tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24907382177737846832009-02-21T00:27:08.339-04:00A father nestled in the heart of Red Sox Nation <br> corresponds with a son trapped in the shadow of the Evil Empire.Kevin in New Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01670766868975467900noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-25602209540611021172007-10-29T21:01:00.000-04:002007-10-29T21:44:52.206-04:00

Our 2004 World Series apparel is not yet even tattered or faded, but their replacements are flooding department stores all over New England. Your Boston Red Sox are once again kings of the baseball world. Asking a sports fan to compare championships is like asking a parent to compare children. It can't be done. They are each special in their own way but one thing is certain.You cherish them

Tom in Bostonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09373943940929651446noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-53031649633081396092007-10-26T21:25:00.000-04:002007-10-26T21:55:41.857-04:00

Red Sox Nation is rolling to the Rockies and most of the fan base is expecting them to return to Boston with their second World Series championship in the past four years. The Rox came in on a roll, riding a magic carpet ride through what increasingly is looking like a vaporous National League Playoffs.On the field, this appears to be a mismatch. There is little mystery about why that is the case

Tom in Bostonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09373943940929651446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-6085383140640603872007-10-25T14:54:00.000-04:002007-10-25T15:36:14.768-04:00

With one victory firmly in hand, Sox fans around the world can start to breathe a little easier regarding the Olde Towne Team's chances in the 2007 World Series. As the old saying goes, however, momentum is only as good as the next day's starter; no one should know this better than the Colorado Rockies, who have now won 21 of their last 23 games and find themselves down one game to none in the

Kevin in New Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01670766868975467900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-50332020714363870502007-10-22T22:25:00.000-04:002007-10-22T23:11:05.726-04:00

Well they did it. And they did it impressively. 30-5 in the three elimination games and 23-4 in the final two in Boston. Despite the lopsided scores, the games were tight and the Sox stepped up. Another flag, the fifth in my lifetime and a second trip to the World Series in the past four years. It doesn't get better than that.So as we wait for Game 1, we have a couple of days to bask in the

Tom in Bostonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09373943940929651446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-26830515871384637132007-10-21T17:28:00.000-04:002007-10-21T17:54:58.958-04:00

Well, they took it one game at a time, and won them both. Now we find ourselves in a familiar position - Game 7. Momentum now resides with the Olde Towne Team, but we are left to wonder if that will be enough to punch their ticket to the World Series.I'd love to analyze all the matchups and breakdowns of tonight's game, looking for any keys or indicators that could provide an insight to the

Kevin in New Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01670766868975467900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-49691245989999718602007-10-19T11:27:00.000-04:002007-10-19T11:57:35.609-04:00

And so we live for another day. The Dead Sox are alive. So what is the difference between the listless team that sleepwalked through two dreadful losses in Games 3 and 4 and the vibrant ball club that bounced back with season saving 7-1 win last night? No surprise. The pitching of Josh BeckettThis is no great revelation by the way, but baseball now and forever has been controlled by the pitching.

Tom in Bostonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09373943940929651446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-82285298766526782502007-10-17T10:47:00.000-04:002007-10-18T11:05:01.108-04:00

However frustrating these past playoff games have been, I have found it very difficult to be too upset when the final outs have been tallied. The fact of the matter is none of this should be terribly suprising to anyone that watched this team all year. This team is this good, for better or for worse.Maybe this is just what life is like in the post-2004 era, but I'm not tearing my hair out about

Kevin in New Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01670766868975467900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-69208013223439610342007-10-15T21:04:00.000-04:002007-10-15T23:11:03.751-04:00

I started writing this after watching the non-Ortiz-Ramirez-Lowell portion of the lineup dribble into three feeble outs on 10 pitches in the top of the fifth. Down only 2-0 at the time, it felt like 20-0 since the once again ice-cold Sox lineup was making Jake "6-9, 4.32 ERA" Westbrook look like the white Bob Gibson. When Dice K imploded for another pair of runs as he continued his now seven

Tom in Bostonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09373943940929651446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-15548189949875194752007-10-14T15:06:00.000-04:002007-10-14T15:46:20.622-04:00

Baseball is a game of probabilities, and Cleveland manager Eric Wedge went out of his way to minimize his opportunities as much as he could on Saturday night by green-lighting a series of questionable strategies in Game 2 of the ALCS. Unfortunately, he couldn't screw up enough decisions to cost the Tribe the game.A lot of Wedge's calls were typical boilerplate "old-school baseball" decisions,

Kevin in New Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01670766868975467900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-83689905090421602392007-10-12T22:06:00.001-04:002007-10-12T23:30:03.144-04:00

As they say on Wall Street, past performance is no guarantee of future returns, but one thing is certain: last night's "contest" was a coolly efficient surgical vivisection of a very good Cleveland Indians team by your Boston Red Sox.This was easy. Too easy, almost, but we'll take it. Billed as a pitcher's duel between Josh Beckett and C. C. Sabathia, this one turned into a breezy 10-3 one-sided

Tom in Bostonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09373943940929651446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-82003045025294030432007-10-10T15:54:00.000-04:002007-10-10T16:24:12.285-04:00

For whatever reason, Major League Baseball has added many extra rest days to the post-season this year, allowing teams with short benches or shallow rotations to hide their flaws on the game's biggest stage. The Boston Red Sox must capitalize on this break from tradition and use only their three best starters in the quest for the club's twelfth American League pennant.Much was made of Indians

Kevin in New Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01670766868975467900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-53085129578077873042007-10-09T12:16:00.001-04:002007-10-10T08:30:59.731-04:00

On Sunday night, after the Sox swept away the Angels, WBZ-TV ran a poll to see who Sox fans preferred to see in the ALCS. More than 75% chose the Indians over the hated Yankees. Count me in that overwhelming majority. There is just one problem. The Indians were the much better team.So if the Yankees are the weaker team, why didn't we want to meet them? Well, I can't speak for everyone else, but I

Tom in Bostonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09373943940929651446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-52539891635225569232007-10-06T13:51:00.000-04:002007-10-07T15:05:43.883-04:00

I know we've only seen these Sox in two playoff games this year, but it is already crystal clear that the team was constructed exclusively to succeed in the postseason crapshoot.In Game One, we had Josh Beckett shut down the AL West champs for his sixth career complete game. In Game Two, we had our rookie hurler run into a bit of trouble, then get picked up by flawless pitching performances from

Kevin in New Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01670766868975467900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-76356711478035379732007-10-04T08:09:00.000-04:002007-10-04T09:04:45.359-04:00

Judging from the reaction to last night's impressive victory by the inane "fans" on the street and the gushing prattle of the bobble heads on the local news anchor desk, you would have expected to pick up the morning paper and read the following headline: "SOX WIN WORLD SERIES IN ONE GAME!"Calm down people. It was the perfect way to start the postseason, but it was what it was: just one game.But

Tom in Bostonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09373943940929651446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-62324341276284372322007-10-03T13:15:00.001-04:002007-10-03T13:55:11.221-04:00

With the playoffs starting tonight, let's lay out a few predictions...1. Patience will rule the day. The Sox have done a great job working counts all season long, and the grandest stage of them all is the best place to show off the war of attrition our batsmen wage on opposing pitching staffs. For the Sox to succeed, they need to get into the opposing bullpen early and often in every series.2.

Kevin in New Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01670766868975467900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-80423177992810898042007-10-02T21:47:00.000-04:002007-10-02T22:32:20.902-04:00

After the long, stressful regular season, which drags on like a Bobby Abreu at bat, the postseason is finally here. The slate is clean. Everyone starts even and the possibilities are endless for each team.So without further adieu, here are ten reasons why I love the postseason and my first round predictionsThings I love about the postseason:1. Bunting draped around the ballpark and creeping

Tom in Bostonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09373943940929651446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-37154331185843153572007-09-29T23:06:00.000-04:002007-09-30T23:22:58.932-04:00

This morning at my weekly softball game, I was surrounded by kindred spirits longing for a gift from the baseball gods."The Mets can still pull this off, right?" they asked me pleadingly.I didn't know what to tell them.I've been following the unprecedented collapse of the 2007 New York Mets with some interest over the past several weeks. On September 13, the Red Sox were 5.5 games ahead of the

Kevin in New Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01670766868975467900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-64106186737346650772007-09-27T22:31:00.000-04:002007-09-27T22:56:48.893-04:00

It's never easy for these Red Sox. Close but yet so far. They can't lose the division now when they are so close, can they? It's not as important that they win as that they don't lose. They've come too far to let the Yankmees overtake them yet again. To do so will subject us to another year of New York taunting if the Sox happen to get off to another lead next year. I for one do not look forward

Tom in Bostonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09373943940929651446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-87241849413975763012007-09-23T14:53:00.000-04:002007-09-25T16:17:42.035-04:00

I had a dream the other night. A vision, if you will.I found myself alone in a pristine white clubhouse, baseball equipment peacefully resting in every corner and crisp white home uniforms hung in every locker.As my eyes adjusted to the scene, the door at the far end of the room swung open and the room was filled with light. A tall man in a baseball uniform with a bat over his left shoulder stood

Kevin in New Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01670766868975467900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-57183630258084590192007-09-21T22:01:00.000-04:002007-09-21T22:41:30.979-04:00

As the Sox continue to stumble to the finish line, everybody is desperately searching for a scapegoat. Reading game threads on the Sons of Sam Horn or listening to talk radio, it's apparent that everyone is zeroing in on manager Terry Francona as the reason for the recent death spiral.Looking at it objectively, there is simply no justification for blaming Tito.Look, Tito drives me crazy some

Tom in Bostonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09373943940929651446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-72074160522467746402007-09-19T23:00:00.000-04:002007-09-19T22:35:20.633-04:00

Are we close enough for you yet?If the Sox go 10-0, they win the East.If the Sox go 9-1, they win the East.If the Sox go 8-2, the Yankees need to go 11-0 to tie.If the Sox go 7-3, the Yankees need to go 10-1 to tie.If the Sox go 6-4, the Yankees need to go 9-2 to tie.If the Sox go 5-5, the Yankees need to go 8-3 to tie. If the Sox go 4-6, the Yankees need to go 7-4 to tie.If the Sox go 3-7, the

Kevin in New Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01670766868975467900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-81206678446174474312007-09-17T21:41:00.000-04:002007-09-18T09:26:11.770-04:00

Ho hum. Another series with the Yankees. Another lost series with the Yankees. If the Sox wanted to gear it up for the playoffs, they should have started this weekend. They didn't. But all things considered, all the news was not bad coming out of another lost weekend to the Bombers.Despite the weekend's disappointing outcome, the Sox will still probably win the division. Although after serving up

Tom in Bostonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09373943940929651446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-6724961528220836682007-09-15T22:38:00.000-04:002007-09-15T22:57:43.484-04:00

For the better part of the last hundred years, Red Sox clubs have been notoriously one-dimensional. Any successful Sox team has featured an outstanding slugging club with spotty pitching and absolutely no speed. This was the blueprint, and the Yawkey era very rarely strayed from it.Such a club was featured as recently as the 2003 edition, which featured both a record-breaking offense and John

Kevin in New Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01670766868975467900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-87503337489728917102007-09-13T21:34:00.000-04:002007-09-13T22:17:59.235-04:00

So you can't wait until the postseason arrives? Well, I have news for you. The playoffs start Friday night in a 2 of 3 series against the relentless Yankees. And for all our sakes, the Sox better start playing like their postseason lives depend on it. Because they do.Ok. Enough of the life and death struggles against the Devil Rays and mismatched sparring rounds with the cream puff Orioles. It's

Tom in Bostonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09373943940929651446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490738217773784683.post-17862566640694729002007-09-11T22:31:00.000-04:002007-09-12T10:55:36.395-04:00

After the huge come-from-behind win by the home town team tonight, the magic number has dropped to 13. With the second-place Yankees heading to New England this weekend, the Sox have a golden opportunity to cinch their first AL East crown in over a decade.Here are the simple numbers regarding this weekend's three-game set:If the Sox win 0: Magic number remains 13 with 13 to playIf the Sox win 1:

Kevin in New Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01670766868975467900noreply@blogger.com0