BoSox/Yanks

[SaCTowNFeveR]

Well Red Sox won game 5 tonight in another extra innings game with david ortiz coming up big again... So the series is now 3-2 Yankees. Do you still think the sox can come back and win the next 2 games to advance?

[bdouble013]

Yes I do.

Will they??? I don't know about that, but the way they are going right now they just might.

[Insomniacal Fan]

I can't stand to watch Baseball on TV, that said, if there's a game 7, I'll be there. The underdog story is just too good for me to resist.

[BJax24]

i think they can do it. i don't believe it will happen this year, but it is definetly possible

[Kingballer]

A lot of people have been asking me about the dreaded "Curse of the Bambino". After explain it to them, they seem to show more interest in this series.

For me, I wish the Sox win the series.

[tbear03]

I became a baseball fan last week, (amidst the excitement in my office), rooting for the Yankees as they are the local team, but I'm not sure what they're doing at all.

Great for the Red Sox if they manage to pull it off, but I'm rooting for the Yanks. Let me just say that if the Red Sox win tonight, I think they will win the series.... with that preface, the Yankees should win tonight.

[Evenstar]

YANKEES SUCK!!! :D

david ortiz, what else can you say?!?!? thats freaking awesome. and mariano rivera, the one thing the red sox were supposed to fear coming out of that shambles of a pen, and what happens?!??!? back to back blown saves. yes mariano, the red sox are you daddies.

it's amazing how the sox have done this. they have gotten NOTHING out of bellhorn, damon, millar. bellhorn and damon are hitting under .100, millar is just a bit over .100 in the series. man ram has no rbi's. man ram has been on rollerskates out there there in left. the starters have gone 6 innings TWICE. and that was both pedro, who lost, and almost lost. it' crazy! when they get the pitching the O nosedives, the pen is taxed ( TIM WAKEFIELD! what heart, he willed himself last night. what an effort, especially with varitek being a bad news bear when catching him. a gutsy gutsy performance.) bronson arroyo, who makes up for his awful game 3 start by blowing a-rod away with a fastball right down the pipe, and fooling shef on the corners. kieth foulke, oh man, what GUTS! what an outing in game 3 !!!!! and timlin, he has NOTHING left in the tank, yet he goes out, and got the job done. even embree!!! he's also gassed. 14 IP in the last 2 games for the RS bullpen, 1 run. * 1 * run!!! thats amazing!!! back to back 5 hour games. thats just un believeable. 11 hours of playing time in the last 48 hours

and here the sox are, 3 outs from being swept, and we are going back for game 6.

i love the '' who's your dealer" chants when sheffield is up to bat. LMAO!

GO RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! shock the world, rewrite history, BEAT THE EVIL EMPIRE!

[RageMe11]

is it just me or are the Yankees the Lakers(last year) of baseball. How anyone can like a team that is made for a championship like that is beyond me. I just hope that this series has the same outcome that it did for the lakers in the finals. I have been a sox fan for going on 5 yrs now and i just really feel like this is the year that they deserve to win it all. GO SOX!!!! DO IT FOR GOOD OL' BEAN-TOWN!!!!

[living legend]

As much as I hate the Yanks, there is no way they are going to loose this series. Valiant effort by the Sox to get this far in 2 nail biting games. I expect the series to go to the 7th game, and find the Bo-Sox to loose in the 9th inning after having a 3 run lead in the typical Bo-Sox fashion.

Why didn't the Yankees walk Ortiz?

Hopefully the Cards will come back and beat the Astros so they can put the whooping on the evil empire.

[SaCTowNFeveR]

Yea I'm no fan of either teams, but I just don't want to see the Yankees in the world series.... They've been there many times. It would just be good to see the sox actually win the series.

[JSin]

I hope both teams lose. Go NL.

[SaCTowNFeveR]

Well so far, Red Sox are winning 4-0 in new york in the bottom of the fourth, if it keeps goin this way, we will have a game 7 :)

[Bibby_Is_Clutch]

The question is... who starts game 7 for the Sox!!!! :(

[C Diddy]

Wakefield. Unless he pitches relief again tonight. Then I have no idea. Lowe?

[Twix]

GO Red Sox! http://www.kingsfans.com/forums/images/smilies/cool.gif

Let's take this to game 7.

[living legend]

What a series! Schilling was awesome.. We'll really see what the Bo-Sox are made of tommorow.. It's amazing they've gone this far ,but the inevitable is going to happen. I guess Lowe is penciled in to start.

You gotta love October... The best month for sports.

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I became a baseball fan last week, (amidst the excitement in my office), rooting for the Yankees as they are the local team...I thought you lived in Delaware; what do you mean, the "local" team?

[6th]

The Sox have forced a game 7 after being down 3 games to none. Gotta love it. I wouldn't miss tomorrow's game for anything.

Go Red Sox...and Go Cardinals!!!

[Evenstar]

d-lowe tommorrow, with wake and his butterfly on deck. vs "the wall hit my hand" kevin brown on 3 days rest

WHAT A GAME tonight!!!! i was GLUED. i don't have the channel to watch the kings/lakers game, but frankly i wouldn't have. YANKEES AND RED SOX game 6, elimination game yet again for teh sox ( my 2nd favorite team) man oh man, the only thing that would have been better would be giants and dodgers

i was on the end of my seat ALL night long! oh it was CRAZY. curt schilling WOW. pitching with a bloody ankle ( surtures to tighten some skin to help the tendon) he goes out there and he guts 7 innings of 4 hit ball out. man oh man. what a tremendous effort. GAMER!!!!!!!! and BELLHORN! yesterday, he showed signs of life, and he finally busted out. i couldn't be happier for the guy who had been getting booed at home for his awful hitting ( i swear everytime he stepped into the batters box he would strike out) but he picked a GREAT time to get his first postseason home run. and keith foulke, on man, you can't say enough about him. 3rd day in a row he has come up HUGE. he did get squeezed on the sierra at bat, but he came back and blew tony clark away. and i went NUTS! i was SO tense. what a game.

a-rod, oh a-rod. that really disappointed me. trying to cheat your way on board, swatting the ball like a girl, trying to CHEAT. i lost what respect i had for you based on that. that was dirty, and wrong. and shame on the fans for throwing junk on the field. the umps got BOTH calls right. you don't have to be sore losers, making it so the SWAT team has to come out on the field. that was classeless and uncalled for.

what heart shown by the red sox. just unbelieveable. 3 outs away from being swept with the best closer in postseason history on the mound, and we are going to a game 7. a historic comeback, just to get to the game 7, sending new york into panic mode. that staduim was silent tonight. schilling got what he wanted, 55,000 people from new york to shut up. you could hear a pin drop after clark swung and missed. that whold city is going HUH?!?!?!?!?! what is going on???

they may not win tommorrow, but the sox have given me and the country one helluva ride. i am extremely proud, and i am DYING for a giants dodgers NLCS!!!!!!!!!!

[bdouble013]

Ok after these last three games I think the Sox win this series. Its about damn time to!

GOOOOOOO Sox!

And can we please revoke tbear's posting privilages on account that she is a Yankees fan (even if she only started this week)?

[tbear03]

I thought you lived in Delaware; what do you mean, the "local" team?No, no. I went to school in Delaware, but moved back home (NJ) after I graduated May 2003.

[ReinadelosReys]

While in virtually any other situation I would root against the Red Soxs, I hope they win. Weird things happen when these two teams are involved. I feel for the Boston fan, losing year after year....after year, after year isn't fun. Anyhow, I think this is good for the game.

[RageMe11]

did you see A-Rod hit the ball out of Arroyo's hand...what the hell was that, I couldn't believe he did that. I went crazy when the ump called him safe at first, then they made another good decision by calling that cheatin guy "out". I seriously couldn't believe that he did that!!! What a cheater!!! If the umps would have kept their original call i really would have believed in " the curse".

[SaCTowNFeveR]

That sucks, I didn't get to see the arod swat or the end of the game... my area had a blackout from 7:00 last night to 10:00 A.M. this morning, pst time. :mad:

[Grobar]

hehehe "the wall hit my hand"... nice

[Bricklayer]

this is kind of like the Cubs almost breaking their curse last year. Coming back form a 3-0 deficit to win it for the first time would be the perfect way to break The Curse. Couldn't write it any better. But I kind of have mixed feelings about it. That "curse" has been such a mainstay in baseball for so many years, to actually have it broken and gone...seems like baseball would actually lose something.

That said, I will of course be rooting for the Sox to pull off the impossible. Be a blast to watch if they do. And fun to see my numerous Yankee friends the next day. ;) Apart from a brief hiatus while I was with an ex-girlfriend who just lived and died with the Yankeess, I have been steadfast in my evil empire must dieness ever since arriving on this coast. ;)

[Rockmeister]

Go Sox!!!!!!

[Bricklayer]

My goodness -- I wonder whether they already have the statue of David Ortiz bronzed in front of Fenway at this point. He may get declared mayor of the city if the Sox pull this thing off.

[MVP16]

YEAH!!! baseaball sucks whoooooooooooohooooooooo

[6th]

Woohoo! Johnny Damon just hit a grand slam for the Sox and the Red Sox now lead game 7 by a score of 6 - 0 in the top of the 2nd.

[Bballkingsrock]

I am a Yankees fan( even though i dont like baseball that much) it is really sad to see them win 3 games in a row, lose 3 games in a row and in the final game be losing 6-0!!! That is sad. All u hav to do is to win 1 out of the next 4 games!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hopefull Yankees will come back and win the game by 1!!!!!

[Twix]

Woohoo! Johnny Damon just hit a grand slam for the Sox and the Red Sox now lead game 7 by a score of 6 - 0 in the top of the 2nd.
That's great!! :)


GOOO RED SOX!!!

Top 5th Inning, Red Sox lead 8-1

[Bibby_Is_Clutch]

Its Over!

[uolj]

Its Over!Ha! You're kidding right? When it's the Red Sox, especially against the Yankees, it ain't over til the champagne gets in your eyes, and even then you've got to worry in the back of your head whether somebody's going to eventually tell you that a mistake was made and the Sox didn't win after all.

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Has anyone verified that this team playing Boston tonight is actually the Yankees? :D

Heh; on the wrestling board I post at, guys are calling Damon "Jesus," because of his hair and beard.

[Bricklayer]

Well, apparently Steinbrenner paid off Francona to take out Lowe???? Maybe The Curse lives on. Almost inconceivable move.

P.S. Slim, my bro calls Damon "Jesus" too, and he HATES wrestling. ;) Think the Yankees fans might have another name for him after tonight.

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

:eek: You've got to be kidding me...

[Bricklayer]

Its not even taking out Lowe -- that was just amazing. But to put in the one guy who could reawaken the stadium just by his mere presence??

[6th]

Well, apparently Steinbrenner paid off Francona to take out Lowe???? Maybe The Curse lives on. Almost inconceivable move.

P.S. Slim, my bro calls Damon "Jesus" too, and he HATES wrestling. ;) Think the Yankees fans might have another name for him after tonight.

I understand wanting to look ahead, but geez, you gotta get there 1st. Now Pedro has awakened the crowd and the Yankees.

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

That was just stupid; Francona should have gotten one more inning out of Lowe at the very least; the Yankees couldn't hit him.

[Bricklayer]

I mean looking ahead to what? You have the mother of all gorillas on your back and a guy trying to carry you home, and you yank him in the midst of a dominant performance? If Pedro was going to pitch Gm1, and Schilling Gm2, when's the next time you would have needed Lowe? A week from now?

Grrff. Could the secret to the Yankees dominance be that they spike the water in the visitor's dugout?

[6th]

Well, at least Bellhorn got one of those runs back. Score now 9-3.

[6th]

Grrff. Could the secret to the Yankees dominance be that they spike the water in the visitor's dugout?
Aha! That must be it. Bwahahahahaha!!

[6th]

C'mon Red Sox!!.......just 6 more outs.

[Rockmeister]

Go Sox!!!!

Oh yea, I already said that earlier....but what the heck





GGGGGGOOOOO SOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

T-minus five...

[6th]

Exorcise the Ghost!! T-minus 4 and counting down.

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Three...

[6th]

Hey, Brickie, I think the Sox brought their own bottled water with them to New York. ;)

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I found a Red Sox forum that has over a thousand people online right now... :eek:

[6th]

I found a Red Sox forum that has over a thousand people online right now... :eek:
:eek: Well, they have been waiting a looooong time for this moment. All they need to do is capture it. :D

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I'd like to send a shout out to jacklamabe65 @ the Red Sox board I just mentioned. I found this post to be very well written. I'm sure some of you long-time baseball fans can appreciate it:


Win It For...



Win it for Johnny Pesky, who deserves to wear a Red Sox uniform in the dugout during the 2004 World Series. Mr. Henry, the trophy needs to be presented first of all to him.

Win it for Bobby Doerr, who, through the sadness of losing his beloved Monica, would love to see his Sox finally defeat New York in Yankee Stadium. Revenge is best served cold.

Win if for Dommie, the most loyal and devoted of men. If he hadn't gotten hurt in Game 7 of the '46 Series, Enos Slaughter would never have scored.

Win it for Carl Yastrzemski. While his heart still aches today, may a smile break through his storm-cloud this evening. His beloved son, Mike, will show us the way. God speed, number eight.

Win it for Ted, who once said, "If they ever won it, I would feel so @#%$ warm inside."

Win it for Tony, who taught us all the meaning of courage and grit. A day doesn't go by when I don't think of you, number 25.

Win it for Nedly and Ken and Possum - who provided us with nothing less than the soundtrack to our childhoods.

Win if for Stiffy - who saw firsthand Denny Galehouse's hanging curves, worshiped the Golden Greek even after he died so suddenly back in '55, and got misty-eyed when Rico Petrocelli began to back-peddle on a squirting pop-up to short left-field on a placid October afternoon back in 1967.

Win if for Cheri - may she cry on Giff's shoulders tonight in pure joy and emotion - and not in the stew of pathos. Cheri's unconditional love for the Red Sox serves as a genuine measuring stick for us all.

Win it for Felix - who began living out "The September of My Years" last month as he hit fifty; a fan who has always believed that the impossible is just not a dream.

Win it for Eric Van. Eric, you have truly embodied Hemingway's definition of courage recently. Grace under pressure, indeed.

Win if for Eric Van's father.

Win it for Dalton and Moose and Norm and Buck and Zup and all of the other old-timers on this board whose lives have defined the virtue of loyalty.

Win it for our far-off posters, from Manila to Montana to Mark in London, who have continually kept the home fires burning thousands of miles away from Route 128.

Most of all, win it for James Lawrence Kelly, 1913-1986. This one's for you, Daddy. You always told me that loyalty and perseverance go hand in hand. Thanks for sharing the best part of you with me.

[6th]

Slim, thank you so much for sharing that. It was very touching. As a long time Cub fan, I certainly know the feelings of hoping that one day the curse will be broken. I just hope that I too will share their joy one day.

[6th]

Okay, the Sox got back both runs that Pedro gave up and now lead 10-3 going into the bottom of the 9th. Three outs guys. That is all you need.

Break the curse NOW!!!!!!!

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Two...

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

One...

[6th]

The time is NOW!!!! Just one more out and the curse is no more!

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Turn out the liiiiiiiights....












































THE PARTY'S OVER!!!

[uolj]

Yeah ! :D :D :D

[6th]

Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox and, even more so, to all of their loyal fans. If ever a team has earned the right to go to the World Series...down 3 games to none....down to their last 3 outs of being eliminated....and then they come back and do what NO TEAM has ever done before. They come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a post season series in Major League Baseball.

Now, I am normally a National League fan...have been all my life. But, I will be hard pressed to root for anyone other than the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. If they play the Astros...no problem...I really, really, really dislike the Houston Astros. If it is the Cardinals....well, then I have a bit of a problem. I live only 90 miles from St Louis. I have many family members and friends who are Cardinal fans. What a dilemma!! :eek:

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

That Nike commercial that came on immediately after the end of Fox's coverage was sweet; and I almost changed the channel before I could see it...

Man, can you imagine Steinbrenner the next couple of days? :D



"YOU'RE FIRED!!!!"
"YOU'RE FIRED!!!!"
"YOU'RE FIRED!!!!"
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU??? YOU'RE FIRED!!!!!!!!"

[SaCTowNFeveR]

haha, good job red sox, glad to see them win the alcs...

I loved during the post game interviews "WHOS YOUR DADDY" from the crowd :)

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

You know...I'm not proud of this...but I am savoring this SOOOOOOOOOOOO much. I despise both of these teams and all they stand for, but the Yankees take it to another level for me. Steinbrenner will probably go out and buy the AL allstar starters this offseason, but for a brief moment I cherish in his anguish.

This was October baseball at is magnificently magical best.

Congratulations to the Sox for a remarkably unbelievable run and to their fans for their faith. Seize what I hope will be the remainder of your destiny......I want say I lived to see the day the curse of the Bambino is broken. And...I want to see what a celebration of that magnitude looks like.

WOW!

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

http://bostondirtdogs.boston.com/Headline_Archives/BRS_10.20bgjd.jpg

[bdouble013]

I don't even know what to say....just wow!

Simply amazing. Probably the best comeback in sports ever.

GO SOX!

[Evenstar]

man oh man WHAT A COMEBACK!!!! left for dead, 3 outs to go , mariano on the mound with a one run lead, he blows those about as often as peja misses a free throw. a walk, then a steal and mueller ties the game. they had a chance to SWEEP, they gave the red sox life, and lookwhat happened. the biggest CHOKE in the history of baseball.

the passion of johnny damon, what a time to break out of that slump. taking schillings cue by shutting up 55,000 people rom new york. you gotta love that. GRAND SLAM BABY!!!!! that upper tank shot was even nicer, that was up and away and somehow he pulled it. vasquez's reaction was HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!! LMAO!!!

big papi, getting it done yet AGAIN!!! MVP of the series, you got it. you rocked!

D-lowe, what a game!!! 2 days rest, and he pitches the game of his LIFE! 1 hit ONE HIT in 6 innings. amazing! that was just awesome.

mark bellhorn continuing to get out of this slump with a dinger off the pole. ahhh i loved the sound of that thing clanging the pole.

just an awesome game all around. terry did manage to make it intresting, bringing out the "who's your daddy" chanters fromt he dead, but hey we got over it. and then some.

down 0-3, then coming back to BLOW OUT the yankees in their own yard. that took MAJOR heart and stones. CONGRATS RED SOX!!!!! i hope you win the whole bleeping thing!!!!

the curse is over. the curse had everything to do with the yankees. we finally beat the yankees!!!

[Bricklayer]

we? ;)

[tbear03]

Great game!!!

Very happy to see the Red Sox win, but now they must break the real curse and beat Houston (who I think will make it to the next round).

Wow, baseball can be pretty exciting.... (at least it will have to be until Nov 1 when I can get my real fix). ;)

[slugking50]

Congrads to the Sox fans for beating the Evil Empire in what is already being called the worst choke job in sports history...lol!!! Thats just beautiful to hear... AHHHHHHHHHHHHH:D

Seeing Arods eyes all bloodshot from crying in the Yankees dugout was priceless. Serves him right for going to the Evil Empire and of course signing that awful contract with the Rangers.

Jason Giambi deserved it as well for leaving the A's

Francona was an absolute idiot for bringing Pedro in. That could of been huge for the Yankees. The game would have been over if not for that brain fart.

I have only rooting for the American league once in my lifetime. That was 1988 when the A's lost to that team in L.A. Here is he second time I will be doing that because I want the people in Boston to shut up with the dang Curse talk!!

Go Sox!!. Well for the playoffs anyways:p

[slugking50]

Wow, baseball can be pretty exciting.... (at least it will have to be until Nov 1 when I can get my real fix). ;)
Whats on Nov 1st? I know the Kings play on Nov 2nd:p

[Kingballer]

That Nike commercial that came on immediately after the end of Fox's coverage was sweet; and I almost changed the channel before I could see it...

And after the Fox telecast, they showed a video of the "Bambino" winking.

Did that wink mean his showing props to the Red Sox? :confused:

[tbear03]

Whats on Nov 1st? I know the Kings play on Nov 2nd:p
Hmph. What do I know? ;)

[Twix]

CONGRATS RED SOX!!!!!

I know how much this WIN means. :)

[uolj]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/041021

The Nation's Independence Day

By Bill Simmons
Page 2

BOSTON -- Honestly, I don't know what to do.

I just watched my beloved Red Sox win the American League pennant. That's only happened twice in my lifetime. I watched them rally back from three games down in a playoff series. That's never happened before, not in the history of baseball. I also just watched the Sox beat the Yankees in a deciding playoff game. Not only has that never happened before, it's a possible sign of the apocalypse.

Now get this ... all three things happened at the same time.

So what happens now? Where do I go from here? Should I throw myself into politics? Backpack across Europe? Take up gourmet cooking? Learn how to fly airplanes? Should I take the bus to Fort Hancock, cross the border and wander the beaches of Zihuatanejo looking for Andy and Red? You tell me. What should I do?

As recently as 75 hours ago, they were dead. Cooked. I can still remember standing in Fenway Park with my father, ready to hustle out of there as soon as the Yankees completed the sweep in the ninth. Then Millar drew a walk from Rivera. Signs of life. The crowd just wouldn't give up on this team -- everyone was standing and cheering like it was the seventh game of the World Series. Roberts ran onto the field as a pinch-runner, rattled Rivera into a few pickoff throws, swiped second and scooted home on a single from Mueller. Tie game. And the series was never the same.

I started thinking about a comeback that night, about 0.00000003 seconds after Ortiz's walkoff home run landed in the Yankees' bullpen a little before 1:30 a.m. So did everyone else. We had Pedro going in Game 5, then Schilling in Game 6. That's a puncher's chance. We also had a little momentum. Not much. But a little. Then Game 5 happened, moving us into the "Regardless of what happens, I love this team" stage of things. Then the Schilling Game happened and everyone believed.

To stage the greatest comeback in sports history against the most successful franchise in sports history, some Renee Zellweger-level crazy things need to happen. Like Rivera blowing consecutive saves. Like Wakefield getting out of a crucial inning despite three passed balls. Like Torre pitching to Ortiz instead of loading the bases for Mientktxdwdsdz at the end of Game 5. Like Schilling pitching with the sutures and the Roy Hobbs bloodstain on his sock. Like Foulke somehow recording 15 grueling outs over the course of 48 hours, including an impossible ninth inning in the Bronx in Game 6. The list goes on and on.

Miracles don't just happen. You need a bunch of mini-miracles along the way. Eventually they add up. So do the heroes.

And that's when it gets interesting.

By the time Game 7 rolled around, October 20th felt like a combination of New Year's Eve and the Fourth of July in Boston. This was bigger than all of us. Everyone was headed somewhere, or planning on heading somewhere. Nothing else mattered. Nothing. You couldn't walk five feet without seeing a Sox hat or hearing a conversation about the series. It was physically impossible.

I ended up watching the game in the Financial District, thanks to my buddy Sully's connections at a bar called The Office. We were able to invite about 20 guys -- closed-off room upstairs, projection TV, pizza and wings, the whole shebang -- operating under house rules (only Sox fans) and old-school country club rules (no chicks). Sometimes, guys just need to be around other guys. This was one of those times. We were 27 outs away from toppling the Yankees. In the words of Clemenza, we were going to the mattresses.

The beers started flowing. Fox kicked off the telecast by using the music from the Rocky-Drago training montage in "Rocky 4." You can imagine how I felt about that one. When Nomar died, a part of me died, too. But now you're the one. Everyone seemed optimistic ... right up until Damon was thrown out at home in the first inning, thanks to yet another bone-headed decision from the immortal Dale Sveum. If this guy was a school crossing guard, little kids would be getting pancaked by SUVs like Tony Mandarich in his prime.

We didn't even have 10 seconds to bitch about this before Ortiz crushed a two-run homer to right, and we were rolling. Derek Lowe pitched the biggest six innings of his life -- on two days' rest, no less -- and salvaged his dreadful regular season. The Struggling Johnny Damon (his extended name all week) smacked an astounding grand slam, my personal favorite moment of the night, only because it came from nowhere and sparked a two-minute long celebration of high-fiving, chest-bumping and general idiocy. Two innings later, Damon came up again and crushed another home run, a two-run job into the upper deck. So much for The Struggling Johnny Damon.

8-1, Red Sox. Fifteen outs to go.

We would have felt more confident with that cushion, but the announcers were determined to avoid any Yankees talk and concentrate solely on how the Sox could blow the game. They dragged out every disturbing statistic, every Babe Ruth sign, every negative Boston playoff memory they could find. I'm not positive on this, but I think McCarver and Buck started a "1918!" chant at one point. So yeah, we were a little uneasy.

But the Sox kept racking up those outs. The announcers didn't know what to do -- they had geared their entire broadcast around the inevitable Boston collapse. Forget about the fact that the Yankees had choked in the last two games in Boston, or that they lost at home to a 40-year-old guy whose ankle tendon was stapled to his ankle bone, or that they had a $180 million payroll, or that a Yankee collapse to Boston would be the most devastating moment in franchise history. Forget about showing more shots of the stunned fans, or Yankee players sitting listlessly in the dugout. None of this stuff mattered early. As the game dragged on, they started coming around.

"If they hold on to this lead, I'll tell you how big this would be," McCarver said at one point. "This could very well be the biggest win in Red Sox history."

Of course, that's like saying, "If John Kerry wins the election next month, that could very well be the biggest moment of his political career." But it was better than nothing. At least they weren't bringing up the Boston baggage as much. At least I wasn't thinking about it.

When Francona lifted Lowe in the seventh for Pedro Martinez, and Pedro allowed those two rockets to Matsui and Williams ... I mean, all those old demons came roaring back. It was the ultimate test. Like a recovering alcoholic opening that hotel mini-bar and seeing those tiny liquor bottles. Our room went silent, save for a few F-bombs and the echoes of the "Who's your Daddy?" chants. Poor Francona had unwittingly plugged Yankee Stadium back into its socket; I kept waiting for him to pull off the Paul Shaffer mask and reveal he was actually Grady Little.

I can't even describe the things I was thinking about. Terrible, horrible things. Dark things. I just kept remembering the words of my magazine editor, Neil, who called the series "Shakespearean" Wednesday afternoon. Well, if you were Shakespeare, how could you top last year's collapse if your ultimate goal was for an entire base of fans to kill themselves? Wouldn't you have their team roar back from a 3-0 series deficit, then blow an 8-1 lead in the deciding game? Wouldn't that do the trick?

I have never counted down the remaining outs in a game before. Never. Not until last night.

12 ... 11 ... 10 ...

(Pedro comes in.)

9.

(Good God.) (Come on.) (Don't do this to me.) (I will hang myself.)

8 ... 7.

(Exhale.)

6.

Just when the Yanks had some momentum, Bellhorn slammed an insurance home run off Gordon. Can you have insurance homers when the score is 8-3? Apparently so. Timlin made it through the eighth unscathed, with a major boost from Mientkiciwzwzz's outrageous scoop on an errant Mueller throw. (Defense, baby!)

5 ... 4 ... 3.

The top of the ninth yielded another insurance run off Gordon, who will be covered in blankets, duct-taped and thrown off one of Steinbrenner's yachts some time this winter. Now Fox was showing the obligatory reaction shots -- Yankee fans ready to start sobbing; Cashman frozen in his luxury box; A-Rod's eyes darting around the stadium, trying to figure out a way to cheat to get on base -- and that's when it felt real.

That used to be us. Not anymore.

"I almost started crying that inning," Sully said after it was over. "Is this what it feels like to be a girl?"

Seven-run lead. Three outs to go. Timlin got the first two and gave way to Embree, who retired Sierra on a routine grounder to end the game.

(Heeeeeeeeeee-yahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Let the record show that the Yanks went out with a whimper -- especially A-Rod (the anti-Babe), Sheffield (disappeared) and Matsui (never the same after Pedro dusted him in Game 4), not to mention Brown, Vazquez and Gordon, and even Torre (not his finest series). Only Jeter seemed to care that the Yankees were getting smoked -- there was one replay earlier in the game, after his RBI single, when he pumped his fist and shouted at his dugout, "Come on!" He seemed desperate. The Yankees never seem desperate. Now they were headed home for the winter, headed for the No. 1 slot on ESPN50's "Biggest Chokes" show in 2029.

[CONTINUED...]

[uolj]

Meanwhile, the Red Sox were celebrating at Yankee Stadium. Have I mentioned that yet? We were doing our own celebrating at The Office, reacting like college kids in Cancun who just found out that Lindsay Lohan was entering a wet T-shirt contest that night. Exchanging high-fives and heterosexual man-hugs, I couldn't stop glancing at the TV. It's official, right? We definitely beat them, right?

"What's wrong with you?" Sully asked.

"Honestly? I keep waiting for them to announce that there's a Game 8."

Well, there wasn't. I said my goodbyes, headed out the door and walked around Faneuil Hall and Beacon Hill for the next 45 minutes, soaking in a scene I never thought I would see. Fans wearing Sox hats and T-shirts, everyone whooping and hollering. Car horns honking. A steady rumble of distant cheers coming from every direction -- Kenmore, Copley, B.C., B.U., Charlestown, you name it. If there's a better sound in life, I haven't heard one yet. Even greater than I imagined. Looking back, I probably had that same dumb smile walking around that Andy Dufresne gets when they're working on the roof and everyone is drinking his beer.

To recap: Greatest comeback in sports history. First trip to the World Series in 18 years. First meaningful victory over the Yankees. All at the same time.

You have to be from here to understand. You just do. It wasn't just that the Yankees always win. It was everything else that came with it -- the petty barbs, the condescending remarks, the general sense of superiority from a fan base that derives a disproportionate amount of self-esteem from the success of their baseball team. I didn't care that they kept winning as much as they were a-holes about it. Not all of them. Most of them. In 96 hours, everything was erased. Everything. It was like pressing the re-start button on a video game.

And yeah, I know. We need to win the World Series to complete the dream. But you can win the World Series every year. You only have one chance to destroy the Yanks. As my friend Mike (a Tigers fan) wrote me last night, "Everyone outside of Yankee brats are celebrating quietly with you guys. It's like you killed Michael Myers, Jason, Freddie Kreueger and Hannibal Lecter in one night."

It was the choke of chokes, an unprecedented gag job. For once, finally, the Yankees have some baggage. Just like every other baseball team.

One last story: I rolled into my dad's house at 1:30, only to find him in the living room, sound asleep, holding the TV remote in his hand like he'd been cryogenically frozen. On the television in front of him, Fox25 was showing live footage from Kenmore Square, as thousands and thousands of Boston fans were celebrating the impossible. After I muttered "Dad!" a few times, he finally jolted awake, glanced at me, then glanced at the TV.

"I can't believe it," he mumbled. "We beat the Yankees."

And it wasn't a dream.

[KiNgMyC]

Happy for the soxs, too bad their fans act like asses after the game.

[Evenstar]

we? ;)
the sox :D

[PejaFanatic]

Jeez, I miss all the fun!!!

Congratulations to the Red Sox!!!

What a sweet picture.... hahaha. Got it from a forum.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/Gittus/slappy.jpg

[PejaFanatic]

That Nike commercial that came on immediately after the end of Fox's coverage was sweet; and I almost changed the channel before I could see it...

Man, can you imagine Steinbrenner the next couple of days? :D



"YOU'RE FIRED!!!!"
"YOU'RE FIRED!!!!"
"YOU'RE FIRED!!!!"
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU??? YOU'RE FIRED!!!!!!!!"

Why do it himself?? Just bring in Mr. Trump... hahaha

[bdouble013]

If you look real carefully you can almost see A-Rod say, "Juuudddoo Chop!"

[LMM]

arghhh i just saw this thread..

all i wanna say is, great job red sox! i've been rooting for the sox since i came to NJ [1 yr ago] (cause my classmates are always bragging about the yankees, and saying the red sox sucks, blah3..)

my favorite has always been johnny damon.. i'm sooo glad he stepped up big time in game 7! big papi is the man! and although i like pedro, i must admit that the "who's your daddy" chants are kinda funny.. he had that coming! manny didn't do much in the series, i hope he'll have better games in the world series.. schilling is absolutely awesome.. and i admire his courage! oh, and bellhorn, too, stepped it up!

i couldn't wake up in time for school all week last week cause their games end so late! thank god the sox swept the ALDS! well, i am just so glad the red sox beat the yankees! i hope they beat the cardinals, too!

[Evenstar]

arghhh i just saw this thread..

all i wanna say is, great job red sox! i've been rooting for the sox since i came to NJ [1 yr ago] (cause my classmates are always bragging about the yankees, and saying the red sox sucks, blah3..)

my favorite has always been johnny damon.. i'm sooo glad he stepped up big time in game 7! big papi is the man! and although i like pedro, i must admit that the "who's your daddy" chants are kinda funny.. he had that coming! manny didn't do much in the series, i hope he'll have better games in the world series.. schilling is absolutely awesome.. and i admire his courage! oh, and bellhorn, too, stepped it up!

i couldn't wake up in time for school all week last week cause their games end so late! thank god the sox swept the ALDS! well, i am just so glad the red sox beat the yankees! i hope they beat the cardinals, too!
hahah now you can clown on all the yankees fans forEVER! even if the sox lose the series, they were down 0-3, with 3 outs to go, mariano on the mound, he blows it. then the yanks blow it the next night. then they lose the next night, then they get BLOWN out at HOME nonetheless, and the series is lost. it was an amazing comeback for sure, but the yankees, WHAT A CHOKE!!! bag on them forever. even the CUBS! * THE CUBS * have never choked like that before. being up 3-0, no tema has EVER lost the series, heck it never even went 7 games ( in baseball at least) . what a comeback by the sox!!!! just AMAZING.

but NEVER let those yankees fans forget how big a CHOKE JOB they did. it'll be fun. hold up 3 fingers with your right hand, and 4 down with your left hand. or pretend to choke yourself. they've earned it. :D i know i'll be doing stuff like that. i might even venture over to oakland when the yanks are in town just to bag on their fans. normally i wouldn't do something like that, but i just HATE yankees fans. they are arrogant, cocky ANNOYING. think they are entitled to the title, all the calls, EVERYTHING becuase they are the yankees. they are just like the lakers *BARF*

GO RED SOX!!!! BEAT THE CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!