Trading Places

Have you ever wished you could be someone else for just a little while? Welcome to my world.

During the 2007 baseball season, the Red Sox called up a kid from the minor leagues who in no time managed to capture the collective interest of Red Sox Nation (and especially that segment of the fandom somewhat derisively referred to as the Pink Hats) with his positively electric playing style.

Jacoby Ellsbury started the 2007 season in Double-A ball in Portland, moving to Triple-A Pawtucket before making his Major League debut over 3 stints with Boston. His Major League resume - even now only a few months old - is already pretty impressive. He hit safely in 27 of his first 32 major league games with an at-bat, including a 13-game hitting streak from September 1-15, during which he hit .426 (20-47) with 3 doubles, a triple, 3 home runs, 13 RBI, 11 runs, 4 stolen bases and 2 walks. The night in Fenway he scored from second base on a passed ball has already reached a kind of legendary status among Red Sox fans.

In the post-season, if he was even the slightest bit fazed by playing on baseball's biggest stage, he certainly didn't show it. In 11 post-season games, including the start in each of Boston's final 6 contests, Ellsbury batted .360 (9-25) with 4 doubles, 4 RBI, 8 runs, 3 walks and 2 stolen bases. His 4 doubles all came in the World Series. Say it with me - this kid is an absolute STUD.

Probably one of the fastest players to ever wear a Red Sox uniform, Jacoby Ellsbury is literally everything I ever wanted to be in my baseball career. He's currently rotating as the Red Sox' fourth outfielder pending either an injury to a teammate, or a trade of Coco Crisp.

If the opportunity to trade places with someone for just 24 hours ever were to happen, I wonder how Jacoby Ellsbury would handle waking up at 4 AM?

Happy St. Patrick's Day From the Monaghans!

The High Holy Days 2008

I'm told it's a holiday of sorts in New England; to the best of my knowledge, no other team's fan base gets as excited about an 18-wheeler filled with baseball equipment as Red Sox fans do.

All I know is that this Saturday is "Truck Day" which means two things. One - the Red Sox equipment truck leaves Fenway Park on Saturday and Two - the High Holy Days are once again upon us!

February 10 - Truck Day
February 14 - Pitchers and catchers report
February 20 - Position players report
February 22 - Full squad workouts begin
February 28 - First Red Sox Spring Training game
March 1 - First day of spring (unofficial)
March 15 - Morris County St. Patrick's Day Parade
March 16 - Matthew's birthday
March 17 - St. Patrick's Day
March 20 - First day of spring (official)
March 25 - Opening Day: Red Sox vs. A's at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan
March 30 - 2008 Major League Baseball Opening Day
April 8 - Red Sox Home Opener

Giants/Patriots - The Dilemma Begins

We have a small dilemma at the Monaghan home - we need to pick a team to root for in the upcoming Super Bowl.

First things first - I covered the Jets and Giants for three years in the mid-90's while at WNEW-FM spending virtually every weekend at Giants Stadium during that time. I had always followed both local football teams, but never declared allegiance to either much to the dismay of those people who claim you can't root for both teams. Fact is, when you cover a team you get to know the players a bit, you start to like them and then you start to pull for them. So yes, you CAN root for both teams (except of course when they play each other and then I generally pull for the Giants).

Unlike my undying allegiance to the Red Sox in baseball, when it comes to football I really don't have that one team that I call mine. On the contrary, I freely admit to hopping on the bandwagon of whatever team is hot, or I find a player I really like and root for his team. In high school it was Gene Washington of 49ers. I loved watching San Francisco QB John Brodie and Washington pick apart opposing defenses. And if it happened to be against the Cowboys, so much the better. The one year I played high school football, I kept trying to find a jersey with the numer 18 on it.

I stayed with San Francisco through Jerry Rice's Hall Of Fame career (Trivia - the only personalized jersey I own from any sport has RICE across the back). I still can't fathom what Rice was thinking when he decided to appear on Dancing With the Stars, but that's a discussion for another time and place. Jerry Rice was blessed with good speed and great hands, and was fortunate enough to have Joe Montana and Steve Young throwing the ball to him for most of his career.

I have been following Tom Brady's career since his rookie season. It's just my humble opinion, but I think he is going to go down as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time. He has lost exactly one postseason game in his already-remarkable career that is absolutely destined to take him to Canton, Ohio when his playing days are done. I would LOVE to see him cap off this incredible season with a perfect 19-0 record.

But then there's the case of Eli Manning. I've heard all the complaints from the agoraphobes who call into the radio shows, and the armchair quarterbacks masquerading as media types who haven't played a meaningful football game since high school (assuming they even made their high school team). "He can't play under pressure." "He throws off the wrong foot." "He can't play in bad weather." "He's not as good as his brother." Seems to me that over the course of the 2007 regular season - and especially over the past 5 or 6 weeks - Eli Manning has knocked a lot of things off that list this season, including big wins in the playoffs over both Dallas and Green Bay. So I am pulling for him to have a stellar game in 12 days.

Who to root for - history (you don't get to see 19-0 very often) or the kid who personifies the much beloved underdog?

By the way, the last time I was faced with a similar dilemma was during the 1986 World Series. Torn between which team to root for, I ultimately opted for the Red Sox. We all know how that one turned out. Stay tuned; this could be interesting.

Merry Christmas 2007 From All Mixed Up Radio

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2007

All the streets are filled with laughter and light

And the music of the season

And the merchants windows are all bright

With the faces of the children

And the families hurrying to their homes

As the sky darkens and freezes

Theyll be gathering around the hearths and tales

Giving thanks for all God's graces

And the birth of the rebel Jesus

If you've ever seen my house, you know it's not very big...a Cape Cod that we expanded (a bit) to be able to finally put all three kids in their own rooms. That said, my wife's entire family invaded in waves on Christmas Eve. The first two waves landed by 7 PM...the other two followed shortly thereafter. By the time all forces had landed, there were 14 of us who for some reason were all crammed into the kitchen.

Well they call Him by the prince of peace

And they call Him by the savior

And they pray to Him upon the seas

And in every bold endeavor

As they fill His churches with their pride and gold

And their faith in Him increases

But they've turned the nature that I worshipped in

From a temple to a robbers den

In the words of the rebel Jesus

Actually, I like my wife's family, so don't read anything into that. It's just a lot different from the quieter, smaller, more reserved Irish family I grew up in. That said, things were a bit subdued - 8-year old Riane came down with strep throat and a 102 degree fever late Sunday and shivered her way through the day. Needless to say, I didn't think she'd have any trouble going to sleep at night once the prescription medicine kicked in.

We guard our world with locks and guns

And we guard our fine possessions

And once a year when Christmas comes

We give to our relations

And perhaps we give a little to the poor

If the generosity should seize us

But if any one of us should interfere

In the business of why they are poor

They get the same as the rebel Jesus

Santa made his customary cell phone call around 8:35 PM Christmas Eve; seems he was somewhere over Brazil at the time. Based upon the length of the conversation he had with Riane, it's a wonder any of the kids in Brazil received any presents. He told my 6-year old son that he was bringing him an electric guitar. Sure wish someone had warned Dad about that.

2007 has been OK by Monaghan standards. Work is going well...at both jobs. The Red Sox won yet another World Series title in my lifetime! More importantly, Daughter #1 has already been accepted at three colleges (my little baby is growing up!) and has grown into a strong, beautiful young woman. Daughter #2, strep throat and ear infection aside, is doing just fine, while Son #1 just spent the past 5 weeks playing in an indoor baseball league against 9 and 10 year old kids. He even made his pitching debut yesterday!

And if you're a regular listener/reader, you know how I feel about my wife. She is - bar none - the best thing to ever happen in my life. I like to think that I'm a better person for having married her.

I have to get back to work - about to leave the radio station for Job 2 - but let me leave you with this.

But please forgive me if I seem

To take the tone of judgement

For I've no wish to come between

This day and your enjoyment

In this life of hardship and of earthly toil

We have need for anything that frees us

So I bid you pleasure

And I bid you cheer

From a heathen and a pagan

On the side of the rebel Jesus

Jackson Browne - "The Rebel Jesus"

I'm neither a heathen nor a pagan. But I do have a special place for the music of Jackson Browne in my heart and that song has always struck the part of me that gets overwhelmed - and just a bit stressed out - at this time of year. If you don't celebrate, or if you're not a believer, the Christmas season (which seems to begin earlier every year) can be an absolute onslaught on your senses. Look, I've been in retail; I know what this time of year means to many businesses. But there's a point at which you say "enough." And if you've reached that point, then those lyrics are for you.

Merry Christmas from the Monaghan family to you and yours.

Glen Burtnik Live On All Mixed Up

Glen Burtnik will be my guest on next Sunday's edition of All Mixed Up. You have a chance to win tickets to this exclusive, intimate performance this Sunday (December 9) beginning at 7 AM.

Glen's annual Christmas concert takes place on Saturday December 22 at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank. Complete details on the concert can be found here.

Daddy's Friend Dave

It was about a year ago. My friends Maury, Tim, Chris, Mark and I were playing a gig at the Rattlesnake Ranch Cafe in Denville. A woman walked in, and Maury and I remarked to each other how much she looked like our friend Pam Kaskeski.

The consensus was that it couldn't be Pam because she and her husband Dave and their kids live in Delaware and there was simply no way they would be in Denville NJ on this cold December night.

We were wrong.



Rattlesnake Lounge Surprise

Dave, his wife Pam, and Johnny & Karen Fecco (who came all the way from Knoxville TN!) showed up en masse that night, along with a number of friends from the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum, in what turned out to be a kind of farewell for all of us. Dave's cancer had recently returned and while he was putting up a good front, we would eventually lose him in the spring of 2007.

But for a few hours on that late December night, we were all together. Laughing, singing, joking. And my kids (shown dancing with my Goddaughter in one of the pictures) were finally able to put a face to "Daddy's friend Dave" who they were praying for every night.

I miss you, Dave.