Boston Red Sox 1st round draft pick - It's a KELLY

[Texan]

So what does this have to do with our Lisa? Nothing…EVERYTHING! I guess you have to get into the mind of a fan to understand. Oh, and by the way, I’ve included a few comments about another Kelly below…a super fan of the Red Sox, Kelly O’Connor. Of course an Irish name, what do you expect? Thing is her comments echo the feeling we all share when Celtic Woman are about to go on tour.
 
Casey Kelly was the Red Sox’s first round draft pick. But, he just may end up playing quarterback for the University of Tennessee. We’ll have to wait and see.

Kelly, an 18-year-old senior out of Sarasota (Fla.) High School, is a two-sport star who was recruited to play quarterback for the University of Tennessee. However, the Red Sox are obviously confident Kelly will choose playing professional baseball instead of following in the footsteps of National Football League superstar Peyton Manning.

Though Kelly's commitment to Tennessee certainly added an element of risk to the pick, the Red Sox thought it was far outweighed by the possible reward.

I agree.  For all the right reasons.

Yeah, the Red Sox are my dream team. Celtic Woman too. I’ve been waiting for the day when the Red Sox have a Kelly on the team. That way I can get a Red Sox jersey with Kelly across the back. How sweet it is, lucky too.

Yeah, it’s fun being a fan. Of course I would be disappointed if Lisa had some other favorite baseball team. Devastated if she  was a NY Yankees fan. That just couldn’t be, could it?

She probably cares less about baseball. But, you never know. Someone should ask her. I’m sure she would answer very carefully. She’d probably start by saying, “Oh yeah, well, I’ve always loved New York…” Maybe we shouldn’t ask her. Wouldn’t want to put her on the spot.

On to the other Kelly. You see how this is all connected? There was an article back in February (posted below) about her and some other die hard fans who went out in the morning snow and cold simply to watch the truck that was to haul the Red Sox baseball gear to Florida for spring training.
 
There’s something important about the words and enthusiasm of this super fan of the Red Sox, Kelly O’Conner:

"Why the heck not?" replied Red Sox super fan Kelly O'Connor of Arlington, Mass., when asked why she came out with her camera on a chilly morning. "Have a nice day, stand here in the cold and look at palm trees on the truck and think, 'I can't wait till this starts, I can't wait till this starts.'"
O'Connor, who is an avid photographer, brought her mascot, "Steve the Ferret," to pose with the truck.

"We're lucky enough to be able to do it, we're lucky enough to be in a city where people are this passionate and a little bit crazy," O'Connor added.


You know, Kelly O’Conner could just as well been any one of us taking a picture of the CW bus as it was leaving a venue and saying I can’t wait till  the next tour starts. We are so lucky someone had the wisdom to assemble this team of wonderful girls and a place like we have here where we are this passionate and can express our enthusiasm.

I suppose we can be a little bit crazy too. But who cares, we’re fans – of the best team on the planet.
I can’t wait till this starts.

Lester


Sox's truck heads to camp
02/09/2008 11:35 AM ET
By Mike Petraglia / MLB.com

BOSTON -- With snow still on the ground and a chilling wind blowing through the concourses of Fenway Park on Saturday morning, Red Sox clubhouse workers finished loading the tractor-trailer that will travel some 1,400 miles before reaching a much warmer destination: Spring Training.
Nearly 100 fans turned out on Yawkey Way for the annual rite of sending off the equipment truck on its journey to Fort Myers, Fla., getting a glimpse of the departure that made many feel much warmer on the cold morning.
Just after 10 a.m. ET, the truck left Yawkey Way with a banner reminding everyone with a view that "The Boston Red Sox are heading to Spring Training."
"Why the heck not?" replied Red Sox super fan Kelly O'Connor of Arlington, Mass., when asked why she came out with her camera on a chilly morning. "Have a nice day, stand here in the cold and look at palm trees on the truck and think, 'I can't wait till this starts, I can't wait till this starts.'"
O'Connor, who is an avid photographer, brought her mascot, "Steve the Ferret," to pose with the truck.
"We're lucky enough to be able to do it, we're lucky enough to be in a city where people are this passionate and a little bit crazy," O'Connor added.

This is also the day that Al Hartz of Milford, Mass., becomes one of the most important people in Red Sox Nation. As the driver, he has the responsibility of making sure the vehicle and its precious cargo gets to the club's Spring Training complex on Edison Avenue in one piece.
"I'm going to take very good care of this stuff, I always do," said Hartz, who has fulfilled this duty since 1998 for New England Household, the official movers of the Red Sox.

"The season doesn't start till I show up, or at least the truck shows up, right?" Hartz said with a smile. "First sign of spring, I guess. Baseball starts soon."
For obvious reasons, the banner that adorned the truck at the start is removed once the ceremonial route through the city is completed.
"The banners are gone when I leave Boston," Hartz said. "It's just another moving truck."

When the truck arrives sometime Monday in Fort Myers, there will be more than just bats, balls and baseball equipment in tow.
"All the uniforms, mouthwash, everything for the bathrooms, exercise equipment, lots of luggage," Hartz added. "On the way back, we have all the players' stuff, so we end up with two trucks on the way back."