Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Free Agent Filings

Veteran right-hander Curt Schilling -- fresh off helping the Red Sox win their second World Series in four years -- became the first core member of the championship club to file for free agency.

Right-hander Matt Clement, who didn't pitch in 2007 because of extensive shoulder surgery, also filed for free agency. So did reserves Eric Hinske and Bobby Kielty, the latter of whom hit a crucial home run in the Game 4 World Series clincher against the Rockies.

World Series MVP Mike Lowell will also be a free agent and is expected to file in the next few days.

"I would love to be able to come back and pitch one last season and win a World Series and walk away," said Schilling, who will represent himself in negotiations.

Schilling is seeking a one year deal at his current salary, $13 Million.

TomC

Halloween




TomC

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

This Is Halloween!

Carrie carved this sweet pumpkin and I now have my humidor all decorated for Halloween! Pretty Spooky, huh?

TomC

My WS Victory Cigar: Cohiba Siglo IV

Name: Cohiba Siglo IV
Brand: Cohiba
Factory Name: Corona Gorda
Size: 143mm (5 5/8 in)

Ring: 46
Weight: 11.41 gr.
Presentation: Banded bundle of 25 in a varnished slide-lid box


Info: Cohíba is a brand for two kinds of premium cigar, one produced in Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in the Dominican Republic for General Cigar. The name cohíba derives from the Taino word for "tobacco". The Cuban brand is filled with top-quality tobacco which, uniquely to Cohiba, has undergone an extra fermentation process; it is a type as well as a brand.

Cohíba was originally a private brand supplied exclusively to Fidel Castro and high level Cuban government and communist party officials. Often given as diplomatic gifts, the Cohíba brand gradually developed a "cult" status. It was released commercially for sale to the public in 1982.


Cohíba began with the cigars smoked by a bodyguard of Fidel Castro's named Bienvenido "Chicho" Perez. Castro noticed he often smoked a "very aromatic, very nice" cigar. When asked by Castro what brand he smoked, he replied that it was rolled by a friend of his who would give him some of these special cigars as gifts.

The man in question was a cigar roller working at the La Corona factory in Havana named Eduardo Rivera. Castro approached Rivera about rolling cigars for him personally and set him up with five other rollers in a former diplomatic mansion in a suburb of Havana known as El Laguito (Spanish for "the little lake"). Later, the factory became the first cigar factory to be staffed entirely by women torcedoras (cigar rollers).

The cigars were reserved for Castro and other high-ranking Cuban officials, and were often presented to foreign dignitaries as gifts. Castro himself is said to be particularly fond of the long, thin cigars rolled for him, especially the sizes that would become the Lancero and Corona Especial.

Castro decided to release his personal cigars as a premium cigar brand for public consumption when the 1982 World Cup was held in Spain. When first launched in 1982 the Cohíba marque consisted of three vitolas or sizes: the Panetela, the Corona Especial, and the Lancero. In 1989 three more vitolas, the Robusto, the Exquisito, and the Espléndido, were added; the six are referred to as the Línea Clásica (classic line).

In 1992 Habanos SA launched the first sizes in what it calls the Línea 1492, commemorating Christopher Columbus and his voyage to the Americas, with each size named for a century since Columbus' discovery. The initial launch included the Siglo I, Siglo II, Siglo III, Siglo IV, and Siglo V, with a Siglo VI added in 2002. A long-standing rumor is that the original Línea 1492 was a replacement for the Davidoff marque that recently ceased production in Cuba (each of the first five "Siglos" corresponded to a size in the Davidoff line-up).

Besides regular production, Habanos SA regularly releases limited release Cohíba cigars for such events as the annual Habanos Festival, brand anniversaries, and their annual Edición Limitada (limited edition) release of special sizes of their various cigar brands wrapped in a darker vintage leaf.

Cohíba also produces two machine-made cigarillos: the Mini and the Club.

Habanos SA have used their Cohiba brand name for non-cigar products, manufacturing Cohiba cigarettes since 1987 and Extra Cohiba Cognac since 1999.

As of late 2006 Cohíba had released three different Edición Limitada Cohíbas: the Pirámide released in 2001 and re-released in 2006, the Double Corona in 2003, and the Sublime in 2004.

Appearance: This is another pretty looking Habano. Evenly packed and without a blemish, the milk chocolate colored wrapper that graced this cigar looked good enough to eat. A great example of fine premium cigar construction.

Pre-Light: The pre light clip was a breeze. A quick pre light draw produces notes of tangy tobacco and sweet coffee. The pre light bodes well for things ahead.

Burn/Draw: As one would expect, looking at the construction of the cigar, this stogie was a dream to smoke. The burn line was razor straight from the beginning and was never an issue after initial lighting. The draw was perfect, offering the tiniest bit of resistance that helped keep the burn cool, while allowing for the production of volumes of cool, flavorful smoke. The ash was mottled grey and black and held well past an inch. From every aesthetic aspect I could think of, this cigar was a dream to smoke.

Flavors: The first thing that hits you when you light this cigar is the fact that this cigar is medium in strength. Anyone who has smoked the regular Cohiba line knows that they can be powerhouses on occasion. Well it seems the Siglo Line is a bit more refined. In my case I have to agree with this assessment. Now the flavors! On top of a nice base of that beautiful Cuban earthiness that we have all come to love many a note wafts. At first there is this great tangy tobacco note. About a third of the way in the cigar is a symphony of sweet and rich notes. Milk chocolate, sweet creamy coffee, and cinnamon. Almost a desert in smoke form. Over this final third the sweetness abates a bit, but the desert spices continue, cinnamon, nutmeg and the like build toward a glorious finish. this was a very luxuriant smoke, and if you can get your hands on one, comes heartily recommended.

TomC

Monday, October 29, 2007

Red Sox World Series Celebration!


It never gets old!

TomC

Nobody Does It Better!


Perched high above his raucous teammates, David Ortiz sprayed bottles of bubbly in every direction, dousing everyone in sight, including himself.

Then it was time to deliver a message.

"When you wear Red Sox on your shirt," he hollered from atop a clubhouse table, "you're good at something."

There's a new monster, and this one's in Boston, too.

Overwhelming in every way, the Red Sox swept to their second title in four years Sunday night. Jon Lester, Mike Lowell & Co. left little room for drama with a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies in Game 4.

Then again, no NL team could have blocked Boston this October.

This was hardly a repeat from 2004, when the Red Sox ended their 86-year championship drought by beating St. Louis. Boston is a major league bully these days, playing in rarefied air before crowds who demand to win.

"It doesn't get old," manager Terry Francona said.

Gone are those pleading, pathetic days when the Red Sox were practically begging to win a title. They've got this down pat now.

At this rate, New England fans might get spoiled. Francona's team has become a perfect counterpart to coach Bill Belichick's bruisers on the Patriots.

After trailing Cleveland 3-1 in the AL Championship Series, the Red Sox won seven straight games and won their seventh World Series crown.

At this rate, New England fans might get spoiled. Francona's team has become a perfect counterpart to coach Bill Belichick's bruisers on the Patriots.

After trailing Cleveland 3-1 in the AL Championship Series, the Red Sox won seven straight games and won their seventh World Series crown.

he wild-card Rockies, who won a remarkable 21 of 22 games to get this far, were a mere afterthought by the end. Brad Hawpe homered in the seventh inning and Garrett Atkins hit a two-run shot in the eighth that came too late.

"At the end of the day, you look back on the game. How did you execute?" Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "They executed better than us all four games."

Lester, undergoing chemotherapy at this time last year for cancer, pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning and Jonathan Papelbon closed with his third save of the Series.

Lowell won the MVP award, though Boston had plenty of candidates. Especially in a year in which Japanese stars Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima helped put the world in World Series.

"It took all 25 of us to get the job done," Papelbon said. "It's just phenomenal."

Lowell led a team that hit .333 in the Series with a home run, double and headfirst slide to score a run Sunday. He also won a ring in 2003 with underdog Florida.

"A little different," he said. "I think with the Marlins no one expected us to do this and I think with the Red Sox people expect you to win and I think both are very satisfying."

Rookie Jacoby Ellsbury got it started with a leadoff double and, even without big contributions from sluggers Manny Ramirez and Ortiz, Boston was too good. Bobby Kielty made the most of his first appearance in this Series, connecting for a pinch-hit home run in the eighth.

Coors Field was filled with Red Sox fans, many of them brazenly waving brooms they might have brought from the Green Monster seats at Fenway Park.

The celebrations started early, with converted DH Ortiz raising his hand after a nice scoop at first base, and Lester pumping his fist after a key strikeout.

Of the seven postseason series this year, five ended in sweeps. The Rockies' last chance to avoid it came in the ninth, when Jamey Carroll flied out to the wall for the second out in the ninth.

By the ninth inning, only one mystery really remained: What would happen to the ball from the final out? Remember, it took all sorts of gyrations after Boston's most recent title before Doug Mientkiewicz donated his souvenir to the Hall of Fame.

This time, Jason Varitek caught the final pitch and tucked it in his back pocket as Papelbon threw his glove high in the air after striking out pinch-hitter Seth Smith. The Red Sox spilled out of the dugout to party between the mound and first.

"This team's got a lot of heart," Varitek said. "We worked really hard. We just beat a very, very good team, an excellent team. We had to do the little things."

Rockies fans spent part of the night trying to outshout hundreds of Red Sox rooters -- Boston folks apparently figured how to cut through Colorado's online ticket mixup.

The crowd in purple hollered louder, but that's the only matchup Colorado won this week.

In every other phase, Boston was better.

Ace Josh Beckett dominated in Game 1, relievers Papelbon and Okajima closed out Game 2 and rookies Dustin Pedroia, Ellsbury and Matsuzaka starred in Game 3.

When the Red Sox won in 2004, it represented a catharsis for fans all over New England. Many had wondered whether they'd live to see a championship -- in fact, as fall turned to winter, tombstones showed up from Bangor to Brattleboro with references to the title.

Then, even bit players like Dave Roberts became household names to anyone wearing the fancy Boston "B." Backups such as Pokey Reese joined Paul Revere and Plymouth Rock in local lore.

Now, expectations are a lot different. Instead of "Wait till next year," it's "Next year, too!"

They've found a way to turn the World Series into a matter-of-fact affair. Way different than the ALCS, where they overcame a 3-0 hole against the Yankees in 2004 and the 3-1 deficit this year.

While Curt Schilling and Lowell can become free agents, the Red Sox enjoy a bright future. They didn't have room on the postseason roster for Clay Buchholz, the rookie who pitched a no-hitter last month.

Lowell, the steady third baseman, hit .400 (6-for-15), scored six runs and drove in four. The thousands of Red Sox fans who gathered behind their dugout after the game chanted, "Re-sign Lowell!"

Right from the get-go, it was Boston's night.

Ellsbury, who began the year merely hoping for a promotion to Triple-A, sliced the second pitch 3 feet inside the left-field line for a double. He alertly advanced on a grounder and scored when Ortiz barely bounced a single through the drawn-in infield.

As if the Red Sox needed any more early omens, Ortiz flashed a fancy glove in the second. A lumbering DH by trade, he neatly scooped up shortstop Julio Lugo's one-hop throw.

Lowell hit a leadoff double in the fifth and made a headfirst dive to score on Varitek's single off Aaron Cook. That made it 2-0 and, for the time being, left every Red Sox regular in the lineup hitting over .300 in the Series except Ramirez.

Lester started off in rare form, catching Kaz Matsui's popup leading off the first. When Ramirez misplayed Matsui's fly ball to left field into a double in the third, Lester also took care of the trouble himself.

The lefty struck out Troy Tulowitzki and Matt Holliday, punctuating the last pitch with a fist pump. Down to their last chance, Colorado's hitters seemed to press and take huge hacks. Lester used that eagerness in his favor, often fooling them with sliders.

Cook, too, was trying to add a chapter to his success story. His career was cut short a few years ago because of blood clots in his lungs. He started on opening day this season, but hadn't pitched in a major league game since Aug. 10 because of a strained side muscle.

Halfway through the game, it was clearly a pitchers' duel. Hardly anyone would have predicted that in the pre-humidor days, when Coors hosted the highest-scoring All-Star game and earned its reputation as a hitters' haven.

CONGRATULATIONS RED SOX!!

TomC

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