Oh, Life is Bigger, It's Bigger Than You

Congratulations to Mr. Joey Halbert for correctly naming "Lift" by Flickerstick as the Tuesday Song of the Day. I must admit, my choice of "Lift" was inspired by Lance's post last Friday, which may be the first blog post to ever combine references to Tecmo Bowl, R.B.I. Baseball, and Lady GaGa. Hopefully it will also be the last, because Lady GaGa needs to be sent to Gitmo, and as far as I know they don't have recording studios there, but I digress.

I may not be a fan of the Boston Red Sox, but when Phish plays the hallowed confines of Fenway Park, you just know that combination is going to present some outstanding photo opportunities as evidenced below:

Photo:© C. Taylor Crothers

Head on over to Phish's "On the Road" section at Flickr to see the rest of the great Fenway photos.

Impress All the Women, Pretend I'm Samuel Clemens, Wear Seersucker and White Linens

Congratulations once again to Ms. Amanda Pierce for almost naming "Anytime" by My Morning Jacket as the Thursday Song of the Day. Luke, before you file an official protest with the Running Down a Dream Song of the Day Rules Committee, you should note that she named the correct band and actually made an effort to win the prize, whereas your lack of participation was noticeable.

One of the more jarring sports-related experiences that I have had in the past 18 months occurred last May in Arlington as the Ballpark was transformed into Fenway Park Southwest by a roving band of bandwagon-hopping BoSox fans. The only living member of the Jig and Twig witnessed the same phenomenon last night at the Juice Box and left feeling worse than Kobayashi after a 4th of July spent at Nathan's Famous hot dogs on Coney Island.

Finally, thanks to information relayed by an unnamed source from the ABC/ESPN promotional department, Running Down a Dream is proud to bring you the rejected taglines for today's Euro 2008 Final between Spain and Germany:

Rejected Tagline #1:

Franco!

Hitler!

It's the Euro 2008 Final...on ABC!!!!

Rejected Tagline #2:

Guernica!

Dresden!

It's the Euro 2008 Final...on ABC!!!

Silent Scenes in Motion Means I'll Wake You When We're There

Many thanks to Mr. Andrew Tuegel for passing along the following tragic tale...

Citing a need for physical and spiritual cleansing after a Boston Red Sox fan entombed a David Ortiz jersey in the floor of the new facility, the New York Yankees buried former centerfielder Bernie Williams under 4,650 pounds of concrete Wednesday in the foundation of the new Yankee Stadium for good luck.

According to team sources, the instant the 39-year-old Williams was completely submerged in the rapidly setting structural material, stopping his voice as his lungs and mouth filled with concrete, the sun broke through the clouds and shone on the yet-incomplete field. Yankees part-owner Hank Steinbrenner called the occurrence a sign indicating that the "Curse Of A Red Sox Fan's David Ortiz Jersey" had been reversed, and that God was once again on the Yankees' side.

"Yankees Bury Bernie Williams Under New Stadium for Good Luck" in The Onion.

Honestly, how did The Onion know what I wished for last year on my birthday?

A dead Bernie Williams?

No.

A dead, concrete-asphyxiated Bernie Williams?

Undoubtedly yes.

He's Forgotten but Not Yet Gone

So this is justice? After waiting 86 years in between their last championship seasons, the oft-mentioned Red Sox nation only had to wait 3 years in between titles this time. It's hard to get worked up hating the Red Sox. I realize that their fanbase has multiplied in recent years like two much rabbits with excessive leisure time, but I can't hold it against them. Players like Big Papi, Manny, Schilling, Lowell, Beckett, and the certifiably insane Jonathan Papelbon make for an interesting team and one that is certainly preferable to a championship run by the evil empire.

Now, as the curtain closes on yet another baseball season, we're all undefeated again. In a few months pitchers and catchers will report to their respective spring training sites and everyone will have the opportunity to call themselves 2008 World Series champions. Here's the crazy thing: I'm not even necessarily asking for that. All I want is the chance to be relevant again. For Michael Young to not waste his entire career playing for Rangers teams that are all but mathematically eliminated by the time August rolls around. That's all I'm asking for in 2008.

Well, unless that somehow causes Tom Hicks to take his focus off of Liverpool. If that happens, all bets are off.