JB reflects...
(Newton Center MA, November 1, 2004) What a long, strange trip it's been. Probably the only thing you could expect from the 2004 Boston Red Sox was the unexpected.
From the fans as well as the players. This seemed to be the window of opportunity - best pitching this franchise has ever thrown up there. Here's a fleeting glimpse:
In April they were a team on fire. Then about 3 months of .500 ball. Frustrating mediocrity. Then a month or so of inspired baseball, the best I've ever seen for an extended period. Sliced the Yankee lead of 10+ games to within 2. But couldn't close the deal.
After taking the Wild Card, they rolled the dangerous Anaheim Angels. In three straight. Then it was onto the Bronx Bastids. Moose Mussina threw 6+ innings of no-hit ball, the Yanks blasted Schilling for 6 runs in 3 innings. But the Sox rallied back late to make it interesting. 10-7 was the final. Many Buds were consumed at the Galway House that evening. Or so I have read...
When Jon Lieber outpitched Pedro in game #2, Theo's vision seemed to be crushed. Going into the playoffs with two aces (Diamondback-style) was this team's silver bullet. The two aces were beaten in the first two games... But on to the friendly confines of Fenway Park, where the Sox excelled all year.
Beer break: Cooperstown Old Slugger Pale Ale is tonight's inspiration. First I've seen of it in this sector, but hoping it sticks - most excellent, and they apparently grow their own hops. Tried that myself this year, but no luck. This brown thumb is killing me. (Where's my Mom when I need her??)
Game #3 at Fenway Park was an embarrassment of the first order. 19-8. So it was over. One more and be done with it. Wait 'til next year. But, when the going gets tough, the tough get drinkin'. No steroids for these idiots. It's JD Old #7 in a pre-game shot, a ritual that'll make yer Little Leaguer into a pro.
In game #4 it seemed to do the trick - they rallied against the legendary Mariano Rivera in the 9th to tie it and, after Manny's single in the 12th, Big Papi took Quantrill deep. Sox win, 6-4.
They battled for 14 innings in game #5 - the Sox (and the Nation & myself) hoping to delay the inevitable and let the Bombers celebrate in the Bronx. Veritek burned Rivera, who blew a save for the second consecutive night, and Ortiz once again put it away. The Sox are evidently Mo's daddy.
Game #6 was another defining moment in the career of Curt Schilling. Seven innings, 1 run. The A-Rod bitch-slap
and Bellhorn's 3-run tater will be remembered from this game.
Derek Lowe became a man in game #7. One hit, one run, seven innings. Damon awoke with 2 taters and 6 RBI. Bellhorn added another. This highlighted the ALCS: when the heat was on, when defeat was staring them down, inevitable, everyone came up with their biggest game. This was an historical comeback, one that commanded us to watch every inning. Yankee fans cannot relate to this - it's routine and predictable for them. For us, a reward that we never thought possible. The World Series through NY.
It weren't pretty though. Weren't pretty at all. Four errors in each game.
Two costly back2backers by Manny in the first game, three by Mueller
in game #2. If they continue this disturbing display, they ain't gonna win this series. And the curse will be the inability to make routine plays. Not to rain to quickly on this parade - they have hit like demons (Damons??), and Schilling & Foulke came up big.
The final was 11-9. Wake seemed to have it at the outset, but lost it quickly. Woody Williams didn't have it either. Both were gone by the 4th. Big Papi Ortiz drilled a 3-run tater in the 1st, and the game soon became a heavyweight fight. The final punch was landed by the burning Bellhorn, a 2-run moonshot in the bottom of the 8th high off the Pesky Pole. Foulke got the final five outs after Manny's adventures let the Cards back in the game. Larry Walker had 4 hits including a homer. The most runs in WS history, I think. -- JB --
Great game last night. Sawx out on top 1-0. Looks like it could be a good series. I think the Sawx will win in six though. I found out why the Yanks lost. Brian Oaks bummed a victory bone off a guy at work. After the Sawx won he found out the guy was from Boston. Damn Bastid spies. -- Mikey Stew --
couldn't capitalize on 4 errors as they did the night before. Foulke nailed it down with the final four outs - just outstanding.
Matt Morris surrendered 4 runs in 4+ innings - Cardinal pitching has just not been there. The Cardinal starters are all solid journeymen, not a bonafide ace in the bunch, but supported by the airtight Gold Glove defense. It's kinda playing out the way Theo Epstein saw it (or perhaps the Diamondbacks & Yankees of the past. Strong starters, two aces can really dominate. The Redbirds have the unenviable task of facing Pedro tomorrow. But the Townies know as well as anyone that nothing is for certain.
(Newton Center, October 26, 2004) Pedro Martinez: 7 shutout innings, 3 hits, 6 k's. Shouldn't be too surprising. Despite all the hoopla in Boston, all the chitchat - there is one constant undisputable truth in Pedro's career here: he comes to pitch. Between the lines he is a competitor. If his fastball is 98 or if it's 89, he's gonna bring it, try to make it work. Don't know what the radar gun said tonight, but he came up big in the biggest game of his career. It's the bottom of the 9th, and I'm polishing off a growler of Rockbottom Improper Hopper. Cautiously optimistic am I. Larry Walker has just taken Foulke deep. The Cards are on the board. Folkie fans Rolen for the final out. 3-0 Sox.
(Newton Center, October 30, 2004) The Night of the Blood Red Moon... We experienced a stunning luner eclipse on Wednesday night, the shadow of the earth slowly covered the moon through the clouds, bathing its surface in red-orange. Saw it through a telescope - just stunning. And there was a ballgame being played in St. Louis.
D-Lowe for President. No one came up bigger in a bigger game. Derek Lowe closed out all three playoff series. This was the 3rd straight dominant pitching performance for the 2004 WORLD CHAMPION RED SOX! Johnny Damon set the tone with a first inning homer, and they gave Manny the MVP. Foulke gets my vote, but everyone had a part. This was quite a ride. A ride I thought might never happen as recently as mid-season - or as recently as game #4 against the Yankees. It was the Curse of Bad Pitching after all. And for one year in the early 21st century, it's been exorcised. In storybook fashion. Praise Big Eddy! If only Ted William's head were alive today... Or... maybe it is!!
(Arlington MA, October 24, 2004) Well, my head hasn't exploded yet, but it's come close. I really didn't want a Sox-Cardinals World Series, even as I rooted for both teams during the playoffs. Now that the games have begun, I find my natural inclination to root for the Cardinals coming forward. I'll be pleased, in a bittersweet kind of way, with either outcome.
I'll be in the bleachers tonight, thanks to a friend who is a season-ticket holder.
With 15 pending free agents on The Curse breaking team, it looks like there will be a rebuilding project starting next year in Johnny B's beloved Beantown. I would hope that The Sawx would re-sign as many of the guys they stand to lose as possible starting with Pedro. Of course Johnny B has already said to me that Pedro will look good winning 20 in a Yankee uniform next year. The connotation being that The New Yawkers will throw a ton of money at him where the Sawx can't afford to do the same. He forgets of course that they are already paying him about $15mil a year or so. Doubt anyone will go much higher than that so the Sawx, assuming they value his services should be able to keep him. Hell if they were willing to pay him that much when they signed him several years ago I would assume that if he is the same pitcher that his value is higher now. Of course, he is not the same pitcher. He looks like a guy who may have a 2-3 good years left before he starts to decline. If I were an owner he would not get more than 3 years outta me.
Anyway, good luck to The Sawx in game 4 tonight. I hope they sweep. I really do. Problem is, after the initial riots and car burnings that The Sawx loyalists will be left wandering around wondering what to complain about now.
Can't quite get a handle on the the violence and death that's happened here. What the fuck is this all about? But as far as wondering what to complain about, you have a point. I'm thinking of a scene in Local Hero where someone in a bar in Scotland says, "Nobody said it would be easy, being filthy stinkin' rich." Or something to that end. But I AM ashamed of some of the assholes around here. For chrissakes it's a fucking game. -- JB
(Palisades NY, October 27, 2004) In answer to the previous survey, it turns out now that I didn't enjoy this season as much as usual. But CONGRATULATIONS!!! Although it doesn't really count since you're really a National League fan. Stay away from rubber bullets.
(Nyack NY,October 28, 2004) The Sawx are World Champions. Just can't get used to the sound of that yet. It's almost like listening to someone speaking some dead language. None of us have ever heard it before. Now Sawx fans can no longer wrap themselves up in their agony like an old familiar blanket. Now they will have to start thinking like Yankee fans. Unless, of course, winning once is good enough for another 86 years. Now the fans will have to change to wondering if they can do it again. And again. And again. Like really good franchises do.
Let's see how The Sawx and their fans handle this new unfamiliar territory. Can they win again?
Doubt it!
The 2004 Fall Classic is behind us now and it begs the question. Is that the best the National League has to offer?? Not only did the redbirds lose, they looked absolutely pathetic at the plate doing it. The National League pitching throughout the year simply does not prepare their players with what happens when they have to hit against American League pitchers. All year long their hitters face pitchers who throw fastballs when they are behind in the count. What's the matter? These guys never hear of a 3-1 curveball or change or slider?
This is one of the primary reasons The Sawx whooped The Midwestern Redbirds. When a Sawx batter got ahead in the count they were handed fastballs to hit. Nothing in the world the Red Sawx hitters like more than fastballs. When the Redbird hitters got ahead in the count they expected fastballs and got everything but. The one dimensional pitching in The National League did them in. Maybe they will finally learn from this and start showing the guts to throw a 3-1 curveball for a change.
(Newton Center, October 30, 2004) In all honesty, I could care less what happens this winter or next year. This year was the Sox window of opportunity - almost the same team that took the playoffs so far last year, fortified with another ace (Schilling) and a topshelf closer (Foulke). And some very functional bench players. The monkey is off their backs, if they decide to bring payroll down to a manageable $90-100 and grow some talent, I'm all for it.
As for the Cards, remember that Pedro, Schilling & Wakefield were all NL pitchers at one time. The Cardinals may very well have made quick work of the slumping Yankee pitching. Not sure if you were watching the same Series as I was by some of your observations, but Pedro & Schilling aren't exactly journeyman
starters that got banged around in the AL. The Cardinal starters all are in fact journeyman pitchers, solid ones, but not aces by any stretch. The Sox offense, as you know, for the second straight year was record-setting, scoring way more than anyone else. So it was no fluke that they scored a few runs.
(Nyack NY, October 29, 2004) Yeah, but they fine tuned their trade in the AL.
(Valley Cottage NY, October 28, 2004) Bad karma when Mariano cut short his visit with his grieving family to return that same evening to Yankee Stadium and be welcomed as a conquering hero. I think it would have played out differently if he stayed at least a couple of days in Panama with his traumatized family members, and return in the middle or end of the ALCS ... the thunderous welcome he would have received then would have been more deserved. I don't blame him though ... Yankee management should have told him not to show up too soon. Nevertheless, my Wellfleet cap goes off to Boston - they are very deserving Champs.
(Newton MA, October 30, 2004) I feel for Mo Rivera, and he and Bernie Williams are two Yankees I totally respect. But as much as the Yankees are Pedro's daddy, the Sox are Mo's. Perhaps for the same reason: these teams face off 19 times a year in regular season, then oftentimes 7 more in postseason. Each knows the other's strengths & weaknesses, and each is constantly re-adjusting. The Yankee strategy for beating Pedro is this: Work the pitch count, scratch out a coupla runs keeping the game close, and wail on the middle relief. It's a foolproof strategy against anyone, but the Yanks have the talent to execute this against one of baseball's best. Rivera is maybe the best closer of all-time. He pretty much throws one nasty pitch. The Sox have seen it often, and seem to catch up with it now and again. Despite the uneven playing field, this IS the greatest game.
(Framingham MA, October 30, 2004) I think I dropped some really bad acid. I woke up this morning to a televised parade for the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox!!! And now I just heard crying from the other room. I appear to be the father of a baby boy!!.... The brown acid is a trip!! Somebody throw me a towel!
(Newton Center MA, October 30, 2004) I TOLD you not to do the brown acid! No turning back now - you'll have to live with the fact that the Sox are stinkin' winners, you're a stinkin' winner, and everything is bright & shiny. It's not gonna be easy though - now that we're just another stinkin' rich & evil empire trying to buy a championship. (I myself am OK with this.) The kid.... well, there was the Immaculate Reception... Old Slugger Pale Ale from Cooperstown Brewing Company is recommended. And Fishbrook's Punkinrock Ale, ale for what rocks you. The Svenjolly hath spoke. Happy Halloween!
(*-best-of-nine series)
P E D R O
the Bambino: Babe Ruth
The Kid: Ted Williams
the Hit Dog: Mo Vaughn
the Eck: Dennis Eckersley
