A Look Back At Dan Roche And Joe Giza's Excellent Adventure In Cleveland In 2007
BOSTON (CBS) - As the Red Sox wrap up their season in Cleveland against the Indians, let's look back on the last time October baseball meant something between the two teams. Let's look back on Dan Roche and Joe Giza's Excellent Adventure during the 2007 ALCS in Cleveland.
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"I Don't Know How They Do It..."
Major League ballplayers. Travel and manage to play the game at the level they do. As I write this Monday morning (October 15th, 2007)....here's my Saturday (Oct 13th, 2007) / Sunday (Oct 14th, 2007) / Monday (Oct 15th, 2007) "sleepless" adventure as best I can recall.
Saturday
2:00pm: Leave house for WBZ TV and Fenway
3-6pm: Go through my usual ritual of attending Terry Francona press conference...talk with players, coaches, Sox personnel about tonight's game.
6pm: Have dinner with Dick Berardino and his lovely bride...as well as producer Joe Giza and Sox radio play-by-play man Joe Castiglione. Joe has dined with me on each of the 4 Sox postseason wins so far and doesn't want to mess with the streak. Since the Sox went on to lose, I'm sure I am no longer welcome at the Castiglione dinner table.
8pm: The game is set to get underway.
8-1:30 AM: Watch a wonderful postseason.."edge of your seat" Sox loss to the Indians in 11 innings. I am amazed the way things work in the game. How strange is it that Trot Nixon is the hero for the Indians?
Sunday
1:30-2am: In Sox clubhouse getting post-game interviews on the loss. As expected, the boys are down about the tough loss, but already set to move on. Jason Varitek is one of the first players to talk. The captain has always been there...win or lose. Sets a great example for kids on how to play the game right. Javier Lopez also right there to talk after giving up the hot to Nixon.
2am: Record stuff with Bob Lobel for the morning news and wbztv.com. Lobie and I are having a good time with the video blog. Check it out of you get a chance.
2:30am: Leave Fenway Park.
***Here's where things start to get a bit foggy.......
3am: Leave WBZ-TV with our Sox producer Joe Giza trailing me.
3:45am: Arrive home. Joe and I wake up my wife...and eventually..kids. Have to give Joe a tour of the house while trying not to wake the kids. Joe also manages to scarf down three brownies and some kind of apple bar during the tour. I shower to prepare for next leg of the trip.
4:15am: Joe wakes up the kids because he's talking too loud with my wife.
4:30am: Joe and I leave for Manchester, NH Airport.
5:10am: Joe and I arrive at the airport...park the car...and head to the terminal. Joe has become a bit loopy...at times fading in and out....in a coherent/not coherent type of manner.
5:20am: Arrive at United Airlines counter and ask/beg for any and all upgrades for our flight. Manage to buy slight upgrades to "Economy Plus" seating. Better sleeping room.
5:40am: Joe has to empty out most of his toiletries at security because he forgot you couldn't bring them on the plane. By the way, is the toughest job in the country right now working at an airport? Stressful. They do a wonderful job.
6am: Order and eventually eat some kind of breakfast sandwich. I have no idea what it was, but it had veggies in it and tasted great. Joe falls asleep as we wait at the gate for our plane. I did a quick blog and have no idea what I wrote.
6:30am: Starting to remember the "all-nighter" days from college. My body...twenty years later...not able to handle it like "in the good old days".
6:40am: Walk by the "smoking room" at the airport. It's like a fish bowl, but with smoke instead of water.
6:45am: Wake up Joe to get on plane.
6:50am: Fade in and out of sleep for next two hours as we fly...
9-something am: Arrive in Chicago. Have a 2-1/2 hour layover til flight to Cleveland.
11am: Order and eat Chicken salad from some place in mall. Hope it goes down and stays down well.
10-11:30am: Read Chicago Tribune Sunday paper. Lots of football, football, football in it. Gets you pumped up about Boston College and the Patriots. By the way, every time you watch Bill Belichick and Tom Brady remember you're watching arguably the top 1-2-or-3 at their job in the history of the National Football League. Just my opinion.
11:35am: Board flight to Cleveland.
1pm: Land in Cleveland....go to rental car shuttle via bus....get to counter...TRYING to get to Red Sox optional workout so we can gather material for "Red Sox This Week" and "Sports Final".
1:30pm: Get car. Car won't start. Battery is dead.
1:35pm: After running back to counter.....get new car.....re-pack...head to Jacobs Field.
2:15pm: Arrive at Jacobs Field.
2:30-3:15pm: Watch workout....impressed that many players showed up since the Sox hadn't arrived at their hotel until 6am.
3:15pm: Beg Dustin Pedroia to do an interview with me. He obliges only because he sees how horrible I look with no sleep. I think he actually felt pity for me. We do the interview and I don't really remember it. Hope that it went well. Meanwhile, I talk John Farrell into doing the same thing. Love Farrell. Should be a great manager soon....maybe as early as next season for the Pirates.
3:45pm: Head outside to our truck.
4:15pm: Start to prepare for our Sunday night shows while watching the Pats-Cowboys game.
4:30pm: Check to make sure producer Joe Giza is still alive...he is...thank God.
6:30pm: Head back to hotel...about a 30 minute drive from downtown Cleveland. Check in....order delivery of salad and meatballs(my all-time favorite meal) from some local place. Devour it while watching Pats game. What a game!!!
7:45pm: Shower, shave
8pm: Head back downtown to ballpark.
8:30-10pm: Put together games one and two recap for RSTW with Joe and our crack photographer/editor William Meservey. William overcomes equipment trouble and does a great job of finishing the piece at 9:55pm.
9:55pm: Again, William finishes piece.
10pm: Do our usual 30 minute "Red Sox This Week" show. Sean McAdam is on with me. He sounds worse than I look from the travel. He makes it through...with his usual great insight.
10:30pm: Finish show....thanking our crew here in Cleveland....William, Joe, Rick Hertzler, Ken Stiles, Terry McNamara, Bryan Foley...
10:30-10:45pm: Bob and I tape our morning blog, etc.....
10:46pm: Try to remember what I just said for the last 45 minutes.
11:50pm: Sports Final begins. Bob and I talk Sox....we show the Pedroia interview....Gordon Edes of the Globe joins us......Bob makes fun of me on the air...I (jokingly) walk off the set....come back on and say "I can't wait for the three games here in Cleveland and hope they're like Game Two".......we wrap up the show.
Monday
12:25am: We are done for the day(s).
12:40am: I'm trying to convince/beg Bob that we don't need to stop to get something to eat for the ride home.
12:45am: I convince Bob we don't have to stop.
12:46am: Try to remember who I am.
12:47am: Leave the ballpark and drive back to the hotel.
1:15am: Arrive back at hotel.
2am(I think): Fall fast asleep.
10am: Wake up...and feel disgusting.
11am: Write this.
Now, please note....I am not too sure of the details. There were many more that I'm sure I will never remember.
I am now completely fine...ready to go to work and cover the rest of the series. Let's hope for some memorable games.
