So I was a little early in my visions of JD Drew's postgame interview. It was great to see Drew come up big in the first inning after a rough season. Here's hoping he gets a Drewwwww serenade from the Fenway crowd tomorrow. I really believe that a lot of his problems on the field this year have been due to adjustments between the leagues and issues off the field and that he's going to be just fine next year.
I have the same belief about Dice-K. He'll make adjustments and 'Tek will get a better sense for what he's comfortable with / capable of on a given night and he'll be just fine. Didn't we have similar concerns about Beckett last year?
Speaking of Beckett, it's a shame that the postseason isn't supposed to count in the Cy Young voting.
Watching Game 6, I couldn't help but notice how breaks that had gone the Indians' way earlier in the series seemed to go the Sox' way tonight. So many "ground balls with eyes" that I can't remember them all. The one that sticks out most in my mind was Youkilis' ground ball in the hole at short in the first that caught the lip of the infield grass and took an odd hop.
It was good to see Schilling come through and pitch seven strong innings. I trust that he knows that with that type of lead to pitch to contact and keep his pitch count low to keep the bullpen fresh for tomorrow. Francona managed to give me fits when Fox showed Okajima and Papelbon warming up in the seventh inning. My Dad and I had a quick conversation over the phone where I lobbied for two innings out of Lopez. I nearly got my wish. The bar where I was watching the game nearly erupted when Gagné trotted in from the bullpen. Don't get me wrong. I want to see the guy succeed and the lead was safe, but I didn't believe he'd get through the inning. I was fearful that two things would happen.
- The Indians' bats would wake up. No Sox fan wants to see that the night before Game 7.
- Francona would have to bring in another reliever to finish the ninth.
Now we move on to Game 7, which makes me think back to previous Game 7's.
I went to Games 6 and 7 of the '86 ALCS at Fenway. (Thanks again, Mom, for getting those tickets.) In those games, the stadium was full of positive energy. We'd staved off elimination at the hands of the Angels and broken their backs. It seemed like everyone at Fenway knew both games were foregone conclusions, especially Game 7.
I wish I could remember how I felt during Game 7 of the '86 World Series. I remember being crushed by Game 6, but I don't remember being pessimistic about Game 7.
I remember having trouble sleeping before Game 7 of the '03 ALCS. I remember "Please. Just this once. I can't take constantly losing to the Yankees much longer. Please let this be the year." running through my head from the last out of Game 6 until Aaron Boone connected. I remember not being able to focus at work the day of Game 7, wondering if I was going to a party or an execution.
I remember the same thoughts running through my head before Game 7 of the '04 ALCS. "Please. Just this once. No more heartbreak. Please not again. We were so down after Game 3. Please don't get our hopes up only to crush us again. Please. Just this once." I remember being in a daze at work before Game 7, not wanting to talk to anyone about how anxious I was.
This is different. I'm not sure if the rest of Red Sox Nation feels the way I do. I'm pretty mellow. It's not cockiness or overconfidence or a belief that the Red Sox are destined to prevail. The best way I could describe it is...hope but with the complete and surprising absence of dread.
Would beating the Yankees in the ALCS after we've already won the division be more satisfying than beating the Indians? Probably, but there would be more of a risk involved. If the Red Sox were playing the Yankees in this year's ALCS, there'd be dread and anxiousness. We finally won a World Series thanks to an epic comeback against the Yankees. I had thought we had exorcised so many demons. I didn't want to admit it at the time, but losing the division to the Yankees given the lead we'd had all season or losing the ALCS to the Yankees would have taken some of the shine off of the 2004 season.
When the Indians beat the Yankees in the ALDS, every Red Sox fan I know breathed a sigh of relief. We were now playing with house money. Winning the World Series would still be sweet, but there was no worry of landing flat on our backs after swinging at the air just after Lucy pulled the football away at the last possible moment.
This is different. Tonight I'm excited but mellow and looking forward to whatever tomorrow brings.
Now, onto other thoughts that have been running through my head since my last long-winded post...
The Joba Chamberlain suspension still bugs me. Everyone on the planet could read the Joba Rules posted in the Yankees bullpen that clearly stated that since Joba had pitched one and two-thirds innings that he would not pitch for the next two games. Then, Bob Watson hands down a two game suspension hours later. The length of the suspension seemed about right, but I can't remember any other situation in which MLB handed down a suspension so quickly in a situation like that. There was another suspension (the specific players and game escapes me) a week or so later, but it took two or three days for Watson to make his ruling. Am I the only person who found the timing and length of the Chamberlain suspension a bit odd?
The Mariners' collapse was almost as epic as the Mets'. Thankfully for the Mariners, their swoon came sooner and won't be as memorable as a result.
The end of the Rockies / Padres tiebreaker was the most thrilling non-Red Sox playoff-* finish I've watched since Sid Bream lumbered home to beat the Pirates in the '92 NLCS. Sorry, Mariners fans, but I was still too bummed about losing to the Indians in the '95 ALDS to get amped about Griffey's mad dash to beat the Yankees.
How about them Pats? I was at the game last week in Dallas with a good friend of mine who is a huge Cowboys fan. (Thanks again, Pete. Great seats.)
I bought a Randy Moss jersey just before hopping the plane to Dallas. My buddy laughed when I told him I was buying one because it didn't seem like me. I expected to catch more flack from Cowboys fans in the parking lot, but only one group said anything.
Cowboys Fan: "Is that a new <expletive_deleted> jersey?"Disappointing and yet amusing all at once.
Me: "No, I've had this for about three years."
Cowboys Fan: "Oh."
It's still odd to see Randy Moss in a Pats uniform. It still feels like we're watching Belichick's version of a Madden game where made some pre-season trades that you wouldn't expect the game to allow.
Speaking of Belichick, I have a hunch that somewhere up there, Red Auerbach is watching and laughing, nodding with approval. Honestly? The videotaping does bug me. I'd like to think the Patriots don't (and didn't) need to resort to that. It doesn't taint their recent success to the extent that knowing that Bobby Thompson knew what Ralph Branca was going to throw taints the Shot Heard Round the World in '51, but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
The television broadcast may have missed these two fourth quarter events.
- There was a loud spontaneous cheer midway through the fourth quarter. The Patriots players seemed surprised and looked up into the stands to see that the vast majority of remaining fans were Pats fans and were giving the team a standing ovation.
- There was a "Let's go, Red Sox!" chant at Texas Stadium.
* - Yeah, yeah, tiebreakers aren't officially playoff games. So what?
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