It is finished. The race for the AL East is over. There. I've said it. The Yankees are 14 1/2 games back as we speak and dropping faster than Jerry Remy at an air guitar convention. (*)
I don't want to jinx it. I mean, I am the same guy who, with two outs in the the ninth inning of Game 6 in 1986 knocked the final beer can off the TV set. My friends and I had lined up beer cans on top of the TV in the final innings and removed one after each out, waiting for the Sox to finally end 68 years of frustration. With two outs in the ninth, I swept the lone remaining can to the floor. I somehow blame myself for not winning that Series.
I'm also the same genius who claimed that as long as he shot free throws like a blind man cutting hair in a barber shop Shaq would never win an NBA championship. (I didn't account for the advent of the flowbee.) I also said as long as his super-sized salary choked the life out of the Colt's salary cap that Peyton Manning would never win a Super Bowl. (Speaking of Peyton, I'm also the guy that, when the Pats were up 21 to 3 and forced the Colts to punt in their own territory in the AFC Championship game yelled "C'mon Peyton, at least try to make it a game". I was pretty happy at that point. Now... Not so much.)
But back to the Sox. The Yankees are done, finit, kaput. There is no way on God's green earth that they're coming back from this one. No way, no how. For all you people who are so quick to bring up 1978, please don't embarrass yourselves by comparing this inept edition of the Yankees to that team. You might think that a team that had three individual players (ARod, Giambi and Clemens) with salaries just about equal to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' entire team salary might be able to compete with said Rays. But you'd need five Roger Clemens' in order to have any type of chance. And that would be Roger circa 1986, when he started the season 14 and 0. And while Bobby Abreu is doing his best this year in his attempt to match a certain shortstop's 5 homers hit in 1978, Bucky Dent is not walking through that door ladies and gentlemen.
To be honest, we as Red Sox fans obsess waaaaay too much on the Yankees. To us the AL East consists of two teams. It doesn't matter that there are now three teams between the Sox and Yankees; we don't consider Baltimore, Toronto or Tampa Bay threats. All that matters is that the mighty Yankees have struck out. And it's not just the fans. The media feeds the frenzy as well. Listen to WEEI. Read the Globe and Herald. They're not talking about how big of a lead we have on the second place O's. Nope. They're letting us know each and every day how big the lead over the Yankees is.
Steinbrenner's going to snap soon. If it weren't for his sons, who have taken a larger day-to-day role in the franchise, you can bet Joe Torre and Brian Cashman would be out on their butts right now. Maybe weeks ago.
So enjoy it Red Sox fans. Ding-donng, the witch is dead. There will not be a twelfth consecutive AL East title in the Bronx this year. But there will be one in Fenway.
(* - If you're not a regular viewer of Red Sox games, you probably didn't see the former Sox 2B and current broadcaster's air guitar performance. Check out a short clip here:) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFEvN8SYaDU&mode=related&search
Jessica Gomes
Anne V
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Should think about the Jays. They have a better team ERA than you and their pitching staff isn't entirely healthy. This is without Doc in the rotation and BJ out. Their leadoff guy Reed Johnson is also still injured as is the starting catcher Greg Zaun who happens to be a switch hitter as well. Some key components missing in the line up.
The Yanks on the other hand have their line-up at full strength and many pitchers in their rotation that would probably be there anyways. We can agree on the O's. They never keep their form. But the chances the Sox will stay on this pace for the entire season? I'll see it when I believe it.
Sabres 12
Calgary, AB
Total Comments (88)
Or the other way around on that last one.
Sabres 12
Calgary, AB
Total Comments (88)
Not to be a chronic nitpick, but there is too much Yankee stuff in your blog. Yes, obviously with the daily 57 minute ESPN Yankee barrage straight from the Yankee Broadcast Network Outta Bristol you get desensitized to tidbits like whether Roger Clemens opts for the reduced sugar Count Chocola for breakfast on every odd-numbered day, but there is stuff that is relevant from the Red Sox point of view, too.
Winning a series from a good Indians team comes to mind.
Having a big lead knowing that the Red Sox haven't even begun to hit their stride is a pretty cool anecdote, as well.
adams300
West Palm Beach , FL
Total Comments (643)
Lead's 9 and 1/2 now.....
DJeterfan
Havelock , NC
Total Comments (26)
I for one cannot function without a Yankees or Clemens update every 15 mins.....
The TRUTH
Someplacein, OH
Total Comments (14438)
Here's the good news.. Yankess are just four games back of the Sox. Here's the bad news, Yankees are just four games back of the Sox. How did this happen? It looks like the Sox in a rush to beat the Yanks to Gagne became the Yanks and over spent on an aging reliever with a history of arm trouble in exchange for a top pitching prospect Gabbard. Looks like the Sox outsmarted themselves as if they left the proven formulaic relief in place, Okajima and Pappelbon close out the two wins Gagne screwed up and the Sox are up by six and not the slim four. Sox fans gotta admit that they're squeezing their pencils a little tighter this morning at the office as the Yanks look to move up on them even more this week. Septemeber's series between the Yanks and Red Sox slooks like it may have meaning afterall.
Bootsy-Tom-Collins
Total Comments (20)
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