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. 

Continue reading "The fate of 2008 hangs in the balance..."

Another year, another baseball season in the books. This one didn't end the way we all would have liked, but like the old saying goes, you can't win 'em all. As they all are, this season was defined by some transcendent moments, some goofy moments, and some moments that made you question your sanity.

This is my attempt at making sense of the last 6 months of Red Sox baseball. Not always an easy thing to do, but this seems like as good a therapy as any.

The Good

1. The emergence of Dustin Pedroia. We knew he could play in this league. What we didn't expect was for him to become a legitimate MVP candidate. Come on - the guy is generously listed at 5'9 and 180 in the team's yearbook. If he's a hair over 5'6, Jason Varitek will win a batting title next year. But he was the best 2nd baseman in the league this year, finishing at the top of the league in hits, runs, and batting average. And he did all this while playing Gold-glove caliber defense. And at 25, he's only going to get better. His choice of "The Wash" as his at-bat music also strikes me as hilarious.

Continue reading "The 2008 Red Sox - defining moments"

Twenty-one and a half hours stand between us and the commencement of the Celtics season, and yours truly managed to score some tickest not only for tomorrow night's game, but for Friday night's as well.

Our boys have been pegged as the NBA's best this year by almost all of the experts, and it's hard not to have visions of another Larry O'Brien trophy dancing in our heads. We all know how hard it is to win back-to-back championships (just ask the other championship teams in our town), but for a team that's bringing back almost all of its core players, who now have a year of experience playing together, you have to like the chances. 

As if you're not excited enough, here's some video evidence that'll have you more amped than Gus Johnson on a coke binge.

Continue reading "Season's Greetings"