After a clobbering in Game 4 it was unimaginable for me to come and sit in front of the screen and proceed ro write a blog. The air had been kicked out of me. I was watching the Red Sox go down in flames as they were toasted with a second consecutive loss in a steaming fashion. The Rays had demolished the ball and Red Sox that night leading an entire Nation to believe that we may be on our last leg. ESPN, Basball Tonight... they were all talking about a Phills- Rays World Series and how the big market teams--the Sox and the Dodgers would not be in the Big Show.

That was two nights ago and already forgotten. But not before the Rays continued to the slug-fest. Through the first 6 innings of this game the Rays had already put 7 runs on the board and part of Red Sox Nation had already departed our beloved Fenway. Those people will certainly feel the guilt that Jimmy Fallon felt in Fever Pitch for going to a party with Barrymore and therefore missing a epic comeback against the Yanks. Tonight was just as magical...

Down 7 in the 7th with 2 outs and with two strikes magic struck... Pedroia had an at-bat that brought back the ghost of Dave Roberts. It simply opened the flood-gates for the sleeping Sox' hitters. Ortiz followed with a big fly and all of a sudden it was 7-4;Pap came back for another frame and shut 'em down; Drew has a de javu moment of '07 and homers to bring us within one; Then Coco, a game 5 change, does the only thing that made sense...drive in the tieing run.

So at this point Fenway sounds like every seat is in the house is occupied and the Rays now look like a dog with it's tail tucked between it's legs. As the 9th inning continues and Bay is controversally walked, Drew approaches the plate with a chance to send us to Game 6 just as he did last year. He comes through. 

This was the most difficult and the most gratifying (barring the '04 ALCS) game I have ever watched. It was dragging for about three hours. I really wanted it to end so I could go to the gym. But I knew I should stay in watch just in case. Once again, with the Sox down 7 in the 7th we do what we do.

See everyone on Saturday.  

What a game it was yesterday. It was so bad, in fact that I wasn't upset after a while. I just accepted that they are swinging the bats better than we are. We only had maybe two or three players in the lineup that were putting a decent smack on the ball. That will simply not get it done in October. There were a couple innings were we had a chance at a rally, but we continue to leave men on base. Of course, it didn't help that we were consistently behind in the count and we always began an inning with an out.

As far as out pitching... Let's say we struggled. Lester just didn't have his stuff last night. He cutter was non-existent and we was leaving his fastball high in the zone, ultimately leading to some big homeruns. So that is 2 games, 2 losses, 2 ace pitchers... What's next?

The Sox had already predetermined that Wake would pitch tonight's game. I am sure that they didn't expect to be down 2-1 in the series. Either way, the Sox don't really have a choice. It would be silly to bring Dice-K off of short rest. In the event that he loses tonight, we would only have Wake to put on the mound.... That would be a mistake.

So, Red Sox faithful, let's hope that we see the best of Tim Wakefield tonight. The kind of performance that will be talked about after the Sox win the Series. It will be this game that turned the ALCS around. Wake pitches a shutout, Dice-K wins at Fenway, and Beckett redeems himself by closing out the series in Tampa and stunning the crowd.

Hey don't bash me just yet. Need I remind everyone that it is October and the Sox hunger for positions like these. Anything can happen. It all starts tonight. 

If anyone thought the game was going to go the way it went last night, you are simply lying to yourself. Just as the announces kept saying, "This game has it all." Anything that could have happened in the game it did. We had two Aces struggle, tons of long-balls, misplayed fly balls, bad plate calling, past balls, oh and a walk off sac fly to win the game for the Rays.

But lets not let Beckett off so easy. This is twice in a row that Beckett struggles that ultimately causes us the game. If it wasn't for all the big at bats, we would have been smashed. Beckett's has simply lost his dominance. He doesn't look the same out there. His fastball is weak, his breaking pitch doesn't break, and his cutter can't cut through air. What is happening with Beckett? Is it that time of the month. Well I have news for Beckett... It's October pal, we can't have that sh*t. We need him to pitch the way he is capable.

He also needs to know when he has had enough. He scapegoated his pitching performance based on the Boston bats. That is not fair to the rest of the team. Tito should have known better. This is not the first time Tito has done this. He loves for our pitchers to get to that dreaded 5th inning to have a chance at the win. But despite someone's composure and past results, as a manager, you need o pull them and let the bullpen work. Our bullpen has been great this postseason. Why not have the faith and use them?

It gets worse. Our bullpen is holding their own; matching everything Tampa is throwing at us. Pap throws 18 balls and gets pulled... Why not let him get as batter or two in the 11th? We had 2,3,4 hitters in the 12th... No. We decide to go to Timlin. He hasn't pitched in like 16 days, and wasn't even on the roster last week. Why didn't we go with Paul Byrd? Once again, he has playoff experience! He has been here before. Despite the bad plate calling, Timlin should not have been in there because he was not ready which showed itself on the field.

So this loss is probably owed more to egos than to poor play. We left Beckett in to get him a possible win, or maybe to boost his confidence going into Game 6, or maybe because he wanted to stay in and that was that. We put in Timlin because he is a long-time Red Sox period. Terry Francona is smarter than that. He has easily outcoached Scocia and was out coaching Maddon until the 11th.

Maybe I'm being greedy... wanting 2 wins coming back to Fenway. It is unusual. The norm is what happened to the Dodgers. You are to protect your home field in the playoffs. We were able to steal one and we now have the upper hand. But now the Rays have a bit of momentum and we had the chance of shutting it down completely. We have to hope for a GREAT game in Boston on Monday night. We need to get the point accross that we will win it here. We will not return to Tampa and that last night was simply a fluke.

Let's Go SOX!!

It was a pitchers duel last night at The Trop as Dice-K and Shields battled it out what appeared to be all night. For Sox fans, we didn't know what to expect from Dice-K... Was his pitch count going to be through the roof?... Was he gonna walk batter after batter? All of which allowing the Rays to score big innings... But on this night Dice-K was magical. He put men on base, and just like that, they disappeared as three outs were recorded.

In and out of every inning Dice-K held the exact same facial expression. Pitch after pitch he threw the ball with precision and without fear. He kept Rays hitters on their toes, not giving in to anything they liked. On 3-1 and 2-0 counts is where he was simply perfect. Rays hitters expected the fastball out and over the plate and Dice-K did everything but. It was nerve-wrecking and exciting all in one.

With Dice-k pitching a magical performance, the Red Sox favored a lil' better against Shields. He too was able to get out of some jams, but Sawx hitting was relentless. The Sox have become a team that plays baseball of old. They can manufacture runs with any part of the lineup. The Sox timely hitting allowed them to score the 2 runs that would ultimately be enough for the win. Mixed with check-swings and quickly sinking liners, it was the Red Sox that had their composure at the plate.

Last night the Red Sox, once again, got the message across that we are World Champions and to get through us teams will have to be near flawless. The Rays and experts alike thought home-field advantage would prove to be the ultimate differance. What everyone fails to recognize is that we are in October. The rules change, the teams change, the game changes. It takes more than a regular-season record to win ball games. The Red Sox have that something extra. Unlike the NL, the Red Sox have taken down the two best teams in the Majors. But the way I see it, the Red Sox have simply proved that they have been the best all along and that October baseball is a beast in itself.

The pitching rotations are set for the series, at least until Game 4. Now after pondering this for a few days I am a little concerned about Wake going in Game 4. Lester, Beckett, Dice-K are all doing fine and coming off strong performances. Ok well maybe not Beckett, but we have to count on him bouncing back. But Wakefield? Why not Paul Byrd?

Wakefield just seems to give up huge hits and it always appears to snow-ball on him, turning a dreadful 2-3 run inning into a 4-5 run inning. Now during the regular season this may be okay. But now that the playoffs are in full swing and we have another shot at the World Series I thought that Wakefield may not be best option for us at this time.

Paul Byrd has post-season experience and has pitched very well for the Sox since the trade. He is a controlled pitcher that can get batters out in a number of ways. He usually does not count on one pitch (i.e. Wakefield). Besides the last time Wake appeared we were smashed. I think it was to the potent Rays team.

I guess we will have to wait and see. I am going to hope that the Red Sox have a dominating series that will allow the decision to pitch Wakefield not to matter. The Sox steal two in the Trop... We come home for Lester and take Game 3 in extra frames (again)... Wakefield gets on the mound in Game 4 and it is te ultimate offensive battle, producing more runs than any playoff game before it with Ortiz slamming one right inside the Pesky Pole to win it in the 9th 12-11. A series swept by the Red Sox. The Perfect Series in my eyes. I guess we will see how good my prediction capabilities are tonight. GO SOX!!

Tonight the Phillies and the Dodgers got the LCS started. I personally found the game a bit bland. Maybe because I did not have the Red Sox to root for until tomorrow; Maybe because it was what it was... Boring. Either way the game was played and the Dodgers finally looked human. Cole Hammel kept the Phills in the game despite giving up some quick runs involving Manny's near dinger. Cole kept his cool and all of a sudden the Phillies struck gold with two Players (Utley and Burrel) that had been ridiculed for not hitting lately.

Dodgers pitcher Lowe kept the ball low most of the night to most of the line-up. Unfortunatelyf for him, some didn't sink and the Dodgers got a taste of reality. After coming into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams and then going on to dismantle the Cubbies, they simply looked like the pre-All-Star game team that we were all used to seeing.

This win definately changed the series for the better. Frankly, I thought the Dodger Blue was going to dominate the series from Game 1. It is now obvious that the Phanatics are here to play. The way they looked tonight, there is no doubt that they will come out even stronger tomorrow. The Boys in Blue need to get it together fast before this turns bloody, I mean Philly Red.

That's right the Boston Red Sox are moving on to the ALCS once again for the fourth time in the last six years. We sent the Halos packing yesterday after a series to remember. I think we can all agree that every game was nerve wrecking and exciting and always left us waiting for the next game to start. Last night's game was no exception. There was great pitching, timely hitting, and even a bit of controversy (which was cleared up).

This year the BoSox success had a different face. It wasn't Manny, Papi, or Varitek that determined the outcome. It fell in the hands of young and new faces in the organization. Theo has been the mastermind behind our teams players and has once again proven that he can pick 'em. The farm system that he relies so heavily on brought us Lowrie and Lester; A headline trade brought us Mr. Bay.

It was these young faces that came through for the Red Sox all series long. As I have mentioned before (see: ... A Complete Team), the Red Sox have an amazing chemistry of players. I think it is no surprise to true Red Sox fans that we have nine stars on the field every night. Our lineup is stacked, with every single one of them capable of big plays. This linup is potent and dangerous, even moreso in October.

These playoffs have awoken a beast in the Red Sox and the remaining teams should beware. Now it's on to Tampa. Bad blood is evident. If we thought the Halos series was good... we are in for a surprise this coming Friday.

The NLCS is set. And who would have thought... The Dodgers and the Phillies. These two team were not on anybody's radar this preseason. Why is it that every year this happens in the NL? Teams that no one expects come to life and are all of a sudden playoff contenders. Oh wait... I forget that the NL is a weak league allowing any team to finish on top. I guarantee if you put, let's say... uummmm, the Padres in the playoffs; Maybe they are in the NLCS.

Anyway, back to the Dodgers and the Phillies. Congrats to both teams. It is definately going to be a great series filled with everything you can ask for... great hitting, descent pitching, and some BIG names to go with it.

If I had to make a prediction I would put my loot on the Dodgers. With the experience coming from Torre, Manny, and Blake the Dodgers have enough young talent and energy to contend against Howard and Rollins. So I say the Dodgers in 5.

(Deep Breath)... I thought we had this thing locked up. Beckett came out flat last night. He wasn't throwing any first-pitch strikes, he was getting behind on hitters and allowing them to get on base. Not to mention allowing Napoli. Who you ask? Yeah Napoli cranked not one, but TWO big flies over deep left and left-center. If it wasn't for the total break down in center field for the Halos, there was a chance that we were out of that game real early.

Hats off go to the Red Sox for sticking to it. We got the bats going, sporatically which allowed them to stay. The bullpens for both teams were great. Oki, Masterson, Pap, and even Lopez pitched very well. It really was just a matter of time before someone caught a break and it fell with the Halos.

Tonight the series gets interesting as it stays in Fenway, but now the Halos are on a bit of a high... Let's see how well Lester calms them down. Let's also hope that Pedroia and Ortiz come alive and begin to hit the ball. Our entire line-up is wacking it except them. We cannot continue to count on sporatic hitting in hopes that we can hold them. The Angels will find a way to win, just as they did last night.

But what can I say? Welcome to October baseball. It would not be any fun if every series was a sweep, right?... Although I would have wished for it in this case. Catch you bloggers after the game.

The NL races have become interesting with one series already over in dramatic fashion and the other turning around on the basis of home field advantage (maybe).

The Cubbies have fallen short of their dream of progressing further than the first round. Anyone that watched them could easily say that they were not the team that we were used to seeing from April to September. I feel for the Cubs fans. Better luck next year, I guess.

As for Dodger blue... They, too, are a different team than we have seen. The Dodgers were not even in playoff talk in mid-July. Then Manny vacations to L.A. and all of a sudden the Dodgers are a contender. More than that, they are now the first contender in the NLCS. They haven't won a series since their 1988 World Series Championship and once again, they look untouchable.

The Dodgers await the winner between the Brew Crew and the Phanatics. As it looks right now (5-0 Phills in the 4th), Blue will visit Philadelphia on Thursday. So unless the Brewers can start pleasing the home crowd this series will go as planned and the Phills will move on.

Either way the NL races are progressing as we move through October.   

Last night was officially October's first nail biter... If you missed it, you missed a good one. I was on the edge of my seat the entire night. With the Red Sox off to an early lead in the 1st inning, the Halos slowly climbed back into the game. It was almost as if the Angels' runs came out of nowhere. They did not do anything special, having only one extra base hit in the game. So it was like all of a sudden the Angels were with in one.... then came the tie with Pap on the mound.

If all that wasn't enough the Halos called on their record-breaker. Yeah, the one with the over-flamboyant celebration after striking our one batter as they are up three runs against the A's. Yeah him. He was a very different character playing against the Sox. He was able to get out of the 8th untouched, but not the 9th. The Red Sox over the past 3 postseasons have demolished the Angels passed the 8th innings. Last night was no different.

Last year, Manny provided the fireworks in dramatic fashion as K-Rod gave up a walk-off homer to end it. This year we let our early season hero, Drew take the cake. On a 2-2 count, K-Rod served up what looked to be a similar pitch. Either way it was the same result. A long ball into deep center field putting the Red Sox ahead 7-5, and more importantly, allowing K-Rod to simply dip his face into his glove and forget all he did this season. Because afterall, none of it mattered anymore. 

The Red Sox came alive when it counted most. Tonight an experienced team took to the field. Tonight the best team won. It is obvious, throughout this playoffs, that the best team during the season means absolutely sh*t. We are in October. The level of the game raises to another level. The Angels still have not figured it out. See you guys in game 3, as Beckett takes the mound to sweep the series.  

 

 

Jacoby was a shadowed star in Boston's ALDS Game 1. With Lester pitching such a great game, holding the Halos to almost nothing (1 UNearned run) and Bay hitting a smash that put the Sox in front. But Ellsbury had a game filled with everything a baseball player can do... He had the complete game. From hitting to fielding to running, Jacoby did it all. Here are the numbers just in case you were curious or needed a reminder:

     - 3 for 5 which inclded a two-bagger

     - 2 stolen bases which helped manufacture runs

     - A diving catch that prevented a rally for the Halos

I have enjoyed watching Jacoby since last year's post season. I thought he was the World Series MVP. He hit over .400 with huge hits that wouldn't stop. Not to deminish Lowell's award, but Jacoby gave us the spark. Since then he carries himself as if he has been in the show for 10 years. He has a natural ability to play the game and he is wise beyond his years.

This year he comes into October with a hitting streak and a hunger to win it again. Jacoby is not only the future of the BoSox, he is the future of baseball. He represents everything that is good. Any parents out there looking for a ball player to have your 7-year old watch?... Watch Jacoby. You won't be sorry. He is Mr. Baseball and I consider it a privelage to be able to watch this young man's future Hall of Fame career unfold before our eyes. In the meantime, I will watch him guide the Sox into the World Series.

 

It was a bitter sweet day for me today with some good news and some bad. Beginning with the ladder, I recieved some bad news today that puts my life on hold. I was devastated to say the least. I cried, I pondered, and I speculated and planned out my next move. Just when my tears had been cleared up by a long afternoon nap, the Red Sox game was only minutes away. I thought, "Please, gimme this one.." I didn't think I could take any more bad news today.

It was Bay's home run that cracked my first smile in hours. It was Lester's pitching that got me from  laying down to sitting upright. It was the Red Sox persuit to victory that made me think that tomorrow is a new day. Much like the Sox, I need to wake up and do it again. As corny and stupid as this blog may seem, even to me, it gave me an outlet. Thank God for October Baseball...

 

I'm not going to lie... I was a bit worried when Beckett was pushed back to pitch Game 3. But Lester continues to write his magnificant story with another October chapter. Not only was this a win, but one in which gives the Red Sox home field advantage. Lester pitched 7 strong innings that held off the Angels bats long enough until ours came to life.

It was Bay that got got us off the bench to watch the big fly over left on a hanging changer. His homer not only put us in front for good, but allowed Lester to work in the lead rather than from behind. Anyone who knows baseball, this is a huge psyc advantage for a pitcher and an entire team. Big plays all over the field did the job for the Sox tonight. 

It had adverse effects on the Halos as they suddenly became deflated on both sides of the ball. A big play by Youk, making a play on a running Vlad, made it clear that the Angels hopes in this game were now over. They began to struggle and the BoSox were able to purchase some insurance in the 9th.

The momentum now swings into our dugout with Dice-K taking the mound who, by the way, is 9-0 on the road this year. It must have been a ploy by the Sox front office to push Beckett back to game 3 so that he can close out the series in Boston. I hear you loud and clear Teery and Theo. Keep it up.