Tag: big papi

“Blurtso and Harlan watch the snow” (II)

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I guess there’s not much snow in Borneo, said Blurtso. No, said Harlan, but there are many palm trees. I like palm trees, said Blurtso. So do I, said Harlan, there’s nothing like napping in a palm grove… listening to the wind in the leaves, and feeling the shadows on your skin. Yes, said Blurtso, a palm grove is a great place to nap, and so is a recliner, under a palapa next to the sea. Yes, said Harlan, there’s nothing like napping to the sound of waves, with a cap pulled down on your eyes. A Red Sox cap? said Blurtso. Of course, said Harlan. The snow is nice too, said Blurtso. Yes, said Harlan, there’s nothing like napping in a loft, with a cup of hot cocoa, listening to the slosh of cars in the street. Yes, said Blurtso, or napping under an oak, on a summer day, in an empty field in Maine. I still can’t believe, said Harlan, the Red Sox didn’t win the World Series.

“Blurtso gets a taste of Fenway”

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Who’s your favorite Red Sox player? said Harlan. I don’t know, said Blurtso. How about you? said Harlan. I’m a Yankee fan, said Alex. Jeter? said Harlan. Of course, said Alex. We should go to a game, said Harlan. I can get three tickets for this afternoon, said Alex, but we’ll be in the sun in rightfield, so make sure to wear a cap.

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Wow! said Blurtso. Look at that grass!

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It’s the seventh-inning stretch, said Alex, where’s Blurtso?

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“Harlan tells his tale”

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You’re from Borneo? said Alex. Yes, said Harlan. What happened to your tusks? I had to sell them to pay for my flight. Wasn’t that painful? said Alex. Not as painful as keeping them. What do you mean? said Blurtso. My brothers were killed for their tusks. Oh, said Blurtso. Why did you come to Boston? said Alex. I’m a Redsox fan, said Harlan. Really? said Alex. Who’s your favorite player? My favorite player, said Harlan, is Big Papi. What’s it like in Borneo? said Blurtso. It’s beautiful, said Harlan, there’s more grass than you could ever eat. Do they speak English? said Blurtso. Yes, said Harlan, in the north. Are you a Hindu? said Alex. Yes, said Harlan. What’s a Hindu? said Blurtso. Hinduism, said Alex, is a religion that believes elephants are sacred. Really? said Blurtso. What religion are you? said Harlan. I don’t know, said Blurtso. What religion thinks donkeys are sacred?

“Blurtso renames a body part”

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Big Papi, said Harlan, has sure come back strong from his injury. His injury? said Blurtso. Yes, said Harlan, his Achilles. His Achilles? said Blurtso, I thought Achilles was the name of a Greek god. Yes, said Harlan, a Greek warrior, but it’s also the name of the tendon that connects the heel to the calf. Are there other parts of the body, said Blurtso, named after people? There’s the Adam’s apple, said Harlan. Hmmm, said Blurtso, why does Big Papi grab his Hercules before each pitch?

“Alex takes her friends to the street” (VIII)

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Two outs, bottom of the ninth, one strike from the championship… here’s the pitch… a swing… it’s a long flyball… the centerfielder leaps… she’s got it!… no… she drops it!… it’s headed to rightfield…

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The rightfielder has it it!… no… he drops it!… but here comes the centerfielder!…

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Break out the cocoa and pumpkin pies! We made a clean sweep of all the awards, said Pablo. Harlan won the homerun title, Alex won the golden hoof award, Bonny led the league in wins, I had the highest batting average, Ditto had the best on base percentage, and Blurtso hit into the most double plays.

        ab  h 2b 3b hr rbi r bb so hbp ba   obp   slg dp
Blurtso 89 11  0  0  1  4  6  0 51  0 .124 .124 0.157 26
Harlan  66 32  6  0 25 89 46 29 26  0 .484 .642 1.727 5
Alex    96 49  9 26  3 23 53  5  3  0 .510 .535 1.343 0
Ditto    1  0  0  0  0  6 52 86  1  7 .000 .989 0.000 0
Bonny   82 53  5  1  6 44 36 11  4  0 .646 .688 0.951 3
Pablo   75 56 24  6  9 77 50 18  0  0 .747 .796 1.587 2

       w l  ip  h bb so hr era
Bonny 10 2 102 123 4 71 17 9.63

“Alex takes her friends to the street” (VII)

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I forgot to water my pumpkins this morning, thought Pablo, I wonder what the temperature is today?

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The zoo is open until dusk, thought Harlan, and the elephant cage is right by the entrance.

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I wonder, thought Ditto, if Dustin Pedroia ever played rightfield?

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Ditto’s birthday is tomorrow, thought Bonny, I hope the Dustin Pedroia jersey isn’t too small.

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The team is really focused today, thought Alex, the championship is as good as won.

“Alex takes her friends to the street” (II)

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Great game! said Alex. We’re 9-2. Only a game out of first!

“Alex takes her friends to the street” (I)

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We should play stickball tomorrow, said Alex. Stickball? said Blurtso. Stickball, said Harlan, is the street version of baseball. Yes, said Alex, some of the greatest players in history played stickball… they say Willie Mays was a 4-sewer hitter. A 4-sewer hitter? said Blurtso. Yes, said Alex, he could hit the ball four sewer manholes from the plate. Really? said Blurtso. Yes, said Alex. That’s remarkable, said Blurtso. Yes, said Alex. What’s a manhole? said Blurtso.