George of the Real Estate Jungle

A Slim Difference

The Yankees and Red Sox are tied for first place, separated by a mere .006.  At the end of the day today, however, one of the two will stand alone at the top of the AL East. 

On May 11th that's a pretty meaningless distinction with so many games remaining.  Nonetheless, this single game in a season of 162 is important because the goal of all teams is to take every series.  It is the uniqueness of baseball.  Each series represents a challenge and an opportunity towards the attainment of the ultimate goal to win the World Series.

By the time the last out is recorded tonight, you can expect the success (or failure) of six players to play key roles.  They  are Shawn Chacon, Johnny Damon, David Ortiz, Jon Papelbon, Mariano Rivera, and Tim Wakefield.  Overall, Ortiz and his teammates have had the best of Rivera in recent times so it will likely come down to that again.  The Yankees can avoid that situation if they get a great pitching performace from Chacon, and Damon does better than the 1 for 11 he has posted thus far in the series.  Papelbon and Rivera both pitched in the ninth inning because they needed the work.  Tonight they will likely enter the game in meaningful situations with the winner of the three game series on the line.

Perseverance

"In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins...not through strength but by perseverance."

H. Jackson Brown

A Long Season

Wow!  Josh Beckett was terrific and Randy Johnson was awful...and that's the beauty of baseball. 

Over a 162-game season it all balances out.  Teams are rarely as good as they appear when they are hot...and never as bad as they look when things go bad. 

By winning the first game of the three-games series the Boston Red Sox have taken the most important game of a short series.  Tonight they have Curt Schilling attempting to win the second game of the series, and he has been impressive this season.  The Yankees have Mike Mussina on the mound as they attempt to overcome their 14-3 shellacking on Tuesday night.  Both pitchers are 5-1 on the young season and are critical to the success of their teams. 

Baseball, more than any other sport, varies every game because the starting pitcher changes all of the time..  The Red Sox will look to build on the lopsided victory while the Yankees need to forget about it and start fresh against Schilling. 

Professional athletes are paid to perform.  Tonight, we will see which ones are better suited to their respective tasks.  Will the short-term confidence of the Red Sox outperform the determination of the Yankees?  Does the giddiness of soundly beating the Yankees on their home field outweigh the desire of the Yankees to play solid, fundamental baseball? 

Round Two of Yankees - Red Sox in '06

Barring rainouts in New York, the three game series at Yankee Stadium between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will leave one of the two teams atop the American League East come Friday morning.  Aside from bragging rights by the fans and continued momentum by the team that wins two out of three this week, it’s way to early to make a big deal of the outcome.  While the games in mid-May count on the record, they are of limited importance when compared with a game played on September 15^th.

Nonetheless, the three games have great pitching match-ups and are worth watching.  Game 1 features Josh Beckett versus Randy Johnson, Game 2 pits Curt Schilling against Mike Mussina, and the series finale has Tim Wakefield opposing Shawn Chacon.

I believe that the two teams will split the first two games with the edge going to the Yankees tonight.  Josh Beckett is a superb pitcher but his night and road ERA’s are 7.04 and 7.00, respectively.  Johnson’s night ERA is slightly higher than overall but he has pitched better in Yankee Stadium than on the road.  He needs a good game against Boston and I feel he will deliver.

Mussina and Schilling in the second game is a toss-up but a close game favors the Red Sox is expected.  Mussina has been great this season and his 1.50 ERA in the Bronx is hard to argue against.  However, at this stage of the season the Yankees have no answer for David Ortiz late in the game, and Jon Papelbon has emerged as a magnificent closer.  He will take another step towards stardom on Wednesday night.

The series will come down to Thursday night with Chacon and Wakefield.  Wakefield’s ERA hasn’t changed much since the return of Doug Mirabelli but he is 2-0 since the Red Sox re-acquired his favorite catcher.  The difference is that he has allowed no unearned runs after giving up five in his first five games.  Chacon has learned the art of being tough in the clutch and against the middle of the Boston line-up he will face plenty of challenges.  This game will likely come down to the eighth or ninth inning and whether the Yankees can keep Ortiz at bay and figure out how to beat Papelbon.  If they expect to be able to do it in September or October, they had better begin to get a clue about it now in May.  On the other hand, Red Sox Nation wants to see Johnny Damon rue the day he left to become a Yankee. The winner of this series will be decided in the third game and the outcome hinges on the performances of Big Papi and Papelbon, this year's most effective closer thus far.

Character...

"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one." 

                                                                              James A. Froude
                                                                                        English historian (1818 - 1894)

Baseball Fanatics Renew Rivalry in 2006

The greatest sports rivalry ever is that of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, and Vermonters are passionate about both teams.  The southern part of the state, bordering Massachusetts and in close proximity to the New Hampshire suburban  communities of Boston is predominantly in the camp of Red Sox Nation.  As you go further north in the vicinity of Burlington, the percentage of Yankees fans increases, as does the intensity of partisanship.

The recent success of the Boston Red Sox is producing a new generation of Red Sox fans, less skeptical and more confident.  They are unencumbered by the memory of Bill Buckner and far too young to remember Bucky Dent.

The group that is replacing “Curse of the Bambino” buddies has been nurtured by Curt Schilling’s bloody sock, Pedro Martinez’s knockdown of Don Zimmer, and the prodigious power and clutch hitting of David Ortiz.  They understand the challenges facing the team but, like Jon Papelbon, they are confident of their ability to succeed.

With twenty-six World Series Championships, Yankees fans are accustomed to success.  In spite of ups and downs during the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, fans of the Bronx Bombers have always been believers.  They’re concerned about the inability of the team to finish things off in recent years but love the team that has been led by Joe Torre, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, and Mariano Rivera with players like Paul O’Neill, Scott Brosius, and Tino Martinez providing consistent leadership and production.

The 2006 versions of the Yankees and Red Sox retain much of their respective nuclei that produced the historic 2004 American League Championship Series.  Yet both teams are also substantially different. 

Gone from Boston are Kevin Millar, Bill Mueller, Pedro Martinez, Bronson Arroyo, and Johnny Damon.  But the players who replaced them have considerable talent and are capable of winning the American League East.  If Manny Ramirez can be kept happy they will have another great year.

The Yankees are…well…they are the Yankees.  The owner and front office will always find a way to put talented players on the field.  For them to succeed they need to avoid the tendency to veer too far from the formula that produced World Series Championship with homegrown talent like Andy Pettitte and the aforementioned Jeter, Williams, and Rivera.

Tuesday night's rainout of the second game of the early season two-game series in Boston conveniently preserved one more nail-biter for later in the season.

Set the Stage for Success

Over the past year the Burlington, Vermont area real estate market has changed in this way;  sales in the market remain relatively brisk, but the inventory has increased and marketing times are longer.  As a result, it's more important for sellers to spend extra time getting the home (or condo) in best showing condition.

Here are six key points:

1. Focus on curb appeal.  Provide a good first impression as prospective purchasers approach your property
2. Clear out the clutter.  Get rid an anything you don't need or use.
3. Keep the inside smelling fresh eliminating odors in areas that are prone to create them, and using flowers, potpourri or air fresheners
4. Make all necessary repairs of little things that can be annoying to buyers including replacement of burned-out light bulbs
5. Live Large.  Set the table with your best dishes, decorate the spare room, be creative and imaginative in the Social Zones of the house
6. Look at your home in ways you've never seen it before.  Pretend that you are visiting a new city and a new home...like many of your buyers will be doing.

If you've found something that worked for you while selling your property, please share it with others by posting a response, or dropping me an e-mail at realestate@georgegamache.com

My Inaugural Blog

"Hi, I'm Birdie, a 7 year old Shar Pei that George and his wife, Beth, recenty adopted.  On one of our morning walks I convinced George that his job was to "take the wrinkles out of real estate".

With the inaugural run of George of The Real Estate Jungle, I just wanted to say "Hello" to everyone who has ever bought or sold real estate, owned a dog, listened to great and not-so-great music, coached youth sports, developed a passionate interest in a sports team (especially baseball) or simply wanted to do something nice for people.

Those areas are just a few of the ideas I hope to discuss on this blog in the future.  Together, we can make things happen in many areas of business and life.

My job is to list and sell homes BUT my place in this world is diverse... so let's start a dialogue.

Have a great day!

George Gamache