Two More Wins...

Red Sox Report – Friday and Saturday spelled two more victories for the Red Sox. On Friday, Dice-K got his 16th win with an 8-0 shutout of the White Sox. Dustin Pedroia had 4 hit from the cleanup slot and Jason Bay knocked in 3 runs with a clutch double.

On Saturday, the sox handed the ball to triple-A prospect Michael Bowden. Though he wasn’t spectacular in his first start. He did keep the White Sox hitters off balance in his five-inning stint. Once again it was Dustin Pedroia leading the attack with 4 more hits. Here’s a guy who has been told all his life that he’s too small, he’s not strong enough, he’ll never get to that next level. But all he does is keep proving people wrong. The man leads the league in batting average, multiple hit games and hits. He also leads the league in runs scored, tied for 2nd with 44 doubles, and ranks in the top 20 for both on base percentage and slugging percentage. If that’s not enough, he’s also an outstanding defensive player with a gritty, never give up attitude. He’s the poster boy for the old time throwback player and he just simply gets the job accomplished. One word, MVP!

Nice Little Knife

Check out this handy little Kobalt box knife we came across the other day. I can see a multitude of uses for this tool as time goes on and I’m sure who ever lost it is probably not too happy. Did I say I liked the color?

Money Update – The past couple of days yielded another 1.95 for the pot. Friday contributed a 93-cent effort and then on Saturday we followed it up with a 1.02. No real interesting coin finds to speak of but we keep hoping.

Bottle Talk – I know I haven’t been talking about the bottle and can arena in a while; however, we’ve been scooping them up by the bag full. It has been, and continues to be the top money earner in each fiscal year. In 2007 that was roughly 1,200 dollars.

Over and Out!

Money Totals for 2008 - 183.69
Money Totals since Jan. 2005 - 704.42

Escape From New York…

Red Sox Roundup – While a series sweep for the Sox was oh so close, as a fan or a player you have to be satisfied with the outcome of the series, and the for that matter the road trip as a whole. Our beloved team managed to win all three series and return to Boston with a 6-3 record. Yes, it was tough loss in the final game of the Yankees series, but Boston will now enjoy 20 of the last 29 games it plays at home. A place where they are playing a sizzling .704 winning pct and only bested by Tampa Bay’s .720 clip.

As for the competition, Minnesota currently 2 ½ games back, and is in the midst of 14-road swing with 6 games still remaining, and 16 of it’s final 28 on the road. It’s not a cupcake schedule either, running into the likes of Tampa Bay, Chicago and Cleveland, a team that is currently on 10-game winning streak.

The Yankees, who are currently 6 games back of the sox, have a much taller hill to climb. 16 of their final 29 are on the road. For Yankee teams of the past that might have not been a big hurdle, however it’s the strength of schedule that really is the problem for the bombers. For example, tonight they start with Toronto and Roy Halladay, then they’ll also see Brunett as well. After that it’s on the road for 10 games against division leading Tampa Bay and Los Angeles with Detroit and Seattle sprinkled in before coming home to see Tampa Bay and Chicago waiting for them. Even the last six, all on the road will be in the hostile environments of Toronto and Boston. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out those odds, and they are very, very bad.

And finally there’s Tampa Bay. Here’s a team that has overachieved at every turn, has overcome adversity at every corner and has played with guts, desire, and pride of a true champion. Here’s where the water gets murky for the frontrunner though. 17 of it’s final 30 will be on the road. As I noted earlier with the Yanks and Minnesota, both teams are in for some tough sledding. However, Tampa Bay might have the highest hill to climb of all. Not only do they see Boston 6 times, they’ll see New York for 6 games, Minnesota for 4 games, and Toronto for 3. Plus, if the race for the division becomes tight in the last week, Tampa will have to earn it’s first division title on the road as the final 8 games will come against division foe Baltimore and then to Detroit.

It should be interesting.

Money Update – The last couple of days have been a boon to the gang here at “One Coin At A Time. In total we came up with an amazing 4.26 in bills and coin. The highlight of the two endeavors was this dollar bill. It was found on the Mousam Trail, a local urban path that runs several miles through Springvale and Sanford. It must have been covered for a while as it has experienced some deterioration, however, all of the serial number information is intact. We also scored one wheat penny in hoard of coins. It was a 1950 S.

Good Night and Good Hunting!

Money Totals for 2008 - 181.74
Money Totals since Jan. 2005 - 702.47

Tool Time!

Lately we’ve been coming across a good little bounty of hand tools. Pictured here is a snapshot of our most recent finds which include a mini flowered pattern hammer, a stubby Phillips screwdriver and a handy pair of channel locks. Needless to say, we’ve been filling up the toolbox nicely.






Red Sox Report – Stated by many Yankee players as pivotal, the bombers were looking for a sweep, and, at the very worst, taking 2 of 3 in this circle-the-wagons series between the two longtime A.L. East rivals. Well, my friends chock one up for the Red Sox with a 7-3 win. The score, however, doesn’t indicate just how close this game was, or how the Yankees squandered several opportunities to make this game much closer. You need only look at the bombers cleanup hitter, Alex Rodriguez, to get an idea of the lack of clutch hitting in crucial spots that once again contributed to the Yankees downfall. He could hardly take the complete blame though as Andy Pettitte, once the epitome of the word “Big Game Pitcher”, failed to make it through the fifth, giving up 6 earned runs.

From a Red Sox perspective, this series opener win assures them of winning road trip, and more importantly, inches them a game closer to Rays who lost at home to Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays.

Money Talk – The coin gods were generous to us over the past couple of days. Monday, we snagged a total of 16 cents, followed by a 1.22 effort on Tuesday. There were no interesting coins of note, but, like everyone else, we continue add to our little nest egg.

Over and Out!

Money Totals for 2008 - 177.48
Money Totals since Jan. 2005 - 698.21

Two Necklaces....

Checkout this stylish looking necklace we recently found, actually it was the first of two necklaces we found on corresponding days last week. This one, in our opinion, was the sharpest of the two with a combination of smaller pearl and larger ruby beads set against what appears to be a simple metal chain. There is a maker’s mark of a crown near the clasp, but nothing else to suggest that’s it more than your run-of-the-mill jewelry. Nevertheless, it’s a nice find.



Another Series Win – So far, the news has been good for Red Sox fans on this current nine-game road trip. While the Bosox got spanked on Saturday to the tune of 11-0, Sunday was a different story thanks in part to a Coco Crisp game tying homerun. That’s right, you heard me folks, good ole coco game to the rescue with a dinger, and then Jed Lowrie, another guy who has come up big for Boston, capped things off with the game winner in the 11th inning. Needless to say, this was a huge win for the sox, both from a confidence level and from a momentum standpoint. Winning the first two series gives them fuel going into New York for their showdown series, which begins on Tuesday. A Series win against the Yankees and the sox have gone a long way securing a playoff spot. A series sweep would effectively eliminate the Yankees, and a series loss or sweep and things get really interesting, both for the division and the wild card. Time will certainly tell the tale of this story.

Money Report – We had some luck with our coin finding ventures over the weekend. Saturday netted us a total of 44 cents, while Sunday added another 17 cents to the pot. The only coin of interest was a 1944 wheat penny. I guess that’s not too bad, huh?

Good Night and Good Hunting!

Money Totals for 2008 - 176.10
Money Totals since Jan. 2005 - 696.83

O’ Captain, My Captain!

Sox Talk – It appears that someone has woken Jason Varitek from his long season slumber. The captain has become as wide-eyed as a kid in a candy store at the thought of hitting a baseball. So much so that opposing pitchers are starting to take notice. Just ask Shaun Marcum what his take was while dodging bullets from the Red Sox catcher and captain. Varitek when 2-3 with a homerun, his third in as many games while his teammates joined the fun for a convincing 8-4 victory and an impressive 3-1 start on the road. His bat will be vitally important now with the absences of Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew, though neither one is expected to miss a prolonged period of time.

Name Game – okay, this was an item I stumbled across some months ago. It has that telltale spiral or swirl appearance to it but I’m really not sure what it is. The interesting or unique part is that it’s made from 100 percent Popsicle sticks. I suppose it could be used as a basket in its simplest form, but perhaps it’s just for decorative purposes. Nevertheless, it does have that certain eye appeal so I’d be interested on others opinions.

Money Report – We were able to corral a total of 38 cents over the past two days. The first twelve of it coming on Thursday followed up by a 26-cent effort on Friday. There were no coins of interest however, but, like everyone else, it continually adds to our total.

Over and Out!

Money Totals for 2008 - 175.66
Money Totals since Jan. 2005 - 696.39

A Little More Silver…

Money Talk – Well, the last two days have provided us here at One Coin at a Time with a whopping 6.66. Most of the total came from an area car wash with a few coins sprinkled in from other areas. However, the best find came via the local Hannaford’s supermarket where I spotted a dime on the floor. When picking it up it appeared to that silver look to it and sure enough, I was right. It was a 1947, and when showing it to gentleman just in front of me he said, “where did you find that?” I said, “on the floor”. And then he said, “You better buy a Power Ball ticket”, and I said, “I already have”. Unfortunately, my good luck with the lottery did not continue.


Sox Roundup – There was some good news in Red Sox land with regard to the just completed Baltimore series. The sox were able to take two of three on the road. The bad news is that Clay Buchholz was unimpressive once again, and because it, he has been sent down, not to triple-A, where I expected him to go, but to double-A. The question now is, who replaces him? Tim Wakefield is getting close, but is he close enough? Then there is the uncertainty of Josh Beckett, who has been experiencing tingling in two of his fingers on his throwing hand. While Tito Francona has downplayed the whole thing, one has to wonder if Beckett’s health is in order. Certainly this and Buchholz replacement questions will answered in the next few days.

Over and Out!


Money Totals for 2008 - 175.28
Money Totals since Jan. 2005 - 696.01

The Bay State Basher…

Red Sox Talk – Since my last post, the sox have posted a 1 and 2 record with two consecutive losses coming at the hands of Toronto. It seems that old friend Roy Hallady and company have decidedly picked up the pace and I think it’s no coincidence that their surge has come under the watchful eyes of Cito Gaston. Folks, this guy can manage and the Jays will certainly have something to say about who wins the A.L. East, that’s for sure.

Last nights win over the Orioles was the first of a nine game road swing, which will take the sox through Toronto (ugh), and New York. Jason Bay came up big with 2 homeruns and 4 runs batted in, and this is where I get into the discussion about Manny Ramirez. Let me first say that Ramirez is arguably one of the all-time greatest right-handed power hitters in the history of the game. He hits for average and for power. He’s proven time and time again that when the game is on the line and Manny’s at the plate, it’s almost a certainty that he’ll come up big. No doubt, he’ll be a first ballot hall-of-famer.

Now here’s the bad news. Unfortunately, Manny Ramirez became a selfish player somewhere along the way. Here’s a guy that was afforded every luxury by the Boston organization. They put up with his constant Manny being Manny episodes, which included things like showing up for spring training late and several occurrences where lack of hustle reared its ugly head. Then there were the multiple fathom injuries and child-like tantrums that made him seem more like a twelve-year old then a man in his thirties. He’s a guy who never wanted to lead, never played through the bumps and bruises like many of his teammates and rarely played with the heart and motivation of a lion on a game-by-game basis. He shunned the media, and the fans, the ones who truly adored the man and worshiped the ground he walked on. He claimed he couldn’t go anywhere without being bothered though; yet he said he loved the Boston fans.

Yes, this is the real Manny, the one who currently makes 20 million dollars a year and is at the end of an 8-year, 160 million-dollar contract. The same guy who has became obsessed with an organization picking up his option, and when it didn’t happen he took things into his hands. First he pushes down traveling secretary Jack McCormick, a man nearly twice his age because he couldn’t provide him with an unreasonable amount of tickets. Then he cat calls management saying they aren’t being straightforward and were deceiving him? Huh? And finally, as a last defiant stand, he decides his knee is hurting and can’t play; yet he when asked which knee was giving him a problem he couldn’t remember? Oh yeah, this guy’s gone way over the edge.

The finality of it all was that Manny simply gave the Red Sox no choice but to trade him. Even his own teammates when counseled by GM Theo Epstien said he had to go. So, that’s leads me back to Jason Bay. Here’s a guy who is everything that’s Manny’s not. A guy that wants to play every day; he hustles out every ground ball. He’s defensively sound as an outfielder and has a better than average arm along with a fair number of assists. He hits with power, and for a decent average and has already delivered several clutch hits. He’s approachable, he’s sincere, and he’s grateful for the chance to play in a meaningful game every single day. Hell, the guy can even steal you a base. Granted his power numbers may not be Manny’s, but he’s in his prime (29), and is hitting in a lineup loaded with good hitters (unlike Pittsburgh) so he doesn’t need to put up those monster numbers year in year out. The scary thing though is that he just may come close. So I say, so long Manny Ramirez and welcome aboard Jason Bay.

Money Update – Well, the coins have been plentiful lately pulling in a total of 2.77 in coin. Our finds came from the usual places of which I’ve mentioned many times before. We did have one exciting find though, 1943 Liberty Half Dollar! Yes, it’s true, I could hardly believe it myself, but there it was resting in the gravel of popular coin finding spot. I had found several pennies and one nickel at this location before stumbling on the half dollar, but this was by far the best gem of the day.

Good Night and Good Hunting!