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19 April, BOS @ PIT, 8-1, win

Wasn’t that delightful? We had pitching, we had bats, we still had an error to remind us it’s still the 2024 Red Sox… but we kicked off this road trip in the sort of style that makes me think maybe my “clean slate” chat after the Guardians series wasn’t just optimistic bullshit after all. I’m fond of Pittsburgh. The Pirates is a cool name for a baseball team. But I’m glad we beat them and hope we beat them again. So let’s look at all those bright sides.

Brayan Bello continued to do good things. He went six innings, struck out seven, allowed only one hit and walked two. That brought Red Sox starters ERA down to 1.72 and yes that is still the best in the majors.

Cam Booser might’ve given up a run in the ninth but he also struck out Cutch and made his major league debut at 31, which is wild. You should read about him here.

The lineup looked good. Only Jarred Duran failed to get a hit but he was probably tired from riding sand worms. Tristan Casas, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Rob Refsynder (welcome back, Rob!) all hit dingers.

Abreu had a bit of a night indeed, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a RBI from that dinger.

Rafaela had that dinger and stole a base. He also made an error, which is sad. But it didn’t lead to any unearned runs. Which is happy. Or lucky. Or both.

Bobby Dalbec got a hit! Finally! I’m so happy for him. Hopefully he’ll get more because we need him to be good.

Enmanuel Valdez had a two-run two out RBI. That’s nice.

Yoshida had a hit and scored a run. He’s been struggling so that’s nice too.

Chase Anderson pitched two and threw up zeroes, striking out two.

We won and we’re back over .500!

Let’s do it again tonight!

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The moon in waxing crescent and Mars through cloud tonight. Way to go, sky and space. #moon #mars https://www.instagram.com/p/CqMFXTTNbCT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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From this morning’s run. #keywest #running #nofilter #latergram (at Key West, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpK1JsNrSMU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Quietly chuffed and surprised this came out as well as it did. Taken with my phone shortly before dinner. The moon, Venus and Jupiter (from bottom to top). #keywest #moon #planets #astronomy #nofilter #latergram (at Key West, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co9_zxIraZv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Taken with the new big camera at the Chiswick Eyot on a foggy winter morning at low tide. No filters. Just a bit of cropping. Not black and white. Just the world being sort of greyscale. Twenty minutes later there was glorious sunshine. #river #london #winter #fog #latergram (at Chiswick Mall) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoYCC2ot_FR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Continuing incredibly important independent research. Rum casks are weird. Springbank, through Cadenheads, have access to casks from the greatest rum distilleries in the world. Both the Springbank and the Longrow are great. The peat on the Longrow is a bit unusual. It comes across as mossy highland rather than iodine Islay or heather Orkney. The Springbank has no smoke, which it probably should do. Plenty of funk, but no smoke. Both are a touch raw on the palate though: like American oak on young red wines. Perhaps it’s grabby rather than grippy? Both brilliant, and of a cloth, but lacking a subtlety expected of the distillery. The Bunnahabhain is disjointed in that the wood and spirit seem somewhat more separate, less integrated, but with higher tones, less obvious wood grain on the tongue. Bizarre how the Campbeltown pair are more integrated in one sense, complete in terms of wood and spirit, but that completeness is not a gentle thing. The Bunnahabhain is unsettled, unsure, but a gentler dram in some ways. Rum casks are divisive when it comes to whisky. Personally, aside from select individual casks, I think they, as a whole, work better as part of a bigger vatting. #whisky #singlemalt #scotch #islay #campbeltown #rumcask https://www.instagram.com/p/CoQxhndNp02/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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I’ve been taking part in extensive independent research of late, tasting and drinking whiskies of different ages but very similar cask regimes. The first, the two PX Springbanks, were interesting as the one on the left was very much the first iteration of the one on the right. On the palate they were as close as two different drams could be right up until the mid-finish, where the 10yo expressed an orange flower perfume and complexity the 8yo lacked. The two Madeiras were so different. The Ardnamurchan a fun, forward, fleshy joy of a dram, cut from a Malmsey or Boal cloth. Immediately appealing. The Springbank was showing better than when I opened it over two years ago. Dry and spiced nose and a palate so integrated and complex, it changes a bit with every sip. Sercial-y to say the least. The final two showed off their inherent distillery characters far more than the benefits of Marsala ageing. Both delicious, the Port Charlotte was like drinking a toffee-soaked bonfire and demanded a bit of water for balance. The Bunnahabhain is more vinous, high-toned and with a more perfumed peaty-ness. It harkens back to an older style of whisky from them and I love it for that. No real surprises. The young’uns were feisty, fiery and fun. The older bottlings showed a bit more poise. I still think PX is somewhat overrated for whisky finishes in general and Marsala is perhaps underrated. I’m also more and more curious as to where they’re finding excess Madeira to season casks with… it’s not as though there’s oceans of the stuff. #whisky #singlemalt #caskstrength #islay #campbeltown #coastalmalt https://www.instagram.com/p/CoNOQGoN4jW/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Winter being winter. #frost #winter #latergram https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnl64ZptvsZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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I’m struggling to write at the moment. New stuff, rewrites, blog posts… squeezing out a sentence feels Sisyphean. So I’m doing other things. I took down the tree. Pedey loved the tree. Before I took it down I grabbed my new big camera and took a few shots of Pedey enjoying the bright shelter the tree offered. It’s weird how much Pedey loving the tree made me love it a little bit more as well. #cat #christmascat #latergram https://www.instagram.com/p/CnHxzs9NhgF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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My dad used to call the stretch after new years through to spring “the dark ages”. The holiday lights taken down, the days taking their sweet, snail’s pace-time to lengthen, the darkness and dreich weather get stickier. They cling to you. It makes everything more of an effort. Getting up in the dark. Losing the daylight and the brief glimpse of molten sun on the off chance the weather clears. It gets to you. You’re sick, or just getting over being sick, or just coming down with something. There’s so little light you need to make your own. That little light you make might be a delicious glass of wine on a school night, some delicious cheese, rereading a favourite book or watching a movie snug under a duvet whilst eating pizza in bed. Don’t feel guilty about those little lights. Don’t pop them in some ledger and think you have to make up for them later. Embrace those little lights. Let them brighten the dark ages until the days get a little longer. #wine https://www.instagram.com/p/CnA5I9Oot9F/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Hiya, pal. #cat #catsofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl4mS2Ct4HF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Photo memories reminding me today of my first ever crossing to Islay in July 2009. Taken with the old big camera. One of Jura’s paps obscured by cloud, its blasted scree slopes foreboding and inviting all at once. Last week’s trip to Scotland was all too short. But the warmth of seeing old friends and the sharing of good wine made up for the brevity. #scotland #travel #isleofjura #latergram https://www.instagram.com/p/ClwPjZwN1EO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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From yesterday’s train. #scotland #firthofforth #fife #latergram https://www.instagram.com/p/Cln0o79tJ6B/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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From yesterday’s train. #scotland #firthofforth #fife #latergram https://www.instagram.com/p/ClkOEkzIjwk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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I heard a rumour that this cat owns all the canals in London. I believe it. #catsofinstagram #london #canal https://www.instagram.com/p/ClgirbxNOF6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Welcome to the world, little company. @gusgluck and myself have joined forces to import amazing wines, source rare bottles, host incredible tastings, design remarkable cellars (contents-wise, not, like, architecturally) and bring you all a little bit closer to the folks you make the wines you drink. Ridiculously lucky to work with Gus, as he is one of the very best people I’ve ever seen at his job. He’s also younger and more energetic than me which helps because I’m a knackered grumpy old man. Hit us up at gbwineshippers.co.uk. Drop us a line at info at gbwineshippers dot co dot uk. #wine #wineimporters (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_p2f_gJ1Zc/?igshid=1vf81bfo0vift