Posts Tagged ‘2008 ALCS’
Yay D Woooooooo! Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Not my “faith” faith. But my faith in this team.
I was about 98% convinced that the game/series/season was over after Daisuke gave up those five runs. The two runs Papelbon gave up didn’t really register as I figured they were just the cherries on the sundae of the final loss of the season. And I was okay with that. Really, I was.
But I promised KellyO I’d tough out the live blog. And I promised myself that, win or lose, I was going to support this team to the end. So I sucked it up.
And then they started to score.
Dori, KellyO and Tru all texted me from the game.
Dori wrote: “I can’t even speak”.
KellyO wrote: “OMP” (which is Surviving Grady-speak for “Oh My P(G)od”)
Tru wrote: “These guys are fucking killing me”.
All as the rally began. Then there was, pretty much, radio silence until the end of the game.
I cried at the end of the game. That actually surprised me. I was okay with the prospect of them losing when the score was 7-0. I was bummed, but not devastated. Once Papi hit that home run, though, all bets were off. I wanted the win…I wanted the freaking win. Damn you, Papi, for giving me hope.
Red Sox made history on Thursday night. I just…hell I still just can’t believe it.
Tru told me he would give Kotsay player of the game. Of course, it was almost 1:30am when he said this and he was a bit hyper. He might have said he would give Kotsay his oldest daughter.
Player of the game, from me, goes to the entire team. Another one of those winning as a team, wins. But if you force me to pick one player of the game, I still can’t. Justin Masterson and JD Drew share the honors in my mind.
5 years ago, October 17 @ 12:16am (12:16? 12:17?) Aaron Boone hit his home run. At the same moment, five years to the minute, JD Drew got that winning hit. At least, according to ESPN. Baseball can be spooky.
Best comment I’ve read regarding this win (thus far) came from, of all places, Deadspin and commenter AugieOjedaFanClub:
Red Sox = Jason Voorhes [sic]
Oh its [sic] safe to go home. We shot Jason 8 times and buried him under that slab of cement.
Oh it’s safe to turn off the tv. I guess the Red Sox just didn’t have it this year.
You turn around and look back, and there are dead teenagers everywhere.
Good God, I’m happy right now.
I’m wide awake. I have the NESN postgame show on. I have to be at work Friday morning for the first time all week. I won’t be asleep for a while so I’m going to ramble here a bit.
Chip Caray smugly telling us that he heard “on the radio” that Champagne was chilling in the Rays clubhouse set me off. And I can’t remember this exactly, but I think it came out just before the rally began. So eat it, Chip. Eat it.
Josh Beckett pitching Saturday worries me. Our offense really has to kick it into gear again. I sense they will.
I’m watching Mark Kotsay give his post-game comments and am struck at how amazing he’s been (you know, for him!) in the post-season. In case it isn’t obvious, I know nothing. 
I’m rambling, I know. I need to shut down the computer and try to sleep.
Won’t be happening, but I’m going to have to try.
I got a call around 1:15am, from Tru. He’s in the car on the way home from Fenway and he’s absolutely out of his mind with energy, excitement and happiness. I had another friend there tonight – Brad, who brought Tru to the game and who called Tru while we were talking just to say he couldn’t believe what they just saw. I love my friends.
I just lost Tru because coverage at my house often sucks…but he left me a voicemail and he’s still as giddy at 1:41am as he was when the game was going on.
We get Red Sox baseball on Saturday, folks. Life doesn’t suck!
My Kevin Millar Autographed Jersey
A friend of mine (Hi Pam!) suggested we need the good Kevin Millar mojo – so here it is. As I live blog, the autographed Millar jersey is on my back. No alcohol tonight, I’m being fueled by Red Bull. (If you keep reading, we’ve changed the Millar mojo to Bronson mojo. When Bronson mojo didn’t work, we changed to Kyle Snyder mojo!)
“The Rays are 9 innings away from a World Series” says the deep-voiced, voice-over dude on TBS.
Not happening tonight. Mark it down.
8:01pm – Good God I never thought I’d miss Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.
8:05 – It’s 66 degrees at Fenway Park and Chip Caray thinks it’s cold. Oh, Chip, wait until 10pm.
Eric Hinske and Mike Timlin fraternizing before Game 3 - Photo by Me
Before the game, KellyO suggested maybe we hit the scalp-free zone on Thursday to try and get into Game 5. I told her that might be doable for me and left it at that. In the 8th inning, I turned to her and said “Just so you know, I’m not coming anywhere near Fenway on Thursday!”. I say this and, almost immediately after, Rocco Baldelli hits a 3-run homer off of Paul Byrd. I look to they sky and yell “I already said I wasn’t going on Thursday!” So much for breaking my streak of suck.
Truly, though, I’m not disheartened. Sure being down 2-1 feels lousy. Being down in the ALCS last year was shitty too. And in 2004. Good Lord, wasn’t that painful? The Red Sox are making a habit of ensuring that our ALCS experience is the most exciting and nerve-wracking that it can be. So the Rays should be nervous.
I refuse to get mired in negativity. For the first few innings of the game, most of the people around me spent their time heckling Varitek and Tito and JD Drew as well. It was annoying the hell out of me. Of course, I had to get out of there when two couple all decided clam chowder was what they had a hankering for…and luckily the people who had the seats next to Kelly never showed, so I spent the rest of the game sitting with her – around a much better group of people with much more positive vibes.
After Baldelli’s home run, Fenway emptied out like someone had called in a bomb scare. I didn’t mind. Screw the people who think so little of their team making it to the second round of the playoffs that they bolt just because they’re losing. Much like I’ll never forget where I’m from, I’ll never forget what it’s like to root for a team that doesn’t always win. This is the team I choose to follow. Been doing it a lot longer than the playoff runs of the 2000s and I’ll be doing it long after a lot of the people who left tonight will.
Things could be worse. We could be rooting for a team that didn’t make it to the playoffs. Or a team that got booted out in the first round, or that is looking at a 3-0 deficit. None of those things happened. I choose focus on the positive, fun aspects of being in the playoffs. Many more baseball fans don’t have their horse in this race. Who am I to get pissy just because the team is struggling?
I have faith that these guys will kick it up and get back on track. Jason Bay has a World Series appearance coming…I can feel it!
I know Crabby is pitching today, but I want to send Josh some good vibes. (Photo courtesy of GloveSlingers.com)
A list of the last four games I’ve attended at Fenway:
September 9, 2008: Jonathan Papelbon blows a save against the Rays after Jason Bay hits a two-run homer in the 8th to take the lead.
September 10, 2008: Mike Timlin finally sends everyone home after giving up a three-run home run to Carlos Pena that ended up ending the game after fourteen freaking innings.
September 13, 2008: The Toronto Blue Jays kick Paul Byrd’s porn-hating, HGH used to be taking, ass on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
October 5, 2008: Game 3 of the ALDS against the Angels. Hoping for a sweep, we saw Beckett struggle instead.
I feel the need to inject here that I should have been at the final game of the season against the Yankees, which the Red Sox won, thanks to Jonathan Van Every, in the tenth inning. But I wounded myself and was unable to attend. Don’t know what that means, really, just thought I’d throw it out there.
Even with this history, KellyO invited me to today’s game, convinced Jon Lester is just what my crabby (recent) track record needs to end. So I’m getting myself ready and am heading out in about in hour. This will be my fourth post-season game ever and, I have to tell you, I’m as excited today as I was the day I went to my first. I can’t thank KellyO enough for the opportunity and I’m bouncing off the walls with excitement!
I’ve mentioned before, I’m out of work this week and, essentially, tethered to the house Tuesday through Thursday. This will work out well on Wednesday when I inundate you all with entries and emails about how to vote for me in WEEI.com’s “Next Great Sports Blogger” contest. I’m usually terrible at self-promotion, but I’m going to kick it into high gear on Wednesday. So be prepared. 
Crabcakes on the mound today, which instills a bit of confidence. Would be nice to see a win in person before this season is finished. Let’s kick some ass, eh Crabby?
I have hope
I, surprisingly, don’t have one. Guess a $7 bottle of wine isn’t what it used to be.
You know your friends are as die-hard as you when one of them texts you about the game at 8am while she’s on a girl’s weekend in New York – the night after a game ends past 1am.
KellyO (not the texter mentioned above) has an amazing way of getting me to take a breath and look at things more rationally than I sometimes do. Today is one of those days. I woke up this morning not at all bothered by the loss. Well, bothered in a “Man it sucks that they lost, what the hell is wrong with Beckett and why does Tito enjoy putting Mike Timlin in early morning, extra-inning, tie games” way, but, generally speaking, not bothered. Leaving Tampa with a split is a nice way to go back to Boston. I don’t believe in momentum all that much. Fact still is that Tampa lost one at home and now the Sox have three shots in THEIR home to get wins and, ultimately, finish this up. I like the chances of that happening.
What I hate, though, is having to wait until tomorrow for it to start up again. Thankfully, it’s an afternoon game, so we gain four hours on the usual time. I’ll be there. With bells on. And my Timlin jersey too.
Got word from WEEI that the voting process will, most likely, kick in on Monday. I’ll have the info here as soon as it goes live. Special thanks to everyone who has been inquiring about this. I really appreciate the support!
It’s a beautiful day, thus far. Sox are coming home and Jon Lester is on the mound tomorrow. There are many reasons to smile today!
