The Playoffs Start NOW!

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 time to play some Big Boy Baseball, to paraphrase Michael Felger.

People are getting giddy that the magic number for making the playoffs is in single digits (7) and is fast approaching the same for the division crown (11 with the Yanks' ninth inning loss to the Jays Thursday night). So maybe this series with the Bombers isn't so important. They're both going to the playoffs, right? Wrong, Aaron Boone-breath. This series is CRUCIAL for a number of reasons and it's time for this frustrating Red Sox team to knock off the crap and play like "The Team With The Best Record In Baseball" should play.

So how much is at stake in this series? Let's take a look.

1. Winning the AL East. Let's start at the top. The Sox come into the series with a 5 1/2 game lead with 15 to play, which should be safe enough. But don't kid yourself. The AL East is not over. With another three game sweep, the Yanks can pull to within 2 1/2 games with 12 to play and anything can happen from there.

"Oh all they have to do is win one game," I hear you say. That's what we said two weeks ago when the Sox wet their unis in the Bronx and rolled over like a bunch of Fido's in the three game sweep. In fact, the Sox have now lost four in a row to the Yanks and 5 of their last 7. They haven't won a series against New York since mid May. It's time for them to turn this around. Forget winning one game. They need to come out and win the series and send the pinstripes packing down 6 1/2 or 8 1/2 games with 12 to play. That's a statement they need to make.

There is a ton at stake in winning the division foremost being home field advantage in a dangerous five game series and the ability to decide whether they want a compressed or elongated schedule for the first series. Even though they don't have a dominant number two pitcher, they may still opt for the longer series, as Peter Gammons pointed out, to make Jonathan Papelbon available for more games. Don't underestimate this advantage.

2. Eliminating The Yanks. The Yanks are still on the edge of making the playoffs and the Sox can help push them completely out. They come in with a 2 1/2 game lead in the wild card race. If the Sox can take two of three or sweep while the Tigers have their way with the Twins, the Yanks can find themselves in a real dogfight to even make the playoffs. And deep down, don't we really want to see them out of this thing before it starts?

3. Winning The Confidence Game. Yea, I know the Sox are on a roll with a couple of come from behind wins over the improving Devil Rays, but let's face it, the Sox have been shaky for a while. With three-fifths of their starting rotation disintegrating before our eyes, the last thing the Sox need is to get humbled by the Yankees AGAIN and find themselves backing into the playoffs. That is a sure recipe for an early exit.

No, what they need to do is snap out of it and beat the BeJesus out of the Yanks. Dice K needs to suck it up and have a good game. Beckett needs to be Beckett. And Curt Schilling needs to be Greg Maddux. The best case scenario is that they win Friday and Saturday and come into Sunday night's game against Fat Roger looking for a sweep. (Don't worry. You won't miss the Pats-Chargers game. I'm sure Bill Bellichick will be taping it.)

The inverse can be disastrous. If Dice K melts down again, and the Yankees beat Beckett again and Fat Roger silences the bloodthirsty Fenway faithful, this Sox team will be toast. Derek Jeter and the Yankees already feel like the Sox are a bunch of chokers who they can beat any time they want. The Sox have to shake that overconfidence, if for no other reason than to set the right tone for the playoffs.

So we all need to treat this like Round One of the post season. And it all starts with Dick K Friday night. That can be a frightening thought, but he's been billed as a "Big Game Pitcher." They don't get much bigger than this.

In 72 hours, we'll know where we stand. Will the real Red Sox please stand up?