Choking stinks. Giving up a 7-0 lead in the 7th inning of a clinching game stinks. But blowing a 3-1 series lead in the ALCS is embaressing and humiliating!!
Josh Beckett gave it his all and came through like the BIG game pitcher he is.
The Red Sox came to play and dominated the Rays, who now have their backs to the wall.
Suddenly the over confident Rays don't have that same look in their eyes. Now it's a look similar to a deer in a car's headlights!
Don't look now but the Defending World Champion Boston Red Sox have their ace on the hill tonight. Jon Lester.
Will Lester be beaten again? I doubt it. Will Garza win his second game of the series and be named ALCS MVP? I really doubt it. Will Tampa win the Pennant? I absolutely positively do not think so.
I know for a fact the Boston Red Sox do not think so!
Oh yeah. If you've read my other blogs, I bet you a penny the Sox don't lose!
I am very tired. It's 1:20 am on the East Coast. The Boston Red Sox were not supposed to win this night. Just like the last two games at Fenway it's the bottom of the 6th inning and as the 3rd out of the inning is made, the crowd at the old ballpark is almost ready to give congratulations to a young, confident, overpowering, Tampa Devil Rays.
But it's not over yet.
Once again the impossible is ready to take place.
In the history of playoff baseball, no team has come back from more than 5 runs down in a game that would clinch the series by the opposition. The Boston Red Sox, down 7-0 to Tampa Bay after 6 and 1/'2 innings, came back to win 8-7 in the 5th game of the 2008 ALCS.
I'm sure you all saw it. All great fans of baseball must have seen it. Those who didn't, it doesn't surprise me because you probably give up at everything when it seems almost impossible!
In 2004 , Iwas at the American Veterans Club in my home town watching the Red Sox go down 3 games to none to the Yankees in the ALCS. The score that night was 19-8. I thought it was the Red Sox year to win it all, finally! Obviously I Said to the bartender " I can't believe we're gonna lose again, and to the Yankees".
I reached into my pocket to pay for my last beer of the night and when I pulled my hand out I noticed a wheat back penny. I turned it over to look at the date. It was 1918. The last year the Red Sox had won the World Series! Of course I showed everyone in the place. But it didn't matter because the Sox had just lost and were only 1 game away from getting knocked out.
Every night from that point on, I kept the penny with me and put it out on display as the games continued. The Red Sox beat the Yankees 4 games to 3 in the most incredible comeback in the history of sports. The Sox then went on to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games straight and win their 1st World Series in 86 years! The penny was 8 wins, 0 losses.
In 2007 the Sox wre losing 3 games to 1 to the Cleveland Indians in the ALCS. I figured if it worked once , why not break out the 1918 penny again? I did and the Red Sox came back and beat the Indians 4 games to 3 and went on to sweep the Colorado Rockies 4 to 0 for their second Championship in 4 years.
I never breeak the penny out till I absolutely have to. I think that's the way it works!
Up to this point , the penny had a record of 15 wins and 0 losses.
Well, You know what I did last night?
The Red Sox , down 3 games to 1 to the Tampa Bay Rays and losing 7-0 in the top of the 7th inning, miraculously came back to win 8-7 in the 5th game.
You all saw it ....right?
Maybe it was the penny! In the right hands finally of a true diehard Sox fan!
The penny is now 16 and 0. It will stay out the remainder of this series and hopefully the next. If we don't win, it still did it's job. Two Championships and an incredible run in the hands of a Red Sox Believer!
Dice-K's pitching performance last night was one classic for the Red Sox faithful. Talk about shutting down the Division winners at their home field. And slamming the door shut at the end was Papelbon(again).
With veteran Josh Beckett going next and sesational Jon Lester slated after that, the Devil Rays had better get their bats going.
Granted the Sox didn't do much offensively themselves. But Tampa Bay had their chances also. Clutch or as some call it, timely, hitting and mistake free baseball goes a long way in playoff games.
To beat the Sox you have to play real good. I mean the White Sox.
To beat thedefending World Champion Red Sox you have to play extremely good!
Some people have said the Rays have got the Red Sox number. Winning 10 of 18 during the regular season and losing the !st game of the playoffs at home, doesn't resemble that.
Tampa Bay is to the country as the NY Football giants were. I know, we are the bad guys now! The truth hurts.
But this series is all about pitching and the Red Sox have it. Just like they had it last year! Ask the Colorado Rockies.
I love almost all sports. Unless you hit the ball with your head. I never cared for people who swear much, but if you must, just don't use the Lord's name in vain.
The roads around my house are older than most cities in the USA. And the taxes are higher also.
I believe in loyalty. And love the sound of the last lap at the Daytona 500.
I think everyone should see this country before they go to some other and get beat up or worse for just being an American.
And root for whoever you like. But we're gonna win.
