singapore sox fan: the red sox from half the world away

Belichick on the Sox

Bill Belichick discusses the World Series win. I like how he talks about the spirit of the team, and then ends with the classic understatement that brings it back to the technicalities ("Plus they had a lot of guys that can hit, field and pitch. That helps too."):

"All they did is play better than anybody else. That's what it is all about. So, I think it is a great accomplishment and I am extremely happy for them. I know they have worked hard and I think they deserve it. I was in the dugout in preseason down there - whatever they call it in baseball - preseason, spring training, yeah, fruit league or whatever it is. Grapefruit, yeah, Grapefruit division... I thought it was a great group of guys, guys who really had a lot of... they were running out even in that preseason game. They were out there. When a guy hit a home run, the whole team would get out of the dugout and go out there and meet him at home plate, in March. There was something there that obviously they sustained and helped carry them. Plus they had a lot of guys that can hit, field and pitch. That helps too."

Also, I love how he put the smackdown on questions about giving advice to Terry Francona.

"No, I don't have any advice. Look, I don't know anything about baseball. The team that has the most runs, that is where you want to be... He doesn't need any help from anybody. The guy just won the World Series. I am the one who ought to be going to him for help."

What an amazing time to be a sports fan in Boston.

Pedro hit by ball at the parade

Pathetic. I would blame Matsui, who has motive (revenge for the Game 5 knockdown), but his arm's not good enough. Heh.

Media survey

Who the hell are all these Sox "fans" who are sorry to see the team win? Simmons has it right that it's ridiculous to be a fan who wallows in misery.

Kevin Millar on Best Damn Sports Show Period was quite funny (video here), talking about drinking shots of Jack Daniels before each game from ALCS Game 4 onwards. Gets in some funny digs at Curt Schilling:

On the final out: "I had Curt Schilling next to me, and he looks at me and goes, which way you want to go over the railing? And I wanted him to fall so bad (laughs)."

Listing the dangers of being caught in the pile of celebrating bodies: "Bad bodies that are overweight, like Curt Schilling."

And the best quote: "Rip up those signs baby, cos Yankee Stadium can't chant them anymore"

Miracle on the Charles

So, for that part of the parade where the Duck Boats entered the water, why didn't Johnny Damon just walk on water?

The Parade

Watching the parade live via MLB.com. Still can't quite believe it. Manny's sign in the picture ("Jeter is playing golf today. This is better") is great.

Bill Mueller's option

So the Sox have picked up Bill Mueller's option. I like the move. Shows that even in seeming post-Series euphoria Theo and co are getting back into business. And a man who chooses to spend his professional career playing for the Giants, Cubs, and the Sox, three championship-starved franchises in a row, is certainly not someone who was looking for glory. And yet he found it.

Empty Inside? Ha!

The New York Times has more pifaffle on how us Sox fans are supposedly all empty inside now that the Sox have won it all. Who are these heartbroken fans they found? And how could Leslie Epstein - father of Theo - further such a myth?

"They're going to be heartbroken at not being heartbroken," said Mr. Epstein, a novelist who is chairman of the creative writing department at Boston University. "It's not just a joke. That's what's made us unique. We were the Boston Red Sox that never could win." (Link)

For shame. For something close to my own feelings, I'm going to skip a generation and quote from Philip Epstein, Theo's granddad and writer of Casablanca:

"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship"

This time I know our side will win.

Front and Centre

Newseum has a collection of front pages featuring the Sox. No front pages here in Singapore, besides on the International Herald Tribune, but Today gave two-page coverage, which is the most I've ever seen of baseball. There's something about these Sox that's captivating.

The Daily Snooze

Playing "eat your words" is fun! Here's an extract from the New York Daily News, back in 2003:

Francona will be officially named the new Boston manager on Tuesday and all you can say to that is: Will the Red Sox ever get it? Francona is a nice guy (what was it Leo Durocher said about them?), very personable and undoubtedly a willing advocate of Sabermatics [sic], which the Red Sox brass has made a primary requisite for its manager. The players all liked him in Philadelphia. They just didn't play for him, and anyone who was around the Phillies those four years will attest to Francona being in severely over his head. ("Boston's making a Terry big mistake")

Maybe that'll show that just because you aren't a hardass doesn't mean you're a bad manager. Listing being a nice guy, very personable, and a willing advocate of sabermetrics as reasons not to hire someone? Weak analysis.

Pedro: "I'm not going to the Yankees."

"I promise. I'm not going to the Yankees. I want to stay right here." (Link)

Looks like no matter what happens in offseason negotiations, there's one team Pedro really dislikes. Fingers crossed.

Well, Space Mountain has a wicked curve

The Sox are off to Disney World!

(link from SoSH)

OTB: time to cash in

All right, time to claim all the food wagers. Bloomberg, pony up the pastrami and corned beef. (I love Katz's, by the way, but I remain unimpressed by Junior's cheesecake. Also, judging from the list, it looks like Menino took greater advantage of the opportunity to promote a whole range of Boston-area restaurants.) Not that you need the food - hard to eat when you're choking. Anyway, I know Bloomberg's supposed to be loyal to New York now, but he's an ex-Medford boy, and the taunting of his statement was kind of over the top. (Of course, to be fair, Mitt Romney's "St. Louis is the gateway to the next Red Sox championship" wasn't much nicer.)

Still, Bloomberg gave lots of food. The offerings of Mayor Slay from St Louis seem quite pathetic by response, actually: Anheuser-Busch products, toasted ravioli, Bissinger chocolate; and "everything he won in his previous wagers this season". Talk about regifting.

Senator Kit Bond and Governor Bob Holden, you know what to do.

Stomach-turning

One running joke between Epstein and Francona all season long was the manager's need to gulp Metamucil about an hour before each game.
"He has a nervous stomach, and I teased him about it all year," Epstein said. "So before Game 4 with the Yankees, I decided what the hell and I had a glass of it, too." (Link)

I know the feeling.

Props to Francona

Superb work, Terry. You deserve time with the family. Same time next year?

Hallelujah

For a team so good it held a lead in part of every inning in the World Series. For the 2004 Sox:

Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth,

the fifth

The minor fall,

the major lift

The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah

This is all 1918 will ever mean to me again

Boxed in

The Sox get the Wheaties honour.

Pedro and the World Series trophy

Touched by the right hand of God.

Dynasty

My favourite line in the post-game interviews was from Theo Epstein:

"Go celebrate, we'll do it again next year"

Team Effort

It's a good thing my cubicle at work is quite isolated, it's been 4 hours since and I still can't stop tearing up. All these years of the Sox being good enough to break your heart. Looking at key moments:

The lineup
C - Varitek: 2-run triple, WS Game 3
1B - Millar: key walks against Rivera, ALCS Game 4; and Gordon, ALCS Game 5.
2B - Bellhorn: candidate for World Series MVP, 3 HRs in a row, including a game-winner, after he looked moribund
3B - Mueller: the tying hit, ALCS Game 4
SS - Cabrera: always seemed to be on in front of homers. Plus a nice hit in ALCS Game 4.
LF - Manny: World Series MVP (I would've gone Foulke or Bellhorn, but not altogether a bad choice), and that 1-homer, 1 outfield-assist inning in Game 3 was great.
CF - Damon: That grand slam.
RF - Trot: Looked to be the only person in the lineup without a key hit, then gets the 2-run double today.
DH - Ortiz: ALCS MVP. The Big Man On Campus. Do we really need to state the obvious? Here you go: ALCS Games 4 and 5.

The rotation
Pedro: The Maestro. Game 3 was his once he was on.
Schilling: pure blood and guts.
Lowe: The Clincher. ALCS Game 7. WS Game 4. Every time. Every time. The picture on the top right of my sidebar is of Lowe being mobbed after his no-hitter, and I'm proud to have it there.
Wakefield: a standup kind of guy, a true team player. And his ALCS Game 5 3-inning relief stint was perfection.

The bullpen
Keith Foulke: hardcore, unfazeable, inflappable, pure. His arm has months to rest.
Embree, Timlin: Timlin and Embree in the 7th and 8th are so reassuring to see, great bridges to Keith. Nice to add to Timlin's collection of rings.
Leskanic: sacked up in ALCS Game 4.
Myers: pitched 42 in the miserable ALCS Game 3 to mop up, and getting Matsui out in Game 5 was huge.

The bench
Dave Roberts: Are there any sweeter words than "D Roberts ran for K Millar"?
Doug Mientkiewicz, Pokey Reese: Some Gold Gloves are undeserved. Not theirs.
Gabe Kapler, Kevin Youkilis: Standup guys, they knew their roles on the team, and they have the rings for their efforts.

This is the right team to have won. Deep everywhere. They can pitch, they can hit, and, 4-error games aside, they can field. In other years it may have been attributed to one star, but everyone had a defining moment in this postseason. It was always poor management and poor rosters that held the Sox back, not any curse. Now it's all gone. Good night, you princes of New England.

Forever Enshrined

(Photo source)

To dream the impossible dream,
To fight the unbeatable foe,
To bear with unbearable sorrow,
To run where the brave dare not go.

To right the unrightable wrong,
To love pure and chaste from afar,
To try when your arms are too weary,
To reach the unreachable star.

This is my quest,
To follow that star --
No matter how hopeless,
No matter how far.

To fight for the right
Without question or pause,
To be willing to march
Into hell for a heavenly cause.

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will be peaceful and calm
when I'm laid to my rest.

And the world will be better for this,
that one man scorned and covered with scars
still strove with his last ounce of courage.
To reach the unreachable star.

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go.

To right the unrightable wrong
To be better far than you are
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star.

This is my quest, to follow that star,
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To be willing to give when there's no more to give
To be willing to die so that honor and justice may live

And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star.

Dedicated to all generations of Red Sox past, especially the 1946, 1967, 1975, 1986, and 2003 editions.

Metamorphosis

"I gave myself the nickname 'Cockroach' the Anaheim series. They kept trying to kill me. I'd find a way to wiggle back to life." (Link)

It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Quick thoughts - Schilling, Pedro, Lowe, 20 IP, 0 ER. Brilliant. Lowe 3-0 in the postseason. Foulke with a microscopic ERA. An amazing bench. You want to know how to construct a team? Ladies and gentlemen, Theo Epstein. Reese goes bodysurfing. Grown men crying all over Boston, all over the world. I'm not coherent, and I've never been happier.

World Champions

86 years since 1918. 18 years since 1986. There is no curse. There is no jinxing. There are only the 2004 World Champions Boston Red Sox.

Sox 3, Cardinals 0: Pandemonium

Starting pitching and hitting win games. This is it. This is it. This is it. Pandemonium.

Good Boswell article on LaRussa

Baby, everything's all right, uptight, out of sight.

What Would Schilling Do?

Schilling as inspiration to go to the gym, to not call in sick, etc. Me, I just point to the sky and look upwards at opportune moments.

Good vibrations

Between the players voting Nomar a full World Series share, and this nugget (courtesy of Boston Sports Media Watch), there seem to be good vibes all around:

Thanks to GM Theo Epstein, there were at least a few Sox fans at last night's game. Epstein chartered a flight to St. Louis for 80 Fenway workers - a collection of groundskeepers and concessions and security types - so they could catch Pedro's first World Series start.

Theo's got some kind of magic touch. Deals, PR, you name it. Right now he touches the water from his tap, it probably turns to wine.

For those looking for somewhere to watch the game in Singapore...

You're out of luck. No one's going to open at 8am for a baseball game. But Brewerkz is showing a repeat at 8.30pm tomorrow.

Manny Got a Gun

Manny Ramirez came up with a novel plan for spending his share of the postseason kitty. “My whole share is going to the groundskeeper who had to fix what I did to left field,” Ramirez giggled of the turf he unearthed while committing an error in Game 1. (Link)

One thing I love about Manny that seems to infuriate many (hmm - bad pun) is that he's unflappable. Screw up defensively one game? Okay, make a great outfield assist to make up for it. Not batting runners in? Here's a long homer. And yet he's been consistent: he's had a hit in every game this postseason, and if he hits tomorrow will tie the record for most consecutive postseason games with a hit (as a poorly edited ProJo bit notes).

"And during Game 7, my cojones grew this big"

Time for Lowe to sack up.

Keep on keeping on

"We're up 3-0 - that's a good way to start a series," said Boston's Johnny Damon. "But we're not done. We're not satisfied. We know they're a good team, and we know they're going to come out and play like a good team tomorrow." (Link)

No triumphalism yet. Time to keep on pushing. Time to keep on keeping on.

Sox 4, Cardinals 1: Happiness and Missouri

Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I'm through.

Sylvia Plath, "Daddy"

No more of this Daddy talk. No more of the doubt. What a game by Pedro. The usual bad first inning blues, and a fourth inning saved by Suppan's awful baserunning. (Suppan looked like he threw the third base coach under the bus there.) But otherwise, magnificent. Stepped it up in the limelight, like he always does. Even worked the count against Suppan (hitting a ball foul, taking) and forced Suppan to issue his only walk of the game. I am so glad I saw this man pitch live back in the day. Even on TV I've got goosebumps. And Timlin in the 8th, Foulke in the 9th is exactly what Francona was brought in to do. Foulke is stone cold: gives up a long bomb, Pujols hits a long fly, no worries, gets the K.

By the way: Cardinals bad baserunning. Manny with the outfield assist. Ortiz with a nice throw to third to get Suppan. I know there's a lunar eclipse tomorrow, but we're in bizarre times. Also, Manny has a hit in every game in the postseason. Despite all the "no RBIs in the ALCS" talk, he's been hitting. Now he's hitting bombs.

One more win. One more win at a time. And then: pandemonium.

Hitting and pitching win championships

Aaron Gleeman talks about the Sox over at Hardball Times. Great para here:

It'll be interesting to see the reaction in the baseball world if Boston can win two more games. When Arizona won the World Series in 2001 behind Randy Johnson and Schilling, the reaction from the mainstream media and the average fan was that "pitching wins championships." When Anaheim and Florida won, the reaction from the same people was that "doing the little things wins championships." Since I'm highly skeptical that those same people will come around to hitting being just as important as pitching and defense, I suspect a Red Sox victory will be spun as "having a pitcher with a bloody ankle wins championships" or "reversing a silly, meaningless curse wins championships," without any mention of the actual qualities of the team that won.

I agree, there's so much aversion to the idea that winning can be done by hitting that people reach for other explanations. Gleeman also gets in a good point that the media backlash of Schilling, and in particular his appearance on Internet message boards, is silly. I would say that perhaps the media are jealous: suddenly their privilege, direct access to the players, is no longer inviolate.

One more win. One more win at a time.

Missouri Loves Company

12 hours to go, barring rain outs. Pedro's first World Series start. People seem to have reduced their expectations of him, but going 6 innings in all 3 games he's started and giving up 3, 3, and 4 runs against some of the best offenses in the American League is actually pretty good. Here's hoping the maestro comes through with more RBI than runs allowed.

By the way, if you haven't seen it yet, the Sons of Sam Horn "Win It For" thread is a compelling compendium of heartbreak intertwined with hope. If you want to add to it but aren't a SoSH member, you can always e-mail me. Fingers crossed, we are on the cusp of something grand and profound.

Down by the river...

This is just freakin' cool, even if the opening clause is trademark Shaughnessy snark.

Continuing the "Mighty Wind" theme of introducing bust-out acts from the 1960s, Sox choreographer Dr. Charles Steinberg brought back The Standells to perform "Dirty Water" on a makeshift stage in front of the center-field bleachers. (Link)

Theo: Boston Rocks. Duh.

Back in March, Boston magazine ran a piece by Theo Epstein on why Boston is a great sports town. He compares his life in San Diego:

Next you notice that people don't talk about sports -- not in the office, not at bars, not on the street. They just don't care. There's no buildup to the game, no sense of personal stake in the outcome. Fans don't walk around with their heads down after a tough loss.

Edit: dang, Blogger ate my "he compares his life in San Diego" line initially, which means this post made no sense.

Distance Learning

So the AP writes an article on far-flung Sox fans and 3 out of the 4 people they interview live in America? (Alaska, South Carolina, and Brooklyn) Tashkent is cool, but BROOKLYN? Look, I've watched games in Park Slope. It's hardly far-flung or obscure or lonely to be a Sox fan there. I feel slighted!

Ooh, a whole book about Curt Schilling!

Okay, maybe not.

Broadcast News

I get Rick Sutcliffe and Dave O'Brien for the games (ESPN International broadcasts), instead of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, the man who everyone wants to shut up. Sometimes it's good to follow baseball overseas.

Boston You're My Home

Random fact: with the elimination of the Astros (Jeff Bagwell) and the Yankees (Worcester's own Tanyon Sturtze), Mark Bellhorn is the only player left in the postseason who was born in Massachusetts.

Recycling

Somehow, it seems less cool to know that the Nike "Fenway Park" commercial was actually made in 2003.

Happy Birthday Pedro!

For that magnificent fin de siecle. For the Cy you were robbed of in 2002. For 17 Ks in Yankee Stadium. For the luminescence of a right-handed Koufax. For 6 no-hit innings in relief. For being the first pitcher I ever saw pitch at Fenway Park. For being an icon. Happy 33rd birthday Pedro. Now go out there and get them.

Managing Expectations

I'm not a big Tony LaRussa fan, and I'm really not understanding these moves thus far:

Not having Steve Kline on the roster
So Taguchi starting in left yesterday
Using Jason Marquis as a pinch runner in Game 1
Marlon Anderson DHing today
Using Jason Marquis as a reliever in Game 2
Pitching Matt Morris on 3 days' rest

I know NL strategy is different, but is it really that different? Seems like sometimes LaRussa tries to hard to do something 'clever'. We'll see when we head to Busch.

Lights out

Thanks to some sneaking around at Cards Clubhouse, I learnt that there will be a lunar eclipse during Game 4. I guess Moonshot Manny will just be Nightshot Manny for that game.

Oh, great, now I have "Total Eclipse of the Heart" stuck in my brain.

Ah, fake news

The Brushback (sort of the sports version of the Onion) has a funny "report" on a boorish Red Sox victory parade through New York.

“This is really rude and insensitive,” said Mary Densome, 38. “I mean, they won fair and square. Why can’t they just be happy and leave us alone? There is absolutely no need for this kind of thing, especially when you consider how humble and dignified Yankee fans are when they win.”

The rest of the story is... shall we say... less tame.

Sox 6, Cards 2: 3-2-1 Contact

This is the agony of following the team from THE FUTURE (okay, Monday morning Singapore time). When I left the house, all they were showing was Schilling warming up. When reached the office, the Sox were already up two-zip. Then I had to skedaddle off to the regular Monday morning meeting, which was tortuous - assigned to finish a task, and trying very hard to wish good vibes, chanting "Sox 8 Cards 2, Sox 8 Cards 2" in my mind. Well, it wasn't 8-2, but good enough. Can't wait to get home to see the repeat. First postseason game I've missed, and it sounds like a doozy. Great to see Schilling in form, terrible that we had 4 errors, great that we won. But then, I figured this was definitely a win for the Sox: I don't believe in pitching on 3 days' rest, Matt Morris is terrible away, and the Sox love batting against contact pitchers - just foul off the strikes and take the balls until you walk or get something to hit.

Pedro on the mound next. You think he cares that he has to bat when he pitches inside? For my money, Pedro's going to be aggressive, and he'll take any retaliation he has to. One more win. One more win at a time.

Edit: Wow. Watched the game, finally. Schilling is the man. And Foulke's ability to go 1+ gives Francona so much flexibility. Awesome stuff. And our hitters' ability to keep running up pitch counts must be infuriating to the Cards: no pitcher in an AL park, so no breathing room. Bellhorn is in some kind of zone.

Background information

By the way, since my stats seem to show that most Google visitors to my site are looking for information on some of the Sox players' ethnicities and nationalities, here's some info. Bronson Arroyo's dad is Cuban (Bronson clearly isn't a Spanish name: he was named for Charles Bronson). Johnny Damon's mother is Thai. This article in the Nation (the Bangkok paper, and a good one) explains his parents meeting during the Vietnam War. Funny quote from Damon's mother on his dad:

"The first time I see [Jimmy Damon], I say, 'Oooohhh, nobody will marry with him'. I feel sorry for him, because he was real white, he had no hair"

No hair? Hmm. I guess the son's overcompensating. And Terry Francona's dad was major-leaguer Tito Francona, one of George Steinbrenner's favourite players (I generally think Steinbrenner is nuts, but sending Francona a nice note before the game was a generous move). That's where the "Tito" nickname comes from. Glad to help.

More on Wakefield

I know Jayson Stark's ESPN column is more "interesting trivia" than deep baseball analysis, but he's got lots of stuff on the Sox this week that I thought was interesting, especially the stuff on Tim Wakefield:

Wakefield was believed to be the first pure knuckleballer to start any World Series game since World War II. The Niekro brothers, Charlie Hough, Tom Candiotti, Wilbur Wood and Hoyt Wilhelm combined for zero World Series starts. (Link)

That's a lot of talent that didn't start a World Series. Good to see Wakefield keeping the knuckleball flag flying. Stark also notes that Wake is the first pitcher who hadn't started a game in either the DS or CS to start Game 1 of a World Series (thanks to his emergency relief role in Game 3 of the ALCS). I guess that's a testament to the talent in the Sox rotation. Pity he lost the strike zone in the middle of the game.

Southpaw Grammar

So, I was kind of surprised that the Cardinals chose to go with only one lefty reliever (Ray King, of whom I see a "raking against Ray King" headline in the making). Then I read this on the Cards' page:

[Al] Reyes' inclusion, on the other hand, was a bit surprising. The right-hander made 12 appearances for the Cards after a late-season callup. In addition, using Reyes rather than Randy Flores leaves King as the only southpaw in the bullpen against a team with a number of dangerous left-handed regulars and bench players.
"Randy Flores and Al were the two guys that we were keeping in shape," La Russa said. ... "Maybe (against) a different club we'd have given a closer rook at Randy. There's not much of a left-hand presence with the Red Sox." (Link)

Not much of a left-hand presence? Have you seen our roster Mr La Russa? Damon, Ortiz, Trot, Mientkiewicz, and Roberts? Strange move, especially for a manager famed for believing in matchups.

Incidentally, in that same article, Steve Kline sounds really angry at the way he found out he was left off the roster (i.e. off ESPN, like the rest of us schlubs). 9 hours to game time. I'm psyched.

Not a marquee lineup

Matt Morris pitching on 3 days rest tomorrow instead of Jason Marquis. Puzzling decision by La Russa. Morris is better at home than away, and postseason pitchers on 3 days' rest have a terrible record, Josh Beckett excepted. Let's hope the Sox can exploit it.

Thank you Roger

A thought: if Manny and Ortiz didn't do their bits in the All-Star Game, this may have been Game 1 at Busch Stadium, and Bellhorn's shot becomes a simple flyball to right.

Sox 11, Cards 9: Doesn't have to be pretty

Adding in the full analysis: okay, bad Manny defense today, but Bellhorn apparently loves that pole like a fat kid loves cake, and Manny broke his RBI duck, so all is forgiven. Three homers in three games, and all at crucial points. Are there still people who like Pokey over him? And how appropriate is it to have a Pesky Pole shot in a World Series against the Cards?

On the bad side, our defense was sloppy today, and the prospect of Ortiz at 1B doesn't exactly give me thrills. Walker was scary, and it was good thing that Pujols and Rolen weren't hitting behind him. Actually, how weird was that? Everyone was scared by the #3-4-5, but we got burnt by guys like Mike Matheny and Marlon Anderson. On the bright side, the St Louis pitching staff looks very hittable up and down - even Haren looked to have control issues. Use them up and wear them out. And nice that a Cards error (that E6 by Rentiera) was the winning run.

The thing I love about the '04 Sox is, every time they squandered the lead here, you just knew they'd get it back. One more win. One win at a time.

Game recap.

Shot heard round the world

More coverage of baseball in Singapore, this one from the Straits Times. For a country that's soccer-crazy, to get top half above-the-fold coverage of a baseball game in the sports section is amazing. (Although the article does refer to Johnny Damon as "Jamon Damon".) Which goes to show: not everyone may understand baseball, but everyone understands what an achievement it is to win 4 in a row. Shot heard round the world indeed.

Shout out

Hey, thanks to Beau Dure at USA Today for the mention. I shouldn't take credit for being the first to find the Mount Washington pic, someone sent it to me. It's 1 in the morning Singapore time so I've got to sleep to be up for the game, but if you're seeing singaporesoxfan.com for the first time, glad to have you onboard. Hang on tight - wild ride approaching. One more win. One more win at a time.

No free lunch

I just clicked on Boston.com to read more Sox stories, then I noticed the ad for some hotel in Key West said something to the effect of "Hey Red Sox fans! Celebrate with us! Book 3 nights and get a 4th night free!". Come on. If the ALCS taught me anything, it's that I'm not assuming anything is a given after 3 nights.

World Series simulation

Yahoo! Sports has a computer-based World Series simulation. Sox in 6, which is nice. On the other hand, seeing as computers (well, specifically, Baseball Prospectus's Postseason Odds) left the Sox's chances of getting to the World Series as good as dead after Game 3 last week, I'm taking any predictions with a HUGE grain of salt.

Reading the Cards

So here we are. Almost scripted, innit? First the Yankees, the Sox's (former) nemesis. Now St Louis, where it's time to visit the ghosts of 1946 and 1967. I'm scared of the St Louis heart of the order - Pujols, Edmonds, and Rolen are some scary hitters. But then I guess top-to-bottom we're more complete. It's like a battle of baseball philosophies: AL baseball (work the pitch counts, pure-hitting DH, walk don't run) vs NL baseball (hit-and-run, bunt). Let it be said: I'm scared of seeing Ortiz at 1B, but I feel like Pujols will make a critical error in this series.

Damon's shot heard round the world

Even the Singaporean newspapers have coverage of the Sox's triumph. Baseball news here is normally relegated to a simple listing of scores. This is unprecedented.

Things I've learnt

The baseball season begins on Thanksgiving.

Kakutani and perspective

So, how is it that of all the New York reporters, it's Michiko Kakutani who had the best sense of perspective and baseball history? The Times' book reviewer?

Yankees fans have been guilty of seeing the team's history as one bright line threading its way back through the annals of time, back to Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle, while forgetting the drought years, say, that Don Mattingly suffered through for so long. (Link)

Kakutani's writing is always great, by the way; I've just never seen her extend it into sport.

By the way...

... I would give my right arm to see Pedro and Lowe hit their first career homers in this World Series.

Get Your Yankees World Series Tickets!

Have a stadium all to yourself.

Schilling on Letterman

Damn. Wish they hadn't stopped showing Letterman over here in Singapore.

Edit: here's the full list.

Looking ahead

As I write this it looks like the Cards will be our World Series opponents. Meanwhile, over at Slate, Charles Pierce does some curse-debunking, and calls Babe Ruth a "mental gidget himself". Don't ask me why Pierce didn't capitalise Gidget. Does he not get classic surf movie references?

Rotation is set: Wakefield, Schilling, Pedro, Lowe; and then we go again if necessary. I like it. Pedro gets 6 days' rest, which he needs. Schilling of course can't be allowed to hit so he pitches the Fenway games.

Exultation

Soaking it all in... Bill Simmons has it right when he says Matsui never looked quite the same after Pedro's knockdown pitch... Peter King writes a baseball column, shockingly. His "Kevin Brown is 0-2 with a 27.00ERA in his last 3 starts against Boston" stat made me think: after Jose Contreras took his "I can pitch to everyone else, not Boston" act to Chicago, Brown just stepped right in. Absolutely spot on: "Ghosts make for good stories. Players make for deciding games." Why doesn't Dan Shaughnessy know this?

The view from Mount Washington

From a few days ago. Sadly, the snow has melted by now. But the message seems to have done its work. Now on. One more win. One more win at a time.

Teams That Have Made the World Series Since 1986

(Using current divisions)

American League

AL East: NY Yankees. Toronto Blue Jays.
AL Central: Cleveland Indians. Minnesota Twins.
AL West: Anaheim Angels. Oakland As.

Other teams:

Boston Red Sox
Kansas City Royals (won in '85)
Detroit Tigers (won in '84)
Baltimore Orioles (won in '83)
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Chicago White Sox
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers

National League

NL East: Florida Marlins. Atlanta Braves. New York Mets. Philadelphia Phillies.
NL Central: Cincinnati Reds. St Louis Cardinals.
NL West: SF Giants. Arizona Diamondbacks. San Diego Padres. LA Dodgers.

Other teams:
Pittsburgh Pirates (won in '79)
Montreal Expos
Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee Brewers
Houston Astros
Colorado Rockies

So, 16 teams have reached the World Series since 1986. Of the other 14, 4 won in fairly recent history before that and 2 are 1990s expansion teams. If it's Sox-Astros, some kind of destiny is waiting to be made. Pedro vs Roger, Game 7, Fenway Park, Halloween? My heart, my poor weak heart.

The rivalry

Also, I'm glad to read about Yankee fans that will be openly rooting against us. I don't like this "the rivalry only exists for Boston fans" line. It's a rivalry that will consume both groups, locked arm in arm like Jacob wrestling with God, eternal. And now that both teams are beefed up and evenly matched, the rivalry just gets be