Archive for October, 2008

Anyone that makes fun of Paul Pierce today just doesn’t get it. I watched the ring ceremony yesterday and was touched by the display of emotion that the captain had as he picked up his championship ring and then hoisted banner No. 17 to the rafters.

So often these days sports are about a paycheck for athletes. I’m sure that PP loves going to the bank on the first and 15th as much as anyone else that makes that kind of money, but once those guys have played for a while, for the true competitors, it becomes a lot more than deposits. You start playing for rings and banners.

The championship run by the C’s last year was one I’ll never forget. It was a joyous stretch that built on itself. The first round was tough, the second round tougher and the wins became more and more fun to watch. They were almost knocked off by Atlanta, had their hands full with Cleveland and then had battles with Detroit and LA. They earned each and every win and got the job done.

It was hard work, and it paid off. With the ceremony yesterday we witnessed the culmination of all that. And we saw just how much it meant as the tears streamed down Paul’s face.

Now the defense of that title, and the run for No. 18 begins. This basketball team is very good and has a good chance to get the job done again. Some tinkering is probably necessary as they could still use a little backcourt help and maybe another vet, but they’re the favorites in the east and they’ll play hard every night.

Last night’s game was a perfect example of what they’re capable of. All of that emotion, all of the pomp and circumstance, and it was no surprise that the Celts were down at halftime. It’s hard to have that kind of adrenaline rush, that outpouring of emotion and then go out and play basketball. Garnett’s first shot of the game cleared the rim by several feet. Controlling that kind of stuff is difficult.

But they overcame a poor first half and buckled down in the second half. Leon Powe and Tony Allen made big contributions, which they’ll need all year, and they pulled out a big win over their closest competition in the conference.

All in all, it was a perfect start to the season.

First this caveat: I don’t like to run. I never have liked to run. Sure a quick burst to first base is okay, or jogging up and down the court shooting hoops isn’t bad.

I’m talking about running that is measured in distance, lots of meters, miles, etc. I’ve always found it boring and painful, which are two things I don’t look for in a recreational sport.

Some people love it. I find them somewhat crazy.

This past weekend I covered the Cape Cod Marathon and left shaking my head. The idea of running one mile to me sounds painful, 26.2 of them sounds like lunacy. I can’t imagine putting my body through that. The fact that the lady that won told me that she runs 150 miles per week is unreal. That’s roughly 8,000 miles per year on those legs. If you put that kind of mileage on a car you’d be trading it in after seven or eight years. You can’t trade in your body.

The guy that won it seemed absolutely fine. He was a little tired, but other than that he looked okay. I could almost say the same for the dude that finished second, but while interviewing him I happened to gaze down at his feet and noticed that his sneakers were reddened by blood. I mentioned to him that he might want to have his feet checked out and he decided that was as good a time as any to take his shoes off. It was like a train wreck, you couldn’t look away and it looked like someone had boiled his feet and then went to work on them with sand paper. I just hope one day to get that image out of my head.

Then there was the average runner I noticed crossing the finish line. He did not make the correct wardrobe decisions when he left in the morning and had worn a T-shirt that chafed him. That chafing led to a horrid sight as he crossed the finish line, two distinct streaks of crimson that started at his nipples and ended by his belly.

Ahh, the joys of running. Sign me up.

I haven’t gone into hiding, I just didn’t have a lot to write about in the aftermath of the Sox’ demise. I figured I really wasn’t going to add anything new at the time, so I was quiet.

And now we move on, and why not, the timing is right.

Tuesday night the Celtics kick off the defense of their title, and the aim for No. 18. Ray Allen said that Michael Jordan gave him plenty of motivation by saying “If you’ve won one, you’ve just been lucky.”

I don’t think the Celtics were lucky last year, although that first round series with Atlanta was a bit of a pressure cooker. I expect they’re going to be pretty fired up and anything less than 60 wins and no worse than the two seed in the east would be a disappointment.

Also, you may not have noticed, but the Bruins season has already started. They seem to be tying nearly every game, but still hockey is fun. Pro hockey, to me, is less fun, but it’s still worth watching in doses from time to time. I think this B’s team is going to be fun, too. Lucic, Bergeron and Kessel are all good players.

Also the Pats are fun to watch. They’re a bit frustrating at times, because you know with Tom Brady it’d all come a lot easier, but they’re still winning and they’re playing decently. I don’t think they can go all the way with Cassel at QB, but making the playoffs seems pretty certain at this point, and with Buffalo losing yesterday the door is opening for a division title again. If they win the division this year, that’d be an accomplishment worth noting.

So, yup, there are still things worth watching. Now if only I could get the Subway “five dollar foot long” song out of my head.

First Inning

No Steve Harvey, so we’re already ahead of the game. Got a good feeling tonight. Tampa is undoubtedly got to be feeling tight. The Sox are once again playing with house money and Matt Garza is on the hill for TB, who is likely to yell at his catcher before the night is over.

Think Garza might have some adrenaline? He almost threw the ball through Pena’s mitt when he tossed out Coco.

That’s the way we start a ballgame. The little horse goes deep and the Sox are on top. Couldn’t ask for a better star than that.

The yelling in Casa Maclone is already getting annoying. I love that the kids are into it, but it seems like they’re yelling for yelling’s sake. Whatever, 1-0 Sox.

Now the kiddos are having fun with “Go Bi Papi.” I won’t lie, it sounds a little like “Big Poopy.” When you’re five and six years old, nothing gets the laughs like bathroom humor. All I have to do right now to bring down the house is say the word “Butt” out loud and they’ll be in hysterics.

Follow-up Papi walks. Garza brushes back Youk, which is not smart. He’s really not the type of guy that is easily intimidated. Want to scare him, come into the dugout with a Mach III razor.

That was close. Rocco Baldelli made a nice grab in right, and it’s nice to see Rocco playing. Let’s face if, if there are two guys on Tampa that it’s okay as a Boston fan to root for it’s Baldelli and Pena. They’re locals.

It’d be nice if JD Drew could smack one here. Garza is the type of guy that delivers right to Drew’s wheelhouse.

That check swing didn’t look too bad, but whatever. Sox are on the board first. That’s a good thing.

If there’s one guy that I’ve spent a lot of time writing about in this space this year it’s Jon Lester. I love the guy. He’s been money all year long.

Lyra just noticed how deep in thought Varitek looks behind the plate. She’s right, the man knows how to call a game.

That was a scary out by Upton, two down.

Back to the Tek thing. We all know he’s caught four no-hitters, but the interesting thing is that the four pitchers were all pretty different. Hideo Nomo was a fastball pitcher that had been around the block. Derek Lowe is a ground ball pitcher that doesn’t overpower people. Clay Buchholz was a rookie with little experience, but electric stuff that day and Lester is a power lefty with a nice curve. Just goes to show you how much Tek can get done behind the plate. I think four is the most no-nos ever caught by one catcher. The guy is headed to the Hall Of Fame, even if he can’t really hit any more.

Think Craig Sager is still waiting to break out that noise meter? He never got to use it yesterday. I wonder if he brought it with him.

Maybe Sager should get a reading on the noise level of the Red Sox fans in attendance cheering that K. Three up, three down. 1-0 Defending champs after one.

Second Inning

Garza’s side burns bug me. They look like devil horns on the side of his face.

Two down and here’s Tek. Only one hit in the ALCS for the captain, but what a hit it was.

I can live with that K. Tek made him throw 9 pitches. That’s a good AB.

Nice play Alex Cora.

So if the Rays lose tonight, how will Joe Maddon put a positive spin on it? I like that he didn’t seem too fazed by the Sox two wins, but the glass half-full stuff got a bit grating, didn’t it? And another thing that is bugging me, with those eyeglasses shouldn’t he be playing piano in a wedding band and not managing a MLB club. Maybe he stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.

Six up, six down for Lester. Nice start.

Rye just said “I know that (the Sox) are going to win.” Leanna followed it up with “I just know it.”

Lots of positive energy here, even if Rye is asking to change the channel to Amazing Race. Not tonight buddy.

Third Inning

Coco Crisp might be the least popular man in Tampa. That’s okay, he’s still not the least popular person in Tampa. That distinction belongs to Linda Hogan, Hulk’s former wife. Want to know why, google Hulk Hogan divorce.

If you had 8:59 in the what time will my kids officially get on my last nerve pool, you win.

Okay so you want to hit Pedroia. Let’s see Papi make you pay.

For the record, I don’t want to see Lester go after any of their guys. Let them be the dumb ones to put runners on base for free in a 1-0 game.

Doh. Papi fans. Still 1-0.

So how many empty seats are at the Bucs game in Tampa tonight?

I want to see this new Blackberry. Stop teasing me. I need to know if I need to upgrade.

Just Googled the new Storm Blackberry. Looks like the Blackberry’s answer to the iPhone. The price I saw was $600. No thanks, I’ll stay with my Pearl for the time being.

I’m craving a Subway $5 foot long sub, chicken breast, spinach, cucumbers, olives, salt n pepper and honey mustard. That’s lunch every Thursday.

So if the Sox win this game, does that mean that they’ll sweep the Phils? Comeback in 04, swept St. Louis. Comeback last year, swept Colorado.

Nine up, nine down. Lester’s in the rocking chair. I love it.

Fourth Inning

Wow, didn’t even realize it, but we’re off to a classic start. Through three innings, just one hit, and it was a homer.

I don’t know how to say this PG-rated, but I’m gonna try. If you took Cialis daily, you’d either have to be very busy or very uncomfortable. I mean if you really take it every day, aren’t you just trying to impress someone? Wouldn’t you eventually have to call the hospital because of one of those “four hour” problems?

Wow, the announcers think that Garza wants to win this game. Thank goodness they’re here to tell us these things.

JD Drew just popped up a pitch he could hammer.

These “Ray-hawks” in the stands are just stupid. Yeah I said it. Isn’t that something that high school kids do before a big football game?

Garza guns down the Sox in the fourth. We’ve officially got ourselves a pitcher’s duel.

I might be leading a charmed life this Sunday. The guy I’m playing fantasy football had a touchdown called back late, Manning-to-Gonzalez, and he had both guys which would have put me behind. Then the Oakland game went OT and I got extra points from Zack Miller and now I just checked and my opponent sat Antonio Bryant today. Bryant already has 20 points, which would have me beaten. Instead he started Bobby Engram (Seattle) in the same game and Engram has yet to touch the ball.

I feel good about the Sox.

Well no no-hitter tonight, but we’ll live. Let’s just leave Iwamura stranded, shall we.

Not often you see the 4-5 putout at second base.

Nice hitting by Longoria. Close play at the plate. I thought they had Pena, but the throw was up the line and a little tardy. Gotta get Crawford out.

Maybe i need to switch to the lucky PJs. That’ll have to wait until after I let Dewey out.

Yes the dog is named after Dwight Evans if you’re wondering.

Got out of the inning, but we’ve got a barnburner.

Fifth Inning

This lack of hitting is starting to bother me.

That double by Aybar bothered me too, but at least it stayed in the park.

These kids won’t go to bed. My wife thinks she’s funny by letting them be crazy. I’m about to lose my mind. Someone save me.

Infield hit, that’s annoying. Lester needs to settle down and get out of this jam. If Maddon has a clue he’s having Baldelli lay down a bunt here.

Scary foul ball. What are they thinking, not bunting with the No. 8 guy in a 1-1 ballgame with two on an nobody out?

It worked out for them, but it’s still bad baseball I think. Sox need to stop the bleeding.

Big, big, big K of Rudy Stein errr Jason Bartlett.

Double play ball now would be H-U-G-E.

That ball wasn’t hit hard enough to do anything but go to first. Now what do you do? I think you’ve got to walk Upton and pitch to Pena. It makes more sense than letting a righty power hitter beat you.

Another scary foul ball ….

Apparently I should stop second-guessing these managers. They pitch to Upton and get out of the inning. Nice job by Lester, that could’ve gotten ugly, but they escaped.

Sixth Inning

Top of the order. We need to get something going, like right now.

That was close. I thought that flip was going to hit Coco. They need to turn this thing around soon. They’re starting to run out of outs. At least the TB bullpen is afraid of the Sox. We’ve got that going for us.

Garza’s getting high on pitches. Next one is No. 86.

Man, what an at-bat. Pedroia just makes pitchers work. He’s a fighter. You’ve got to love the little guy.

More than 10-percent of the pitches that Garza has thrown tonight have been during this AB against Pedroia.

Wow, what a battle. Great base on balls. That got the pitch count near 100 and now the heart of the order’s due.

Man Papi’s late on those swings. That was in his wheelhouse.

They are making this guy work finally. This 3-2 pitch is No. 100.

dangit. Papi swung at ball four and Pedroia got thrown out. Okay, I’ll admit it, I’m nervous.

quick 1-2-3 for JL. That was nice and easy.

Seventh Inning

At this time in game five they were down a touchdown. One run’s nothing, but they’ve got to start hitting. The only guy that’s been on base all night is Pedroia, who has reached all three times. Youk-Drew-Bay needs to start something ASAP.

Youk pops out, but the pen gets going, which is a nice thing to see.

Four straight balls to Drew. Rally has to start somewhere.

Let’s go Jason Bay.

Apparently he heard me. That’s a hit to left and we’ve got two on and just one down.

Maddon’s been out-managed all series long. Let’s see if he makes another mistake by keeping Garza in for one hitter too many. Time for Mark Kotsay to claim his spot in Red Sox history.

Sigh, thought that one might fall. But at least JD took third. And wouldn’t you know it, the pressure’s on Varitek. Time to be a hero El Capitan.

I just swore out loud. Tek K’s. Another wasted opportunity.

That ball was crushed. Aybar just hammered that thing. Yup, I’m worried.

How often do we see it that one team has a chance and doesn’t come through. Then the next team makes them pay the next time. It’s usually the Red Sox that make the teams do the paying. Lets hope that Lester can get out of this inning and then they can hurt the TB pen. Gotta pin our hopes on something.

This is probably the end for Lester. He’s done a good job. Not great, but he gave up just three runs. The Sox bats have to bail him out because he deserves a better fate. This has been one frustrating ballgame so far.

Eighth Inning

Wow Garza for another inning. He’s at 115 pitches.

And another bad error for the Rays. Every time they’ve made an error in the last two games it’s helped the Sox immensely. Goes three for three.

So which Dan Wheeler will this be? Let’s hope its the one from Game 5. Top of the order now, and maybe the last best chance for the Sox. Crooked number time.

Coco’s been huge and it continues. The door’s opening, time to go through it in a big way. First and second, no one out.

My heart’s pounding, I can only imagine what it’s like to be Pedroia, or Wheeler for that matter, right now.

Got under that one, but there’s still just one out. Time for Papi to be counted on. He’s the man, let’s see it Papi.

These are the moments that this guy lives for. I know he’s not 100-percent, but Ortiz loves this stuff. Come on Papi.

This is gut-wrenching. foul after foul. Just let him get a hanger.

Wow, that looked close. I think he was safe. Really close. Still two on, two out, Youk coming up. This is basically the ballgame.

As if this couldn’t get more stressful. A walk to Youk. Bradford’s out and now another new pitcher, David Price, to face JD Drew. No one you’d rather have at the plate right now than JD Drew. The guy has lived in the moment for the Sox. One more time No. 7, one more time.

Price is good. Unreal this kid nearly quit baseball at Vanderbilt after a bad outing. Right now I wish he had.

Looking. Ugh. Are you kidding me? That was not a strike.

Not looking good. I’m not happy right now. That ball was low and away, a good pitch, but it wasn’t a strike. Drew should still be hitting.

Oki gets two quick outs. They’re going to let Price pitch the ninth. That’s an awfully big spot for a rookie. Everything else has gone their way tonight. Why not?

Ninth Inning

Well, three outs away. Sox need two to tie. Not impossible, but not exactly the best part of the order coming up. Bay, Kotsay, Tek. I’ll be pretty surprised if Tek hits.

Such a grind all night, and nothing to show for it. Let’s see if this team has one more rally in it.

Nice start. I’ll take a leadoff walk.

Tough pitch to strike out on there for Kotsay. Looked outside, but the ump’s been like that most of the night.

Tek right-handed. Time to be a hero Cappy.

Guess not. Tek’s just been horrible tonight.

One out away. Jed Lowrie to pinch-hit. Why he didn’t hit for Tek? I have no idea.

No dirty water tonight. That’s a season.

Game Over: Don’t feel like writing analysis on the game now. I’ll say this, hats off to Tampa Bay. They’re a great team and they took down the champs. They deserved to win this game. Good luck to them. The rest of the postmortum stuff will come later in the week.

yup we’re live-bloggin’ again. I’ll be posting all night long. Whether or not any one is going to come along for the ride, I have no idea, but I need something to do to keep me sane.

It’s 8:30 PM and I should be watching the Red Sox and Rays, right? Of course I should be watching the game, and not a horrible Steve Harvey re-run, but TBS is having technical difficulties and we’ve got nothing, not even audio. I’m trying to keep up on the ballgame with ESPN.com’s pitch-by-pitch, but that’s hardly the way you want to watch a must-see ballgame.

Freakin’ TBS … and just like now we’re on and the Sox are down 1-0. Apparently Beckett served up a homer to Upton, where it went I have not idea. Probably left. I’m ticked about these “technical difficulties.”

So yes I’m already ticked off. This is no way to start the game, but that double play ball to Longoria will do. A one-run difference I can live with.

Why are these games on TBS anyway? MLB couldn’t find a more reliable network to pay their huge fees? ESPN wasn’t available?

Second Inning

Eagle One just called me back. I had no idea but his lot in life is worse than mine. He’s stuck at a wedding in Revere tonight, so it could be worse. I now have to send inning-by-inning text messages to our favorite copper.

How did James Shields get the “Big Game” James name? He hasn’t really pitched that many big games yet has he? I mean, he pitches for Tampa Bay, before tonight they hadn’t had any really.

Yooooooooooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuk!!!

We are tied. Curveball up and in and Youk jacks it over the wall. Thank you very much.

Oh-oh——-d’oh. JD Drew just missed a go-ahead homer by about two feet. We’ll take the single to right though.

Bay grounds into fielder’s choice, single by Kotsay. First and second, one out, and now a trip to the plate by everyone’s favorite rookie, Jed Lowry.

Well nothing from the rook, and that mean’s the inning’s as good as over now. Jason Varitek’s corpse is due next. Listen, I love the captain for what he’s done, but he’s hitless in the series and he’s been killing this team with the stick. My six-year old has more bat speed right now. That swing is waaaaaaaaay too long right now. You can time it with a sundial.

And, the captain pops out to left to end the inning. At least he didn’t strike out. I guess that’s something.

Well, here’s our first look at Beckett since TBS decided to grace us with a signal. One pitch, one out. That’s pretty good.

Is it a good sign when the announcers are saying that Beckett needs to pitch like Pedro did coming out of the bullpen in 01 against the Indians. He was never really the same after that game.

Floyd goes down looking. Navarro hits a seed to right, but right at Drew. 1-2-3. Nice.

Third Inning

Eagle One’s predicament got me to thinking. If you’re a Sox fan, how can you get married on a Saturday in mid-to-late October? Nearly every year for the last five years the Sox have been in the playoffs, and usually deep. I also know that there are far more availabilities for wedding stuff in November than October. Why punish yourself and the guests?

If you do decide to get married on one of those days you must renounce your rights to be angry at people for flocking to the bar to watch the game. Also a TV on-site is mandatory. If you don’t come through on both counts your friends have every right to issue a Code Red on you in the near future.

And as I diatribe, Pedroia walks and Papi doubles. Sox are in business, second and third one out. Very nice.

RBI groundout, Youk. The guy is money. Sox up 2-1.

JD Drew inspires fear, he walks. Jason Bay inspires thoughts of the Ghost of Manny Past, but I love the guy. Be nice if he could stick it to Shields here. A walk will do, bases juiced.

Kotsay in a big spot. How about that double he hit before the Coco hit in Game 7. You knew it was the Sox night when that ball landed, after glancing off of Upton’s glove. I’d love another one here.

Ball one

Ball two

Ball three

Strike

long fly, but Shields gets out of it. They had him on the ropes like Creed had Rocky early in the second fight. Let’s hope this one works out better for the Sox than that bout did for Apollo.

So after getting the first one in the bottom of the third, Bartlett leans into an 0-2 pitch like Rudy Stein and the inning gets tenuous. A double play ball here would be fantastic …. but a pop-up to second works too. Two down, and as the announcers just said, Babe Ruth was on-deck. Well, BJ Upton, but is he killing the Sox or what. He’s certainly coming into his own, he has seven homers in 27 postseason ABs. That’s unreal.

But no long ball this time. Sox get out of third with lead intact.

Fourth Inning

How long does it take to get a new umpire in the game? Seriously, they don’t have these contingencies figured out before the game? First TBS leaves something unplugged and now this. Ready for a long night?

Nothing for Sox in top of 4. Javy Lopez already getting ready. What’s up with that? Beckett has looked pretty good and the count can’t be high. Shields on the other hand has to be around 80 right now. Tampa will be into the bullpen pretty soon.\

JB gets first two easily. Crawford hits a wedge into left for a single. All of this talk about how Beckett’s been hurting, and he looks alright to me tonight. That’s just the second hit he’s given up, and it barely made it into the outfield. Our boy is pitching tonight.

Crawford steals second. One of the children leaves the bed and gets into trouble. The wife asks me to walk the dog, even though I’m in my PJs and she’s dressed. I’m so comfortable right now, what the heck. Guess I’ll do it after the inning ends, but i WILL NOT BE HAPPY ABOUT IT.

In case you were wondering, yes they are Red Sox pajamas, they’re my lucky ones. And good thing I had them on because Kotsay just made a beautiful play in the hole to keep it a 2-1 game.

Fifth Inning

Just back from walking the dog — he peed right on Lyra’s mums — to find two outs and JD Drew bouncing one off the wall for a double. Not a bad thing to be greeted by, but then Bay pops out to right to end the inning.

Before Tampa hits, I’d like to say that it bugs me that the Sox have just two runs on seven hits and the Rays are just one run behind. We need more offense. That’s my Captain Obvious moment for this half-hour.

Great timing by Mrs. Maclone as she wants to talk about Christmas gifts for the kids as Navarro leads off the inning with a hit. Sigh.

I told her “you want to talk about Christmas gifts. There’s still baseball on, it’s October.”

She said she needs to have a plan. If only our government thought ahead as much as my wife. They can’t balance a budget or spend what they have. She’s prepping for Christmas before Halloween has even hit us.

Caught stealing, thank you Novarro. Gotta love the busted hit-and-run.

Well it could have been worse. Hanger got banged by Rudy Stein, err Jason Bartlett. Tie ballgame, and my Capt. Obvious moment seems like it was right on the money.

I gotta feeling this might be the last inning for Beckett now. Rumor has it that Daisuke is available for an inning or two tonight. I’d think about getting him up sometime soon. How often does a guy that only has one homer in the regular season come up with a big one in the playoffs? It seems like something like that happens every year. I’m officially ticked off right now. I blame Lyra’s Christmas talk for that one.

Inning over, but damage done. I don’t like being tied.

Sixth Inning

Kotsay-Lowrie-Tek, hardly murder’s row here. But then again I wasn’t that worried about Jason Freakin’ Bartlett, so who knows.

iwamura just robbed Kotsay. That was a beautiful play. I think i threw up in my mouth.

how’s about this for stats. Lowrie is batting .125 to start tonight’s play in the postseason. Tek is batting .000, the same as Bluto’s grade point average. And Lowrie goes down looking. Tek might as well just get it over with now so they can start the next frame with the top of the order. 0-for14 in the series. Someone told me this morning that he’s going through a divorce right now and that could be messing with things. I guess it was in the track in the Herald.

I take it all back. OH MY. Tek just went deep. His first hit of the series. Unreal, Sox back on top 3-2. Wow. Wow. Wow.

And a hit by Coco will chase “Big Game” James. Tip of the cap to Shields. He might not have been overpowering, but he kept his team in the game. 5.2 innings, nine hits, three runs, three Ks, three walks. Not “Big Game” name worthy, but not bad. I have a soft spot for him, though. He was my ultra sleeper for my fantasy team this year.

So as Howell warms up and they pan the crowd of Rays “diehards” I have to wonder if there is a single hat in the crowd older than three weeks old. Granted they changed their unis this year, so all of the hats with the up to date logo on them are somewhat new, but you don’t see any of those caps that look like they’ve been worn every day since Opening Day in the crwod either. I’ve got like five Red Sox hats and not a single one of them looks like they were bought since before I was 30.

By the way, thanks for all the kind birthday wishes from everyone the other day. My facebook page blew up on October 16, and I was serenaded at a field hockey game.

Wow, the Rays might be coming apart at the seams. Another huge error. Bartlett throws an easy one away and the Sox have men at second and third with Papi coming up.

Interesting , do they pitch to Papi? He’s an easier out these days than Youk. Lefty on lefty I guess you have to, but you don’t like it with a base open.

No base open. I thought that Pedroia took second, but it’s first and third.

RBI hit for Papi. 4-2 good guys. Awesome.

Youk could bust this open with a double, or better. But he goes down swinging, which means the Gatorade bucket is going to take a beatin’ in a second here.

But Sox are now up by a pair, the biggest lead they’ve had all night. Good job of answering the TB run. Now let’s see if Beckett can get through another inning unscathed.

Well no more Josh, its Oki time. Great job by Beckett. He gutted out five strong, and thats about what we were hoping for.

Upton lines out, and that’s awesome. The Upton-Pena-Longoria threesome is scary. Getting the first out is huge. We won’t have to see him again any time soon if all works out.

Pena scares me, though. This guy kills the Red Sox, and he’s from Boston. I wonder how his buddies from Haverhill feel when he hurts the Sox. You’ve gotta feel good that your boy is doing well, but he’s hurting your team. That’s a predicament that’s gotta be weird.

Well they don’t have to worry about it right now. Oki caught him looking with a nasty inside curve. That was definitely close, but we’ll take it.

I remember interviewing Evan Longoria when he played in the Cape League. Everyone thought that he was somehow related to Eva, and he said no. Then someone told us that he was lying. Turns out he wasn’t a liar. I’m glad about that.

Why is Paps taking his jacket off? They aren’t seriously thinking about a three inning save? Hopefully he’s just antsy.

Eva’s long lost brother just walked, but that’s better than him leaving the yard.

Unreal that they have just two hits to this point, and they’re both homers. Tampa must know that chicks dig the long ball.

And the Sox get through the inning. Nice job by Oki.

Seventh Inning

Uh-oh, Lyra is taunting her friend from Tampa with an email. That’s bad karma. I hope it doesn’t come back to haunt us. Sometimes I don’t think women understand the little unwritten rules of baseball. If there were a no-hitter going she’d probably be sure to say there was a no-hitter going.

This inning’s uneventful so far. Man on second, two outs, new pitcher coming in.

Grant Balfour. Before he became good I always thought it was awesome when a reliever that was one letter away from being named Ball Four came into the game.

And Grant throws bal-one, bal-two, bal-three …

There’s a strike, but come on Grant you can do it. One time.

There it is, bal-four. A walk to Lowrie.

And now it’s time for the recently rejuvenated Jason Varitek. A gapper sure would be nice right about now.

Bill Simmons was right. Buck Martinez keeps calling Papi David Or-teez, stressing the wrong vowel or something. Just sounds weird.

Well, nothing came of that, Varitek reverted to his old self.

Bottom of the seventh. Eagle One just called, he’s just leaving the wedding and gonna stop to watch the game at a bar and then travel two hours back to the Cape. Worse yet, he was at the wedding stag. His wife is at a horse show. And no TV at the wedding. He laughed when I told him to issue the Code Red, but didn’t say he wouldn’t be ordering it.

Uh-oh, the announcers are trying to talk America back into believing in Tampa. Hey, we know. Tampa’s a very good team. We don’t need to be reminded. I won’t feel any ease about tonight until I see Papelbon finish off the ninth. That aforementioned Upton-Pena-Longoria combo is still looming, probably next inning.

Oki gets out. Two “spotless innings of relief.” That last ball was a bit scary, but the Sox are six outs away. The tension is building. This is when you start to hate your superstitions. I’ve been in the same spot on my bed since the game started and my knees and back are starting to ache (sitting up in bed), but I’m going to have to suck it up.

Eighth Inning

Gotta love the words “leadoff walk to Crisp.”

Pedroia will face Bradford, who was one of the stars of the book “Moneyball,” which if you have never read is something you have to pick up ASAP, especially if you’re a baseball fan. Great read. His wacky delivery is explained in that book, it’s pretty cool to read about.

Let’s go little horse that we all ride.

Bad luck there. Pedroia nearly kneecapped Bradford, who then almost threw the ball away. Still, Coco gets to second and the Rays have to decide whether or not to pitch to Papi or not. My guess is that they walk him.

Yup, they walk Or-teez.

Youk in a big spot, against a guy he’s got a lifetime average of .455 against.

But he hit a pea right to Longoria. 5-4-3 twin kill. Oh well. Lead’s still intact.

Papelbon? Oki for another? Masterson? Hmmm….

According to ESPN.com’s in-game pitch-by-pitch thingamajing there’s a 13.9-percent chance that the Rays score this inning. They do have the wood coming up. This is the BIG spot in this game. Que the Sammy Hagar Van Halen “Right Now.”

Wouldn’t you know the Trop has to get the crowd into with music and scoreboard antics. That place has been pretty quiet all night. Crazy Jacket Craig Sager had one of those noise meters earlier in the night saying that when it got rocking in there it’d be louder than a jet. We’ve yet to see them cut to him for that shot yet.

So it’s Masterson. I love the kid, but he’s rarely an easy 1-2-3 guy.

And of course he goes to 3-1 with the leadoff hitter. Bartlett already homered tonight. The chance of that happening again is a lot less than 13.9-percent.

And of course Rudy Stein gets hit again. This time it was legitimate, but I like referring to Bartlett as Stein.

A double play ball would be HUGE. Masterson needs to buckle down and get it done. Like I said, this is THE SPOT in this game.

Farrell’s out to help Masterson, and buy Paps some time. I hate the playoffs. I swear each of these games shaves at least a day off my life.

Big strike pitch to get on the board by JM. Now come back and get him.

Nasty, dirty slider down and in. 2-2 now.

HUGE K. That was another dirty pitch. This kid has stuff.

Okay, here’s the first guy of the Scary Troika. Upton has been The Man for Tampa. Let’s hope he reverts to human for this at-bat.

Joltin Justin gets ahead of the scariest man in baseball today. Now put him away. Where’s Evil Sensei to yell “finish him” when you need him?

He got him with a weak pop-up. Awesome. Hope we don’t see BJ again until tomorrow night.

Still hoping there is a tomorrow night actually. Also just went to the main page and discovered this might be the longest blog post of all time.

One pitch to Pena, and he pops out. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssss.

That’s fantastic. What a job by Masterson. I was worried about him after putting the leadoff man on and then falling behind Iwamura. Greatest trip to the mound ever by John Farrell. Give that man a raise Mr. Henry.

Ninth Inning

Yup, there’s only one October. It just lasts forever and takes time off of your life.

I’d love and insurance run. JD Drew will not supply it, though. He hit a bullet, but right at the left fielder.

Isn’t it about time for something good to come from Jason Bay? He’s been conspicuously quiet.

Well, not this time.

Good or bad, this could be the last batter of the night for the Sox. But, Kotsay will have to face Trevor Miller instead of the submarine pitcher.

One pitch, pop-up. It’s Papelbon time.

Bottom Nine

Two-run lead and no one on the planet I’d rather have on the mound. I’m putting the Dropkicks on I-Tunes right now.

I wish Lyra would have a moment like the woman in this commercial that agrees that they need a new TV and sends her husband to go buy one. That’s my dream. I don’t ask for much. My dreams are in HD though.

Longoria will start it off, and you have to love having him hitting with no one on base.

Two outs away. Grounder to Lowrie, easy throw.

Carl Crawford is scary too, but Paps has owned him in the past.

One out away. Paps just overpowered Crawford.

Aybar stands between the Sox and Game 7.

Scary for a second, but just a second. Liner to Youk, and we’re playing baseball tomorrow.

Postgame

Seven outs away from elimination in game five. Now they’re 27 outs away from the World Series with their ace pitching tomorrow. I remember telling the boss on Thursday that if they could get it back down to Tampa they had a shot.

Well, they’ve got a shot, and right now they’re the favorite. Forget the home field for Tampa. That’s a team that is reeling right now. They blew the big lead at Fenway. They came back to tie it tonight, only to watch the Sox come right back and regain the lead.

Baseball doesn’t rely on momentum as much as other sports, but the Red Sox have a way for making you pay for not putting them away. Just ask the Yankees. Just ask the Indians.

After tomorrow there’s a good chance that the Rays will know that feeling too.

This is crazy. It’s unexpected. Its a joy to watch.

Now let’s hope that they can finish it off tomorrow. Good chance the live blog is back for Sunday night. Every time I’ve done one of these things for a playoff game it has resulted in good things, dating back to last year’s ALCS (look it up in the archives).

Let’s go Sox. One more and it’s back to the World Series.

Admit it, you gave up on them too. It’s okay. I admit it, I did. Down 7-0 me and Lyra turned on the TiVo and watched The Office. After watching one of the funniest episodes ever I turned over to catch the score and it was all of a sudden 7-4.

Well, might as well watch it play out.

Unbelievable. I wish there was a more appropriate word, but none come to mind. That was just epic and out of nowhere.

I remember writing the other day that this team was capable of a comeback, and that they had done it before. But down seven runs with 12 outs to go, that’s a level we’ve never seen before.

Eagle One and I were talking about it post-game and perhaps the most unreal part of it is that the winning rally, in the ninth, came down to Evan Longoria’s error on a miscue that didn’t have to happen. He had all day to throw out Youk, but he rushed his throw, threw it off-balance and bounced it off of Pena’s glove into the first base stands. After that Howell became more nervous than a steak salesman stuck in a pack of rabid Rotweillers.

A walk to Bay and then JD Freakin’ Drew. What can you say about that guy. Whatever his career was like before he got to Boston doesn’t matter anymore. He’s become one of the most clutch members of this team over the last two years. You want JD Drew up in a big spot. You just do, and he hit a laserbeam to right field to win the game.

And now the pressure is all on Tampa Bay. Me and the Big Boss were talking about it Thursday afternoon and I said that if they could get it back to Tampa they had a good chance. TB is a young team and they’re likely to feel the pressure. That was a chance to close out the defending champions, and they had a seven-run lead. If you don’t think that they’re going to be nervous on Saturday night you’re crazy.

So now Saturday night is appointment television. Let’s just hope that Josh Beckett comes out and behaves like Josh Beckett.

Eddie Vedder said it best, and you all know I’m the biggest Pearl Jam fan alive, “I’m still alive, oh I, I, I’m still alive.”

That’s about as bad a three-day stretch in Boston sports as I can remember in a long, long time. Sox lose in extra, Pats get hammered, Sox get hammered, Sox get hammered again.

Not a whole lot of fun, that’s for sure. It’s like lining up for a beating and saying “may I have another.” About right now I’m a little punch-drunk from the rat-a-tat-tat blistering that our teams have taken. I don’t know what’s worse the constant losses, or that horrible Bon Jovi song over and over and over. I don’t know which town they’re singing about (my guess is its somewhere in Jersey), but if I ever visit I am definitely going to litter and spit on the sidewalks.

And yet there’s one hope to hang your hat on. They’ve been here before. In 2004, down 0-3. We all know what happened there. Then last year, down 1-3, which is where they are now, and they rallied.

All the Sox need is a three-game win streak. They’ve done that time and time before. The big thing is getting through game five with a win. If they can get it back to Tampa then the momentum could swing drastically. But … they’ve got to get there, and I don’t know about you, but I’m not overly confident in Beckett right now.

The entire roster seems like its hurting right now. Papi has been horrible, and that’s just not going to cut it. The pitching has been abysmal — for the record, I hate Wakefield in the postseason, hate him. He’s great in the regular season for a No. 5, but I don’t ever want him making another postseason start ever again. Can we all agree to that?

Lyra keeps reminding me they’ve done it before. So don’t give up just yet, even though right now that looks like the smartest thing to do.

Many of you know that I enjoy poker. If I lived in Kentucky I might not be able to play online anymore.

I know, some of you think that because of the UIEGA that was passed a year or two ago that internet poker was banned. While some sites did drop out of the US market, most notably Party Poker, there are still several sites that allow play to US customers.

Recently the state of Kentucky had a ruling go in its favor that allows it so seize 141 gambling domains, which will supposedly ban residents of that state from playing cards on-line. Of course there was no move to ban horse racing, either online or in-person. That’s regulated by Kentucky, so they have their hands in that cookie jar, so that is allowed. But if you want to play poker, something you can’t do at any of the Kentucky web sites your out of luck.

I argue all the time that poker is a skill game that involves luck. I don’t feel it is straight gambling, like horse racing. Sure some people win picking the ponies, but putting money down on how another organism reacts to stimulus on a given day is straight gambling. Just like putting cash down on a football game or a baseball game. The player has no effect on the outcome.

The same can’t be said for poker. Sure I’ve suffered bad beats along the way because I got unlucky, but I’ve been a longtime winner because I know how to play. I have skill in the game and in the long run I have made a nice little profit playing. I’m hardly rich from it, but I like to say I haven’t hit it big … yet. There’s a reason you see the same people on TV playing cards all the time. They’re good at it. They’re skilled.

What Kentucky is doing seems very un-American to me. They’re taking choice away from the state’s residents and playing the role of big brother. “No you can’t play poker on-line, because it’s off-shore and bad, but feel free to try to hit the trifecta at Churchill Downs while playing a scratch ticket.

The following is a column from the St. Pete Times that ran this morning. Seems that Tampa wants a piece of the Sox. Bring it on Orange Juice Boys.

The idea of it probably struck you somewhere along the flight of B.J. Upton’s first home run. If not, certainly by his second. Bring … By the fourth inning, when the Rays were ahead 4-0 and the American League Division Series had turned into a matter of time, the idea had blossomed into an eventuality. Just like that, nothing else made sense. … on … And then the Rays were bounding around the field, again, in that priceless little dance of wonder. Just like last time, and the time before, they looked like kids at a carnival, overjoyed to discover that it is not yet time for the ride to end. And even then, you could not help but think: Who’s next? … the Red Sox! It is going to be Boston. Of course it is going to be Boston in the AL Championship Series. After all that has gone on between them, after all the feuding and the fussing and the friction, who else could it be?

The Red Sox are that sneering gunfighter you see in Westerns who you know is destined to draw against John Wayne. Or that glowering boxer who feels no pain who is bound to fight Rocky Balboa. The Red Sox are final-reel villains, and as formidable as they are, it is fitting that they should be the final team standing between the Rays and the World Series.

As it turns out, the ALDS was merely a warmup, a chance to beat the socks off a lesser bunch of Sox. The Rays won 6-2 Monday to close out a plodding Chicago team that seemed to have no clue how to score other than to hit an occasional ball over the fence.

Good thing the Sox fans wore black, wasn’t it? The last time a White Sox team went this meekly out of the playoffs, it was 1919 and Arnold Rothstein was passing out hundreds to Chick Gandil and Shoeless Joe Jackson. In the end, the most damage Chicago could muster was to boo as the Rays celebrated on their field.

Somehow, the Rays endured. They danced a little more and partied a little more and added yet another chapter to their incredible story.

This was victory No. 100 for the Rays. Think about that: For much of their history, the Rays had to scramble in the final weeks of the season to avoid losing 100.

Embrace this. Manager Joe Maddon says this is just the start for the Rays. And indeed, they seem to be built for at least several seasons of success. But there is never anything as pure, as sweet, as that first unexpected taste of success. If you watched the turnaround of the Bucs, and that of the Lightning, you are aware that as of next year everything changes. As of next year, there will be expectations, and being only pretty good will feel pretty bad.

For now, they lead the league in celebrations.

The best part of their first footsteps into the postseason was that they began to let the nation in on all the characteristics they have shown to Tampa Bay all season long. After Sunday’s victory, there were those who thought the White Sox might be able to sneak back into this series, that the pressure of postseason baseball might finally occur to the Rays.

If they have proved nothing else, however, the Rays are a bunch that seems to feed on the doubts of others. They are a stubborn, resilient bunch. They do not rattle. They do not back away.

Because of it, the Rays’ locker room was once again wrapped in plastic for another celebration. There was spewing. There was splashing. Champagne dripped from the lights above. Who knew? When a franchise doesn’t waste its money on Wilson Alvarez and Juan Guzman, it can afford a few bottles of champagne.

“This stuff never gets old,” said James Shields, who looked as if he had been dropped into a dunk tank sponsored by G.H. Mumm. He didn’t seem to mind.

For those whose memory banks have not been erased by the success, to those who still bear the scars of a decade of awful, it bears repeating: This is a franchise that, over its first decade, had precious few moments. Now it has won the ALDS and the AL East. And it’s time for someone to ask an important question:

Where, exactly, is the trophy case at Tropicana Field?

And who, exactly, can stop the Rays from adding one or two more?

Yeah, you can talk about the Phillies, and you can talk about the Dodgers.

But if you know storytelling, you know better. In the end, in the final showdown, the opponent has to be the Red Sox.

So bring on the annoying Coco Crisp. Bring on the dangerous David Ortiz. Bring on the mouthy Jonathan Papelbon and Kevin Youkilis, the escapee from the biker bar. Bring on the entire cast of Bond villains that is the Red Sox.

None of this is to suggest that the Red Sox would be easy. To the contrary, the Red Sox would be the toughest opponent the Rays have left to face.

On the other hand, this stuff isn’t supposed to be easy, is it?

Besides, can you imagine how much fun that celebration would be to watch?

Stay tuned. And bring a snorkel.

You’ll remember last night’s ballgame for years to come because ladies and gentlemen that was what we call a classic.

Classic ballgames have moments, and that game was full of them, both good and bad. Varitek’s tag at third. Masterson’s wild pitch. Hunter’s double. Bay’s double. Lester’s start. Lackey’s start. Lowrie’s roller to right. Bay’s slide. Jumping around. Craig Sager’s waaaaaaaay tooooooo long interview.

That’s the ballgame in a nutshell.

What a game. None of us wanted the Sox to have to go back to Anaheim. Having to go back there would have been a disaster, but now we don’t have to worry about thanks to a crazy finish.

I don’t know if the Red Sox will win the World Series. There’s too much baseball still to be played. But the one thing you have to love about this Red Sox team is the experience in those nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat, batten down the hatches types of games. They’ve been through the ringer before, and they know how to get it done in those spots.

It would have been easy to fall apart after giving up the leadoff double in the ninth. The announcers told us that Anaheim had scored 7 of 9 times in the series when the leadoff guy had reached. But they came through, got a bit lucky when the batter missed the bunt attempt, and escape a huge jam.

Then it was time for the batters to come through, and they did. Bay’s double was a beautiful piece of hitting against a pitcher, Scott Shields, that had given the team fits all series long. Mark Kotsay then nearly won the ballgame, but Teixera made an unreal grab to rob him of a game-winning double. Again, a missed opportunity, but no panic.

Eagle One and I have a running gag that whenever something cool happens with a Boston sports team that I will name my next kid after the athlete that did it. Last year’s Maclone of the future was going to be named Jabar Adalius Roosevelt Brady Maclone. EO said that this year’s has to be Jason Jed, but I like the sound of Jed Jason Maclone better. Lil JJ.

Lowrie may be a rookie, but he certainly came up like a seasoned veteran. That single found the hole and set off the sweet sounds of Dirty Water, a song I never get sick of hearing. I nearly woke up the kids with my exuberance, but it would have been worth it. That was a great win.

And it took only three hours to play the game. How beautiful is that? I mean when was the last time the Red Sox played a three-hour playoff game? I’d guess 1988 when Mike Greenwell was trying to keep up with Dave Stewart’s fastball.

And now it’s on to Tampa. That will be an interesting series. The old guard (the Sox) and the new guard (the Rays). Experience against Exuberance. Bay State Against Sunshine State. Apples against Oranges. Lobster against Gators. It should be fun.