NYE.

New Year's eve has come and gone and by now everyone should have recovered from the after effects. Around here it snowed, a lot. But out in the desert of Las Vegas the party was hopping. The consensus seems to be that one participant in the festivities was Dustin Pedroia. One report has him spending the night at XS nightclub (which I originally read as extra small which seemed appropriate) but another had him at Tryst nightclub. But, as tends to be the case in Las Vegas, no photographic evidence to prove his whereabouts--seriously, I clicked through all the pictures from both nightclubs' New Year's Eve parties, looking for short, bald men and couldn't find him. And that's all I've got.

Rumble.

There's very little going baseball-wise and so we turn back to hockey. Tom Werner may have an imaginary beef with Bruins owner, Charlie Jacobs. They engaged in a round of fisticuffs at yesterday's Legends Classic game, which was amusing. Even more amusing? Werner's "Don't hurt me" before it began.

Number Forty-Six: Keith Foulke.

The majority of Keith Foulke's time in Boston didn't go well; two out of his three years he struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness. The fans and the media mercilessly bullied him and, perhaps, unwisely he struck back. But for 2004 and the idea that in likelihood he irreparably destroyed his arm and his career (not for us but for his teammates, as he'd be the first to point out) that season, he gets a spot on the list.

Number Forty-Seven: Mike Lowell.

The Sox never wanted Mike Lowell; in fact, every off season since he's been here, except for the one in which he signed his contract, they've tried to pawn him off on someone else. It's odd because he seems like a perfect fit for Fenway. But Mike seems to have handled it with mostly great aplomb.

He's also been extremely unlucky and somewhat of a trend setter when it comes to injuries; testicular cancer just before his twenty-fifth birthday, a left thumb injury and an arthritic hip in 2008, and a right thumb injury in 2009.

But the reason he makes the list is his 2007 World Series. In the sweep of Colorado he got six hits, including three doubles and a home run. He also walked three times. And he had a stolen base. Stop laughing, he did.

Plus, in addition to being smart and having a sense of humor, he is far and away the second most beautiful man in the American League.

Hockey.

Baseball is my one and true love. But while I very much dislike football, I've never felt anything either way about hockey. And so I don't know who this is or what he does but I do know that he has serious eye black problems. Gordo explains the hat.

Doo-Dee-Doo-Dee-Doo-Dee-Doooo.

(That was the Jeopardy! theme.)

This was a category on tonight's episode of Jeopardy! during the double jeopardy round. What is "Red Sox it to Me"?

$400 Question:

On April 20, 1912 the first game at this new venue went 11 innings & ended with a Red Sox win.

$800 Question:

With 44 homers, 121 RBIs, & a .326 average, Carl Yastrzemski is the last baseball player to win this.

$1200 Question:

Tim Wakefield has more starts than any pitcher in Red Sox history, mostly due to his success with this low-velocity pitch.

$1600 Question:

In 1918 he extended his streak of scoreless World Series innings pitched to 29.2 & tied for the most HRs in the league.

and $2000 Question:

In 2001 this Osaka-born pitcher tossed Boston's first no-hitter since 1965.

Number Forty-Eight: Dave Henderson.

October 12, 1986. Game 5 of the ALCS, top of the ninth. The California Angels lead the series 3-1 and the game 5-4.

But it's not as bad as it was moments before: The inning started with the Sox down 2-5, facing Mike Witt (in 1986, Witt pitched fourteen complete games, was third in Cy Young voting, and beat Roger Clemens in game 1). Bill Buckner shot a single up the middle and was pinch run for by Dave Stapleton. Jim Rice struck out. One down. Don Baylor closed the gap slightly with a two-run home run to left. Score is 4-5. Dwight Evans popped out to third. Two down. In a seemingly puzzling move, Angels manager Gene Mauch decided to go to his bullpen and called for Gary Lucas to pitch to Rich Gedman, who was three for three in the game. Lucas hit Gedman and Donnie Moore is called upon to pitch to Dave Henderson.

Henderson sidles up to the plate with the tying run on base. He takes two pitches: one for a ball and one for a strike. He swings at the next pitch but misses. To borrow a phrase, the Sox are down to their last strike. He watches the fourth pitch go by for a ball. The count is 2-2. And then foul. And then another. And then a ball hit hard to left and the Sox are up 6-5.

After Ed Romero flies out to end the top of the inning, it turns out that the Angels aren't willing to give up quite so easily. In his third inning of relief, Bob Stanley gives up a single to the lead-off man, Bob Boone, and Gary Pettis moves him (well, the pinch runner Ruppert Jones) over with a sacrifice bunt. Bob Stanley's afternoon is done and he's replaced with Joe Sambito. Rob Wilfong gets one through on the right side and the score is tied when Jones tears around the bases. Steve Crawford is called upon to get them out of the mess. Crawford gives up a single to start the inning and Wilfong (as the Angels are wont to do, goes first to third.) Crawford intentionally walks Brian Downing to load the bases. Doug DeCinces hits the first pitch he sees for a fly ball to right but it's not deep enough. Two down. And then Bobby Grich hits one back to the pitcher and we're headed for extras.

The Sox make some noise in the top of the tenth: Wade Boggs walks but is forced out at second on a Marty Barrett groundout. Dave Stapleton hits a line drive to right and Barrett heads for third. But then Jim Rice grounds into an inning ending double play. Steve Crawford pitches the bottom of the tenth relatively well: A groundout, a strike out, a walk, and a fly out.

The top of the eleventh: Donnie Moore is still pitching for the Angels. Don Baylor is hit by a pitch. Dwight Evans shoots a single up the middle and Baylor takes second. Rich Gedman pushes a little dribbler down the third base line for a hit. The bases are now loaded with nobody out for the man of the hour, Dave Henderson. Henderson again puts the Sox on top when he a sacrifice fly to center. 7-6. Ed Romero flies out for the second out of the inning and Wade Boggs ends it with a ground out.

Calvin Schiraldi is brought out to finish the game. And he does so with a swinging strikeout, a swinging strikeout, and a foul ball caught off first base.