Saturday, October 23, 2004
GAME 1 TONIGHT
Williams vs. Wakefield. Mirabelli starting at catcher in his first postseason game of 2004. Wakefield in his first ever World Series. Will his knuckle ball baffle the Cardinals and can the Sox get to Williams. Hopefully any celebrations won't be marred by idiots trying to climb the Green Monster or start fights.
Williams vs. Wakefield. Mirabelli starting at catcher in his first postseason game of 2004. Wakefield in his first ever World Series. Will his knuckle ball baffle the Cardinals and can the Sox get to Williams. Hopefully any celebrations won't be marred by idiots trying to climb the Green Monster or start fights.
WELL-SCRIPTED PART IV
History seemed to be repeating itself. Another Game 7 in the Bronx. The Yankees tried inducing the so-called ghosts of the Stadium by having Bucky F. Dent throw out the first pitch. Further adding to superstitious New Englanders fears was that Game 7 would be played on #7 Mickey Mantle's birthday. The Red Sox were depending on the man who, in his mind, had been screwed by the team twice. First he was not in the starting rotation for the playoffs, second, in his opinion, he was pulled early from Game 4. Lowe threw 88 pitches on Sunday and was coming back two days later to start the biggest game of the series. He was going against Kevin Brown, the high priced acquisition with a temper. The Red Sox got to Brown early. Damon led off the game with a single, something he hadn't done too much all series. Brown was distracted by Damon and Johnny eventually stole second. Bellhorn struck out. Brown was still distracted by Damon. Ramirez hit a single into left. Damon reached third and was waved home by the much maligned Dale Svuem. The Yankees threw Damon out 7-6-2. For a moment, momentum was once again back with New York. David Ortiz stepped in with one on and two outs. The first pitch he saw was crushed to right field. 2-0 Red Sox.
Lowe took the mound and after 13 pitches he had retired Jeter, Rodriguez, and Sheffield. A combined $53,000,000 in superstars were unable to respond to the Ortiz homerun. It would be a long day for the New York Yankees hitters.
Trot Nixon grounded out to begin the 2nd for Boston. Millar singled and Mueller walked. Orlando Cabrera once again got on base with a walk to load them for Johnny Damon. Damon was having a terrible series, 3 for 22 at that point. He hadn't hit a homerun in the entire postseason. Torre pulled the $15,000,000 Kevin Brown and replaced him with Javier Vazquez, who got paid $9,000,000 last season. The first pitch Vazquez threw was hit by Johnny Damon to right field and over the wall for a grand slam.
Damon, the unlikeliest of heros had given the Red Sox a 6-0 lead. Bellhorn walked, then Ramirez and Ortiz were retired. The Yankees answer in the bottom of the second was three groundouts and a walk. In the third the Sox failed to score and were held hitless. The Yankees had their biggest threat off Lowe in the 3rd. Miguel Cairo was barely hit, if at all, by a pitch. He then stole second. Derek Jeter hit a weak ground ball to the left side of the infield that found a hole. Cairo scored. Lowe then induced a pair of groundouts. The score was 6-1. Cabrera once again walked to lead off the 4th. Damon homered again to set an LCS record with 6 RBIs in a game.
Bellhorn walked again and Ramirez was retired. Vazquez was pulled for Loiaza. Esteban was relatively cheap at only $4M, but the Yankees were still paying much of Jose Contreras' generous $8M contract while he played for Chicago. The Red Sox continued their threat with an Ortiz walk and an infield single by Varitek. The bases were loaded but Nixon struck out and Millar grounded out. The score was 8-1. Lowe only needed 11 pitches in the bottom of the 4th to retire Matsui, Williams, and Posada ($28,357,000 combined). The Red Sox once again threatened in the 5th thanks to a throwing error by Loaiza. They did not score, though. Lowe only needed 10 pitches to retire the Yankees in order in the bottom of the inning. The Red Sox went in order in the 6th, as did the Yankees. Derek Lowe's day was done. On 2 days rest he had thrown a 6 inning, 1 run, 1 hit, 1 walk performance. He got 3 strikeouts and induced 12 groundouts. The single he allowed was a grounder and he only allowed 3 fly ball outs. In what might have been his last start for Boston, he made quite an impression.
The Red Sox had a pair of singles in the 7th but a Damon double play ended the inning. With Lowe unable to go more than 6, and wanting to save Timlin and Embree for the final innings of the game, Francona went to the best pitcher he had in the bullpen. Pedro Martinez. Pedro and the Yankees are hated enemies. The Yankees seem to be able to get to Pedro more than any other team. The Yankees aren't Pedro's Daddy, but they may be his older brother.
Pedro, at first, did not look sharp. Matsui and Williams hit back-to-back doubles. It was 8-2. Posada grounded out which moved Bernie to third. Lofton singled. 8-3. Lofton stole third. Pedro then reared back and all of a sudden became the pitcher he was in 1999. Knowing that all he had to do was pitch one inning, he let it fly and struck out Olerud who pinch hit for Clark. He then got Cairo to fly out. Some people may have realised that Pedro finally finished the 7th inning he started more than a year ago in Game 7. The Yankees seemed to be chipping away as they had done in last year's game 7 when they were down by 5. Loaiza's performance was reminiscent of Mike Mussina's last year which kept the Red Sox from extending their lead. The Red Sox didn't have Mark Bellhorn last year though. The switch hitter hit a solo shot to lead off the 8th.
The Damon homer and now the Bellhorn homer had kept the Red Sox lead comfortable. Without this insurance the score would have been 6-3. Instead, the Sox had a 6 run lead at 9-3. Gordon, who had releived Loaiza, then retired the side. Mike Timlin came into the game for the Sox and retired the side in the 8th. Orlando Cabrera added a run to the lead in the 9th with a sacrifice fly. Timlin remained to pitch the bottom of the 9th. Matsui led off with a single. Williams grounded into a fielder's choice, eliminating Matsui at second. Posada popped up on 1 pitch. Williams took second on defensive indifference. The Red Sox were a single out from beating the Yankees and advancing to the World Series. The Red Sox had never eliminated the Yankees in any way before this moment. Kenny Lofton walked on 4 pitches. Francona took out Timlin and sent Embree to face the lefty Olerud. This move was countered by Torre who used Sierra to pinch hit. Embree's first delivery was a ball low. His next was a slow roller hit weakly to second. Pokey Reese had come in as a defensive replacement as had Doug Mientkiewicz. Reese threw to Doug and the game was over. 10-3 Red Sox.
The Sox had done it thanks to a man who was taken off the rotation and a man who wasn't even hitting .100 coming into this game. The Red Sox had beaten New York. Last year the Yankees crushed our dreams with a walkoff HR in the 11th inning of game 7. In 1999 they dominated us 4 out of 5 games to advance to and win the World Series. In 1978 Bucky F. Dent crushed the hopes of Boston. The Red Sox had finally crushed the dreams of Yankee fans.
Derek Jeter, who makes $18,600,000 went 1 for 4 in game 7 with a weak basehit. In the series he made 2 errors and hit an unimpressive .200 for the series.
Rodriguez and Sheffield, the two major acquisitions for New York combined for 0 for 8.
Brown, Vazquez and Gordon, three major pitching acquisitions, allowed all 10 of the game 7 earned runs.
The New York Yankees dominance over the Boston Red Sox was over.
History seemed to be repeating itself. Another Game 7 in the Bronx. The Yankees tried inducing the so-called ghosts of the Stadium by having Bucky F. Dent throw out the first pitch. Further adding to superstitious New Englanders fears was that Game 7 would be played on #7 Mickey Mantle's birthday. The Red Sox were depending on the man who, in his mind, had been screwed by the team twice. First he was not in the starting rotation for the playoffs, second, in his opinion, he was pulled early from Game 4. Lowe threw 88 pitches on Sunday and was coming back two days later to start the biggest game of the series. He was going against Kevin Brown, the high priced acquisition with a temper. The Red Sox got to Brown early. Damon led off the game with a single, something he hadn't done too much all series. Brown was distracted by Damon and Johnny eventually stole second. Bellhorn struck out. Brown was still distracted by Damon. Ramirez hit a single into left. Damon reached third and was waved home by the much maligned Dale Svuem. The Yankees threw Damon out 7-6-2. For a moment, momentum was once again back with New York. David Ortiz stepped in with one on and two outs. The first pitch he saw was crushed to right field. 2-0 Red Sox.
Lowe took the mound and after 13 pitches he had retired Jeter, Rodriguez, and Sheffield. A combined $53,000,000 in superstars were unable to respond to the Ortiz homerun. It would be a long day for the New York Yankees hitters.
Trot Nixon grounded out to begin the 2nd for Boston. Millar singled and Mueller walked. Orlando Cabrera once again got on base with a walk to load them for Johnny Damon. Damon was having a terrible series, 3 for 22 at that point. He hadn't hit a homerun in the entire postseason. Torre pulled the $15,000,000 Kevin Brown and replaced him with Javier Vazquez, who got paid $9,000,000 last season. The first pitch Vazquez threw was hit by Johnny Damon to right field and over the wall for a grand slam.
Damon, the unlikeliest of heros had given the Red Sox a 6-0 lead. Bellhorn walked, then Ramirez and Ortiz were retired. The Yankees answer in the bottom of the second was three groundouts and a walk. In the third the Sox failed to score and were held hitless. The Yankees had their biggest threat off Lowe in the 3rd. Miguel Cairo was barely hit, if at all, by a pitch. He then stole second. Derek Jeter hit a weak ground ball to the left side of the infield that found a hole. Cairo scored. Lowe then induced a pair of groundouts. The score was 6-1. Cabrera once again walked to lead off the 4th. Damon homered again to set an LCS record with 6 RBIs in a game.
Bellhorn walked again and Ramirez was retired. Vazquez was pulled for Loiaza. Esteban was relatively cheap at only $4M, but the Yankees were still paying much of Jose Contreras' generous $8M contract while he played for Chicago. The Red Sox continued their threat with an Ortiz walk and an infield single by Varitek. The bases were loaded but Nixon struck out and Millar grounded out. The score was 8-1. Lowe only needed 11 pitches in the bottom of the 4th to retire Matsui, Williams, and Posada ($28,357,000 combined). The Red Sox once again threatened in the 5th thanks to a throwing error by Loaiza. They did not score, though. Lowe only needed 10 pitches to retire the Yankees in order in the bottom of the inning. The Red Sox went in order in the 6th, as did the Yankees. Derek Lowe's day was done. On 2 days rest he had thrown a 6 inning, 1 run, 1 hit, 1 walk performance. He got 3 strikeouts and induced 12 groundouts. The single he allowed was a grounder and he only allowed 3 fly ball outs. In what might have been his last start for Boston, he made quite an impression.
The Red Sox had a pair of singles in the 7th but a Damon double play ended the inning. With Lowe unable to go more than 6, and wanting to save Timlin and Embree for the final innings of the game, Francona went to the best pitcher he had in the bullpen. Pedro Martinez. Pedro and the Yankees are hated enemies. The Yankees seem to be able to get to Pedro more than any other team. The Yankees aren't Pedro's Daddy, but they may be his older brother.
Pedro, at first, did not look sharp. Matsui and Williams hit back-to-back doubles. It was 8-2. Posada grounded out which moved Bernie to third. Lofton singled. 8-3. Lofton stole third. Pedro then reared back and all of a sudden became the pitcher he was in 1999. Knowing that all he had to do was pitch one inning, he let it fly and struck out Olerud who pinch hit for Clark. He then got Cairo to fly out. Some people may have realised that Pedro finally finished the 7th inning he started more than a year ago in Game 7. The Yankees seemed to be chipping away as they had done in last year's game 7 when they were down by 5. Loaiza's performance was reminiscent of Mike Mussina's last year which kept the Red Sox from extending their lead. The Red Sox didn't have Mark Bellhorn last year though. The switch hitter hit a solo shot to lead off the 8th.
The Damon homer and now the Bellhorn homer had kept the Red Sox lead comfortable. Without this insurance the score would have been 6-3. Instead, the Sox had a 6 run lead at 9-3. Gordon, who had releived Loaiza, then retired the side. Mike Timlin came into the game for the Sox and retired the side in the 8th. Orlando Cabrera added a run to the lead in the 9th with a sacrifice fly. Timlin remained to pitch the bottom of the 9th. Matsui led off with a single. Williams grounded into a fielder's choice, eliminating Matsui at second. Posada popped up on 1 pitch. Williams took second on defensive indifference. The Red Sox were a single out from beating the Yankees and advancing to the World Series. The Red Sox had never eliminated the Yankees in any way before this moment. Kenny Lofton walked on 4 pitches. Francona took out Timlin and sent Embree to face the lefty Olerud. This move was countered by Torre who used Sierra to pinch hit. Embree's first delivery was a ball low. His next was a slow roller hit weakly to second. Pokey Reese had come in as a defensive replacement as had Doug Mientkiewicz. Reese threw to Doug and the game was over. 10-3 Red Sox.
The Sox had done it thanks to a man who was taken off the rotation and a man who wasn't even hitting .100 coming into this game. The Red Sox had beaten New York. Last year the Yankees crushed our dreams with a walkoff HR in the 11th inning of game 7. In 1999 they dominated us 4 out of 5 games to advance to and win the World Series. In 1978 Bucky F. Dent crushed the hopes of Boston. The Red Sox had finally crushed the dreams of Yankee fans.
Derek Jeter, who makes $18,600,000 went 1 for 4 in game 7 with a weak basehit. In the series he made 2 errors and hit an unimpressive .200 for the series.
Rodriguez and Sheffield, the two major acquisitions for New York combined for 0 for 8.
Brown, Vazquez and Gordon, three major pitching acquisitions, allowed all 10 of the game 7 earned runs.
The New York Yankees dominance over the Boston Red Sox was over.
Friday, October 22, 2004
WELL SCRIPTED PART III
The Red Sox had accomplished the improbable. They beat Rivera and the Y*nkees two games in a row and brought the series back to New York. The series was 3-2 in favor of New York, the same scenario that existed last year after 5 games. The Red Sox, however, needed what seemed like a miracle in order to survive. Curt Schilling was written off by man after his game 1 performance. At first the Red Sox devised a special shoe to allow Curt to pitch. Then a medical procedure was implemented. A suture of skin to the seperated tendon would theoretically allow Schilling to pitch. No-one knew how well Curt could pitch but everyone knew he would pitch as well as he could. He went up against Lieber, who outpitched Martinez in Game 2. Before the game, David Ortiz said that he could not carry the team all by himself. He needed help. He got it. Schilling pitched 7 innings allowing 4 hits and one run. His performance was not unlike Pedro's in 1999 or Larry Bird's in the playoffs seemingly an eternity ago back when the Celtics were good. The big hit of the game was struck by the much maligned Mark Bellhorn. Victim to sports radio callers and slogan touting media members and haunted by the love that Red Sox fans have with Pokey Reese and comparisons to Todd Walker's postseason performance, Bellhorn came up with a 3 run HR in the 4th. The hit was controversialy called a double by the left field umpire. 5 years ago the umpires would not have gotten together and determined what actually happened. This time they did and Bellhorn was given the homerun. A similar situation resulted when Alex Rodriguez knocked the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's hands in a play originally called an error. It was Arroyo who had hit A-Rod which resulted in a bench clearing situation in Fenway. The umpires again held a conference and determined the proper call. Rodriguez was bewildered that cheating wasn't allowed by he, the supposed best player in baseball.
His reaction was eerily similar to that of Jose Offerman's in the 99 LCS as was the fan's reaction at Y*nkee Stadium. The Red Sox ended the game up 4-2. A-Rod's play incited the croud but the croud got too much into the game, throwing crap onto the field. This caused the umpires to call on the NYPD. This shut-up the croud almost as much as Curt Schilling had.
To be continued...
CARDS/SOX...AGAIN
Ugh. 1946. 1967. I'm sick of going against teams that we have a history with. First it's Anaheim who we beat in the 86 LCS, then its the Y*nkees who beat us in the 78 playoff, the 99 LCS and the 03 LCS and now its St Louis that beat us in the 46 and 67 World Series. Hopefully Cabrera won't hesitate as Pesky did, and the Cards don't have a pitcher like Bob Gibson to own us and hit a HR off of our ace in game 7. Game 1 is Wakefield against St. Louis's "ace", Woody Williams. I'm shocked that clemens couldn't come through in a big game. Flaberghasted.
As I finish this post, Tracy Morgan has just come in on Conan wearing a Yankee jersey and hat and a "3" pendant. The show is a rerun from a few days ago, obviously. Notice how I didn't censor the word "Yankee." It's not a swear anymore.
The Red Sox had accomplished the improbable. They beat Rivera and the Y*nkees two games in a row and brought the series back to New York. The series was 3-2 in favor of New York, the same scenario that existed last year after 5 games. The Red Sox, however, needed what seemed like a miracle in order to survive. Curt Schilling was written off by man after his game 1 performance. At first the Red Sox devised a special shoe to allow Curt to pitch. Then a medical procedure was implemented. A suture of skin to the seperated tendon would theoretically allow Schilling to pitch. No-one knew how well Curt could pitch but everyone knew he would pitch as well as he could. He went up against Lieber, who outpitched Martinez in Game 2. Before the game, David Ortiz said that he could not carry the team all by himself. He needed help. He got it. Schilling pitched 7 innings allowing 4 hits and one run. His performance was not unlike Pedro's in 1999 or Larry Bird's in the playoffs seemingly an eternity ago back when the Celtics were good. The big hit of the game was struck by the much maligned Mark Bellhorn. Victim to sports radio callers and slogan touting media members and haunted by the love that Red Sox fans have with Pokey Reese and comparisons to Todd Walker's postseason performance, Bellhorn came up with a 3 run HR in the 4th. The hit was controversialy called a double by the left field umpire. 5 years ago the umpires would not have gotten together and determined what actually happened. This time they did and Bellhorn was given the homerun. A similar situation resulted when Alex Rodriguez knocked the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's hands in a play originally called an error. It was Arroyo who had hit A-Rod which resulted in a bench clearing situation in Fenway. The umpires again held a conference and determined the proper call. Rodriguez was bewildered that cheating wasn't allowed by he, the supposed best player in baseball.
His reaction was eerily similar to that of Jose Offerman's in the 99 LCS as was the fan's reaction at Y*nkee Stadium. The Red Sox ended the game up 4-2. A-Rod's play incited the croud but the croud got too much into the game, throwing crap onto the field. This caused the umpires to call on the NYPD. This shut-up the croud almost as much as Curt Schilling had.
To be continued...
CARDS/SOX...AGAIN
Ugh. 1946. 1967. I'm sick of going against teams that we have a history with. First it's Anaheim who we beat in the 86 LCS, then its the Y*nkees who beat us in the 78 playoff, the 99 LCS and the 03 LCS and now its St Louis that beat us in the 46 and 67 World Series. Hopefully Cabrera won't hesitate as Pesky did, and the Cards don't have a pitcher like Bob Gibson to own us and hit a HR off of our ace in game 7. Game 1 is Wakefield against St. Louis's "ace", Woody Williams. I'm shocked that clemens couldn't come through in a big game. Flaberghasted.
As I finish this post, Tracy Morgan has just come in on Conan wearing a Yankee jersey and hat and a "3" pendant. The show is a rerun from a few days ago, obviously. Notice how I didn't censor the word "Yankee." It's not a swear anymore.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
WELL SCRIPTED PART II
The Red Sox were down 3-0 to the Y*nkees. No team in baseball history had ever come from 3-0 down in a best of 7 playoff series to even force a 7th game, let alone win the series. The Red Sox had sent Derek Lowe to the bullpen at the outset of the postseason and now he would get the ball in what may have been the Red Sox last game of the season and his last Red Sox game. He went up against a man who seemed to be touched by the Y*nkee Magic. Orlando Hernandez was retired at the beginning of the season but was signed by New York only to become their most consistent starter. A man who the Red Sox traded for but had the trade vetoed by the MLBPA office in New York, Alex Rodriguez, hit a homer to give New York a 2 run lead in the 3rd. In the 5th the Sox scored 3 to take only their second lead of the series. The Y*nkees responded with 2 in the 6th, one of them knocked in by Tony Clark who replaced the injured Olerud and played terribly for the Sox a couple of years back. After Worcester's own Tanyan Sturtze pitched 2 brilliant innings, the Y*nkees brought in the best closer ever. 32 postseason saves in 34 opportunities. Then Bill Mueller gets a basehit up the middle and past the glove of Rivera and knocks in speedster Dave Roberts who was acquired at the deadline and stole second base by maybe 3 inches.
The game was tied and went to 12 innings. The Y*nkees sent out high priced free-agents Tom Gordon and Paul Quantrill. The Sox sent relatively cheap players like Leskanic and Myers out to pitch. David Ortiz stepped to the plate in the 12th with Manny Ramirez on base in front of him. He crushed a ball to right field and out of the ballpark. The Red Sox lived to see another day.
The very same day, about 18 hours later, the Sox again hosted the Y*nkees. The game was between Mike Mussina, who owned the Red Sox in Game 1, and Pedro Martinez who called the Y*nkees his daddy during the season. Mussina outpitched the Red Sox 2nd Ace and it was 4-2 after 6. The teams each went to their bullpen. New York went to Sturtze, Gordon, and Rivera. The Sox went to Timlin and Foulke. The Sox needed a pair of runs in the 8th and/or 9th against Gordon and then Rivera. In the 7th, the Red Sox squandered a huge opportunity with Ramirez at the plate. Ortiz led off the 8th with a HR. The deficit was cut in half. With runners on the corners Torre went to Rivera. Jason Varitek, the unofficial captain of the Red Sox, hit a sacrifice fly to score Dave Roberts from third. The game once again went to extra innings because of a Rivera blown save. In one day, Rivera had doubled his postseason blown save count from 2 to 4.
The 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th innings were all scoreless. After several releivers from each side pitched an inning here and there, both managers put in starting pitchers. Tim Wakefield who gave up the Aaron Boone HR last year in New York faced Esteban Loaiza, a mid-season pickup that was traded from Chicago for Jose Contreras, a Cuban pitcher who the Red Sox and Y*nkees desperately tried to sign with the Y*nkees coming out on top. Johnny Damon finally got on base in the 14th. Manny then walked advancing Damon to second. In walked David Ortiz. In what was perhaps the weakest hit ball he has hit in October, a bloop single dropped in front of Bernie Williams, who was almost signed by Boston, and scored Johnny Damon from 2nd. The Red Sox won 5-4.
The series would go to New York where no team had beaten the Y*nkees in Games 6 and 7 since the 1926 Cardinals.
to be continued...
SOX ROTATION SET
Game 1 vs. STL/HOU: Tim Wakefield - last pitched Monday
Game 2 vs. STL/HOU: Curt Schilling - last pitched Tuesday
Game 3 @ HOU/STL: Pedro Martinez - last pitched Wednesday
Game 4 @ HOU/STL: Derek Lowe - last pitched Wednesday
Houston @ St. Louis tonight. Two former Sox pitchers, Suppan vs. Clemens.
The Red Sox were down 3-0 to the Y*nkees. No team in baseball history had ever come from 3-0 down in a best of 7 playoff series to even force a 7th game, let alone win the series. The Red Sox had sent Derek Lowe to the bullpen at the outset of the postseason and now he would get the ball in what may have been the Red Sox last game of the season and his last Red Sox game. He went up against a man who seemed to be touched by the Y*nkee Magic. Orlando Hernandez was retired at the beginning of the season but was signed by New York only to become their most consistent starter. A man who the Red Sox traded for but had the trade vetoed by the MLBPA office in New York, Alex Rodriguez, hit a homer to give New York a 2 run lead in the 3rd. In the 5th the Sox scored 3 to take only their second lead of the series. The Y*nkees responded with 2 in the 6th, one of them knocked in by Tony Clark who replaced the injured Olerud and played terribly for the Sox a couple of years back. After Worcester's own Tanyan Sturtze pitched 2 brilliant innings, the Y*nkees brought in the best closer ever. 32 postseason saves in 34 opportunities. Then Bill Mueller gets a basehit up the middle and past the glove of Rivera and knocks in speedster Dave Roberts who was acquired at the deadline and stole second base by maybe 3 inches.
The game was tied and went to 12 innings. The Y*nkees sent out high priced free-agents Tom Gordon and Paul Quantrill. The Sox sent relatively cheap players like Leskanic and Myers out to pitch. David Ortiz stepped to the plate in the 12th with Manny Ramirez on base in front of him. He crushed a ball to right field and out of the ballpark. The Red Sox lived to see another day.
The very same day, about 18 hours later, the Sox again hosted the Y*nkees. The game was between Mike Mussina, who owned the Red Sox in Game 1, and Pedro Martinez who called the Y*nkees his daddy during the season. Mussina outpitched the Red Sox 2nd Ace and it was 4-2 after 6. The teams each went to their bullpen. New York went to Sturtze, Gordon, and Rivera. The Sox went to Timlin and Foulke. The Sox needed a pair of runs in the 8th and/or 9th against Gordon and then Rivera. In the 7th, the Red Sox squandered a huge opportunity with Ramirez at the plate. Ortiz led off the 8th with a HR. The deficit was cut in half. With runners on the corners Torre went to Rivera. Jason Varitek, the unofficial captain of the Red Sox, hit a sacrifice fly to score Dave Roberts from third. The game once again went to extra innings because of a Rivera blown save. In one day, Rivera had doubled his postseason blown save count from 2 to 4.
The 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th innings were all scoreless. After several releivers from each side pitched an inning here and there, both managers put in starting pitchers. Tim Wakefield who gave up the Aaron Boone HR last year in New York faced Esteban Loaiza, a mid-season pickup that was traded from Chicago for Jose Contreras, a Cuban pitcher who the Red Sox and Y*nkees desperately tried to sign with the Y*nkees coming out on top. Johnny Damon finally got on base in the 14th. Manny then walked advancing Damon to second. In walked David Ortiz. In what was perhaps the weakest hit ball he has hit in October, a bloop single dropped in front of Bernie Williams, who was almost signed by Boston, and scored Johnny Damon from 2nd. The Red Sox won 5-4.
The series would go to New York where no team had beaten the Y*nkees in Games 6 and 7 since the 1926 Cardinals.
to be continued...
SOX ROTATION SET
Game 1 vs. STL/HOU: Tim Wakefield - last pitched Monday
Game 2 vs. STL/HOU: Curt Schilling - last pitched Tuesday
Game 3 @ HOU/STL: Pedro Martinez - last pitched Wednesday
Game 4 @ HOU/STL: Derek Lowe - last pitched Wednesday
Houston @ St. Louis tonight. Two former Sox pitchers, Suppan vs. Clemens.
OH MY FREAKIN' GOD!
D-LOWE! THERE'S ONLY ONE D-LOWE! THERE'S ONLY ONE D-LOWE! THERE'S ONLY ONE D-LOWE! This guy came up huge for us. He pitched 6 innings of 1 hit, 1 run ball. He only walked one. He kept his pitch count low. His pitches by inning looked like this:
1st: 13
2nd: 13
3rd: 12
4th: 11
5th: 10
6th:10
He got 12 ground ball outs. The only run he allowed resulted from Cairo getting "hit" by a pitch, then stealing second and being knocked in by a seeing eye single off the bat of Derek Jeter. Lowe wasn't even supposed to start in this series and he had 2 solid appearances.
NEW YORK, QUEINE ES TU PAPI?
David "The Clutch Crusher" Ortiz won series MVP. Matsui was the frontrunner but he fell off the planet in the last 4 games. Ortiz was absolutely clutch. In Game 4 he has the Game Winning HR in the 12th. In Game 5 his single knocked in the Game Winning run. He also had a homer in Game 5 that got the Sox within 1. In Game 7 his 1st inning homer immediately swiped any momentum the Y*nkees might have had after Damon was eliminated at the plate. He batted .387 in the series with 11 RBI. The Sox scored 41 runs in this series, Ortiz knocked in more than a fourth of them.
JUST ONE QUESTION, TERRY
Terry managed a great series and the Sox kept the faith probably due to his attitude. His calm demenor made it easier for the umpires to reverse two decisions in Game 6. However, what the hell was he thinking when he brought Pedro in to pitch the 7th? What the hell was the point of this move? What good could have come from it. The best scenario would be a 1-2-3, 3 pitch 7th inning. This did not happen. Pedro can now no longer start Game 1 of the World Series on Saturday. Oh well, it all worked out in the end.
DAMON'S BAT RESURECTED
We believe in one center fielder.
Johnny Damon almighty
We believe his bat died for our sins
And in the sixth game it rose again
Good for him. Bellhorn atoned for an overall poor series with a big HR yesterday. Last night Damon hit two balls out of the park. One was a Grand Slam to give the Sox a 6-0 lead, the other was a 2 run shot. Plus he gets to go home with his girlfriend and score a few more times before his next game on Saturday.
HISTORY WAS MADE
This series saw many things that had never happened or hadn't happened in a long time. Here are some things just off the top of my head:
1st time a team up 3-0 in a best of 7 series lost 4 straight
1st time the Red Sox won two series in a single postseason
1st Red Sox pennant since 1986
1st time the Red Sox beat the Y*nkees in an elimination game
1st time the Y*nkees lost games 6 and 7 in Y*nkee Stadium since the 1926 World Series against the Cardinals
1st time the Red Sox won a game 7 since the 1986 ALCS against the Angels
3rd and 4th all-time postseason blown saves for Rivera
WELL SCRIPTED
I'm a cinema & photography major with a concentration in screenwriting and if I ever wrote a story like the one that was played out these past few days, I would be set for life. An ancient and bitter rivalry between two teams that would like nothing more than to crush the others. One side has a glaring advantage: pitching. In the first two games they have two of the top pitchers in baseball going for them. Schilling takes the mound in game 1 as a bona fide Y*nkee killer. His opponent is a pitcher who the Red Sox tried to sign a few years back only to fall short and settle for Manny Ramirez. Schilling, however, is affected by an ankle injury that has been nagging him since May but has not hurt his performance until the biggest game of the season to that point. He allows 6 ER in 3 IP. Mussina on the other hand has a solid start and hands the ball to Tanyan Sturtze from Worcester, Mass. Then former Red Sox closer Tom Gordon enters the game. Sturtze and Gordon allow the Sox to get close but the Boston bullpen eliminates all hope. Mariano Rivera gets his 31st postseason save. Most thought Schilling's season was done even if the Sox won some games.
The next game is an apparent mismatch between Pedro Martinez and Jon Lieber. Some feel that the Y*nkees signed Lieber in 2003 even though he could not pitch that year in order to prevent Boston from having him. Martinez is outpitched by Lieber whose game is saved by Gordon and Rivera. The big hit in the game is struck by a player who the Red Sox may have had an interest in during the season. John Olerud was released by the Mariners and the Y*nkees signed him due to Giambi's withdrawal from steroids. The other RBI is knocked in by Gary Sheffield who amditted to unwittingly taking steroids.
The Sox seemed to gain some good fortune when a rainout moved the 3rd game back a day. Both Arroyo and Brown were knocked out early. The Y*nkee pen was able to keep the Sox pinned down while Ramiro Mendoza did his job as Y*nkee double agent and committed the most embarrasing balk ever. The Sox lost 19-8, a score slightly reminiscent of the number 1918. They were down 3-0, without their best pitcher. It seemed as though they were done for. After all, no team had ever even forced a Game 7 after being down 3-0.
To be continued...
BTW, YANKEES SUCK!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
D-LOWE! THERE'S ONLY ONE D-LOWE! THERE'S ONLY ONE D-LOWE! THERE'S ONLY ONE D-LOWE! This guy came up huge for us. He pitched 6 innings of 1 hit, 1 run ball. He only walked one. He kept his pitch count low. His pitches by inning looked like this:
1st: 13
2nd: 13
3rd: 12
4th: 11
5th: 10
6th:10
He got 12 ground ball outs. The only run he allowed resulted from Cairo getting "hit" by a pitch, then stealing second and being knocked in by a seeing eye single off the bat of Derek Jeter. Lowe wasn't even supposed to start in this series and he had 2 solid appearances.
NEW YORK, QUEINE ES TU PAPI?
David "The Clutch Crusher" Ortiz won series MVP. Matsui was the frontrunner but he fell off the planet in the last 4 games. Ortiz was absolutely clutch. In Game 4 he has the Game Winning HR in the 12th. In Game 5 his single knocked in the Game Winning run. He also had a homer in Game 5 that got the Sox within 1. In Game 7 his 1st inning homer immediately swiped any momentum the Y*nkees might have had after Damon was eliminated at the plate. He batted .387 in the series with 11 RBI. The Sox scored 41 runs in this series, Ortiz knocked in more than a fourth of them.
JUST ONE QUESTION, TERRY
Terry managed a great series and the Sox kept the faith probably due to his attitude. His calm demenor made it easier for the umpires to reverse two decisions in Game 6. However, what the hell was he thinking when he brought Pedro in to pitch the 7th? What the hell was the point of this move? What good could have come from it. The best scenario would be a 1-2-3, 3 pitch 7th inning. This did not happen. Pedro can now no longer start Game 1 of the World Series on Saturday. Oh well, it all worked out in the end.
DAMON'S BAT RESURECTED
We believe in one center fielder.
Johnny Damon almighty
We believe his bat died for our sins
And in the sixth game it rose again
Good for him. Bellhorn atoned for an overall poor series with a big HR yesterday. Last night Damon hit two balls out of the park. One was a Grand Slam to give the Sox a 6-0 lead, the other was a 2 run shot. Plus he gets to go home with his girlfriend and score a few more times before his next game on Saturday.
HISTORY WAS MADE
This series saw many things that had never happened or hadn't happened in a long time. Here are some things just off the top of my head:
1st time a team up 3-0 in a best of 7 series lost 4 straight
1st time the Red Sox won two series in a single postseason
1st Red Sox pennant since 1986
1st time the Red Sox beat the Y*nkees in an elimination game
1st time the Y*nkees lost games 6 and 7 in Y*nkee Stadium since the 1926 World Series against the Cardinals
1st time the Red Sox won a game 7 since the 1986 ALCS against the Angels
3rd and 4th all-time postseason blown saves for Rivera
WELL SCRIPTED
I'm a cinema & photography major with a concentration in screenwriting and if I ever wrote a story like the one that was played out these past few days, I would be set for life. An ancient and bitter rivalry between two teams that would like nothing more than to crush the others. One side has a glaring advantage: pitching. In the first two games they have two of the top pitchers in baseball going for them. Schilling takes the mound in game 1 as a bona fide Y*nkee killer. His opponent is a pitcher who the Red Sox tried to sign a few years back only to fall short and settle for Manny Ramirez. Schilling, however, is affected by an ankle injury that has been nagging him since May but has not hurt his performance until the biggest game of the season to that point. He allows 6 ER in 3 IP. Mussina on the other hand has a solid start and hands the ball to Tanyan Sturtze from Worcester, Mass. Then former Red Sox closer Tom Gordon enters the game. Sturtze and Gordon allow the Sox to get close but the Boston bullpen eliminates all hope. Mariano Rivera gets his 31st postseason save. Most thought Schilling's season was done even if the Sox won some games.
The next game is an apparent mismatch between Pedro Martinez and Jon Lieber. Some feel that the Y*nkees signed Lieber in 2003 even though he could not pitch that year in order to prevent Boston from having him. Martinez is outpitched by Lieber whose game is saved by Gordon and Rivera. The big hit in the game is struck by a player who the Red Sox may have had an interest in during the season. John Olerud was released by the Mariners and the Y*nkees signed him due to Giambi's withdrawal from steroids. The other RBI is knocked in by Gary Sheffield who amditted to unwittingly taking steroids.
The Sox seemed to gain some good fortune when a rainout moved the 3rd game back a day. Both Arroyo and Brown were knocked out early. The Y*nkee pen was able to keep the Sox pinned down while Ramiro Mendoza did his job as Y*nkee double agent and committed the most embarrasing balk ever. The Sox lost 19-8, a score slightly reminiscent of the number 1918. They were down 3-0, without their best pitcher. It seemed as though they were done for. After all, no team had ever even forced a Game 7 after being down 3-0.
To be continued...
BTW, YANKEES SUCK!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
LOWE VS. BROWN
All I can say is I'm nervous. Last night I was nervous. So nervous I couldn't stand up in the 9th inning becuase my legs were shaking so bad. When we were down 3-1 I did what a good poker player is supposed to do, I tried to figre out the odds. At that point I figured Pedro was a 5/7 to win. Schilling was 4/7 because his ankle was an unkown variable. Game 7 would have to be a 1/2 because of theoretical momentum and mutual exhaustion. Overall that computes to a 20/98 chance or about a 1/5 that they'd win the series in 7. I still believe tonight is a coin flip that will be determined by close plays and simple execution.
DR. THEODORE
Whoever this guy is, he's a genious. The story the Sox gave about high tops made me nervous. No matter how well designed a shoe is, it can't control the interior of an ankle. By sewing skin to the tendon, they risked further injury but they assured that he could go out and pitch and that's all Curt wanted to do. I love this Dr. Theodore.
YOUR'E MY BOYS BLUE!
The boys in blue last night did their job and did it well. They originally made some bad calls but they were able to meet and come to the proper decision. They did not allow individual egoes to get in the way of making proper calls.
POSSIBILITIES
If The Y*nkees win tonight, the Red Sox season is over. In the end they will have come incredibly close to winning a pennant and losing in the end. They will have won 98 regular season games, a wild card, and one postseason series. 104 total wins.
If we win, there is still alot of work to do. Pennants are nice but they are meaningless unless they're followed by a World Series championship. 105 wins are nowhere near as good as 109.
These guys are my best friends today:
All I can say is I'm nervous. Last night I was nervous. So nervous I couldn't stand up in the 9th inning becuase my legs were shaking so bad. When we were down 3-1 I did what a good poker player is supposed to do, I tried to figre out the odds. At that point I figured Pedro was a 5/7 to win. Schilling was 4/7 because his ankle was an unkown variable. Game 7 would have to be a 1/2 because of theoretical momentum and mutual exhaustion. Overall that computes to a 20/98 chance or about a 1/5 that they'd win the series in 7. I still believe tonight is a coin flip that will be determined by close plays and simple execution.
DR. THEODORE
Whoever this guy is, he's a genious. The story the Sox gave about high tops made me nervous. No matter how well designed a shoe is, it can't control the interior of an ankle. By sewing skin to the tendon, they risked further injury but they assured that he could go out and pitch and that's all Curt wanted to do. I love this Dr. Theodore.
YOUR'E MY BOYS BLUE!
The boys in blue last night did their job and did it well. They originally made some bad calls but they were able to meet and come to the proper decision. They did not allow individual egoes to get in the way of making proper calls.
POSSIBILITIES
If The Y*nkees win tonight, the Red Sox season is over. In the end they will have come incredibly close to winning a pennant and losing in the end. They will have won 98 regular season games, a wild card, and one postseason series. 104 total wins.
If we win, there is still alot of work to do. Pennants are nice but they are meaningless unless they're followed by a World Series championship. 105 wins are nowhere near as good as 109.
These guys are my best friends today:
SCHILLING'S SOX ARE BLOOD RED
Originally the plan was to have Schilling wear a high-topped cleet with a 3 inch extension to keep his ankle where it should be. They did a procedure and the stitches in his ankle were aggravated by the high top so he went without him. By the 7th, his socks were half-covered in blood. He literally bled for this team. He did not care about any career repercussions. He just wanted to pitch and win. He is quite possibly the best pickup the Boston Red Sox have made since signing a young lefthanded pitcher from the minor league Baltimore Orioles 90 years ago. Schilling gave the Sox 7 hard fought innings in a performance reminiscent of Pedro Martinez's releif outing in Game 5 of the 1999 ALDS. Both injured aces gave it their all for their team's survival. Schilling's 7 innings gave the bullpen a break. Arroyo worked an inning as did Foulke.
TWO KEY PLAYS RESULT FROM UMPIRE DECISIONS
The struggling Mark Bellhorn was 3 for 20 coming into tonight's game and had been so ineffective at the plate that he was demoted from 2nd in the batting order to 9th. He grounded into a bases loaded double play in the 2nd. He atoned for this and the other 18 failed at-bats he had to that point with a 3 run homerun to left field. Jim Joyce originally called the ball in play even though the trajectory had changed in a way that it would not if it had struck the wall. Furthermore, Matsui did not originally play the ball as if it were in play. Bellhorn stopped at second and only 2 runs scored. The umpires then got together and came to a consensus that the ball left the ballpark and was thus a homerun.
The other controversial play was an 8th inning grounder hit by Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod, in an utterly classless attempt to reach base, swatted the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's hands as Arroyo attempted to tag him. The ball then slowly rolled up thr right field line which allowed Derek Jeter, who was on first at the beginning of the play, to touch home and Rodriguez to get into scoring position. Francona came out calmly and asked home plate umpire Joe West why interference was not called. The replays made it obvious that Rodriguez purposely knocked the ball out of Arroyo's arms. According to the rulebook, the ball is dead and all runners must return to the base they last occupied. The umpires once again met and came out of their conference with the correct call.
A-Rod will hopefully get justice sometime next season when the Sox play the Y*nkees again. Tomorrow's game is not the right setting to do any beanball bullshit. I used to think Rodriguez had some class. When he attempted to charge Arroyo, I lost alot of respect for him. When he tried leaning into a pitch earlier in the series, I lost a little bit more. Whenever he whines and moans about something not going his way (he makes $20M, remember) I lose all respect for him. When he pulled this stunt tonight, I gained hatred for him. As much as I don't like Jeter, he plays baseball respectively.
OTHER KEY FACTORS TO THE WIN:
1. Making Lieber work early. He lasted a long time in Game 2 and we got his pitch count up very early.
2. Schilling didn't have too many jams but when he did, he was able to induce pop outs and groundouts
3. In the 7th, Millar hustled to record an unassisted groundout instead of tossing it to Schilling which would have been a more routine play. Millar waved off Schilling very early knowing that Schilling could not run that well
NEW YORK FANS PISSED AT UMPIRES
It looked like an English soccer game. A solid barrier of police in between the field and the fans. Y*nkee fans, upset at what they perceived to be incorrect calls, began throwing debris and baseballs onto the field. The situation resulted in delays and the umpires' solution was to call on the NYPD, in riot gear, to line the field for half an inning. I don't think the umps were expecting a riot. The riot police was a deterrent and it worked.
FOX SUCKS
Watching the game I kept track of the silly, stupid, and wrong things that Joe Buck and Tim McCarver spewed from their Y*nkee loving mouths. Here it goes:
McCarver said at one point "Finally the Yankees get a break." As if the Y*nkees had never gotten a break. Jesus Christ!
Joe Buck decided to act like an intelectual and allude to the famous psychological experiment known as Pavlov's Dogs. Unfortunately Buck stated that the dogs salivated at the sight of a small light being lit not the bell Pavlov used to induce salivation. I know I'm nit-picking but if you're gonna try to sound smart, you have to back it up by being smart.
McCarver, alluding to last night's game said: "How do you have three passed balls in an inning and not allow a run?" What McCarver forgot was that one of those passed balls was after a strikeout which allowed Matsui to reach base.
After Schilling was pulled, Buck said: "It would be one thing if it were Rivera coming out of that pen." For some reason they still think Mariano Rivera is God. He is the best closer ever and at one point he was godlike, but he is not what he once was ESPECIALLY against the Red Sox. I'm not saying we own him, but we have a few thousand shares of stock in Rivera.
McCarver alluded to the 1999 ALCS and the unpleasantness that ocurred in Fenway. When showing the phantom tag on Offerman, McCarver said that Offerman was called out for running out of the basepath and that Boston fans just didn't understand that concept. The rulebook states that the basepath is 6 feet wide. An imaginary straight line exists connecting bases and a runner can go 3 feet on either side of that line. Offerman was not out of the line or at the very least it was debateable. McCarver's Y*nkee love was amde glaringly apparent in his foolish analysis of a blatantly bad call.
McCarver and Buck never critised Y*nkee fans for their behavior. They never criticised A-Rod for a truly classless play. In fact, they complemented him! They said that he was going to be called out so it didn't matter what he did. Two things they ignored was the fact that even if he is tagged out by Arroyo, he advances Jeter to second base. He doesn't do this on an interferance call. Another thing McCarver and Buck failed to mention is that there are things you just don't do in baseball. You don't force fumbles in baseball.
McCarver generalized the entire Boston sports media and Red Sox fan base as anti-Bellhorn. I know there are a number of Bellhorn critics out there and people love Pokey, but there are alot of intelligent fans here that realise Bellhorn contributes to this teams offense.
And what the hell is the deal with that Scooter thing? Good God!
LOOKING TO TOMORROW
The Red Sox made history by being the first MLB team to come from a 3-0 deficit and force a 7th and deciding game. But that history means absolutely nothing if they don't win tomorrow. The pitching matchup is ? vs. ?. Both managers refused to announce their starters. They have limited options, however. Francona could go with Lowe or Wakefield. Torre could go with Hernandez, Brown, or possibly Loiaza. The determining factor to tommorrow's game will be what team can muster the best collective pitching performance from several pitchers.
Originally the plan was to have Schilling wear a high-topped cleet with a 3 inch extension to keep his ankle where it should be. They did a procedure and the stitches in his ankle were aggravated by the high top so he went without him. By the 7th, his socks were half-covered in blood. He literally bled for this team. He did not care about any career repercussions. He just wanted to pitch and win. He is quite possibly the best pickup the Boston Red Sox have made since signing a young lefthanded pitcher from the minor league Baltimore Orioles 90 years ago. Schilling gave the Sox 7 hard fought innings in a performance reminiscent of Pedro Martinez's releif outing in Game 5 of the 1999 ALDS. Both injured aces gave it their all for their team's survival. Schilling's 7 innings gave the bullpen a break. Arroyo worked an inning as did Foulke.
TWO KEY PLAYS RESULT FROM UMPIRE DECISIONS
The struggling Mark Bellhorn was 3 for 20 coming into tonight's game and had been so ineffective at the plate that he was demoted from 2nd in the batting order to 9th. He grounded into a bases loaded double play in the 2nd. He atoned for this and the other 18 failed at-bats he had to that point with a 3 run homerun to left field. Jim Joyce originally called the ball in play even though the trajectory had changed in a way that it would not if it had struck the wall. Furthermore, Matsui did not originally play the ball as if it were in play. Bellhorn stopped at second and only 2 runs scored. The umpires then got together and came to a consensus that the ball left the ballpark and was thus a homerun.
The other controversial play was an 8th inning grounder hit by Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod, in an utterly classless attempt to reach base, swatted the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's hands as Arroyo attempted to tag him. The ball then slowly rolled up thr right field line which allowed Derek Jeter, who was on first at the beginning of the play, to touch home and Rodriguez to get into scoring position. Francona came out calmly and asked home plate umpire Joe West why interference was not called. The replays made it obvious that Rodriguez purposely knocked the ball out of Arroyo's arms. According to the rulebook, the ball is dead and all runners must return to the base they last occupied. The umpires once again met and came out of their conference with the correct call.
A-Rod will hopefully get justice sometime next season when the Sox play the Y*nkees again. Tomorrow's game is not the right setting to do any beanball bullshit. I used to think Rodriguez had some class. When he attempted to charge Arroyo, I lost alot of respect for him. When he tried leaning into a pitch earlier in the series, I lost a little bit more. Whenever he whines and moans about something not going his way (he makes $20M, remember) I lose all respect for him. When he pulled this stunt tonight, I gained hatred for him. As much as I don't like Jeter, he plays baseball respectively.
OTHER KEY FACTORS TO THE WIN:
1. Making Lieber work early. He lasted a long time in Game 2 and we got his pitch count up very early.
2. Schilling didn't have too many jams but when he did, he was able to induce pop outs and groundouts
3. In the 7th, Millar hustled to record an unassisted groundout instead of tossing it to Schilling which would have been a more routine play. Millar waved off Schilling very early knowing that Schilling could not run that well
NEW YORK FANS PISSED AT UMPIRES
It looked like an English soccer game. A solid barrier of police in between the field and the fans. Y*nkee fans, upset at what they perceived to be incorrect calls, began throwing debris and baseballs onto the field. The situation resulted in delays and the umpires' solution was to call on the NYPD, in riot gear, to line the field for half an inning. I don't think the umps were expecting a riot. The riot police was a deterrent and it worked.
FOX SUCKS
Watching the game I kept track of the silly, stupid, and wrong things that Joe Buck and Tim McCarver spewed from their Y*nkee loving mouths. Here it goes:
McCarver said at one point "Finally the Yankees get a break." As if the Y*nkees had never gotten a break. Jesus Christ!
Joe Buck decided to act like an intelectual and allude to the famous psychological experiment known as Pavlov's Dogs. Unfortunately Buck stated that the dogs salivated at the sight of a small light being lit not the bell Pavlov used to induce salivation. I know I'm nit-picking but if you're gonna try to sound smart, you have to back it up by being smart.
McCarver, alluding to last night's game said: "How do you have three passed balls in an inning and not allow a run?" What McCarver forgot was that one of those passed balls was after a strikeout which allowed Matsui to reach base.
After Schilling was pulled, Buck said: "It would be one thing if it were Rivera coming out of that pen." For some reason they still think Mariano Rivera is God. He is the best closer ever and at one point he was godlike, but he is not what he once was ESPECIALLY against the Red Sox. I'm not saying we own him, but we have a few thousand shares of stock in Rivera.
McCarver alluded to the 1999 ALCS and the unpleasantness that ocurred in Fenway. When showing the phantom tag on Offerman, McCarver said that Offerman was called out for running out of the basepath and that Boston fans just didn't understand that concept. The rulebook states that the basepath is 6 feet wide. An imaginary straight line exists connecting bases and a runner can go 3 feet on either side of that line. Offerman was not out of the line or at the very least it was debateable. McCarver's Y*nkee love was amde glaringly apparent in his foolish analysis of a blatantly bad call.
McCarver and Buck never critised Y*nkee fans for their behavior. They never criticised A-Rod for a truly classless play. In fact, they complemented him! They said that he was going to be called out so it didn't matter what he did. Two things they ignored was the fact that even if he is tagged out by Arroyo, he advances Jeter to second base. He doesn't do this on an interferance call. Another thing McCarver and Buck failed to mention is that there are things you just don't do in baseball. You don't force fumbles in baseball.
McCarver generalized the entire Boston sports media and Red Sox fan base as anti-Bellhorn. I know there are a number of Bellhorn critics out there and people love Pokey, but there are alot of intelligent fans here that realise Bellhorn contributes to this teams offense.
And what the hell is the deal with that Scooter thing? Good God!
LOOKING TO TOMORROW
The Red Sox made history by being the first MLB team to come from a 3-0 deficit and force a 7th and deciding game. But that history means absolutely nothing if they don't win tomorrow. The pitching matchup is ? vs. ?. Both managers refused to announce their starters. They have limited options, however. Francona could go with Lowe or Wakefield. Torre could go with Hernandez, Brown, or possibly Loiaza. The determining factor to tommorrow's game will be what team can muster the best collective pitching performance from several pitchers.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
CRUSHER CRUSHES THE SCUM TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW
Actually, it was the same day. Early Monday morning and about 22 hours later. The task in front of the Red Sox still remains daunting. Two games in the Bronx. Two absolutely gigantic games. The first of which could be a pitching mismatch either way. Schilling vs. Lieber. If Schilling is healthy, it will be tough for New York. If he's hurt and Lieber throws like he did in Game 2, we are in bad shape.
WHO HAS DONE WELL FOR US?
Orlando Cabrera has had a solid defensive series and is batting .375. He's getting on base which is a nice asset with Bellhorn and Damon struggling. David Ortiz is batting .538, with 5 runs, 9 RBI, a pair of homers, a triple, and 3 walks. Bill Mueller is doing well at .304 and a game tying hit the other night. Varitek is batting .318. Millar is at .333. Mientkiewicz is also .333. Wakefield has eaten alot of innings. He's pitched more than anyone but Pedro and he doesn't have a start. Lowe had a fantastic start the other night and easily could have lasted longer than 5.1 IP. Foulke has 5 IP in 4 games and has allowed 0 ER and only 1 Hit. Embree and Mendoza have each eaten some innings.
Everyone else needs to step it up if we want to win a pair in the Bronx.
PATRIOTS ROLL INTO NEW YORK ON A 20 GAME WIN STREAK
New England hosted native New Englander Matt Hasselbeck who went to Boston College and Xaverian Brothers High School. Hasselbeck threw the ball all over the field with 327 yards but never into the end zone and twice into Patriots hands. Brady threw for a TD and an INT and 231 yards. Despite Brown and Branch being out, Brady hit 8 different receivers including Dan Fucko. The Man of the Game is Corey Dillon who had 105 yards rushing, 6 yards receiving, and 2 rushing TDs. The 5-0 Patriots take on the 5-0 Jets in Foxborough on Sunday.
Arsenal continues to dominate the English League.
#4 Xaverian beat #3 Cambridge 14-13. They play at #6 Marshfield next weekend.
It's time for Kurt to shut up 55,000 New Yorkers. This picture is awsome:
Actually, it was the same day. Early Monday morning and about 22 hours later. The task in front of the Red Sox still remains daunting. Two games in the Bronx. Two absolutely gigantic games. The first of which could be a pitching mismatch either way. Schilling vs. Lieber. If Schilling is healthy, it will be tough for New York. If he's hurt and Lieber throws like he did in Game 2, we are in bad shape.
WHO HAS DONE WELL FOR US?
Orlando Cabrera has had a solid defensive series and is batting .375. He's getting on base which is a nice asset with Bellhorn and Damon struggling. David Ortiz is batting .538, with 5 runs, 9 RBI, a pair of homers, a triple, and 3 walks. Bill Mueller is doing well at .304 and a game tying hit the other night. Varitek is batting .318. Millar is at .333. Mientkiewicz is also .333. Wakefield has eaten alot of innings. He's pitched more than anyone but Pedro and he doesn't have a start. Lowe had a fantastic start the other night and easily could have lasted longer than 5.1 IP. Foulke has 5 IP in 4 games and has allowed 0 ER and only 1 Hit. Embree and Mendoza have each eaten some innings.
Everyone else needs to step it up if we want to win a pair in the Bronx.
PATRIOTS ROLL INTO NEW YORK ON A 20 GAME WIN STREAK
New England hosted native New Englander Matt Hasselbeck who went to Boston College and Xaverian Brothers High School. Hasselbeck threw the ball all over the field with 327 yards but never into the end zone and twice into Patriots hands. Brady threw for a TD and an INT and 231 yards. Despite Brown and Branch being out, Brady hit 8 different receivers including Dan Fucko. The Man of the Game is Corey Dillon who had 105 yards rushing, 6 yards receiving, and 2 rushing TDs. The 5-0 Patriots take on the 5-0 Jets in Foxborough on Sunday.
Arsenal continues to dominate the English League.
#4 Xaverian beat #3 Cambridge 14-13. They play at #6 Marshfield next weekend.
It's time for Kurt to shut up 55,000 New Yorkers. This picture is awsome:
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