YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

VICTORY!


Yes, I realize I am insanely lucky. (Seriously, Bobby Kielty? Bobby Kielty?)

I'll stop smiling sometime next month.

NOTE: Jon Papelbon is insane.

What Can I Say?

The man pictured below is part man, part beast, part god, and all clutch.



Seriously, What can I say that isn't apparent from the box score? Beckett was brilliant (30 of his first 32 pitches were fastballs between 95 and 97 MPH, he struck out the first five batters of the game), the offense was spectacular (13 runs, with everyone chipping in) - hell, when Gagne came in, I wasn't even nervous.

(IRONY NOTE: Gagne means "to win" in French, well actually "gagner" means to win, but you get the idea.)

Seriously, what more can I ask for as a fan?

The only thing I'm nervous/worried about is going to Colorado - some of the Red Sox players really don't like the cold, although if it didn't effect them last night at Fenway, I doubt it'll be that much worse at Coors. Also, how do we play Lowell, Youk, and Ortiz at the same time? I think, assuming the series goes five games, each one should get one day off - Lowell first, then Youk, then Ortiz. Regardless, we'll have a killer bat coming off the bench each time. Another option would be to play Youklis in right for J.D. Drew. Youk has played left field in the past and I think he could pull it off, although I doubt Francona will want to risk it.

Game 2 tonight in Boston - this World Series could be over before it started.

Half-Happy

So many questions after a two-game night: Has J.D. Drew just been saving this all year? Is he God himself, or merely one of his relatives, perhaps Jesus' 2nd cousin? Did the refs merely suck or were they actively biased towards UVA? Does wearing a tie to a football game make you a douchebag?

And lastly, is .500 a good batting average for the night?

I'll confess, I was contented but somewhat lonely for most of the night - I forgot to claim my ticket for the UVA game, and was forced to watch ESPN2 - where I learned that 'Josh Porter' had been suspended for the season - and Fox. Watching sports by yourself simply is not as enjoyable as watching it with fellow fans.

But, nonetheless, a Red Sox win + Terps Loss still equals a happy Kevin. Considering the relative magnitude of the two games (playoffs, midseason) and how long I've been rooting for each team (19 years, 3 years), this really shouldn't be that surprising. I have Red Sox memories of bloody socks, Pedro Martinez, Ortiz walkoffs, the greatest comeback in a series ever, etc. I have Terrapins memories of the win over FSU last year... and... um, the Champs Sports Bowl? I think placing your professional sports loyalties over your collegiate ones is a relatively normal thing to do - unless you're in the South and that's primarily because there are far fewer pro teams there.

J.D. Drew stepped up, which is something I've been predicting all season. (Seriously! I have! I swear!) Drew has had a tough year - his son had a major health crisis, his wife is preggers, he's been struggling at the plate, and he got booed fairly regularly during the middle of the season. But he finished the season well, hitting five home runs in 91 at-bats at one point in September, after hitting only 6 in his first 375 at-bats of the season.

But tonight - Tonight was gorgeous. After Carmona got Manny and Lowell, most people probably thought the Red Sox were going to blow a positively golden opportunity, but Drew crushed the ball to a center, putting the Sox up 4-0. With the exception of a solo shot by Victor Martinez - who absolutely owns Curt Schilling, with a .600 average against him - the Red Sox never looked back.

Also, robot J.D. Drew showed emotion! This is an incredibly rare sighting and should be treasured.



So now that J.D. Drew has hit a $70 million home run, Dice-K will have to a $100+ million dollar start tomorrow. If he does, the Rockies will have to reserve plane tickets to Logan.

As for the most depressing development, I had a better view of some of the controversial calls in the Maryland game, particularly on the incredibly frustrating final drive. The pass interference call on a fourth down relatively early in the drive was a bad call, but the calls on the last first down, the touchdown, and the 2-point conversion were all good calls - although I was surprised how quickly the first down call came back from review.

The refs ultimately didn't lose us the game tonight - an anemic offense in the second half, coupled with our defense's complete inability to stop basic screen and shuffle passes executed by a freshman, fourth-string running back - lost us the game.

Seriously, Mikell Simpson outgained the entire Maryland team - he had over 100 yards receiving AND over 100 yards rushing.

And yes, wearing ties to football games still makes you a douchebag.

Another Great Story

"All literary men are Red Sox fans. To be a Yankee fan in literary society is to endanger your life." - John Cheever

The Red Sox, I would argue, are clearly the most poetic and literary of all baseball teams. Many things play into this: the tragic arcs of so many pre-2004 Red Sox seasons, the multitude of colleges (and, therefore, good writers) in the Boston area, and of course, the majesty that is Fenway.

Doubt what I have to say? Check out Peter Gammons' piece on Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. The fact that he wrote that on deadline reminds me of just how far I have to go in becoming a good writer. Still disagree with me? Read John Updike's famous piece "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu." Of the pieces included in The Best American Sports Writing of the Century, three of them are related to the Red Sox, with only Muhammad Ali warranting more.

(Granted, I will entertain arguments for the Brooklyn Dodgers, a team that no longer exists, simply because The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn is probably one of the top three or four sports books of all time. However, the Brooklyn Dodgers no longer truly exist.)

Why am I mentioning all of this? Because it relates to last night's win over the Cleveland Indians. Simply losing would not be dramatic, tragic, or exciting enough for the Red Sox. Face it, there is no emotion - except hopelessness, which is something the Red Sox are not guilty of - in losing four straight games. Losing tomorrow night in Game 6 would be tragic, a Game 7 loss would be cataclysmic, and a series victory would be awe-inspiring.

So, last night, Josh Beckett needed to strike out 11 men over eight innings, despite attempts by Kenny Lofton and the Indians to psyche him out. Kevin Youkilis needed to step up with a home run, a triple, and three RBIs. Even Manny Ramirez needed to provide (in retrospect) comic relief by hitting a 390-foot single. If it didn't happen, there would be no story, no drama, no life to a team that is based on those three things.

Schilling, whose last Game 6 was part of the greatest story baseball ever told, is facing Fausto Carmona tomorrow night. Although his sock will not be nearly as bloody, I predict the result will be the same as what happened 3 years ago - A Red Sox win.

On a side note, Manny's comments about not caring don't bother me. If you work at Target, certainly Target's shareholders care if the store meets their earnings projection each quarter and are certainly somewhat dependent on you to do so. But do you really care? No, it's still just a job. You might like it, you might hate it. I'm confident that Manny Ramirez likes playing baseball and would prefer to win, but he's right in pointing out that the rapture won't occur if the Red Sox lose. It may sound callous, but as fans, we care far more than any player does about the wins and losses.

Final side note: I promise, you'll only have to put up with posts about the Red Sox for about another week or so at the most.