Wednesday, October 3, 2007

ALDS Game 1: Beckett pwn3d the Angels!

Josh Beckett, backed by a solo homer by Kevin Youkilis and a two-run shot by David Ortiz, lifted the Red Sox to a 4-0 victory over the Angels in Game 1 of this best-of-five American League Division Series at Fenway Park.

Beckett did so by firing one of the best games any Boston pitcher has had during the month of October. Beckett's complete-game shutout was the first for the Red Sox in the postseason since Luis Tiant stymied the Reds in Game 1 of the 1975 World Series.

"He went out there and executed pitches, in my opinion, probably better than he has at any point of the season," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "He attacked the strike zone with all of his pitches -- cut his fastball. He pounded the strike zone with three great pitches."

Beckett (four hits, no walks and eight strikeouts) was so good that the packed Fenway house stood up and applauded for the mere fact he came back out for the ninth inning. Not that there seemed to be a doubt.

"It's a really cool thing to be able to go out there and be the only pitcher that pitches for your team that day," said Beckett. "After eight innings, I don't think they ever really thought about taking me out. It was just one of those deals that it was kind of known throughout the dugout that I was going back out there."

Beckett, who went 20-7 during his breakout season, picked up right where he left off in his first postseason outing since Game 6 of the 2003 World Series, when he willed the Marlins past the Yankees. In fact, with his latest batch of goose eggs, Beckett became the seventh pitcher in postseason history to produce shutouts in back-to-back starts.

Daisuke Matsuzaka takes the ball for Boston in Friday's Game 2; he'll be opposed by Kelvim Escobar.


LET'S GO RED SOX!!


TomC

UEFA Champions League: Celtic FC 2 - AC Milan 1

UEFA Champions League
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Celtic Park, Glasgow


CELTIC… 2

(McManus 62, McDonald 90)

AC MILAN… 1
(Kaka 68)

MAN OF THE MATCH: Scott McDonald

CELTIC (4-5-1) Boruc; Doumbe (Kennedy 79), Caldwell, McManus, Naylor; S Brown, Donati, Hartley, McGeady (Nakamura 85), Jarosik (Killen 85); McDonald.
Subs: M Brown, Riordan, Sno, O’Dea.

AC MILAN (4-5-1)
Dida (Kalac 90); Oddo, Nesta, Bonera, Jankulovski; Gattuso, Seedorf (Gourcuff 55), Kaka, Ambrosini, Pirlo; Inzaghi (Gilardino 77).
Subs: Emerson, Simic, Favalli, Brocchi.


IT took a late strike from Scott McDonald to seal all three points against AC Milan in one of the most dramatic UEFA Champions League encounters at Celtic Park.

The game was heading for a 1-1 draw when the Australian pounced inside the six-yard box to steer the ball beyond Dida.

Celtic had taken a 62nd minute lead through Stephen McManus, which was cancelled out by a controversial Kaka penalty just six minutes later, but McDonald's goal sealed all three points.

It was a remarkable end to a game in which Celtic had more than held their own against the Italian giants, with the goal earning Celtic’s first points in the group stages this season and their first ever win over AC Milan.

The two sides are becoming fairly familiar foes in the UEFA Champions League, with this their fifth meeting since 2004. This was arguably the strongest Milan side to make the trip to Celtic Park, however, arriving in Glasgow as reigning European champions and with a starting XI bristling with world-class talents.

There were also a number of World Cup winners on display, while this young Celtic squad are, in contrast, lacking in top level experience.

With this in mind some had feared a lesson in this first home match in the group stages, but once the game began the wildest fears had all but dissipated.

In the opening half Celtic produced the kind of performance that the supporters had hoped for, with Milan spending most of their time on the back foot, trying to contain hardworking lone frontman, Scott McDonald and the bursting midfield runs of Aiden McGeady, Jiri Jarosik and Scott Brown in particular.

In the full-back positions, Lee Naylor and Jean-Joel Perrier-Doumbe also looked strong and positive, with the latter looking unshakeable under the occasional burst of pressure from the Rossoneri.

Chances on goal had been few and far between, though, and when the half-time whistle sounded, neither Artur Boruc nor his Brazilian counterpart Dida had been genuinely tested by a shot on target.

As the teams emerged from the tunnel into the heavy rain which had fallen relentlessly throughout the evening, there was but one nagging doubt still remaining in the background, that that the Italians had still to step up a gear and push for the opener.

But still the pattern continued, with Celtic posing problems with their sudden forays forward and Filippo Inzaghi and Kaka well-shackled by Stephen McManus and Gary Caldwell.

Then, when the moment arrived to join the attack, McManus stepped to the fore, turning Celtic’s opener over the line in the 62nd minute.

The goal stemmed from a Paul Hartley that was swung into the near post and helped on by the faintest of headers from Massimo Donati. The stadium then erupted as the ball arrived at the Celtic captain and he bundled it home from a yard out.

Spurred into action, Milan responded immediately with a Andrea Pirlo free-kick hammered through the Celtic wall from 30 yards out and batted up and over the crossbar by Artur Boruc. But it would take the intervention of referee Markus Merk to draw the Italians level in the 68th minute.

The German official appeared to be the only man inside Celtic Park who believed that it was a penalty when Massimo Ambrosini went down in the box under a challenge from Lee Naylor.

There had been no claims from the visitors , but there were obvious no complaints either as Kaka stepped up and drilled the ball home.

In the immediate wake of the goal, tempers became fraught and it looked as though the match was at one point going to boil over, with Kaka going down theatrically on a couple of occasions and Alessandro Nesta booked for a kick at Brown.

The match looked to have calmed down, though, and as the full-time whistle approached, the manager threw on Chris Killen and Shunsuke Nakamura in a late push for the win.

And it was the Japanese midfielder who cut the ball back into the path of Gary Caldwell who then thumped his shot at goal. The shot was parried at his near post by Dida, falling perfectly for the opportunistic McDonald, who rammed the ball home from a couple of yards out to give Celtic an incredible victory.



HAIL! HAIL!




TomC


Hoyo de Monterrey Regalos Edición Limitada 2007

A fusion review with my fellow "Brother Of The Leaf", MikeD:Country: Cuba
Length: 5 3/8"
Gauge: 46
Format: Gran Corona
Box Code: OEB MAY 07


#1M1k3y_w00t!: burn is straight
#1M1k3y_w00t!: draw still a tad firm
#1M1k3y_w00t!: just noticing the wrapper...
#1M1k3y_w00t!: very evenly colored
#1M1k3y_w00t!: no light or dark spots at all
daftpunk79: very uniform I have one vein
#1M1k3y_w00t!: there is a small one on mine
daftpunk79: the ash is a bit flaky, only bad point so far
#1M1k3y_w00t!: I get that too
#1M1k3y_w00t!: only slightly flaky though here

Appearance: On the surface this is one very nice looking cigars. I had one little vein, but it was no big deal, and never caused an issue burn wise. Dark, rich and evenly packed, a graced with a darker aged wrapper, this cigar aesthetically rises to the challenge.
Pre-Light: Clip was easy and the pre light draw seemed just fine. This cigar had pre light notes that were dry and tasted of cedar and earthiness.
Burn/Draw: The burn on this cigar got a little weird on occasion but generally self corrected. The draw on my cigar was just fine (though Mikey said that his was a bit tight, and his cigar was from the same box), and produced a good amount of cool smoke. the ash was friggin' annoying though! It was flaky and made a giant mess, which I must admit pissed me off.
daftpunk79: pepper and cedar to start, tongue tingly
#1M1k3y_w00t!: I get that as well (pepper and cedar)
daftpunk79: still early but dry compared to Hoyos I've had so far
daftpunk79: yeah burn is good draw is good here
daftpunk79: its like a Hoyo with no sweet notes, weird
#1M1k3y_w00t!: still cedary, but pepper has rolled back a bit
daftpunk79: exactly
daftpunk79: very very woody
#1M1k3y_w00t!: but there is a richness behind it
daftpunk79: yeah its hard to explain its not one note, it is a feeling that gives the flavor depth
#1M1k3y_w00t!: it gives it a fuller flavor...like a support to the main cedar note of the cigar

(later)

#1M1k3y_w00t!: draw is opening up a bit more for me
daftpunk79: I am really digging this variation so far
#1M1k3y_w00t!: the full cedary flavor?
daftpunk79: yeah, I usually dislike that (very intense woodiness), but this is deeper
#1M1k3y_w00t!: Hoyos do tend to have a light woody flavor
daftpunk79: yeah but say the Epicure Number 2 have honey/vanilla to offset
#1M1k3y_w00t!: I know what you mean about overly cedary
#1M1k3y_w00t!: I hate that too
#1M1k3y_w00t!: this is strong, but not over powering
daftpunk79: yeah
#1M1k3y_w00t!: its just enough right now to keep up with the full body of the cigar
#1M1k3y_w00t!: I could see this cigar needing a few yrs of nap time to be stellar
daftpunk79: yeah the potential is there though

(even later)

#1M1k3y_w00t!: burn got funny for a sec
#1M1k3y_w00t!: any changes?
daftpunk79: still cedar, some leather, and something damp and organic
#1M1k3y_w00t!: cedar rolled back a tad
daftpunk79: yeah not as prominent
#1M1k3y_w00t!: I got the leather as well
#1M1k3y_w00t!: but didn't get the organic
#1M1k3y_w00t!: maybe I did, but it was fleeting
daftpunk79: I don't know how to explain it yet
#1M1k3y_w00t!: not prominent at all
daftpunk79: something that makes it more than wood and leather
#1M1k3y_w00t!: its that "je ne sais quoi" flavor that was just under the surface at the start
daftpunk79: yeah thats a good way to put it

(halfway point on the cigar)

Flavors: The first half of this cigar showed tons of potential. Surprisingly dry for a Hoyo, this cigar was all pepper and wood notes at the beginning. Normally this would put me off, because I do not like overly woody cigars but the notes were a little different here. There was a depth, another fleeting note that I just couldn't put a finger on but added a richness that makes the woody notes that much more fascinating. Through the first half of the cigar, this EL was a fascinating twist on the Hoyo profile worth exploring. . .

#1M1k3y_w00t!: how far along are you?
daftpunk79: just past 1/2
#1M1k3y_w00t!: we're about even then
daftpunk79: the smoke is rounding out s bit, and getting fuller
#1M1k3y_w00t!: a bit
#1M1k3y_w00t!: the cigar is okay so far in my book
#1M1k3y_w00t!: does really need time
#1M1k3y_w00t!: way too young
daftpunk79: that's kinda the shame with both these ELs
daftpunk79: need more time after a big investment
#1M1k3y_w00t!: I think so
#1M1k3y_w00t!: I dunno about you but the last third isn't really inspiring
daftpunk79: not as much as I was hoping
#1M1k3y_w00t!: almost starting to go south kinda early
daftpunk79: kinda just losing flavor, so sad
#1M1k3y_w00t!: that's what I mean
#1M1k3y_w00t!: biterness is creeping in and there is still at least a 1.5 inches left of smokable cigar
daftpunk79: hmm I dint get that really
#1M1k3y_w00t!: very slight
#1M1k3y_w00t!: but there
#1M1k3y_w00t!: this may be a long term aging project
#1M1k3y_w00t!: 4-5yrs perhaps
#1M1k3y_w00t!: minimum
daftpunk79: need that big bad cedar note to back off some
#1M1k3y_w00t!: they need to round out more
#1M1k3y_w00t!: and that underlying flavor needs to come through
daftpunk79: mmhmm
#1M1k3y_w00t!: I'm considering putting this one to rest
daftpunk79: hmm I am gonna ride it out
#1M1k3y_w00t!: well you got the review to write
daftpunk79: true
#1M1k3y_w00t!: but if you didn't...
#1M1k3y_w00t!: would you toss it at this point?
daftpunk79: probably not but its a bit of a bummer

Alas, as good as the first half was, the second half was a disappointment. At about the halfway point, the flavors rounded out and mellowed (going from med/full in the first half to mild/med in flavor). Normally an evolution in a cigar is great, but this just kept mellowing out until over the final third it really didn't taste like anything. This was astounding, and very disappointing. especially to me, because I have loved all Hoyo de Monterrey vitolas to this point. Maybe some long term storage would do this cigar some good, but at this present point in time, this cigar is mediocre. I heard somewhere that this is going to become a regular production cigar, and I am hard pressed to understand why.


TomC

Partagas Shorts

AKA: "Party Short"
Country: Cuba
Length: 4 3/8 (110 mm)
Gauge: 42
Weight: 7.46 gr.
Format: Minuto
Box Code: TBS OCT 06
Tobacco Procedence: Vuelta Abajo
Factory: Partagas

Info:
This brand is named for it's founder, Don Jaime Partagas, who began manufacturing cigars in 1827, but put his own name on his line of cigars in 1845. After his death, the brand passed to Ramon Cifuentes in 1889 and was owned by Cifuentes y Cia. prior to nationalization, earning a mention by name in English novelist Evelyn Waugh's 1945 work, Brideshead Revisited. Partagas cigars also won gold medals in at least three international expositions between 1867 and 1884. There is no doubt about the strong, intense flavour of this line and it is still produced in the Partagas factory, renamed Fernando Perez after nationalization. The range is immense and it would be hard for a smoker not to find a Partagas which fits his or her interest in size or shape.

For more info on Partagas, see my Serie D No. 4 review.

Appearance: A masterpiece of construction, this short little bugger had nary a flaw on it. Wrapped in a sparkling (with tast oily sheen), light brown wrapper, this cigar had no veins or soft spots or irregularities of any kind. Just one beautiful looking cigar.
Pre-Light: Clip was easy and a non issue. The prelight draw was just spot on and had notes of pepper, cedar, and earthiness. In other words, this is a Partagas cigar.
Burn/Draw: This is occasionally a cause of concern with the "Party Short". Examples I have had in the past have suffered from extremely tight draws, as well as the symptomatic burn issues that can come along with it. It was never enough to frustrate me to the point of giving up a cigar, but its been a regular concern.
Thankfully, that was not the case with this particular stick! the draw was just about as perfect as a cigar can be. It has just the tiny bit of resistance, to allow for a long luxuriant smoke (which seems counter intuitive for a cigar called a "short", but I smoked this cigar for over an hour), while producing more than enough round feeling, cool, flavorful smoke. the burn was straight the whole way down, the definition and "light and forget". The ash, while mottled, was quite firm and held quite long, and probably could have held longer. this all smacked of great cigar construction, which alleviates one of my few issues with this cigar.
Flavors: This cigar is a Partagas, and really does not wander far from that profile. Now let me tell you, this is in no way a bad thing. After an initial burst of black pepper, there is a quick foray into sweet honeyed fruitiness (maybe 10 minutes or so), but it doesn't last long. After that it is the Partagas profile all the way. Medium in strength and full in flavor, this little cigar has all the cedary and peppery notes we have all grown to love, along with notes of sweet tangy tobacco, and the earthy "horse stall" organic notes that define the lines flavor in my opinion. It doesn't really develop much, but it does not have to. It is good the way it is. this is one of those work horse, staple cigars that anybody who enjoys Cuban cigars should have in their humidors, and it is priced to make this possible to boot. Great for when you want a quick smoke, and even when you just want a no nonsense, this is what you get cigar, the Partagas Short is truly worth your time. Very much recommended.


TomC