A little Red Sox Story

[tuffythepug]

This little story may only be of interest to some Red Sox fans but here goes.....

Today I had lunch at a tiny cafe in my little town of Woodland, Calif.     It's the kind of place you don't see much anymore... A small cafe with a long counter and a few booths.  The sign on the wall says Chicago Cafe...Since 1904".   The kind of place where nobody looks at the menu.  They don't need to since it hasnt' changed in 50 years or so and besides, everybody always orders the same thing anyway.  Jeannie the waitress hollers out you order to Paul the cook before you've even grabbed your seat at the counter.   Over the cash register there are newspaper clippings and signed pictures of Red Sox 2nd baseman Dustin Pedroia with the owner and various patrons over the years.
Why ?   Because this is Dustin Pedroias hometown.   This is where he grew up and learned to play baseball;  where he played little league, Babe Ruth and  High School baseball  and where his mom and dad still own a tire store.  The whole town was so proud of him when he went to Arizona State to play college ball.    We couldn't believe it when he was taken by the Red Sox and ended up being their starting 2nd baseman. Then last year....The World Series ! 
Why am I telling you this ?   Because as I sat at the counter and everyone was discussing the game against the Angels tonight I mentioned how Dustin has put our little town on the map and how proud we all are of his achievements.   I said  I was glad that he was making a name for himself and  that he just seems like a really good kid too.   "Yes he is" said the elderly lady next to me. And I ought to know.  I'm his grandma."  I asked her why she wasn't going to the game tonight in Anaheim.  It's not that far away.    Unfortunately she and her husband can't make it for health reasons but they'll be glued to their television tonight you can be sure.

So,  while you Red Sox fans are watching and rooting for your team tonight,  sometime between the first pitch and the last out,  think of Dustin's little old grandma and the town that is so proud of his accomplishments.   Remember that he isn't just a great ballplayer but a great human being too.  He's a kid who is still just thrilled to be playing the game.   He's making headlines for the good things he does and not for the latest salary dispute or off-field antics.  We all hope you are as proud of him as we are.  These don't come around very often

PLAY BALL !


Tuffythepug

[jcbuggs]

Tuffy

Thanks for posting that cool story. Being a Sox fan and a lifelong member of Red Sox Nation I have had the privledge of watching Dustin play this year. He plays the gams as hard as anybody I have seen, and I have seen a lot! I remember when he came up last year the general comments ran to "he's too small", "his swing is too big", "he'll never last in the majors".  Well, check the league leaders and you'll see his name in the top ten for averagre, hits, runs and a few others. Many Sox fans consider him as the team's MVP this year. The thing that I really enjoy about watching him play is that you can tell he is having a ball (excuse the expression) playing the game.

I will be thinking of his grandparents tonight too!

If I can stay awake. I hate these late night west coast games. My alarm goes off at 5:30am and I'll bet this game will go well past 1 am EST.

:yawnYAWN!

Go Sox,

Joe

[Tycho]

The Red Sox are my favourite team after Toronto (and after the demise of the Expos, who were my second-favourite team).

But this year I've got to root for the Cubs if they can manage to make it to the WS.

[bluesman67]

Oh yeah, us Sox fans love everything about Pedrioa.  He plays the game right, with passion and always playing hard...and he's damn good.  I've been following the Sox closely since 1975 and I have to say that he's the best 2nd baseman I've ever seen play in a Red Sox uniform (no offense to Rem Dog aka Jerry Remy #2, still love ya).  That is so cool that you met his grand mother like that.  The game is just starting so I'll catch a couple innings before I go to sleep.

GO SOX!!

[jcbuggs]

Since the Sox have moved on to the ALCS I just had to revive this thread. And although the original topic, Dustion Pedroia, only had one hit in the Angels series it was a big one. I was lucky enough to land a few searts for the clinching game on Monday night and attended with my daughters who are huge fans. Great game to see with a walkoff win as a bonus!

ps - We were seated in a box hosted by the regional sports network that carries the Sox games locally. Got a chance to see a World Series ring up close and personal. That is one hefty piece of jewelry!! 

Go Sox.

Joe

[markyboy]

I spent a long "hot" weekend in Woodland about five years ago for a baseball tournament my son's HS baseball team was in. Needless to say there were long breaks between games (which were all overtown) so we got to spend allot of time hanging out in town, and I've always told my wife, that Woodland would be a great place to retire. The onlything it's missing is the coast within 30 minutes and the SF Giants!.. Hey maybe when Dustin is a fee agent the Giants can sign him, with 17 jacks this year he would be a great fit.

Go Giants! (maybe next year).. Go Red Sox! Especially if they are facing the Dodgers...

[tuffythepug]

I spent a long "hot" weekend in Woodland about five years ago for a baseball tournament my son's HS baseball team was in. Needless to say there were long breaks between games (which were all overtown) so we got to spend allot of time hanging out in town, and I've always told my wife, that Woodland would be a great place to retire. The onlything it's missing is the coast within 30 minutes and the SF Giants!.. Hey maybe when Dustin is a fee agent the Giants can sign him, with 17 jacks this year he would be a great fit.

Go Giants! (maybe next year).. Go Red Sox! Especially if they are facing the Dodgers...

I know what you mean by "hot" weekend in Woodland.    It does get rather warm during the summer months for sure. Fortunately it's only a couple hours to the ocean and a couple of hours to Tahoe and other nice higher altitude spots.  I'm not a native of Woodland but I've lived here since '83.  Baseball has always been very big here.  Between the little league, babe ruth,  High School, American Legion, and the "over 30" leagues there is baseball here every night during the summer.  They take it very seriously around here.  There have been a couple of young players who almost made it to the majors before Dustin.   Tony Torcato spent part of a season with the Giants a couple years ago but was destined to be a AAA player for most of his career.   I too wish that Dustin was on a team that was more local so we could see him play more often but I don't know if I'd want him to play for the Giants the way they have been the past few years.  I'd rather see him on a winner....No offense to Giants or A's fans by the way.   I enjoy going to their games occassionally but, let's face it, they aren't going anywhere right now are they ?   

Tuffythepug

[markyboy]

I know what you mean by "hot" weekend in Woodland.    It does get rather warm during the summer months for sure. Fortunately it's only a couple hours to the ocean and a couple of hours to Tahoe and other nice higher altitude spots.  I'm not a native of Woodland but I've lived here since '83.  Baseball has always been very big here.  Between the little league, babe ruth,  High School, American Legion, and the "over 30" leagues there is baseball here every night during the summer.  They take it very seriously around here.  There have been a couple of young players who almost made it to the majors before Dustin.   Tony Torcato spent part of a season with the Giants a couple years ago but was destined to be a AAA player for most of his career.   I too wish that Dustin was on a team that was more local so we could see him play more often but I don't know if I'd want him to play for the Giants the way they have been the past few years.  I'd rather see him on a winner....No offense to Giants or A's fans by the way.   I enjoy going to their games occassionally but, let's face it, they aren't going anywhere right now are they ?   

Tuffythepug

Probably not.. But one can dream..
And hey.. 2hours to the beach or Tahoe is a pretty good combo.. Where I live (Los Gatos) to get to Tahoe on a Friday  night it takes 2hours just to get out of the Bay Area..

[tuffythepug]

Follow up to the original post. 

  Today Dustin Pedroia was named American League Most Valuable Player.   Not a bad follow-up to his Rookie of the Year award last year.     Our whole town is full of pride for a young man who has made his mark in the difficult arena of professional baseball.    Great Job Dustin.   We're all proud of you dude.

Tuffythepug   

[bluesman67]

 

[markyboy]

Oh yeah.. Well deserving

[bluesman67]

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/11/19/its_hard_to_believe___but_sox_always_did/

Lynn,

I thought you might enjoy this Boston Globe article by Dan Shauwghnessy, video clip too.

[tuffythepug]

Joseph
Thanks for the link to the article.    This is pretty big news for our small town.   Everyone here is acting like he belongs to all of us.  Civic pride, rooting for the little guy...you know.   I've yet to hear anything negative about the guy.  He just eats, drinks, and breathes baseball.   Here's a link to an article in the nearby Sacramento Bee newspaper today so you can have some local perspective.
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/1409767.html
There's also an article and photos on the front page of the main section.   My wife works with a young lady who went to high school with Dustin.   She says that almost all the athletes had this big ego thing and thought they were better than everyone else.  Dustin was the only one who didn't have that kind of attitude.  Just happy and friendly to everyone all the time.   That says a little bit about his as a human being too.

Tuffythepug

[bluesman67]

Very cool thanks.  It isn't surprising at all to hear he had a great attitude in HS.