Daily Archives: October 20, 2004

Humina, humina, humina. Let’s Go Yan-Kees!

Derek Lowe will start against Kevin Brown tonight, that much we know for sure. After that? I’d expect everyone but Jon Lieber and Curt Schilling to be on call. If Brown gets beat around early, Vazquez will be available. If he can make it through four or five, perhaps we’ll get El Duque for an inning. After the fifth, we could see Gordon and Rivera for the duration. I’m not exactly sure why Wakefield isn’t starting for the Sox. Maybe Boston feels he’s better suited coming out of the pen in case Lowe falters by the third or fourth inning. I can certainly see Pedro Martinez coming into the game in a tight spot and doing very well. And I sure hope that Kenny Lofton gets the start at DH over Ruben Ruben.

I was talking with Cubs/Red Sox fan Alex Ciepley this morning and he made an interesting point. It’s far more compelling for the casual baseball that the Yankees lose tonight. Now there is a storyline worth relishing. After all, if the Sox lose, hell, we’ve already covered that ground. That theme has been beaten to death. But the Yankees losing a game that everyone assumes that they’ll find a way to somehow win? That’s juicy.

There is already talk that should the Yanks lose it will go down as the biggest choke job in history. I don’t see it that way, although I’m sure Gene Mauch wouldn’t mind. It may go down as the biggest playoff collapse in history, or as one of the biggest failures in Yankee history, but though the Yankees have played a major part in each one of the last three losses, it’s not like they’ve been smoked. If the series had started out 1-1, that storyline would be moot. (Of course, if pigs could fly, I wouldn’t be theorizing like this either.) What I mean to say is that these teams deserve to play a Game 7 because they are that evenly-matched. They were last year and are again this season.

What will happen tonight is anybody’s guess. Whatever pitcher or hitter can come up with a big performance could determine the winner. So could a lucky bloop hit, a timely call, a fortunate bounce. Oy. The anticipation is agonizing. But you got to give it up to both the Sox and the Yanks: they are living up to the hype and we are getting our money’s worth. And then some…Pass the Prosac, pal.

It was another close one. The Sox got a boost from their scrubs–Millar, Cabrera and especially Bellhorn. Curt Schilling wasn’t brilliant but bully, giving the Sox a solid outing. Jon Lieber made one egregious mistake–the three-run home run to Bellhorn. The Bombers made it interesting with a run in the eighth to close the score to 4-2. But after Alex Rodriguez’s interference call, and some ugliness on the part of the Yankee Stadium crowd, Gary Sheffield went down softly. The Bombers had another chance in the ninth. Matsui walked, then Keith Foulke struck out Bernie Williams and got Jorge Posada to pop out to third. Ruben Sierra, with three strike outs to his name managed a walk. But it was just too much to ask of Tony Clark to put the ball in play. Foulke fell behind the giant slugger 2-0 and threw a room service fastball smack down the heart of the plate. Clark took it. The count eventually went full and Clark, predictably, whiffed to end the game. At least you can’t say it’s been dull. Both Yankee fans and Red Sox fans had their hearts in their hands during Clark’s at bat. While I hoped for the best, I’m sure deep down, Sox fans knew they could count on Clark to come up empty.

Again, what else could we have expected but a Game 7? The pitching will be a patchwork affair for both teams tomorrow. Hope is the thing with hair for Red Sox Nation tonight, while Yankee fans can nervously mull the possibilites of becoming the first team in history to blow a 3-0 lead. As it stands, the Sox are the first team to ever force a Game 7 after trailing 3-zip.

One more game. Does it get any more exciting than this? (Never mind that this kind of excitement I could live without.) We don’t have a cherce. Let’s everyone try to enjoy it. Because when you get down to it, what’s the worst that can happen? I know, the Yanks make history with a major collapse. Sure, we can look at what they’ve done wrong these past three games: they can’t get a big hit, Joe Torre refuses to use his bench at all. I’m sure there are other valid criticisms that we’ll torture ourselves with should they lose, but on the other hand, the Sox are a worthy foe. Damn how I loath them at this moment, but they will have earned a trip to the Serious if they can comeback from this kind of hole.

That said, it ain’t over til’ it’s over. Go Yanks.