2007 MLB Post Season

[Holden Pike]

OK, after Colorado's dramatic extra-innings win (even though the plate was never tagged), the playoffs are set. This year looks absolutely wide-open, in both Leagues, and if that 163rd game on Monday was any indication, there could be some wild finishes coming. Whoever gets hot and plays mistake-free ball will advance, though there probably aren't going to be a lot of sweeps going on anywhere. Everybody is pretty evenly matched, it seems. It has the makings for some classic series. The first round has...

AMERICAN LEAGUE

http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/gameupdate/i/teams/laa.gif VS. http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/gameupdate/i/teams/bos.gif

Both teams have great pitching, though The Red Sox seemed a bit more consistent throughout the year. That doesn't matter much in a short series at the beginning of October, but Boston's bullpen is a bit better this year and with The Angels' Bortolo Colon injured much of the year overall it would seem to favor Boston. But goodness knows anything can happen. The Angels have precious little power, save for superstar Vladimir Guerrero, but Vladdy has been banged up at the end of the year and will likely be limited to DH. But boy, oh boy, can Los Angeles RUN, RUN, RUN. Amazing team speed from the likes of Chone Figgins, Orlando Cabrera, and really just about everyone not named Vlad. Not just in stolen bases, but in taking extra bases and generally putting defenses on edge. For Boston Manny has been out of the lineup for much of September, but even at less than 100% he's still dangerous. And with Poppy, Lowell having a career year, the usually clutch team captain Varitek and probable rookie of the year Dustin Pedroia, they're still potent.

Game 1, LAA @ BOS Wed. Oct. 3
Game 2, LAA @ BOS Fri. Oct. 5
Game 3, BOS @ LAA Sun. Oct. 7
Game 4*, BOS @ LAA Mon. Oct. 8
Game 5*, LAA @ BOS Wed. Oct. 10

http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/gameupdate/i/teams/nyy.gif VS. http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/gameupdate/i/teams/cle.gif

The Yankees had a horrible April and May but went on a tear after the All Star break. Has to be the best lineup, top to bottom and bench, but as The Tigers showed last year great pitching can bring them out of their gameplan of patiently wearing down even the best starters and getting to the underbelly of bullpens. But that was last year. Pitching wise, The Yankees have very little consistency, but they also have a bunch of veterans who could step up their game and pitch some gems in October. Could. Cleveland looked horrible a couple months ago and it seemed like nobody wanted the Central Division, but they turned it on the last six weeks or so and wound up tied with Boston for the best record in baseball. The Indians' slugger Travis Hafner has been banged up this year, but he's always a threat. And with Grady Sizemore, Peralta, Casey Blake and Victor Martinez they can score in bunches. C.C. Sabathia is as great an ace as anybody in the game right now, and they seem to find ways to win.

Game 1, NYY @ CLE Thu. Oct. 4
Game 2, NYY @ CLE Fri. Oct. 5
Game 3, CLE @ NYY Sun. Oct. 7
Game 4*, CLE @ NYY Mon. Oct. 8
Game 5*, NYY @ CLE Wed. Oct. 10


NATIONAL LEAGUE

http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/gameupdate/i/teams/chc.gif VS. http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/gameupdate/i/teams/ari.gif

The Cubs, after looking pretty bad in the middle of the season, were playing great in September and made their way past Milwaukee to win the division. Alfonso Soriano has been on an absolute tear and finally seems completely healthy, and with Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly leading the way on the mound if they get cookin' this might be the team to FINALLY make it back to the World Series...but the long-suffering Cub fans have said that about thirty-five times in the past seven decades. Outside of the Phoenix area code, I don't think much of anybody was predicting The Diamondbacks to win the West this year. They're supposed to be too young, too inexperienced, and The Padres and The Dodgers were going to fight it out for the lead. Well, it didn't work out that way. Apart from the fun-to-watch Eric Byrnes, there probably aren't four position players on the team that anybody really knows on a national level, but that can change in a hurry now that it's October.

Game 1, CHC @ ARI Wed. Oct. 3
Game 2, CHC @ ARI Thu. Oct. 4
Game 3, ARI @ CHC Sat. Oct. 6
Game 4*, ARI @ CHC Sun. Oct. 7
Game 5*, CHC @ ARI Tue. Oct. 9

http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/gameupdate/i/teams/col.gif VS. http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/gameupdate/i/teams/phi.gif

Both of these teams made it to the Post Season in dramatic fashion. The Phillies played strong the last few months and caught the crumbling Met team that looked like they were going to lead wire to wire. Triple MVP threats Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley had something to say about that. Philly doesn't have a heck of a lot of pitching, but they bring a scary offensive onslaught when they're on. Colorado won that terrific back-and-forth extra-innings affair with San Diego to vault into the Wild Card spot, and if you watched that game on Monday obviously they are a team to be reckoned with...especially in Colorado. A well balanced lineup and maybe just enough pitching to advance a couple more rounds?

Game 1, COL @ PHI Wed. Oct. 3
Game 2, COL @ PHI Thu. Oct. 4
Game 3, PHI @ COL Sat.Oct. 6
Game 4*, PHI @ COL Sun. Oct. 7
Game 5*, COL @ PHI Tue. Oct. 9


These best of five early round matchups can change on a dime and be over in a hurry. Whether we get pitching duels or slugfests, should be some great baseball in the next month. Play ball, I says!

[Holden Pike]

OK, it seems really impossible to predict this year, but who are your picks to advance?

For the AL I'll take The Red Sox in five and The Yankees in four, for yet another crazy BoSox/Yankees championship. And in the NL I'll say Chicago in four and Philadelphia in five. But I wouldn't put a penny on anything this year.

I actually learned a valuable sports gambling lesson when I was eleven-years-old. It was 1981, with The Yankees and Dodgers playing each other for the third time in five years. New York won the first two games of the Series. It was then that a loudmouth L.A. fan at school bet me $10 that the Dodgers would win it all anyway. Up two games to none, I'd be crazy not to make that bet, right? Of course Los Angeles won the next four games (including all three at Yankee Stadium) and I had to come up with ten bucks. When you're eleven, ten dollars might as well be a hundred (and remember, thems 1981 dollars when a comic book was still only 35¢, a payphone only 10¢ and a can of soda 25¢). I managed to scrounge up the money, and I haven't made a serious bet on sports since.

[Sedai]

I will be taking Boston in 5 as well as the Yankees in 5. Yankee pitching is going to be rough, so I think they will have a little trouble buttoning it up quickly, hot bats or not. I guess I would sort of like to see Cleveland get through, because they are due, but, as stated yesterday in the 'box, I love watching Sox/Yanks in the post, so I am taking the Yankees.

For NL I am taking the D-backs, just because I am from Arizona originally. I don't really care about either team, so home state loyalty is all I have for this series... Cubs deserve to win it more though, I think.

Colorado in the last series, because they look damn good. Of all the teams I have watched these past couple of weeks, these guys scare me the most. When they are clicking, they look nigh unbeatable...

[Yoda]

Oh man. Four predictions, and I won't be entirely confident about any of them. It's insane this year. Anyhoo...

I'll go with the Yankees in five and the Red Sox in four. In the NL, I'll take Arizona in five, and Philadelphia in four. Philadelphia is probably the only team I'd wager on if I had to.

You really can't emphasize enough how wide open this is. Smart money has to be on the AL, but beyond that, there's just so little to go on. There might be some insight in the head-to-head matchups, though:

Red Sox & Angels
Red Sox won 6 of 10.

Yankees & Indians
Yankees won all 6.

Diamondbacks & Cubs
Diamondbacks won 4 of 6.

Phillies & Rockies
Rockies won 4 of 7.Here's the funny thing: as some have pointed out, New York may have lucked out by losing the division this year, as winning it would have yielded a first-round matchup with the Angels, who they went just 3-6 against this year. Instead, they get the only possible matchup in either league that appears lopsided (at least, based on the admittedly scant head-to-head data).

All potential ALCS combinations should be very competitive, though, as New York's 3-6 mark against the Angels is the most lopsided of the bunch. The others: Boston was 8-10 against New York, and and Cleveland and the Angels were 5-5 against each other.

In the NL, Arizona would probably fare best against Philadelphia (they won 5 of 6 meetings this year). Philly won 4 of 7 against the Cubs, and the Cubs went 2-4 against Arizona.

Eagle-eyed readers will notice the four teams I picked all have the edge in head-to-head meetings this year. I actually made the picks before looking into the other numbers, and they certainly don't dissuade me from my choices.

We'll see, though. The only three teams I'm actively rooting for are Boston, Cleveland, and Chicago. Naturally, the first two play each other in the first round. Figures.

[Holden Pike]

New York may have lucked out by losing the division this year, as winning it would have yielded a first-round matchup with the Angels, who they went just 3-6 against this year. Instead, they get the only possible matchup in either league that appears lopsided (at least, based on the admittedly scant head-to-head data).

Yeah, The Angels under Mike Scioscia just seem to have The Yankees' number. And I'm sure as a former Dodger and disciple of Tommy Lasorda, he takes extra pride in this. They seem to match-up better against New York for some reason. Or maybe it's just psychological, at this point?

Anyway, to be fair to Cleveland, New York hasn't faced Sabathia in a few years now, just due to the lopsided schedules, his injuries, and the way the rotation kept coming up, they never met in their handful of games each year. And that last series when the Yankees pounded the snot out of The Indians, Hafner wasn't playing at all and that was at their worst point of their season, as well as being about the hottest streak the Yanks were on all year. It was right after that series that Cleveland started getting their act together.

So this'll be a much different Indians team than the one that went 0-6 against them during the beginning and middle of the season. Frankly I'd almost rather The Yankees face The Angels, just to get that rally monkey off their backs and prove to themselves they can do it. I watched almost every Yankees game this year on TV, and that last series against The Angels, even though it had the game where Anderson woke up and had ten R.B.I., New York didn't have that dead, fearful look in their eye. It was just, OK, we'll get you next time. That's not something I observed in them as a team the last few years, regular or Post Season, when playing Los Angeles. If there was a mental component to it, I think they're past it.

Maybe we'll find out this year, and maybe not?

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/images/2007/03/01/CdsjbASn.jpg http://images.forbes.com/media/lists/53/2005/9O99.jpg

[The Gnat]

I am looking at the Rockies taking down the Phillies, Rockies are the hottest team right now, and the Cubs taking down the D-Backs, the D-Backs are close, but they are really young and don't have the experience.

In the A.L. I'm going to go with the Indians in five over the Yankees, Carmona and Sabathia silence the Yankee bats, and then Boston over the Angels in four.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/5258fb3d-15e5-4b7d-b583-4b17f10a64e7.jpg

GAME ONE:
Colorado 4, Philadelphia 2

The Phillies get two home runs in front of their wild home crowd...but they're only solo shots. The Rockies put together a three-run second inning to go ahead early, and they made that hold up.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/286456cf-cad0-4f51-98a4-ae8596f5ae48.jpg

GAME ONE:
Boston 4, Los Angeles 0

Big Poppi and Youkilis provided the power, and Josh Beckett certainly looked like the presumptive Cy Young Award winner pitching an absolute masterpiece: a complete game shut-out scattering only four hits, striking out eight and walking none. Speed and chaos on the basepaths can't come without baserunners.

Yowza!

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/d9f7b964-c883-4788-8f79-86346efc9d92.jpg

GAME ONE:
Arizona 3, Chicago 1

Brandon Webb out-dueled Carlos Zambrano (at least for as long as Pinella kept him in the game) and a couple of those young BabyBacks had solo home runs in Stephen Drew & Mark Reynolds. Each starter only gave up one earned run each, but the Diamondback bullpen was better tonight.

[Sedai]

I watched the entire Bo Sox game and some of the AZ game before I crashed out. Beckett was incredible, and the rest of the team looked tight and focused. Good times.

[Yoda]

Beckett's shutout is huge. Boston's had some bullpen troubles down the stretch, and keeping those guys fresh could end up being very important.

I'm a little surprised the Phillies didn't put up some runs; they've got quite a lineup. If you'd have told me Hamels was going to give up just 3 runs, I'd certainly have predicted a Philly victory.

[The Gnat]

Well, when Utley, Victorino, Rollins, and Howard manage to go 0-15 with 9 K's, it is understandable how they lost that game.

[Holden Pike]

Jimmy Rollins is having a better Game Two. So far he's got a lead-off home run and just hit a 2-RBI two-out triple to retake the lead. Bottom of the 3rd inning, Philly up 3-2. Colorado's two runs came from back-to-back solo homers by Tulowitzki and Holliday in the 1st.

Anybody think this one is going to finish 3-2? I'm thinking more like 8-6.

[Holden Pike]

And now The Rockies roar back when Kaz Matsui, the lead-off man with a total of four home runs this season, hits a grand salami. 6-3 Colorado, bottom the the 4th.

[Yoda]

I wouldn't panic if I were a Philadelphia. That potent Philly lineup's already into the bullpen (though Fogg is generally a starter). They've got a good chance to really tear things up over the next few innings.

Not that a whole lot has made sense in regards to the Rockies lately.

[Sedai]

Damn I'm missing the game. ARG!!! I'm going home!!!

[nebbit]

Ok, thanks, just learnt something about http://bestsmileys.com/sports2/24.gif

[Holden Pike]

Now The Rockies are up 10-5, with two outs in the bottom of the 8th. Ryan Howard is standing on second base, but they're gonna need a lot more than one run...and they are quickly running out of outs.

Howard hit a home run earlier, but like all of the Phillies homers so far it was a solo shot. Colorado pitching has been great at keeping guys off of base. Kaz Matsui picked a good time to have the game of his life. He is only a single short of the cycle.

[Holden Pike]

Well, now that I say that, Philly draw back-to-back walks to load the bases. New pitcher coming in, two outs. If the catcher, Ruiz, can get any kind of hit this can be a game again.

[Holden Pike]

Nope, Corpas the closer comes in and induces the easy ground out, so it'll stay a five-run game going into the 9th. This series could be over real damn quick if Philly doesn't wake up and figure out a way to slow down the Rockies bats.

And in case anyone didn't hear that or haven't turned on the TV yet, the New York/Cleveland game is going to start on TNT and will switch back to TBS after the end of the goings on in Philadelphia.

[Holden Pike]

GAME TWO:
Colorado 10, Philadelphia 5

The Phillies show some life and power, but the red hot Diamondbacks show at least twice as much. Up two games to none going back to the Mile High City, they have to be liking their chances.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/4ea11892-bf69-40c8-aa9b-4005a1584dc2.jpg

GAME ONE:
Cleveland 12, New York 3

It was billed as a pitcher's duel, so of course neither starter was particularly sharp. But the game was close until the 5th. The Yankees had an opportunity to put a crooked number on the board, but only came away with a single run. The Indians in the bottom of that inning capitalize on their chances and put five across the plate, blowing it open. Cleveland's lineup looked great, hitting four home runs and getting some timely hits from the veteran Kenny Lofton, making his return to the Tribe.

[Sedai]

Caught the Yankees game, which was a bit boring, and then part of the D-Backs game....then I passed out!


Go Sox

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/d03ecd4f-2d3a-40e6-b8c5-a3433fe6b3f1.jpg

GAME TWO:
Arizona 8, Chicago 4

The Cubs scored first but Ted Lilly couldn't get it done, and a few of those BabyBacks have great games, including pitcher Doug Davis, shortstop Stephen Drew and center fielder Chris Young. The Cubs' Soriano, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez are a combined 4-for-27 in these first two games.

[Yoda]

Well, so far I couldn't have been more wrong about Philadelphia. I'm torn here, because my grandmother lives near Philly and is pulling for them, but the Rockies are a much more interesting story.

Meanwhile, I'm not terribly surprised that the Indians won, nor that they scored so highly, but I am surprised they didn't give up more runs. I admit, when the Yankees loaded the bases down just 4-3, I thought they had an excellent chance to take a sizable lead. I'm impressed that Cleveland was able to both hold them in check, and then start piling on.

Sadly, in a best-of-five, it doesn't take much. Blink, and you're gone. Chicago and Philadelphia are learning that the hard way.

[Yoda]

Speaking of Philadelphia, I noticed that, on ESPN.com, someone had left a comment suggesting that the Rockies should have walked someone to "pitch to Mr. 0-for-5." They were referring, of course, to Ryan Howard, who apparently failed both his teammates and the city of Philadelphia tremendously by going 0-for-4 in Game 1, and hitless in his first at-bat in Game 2.

Of course, he hit a ball 20 feet over the left-center field wall his next time up.

This sort of thing is, I admit, one of my hugest pet peeves in sports: the insistence on inventing trends and labels, both where they don't really apply, or long before they ever could. Five at-bats, and people were already ragging on Howard. And I'm sure none of them will remember the repudiation his home run represents. They might stop labeling Howard specifically, but no added caution will be applied for the next guy.

Anything can happen in such a small number of games. Anything. How any reasonably intelligent person can somehow draw broad conclusions about a player's talent or ability based on such a ridiculously small sample size is beyond me, but it happens every year.

Perhaps people detest the idea that the playoffs are disturbingly random so much that they have to invent a narrative to make sense of it. I really don't know. All I know is that, this time of year, a genuinely great player can get slapped with a label that will follow him the rest of his career based on 3 or 4 bad games. And that's a damn shame.

And, of course, a mediocre player can achieve some degree of immortality, and get some team to dramatically overpay him as a result. If I'm a pitcher with a 5.09 ERA, I'm pretty excited, because I know I can erase a bad season and earn another $3 million per year with a strong game or two. Just gotta earn that "big-game pitcher" label.

So, in summary, the playoffs cause everyone involved to go completely insane.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/23c6c821-7455-4232-a867-eb2f8469c661.jpg

GAME TWO:
Cleveland 2, New York 1

Now THIS is a Post Season pitcher's duel, as advertised. Veteran Andy Petitte pitched a gem, spreading out a bunch of hits but always getting the tough outs when he had to, best shown in the inning that Grady Sizemore led off with a triple but was stranded at third, preserving the 1-0 Yankee lead at the time. Twenty-three-year-old Fausto Carmona was nearly as good, surrendering even fewer hits...but one of them happened to be a solo home run to Melky Cabrera - his only mistake of the game. Otherwise he pitched tough and out of trouble the few times he found himself there, going nine full innings.

That might have been enough for the Yankees...if it weren't for those pesky bugs. In the eighth inning especially, New York phenom reliever Joba Chamberlin was clearly bothered by the swarming flying ants that buzzed and coated his neck and unsettled everyone in the infield. Chamberlin's pinpoint control was gone in the fog of bugs, leading to a four-pitch lead-off walk and two wild pitches, leading to the tying run.

To extra innings it went, until Hafner connected with a bases loaded single in the bottom of the eleventh off of Luis Vizcaino.


Now on the New York to see if The Yankees can make a seiries out of it at home.

[uconjack]

I'm physically ill from the loss tonight (by the Yankees). Did God send the bugs in? I was almost expecting Edger G to start commentating.

[7thson]

Clev looks good, yes they do, too bad I do not like 'em, but I have to give props, I do..... I am chopping and I do not know why.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/baab0f78-1734-4870-b5c8-1648f198257d.jpg

GAME TWO:
Boston 6, Los Angeles 3

So, I guess Manny's OK. Matsuzaka was not super sharp in his first Post Season outing, but the Red Sox bullpen came in and got the job done. There was some controversy in the fifth when Angels catcher Jeff Mathis had a foul ball pretty well stolen from him in the first row of the stands when a young Boston fan grabbed it basically right on top of his glove. By the rules there's nothing wrong with what the kid did, as opposed to the infamous Jeffrey Maier home run ball in Yankee Stadium and since it helped the home team he will not face Steve Bartmanesque banishment, but the truth is while the natural reaction is to go for the ball if you're in the first few rows of a MLB stadium it's just good sportsmanship to be aware of the players coming in to attempt catches - even if they are wearing the other team's jersey.

So that non-catch kept Manny's at-bat alive and allowed the game to be tied up at three in the fifth. But it's all moot anyway, because in the bottom of the ninth he hit a frippin' BOMB over the Green Monster, a three-run walk-off job.


So after all four series have played two games a piece, all four have one team up 2-0. And they're all the home teams, except for Arizona who took both of the games in Philly. And this is why I don't bet on baseball. After the end of the regular season, everybody looked pretty evenly matched, and the smart money had to be on some four and five game series. We may still get two or three still, but we could also see some sweeps.

The Yankees, Angels and Cubs can all console themselves that they can play at home now, but in a short series a 2-0 deficit is a big hole to dig out of. Momentum sure ain't on your side, and one mistake can mean the end of the season.

As for Philadelphia, what they're facing isn't quite impossible, only very improbable. In the history of the five-game series in Baseball, only one team has ever lost the first two games at home and then come back to win the next three and take the series. That team was the 2001 Yankees over the Oakland A's, the third game being the 1-0 Mussina gem that Jeter saved with that amazing missed cut-off shovel pass from out of nowhere in waaaay foul territory to get Jeremy Giambi at the plate. But other than that, if you lose the first two at home, that's pretty much it. The Phillies have battled back all year and had been counted out of the Eastern Division race many times over the season, so who knows? But good luck making the magic happen in Colorado.

[Sedai]

Great comments, Holden. Yeah, that shot was a BOMB over the monster, for sure. I think Manny is feeling a bit better...

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/5ff46388-be6a-45a8-8911-15a494c2ff18.jpg

GAME THREE:
Arizona 5, Chicago 1

Get the brooms out. The Cubbies could do no better in the so-called friendly confines of Wrigley Field. The Diamondbacks scored two in the first inning, including a lead-off home run by Chris Young, demoralizing the crowd, and with Levon Hernandez on the mound and that Arizona pen that was more than enough. The Cubs never looked like they were comfortable in the series, and conversely Arizona looked great. Now they can sit back in their champagne-soaked clothes and see if Colorado can achieve a sweep tonight as well. Just wait 'til next millenium, Cub fans!

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/1710ebe5-e904-4156-bb09-226a6b98a292.jpg

GAME THREE:
Colorado 2, Philadelphia 1

During the second inning, the lights went out for a while at the stadium in Colorado. The power outage in the Phillies lasted nearly three whole games. This one was a well-fought pitcher's duel, but when back-up utility infielder Jeff Baker slapped a pinch-hit single the other way to put the Rockies up by a run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, the team and fans of Philadelphia had to feel the season was over. And it nearly was. Corpus came in for the ninth and got three quick outs, including striking out Ryan Howard.

Two game threes, two sweeps. The Rockies and Diamondbacks both look very, very good going into the League Championship Series next week. And both are getting full team efforts, not just hits from stars and lights-out pitching but contributions from everybody, top to bottom. I don't think many people had an Arizona/Colorado championship mapped out back in Spring Training and I'm sure the folks who have to sell TV ad time would rather have a story like The Cubs, but here it is. Should be a great one!

[Yoda]

Interesting stuff so far. I feel sorry for Philly, in particular. They've put together a genuinely good club with a great future, and I hope they don't get labeled too quickly for this early exit. Anything can happen in the divisional series, and in this case, anything did.

I'm pretty happy with the results so far, though. If Boston and Cleveland both advance, I'll be in the rare position of genuinely liking both teams in the ALCS. And it's hard not to like watching Colorado and Arizona both play way over their heads. The net result could be four teams left, all of which I'd be pleased to see win for one reason or another. Can't remember the last time that happened.

[Yoda]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/5ff46388-be6a-45a8-8911-15a494c2ff18.jpg

GAME THREE:
Arizona 5, Chicago 1

Get the brooms out. The Cubbies could do no better in the so-called friendly confines of Wrigley Field. The Diamondbacks scored two in the first inning, including a lead-off home run by Chris Young, demoralizing the crowd, and with Levon Hernandez on the mound and that Arizona pen that was more than enough. The Cubs never looked like they were comfortable in the series, and conversely Arizona looked great. Now they can sit back in their champagne-soaked clothes and see if Colorado can achieve a sweep tonight as well. Just wait 'til next millenium, Cub fans!
Livan's reputation as a "big game" pitcher continues to grow. I remember it began when he was quite young (maybe 23 or 24?) in the 1997 NLCS against Atlanta. He thew a complete game in Game 6 to clinch the pennant. I remember that the home plate umpire was Eric Gregg, too, because he's known for having a large strike zone, and Brave fans were none too happy with the way he called the game. The last pitch, in particular, was a large looping curveball that appeared to land at least a few inches outside. Nevertheless, the batter was rung up, Hernandez thrust both arms in the air, and the Marlins went on to the World Series in just their fifth season of existence, if memory served.

This all led to a memory I'd rather forget; Edgar Renteria singling up the middle past Charles Nagy's outstretched glove to drive Craig Counsell in from third in the 10th inning of Game 7. I was pulling for Cleveland, of course.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/3d6441dc-7ada-4fc5-a1c9-0a7534a66b03.jpg

GAME THREE:
Boston 9, Los Angeles 1

Another game three, another sweep. Curt Schilling pitched out of trouble in the early innings and after Ortiz and Manny connected for back-to-back solo shots in the fourth, Anaheim had to know what was coming. It stayed 2-0 until the eighth, but then Boston explodes and bats around for a seven spot. The Angels' only run was a meaningless tack-on in the bottom of the ninth (against Gagne though, which may mean something in the next round). The Angels had too many injuries, and the Boston pitching was way too good. They made it look pretty easy.

[mark f]

That was pretty sad for the Halos, but at least, they're out of their misery. I guess I'm rooting for the NL West rep. I know you haven't given up on your Bronx Bombers yet, Holden, but it looks grim.

[Yoda]

So, Steinbrenner was quoted before the game as saying that Torre's job was on the line tonight.

Setting aside the issue of whether or not these kinds of threats are counterproductive or not, I think The Boss' is operating under a couple of misconceptions here. First, I think he believes that the manager has a great deal more to do with the success of a given ballclub than he actually does. This is a tough thing to measure, but I think the idea that you can lay any significant amount of praise or blame on a team's manager is a bit of a myth. The only exception I can think of involves managers abusing young pitchers by requiring high pitch counts from them, and Torre doesn't do that.

But, someone has to be blamed, apparently. And along with Torre, we might see GM Brian Cashman finally bite the bullet, too. If Steinbrenner wants to know who to blame, though, he ought to look right in the mirror.

He should blame the myriad of unadvisable signings, many of which he appears to have insisted on. No matter how much money a team has, it simply can't afford to cripple itself with burdensome long-term contracts the way New York has without feeling the effects.

However, it's not just the overpaying that's the problem. It's who they're overpaying; without fail, the contracts have gone to players whose best years were behind them. They've gotten some significant production from guys like Giambi and Mussina, but both saw their performance decline from their pre-Yankee days. This is the natural consequence of signing players after they've established themselves, as opposed to younger players who are likely to. The average age of Yankee players in 2004 (before their recent influx of farmhands) was over 34, a full year over the next-oldest.

One shudders to think of what Cashman could have done without having burdensome contracts dictated to him, given how he's managed to rebuild a solid farm system in the midst of perpetual contention -- no easy task, even with such a massive payroll. One has to suspect he'd have preferred the Beltrans and Guerreros of the world to the Giambis and the Sheffields.

Things'll only get rougher ahead, as everyone gets a year older next season. But Cashman has lit a couple lights at the end of the tunnel with guys like Hughes, Chamberlain and Cano. If I'm a Yankees fan, I'm desperately hoping that Steinbrenner backs off and lets Cashman do his thing.

[Yoda]

That was pretty sad for the Halos, but at least, they're out of their misery. I guess I'm rooting for the NL West rep. I know you haven't given up on your Bronx Bombers yet, Holden, but it looks grim.
Looking a little better now. One thing you can't do with New York is count them out. Not because of heart or drive or experience or any of those baseball buzzwords, but because they can hit the stuffing out of the ball. A team like the Angels is too built on speed to stage big comebacks, but any team that can draw walks and hit homers the way the Yankees can will always remain a threat to get back in the game.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/c6422709-c567-4fb6-9fbd-d45b29a0814f.jpg

GAME THREE:
New York 8, Cleveland 4

FINALLY a series that's going at least four games. The pitching career of the great Roger Clemens may well have come to an end tonight. He gave up three runs in two-and-a-thirds innings of work and never looked like his legs were fully past his hamstring problems. But Torre had him on a short leash, and the back-up plan was rookie Phil Hughes. Hughes came in and was lights out, giving that Yankee offense a chance to get it in gear for the first time this series. Johnny Damon put them up for good with a big three-run homer, and they add another three in the sixth thanks to a big error by Yankee nemesis Trot Nixon (who drove in two of the four Cleveland runs tonight).

There will be at least one more day of Division Series baseball. The Indians need to play mistake free and hope they can hold that Bronx lineup down one more time. The Yankees need to score early and force a fifth game back in Cleveland.

[Sedai]

What a fun game. I was hoping the tribe would at least make it close, but it was good to see Torre and the Bombers get SOMETHING going finally. First game in the post season that these cats were able to get back to back hits, and it came just at the right time!

Meanwhile, I am a bit irked at the fact that Torre, who is clearly an exceptional manager, is getting thrown to the wolves. Even as a die hard Sox fan, it just doesn't seem right, given the guy's record with the team, and his obvious knowledge. Jeers to the chumps going after 'ol Joe...

http://yankeesco.mlblogs.com/photos/uncategorized/torre.jpg

[Holden Pike]

Well, this same "Torre must go!" cry has gone up every year since 2002, from the media, from a segment of the fans, and sometimes from Steinbrenner himself. Obviously when you have that payroll and that spotlight, the bar is set higher, and winning 90+ games every year and getting into the Post Season doesn't cut it for some. As I think the many, many Yankee managers (lots of them Billy Martin) who helmed the team from 1981 to 1995 can attest, having a bunch of high-paid all-star caliber players on the field does not automatically translate into mega success. You have more margin for error, sure, and in most years if by mid-season you're missing a piece or two the checkbook can be opened to go after a veteran who may or may not be able to fill that hole. But what Torre has done for the past eleven seasons is still pretty remarkable and impressive.

Managing The Yankees may well be a different job than managing anywhere else, and whatever the extra layers of expectations and pressure, I don't think one can really argue that Joe Torre hasn't done a great job; he has. And while everybody is quick to point at payroll, in 1996 they were the underdogs against Atlanta and they had a great come-from-behind in the Series win that year. The core of those four championship teams in 1996 and 1998-2000 were Jeter, Posada, Bernie Williams, Andy Petitte and Mariano Rivera, all "home grown" talents. The resurgence the past two years has not been due to the aging veterans they have picked up but thanks to Robinson Cano, Chien-Ming Wang, Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlin - again, all farm hands that have been groomed to be the stars they are fast becoming. The one big difference is that The Yankees can keep that core of players together with fewer being lost to free agency. The Dodgers, Red Sox, Braves and all the other top spending teams do this too, but since the Yankees spend more than everybody they get all the criticism from the markets like Pittsburgh and Kansas City. That's fine, and a degree of it is fair. But somebody still has to manage all that, keep an even keel, and find the right mix that works at the right time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1620000/images/_1621454_torre300.jpg http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper736/stills/u708uvp0.jpg

Joe Torre has done it for eleven years and has eleven Post Season appearances, ten Division titles, six A.L. Pennants and those four World Series victories. I know George would much prefer six or seven more World Series championships in that span and they haven't won it all in seven seasons now, but even by Yankee standards (and there's no higher standard for any franchise in any sport) that is a damned impressive run. And in this day and age of Baseball, about as good as a franchise can even hope for...even The Yankees.


So all this stuff about wanting Torre's head on a platter is just plain silly. I don't envy the man who is going to replace Torre, either next season or in two seasons or whenever from now. We'll see how "easy" it is to manage that team.

I expect no matter what the outcome of this Post Season, Torre will be back next year (the final year on his current contract). As long as Torre doesn't retire, I even think he'll be back for the 2009 season. That's when the new Yankee Stadium opens, and no matter what they do World Series-wise in 2007 and 2008, I think they're going to want as smooth a transition as possible to the new field and handling all that fanfare in 2009, and the right man for that job is clearly Joe Torre. The players all speak glowingly of him (Gary Sheffield not withstanding), and those homegrown stars like Jeter and Posada have huge loyalty and affection for the man. If he's forced out, I don't forsee a bunch of the club resigning in the next few years (Posada and Rivera have to make decisions THIS off season). And I also don't think as an organization they want to hand over the trust of those young guys like Chamberlin, Hughes and Cano to anybody else at this point in their careers.


But, we shall see. :yup:

[Sedai]

Speaking of Chamberlain, what a talent this guy is. When he is on, no one is getting by him.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/7804bb30-5dfd-4426-9160-3581f0653737.jpg

GAME THREE:
Cleveland 6, New York 4

The Indians are on to the next round for the first time since 1997! The Yankees problem all year was their pitching rotation, and starting Wang on three days rest does not pay-off. He only lasts an inning plus change and gives up four runs. Mike Mussina came in out of the pen for the second time in his Post Season career and actually pitched pretty well, giving up only two runs. But spotting the Indians that many runs, even in Yankee Stadium, proved too much to overcome. The Yankees get three home runs from Cano, Abreau and, yes, A-Rod...but like all of their other homers in the series (save Damon's in game three) they are all solo shots. New York had lots of chances to score in the first half of the game, but Paul Byrd managed to limit the damage. It was almost another one of those late-inning Bronx miracles, but not this year.

Cleveland had some sick, video-game-like numbers with men on base and two outs. Not all of them were screaming blasts or rocket line drives, but they managed to find the holes the other way and get the bloops when they counted the most. Their pitching was good enough to carry the rest of the load and keep the mighty Yankee lineup down enough.


With Cleveland's top two starters and all of their pen now able to get good rest before Friday's start in Fenway Park, it has the makings of some good, close games (so of course they will probably be 13-11 slugfests). Now comes the old question of is Boston going to be too rested? I doubt it. The veterans like Manny and Schilling will revel in the extra time to recoup, and the kids will be so excited it won't matter a lick.

[Holden Pike]

Speaking of Chamberlain, what a talent this guy is. When he is on, no one is getting by him.

http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2007/baseball/mlb/08/29/chamberlain.keith/t1_joba.jpg http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/top10/2006/yankees/jchamberlain06108180cw.jpg

Not only has Joba been amazing this year (save for the bug fiasco in game two), but out of the pen he was only using two of his pitches: his 98-100MPH fastball and his very hard 90+ slider. But he also has a great, big curveball and a hard-to-time change-up, which are supposedly just as wicked as his other two pitches. In the starting rotation next year he will of course feature all four, including the two the rest of the League hasn't even seen yet. Yowza. Sky is the limit for the kid as far as ability. We'll see if it pans out into as stellar a career as he has stuff. Oh, and he just turned twenty-two.

He hails from Nebraska, he's Native American (Shoshone-Paiute) and his father, wheelchair-bound from Polio most of his life, is getting to see the dream of his son making it at the Major League level come true. It's a great story. Hopefully it'll get even greater in the coming years.

If (always a big if) The Yankee rotation can actually stay healthy all of next year, it should be pretty formidable. Wang, Pettite, Chamberlain, Hughes and Mussina would be a pretty decent starting five. With Joba as a starter they'll have to find some kind of solution in the bullpen (Ross Ohlendorf and Edwar Ramirez combined with a healthy Vizcaino and hopefully - for once - consistent Farnsworth may be enough of a bridge to Rivera in addition to whatever off season deals are made), and assuming A-Rod comes back (I assume he will) they should be just as potent again next year on offense.

Unlike Cub fans, when Yankee fans say, "We'll get 'em next year" it actually means something. ;)

[Holden Pike]

American League Championship

http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/gameupdate/i/teams/cle.gif VS. http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/gameupdate/i/teams/bos.gif

Game 1 CLE @ BOS Fri. Oct. 12
Game 2 CLE @ BOS Sat. Oct. 13
Game 3 BOS @ CLE Mon. Oct. 15
Game 4 BOS @ CLE Tue. Oct. 16
Game 5* BOS @ CLE Thu. Oct. 18
Game 6* CLE @ BOS Sat. Oct. 20
Game 7* CLE @ BOS Sun. Oct. 21

All games broadcast on FOX


National League Championship

http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/gameupdate/i/teams/col.gif VS. http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/gameupdate/i/teams/ari.gif

Game 1 COL @ ARI Thu. Oct. 11
Game 2 COL @ ARI Fri. Oct. 12
Game 3 ARI @ COL Sun. Oct. 14
Game 4 ARI @ COL Mon. Oct. 15
Game 5* ARI @ COL Wed. Oct. 17
Game 6* COL @ ARI Fri. Oct. 19
Game 7* COL @ ARI Sat. Oct. 20

All games broadcast on TBS

[Yoda]

Gotta give the Yanks some credit for getting as far as they did this year. They were hampered by injuries and bad luck, to boot. Anyone who lookd at their run differential a couple months into the season, however, knew they were much better than their record indicated, and we all saw that in the second half.

It's a pity that guys like Torre and Cashman (who's helped offset a number of The Boss' rash decisions) will probably take the hit for this one. I suspect both will find other work very easily, however, assuming they want to.

Looking ahead to the ALCS, Boston has to be considered the favorite. I agree with Holden in regards to the rest; I don't think the time off will hurt Boston in the least. It's a veteran team, for one, and I think the emphasis on abstract concepts like "momentum" exists largely to give pundits and sportscasters something to talk about. The Sox aren't going to forget how to play baseball; they're going to be rested and ready.

The NLCS, on the other hand, might as well be a coin flip. But not in the sense that it'll necessary be all that close; either team could win in 5, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. That said, Arizona has defied a number of statistical conventions this year. I think they're a fluke. Anything can happen in the playoffs, but I think Colorado's the better team.

Anyway, I went 2-2 in the first round, as I had both New York and Philly advancing. Let's see if I can do a little better this time around...



Predictions:

http://www.jethawks.com/images/news/CircleSoxLogo2in.jpg

Boston in 6

http://blea.doc.gov/sales/rockies/col_logo.gif
Colorado in 6

[Holden Pike]

And now the A-Rod 2007 Post Season post mortem...

I happen to like A-Rod. I've always liked him, even when on Seattle and Texas and he would often pound the Hell out of teams I was rooting for. I don't really understand how he became so vilified by apparently so many. But whatever, he's disliked. I guess.

I know he makes an obnoxious amount of money, but I guess just like the Yankees team payroll in total, it's because he makes THE most obnoxious amount of money. All of this hubub about his Post Season numbers is largely just something to talk about for the sake of talking about it, I think. Over his career, his numbers aren't bad at all. Now the numbers don't lie that from the fifth game of that historic Boston League Championship in 2004 up through game two of this year, he hadn't done anything at the plate. At all. Putting it in the larger context, neither had just about any other Yankee, including Derek Jeter (only Robinson Cano has been consistent in the lineup these past few years, actually). But when you make a zillion dollars a year and have ridiculous career numbers to this point in your life, you're held to a different standard. It surely hasn't helped that in the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Post Seasons the Yankees haven't lasted more than a single round, so the sample is pretty small. It did go five games against Anaheim in '05, but just the four each against Detroit in '06 and Cleveland this year. I suppose if he had gone 29 for 34 in those Series with twenty-three home runs and sixty-three RBI, THEN he'd be "worth" his money. I guess. But no human being is going to have those kind of numbers, not even Barry Bonds at the height of his 'roidness. So this dream of what he's worth is really beyond a fantasy, it's impossible. And stupid.

http://i.usatoday.net/sports/_photos/2007/05/03/arod-med.jpg

Even given another first round exit in the Post Season this year and all the speculation about opting out of his contract, I fully expect A-Rod to Stay-Rod in New York as a Yankee.

First of all, there aren't but a small handful of teams in the Majors who can even think about paying him what he gets paid. I'm sure the Royals and Devil Rays and Nationals would all like to dream about the marquee value of having the game's best player (by numbers, anyway), but let's get real. The Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Mets and Angels are probably the only teams with the honest to goodness ability to even go to that table for a sit-down. Obviously one major ingredient the two Los Angeles teams are in need of is power, and A-Rod brings plenty of that. But would he be a good fit, and would those two organizations jeopardize the chance to sign other players with the weight of that one new A-Rod contract? The Mets are already loaded with payroll, and they have a very good, young shortstop and third baseman combo. So where do you ask A-Rod to play? First? Left field? They don't have a DH. Then there's Boston. While they might like to take him just so New York wouldn't get him, the fans in Bah-Stin REALLY hate A-Rod. For taking the extra money to go to The Yankees last time, and for all the brush ups and personality things that have accumulated during the bitter/exciting Yanks/Sox rivalry these past years. I just don't see that happening.

After a tough 2006 season (by his standards anyway numbers-wise, and certainly emotionally and mentally), A-Rod rebounded with a dominating MVP crunch in the '07 regular season, keeping the team in it enough almost single-handedly during April when all of their starting pitching staff and most of their replacements went on the D.L. He got a taste of what it's like to be embraced by the fans during this year, and a feel for what it's like to break milestones (his 500th career homer) in the Pinstripes. Not only that, but he had fun playing this year. He, Cano and Cabrera really bonded this season. You could see them laughing and having visible fun all year, especially after the All Star break when they started winning as a team. He's their mentor and their buddy. They jump up and down and play practical jokes and just keep each other loose and smiling, even on days when they lose. Now he has the prospect of all that plus a brand new fancy Stadium opening and playing there as he piles up more and more records and has a chance to be enshrined in the next best thing to Cooperstown: having his number retired in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium with Ruth and Gehrig and DiMaggio and Berra and Mantle and Reggie Jackson and all the rest. I don't think these are the kinds of things the Los Angeles Dodgers can offer him, much less the Florida Marlins.


So...yeah. I predict he'll stay. So will Torre. And I think they'll get at least a couple more shots at Post Season greatness again together these next couple of years.

[Holden Pike]

I'll take Boston in six and Arizona in seven. I think that N.L. series is going to be split on home turf right down the line: The Rockies will win the middle three in Denver and the Diamondbacks will win all four in Phoenix.

But I also wouldn't be at all surprised to see Cleveland and/or Colorado advance. I'm not hedging my bets; I'm not making any bets. Too close to call, I says. I just hope they're fun to watch after a fairly uneventful first round of playoffs (good stories and some stellar performances, but not a lot of great games).

[Holden Pike]

Gotta give the Yanks some credit for getting as far as they did this year. They were hampered by injuries and bad luck, to boot.

Yeah, I think if literally ANY other team in either League had started out so badly and had such a dilapidated pitching staff but still wound up in the Post Season (and nearly came back enough to take the Division) it would have been the story of the year. But these are The Yankees, it's just expected.

I hope and think that when Steinbrenner gets over the sting of another early exit he'll realize what they did and how much even greater potential they have for next season.

http://img.timeinc.net/time/2007/presidential_pardons/images/steinbrenner.jpg http://i.cnn.net/si/si_online/covers/images/1993/0301_thumb.jpg

Nobody is much talking about it in the media, but I think a big part of King George's extra crustiness and impatience this season is not only that they haven't won it all since 2000, but that his health is failing. I think he had some bad moments this year and thought this might be his last best chance to see another World Series victory (and be in good enough shape to enjoy it in the club house).

As a Yankee fan of course I have a complex love/hate relationship with Steinbrenner. I think in many ways the worst thing that happened to him was buying that team of free agents that won the Series in '77 and '78 (though the pre-story to that is Charlie Finley's alienating and dismantling the A's to even free-up Reggie and Catfish...but that's another story). It gave him positive reinforcement that this was a credible way to field a perennial winner, just going out and buying stars (forgetting that younger talents like Ron Guidry and team captain Thurman Munson were top Yankee prospects, not free agent signings). The 1980s taught him better (slowly), and the way those late '90s teams were formed by Cashman and helmed by Torre, I would have thought he would have re-learned for good. But I think winning the four Series again made him revert back to that "buy every available All-Star" mode, and the team, while good, could never kick it to that next level again since. I hated the way he treated Dave Winfield, and his involvement with the collusion scandal of the late '80s and his banishment from the game for a couple of years actually mellowed him out, forced him to delegate, and made him almost likable to me. Almost, anyway.

I don't wish the man ill. OK, in interest of full disclosure, I used to have a Yankee pinstripe jersey with the words "STEINBRENNER MUST DIE" on the back. Whenever I'd wear it to Yankee games in Baltimore, other Yankee fans would stop me to have their picture taken with that shirt, giving a thumbs-up, usually. But that was a shirt I wore from like 1987 until 1991 or so. I didn't really want him to die, of course. I just wanted him to stop ruining the team I loved. The banishment did that, and really until the last couple of years he's been very hands-off, very non-confrontational with players and only occasional tiffs with Torre in the media, as opposed to the go-go '70s and '80s when there was a headline after almost every single loss, much less a disappointing whole season.

ANYway, to sum up I think his declining health is a big reason why he seems less patient this year and jobs have been publicly threatened. There were even rumblings earlier this year that Steinbrenner may sell the team before he died. I don't know who the conglomerate is that would pay the literal BILLION dollar price tag at this point (remember, George bought the team for a paltry $8.7-million in 1973). But whatever and whoever it is, they may not be as infuriating as ol' George has been over the decades, but I bet they won't be a zillionth as interesting either.

[Holden Pike]

I think when people hear "Yankee fan" they just assume you're a dull, kneee-jerk frontrunner. It's more complicated that that for lots of us who love the team.

[The Gnat]

A nice first game for the Rockies. Francis has pitched two great starts in the playoffs and the Rockies, who have had previous success against Webb continued that trend getting to him. If the Rockies can steal a second game in Arizona, I would expect the series to make it back there.

[Holden Pike]

Yes, sorry, I had to watch "My Name is Earl", "30 Rock", "The Office", "Law & Order: Criminal Intent", "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" after the game last night, so I didn't get around to the wrap-up...

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/115363fd-5435-459f-9bef-ab855e4e6006.jpg
GAME ONE:
Colorado 5, Arizona 1

Jeff Francis just plain outpitched Brandon Webb in game one, in front of the Diamondback faithful (well, actually the were kind of rowdy and it wasn't even a sell-out). Webb, who won the N.L. Cy Young Award last year, did not have his best stuff going. Arizona actually scored first on an Eric Byrnes double in the 1st inning, but after that Francis settled in and it was all Colorado. The fifth Rockies run was unearned on an error to first baseman Conor Jackson, but otherwise Colorado just put together hits when they had to. Francis was relieved in the seventh and the Rockies pen gave up only two little hits the rest of the way.


Game two is late tonight for East Coasters, a 10:15pm start. Game one of the A.L. series from Boston starts at 7:00pm, Beckett against Sabathia.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/ae83961e-43fb-4e33-9ac4-42426ae179ee.jpg

GAME ONE:
Boston 10, Cleveland 3

Travis Hafner hit a first inning solo home run off of Josh Beckett, but they wouldn't get much more than that. C.C. Sabathia gave the run right back in the bottom of the first, then the Red Sox put a four spot on the board in the third. That was all they would need, but they tacked on a bunch more anyway. One ace looked great, the other, notsomuch. And Boston scored ten without a home run. What is Cleveland going to do if they really start creaming the ball?

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/012bb4f0-6a1a-4270-8bca-e7606a1a6242.jpg
GAME TWO:
Colorado 3, Arizona 2

Close game, and when Arizona came back to tie it at two in the bottom of the ninth the Diamondbacks had to like their chances of getting right back in the series. But a bases-loaded walk in the 11th issued to Willy Taveras proved to be the winner for the guys in purple. Colorado just seems to be playing with a little more energy and a little more confidence...and now they're going back to Denver! This one is going to be over real quick if Arizona can't turn it up a notch, and like pronto.

[Sedai]

I missed the second game late last night, as i went out to hang with the lil miss, but I was planted in front of the Sox game. The Sox offense was ALL over the Indians ace, and I even started to feel bad for the guy as he got deeper and deeper into trouble. As you said, the Sox didn't hit any home runs, and still got into double digits. That line up is dangerous from 1 to 9.

From Yahoo:

"Sabathia in particular, and the Indians' bullpen in general, pitched as though there was a creepy kid lurking behind the mound, plotting to sever their Achilles' with a scythe."

Funny stuff!

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/c2fa297b-9b13-43ca-a564-3f1e6aa9b9a2.jpg
GAME TWO:
Cleveland 13, Boston 6

This one wasn't a pitcher's duel, until the bullpens got into it...and then only until the top of the eleventh. Schilling gave up five runs and left trailing by two in the fifth. Carmona wasn't much better overall, and back-to-back homers by Manny and Mike Lowell in the bottom of the fifth put the Sox up by a run. That only lasted until the first three men came to the plate in the sixth, and the score stayed tied at 6 runs a piece through ten full innings. The Fenway faithful had to think one of their clutch sluggers was going to get that one key hit at any second. The Cleveland pen had different ideas.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, they have some weaknesses in the middle of their pen, and after their reliable arms were used up they had to give the call to the other guys. First up, deadline trade acquisition Eric Gagne. Gange's story is full of frustration and sadness...and he's given the Boston fans plenty of both in the short time he's been with the team. There was about a two-year period early in this decade when Gagne was with the Dodgers and he was not only the best closer in the N.L. but quite possibly THE best pitcher, winning the Cy Young in 2003. A series of injuries has derailed his career, and after the first half of this season in Texas he came to Boston as hopefully that veteran with a live arm who could shore up the middle of the pen. Well, notsomuch. Physically Eric seems to be close to full strength, but his location is bad and maybe most importantly the mental part of his game has been demolished. Ever since his first outing in a Sox uniform he's given up hit after hit, big inning after big inning. He gets the loss tonight, though to be fair to him the two guys after him in the eleventh, Javier Lopez and John Lester, weren't much better.

Trot Nixon, one of the ex-Sox who helped them win their first World Series in a zillion years back in 2004, delivered the first go-ahead RBI with a single (ouchie!). But the floodgates really opened after that, with a wild pitch, a single, a double and the back-breaker a three-run blast by young outfielder Franklin Gutierrez. Great fun if you're an Indians fan, and just a kick in the nuts if you're part of Red Sox Nation.


Now we get three games in Cleveland, starting Monday.

[Holden Pike]

Hey, look at that: in the A.L. series the run differential was seven runs both times. Just very different routes to those scores.


I'd love to see a Colorado/Cleveland World Series: a team that's never been and a team that hasn't won it in fifty-nine years. Bring it on! Of course, the Diamondbacks and Red Sox will have a say in this (well, at least the Red Sox will).

[Sedai]

A heart breaker for us here in Boson, for sure. I was in a card game a few towns over, and we were having a great time. The mood at the end of the evening was MUCH different, tho, and it didn't help that I pulled in the victory at cards shortly after Nixon slapped a single into center. Nothing like a crew of on-tilt poker players watching Gagne blow another one.

Moving on to Monday...

[Holden Pike]

Yikes. Game three of the N.L. series was close and tied up at a run a piece until the sixth, when Yorvit Torrealba hit a three-run jack! It may be all over but for the screaming in Arizona. I know they could still come back in this game (in Colorado), and if not they could pull out a 2004-like feat of coming back from three games down...but let's be realistic.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/27a1f08b-32ce-4303-abd4-bb43419c4cb6.jpg
GAME THREE:
Colorado 4, Arizona 1

In the cold and rain with the excited sell-out crowd looking like they were bundled up for a Broncos game and not Major League Baseball, Colorado has pushed Arizona to the brink. Even with the bitter cold and constant drizzle, it was a well-pitched game. Josh Fogg and Livan Hernandez each gave up solo home runs in the first five frames until Torrealba hit his three-run shot in the bottom of the sixth. The Diamondbacks, who have managed only four runs total in these three games, had to know it was over then. And the series may be as well.

Game four is tomorrow where the Rockies will try and sweep it up at home and rest up for the A.L. Champion.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/a5083d10-20b2-400a-a89e-4b4be6ab7ac6.jpg
GAME THREE:
Cleveland 4, Boston 2

Advantage, Cleveland. Daisuke Matsuzaka, who has struggled with his consistency the second half of the year, continued his troubles, which spelled doom for the Red Sox. I'm sure Dice-K is going to be a star in this League for years to come, but his first season in the MLB isn't ending as promising as it started. He did strike out six, but he couldn't get out of the fifth inning and gave up four runs, including a second inning 2-run line-drive HR off the bat of the resurgent young-again Kenny Lofton. Slumping Red Sox Captain Jason Veritek hit a 2-run homer too, but it was only half of what they needed tonight. Jake Westbrook looked pretty damn good again, and the very good Cleveland bullpen gave up zero hits in the last two and-a-thirds innings to shore up the victory.

Game Four is tomorrow with knuckleballer Tim Wakefield going for Boston and Paul Byrd, who pitched so well in Game Four of the Yankees series, getting the ball for the Tribe.

Cleveland looks very, very good right now. Of course Boston isn't going to lay down or panic, especially not with so much of the 2004 team on the roster, but they want to get back into this thing tomorrow and deny the Indians a chance to clinch on their home field.

[mark f]

I just want Colorado to crush the AL rep. There! I probably jinxed it, but I'm not sure Colorado's gonna lose until next year. At least, I hope they don't.

[Holden Pike]

And like any Baseball fan I know Yogi Berra's famous "It ain't over 'til it's over" warning wisdom, but with the six runs the Rockies just put up in the fourth inning to take a five-run lead, it looks to be all but over for Arizona.

Man, after that extra-innings thriller to get into the post season as the Wild Card, Colorado has looked damned impressive. They haven't lost a game yet. I don't even think they've trailed for many innings in these six-plus games so far. I guess no matter which of the A.L. teams gets in the Rockies are going to be considered the underdog, but I surer than ***** wouldn't bet against them right now.

[Holden Pike]

I just want Colorado to crush the AL rep. There! I probably jinxed it, but I'm not sure Colorado's gonna lose until next year. At least, I hope they don't.

If they keep playing like this, they might not lose another game this year, you're absolutely right! This Rockies team reminds me of the 2003 and 1997 Marlins teams. On paper, you wouldn't think they'd ever get this far. In practice, they're damn near unbeatable in October.

[Holden Pike]

The Indians look very good. The Rockies look even better.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/d2bba5c9-c5ec-4d4e-a972-ff12b467547b.jpg
GAME FOUR:
Colorado 6, Arizona 4

The Diamondbacks tried to mount a comeback in the late innings with a three-run shot by Chris Snyder, but the six runs they spotted The Rockies in the fourth ultimately were too much to overcome. It was cold, cold, cold again in Denver, but the Rockies continue to be hot, hot, hot (Buster). Matt Holliday was the big hitting star tonight when his three-run blast to center field capped off that huge inning and essentially clinched the series. Arizona definitely showed they are a team to be reckoned with in the National League, but Colorado is just that much better. They outscored the Diamondbacks 18-8 in the four games.

The Rockies get to enjoy this moment and know that the A.L. series is going to go at least two more games before it wraps up.

[Sedai]

The Sox bats are ice cold right now... Not good! Indians looked great.

[Holden Pike]

The [Red] Sox bats are ice cold right now.
Good pitching will do that. But the series could turn around again in a hurry, especially if Wakefield can go out there and put some zeroes up on the board tonight. However, if his knuckler isn't knuckling...

[Yoda]

The term "must win game" is wildly overused, but I'll say it nearly applies here. Hard to see Boston coming back from a 3-1 deficit this time.

And I'd still say that whoever wins has to be the favorite over Colorado, despite their streak.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/1790ec12-8ba1-4cdb-a403-974aa0fae149.jpg
GAME FOUR:
Cleveland 7, Boston 3

The Indians are doing it. Wakefield looked great through the first four, but in the fifth the wheels came off. Blake led off with a home run and before you knew it Cleveland sent thirteen men to the plate and sored seven runs, the biggest blow Johnny Peralta's three-run shot. And in true Indian fashion, five of those seven runs came with two outs in the inning. Absolute killer stuff. The Red Sox tried to keep it interesting by starting the next inning with back-to-back-to-back home runs from Youkilis, Ortiz and Manny. But when Manny started celebrating at the plate like he was at Fenway and just won the game in the bottom of the ninth, I thought Boston was probably done for the night. And they were. "Manny being Manny" is just code for Manny Ramirez being a jerk again, and there isn't much excuse for it. He's one of the game's greatest hitters but he can't help like acting like an ass every now and then. He usually does it with a smile on his face, but he's still an ass.

ANYway, after Manny's homer the Cleveland pen held Boston to one single the rest of the way, and that was immediately erased when the Sox hit into their eighth double play in these four games.

If the Red Sox are going to have a chance at getting it back to Boston where anything could happen, they're going to need to ride Josh Beckett's arm one more time. If he can give them an effort like game one, they'll definitely have a chance. On the other side, C.C. Sabathia will look to turn in his first really good ace performance of the post season. If he does, the Indians will likely be on their way to the World Series.

[Holden Pike]

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:z5_edK6QqSMVWM:http://img.viacomlocalnetworks.com/images_sizedimage_056173240/xl http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:SyN-XbaLZGnknM:http://www.cobrabrigade.com/images/joshbeckett.jpg http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:tD0pdDkeEB-3SM:http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2006/05/19/WhKg6bRQ.jpg http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ccHBLFQY_rYZQM:http://images.usatoday.com/Wires2Web/20070330/4225941133_Indians_Sabathia_Hurt_Baseballx.jpg

Game Five is tonight, Beckett and Sabathia. 8:00pm start on the East Coast.

[Sedai]

I will be plopped in front of my TV for this game, sending goodwill to the Sox. I do think Cleveland is playing better right now, though, and might deserve to move on. Byrd is great! I love his old-school wind up, and SIX pitch arsenal. Ya, he doesn't have the velocity of most guys, but I love his style...

Tonight should be an interesting match-up if both hurlers are on point...

[Yoda]

I'm lucky here in that I'd be perfectly content to see either team win this, but I'm pulling ever-so-slightly for the Sox, if only because Manny and Ortiz have almost certainly already seen their best days, and this might be their best shot for a few years yet. They've gotten a bit younger in some areas, so they're still going to be in the thick of things, but it'll be hard replacing one of the better slugging duos in history right away, assuming they both continue to decline.

Cleveland, on the other hand, will almost certainly be back.

[Holden Pike]

Cleveland, on the other hand, will almost certainly be back.

Yeah, but I would have thought that about the Tigers this year. And the White Sox the last two years. And the Twins, for that matter. Those four A.L. Central teams (sorry, K.C.) are all very full of talent and all seem playoff-bound in Spring Training. Injuries and other catastrophes seem to hold one or two of them back each season, but it's always a different pair rising to the top. Next year Cleveland could be just as strong, or it could be Minnesota and Detroit or even Chicago battling it out down to the wire.

The A.L. Central and the N.L. West are two divisions that are too difficult to call, year to year. They each have four teams that seem interchangeable when it comes to the final standings.

[Yoda]

Yeah, but I would have thought that about the Tigers this year. And the White Sox the last two years. And the Twins, for that matter. Those four A.L. Central teams (sorry, K.C.) are all very full of talent and all seem playoff-bound in Spring Training. Injuries and other catastrophes seem to hold one or two of them back each season, but it's always a different pair rising to the top. Next year Cleveland could be just as strong, or it could be Minnesota and Detroit or even Chicago battling it out down to the wire.

The A.L. Central and the N.L. West are two divisions that are too difficult to call, year to year. They each have four teams that seem interchangeable when it comes to the final standings.
I agree, but I'm thinking more of the next 5-6 years. I wouldn't dare predict that the Indians will be back in the ALCS next year; but once or twice over the next 6 years? That's a bit more reasonable. They're younger than the Tigers and White Sox were, I'd say, and they weren't helped along by luck or anything of the sort; they've been one of the better teams in the American League for a few years now, and would have been right in thick of things last year, too, if it were not for some horrendous luck.

So, you never know with these things, but Cleveland's got to be considered one of the safer bets to get back to the LCS over the next half-decade. But in a single season, all bets are off.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/a6b74d2b-7a33-43ef-b58c-92ed4be78660.jpg
GAME FIVE:
Boston 7, Cleveland 1

Josh Beckett does it again! Adding to his already very impressive post season resume, in an elimination game for Boston he was at his best. Just awesome, pitching eight full innings, striking out eleven, and limiting the hot Cleveland team to one first inning run at home. On the other side, Sabathia just couldn't get it done (again). He kept pace for a while and pitched out of trouble a few times, but in the seventh a ball in the gap off the bat off Youkilis was misplayed by the usually sure-handed Grady Sizemore, scored as a triple and ultimately lead to a couple more runs and a 4-1 advantage for the Red Sox. With the way Beckett was dealing, that was more than enough. Boston also got some decent runs off of the Indians pen for once, scoring three in the eighth off of Rafael Perez.

Now it goes back to Boston, starting Saturday night. Curt Schilling will try and redeem himself after not getting very far into the game last time and exposing that weak underbelly of the pen in extra innings. Fausto Carmona will go for Cleveland and try to close it out in six.

[Sedai]

Needless to say, I saw every second of it. Beckett was amazing. That said, the Sox were still looking average in other areas. Crisp is slumping hard core, and seems out of it when he is at the plate. Manny was his typical self, and his ultra-hustle attitude somehow netted him a single base on what was clearly a triple. Papi is favoring a leg, no matter what anyone says.

This is my team, but, I don't think they look like a World Series contender right now. One ace hurler and a pair of power hitters does not a championship team make...

[Holden Pike]

http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/images/2006/10/10/QTDSIejU.jpg http://www.davidyounker.com/bronxbombersounds/joeteam.jpg

By the way, I'm more than a little surprised Torre is leaving, though not as shocked I'd have been if he was outright fired. The Yankees made him a one-year offer with a pay cut and some incentives built in. Joe turned them down. I don't care what anyone says about what he had to work with, his tenure and legacy with the Yankees is one of the best and most successful ever. He's a Hall of Fame manager.

Torre hasn't had his press conference yet, so we'll have to hear from him what his reasons were, but he's going to be sixty-eight next season and he's done about everything one can do as a manager. Whether he says it publicly or not, I don't think Torre has liked having his skills questioned by the front office and others given all he's done for the team, including the past seven World Series victory-less seasons. With the All Star Game and the closing of this Yankees Stadium in 2008, I'm really, really surprised Torre didn't stay, no matter what the money or rumblings were.


Now the big question of who in the Hell follows him in the clubhouse? I guess the smart money is on Don Mattingly. Donny Baseball is certainly one of my favorite Yankees ever, 99% of all other Yankee fans agree. He's been a hitting and bench coach for the past few years under Torre, so all the players on this roster (and the ones who have to make contract decisions this year, as in Rivera, A-Rod & Posada) know and respect him. It's probably going to have to be a popular former Yankee player, no matter what his managerial experience, to follow Joe. Somebody who the fans will instantly be behind and cheering for. But God help whoever it is if The Yankees start out slow again in 2008.

http://www.jamescampion.com/donnie.jpg http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/girardi_joe1012.jpg http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Soriano/Soriano_Images/Soriano_Bio_09.gif

I'm sure right about now Willie Randolph is wishing he had waited another few years before becoming a manager, but even if The Mets had fired him (and I don't suspect they will, nor should they) I don't think Willie would be offered the job. Not this year. Somewhere down the line, sure, very likely, and I'd love to see it.

Joe Girardi, former Yankees catcher and N.L. Manager of the year in 2006 before he had a falling out with the ownership and was fired, has to be another leading candidate. But even with his experience, I don't think he'll be first choice this time out. But he is very well liked in the Yankees organization, and after listening to him as a Yankees broadcaster this year on YES, I gotta say I like what I hear, very smart Baseball guy.

Tony La Russa, who may or may not be leaving St. Louis this off season, is the guy with the managerial clout and pedigree who will probably be mentioned a lot if somebody isn't named in the next few weeks. But as successful as he's been (an absolute Hall of Fame manager, for sure), I don't know that this is the right situation just now. Though if La Russa does leave, whether or not he goes to New York, would Torre take the St. Louis job?

Larry Bowa and Tony Peña, who have been coaches under Torre for years now and both have managerial experience, are probably not likely to be given the promotion either. Bowa might be a good fit, as far as I'm concerned, though as good a manager as he was he may be the best third base coach in the business. But as Bowa told Michael Kaye on the radio the other day, he thinks following Torre is a "lose/lose situation" and not something he'd be anxious to try out right now. As for if he'd stay as a coach for Mattingly if he was named manager, he said they have a good relationship and he'd be willing, but that new managers often like to bring in their own guys and he'd understand that, too.


There's always drama with the Yankees.

[The Gnat]

Another reason why Girardi isn't likely is because he played with some of the players on the Yankees line-up. And there could be some issues with that simply because that might create some issues with authority in the club house, and definitely would create a ton of drama in the New York media. I tend to think that it will end up being Mattingly who takes over, even with Mattingly having hinted that he might not be ready to be a manager, but I think that he is the logical replacemnt. There are questions about La Russa and how he would handle the media.

[Holden Pike]

Another reason why Girardi isn't likely is because he played with some of the players on the Yankees line-up. And there could be some issues with that simply because that might create some issues with authority in the club house...

I don't know if that's such a big deal with those players, namely Jeter, Pettite, Posada and Mariano. They are the only four left from 1999, the last year Girardi was on the roster, and remember he was a bench coach under Torre, so they have seen him in a more authoritative light. I believe all four of those guys like and respect Girardi, as a player and potential manager. The two pitchers, clearly, would like the guy and I think Jeter would play for him in a heartbeat. I suppose the only one there might be an issue with is Jorge, assuming he stays a Yankee anyway. But I also think there's a built in trust from catcher to catcher (as Torre was an All Star receiver in his playing days), and ultimately I don't think that would be a problem.

But it's all just speculation at this point anyway. There's still a slim chance Torre would come back after rejecting this first deal. It has happened before with Steinbrenner, that he'll decide a day or three later that's the right man for the job after all and they should go after him again (most recently Buck Showalter in the 1995 off season, just before Torre got the job). Unlikely at this point, but not impossible.

We'll see what Torre has to say at his press conference later today.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/ac3de5ee-688d-44ec-a9b6-a80ec291ca50.jpg
GAME SIX:
Boston 12, Cleveland 2

Boston strikes back. After a subpar outing last time, Curt Schilling was very good tonight, going seven full innings and keeping the pressure off the bullpen. But a better pressure reliever than Schilling's arm were the Red Sox bats. They went up immediately in the first inning on a grand slam by J.D. Drew. Drew, a high-paid free agent acquisition this past off season, had struggled mightily during his first season in Boston, and those struggles had continued into the post season. They are all but forgotten now with the big hit that put the Indians on their heels and forces a game seven. Cleveland's Fausto Carmona struggled from the very first batter on and didn't make it out of the third, giving up seven earned runs. And for anybody on the Gange watch, he pitched a perfect ninth.

Game Seven is tomorrow, 8:00pmEST, Jake Westbrook against Daisuke Matsuzaka...though obviously it'll be an all-hands-on-deck kind of game, so don't be surprised to see Josh Beckett come out of the pen if Dice-K struggles early.

[7thson]

The Sox spent too much to get that win.... The Indians win series by an easy margin.

[7thson]

I could be wrong.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/b4f1cad4-4f18-4dd4-91b4-970825c0909a.jpg
GAME SEVEN:
Boston 11, Cleveland 2

The Red Sox did it again! Now there have been two times in the history of the seven-game series that a team has come back to win from a 3-1 deficit, and they're both the Boston Red Sox. Jake Westbrook struggled early, and even though Boston put up fence posts in the first three innings it could have been much worse and the Indians kept avoiding the big inning. Matsuzaka wasn't exactly spectacular, but the Indians only put up a couple of solo runs on the board in the fourth and fifth, and they couldn't get those magic two-out hits this game. They missed an opportunity to tie the game at three in the seventh when Kenny Lofton was held at third base on a single from Gutierrez, which was followed by a double play from Blake. It didn't matter much in the long run.

The Indians bullpen, which had been so good up to this point in the post season, finally ran out of gas in game seven. The reliable Rafael Betancourt gave up a two run shot just over the monster to rookie Dustin Pedroia in the seventh, and while Cleveland might have hoped to string together a few runs to tie it, the Red Sox put up eight more runs in the bottom of the eighth, including a bases-clearing double by Pedroia and a two-run homer from Youkilis. Papelbon earned the first six out save of his big league career.

[mark f]

I don't know. I never even thought about the Sox one way or the other. All of a sudden, I hate them. I hope the Rockies crush them and grind them into sand. HA!

Yeah, and Bill Buckner was one of my fave Dodgers. I can't rationalize it, but if I'm going to be a fan this year, it's sure not gonna be for the Sox!

[Holden Pike]

http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/gameupdate/i/teams/col.gif vs. http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/gameupdate/i/teams/bos.gif

Game 1 COL @ BOS Wed. Oct. 24
Game 2 COL @ BOS Thu. Oct. 25
Game 3 BOS @ COL Sat. Oct. 27
Game 4 BOS @ COL Sun Oct. 28
Game 5* BOS @ COL Mon. Oct. 29
Game 6* COL @ BOS Wed. Oct. 31
Game 7* COL @ BOS Thu Nov. 1

All games on FOX

[Holden Pike]

I don't know. I never even thought about the Sox one way or the other. All of a sudden, I hate them. I hope the Rockies crush them and grind them into sand. HA!

Yeah, and Bill Buckner was one of my fave Dodgers. I can't rationalize it, but if I'm going to be a fan this year, it's sure not gonna be for the Sox!

Yeah, all the underdog, haven't won in forever, lovable bums aura is gone. They're just another powerhouse team now. They went out and spent "Yankee money" to talk to then sign Matsuzaka. They have a few very good young farmhands that are going to be a core of the team for a while now with Papelbon, Pedroia and Ellsbury (which, thanks to their deep pockets they'll be able to keep all of them with long term deals), but the inflated free agent signings of duds Lugo and J.D. Drew and scooping up talents like Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling on the open market are the kinds of moves the evil Yankees are always vilified for. The Red Sox have the second highest payroll in Baseball, over $143-million this year, which is $89-million more than their N.L. opponents, The Colorado Rockies.

Believe me, as a Yankee fan I'm not knocking what the Red Sox do. That's the market, that's the game. But how many World Series do they get to win before they are criticized at least a smidgen as much as their Division rivals? And yes, I can do the math: I know The Yankees still outspent Boston by $55-million this year and their nearly $200-million payroll is obscene, but this making Boston out to be Robin Hoods because they only spent $143-million is ridiculous.

The Red Sox have become The Yankees. Because they have that stupid-ass ballpark and (as of today, anyway) twenty fewer World Series championships, they're always far behind New York in the historical sense. But if you just want to ask Tampa Bay and Kansas City and Minnesota or the $62-million Indians if there's any true difference between those two A.L. high-priced megamachines, I don't think they'd see many.


But money is what money is. Again, I don't have a problem with what the Red Sox spend. I have a problem with the fact that so many still seem to see them as some sort of rustic underdog folk heroes. That they ain't.

But what they are is built to win and exciting to watch! Those two come from behind A.L. Championships are damned impressive and historic and cool. But if the Yankees had done the same thing, you know all you'd be hearing about is Steinbrenner and his damn Yankee payroll, the best team money can buy, blah-blah-blah. The record for the highest payroll to win the World Series belongs to the 2004 Boston Red Sox. If they win this year, they will break their own record.

[Holden Pike]

As for the Series match-up, Colorado will be the underdogs. Because they won fewer games in the regular season, because Boston has more A-List super stars, and because Boston is capable of both shutting teams down with their pitching and blasting double-digit runs with their bats. Given the way The Rockies have played this post season, you wouldn't think the gap would be as wide as the naked numbers might suggest.

Colorado may fall into the same kind of thing that happened to The Tigers last year. Detroit won their two A.L. Series impressively and quickly, but maybe too quickly. The Cardinals, who had to battle the Mets down to the wire in a dramatic Game Seven, in theory anyway should have been at a disadvantage, at least pitching wise since they had to use so many arms those last few games to get into the World Series. But when it came time to play, The Tigers played sloppy and St. Louis won in five games.


I hope it's an exciting Series, no matter who wins it. I'm going to say Rockies in six games (five if Gagne makes more than one appearance), but I ain't putting any money on it.

[Yoda]

The Red Sox did it again! Now there have been two times in the history of the seven-game series that a team has come back to win from a 3-1 deficit, and they're both the Boston Red Sox.
Actually, it's happened eleven times (by ESPN's count, at least). It's the 3-0 comeback that's historic, and that only happened in 2004.

Anyway, no, the Sox aren't lovable underdogs anymore. They were before 2004, even with the payroll, because they had so much agonizing history working against them (insofar as you believe that kind of thing matters). That said, I feel their long-suffering fan base deserves one more title.

I do feel bad for Cleveland, though; excluding the ChiCubs, they're next in the curse-breaking line, and it's got to be rough to lose after going up 3-1.

As for predictions; if you believe in momentum, it's Colorado. But I don't (generally speaking...especially in baseball), so I'm going to go with Boston, which I think is clearly the better team. Anything can happen in a given series, so who knows, but if I had to bet, I'd put the money on Boston in 6.

[Holden Pike]

Actually, it's happened eleven times (by ESPN's count, at least). It's the 3-0 comeback that's historic, and that only happened in 2004.

Oh, yeah, right. Got caught up in the Fenway mania for a second.

[Sedai]

Well, I love the Sox, seein' as how they are my home team and all. If people who don't know anything about them want to start hating at them, that's fine, but, it seems rather silly. As for the World Series, this one is stacking up to be a fantastic match-up, with no clear advantage either way. As Holden likes to say, it all depends on who is playing well at the right time. Between the Sox getting into the series, and the dominating performance of the Patriots this weekend, it's a great time to be a sports fan in Boston!

[mark f]

Hey, I was rooting for the Sox when they finally won the Series not too long ago.

[Sedai]

Me too. Why don't you like them now, you a big Rockies fan?

[Holden Pike]

Me too. Why don't you like them now, you a big Rockies fan?

Well, Mark can speak for himself, but I think it's probably because, as I just detailed above, The Red Sox have become just another big, expensive machine, like The Yankees. Which makes them decidedly not the underdog in any way, shape or form and makes rooting for them as unlikely a proposition as getting non Yankee fans to root for The Yankees. Like most Baseball fans, once the team you root for is out of it (in Mark's case, the Los Angeles Dodgers) unless one of your bitter rivals is in the running you would just naturally root for the underdog and/or the team that has the best story. When The Red Sox hadn't won the World Series in a zillion years and had a series of dramatic disappointments in their history (1986, 1978, 1975, 2003...you know the list better than we do, Chowder Head) even with a high payroll it was fun and natural to root for them in their historic 2004 push to the championship. But now they just came from behind to beat the snot out of that team with the good story and long championship drought this year (The Indians), and if they score eleven and twelve runs a game and crush Colorado in four or five games they will officially have become The Yankees.

You know, like that.

[Sedai]

The Sox become the Yankees?

Never! The sox shall never turn to the dark side next to Darth VA-Rod! Oh wait...that guy might be leaving....

OK, you may have a point....

Go Sox

[MadMan_731]

I fully agree that the Red Sox have become the Yankees.

And I'm rooting for the Rockies, although I think the Red Sox will take the series in 5-6 games.

[7thson]

Rockies in 4


YAY!!!

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/f318c53a-0106-4d72-b74e-0cf18a37bb2d.jpg
GAME ONE:
Boston 13, Colorado 1

Big Boring Blowout in Beantown Behind Beckett and Booming Boston Bats. That's how the headline would read in the Allentown-Allegheny Alliance Alliteration Gazette (if there was such a thing). On a drizzly night at Fenway Josh Beckett pitched great again, giving up only one run and striking out nine, and the Red Sox scored early and often on the way to thirteen in the first five innings! Though the only home run of the night was a solo shot in the home half of the first by rookie SS Dustin Pedroia, they did hit eight doubles, including two a piece for Youkilis and Ortiz, and the last eleven of those runs all came as two-out RBIs. Young Troy Tulowitzki was the lone bright spot for the Rockies, going 2 for 3 in his World Series debut, driving in the single Colorado run with a double off the Monster.

Game Two is tomorrow night with the 23-year-old Ubaldo Jimenez going against the 40-year-old Curt Schilling.

[Holden Pike]

THIS (http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3078093&categoryId=2521705) is a funny piece from ESPN, where Baseball analyst Jim Caple interviews some of the long-suffering Sox fans who haven't seen a Boston World Series victory in their lifetimes.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/822e8933-5224-4fe0-9238-91e6cda3a2e7.jpg
GAME TWO:
Boston 2, Colorado 1

Both starting pitchers were good, but Schilling was a little better, and both bullpens were excellent. The Rockies scored first, an unearned run int he first inning on an RBI groundout. Boston tied it up in the fourth on a sacrifice fly. The only other run of the game came the next inning when Mike Lowell, who made the error that lead to the Rockies run at the start of the game, drove in Papi with a long double to left. With both relief cores at the best, that was all the scoring there was. NL MVP candidate Matt Holliday went 4 for 4, but they could never string good hits together in an inning.

Who know what will happen in the driving cold of Denver, but the Rockies better bring more than thermal undies to the field if they want to heat up enough to get a game or two and make a series out of this. Daisuke Matsuzaka will go for the Sox, Josh Fogg for the Rocks.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/d7d16a08-c301-49b9-a958-489be1afb451.jpg
GAME THREE:
Boston 10, Colorado 5

Ho-hum. I was too bored with the Series to bother updating this last night. The Red Sox win again. They scored six in the third. The Rockies tried to make it interesting by scoring a couple off of Dice-K in the sixth and then a three-run homer from Holliday in the seventh to bring Colorado within a run. That didn't last long as Boston added three right back in the eighth and tacked on another in the ninth to give them another double-digit total. Rookies Ellsbury and Pedroia had big nights, but who cares? There's about as much drama as watching Rocky IV. I wonder who's going to win the big fight?!? It's sooooo suspenseful.

Yawn.

I don't think the Red Sox have become The Yankees. They're a lot less fun to watch than The Yankees, who at the very least are fun to root against. Bor-ring. I hope today they win 23-1 or something, so the last few people not officially part of "Red Sox Nation" will get off the damn bandwagon and start truly rooting against them because they are just another expensive machine, even if the Yankees are more expensive. I don't see if you're driving a Pinto how rooting for the Jaguar is any more fun than rooting for the Bentley.


After the way the regular season ended it really looked like this might be an exciting Post Season. It's just turned into a yawn-fest, even for a big Baseball fan like me. Boston is already up by a run after one inning tonight, and I can't even bring myself to watch. I don't need a sleep aid, thank you.

[Holden Pike]

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/da342d4f-5516-4dfa-a217-048d30e9d23a.jpg
GAME FOUR:
Boston 4, Colorado 3

The Red Sox scored first, built a lead, then held onto it to sweep the Series and win for the second time in four years. It wasn't as much Manny and Ortiz and Varitek this Post Season as it was Ellsbury and Pedroia and Mike Lowell. Boston's pitching was great, most obviously Beckett and Papelbon, but all four of their starters pitched well enough to win and because of their offense they never had to go to the shakier arms in the pen when anything mattered. They made it look very easy. Colorado didn't play horribly or make stupid mistakes, they were simply overmatched and in a short series (very short) never got into a position to make things happen. I don't think the ten days off between NLCS and World Series mattered much, they simply weren't going to get past Boston. Not this year. Ultimately nobody did.