This is it. (Up to) three do or die games for the Olde Towne Team.
On the one hand - they've been here before. This is the same team who took us to the brink in 2004, getting beaten like a red-headed stepchild in Game 3 of the ALCS only to come storming back to win the next 8 games in a row. This is also the team that won Game 1 of the ALCS last year, lost the next 3, then went on an absolute tear and erased any doubts that they were the best team in the MLB. The core guys from those two teams are still here, and they've got a flair for the dramatic. There's no telling what could happen.
For some reason, and I'm sure I can't explain it any better than the rest of you, this year feels different. Sure, Josh Beckett has looked like he's pitching in a slow-pitch softball league, and David Ortiz couldn't hit the ball off a tee, but with the talent on this team should be good enough to pick them up.
This is my attempt at an explanation, and if you don't agree with it, I invite you to throw your breakfast at me when you see me walking to work in the morning.
They're up against a VERY talented team who just wants it more. From the front office down to the bleacher bums, we have quite literally gotten drunk on winning (I have a story about drunk Red Sox players, which itself warrants its own story). I can remember a time where a scalper on Brookline Ave was trying to sell me three STANDING ROOM tickets for a grand. It seems crazy, but that guy definitely sold his tickets that night. Today, I read a story on boston.com saying that people were paying $20 over face value for tickets. The Red Sox failed to sell out a playoff game? Did you ever think it would come to this?
The much-written about champagne celebrations are also a part of this. I realize that the Red Sox have had a penchant over the past few years of celebrating raucously after clinching a playoff spot or winning a division series. That was fine when they had never been there, and of course it's a monumental achievement after a very long season to be able to go to the playoffs. But this team has been there before. They should know that their job is not done until they make it to the World Series. To me, it seemed like they felt entitled to be here. And they've come out flat and so far, have not been the better team we expected them to be.
Of course, this column is moot if they go on to win these next 3 games as they have in past seasons. Judging by what we've seen so far, though, I just can't see it happening. I hate to go all Shaugnessy on you, but maybe this is good for us. Maybe we need a little bad news so that we can learn to savor the good news again.
Only the next two hours will tell. Go Sox!
Keywords: Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays.
