***official Boston Red Sox Thread***

[Janfor99 0]

2007 AL East Division Champions!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MDXS 0]

Ack...I turned off the postgame show when the Orioles were down 3 going into the ninth. Ah well. Watching now. Youkilis looks hammered.Wooo!

[Janfor99 0]

No no no....we don't want Cora to start. He's a nice guy to have on the bench, but despite the way it may look, he'd be a downgrade from Pedroia. Give Dustin another month for variance to kick in his favor.

Boy. you were so right about Dustin's hitting! kudos

[MDXS 0]

Boy. you were so right about Dustin's hitting! kudos

Thanks! I like it when my observations/predictions pan out...especially when they're good for the Sox. Man, he had a really good year. Good times.On NESN a second ago: "Man, Papelbon's got to put on some pants....well at least he took the twelve pack holder off his head. That's a step in the right direction."

[Janfor99 0]

Thanks! I like it when my observations/predictions pan out...especially when they're good for the Sox. Man, he had a really good year. Good times.On NESN a second ago: "Man, Papelbon's got to put on some pants....well at least he took the twelve pack holder off his head. That's a step in the right direction."

LOL I was just about to type that....he needs his shorts on for sure.

[timwakefield 68]

Gordon Edes in the Globe today:

Theo Epstein trusted that the Red Sox would hold up their end of a championship bargain, but thought it was a good idea to send a text message to Kevin Millar, exhorting the former Sox partymeister to help put an end last night to Yankee aspirations in Baltimore."I told him, 'You own [Yankees pitcher Mike]Mussina. I said, 'You owe us one,' " Epstein said. "You've got to win at least one game for us singlehandedly. And tell [Orioles manager Dave] Trembley I don't want to see [Triple A] Ottawa out there.""He wrote back, 'We'll see what we can do. I'll do my best for you.' "It was the prelude to a made-for-TV experience. The Red Sox, whose 5-2 win over the Minnesota Twins ended at 9:39 p.m., became champions of the American League East an hour and 17 minutes later, at 10:56, when Millar and the Orioles beat the Yankees, 10-9, in 10 innings, a comeback win the Sox watched from inside their clubhouse while several thousand fans watched on the Fenway Park video scoreboard.Millar did his part, getting hit by a pitch by Yankees closer Mariano Rivera in the ninth, when the Orioles rallied from three runs down to tie the score on a bases-loaded triple by former Sox outfielder Jay Payton. A third ex-Sox player, Chad Bradford, was the winning pitcher after escaping a bases-loaded jam in the 10th, and Melvin Mora dropped a two-out squeeze bunt to bring home the winning run after Millar looked at a called third strike.Naturally, the irrepressible Millar was heard from in the midst of a wild Sox celebration that reached its apex when Alex Cora took command of the Fenway Park sound system, blasting "Sweet Caroline" while Jonathan Papelbon, wearing sliding shorts and a T-shirt, did a mad Irish jig on the mound."He texted me back and said, 'I told you I'd come through for you,' " Epstein said. "He said, 'I'm still sitting on that changeup, by the way. Congratulations.' "

[Flushgarden 0]

I'm in total Red Sox mode right now. Lets take TID again.

[MDXS 0]

I'm feeling good about this series...I don't want to jinx anything (or open myself up to ridicule if I'm wrong) so I'm not making predictions. I was happy to see this analysis today. Not sure how much I buy into the methodology (smells of small sample sizes), but I'm not going to go out of my way to tear apart anything with this quote in it:"On paper, no-one is going to stop the Red Sox. They roll over the Indians almost as easily as they outclass the Angels. The Yankees haven’t got the pitching while the Red Sox have almost as good an offense."Of course, even if this analysis is dead on and the Sox are a team built to be a playoff juggernaut, because of the nature of the playoffs, the Sox would be what...18, 20% to win the whole thing?Whatever. The Angels are going to shit themselves tomorrow when Fenway's out for blood.

[timwakefield 68]

Sad that Wakey didn't make the roster because of back pain, but it sounds like he might be on it if when we make it to later rounds.

[checkymcfold 0]

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[MDXS 0]

Uphill battle for the Angels now. They don't play us well to begin with, and they're down one going back into Fenway. Matsuzaka has struggled towards the end of the season, but he's been able to get a lot of rest lately. He looked great his last time out and most importantly, the Angels are the type of team that will have problems with a pitcher like Daisuke. When he misses, he misses out of the strike zone and the Angels love to hack. Combine that with the added pressure of losing game one and I think they're going to come out swinging, which is the wrong approach against Matsuzaka. Further muddying the waters is that they've never faced him before.Many reasons to feel confident if you're a Red Sox fan. If they win game two, you still have to feel good about their chances to put it away in Anaheim. The Angels play tough there, but you have to think that an unusually strong contingent of Red Sox fans will lessen their home field advantage. More importantly, they have to face Schilling, who has pitched well coming down the stretch and superbly in the postseason, and (probably) Beckett who shut them down hardcore tonight. I wonder if the knowledge that they've lost 8 in a row in the postseason to the Sox will have any effect in addition to what is already going against them. Real good game tonight. And fast too. I can't remember a quicker Sox game. I was certain I was going to miss the beginning of the Top Chef finale.

[timwakefield 68]

Yeah great game, Beckett was pretty unhittable and the Sox looked good all around. A+ for Jacoby Ellsbury and his diving catch in the 9th - I doubt he'll get any starts, barring an injury, but he'll probably get in a few games. Not too much else to say about the game, Beckett was great and when you give up zero runs you're gonna win. Oh and that call on Lugo stealing second was a travesty of a mockery of a sham. Whaaaaat a bad call.

[TMoneyBags 0]

I saw tonight exactly what I think of when I think of Red Sox fans now. A bunch of people in button up shirts with half of them wearing hats. I hate the 'great' fans of Boston. I hate all of Boston. P.S. your ballpark doesn't have character. It's a dump.

[timwakefield 68]

I saw tonight exactly what I think of when I think of Red Sox fans now. A bunch of people in button up shirts with half of them wearing hats. I hate the 'great' fans of Boston. I hate all of Boston. P.S. your ballpark doesn't have character. It's a dump.

Would you rather there were more or less people wearing hats? I am confused by your anger toward a half-hatted crowd. You're right though, that park you guys have in Minnesota is a thing of beauty. Fluorescent lighting and baggies sure spells baseball to me. P.S. GFY

[TMoneyBags 0]

my gripe isnt with the hats. its then appearance that these people just walked out of their office building and in a fit of boredom decided to go to the RedSox game. And obviously the dome is a dump. But we don't try to pass it off as a cathedral

[timwakefield 68]

my gripe isnt with the hats. its then appearance that these people just walked out of their office building and in a fit of boredom decided to go to the RedSox game. And obviously the dome is a dump. But we don't try to pass it off as a cathedral

Yeah but just because the rich crusties are the only ones who can afford the box seats that get you on tv doesn't mean all sox fans are dicks. I mean everybody in Boston loves the Red Sox.

[Flushgarden 0]

my gripe isnt with the hats. its then appearance that these people just walked out of their office building and in a fit of boredom decided to go to the RedSox game. And obviously the dome is a dump. But we don't try to pass it off as a cathedral

You sir, know NOTHING about Red Sox fans. In fact I'd venture to say that you don't know too much about baseball.

[checkymcfold 0]

my gripe isnt with the hats. its then appearance that these people just walked out of their office building and in a fit of boredom decided to go to the RedSox game. And obviously the dome is a dump. But we don't try to pass it off as a cathedral

LOL, every team that makes the postseason jacks up the prices so that only rich people and people willing to blow half their life savings can take their families to the game. that's hardly a boston-specific phenomenon.

[MDXS 0]

Oh and that call on Lugo stealing second was a travesty of a mockery of a sham. Whaaaaat a bad call.

And we were worried about C.B. BucknorAlso, sorry we have jobs TBags. Better luck next year.

[Janfor99 0]

I saw tonight exactly what I think of when I think of Red Sox fans now. A bunch of people in button up shirts with half of them wearing hats. I hate the 'great' fans of Boston. I hate all of Boston. P.S. your ballpark doesn't have character. It's a dump.

my gripe isnt with the hats. its then appearance that these people just walked out of their office building and in a fit of boredom decided to go to the RedSox game. And obviously the dome is a dump. But we don't try to pass it off as a cathedral

Wow, I don't even know where to begin here..........so I'll just chalk these 2 posts up to jealousy and ignore them :PGo Sox!mark (aka Jan...who, btw, doesnt even own a 'button up' shirt)

[MDXS 0]

Matsuzaka has struggled towards the end of the season, but he's been able to get a lot of rest lately. He looked great his last time out and most importantly, the Angels are the type of team that will have problems with a pitcher like Daisuke. When he misses, he misses out of the strike zone and the Angels love to hack. Combine that with the added pressure of losing game one and I think they're going to come out swinging, which is the wrong approach against Matsuzaka. Further muddying the waters is that they've never faced him before.

So much for all that. Matsuzaka was not sharp tonight. Since he'd be going in game 5, I think winning tonight is more important than I thought earlier.

[MDXS 0]

Jesus. That may have reached the Pike.

[timwakefield 68]

Oh yeah, and:

[aadams_22 3]

nice hit, but such a lack of class on Man-Ram's partcelebrate AFTER you round the bases

[timwakefield 68]

nice hit, but such a lack of class on Man-Ram's partcelebrate AFTER you round the bases

Manny being Manny.Also from tonight's game:That's Luis Tiant hugging Wally .