, I think the Red Sox can beat either team - so long as they play the way they are playing now. They have a habit of playing very well then playing very flat, and with almost a week layover, who know which team will show up Friday? In a way, we'd like to see the NY/Cleveland series go 5 and hope they tire each other out, right?

Presuming the Sox do their thing, it's not the Yankees I'm most worried about, and it's not the Indians either. Nope, it's the Rox. I've seen the Rockies as a dark horse ever since the Sox played them back in June, and when they opened the Phillies series by striking out the side, I could see they have the hot hand right now. Especially following their great winning run to make the playoffs and beat San Diego in that tie-breaker game. Pretty impressive.

While 3 games isn't much to go on, they definitely got the better of the Red Sox at Fenway in June. The Sox struggled to beat them 2-1 in the opener, and Wakefield pitched great. But they tore down Schilling in the second game, 12-2, and then handed Beckett his first loss of the season in the finale, 7-1. No big breakout innings, either - they just kept hitting and scoring runs, and Sox hitters just couldn't get a handle on Colorado's pitchers, none of whom are All Star material. And of course, they didn't have a DH, so on paper, we should have taken at least 2 out of 3.

I don't think the Rockies can outlast the Sox in a 7 game series, especially with us having home field/DH advantage. But I don't see a 4 game sweep either - like we did against what seemed to be a far superior Cardinals team in 2004. Who knows? All I can say is watch the Rox - they're better than you think, and the Sox will have their hands full, presuming both teams get that far. I think they will, and I'm saying now, Sox in 6.


Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball

Red Sox Freefall - Bring it On - Where's our Mojo?

HUH?

This may sound like heresy right now, but hear me out.

After last night's latest meltdown, the Sox are barely hanging on in 1st place, where they've lived comfortably for most of the season. Is The Nation in panic mode? You bet. Big time. I'm sure the New Yorker whispers of "who's your Daddy?" will be getting louder by the day. And no doubt, after the Jays play well enough to sweep the Sox at home, they will reverse the charges and lay down for a nap at Yankee Stadium the next 4 games. All of a sudden, my last post about the Sox, from our Holy Grail visit to Cooperstown - barely a month ago - seems so wistful and from another time and planet.

Amazing how much the world can change in a week. After their last win - an inspiring and emphatic 10-1 win over NY, personified by the "Hinske Charge" at home plate - order had seemed restored, especially after the unprecedented disaster the previous game. Don't forget, going in the series last weekend, the Sox had a rest day, and before that, 2 memorable come-from-behind wins over Tampa Bay. They were in a groove.

Since then, though, the Sox - like Austin Powers - have completely lost their mojo, and basically handed it to NY. These two teams have totally flip flopped compared to how the season started, and there's no doubt in my mind who the best team in baseball is right now. Have the Yankees ever had a more dominating lineup? And their playoff pitching rotation is good enough to win, and if things don't change, the Sox have nothing on them pitching-wise. All of a sudden Papelbon and Okijama - and of course Gagne - are not effective, and there are no more easy wins happening.

Even though I live in Toronto, I've been unusually lucky to be able to watch the last 5 Sox games on TV. Saturday they were on FOX, Sunday they were on ESPN, and the Toronto games here were all televised. Can't remember the last time I saw them 5 games in a row on TV. Aside from Mike Lowell, the entire team is either hurt or playing in a stupor, no doubt feeling the pressure. Oh - Schilling has actually been great too - can't fault him his last 2 starts - losing 1-0 to Sox-killer Kazmir, and then taking a 2-1 lead into the 8th Sunday, until throwing 1 pitch too many to Jeter(shades of Bucky Dent there).

Actually, if you have to boil their troubles down to one thing, it's the 8th inning. That's where they've been losing their games lately - last night's grand slam to....Russ Adams - huh? Or Tuesday night's double - again to Russ Adams. Or Jeter's bomb on Sunday. Or Okijama's total meltdown last Friday, giving up a seemingly rock-solid 5 run lead, and allowing 6 runs for the Yankees to turn a 7-2 loss into an 8-7 win. All of these in the 8th, and all our relievers had a hand in the damage. I don't know how to solve that one, other than getting the mojo back. And fast.

Enough. So, why do I say "bring it on"??? Gotta think strategically here. It's all about the playoff matchups now. NY can handle Cleveland, but not Anaheim. Right now Cleveland is hot, and even though their record is the same as Anaheim's, they should be able to finish with a better winning percentage. IF that happens - and it's a big if - it behooves the Sox to stay the course and concede 1st place to NY. It would be tough to give up home field advantage and swallow your pride for a chance to finally take the division back from NY. However, if Cleveland can finish ahead of Anaheim, the wildcard is where the Sox want to be. Am pretty sure that's how it works for the matchups.

I like the Sox's chances a lot better in this scenario - who wouldn't? Last time they played Cleveland in the playoffs (Pedro, Nomar, Bruno, Valentin...) they won in memorable style. Of course, these teams are totally different now, and today's Tribe is a very good team, but I think the Sox could beat them, and wouldn't have to leave their time zone. Let the Yankees play Anaheim and do the West coast thing, where they do not win very often. The way things are going right now, it's much better to let Anaheim do the dirty work, and give us a chance to round into playoff form with Cleveland.

It's all for naught, of course, if the Sox don't get their mojo back. If God is a Red Sox fan, Manny will come back to life, JD Drew will start hitting, Ortiz will stop trying to stretch singles into doubles, and the pitchers will revert to form. That's the team that can win it all - no doubt - but what's on the field today is going nowhere fast. Anybody seen our mojo???

Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball

Cooperstown - Will the Holy Grail Save the Sox?

I don't often do a baseball-only post, but I think this one has merit for any baseball fan. My sons and I visited Cooperstown this weekend, and it sure was fun. I can now check that one off the father/son bonding checklist, but something tells me we'll be back.

The Baseball HOF is camera-friendly, and I'm just going to post a few photos here, courtesy of my Nokia N93. Got lots more if anyone's interested.

In case you're wondering, the Holy Grail - at least for Red Sox Nation - is the "bloody sock", and we found it alright - see below. I can now say that I've lived a full life - seen all 4 Boston teams win championships, and now I've seen the sock. I can die happy now.

Oh - Cooperstown is very much Yankees country, and it's not hard to tell with all the New Yawkers there - can't miss them. I can report no incidents though, while wearing my Red Sox cap, as there were tons of New Englanders there too. And Max wore a vintage Toronto Blue Jays jersey, which registered about zero on the attention scale there.

Aside from being Yankees country, this part of NY state is classic small town America. I just can't get that Arlo Guthrie song out of my head - "City of New Orleans". Good morning, America how are ya?....






Baseball heaven - literally and figuratively...





The Phil Rizzuto "Holy Cow"; Dean in a staring contest with Christy Mathewson




Everywhere you look around Cooperstown, it's Yankees-Red Sox...




Yankees-Red Sox....




You get the idea. They sure know their market (tons of Mets stuff too). Pretty tough to be a Jays fan around here...




And to give you a warm fuzzy feeling while waiting in line to buy your tickets to the hall, you're greeted by these 2 guys....




The Red Sox Holy Grail! We finally found it - in a rather inauspicious corner, but it's there. The sock...





The shoe...



The ball...




The Holy Trinity of Red Sox Baseball...




As much as I hate to say it, the Red Sox are very much in a pennant race, thanks to their indifferent play the past 2 months, and the Yankees catching fire - and you knew they would. There's a huge NY logo in the Red Sox rear view mirror, and all of a sudden, things are looking scarily like 1978. We were up 14 on the Yankees then too, but I'd rather not complete that sentence.

So, while far from being a practising Catholic, I needed to see this Holy Grail to restore my faith that the Red Sox can hang on, and find a way to play like they were earlier in the season. They did beat Baltimore the day we were there, so that was a good sign. And the mojo from seeing Schilling's sock here sort of carried over to his start yesterday. He only gave up 1 run, so he did his job. The bullpen didn't though, and the O's won again. It's 4 games now, and Yankees look upstoppable. Better focus on something else... (but how can you?)...


Well, I will shift gears just for moment. Aside from Max's Blue Jays jersey, there were 2 visible references to Canada at Cooperstown. First, of course, is Fergie Jenkins. As far as I know, he's the only MLB player inducted to both Cooperstown and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, which we visited the week before. Are my kids, lucky, or what?

Anyhow, the second Canada siting was a rather obscure plaque outside the hall commerating a maple tree planted to recognize our links to the game, and the fact that we have a HOF too. We only stumbled across this by accident, but I can at least say Canada is part of Cooperstown. Sure hope that tree grows big and strong.




Lunch! Could there be a more perfect spot to go? As American as apple pie...






Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, Cooperstown, Baseball

In search of the bloody sock...

Heading off to Cooperstown today with my sons for the ultimate American father-son bonding experience. Been planning this for a while, and we're good to go. Should be an interesting visit in the wake of all the recent milestones - Bonds, A-Rod and Glavine - esp Bonds, of course.

Red Sox are still in first place, but it's very tenuous now, so I'll be looking for Schilling's bloody sock for some inspiration. Sox play 19 road games in August - by far their toughest month of the schedule, and if they're still playing .600 ball after that, then I'll feel a lot more confident that they'll finally win their division after the Yankees incredible run at the top.

Photos coming when we get back....

Israel Baseball League Update

I don't post about baseball as much as I'd like, but it's nice to see that my post the other day about the Red Sox and the Israel Baseball League got some nice attention.

From all accounts, the IBL is off to a great start, and my man in Israel, the ever-present Moshe Maeir, sent me this great article on the inaugural IBL game. If you like baseball, and are even the least bit curious about its connections with Israel, you'll find this a very fun read. Gotta love this.



Technorati tags: Jon Arnold, Israel Baseball League, Baseball

Happy July 4 - Red Sox and Israel - ??

This post is a nice excuse for an expat to say Happy July 4 - at least what's left of it. Perhaps more importantly, it's half-time for the Red Sox. I've been meaning to post about them for ages, and you may be wondering what Israel has to do with this. Read on.

I sure was nervous about the Sox after Opening Day, but the ship quickly righted itself. I've hardly written about them since, but they're pretty much on course to play .600 ball, and if this keeps up, they should crack the 100 win mark, which should be enough to finally topple the Yanks from their 11 year stranglehold of the AL East.

For a while, I wanted to post about the "Youklis Factor", and by now, it's pretty clear that Kevin Youklis is a major league talent. He's arguably the key difference from last year to explain how the Red Sox have been able put so much distance between themselves and NYY. When you go up and down the rosters, and compare players on a positional basis, the Yankees have it all over the Sox - at least on paper. The only spot where the Sox have a clear advantage is 1B, where Youklis usually plays. Last year, Ortiz was their only clear-cut advantage, but his mojo is somewhere else right now.

Pitching, of course, is the other big difference, and no doubt, the Sox have the edge on the Yankees, pretty much across the board. I think Papelbon/Rivera is a toss-up - most people would say Papelbon hands-down, but Rivera has had so few chances to close this year. It's not that he's lost it - he just hasn't been needed very much since the Yankees have been losing so often, and worse, blowing leads late in the game.

When they're all healthy - and that includes Timlin, Donnelly, Lester, and even Clement - I'd say the Red Sox have the strongest pitching staff in baseball, and that alone should be able to carry them to win it all. I really think so.

I digress. Back to Youklis. The media often says he's Greek, but he's not. He's Jewish - really! He's definitely in the minority as a ballplayer, but there are a handful of others - such as Shawn Green, Brad Ausmus, and until last year, Gabe Kapler. Anyhow, that was my original tie-in to a Red Sox/Jewishness post.

It's a thin connection, I know, and it harkens back to an old post from 2005, where I drew some parallels to the Green Monster and the Wailing Wall. It may sound strange, but it's clear as mud to me, although I've yet to see anyone else make this connection. Check out the photos for yourself.....

Let's zoom back to the present. I recently read an article in the Globe & Mail about the newly-formed Israel Baseball League. I'm not kidding! It's a great article, and that was going to be the basis for my tie-in to an updated post on the Red Sox, and would be a great theme to build on the "Jew-klis" factor. That all ties together nicely, don't you think?

Anyhow, the online version of the article is only accessible on a paid basis, so I can't link it here. That's too bad, as it had some additional Red Sox/New England/Jewish threads that would have made this post even better. Dang.

I'll have to leave that one to your imagination, but here's a pretty good Plan B. How about this for another believe-it-or-not citing? You ready ---- a writeup of the launch of the Israel Baseball League in Al Jazeera. Who'd-a-thunk? Not a source one would normally attribute to a story about a decadent Western past time, let alone a league that's based in Israel. I could have cited many other sources telling this story, but when I saw this, I just had to share it. Mainly because it's really well written, and it's 100% objective. Straight-up reporting, with no agendas or political or religious slants. It's really nice to see, given how readily this source is slammed by the Western media. Of course, their op-ed section may be a different story, but hey, this post is about baseball, not the Middle East. How's that for a nice twist to tie all this together?

Just to conclude, some thoughts on what the second half of the season holds for the Sox. The Red Sox are a streaky team, and that's the only thing I can see that will do them in --- barring major injuries. They've had contributions at various times up and down the lineup. That's a big plus from last year where they leaned so much on Papi to win games for them, and occasionally Manny. If they get this balance, they'll win 100 games. Plus, it's a lineup that's well below its potential. The heart of the order is at half-production - Ortiz/Ramirez/Drew. If/when they play where they're supposed to be, they'll truly be a dominant team that can easily afford to carry the lightweight bats of Lugo and Crisp. We'll see.

On the mound, if Beckett doesn't revert to NL form in the second half, the Sox should have 2 20 game winners, and possibly 3 if Schilling comes back healthy and pitches at peak performance. I don't think he will, but it's nice to dream. If Lester can pitch at a major league level, they'll have the best starting 5 in team history, plus having a lefty in the mix. Tavarez has been very effective in his place, he'll help make their middle relief a very strong bridge to the best setup/closer tandem in baseball - Okajima and Papelbon.

Overall, I just don't see any big holes here. Do you? Well - one. I mentioned their offense is streaky. They've lost a lot of low scoring games by 1 run lately, and this doesn't happen when they're hitting. When their bats go into a collective funk, they choke - leaving men on base constantly - especially with Manny up, popping out on 3-1 counts, striking out, hitting weak rollers on the first pitch, etc. The Red Sox psyche is very fragile, and when it's not happening, they seem to go on autopilot, and get beat by very ordinary pitchers. Even worse when it's Rivera time. Enough about that - let's stay positive.

Here are 3 very strong positives to take away going into the All Star break...

1. Only 6 games left to play with the Yankees. Barring another massacre, there aren't enough head-to-head games for NY to make up lost ground.

2. Incredibly, no games yet with Tampa Bay until yesterday. How could this happen - playing half a season without facing this team at all? Sure, these are the "pesky" Devil Rays, but it's comforting to know that 1 in 5 of your remaining games will be against one of the worst teams in baseball. Gotta like that. It's ours to lose, right?

3. Only 1 more West coast trip, coming in early August. They had 2 of these trips bunched together in June, and came out of it ok - not great, but ok. In fact, aside from this August swing, they only travel outside EST for 1 other series - 4 games in Chicago. Actually, their remaining Western trip will be a real test. They have 3 in Seattle, where they've lost 7 straight, including a 3 game sweep out there last week - the last 2 being 1-run losses. Seattle is very hot right now, but with their manager quitting on them out of the blue, I suspect they won't be so lucky next time around. After Seattle, they have 3 in Anaheim. The Sox handled them very well early in the season at home, but the Angels always start slow, and right now, they're on par with the Sox, and many feel they are a more dangerous and better balanced team. This series could well be a preview of the ALCS. Looking forward to it.


Better stop now - I think I've covered everything. If you're still with me here, then you must be a Red Sox fan, and I'm thrilled you're along for the ride. Go Sox!



Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, Israel Baseball League, Baseball

Skype History Made in Fenway Park

Very cool post from fellow blogger and Torontonian, Jim Courtney. As you may know, he's quite the techhie, and writes - very well - for Skype Journal.

Well, Jim is at a Skype Developer's conference in Boston this week, and he took in his first-ever visit to Fenway Park. Just when you thought I was about to sneak in a Red Sox post - which is long overdue, but the way they're tanking tonight, I'm not in the mood - this is very much an IP communications story.

As you'll see in his Skype Journal post yesterday, Jim made history at Fenway Park on Tuesday. The big deal is this - Jim figured out how send a Skype IM over his Blackberry at the conference, and by his estimation, sent the first such message ever from Fenway Park. Very neat. Not quite a "Watson, come here, I need you" moment, but when the annals of Skype are written - and perhaps sold off on eBay... - this may well find its way into the historical timeline chart. Maybe not, but it sure must have felt good doing so.

And guess what? I was supposed to be his Watson on this first-ever event! Yup, I was the first person Jim Skyped to have this IM conversation via his Blackberry, but nooooooooooo, I was too busy to partake. Plan B - not surprisingly, was Alec Saunders - and not surprisingly, Alec was there for Jim, and you can read all about their IM chat on Jim's post. Way to go, Alec! At least Jim kept the thread going in Canada. Would have been really cool if Alec was in Brantford at the time, but Ottawa will do.


Technorati tags: Skype, Jon Arnold, Skype Journal, Jim Courtney, Blackberry, Alec Saunders