"Snap out of it!"

Okay, I've allowed myself one full day to wallow in my post-Red Sox season depression. It's funny, I don't remember feeling this down last year - but that may have been because of the way they exhausted me during the playoffs. Nearly losing to Cleveland, then the epic comebacks against the Rays. Phew.

But this year we're three and done. Swept. In some ways, the playoffs reflected the regular season. I love this team, and loved watching almost every game. But I really wasn't sure we had what we needed to go deep in the playoffs. Certainly, my angst was multiplied by watching that Yankee Juggernaut. They look like a steamroller - and we certainly didn't do well against them in our last few outings. I'm afraid we would have been toast in the ALCS. Now it's up to the Angels to call on whatever emotional vibes they've been using and knock out the Yanks. Still, it would have been nice to go further into the playoffs - or to have at least played all five games of the ALDS.

But you must admit, this decade has been a good one for the Red Sox and its fans. And I like to think we're on a three year cycle. Won in 2004. Swept in ALDS in 2005. No post-season in 2006. Won in 2007. Lost in ALCS in 2008. Lost in ALDS in 2009. Ergo => another World Series Championship in 2010.

In the meantime, one of my favorite recent photos by my pal Kelly:
If I were a catcher and this freight train was approaching, I'd be cowering by the backstop!

When does Spring Training start?

This illustrates how I feel this morning: deflated.... Oh, well, time to heat up the Hot Stove!

Enough Said!

Wally and I agree!

What a game!

First, let me correct an error on the last post. The Red Sox are only playing two in Anaheim. My gut feeling: we split the games out on the West Coast, and come home to Fenway only needing to win 2 out of 3. And winning two in a row at Fenway? Well, how many times have we done that this year?

Meanwhile - what a game in Minneapolis last night!

AP Photo via Yahoo Sports

It had to be one of the most exciting games ever! Although I don't agree with Orlando Cabrera, who called it the best game he'd ever played in. Weren't you there for Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, OCab? I'll chalk that up to heat of the moment. Still, to have them finish tied at the end of the regular season, tied at the end of nine innings, tied until the bottom of the 12th...Wow!

Anyone who says "baseball is boring" should be required to watch that game. Now, let's hope the Twins can ride that momentum train into New York for tonight's game vs. the Yankees. If the Twins could pull out a win tonight....

Time to rest and recharge those batteries

Just a few short days to rest and get ready for the playoffs. The first three games are in Anaheim - which could mean some late nights! GO SOX!

And now game seven

I'm pretty sure this was taken by KellyO

Kelly and I made our first Red Sox road trip in June 2006. We met up in Atlanta for a three game series between the Sox and the Braves, and we were treated to the ML debut of a young pitcher named Jon Lester. The Sox had sent Lester ahead of the team to Atlanta, in the company of their newest acquisition - Josh Beckett. We guessed that the Sox wanted Lester to see how an ace acts, how he preps for a road start, how he handles the life. At the time, we were a little scared for little Lester - we'd heard the stories already about Beckett enjoying la dolce vita in Boston.

Fast forward two years. Lester is now the hot young ace, our go-to guy as Beckett has been convalescing from various stints on the DL. He's learned his lessons well - and survived the many curves he's hit in the road. And tonight, we turn to him to see this season out. To usher us into the World Series.

All the talking heads are saying Lester is "tired." That Papelbon is "too gassed" to play tonight. I've got news for you --- THIS IS IT! IT'S DO OR DIE TONIGHT! You better believe every member of that team is going to leave it all on the field. That they are going to do everything they can to keep playing, to continue on to the final round of the "tournament."

At the risk of tempting the baseball gods, I've got a good feeling....

GO SOX!!!!

Happily back at the Trop

So, the Sox made it back to the Trop for game 6. Back under the catwalks and the crooked dome - under the big top. They may have "Big Lame" James going for them, but we've got Beckett. And at the risk of calling down the jinxes, I've got a really good feeling about Josh tonight. I think he's going to step it up a notch, and rain down pain on the Rays. As Picard would say, "Make it so"

Now I've got a big decision to make. Thursday night, I shut off my computer and watched the game from bed starting in the 6th. Then came the big turnaround. So here's my dilemma: do I do the same tonight? Maybe, I'll play it by ear and see how it's going...then go to that fallback position if necessary. It KILLS me to miss the patter on SG!

Keepin' the Faith...

...although it's not easy. I woke up yesterday morning, resigned. I told myself that it's just not our year. We had a good ride this year - some really fun, exciting, frustrating, heart-breaking, shocking games. I'm glad I got a chance to see these Rays play in person - they are a remarkable team. And they just seem a little more hungry, and certainly more intense, than our guys looked Tuesday night.

But then....

I turn on ESPN2 and hear that Maddon is going to have Scott Kazmir pitch instead. No "Big Game James" to close out the series. Instead, they go with Kaz who has struggled mightily this year.

Damn you, Joe Maddon. You've made me believe and hope again,

GO SOX

Game three - a day game!

Here's an Ortiz WalkOff from July 2006. Just for luck. We need Big Papi!

Rant: TBS=Totally Biased Station

AP Photo

So, the story in ALCS game one was pitching. A low scoring pitcher's duel. Pitching = Good. And the story in Game two will also be pitching. Pitching = Bad. Neither team's ace - Scott Kazmir for the Rays and Josh Beckett for the Sox - could hold a lead for their team, and neither lasted more than five innings. It then became a battle of the bullpens - and we were tied until the bottom of the 11th when a rusty Mike Timlin coughed up three walks (one intentional) and a sac fly to lose it.

I choose to focus on the positive, namely that the bats showed some signs of life. Dustin Pedroia had two homers, and the RS had four total. Jason Bay continues to inspire awe - that man wants a championship ring!

But for me the biggest story was the incredible, horrible reporting by the team on TBS. I have never heard such obvious favoritism on a national broadcast. Their play-by-play was what I would have expected to hear on the home feed for Tampa Bay. I thought Chip Caray was going to dance a Papelbonesque jig every time Tampa got a hit - the excitement and raised pitch of his voice was nauseating.

Yes, I realize that the Rays are a very compelling, dramatic story. I know that TBS is hoping for a competitive, exciting seven game series so that they can make lots of money off the advertisers. Still, the Red Sox are due some respect as defending World Series champs. The media has been filled with stories this week comparing us to the Big Bad Wolf to the Rays' Goldilocks, as Bruce Dern to the Rays' John Wayne in The Cowboys. We are out to rain on their parade, they claim. Big Bad Red Sox Nation must be stopped, must be humbled.

How did we go from Cute Underdogs to the Bad Guys? Perhaps we do act a little arrogant at times, when we claim Boston as the center of the sports universe:
(Actually, THEY chose Boston as the best city, but..)

But we spent many years building up to this point. Couldn't we have just one year of respect, of people kissing OUR butts instead of Tampa's. You know that deep in their hearts, the media wants the Red Sox in the Series - the potential ratings on a TB-Phillies match-up is keeping many Fox executives awake at night, I'm sure.

The thing that bothers me most is that the way they spoke last night is typical of a recent trend in America, a trend that is manifesting itself in the political race this year. Instead of building up one side, showing how good they are, we are instead given to a stream of negatives, tearing down the other side in the most viscous manner possible. The GOP isn't giving us reasons to vote FOR Grandpa McCain, they keep giving us reasons NOT to vote for Obama. Instead of focusing on issues - like the economy - they try to distract us with talk about Obama's next door neighbor.

So, instead of further bitching about TBS (as in These Broadcasters Suck), I am going positive. To forget about last night, I went searching thru the DVR and found the 2007 World Series Ring Ceremony. What an incredible day that was back in April - sunny, crisp, the air tinged with nostalgia and the satisfaction that a World Championship brings. Who can forget Big Papi showing off his rings and hugging Johnny Pesky?

Good times. And I refuse to believe that a season that started with the incredible scene of Bill Buckner throwing out the first pitch to Dwight Evans,
a home season that began with Johnny Pesky saying "Play Ball" and that ended with his number 6 being retired - I refuse to believe that a season like that will end in our defeat by the Tampa Bay Manta Rays. That kind of kharma can only result in another appearance in the World Championship.

One down....

Well, Daisuke got it done for us in a big way! After loading the bases on three walks in the first, we carried a no-hitter into the 7th (thanks, Chip Carey for jinxing that one for us). As usual, it wasn't a stress-free outing - I was on the edge of my seat most of the way. Still, Daisuke and the bullpen got it done, and the Red Sox won 2-0.

I had hoped we could split these first two in Tampa, and the game I most doubted was last night's. I now realize how big that game one victory was. It pretty much takes home field advantage away from the Rays, and sets us up well for the rest of the series. I don't want to be greedy, but taking game two tonight would put us at a huge advantage. And it doesn't hurt that we've got "Commander Kick-Ass" on the mound for us.....



Yes, time for Josh Beckett to retake his rightful place as leader of the free world - er, as Ace of the Staff!

Go Sox

Pix!

Pimping here! My buddy Kelly has some fantastic pictures of the RS victory and celebration Monday night. Have I mentioned before that I am in awe of her talent, her camera, and her accessibility to Fenway? Or maybe I should admit that I am insanely jealous!

Pedroia looks like a rag doll here!

Love Wally greeting all the RS kids - here he's found a friend in JD Drew's son.

The Puppet!

Posted by "ragecage" over on SoSH - this is all kinds of awesome!!

I will be sound asleep by 8:30 pm!

Red Sox Enemy #1

Photo from mlb.com

Okay, Red Sox, listen up. You see this guy? It's Mike Napoli. He must be stopped. He's trying to set himself up as some sort of Red Sox killer - and two homers last night are probably making him feel like he's accomplishing this. So, in tonight's game, let's show how we get it done in Fenway. Shut him down.

Oh, and meanwhile, how about a little productive offense? We don't want another jaunt to the left coast after tonight's game. We want those Angels to droop on over to Logan and aviate off into the sunset.

Get 'er done!

Hopefully, not Deja Vu

As I mentioned, my three games at Fenway this summer were a series with the LA Angels. Unfortunately, they swept all three games. Bummer. We lost the third game 9-2, and the same two pitchers are facing each other again tonight: Josh "The Commander" Beckett and Joe Sanders. Beckett just didn't have it that day. Sanders did.
But, Josh is notorious as a Big Game Pitcher. After a little time on the bench with a strained oblique, watching his teammate decisively win games one and two of this series, I suspect Josh can smell the blood in the water. He's got a chance to clinch the first round of the playoffs for the Sox tonight. I think he's up to the task!

Photo by Barry Chin

GO SOX!

Two down, one to go

Boston Globe photo by Jim Davis

Wow! What an incredible game last night - and here are the three heroes! The Sox blasted out to an early lead (thanks to Jason Bay's three-run homer in the 1st inning, pictured above). Then, the Angels slowly whittled away at that lead, scoring single runs in the 1st, 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th. Suddenly it was 5-5 ( A side note: I must admit, I fell asleep for the 5-8th innings - awoke in time to see Paps record the 3rd out of the 8th. Hey, it was a late start!) Things looked grim. But - these Sox never give up. Papi lead off the 9th with a double; Crisp replaced him on the basepaths; and then JD Drew (on the left, above) connected for a two run homer to center. WOOT! It's now 7-5. Papelbon finished them off in the bottom of the 9th - which included a spectacular catch by Youkilis (in center).

And suddenly, we're up 2-0 in the Division Series. So, too, are the Rays - we can only hope that the White Sox can rally and at least make the Rays work for another victory.

Meanwhile, tomorrow is game 3 for us - and we're back home in Fenway Park. I'm afraid to jinx anything, but I find it hard to believe we can win at least one of the next two. Of course (gamedropping), the only three games I saw at Fenway this year were three losses to - ahem - the LA Angels. Still....here's hoping.

An interesting twist. The Sox have beaten the Angels in three straight post-season series. In1986, the Sox defeated the California Angels. In 2003, we beat the Anaheim Angels. In 2007, we beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Maybe they need to take a page from the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays' playbook and rename themselves yet again?!

Without a Trace: MLB edition

On tonight's episode: Jack (Anthony LaPaglia) and his team go searching for the California Angels. They were last seen playing competitively in early September, but now the team and its manager (Mike Scioscia) seem to have gone missing. Can Jack find them before it's too late? Forces surrounding them hope not....

But seriously, were these guys separated at birth or what?

Last night's victory was huge. I had a good feeling about Lester all day - just knew he had the moxie to step up and help us get that victory. And the return of JD Drew and Mike Lowell to the lineup (even though they didn't contribute any offense) was a huge morale booster.

Between Lester and a two-run homer by the "new guy" (Jason Bay), the Red Sox were able to continue their streak of ten post-season victories over the Angels. But this series is far from over. Although I think going back to Boston with two wins would be incredible - back to Fenway where we are so hard to beat - I suspect the Angels will be really turning it on Friday night. With Matsuzaka on the mound, it's time to stock up on adult beverages and Maalox.

Angels' roster

Per Boston.com, here's the 25 man roster Scioscia is going with:

Pitchers (10): John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, Jon Garland, Jered Weaver, Francisco Rodriguez, Scot Shields, Darren Oliver, Jose Arredondo, Kevin Jepsen.

Positional players (15): Erick Aybar, Brandon Wood, Jeff Mathis, Chone Figgins, Garret Anderson, Kendry Morales, Juan Rivera, Gary Mathews Jr., Mark Teixeira, Vladimir Guerrero, Robb Quinlan, Mike Napoli, Howie Kendrick, Torii Hunter, Reggie Willits.

Playoff schedule

From the Globe: here's the schedule for the playoffs:

• Game 1: Wed., Oct. 1 @ Anaheim, TBS
• Game 2: Fri., Oct. 3 @ Anaheim, TBS
• Game 3: Sun, Oct. 5 @ Boston, TBS
• Game 4: Mon., Oct. 6 @ Boston*, TBS
• Game 5: Wed., Oct. 8 @ Anaheim*, TBS

Let's blame it on the rain

So, the Sox lost a much delayed game last night, beaten by the meaningless Yankees 19-8. The rain caused the game to start late, and resulted in another delay mid-game. The Sox loss means the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays are champions of the AL East - and means we will now play the Angels in the Division Championship series.

But let's not dwell. Instead, let's enjoy Jonathan Papelbon and Manny DelCarmen channeling their inner Milli Vanillis:


And one point to consider: the last time the Sox lost 19-8 to the Yankees? Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS. After that loss, the team went undefeated in the post-season, and won the World Series. Just saying....