Ups and downs of the week.

 Red Sox – So far, so good. They can win big or small. Doesn’t matter to me, as long as they win.

 California wildfires – Rough week for lots of folks.

 Good teeth – Visited the dentist for the first time on 15 years. Thought I might have a cavity, but I only need a cleaning.

Fox Sports – What a couple of bozos. Here’s a hint, guys: the Rockies do not play at Mile High stadium. No free taco for you.

The Onion – America’s Finest News Source. Poor Rockies can’t deal with that thick Boston air.

Those are the two defining characteristics of a Red Sox fan. You doubt they are going to win the big games, yet you always believe they can. You doubt the abilities of players like Lugo and J.D. Drew, but then you believe in them when they come through (still waiting for Lugo, btw). You doubt Francona can manage Little League, but then he delivers the AL pennant. (Although there are plenty of folks who think the Sox won in spite of his management.) You doubt the value of players like Coco Crisp, then you believe when you see him sacrifice himself for a catch even with a 9 run lead. You doubt, and then you…

When you’re a Red Sox fan, it’s easy to forget that no matter how down you get on the Sox, the other team’s fans are worried as well. The Sox were down 3-1 in the ALCS and now the series is tied. The Sox trounced the Tribe tonight. Here are a few excerpts from the Cleveland forums:

Losing like this just sucks. Its like getting the life slowly squeezed from us.

after we lose tomorrow… does Wedge get fired? It will be yet another choke job under him.

Well, another year… without a cleveland championship. pathetic.

This team overachieved even to get here. Let’s be honest. They’re not a great team. Sure, they’re MUCH better than the Sox of ’05, or the Cards of ’06, but Cleveland NEVER EVER catching lightning in a bottle, like so many teams do during this time of year. The ’97 probably did, but in the end, the curse took over.

This is NOT 1997 though. This won’t hurt NEARLY as bad. We simply are getting crushed by the better team. We truly did, “wake a sleeping giant.”

On the other hand, here’s the Red Sox forum from The Boston Globe after Game 4:

this is cleveland’s year. they are just playing better than the yanks and red sox right now.

All of the breaks are going Cleveland’s way,  the home run that Lofton hit was just over Drew’s glove it looked like Drew jumped too soon.  The Sox have hit solid line drives right at folks, and the ball off  Wake’s glove.  The fifth inning has been a killer.  Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the Bear gets you.

I agree with you.  I will pull for the Sox and hope they win, but it looks like the stars have certainly aligned for this team.

although i do think beckett has a good chance of winning in cleveland tomorrow, i dont see cleveland dropping all 3 to the sox with schilling and matsuzaka potentially being game 6 & 7 starters……like i said the night the yanks were eliminated by them, this cleveland team is for real….i think a cleveland/rockies WS would be pretty entertaining.

I think all of my fellow Red Sox fans have said it, and I don’t need to say it anymore.  I have been venting for so long I am tired of it all.  I can’t watch anymore more games.  It’s over.  See you next season.

Now, of course, the Sox fans are full of hope. The Tribe fans, not so much. I have to admit, I’m a lot more confident in the outcome of Game 7 after reading the Tribe forums. They’ve all but given up. Sort of like us after Game 4. 😉

Ups and downs of the week.

Red Sox – Glad they’re back in Boston, but if only Beckett can win…..

 A Good Year – I like this movie. Screw the critics.

Fox sports – I’ve taken to watching the games with the mute on.

 Casper XP – Did what Ghost could not.

 The Onion – America’s Finest News Source. I was wondering where Gagme went.

Diss the Sox and they always play better.  🙂

Beckett is a god.

Back to Boston.

Tigers have it. Rockies have it. Red Sox don’t. Simple as that. Drew, Dice-K, Lugo, and even Crisp are all cruising along on auto-pilot. Most of the starting rotation can’t get out of the 5th inning. Timlin is doing ok, but he can’t be the only middle relief guy. That leaves Francona with Wavy Lopez, Manny Del Carwreck, or Eric Gag-me. Was this whole season a fluke? Were they just lucky enough to play really bad teams at just the right time? I thought sure in the last two weeks of the season that they’d fall out of the division lead, but the Yankmees choked and let them slip away. Now they’re up against a well-rounded team with dependable, if not spectacular, pitching and hitting. Manny the Show-off and Big Papi are doing their best, but when most of your lineup is batting like old ladies, it’s like bailing out your sinking ship with a spoon. I believe Beckett will be good enough to hold the Indians to a couple runs at best, but if the Sox can’t bring anyone home, it won’t do any good. And the thought of a Game 7 at Fenway in the hands of Dice-K is too painful to think about. It’ll be like watching Bill Buckner replays for three hours. If the Indians are destined to win the pennant, I hope they do it tomorrow night in front of their own fans. Their fans deserve that.

 EDIT: Case in point, from Shaughnessy’s column in The Boston Globe:

Ramírez was not in the Sox dugout when Mike Lowell and Drew made the first outs against Cleveland reliever Rafael Betancourt in the ninth. He came back from whatever he was doing to watch Crisp line to first for the final out.

Yesterday in a rare interview, Ramírez said, “If it doesn’t happen, so who cares? There’s always next year. It’s not like it’s the end of the world or something.”

That should fire everybody up.

This past weekend we drove down to Carbondale to hit a book sale and check out Giant City State Park. The book sale trip was successful (which means Sarah bought a bunch of books). Our dinner at an Indian restaurant was a bust. The park was all ours and the weather was perfect. So all in all, I’d say it was a good trip. There’s not much reason to stay in Carbondale, so if you’re going down to see the park, check out the Lodge and Cabins. There’s a great walking trail around  the park, lots of shorter trails around key areas, and horse trails (and rentals). Great way to spend a fall weekend.

Ups and downs of the week.

 Red Sox – Looking strong.

  Pheasants – A big one flew up from the ditch and bounced off my windshield at speed. Scary, but the windshield is fine. The bird, not so much.

 Weather – Cool fall temps at last.

  Fox sports – I miss TBS already.

  Eastern Illinois Food Bank – Good people doing good work. This is a worthy and efficient place to donate food or money.

  Stephen King – Disses Fox on their own network. That’ll teach the idiots to bother him during a game.

The Yankmees lose and are done for the year. Bad enough. But then the Buffalo Bills are handed a victory and they still find a way to lose. How pathetic is that? If you can’t win when the other team turns the ball over 6 times, you don’t deserve to be called an NFL team. The Bills pitiful offense managed just 3 points. The other 21 came from two interception run backs and a kickoff return for a TD. Even then, they couldn’t stop the Cowgirls from winning. Shame, shame, shame. 🙂