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The Boston Red Sox are the American League Wild Card Champion for the 3rd consecutive year …

Mike:
What a sweet relief. And what a way to punctuate the season with a solid 10-1 victory over the Yankees.

 

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Bill:
Yestahday made me as happy as the next guy, but I guess I'm just old school enough that the champagne baths at this point make me uncomfortable.

 

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Mike:
Hey, even the Yankees were doing it on Saturday aftah [cough] winning [cough] the AL East.

 

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Bill:
You know, I don't have a problem with celebrations at this point in the season, but it really depends on the circumstances. If the club hasn't been in the playoffs for years or some great trauma like somebody dying during the season was overcome that's one thing. But the Yankees winning the AL East for the 8th consecutive year? Not so much.

 

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Mike:
I was shocked as anything seeing Joe Torre break into tears ovah it. "These guys have worked so hard, sniff, sniff, whaaa-whaaa" Jeez.

 

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Bill:
Christ, I so missed the memo relaxing the rules for when its appropriate for men to break down and cry in public.

 

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Bill:
I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying men should never show emotion, it's just that if you're crying ovah how "emotionally satisfying" it is to just make the playoffs with the richest salary in baseball, what do you do if you win it all, sacrifice a goat or something?

 

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Comments

[jimindenver]

Ok, the 'sacrifice a goat or something' line has to be in the pantheon of all-time hilarious lines. Just brilliant...

[COD]

I'm christning a new internet acronym here - SCOM.

Spews Coffee on Monitor

I did not see the goat line coming. That was funny.

[Jason O.]

Yes, Joe Torre's reaction, let's see what someone else has to say about it, shall we:

"Red Sox skipper Terry Francona could relate to the emotion Yankees manager Joe Torre showed yesterday when the Yankees clinched the American League East. After a season filled with injuries, obstacles, and uncertainty, Francona said he swelled with emotion when he got the word in the bottom of the fifth that Cleveland had lost and the Red Sox were in the postseason.

"I heard some of the things, not all of them, that Joe [Torre] said yesterday. I saw how emotional he was. As important as the game was today, when word filtered down and you see the scoreboard changing it's hard not to be emotional. It gets you. We care so much about what we're doing. You put so much into it with players, coaches, and front office. It kind of hits you at once and almost overwhelms you."

-from boston.com today

OK, now that we've disposed with that canard re: Joe Torre's celebration, (with words from Francona, no less!!!) let's think back to a recent soxaholix strip which took an ESPN writer to task (Jim Caple, I believe) for criticizing the Red Sox for their huge payroll relative to the rest of baseball.

After that sensible rebuke of Caple, I didn't think this would be the site where I'd see the tired anti yankee fallacy of payroll employed yet again: This time to minimize the accomplishment of winning the AL East.

(hypocrisy doesn't necessarily disprove an argument, but in this case it's both hypocritical and a weak argument)

It's not a good idea to ascribe motive, but wow, this looks like a bitter blend of sour grapes for giving away a division that should have been clinched 10 days ago, no?

[h.b.]

Jason,

Each day you sound more and more like BigBri.

So as I had to do with him umpteen times, let me issue the following disclaimer:

This is a comic strip. The characters contradict themselves and, believe it or not, not only say things just for effect (and/or humor) but also are unbelievably biased toward all things Red Sox.

You, as a reader of the strip, are privvy to a private conversation between two Sox fans. It's not meant to be the kind of thing that would stand up to a Congressional hearing or something.

Relax, man.

[Follower of Tito]

Whatever happened to "No crying in baseball" I mean if Rogers Hornsby called you a talking pile of pigshit, and your parents had driven all the way down from Michigan to see you play, maybe you could cry, maybe.

I personally prefer my managers to sit in the dugout with a HUGE plug of chaw and rock back and forth like a withdrawing addict, but hey, that's just me. I guess some folks might find a blubbering, tear-soaked manager inspiring.

I wonder if Lou will cry next year?

[birthofasoxfan97]

Torre was way more than a little over the top. He looked hormonal or relieved that he temporarily postponed a spanking by his boss. Francona's words were more appropriate, an attitude like yeah, this is great, but no breaking down now because everybody still has work to do.

Division or no division, the game goes on. We've all seen what a wild card can do post-season.

[Kaz]

No argument there, JO. Francona's as big a tool as Torre. Therefore, if they are both giant tools, then the fact that our manager backs their manager emotionally doesn't substantiate the idea of hypocrisy. Only if h.b. were to say "Terry is God. Torre is a crying man-baby." would it be hypocrisy. Since, Terry is a crying man-baby sympathizer and not a God, well, Torre is a crying man-baby.

Also, it's not some sort of logical fallacy to say that New York bought the talent necessary to win 90+ games. You could even say that the Red Sox have a high payroll compared to the rest of baseball and therefore purchased their own 90+ wins (in fact, the same number of wins for millions less). It does minimize the accomplishment in light of other teams (Anaheim, Chicago, Cleveland...) that won just as many games on less than either NY or Boston's payroll. Again, h.b. says he's not happy Boston sprayed the champagne. But it's even further absurd to see NY do it.

And the only reason NY can claim to have "won" the AL East is because they only had to play 3 games to end the season. A fourth game right now would be Boston's. If they used runs scored differential (like soccer does) instead of head-to-head record, it'd be Boston. If they used pretty much any stat or playoff game scenario instead of the one they do use, it'd be Boston. Should we have just won an extra game last week against Tampa Bay or Toronto? Sure, it would have been simpler and assured us a clean hold of the division. But we didn't so here we sit heading into the playoffs as the just-as-good team. I like it that way. The wild card has produced more good performances each year for the past few years than division leaders have. Maybe this will be the year that some team is forced to come back down three games in a best of seven and win it all...oh, wait, that was last year. Ok, maybe this is the year that the AL West team shuts down the juggernaut AL East...oh, wait, 2002. What was it you guys are proud of again? That you're starting to play like the Braves?

[Brian]

Did I miss something? Was there a shot of Tito crying in the dugout after the Indians score was announced that I wasn't paying attention for? Was there a tearful press conference Francona gave after the end of the game that ESPN just declined to run? Of course Tito's going to say bland nothings when asked about Torre's sobfest, he can't exactly call him out for bawling like a bitch, can he?

As for the payroll...it's one thing to call out the payroll differences as a huge unfair advantage for the Yankees, and ignore our massive payroll advantage over most everyone else, I agree. Those in glass houses, etc. However...if you don't think or are unwilling to admit that with the highest payroll in the game's history comes much higher expectations, expectations that run a lot higher than celebrating 95 wins and a statistical tie for the division title, then you've got your head buried pretty deep in the sand. Past Yankees teams treated winning the division as business as usual, and one small step on the way to the goal of a title, and made fun of the Sox for their early celebrations. This Yankee team has an almost "just happy to be here" vibe, and even with all their early injuries and ineffectiveness, you can't deny that far greater things were expected from that squad back in March.

[Jason O.]

Relax? As the games become more important, it's more difficult to breeze over this site. You may find this difficult to believe, but there are Yankees fans who care as much about their team as you do re: the Sox.

You bring up a good point: I'm not sure any Yankees fan can regularly prowl this site without jumping to a spirited defense of the team. It interrupts the "flow" of the comments thread.

So, good luck in the playoffs, and I'd say it's an even money bet that the Sox and Yankees will meet again.

HB, and all the relatively cool regulars (relatively, of course, because you're all Sox fans): Go with fortune.

[h.b.]

Well said, all.

The biggest theme from Bill and Mike's conversation can be read as:

1) Business as usual, i.e., making the playoffs, despite how difficult that may be, should be the default status for the two highest salaried clubs in baseball.

2) Neither team should be popping the corks at this point.

3) The Yankees used to pride themselves on being reserved and classy. It's part of their myth and their branding, whereas for the past couple of years at least the Red Sox myth has been one of "we're a bunch of idiots." So it seems more out of place to see the Yankees behave this way then the Sox and it's more open to criticism.

4) "Emotional inflation" trivializes the really momentous events, be they celebratory or tragic. (Think Lou Gehrig.)

[h.b.]

Point well taken, Jason. Thanks.

[Kaz]

I've got tickets for Friday's game. 4 rows from the bullpen. It's gametime, gentlemen!

BTW, think of the potential storylines looming:

Sox vs Sox.
Anaheim owns the Yankees just like 2002.
Wild Card vs Wild Card in the World Series.
Clemens vs Boston.

[Aaron]

I must admit, all the wailing and gnashing of teeth this morning at the Globe over whether we're wildcards or "co-champions" is silly. So what if the Yankees got the division on the tiebreaker? All that earned them was a 3,000 mile road trip to play a red-hot Anaheim team, while we get a White Sox team that's 30-28 the past two months. Breaking the Yankees' run of division titles would've been nice, but winning it all is the important thing, and in this scenario, we made out like bandits.

[bucknerwasframed]

excellent point, Aaron. And can I say how ecstatic I was watching the locker room interviews when Mike 'all-time appearance leader' Timlin stared down that fawning moronic reporter with that badass 'give me the damn ball' look and asked "Is there a question there?" as the guy was prattling on and on??

At least one member (of many, I'm sure) of the team gets it- the real work is just beginning...

[h.b.]

The "made out like bandits" theme has put a real spring in my step.

[Fesser]

In re celebration, hard not to be reminded of Kevin Millar's spirited defense of the scale of the celebration when the Sox clinched the wildcard in 03. I do not recall all of the quantities, but he said something like:
"Is there some rule like, clinch the wildcard, have two or three beers, win the pennant, have four to nine beers, win the World Series, drink a case?"
The concept of "four to nine beers" is one to cherish. Go Red Sox.

[NV in SD]

After the past two seasons, despite all the posturing and wishful thinking, I believe that all of us knew that both the Defending Champs and the evil empire would be back in the playoffs this year with yet another ALCS all but inevitably looming. Not that that is a given, though. The palehose would seem to have a slight edge in the starting pitching dept, given that Contreras has been having a lights-out September and they also have Buehrle and Garland lined up, but we've fared pretty well against all those guys in the past. Honestly, as long as they don't trot out that fucker McCarthy, things are looking good. I'm looking for a big game from Matty tomorrow- guy hasn't been in the postseason in a while, and you know he's itching to go out there. That plus we've got Mr. Paplebon on the postseason roster and Timlin looked fucking NASTY this weekend (Fri especially).

As for the MFY, they haven't exactly been Angel killers this year and they get to throw a very shaky Mess-ina against a flaming hot Colon in G1. If only for my own selfish purposes (possibility of getting tickets for a Sox-Angels ALCS, and similar possibility of heart failure for another Sox-yanks ALCS) I'm hoping for a five game series which would force both teams to fly across the country twice in six days and most likely tax the shit out of both bullpens, concluding in an Angels' victory. Wishful thinking.

We're here. The bat's are hot. The pithcing is shaping up. We've got a day off and a short flight. Time to take care of business.

Just win baby.

[Aaron]

So what does everybody think of the "Showalter Conspiracy Theory" running rampant in the Bronx this morning? Apparently, there's a lot of bellyaching going on that Showalter pulled some of his starters early in order to "throw" Texas' game with the Angels and give them home-field over the Yanks, just to stick it to Steinbrenner.

[birthofasoxfan97]

Hey - this is TX man, anything is possible! That conspiracy scenario cracks me up.

NV - you're right - Timlin was a freak on Friday. That pacing in the dugout like a mad animal was super-intense. That guy wants to win, Papelbon wants a piece of the post-season action and what more can you say about Manny Ortez?

Contreras is a wee bit scary, but will be overcome.

[Kaz]

Yeah, I love it. Lose in 5 post-seasons in the era of micro-management fandom and media rage-aholics and it's like opening the door to the monkey cage.

Buck Showalter might have even done it on purpose, but the real question is: Why pitch Jared Wright knowing that the game has home-field advantage implications?

I think Torre's in on it too. Curse of the Yankee Managers. I coined it here first...you can't use it without paying me.

[Billy Mahty]

In defense of Jason O.: "This is a comic strip. The characters contradict themselves and, believe it or not, not only say things just for effect (and/or humor) but also are unbelievably biased toward all things Red Sox.

You, as a reader of the strip, are privvy to a private conversation between two Sox fans."

We're also privy to the musings of a few dozen Red Sox fans who post here, and they're sittin here agreeing with those characters. So for Jason to comment is not just a silly response to the strip.

The GBYs were nine games back early in the season, and four games back as early as September. They had to work hard to get back on top.. they've got the best record since May. Yes, they're the highest paid team, but they're also human. Getting the division title used to be easy for them. This year was a challenge, and the result was satisfying.

Sorry Torre's not manly enough for all you manly men.

How exactly did the Yanks lose their class and reserve on Saturday? Did they give the finger to the Boston fans? No. They didn't act like a bunch of idiots. They celebrated, as they deserved to do.

I certainly respected it in the past when the Yankees didn't celebrate winning the division, but this season is different, and when they win it all it will be seen as the greatest year of Torre's reign.

I love the old highest payroll comments. The best is: "It just goes to show that all that money doesn't make you a winner." And the response: "Yeah, so what are you whining about?"

While we're talking about whining, what's this I hear about the Sox saying there should have been a playoff game between the Yanks/Sox? Sorry that we have to play by the rules buds. And if there were a playoff game in the Bronx, I like our odds.

From the Globe: "...the Sox are contesting the Bronx Bombers' contention that they've now won eight straight AL East titles. 'We are co-champions,' said Sox vice president Charles Steinberg. 'The rule is in place only for playoff seeding.'" Ha!

My prediction: Clemens vs Johnson, Game 1 in the Bronx. I hope that the Yanks and Sox face off again on the way.

[pawsoxpop]

HB, I am SSSOOOO glad I had my coffee this morning BEFORE reading the site, or I would have to sacrifice a goat to have a nostril transplant!
Jason, lighten up dude. The strip was FUNNY. If there was a Yankee fan anywhere with a sense of humor and the enterprise to do a blog like this, I would not be parsing a truly funny joke like I was in the Oxford debating society. If you want to trash talk, then fine. But try and use some wit. We know you can do it, even if you're nervous as hell about VLAAAAdi Guerrerro and the LAAAAAngels of Planet Earth.
I think I'm a lot happier playing the White Sox than the Angels; even though Chi has the best record, they have been mediocre in the last couple of months -- although they did push it up a notch this weekend against the Indians. The Angels, meanwhile, will probably be madder than hornets on meth after being swept last year by the World Champion Boston Red Sox. Plus, I bet Carl "Rabbit Ears Dinosaur Brain" Everett goes 0-for-Fenway once the fans start raking him over the coals.
Another reason I like playing the White Sox is their lame motto: "Win. Or Die Trying." I mean, true idiots and uppity cowboys do not give themselves that second option.

[pawsoxpop]

Ditto for you Billy Mahty. If you want to post on Soxaholix, please at least TRY to use a little bit of humor. If you want to write a bunch of sanctimonious GBY (GigaBucks? GeorgeBloviates?) propaganda on a RED SOX site, you should at least try to make it worth reading. DON'T BORE ME!

Yeah, I was a little bit bummed that we didn't win the division, until I found out that the Wild Card winner got to play the White Sox. Go have fun in Anaheim. And I, for one, am hoping the Angels give Torre something he can REALLY cry about.

[h.b.]

We're also privy to the musings of a few dozen Red Sox fans who post here, and they're sittin here agreeing with those characters. So for Jason to comment is not just a silly response to the strip.

Ah, two comments came before Jason's and both were commenting positively about the "sacrifice a goat line."

And Jason didn't reference either comment but the strip directly.

So I stopped reading your comment at that point because, well, it's clear you're just trolling for an argument.

[Devine]

The king of class and sportsmanship on the Rangers' moves on Sunday:

"I just think there's a code of honor when so much is on the line," Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez said. "You hope people do the right thing, but you can't control what people do. It is what it is."

Me again: While I think Showalter's moves were maybe a little sketchy...I just think it's funny that A-Rod invoked "code of honor" in baseball. A-Rod! Mr. Slapmaster himself!

[Billy Mahty]

h.b. - no, not trolling for an argument, just engaging in the conversation. and you're right.. my perspective was off. by the time i read this there were many comments.

"Ditto for you Billy Mahty. If you want to post on Soxaholix, please at least TRY to use a little bit of humor. If you want to write a bunch of sanctimonious GBY (GigaBucks? GeorgeBloviates?) propaganda on a RED SOX site, you should at least try to make it worth reading. DON'T BORE ME!"

Fair enough!

[Aaron]

So yesterday, I'm sitting amongst the other New England transplants in Seattle's best Boston fan bar (Floyd's Barbeque on Queen Anne Hill, for any of you RSN members who happen to find yourself out here in Jet City for any reason) watching the Pats getting clobbered by San Diego. Once the Chargers go up 34-17, we realize the game is over, and successfully clamor to get the management to switch to the Sox/Yanks game...just in time to catch Manny hitting his moonshot to make it 6-0. Much celebration ensues.

This guy comes in the bar wearing a Yankees hat and carrying a newspaper. He proceeds to walk around to every table and and show them the paper. It's a copy of the Seattle Times sports section, open to the headline "Yankees Clinch AL East." He then proceeds to run his mouth about how The Curse Is Back In Effect or some such nonsense.

Now, taunting drunken Pats/Sox fans while one of their teams is getting clobbered is not a smart thing to do. The scene starts to get a little testy, and it appears that there may be fisticuffs.

Just then, however, the screen flashes the first round playoff matchups: Sox/Sox, Yankees/Angels.

Mouthy Yankee Fan's face falls. Sox fans ratchet up the trashtalking. Mouthy Yankee Fan leaves in short order.

All in all, a good day, even if the Pats did get killed.

[soxinthecity]

Birthofasoxfan,

(A) Have you ever thought of changing your handle to BirthofaRedSoxNation?

(B) "Contreras is a wee bit scary, but will be overcome." Contreras thinks we're a whole lot scarier than we do of him!

[spd rdr]

The worst part about this weekend is that I owe my old friend in New York two fresh lobsters, a New York Strip, and a Boston Cream Pie, plus I have to wear a Jeter shirt.

One freakin' game was all I needed boys! Now go kick some ass against CWX so I can get all this stuff back...in spades.

[birthofasoxfan97]

It is a little play on words but I definitely don't want to be associated with DW Griffith. Not that anybody cares, but my first Sox game was in Fenway in '97, while large with child. Said child has turned out to be a faithful, dedicated Sox fan. Coincidence? I think not.

Wee bit scary, but not super scary. It's important to know the enemy.

And A-Tool invoked a code of honor? That's rich.

[h.b.]

The Boston Cream Pie is the greatest dessert ever.

[birthofasoxfan97]

'Tis heavenly. Mike's pastry...mmm

[pudge]

Aaron: I live in Arlington, a bit north of Seattle. Maybe I'll have to come down sometime. Last night I was in Everett watching junior hockey at the Everett Civic Center (go 'Tips).

Anyway: yes, in terms of its effect on the playoffs, whether we are Wild Card or AL East Champs is meaningless. But that's not what those of us "wailing" are talking about. I don't care about those things.

That's sorta like saying the Eagles were pissed about losing the Super Bowl because it affected their order in the draft later that year (although in our case, even though the system is supposed to give us the worse playoff draw, it probably didn't).

I am annoyed because it is the division championship, pure and simple. We wanted to win the division championship, simply because it is the championship. We got the best record in the division. And yet because of the dumb wild card rules, we were denied this.

And it stinks.

I hope John Henry gives Selig an earful over it after the season's over. There are better ways to determine the division winner. For example, the team that gets farther in the playoffs. And if they both get ejected in the ALDS, have a single playoff game between the two to determine the victor. Maybe it would be anticlimatic, but I would watch, and it would be better than this.

[Kaz]

I gotta disagree with you there, h.b. There's nothing in this world that tops a Mike's Pastry cannoli. I like Boston Cream Pie (and subsequently Boston Creme donuts are the only Dunkin' I like).

Ok...one thing tops a Mike's cannoli...my mom's baklava...if I didn't say that and she ever found out...I'd be a dead man. A dead man with no baklava.

[h.b.]

Ah, Christ, how could I have forgotten the cannoli!!! (Probably because I had a slice of Boston Creme Pie last night.)

My fave cannoli's are at Cafe Vittoria. (With a shot of grappa and an espresso. Heaven.)

I'm also extremely fond of the eclair.

[Monty in CA]

Im in the Red Sox choir and I come here to be preached to. While im in my church please dont stand up and argue with my priest, show some respect. Go to your own church if you want to hear opinions to your liking. I dont go to your MFY chuch(frankly, I dont want too).
Go Sox!....Angels too!

[pawsoxpop]

Pudge,
I don't know if I can get too worked up about the battle for the AL East any more ... I mean, in my lifetime, the only times the Red Sox have ever won the AL East they have not won the World Series, so the Wild Card is just fine by me. The rules are the rules, so the Yanks get to hoist the AL East banner over their Stadium next year; hopefully we get the World Series again. As for Selig, I think the Sox (and Angels and Marlins for that matter) should just be glad that we have a Wild Card rule. Especially the Sox. Who knows how many championships we would have at least had a chance to win if there were a Wild Card rule in effect over the years?
Let's forget about the AL East and go out and defend our championship. With the way Schilling pitched Sunday, I think our chances are much better than they were a few weeks ago.
As for desserts, much as I do love Boston cream pie, I'd have to say the absolute best dessert I ever had was the coconut cream pie at Ma Glockner's in Bellingham. Have not had it in quite a few years, though; don't know if they even make it any more.

[Ice Princess]

spd rdr I have a fantastic shirt you can borrow (or pick up @ yankee-hater,com) - It has 3 pink baseball bats in a triangle & says "Jeter swings both ways" over inside them :-)

[lowie]

I find it hard to believe this one "meant the most" to the MFY's ...
Kind of sad that the guys who won the division for the Yankees are making 1/100th of the payroll and guys like Arod and Jeter have done naught down the stretch...
I talked with a Yankee fan the other day after the game who said "all that mattered was beating the sox"
just proves MFY's miss the point of a 162 game season....

Personally I'd like to congratulate the Boston Red Sox for ending up tied for first in the AL East no matter what the bogus rule states...

95 wins baby!

Someone ought to design a shirt about this crap...

Go Sox!!!

[spd rdr]

Ice Princess!
You are my SAVIOR!!!!!!

[Follower of Tito]

Those of us out here in the western part of the Commonwealth don't get to Boston THAT often, but I am partial to the Apple Pan Dowdy at Durgin Park (but I am more of a fruit-in-my-dessert kind of person), to get my absolute favorite dessert, I have to travel abit further North. There is a place in Bar Harbor called George's that makes this unbelieveable Cranberry-Blueberry Crisp topped.....with Ben & Jerry's (I can hear arteries slamming shut as we speak).

Did I miss something are is A-Fraud's picture in the dictionary next to "Irony"?!

As for all this talk about the AL East, I'm with PSP, Game On! We're all at the dance, and the MFY have a much uglier partner.

[pawsoxpop]

Tito,
I'll have to stop in George's for one of those yummy monstrosities next time I'm up north. If you're partial to desserts with fresh fruits, you should also try the Bannanaberry pie at Chelo's Hometown Restaurants (in Pawtucket and a few other spots around Rhody). It's only available in the summer though so you'll have to wait unitl next year. Clamcakes, chowder and bannanaberry pie at Chelo's definitely make a Rhode Island summer special, along with a trip to the beach, McCoy Stadium and a Del's lemonade.
But now it's time to load up on the apple crisp and watch the Red Sox win and the White Sox die trying...

[pudge]

I don't know if I can get too worked up about the battle for the AL East any more ... I mean, in my lifetime, the only times the Red Sox have ever won the AL East they have not won the World Series, so the Wild Card is just fine by me.

I am not saying I hate the Wild Card. I am not saying anything bad about the Wild Card. I am saying this rule is stupid.

The rules are the rules

The rule is stupid. It makes no sense whatsoever. I refuse to recognize it.

Let's forget about the AL East and go out and defend our championship.

If I had any ability to affect the outcome of the game, yes, I would not pay attention to this at all. As I don't, I feel free to gripe about it. :-)

With the way Schilling pitched Sunday, I think our chances are much better than they were a few weeks ago.

Indeed.

As for desserts, much as I do love Boston cream pie, I'd have to say the absolute best dessert I ever had was the coconut cream pie at Ma Glockner's in Bellingham. Have not had it in quite a few years, though; don't know if they even make it any more.

I go up there sometimes, I'll check it out, but I don't like coconut. Don't like Boston cream either. I do love many of the treats at Mike's. My favorite dessert is probably Farfar's in Duxbury.

[Kaz]

Oh, and I'm surprised that I'm the first to comment on Manny's choice of a Vlad Guerrero jersey to come out to celebrate in after the game yesterday. Even if it's just "Manny being Manny", it's fun to know he's into the rivalry and not just a hired gun.

It fits well with the poster he was sporting at the parade last year. Here's some shots of the parade from my personal collection to remember the love:

http://zhang.bu.edu/gallery/parade

Brian Fox, the graphics and editing guy for CBS/UPN, put together a highlight reel for the postseason last year. The MLB jacked him on it..but not before it was on the internet. Here's a copy to keep the spirits flying during the off day!

http://zhang.bu.edu/soxReel.mov

[NV in SD]

Kaz- unless I'm mistaken, that was Ino Guerrero's jersey that Manny was wearing, altough it would have been pretty funny to see Manny dancing around in front of the Skanks' dugout with a Vlad jersey on-

"Hahaha- you just got done dealing with two of the three premier Dominican sluggers in baseball, now you have to go face the other one. And yes, he swings at and hits pretty much everything. Have fun! Don't let the jet lag get to you!"

As if the MFY didn't already have enough bad mojo working against them, this griping about Showalter puts them over the top. Of all people, Slappy sohould be the absolute last to say anything about sportsmanship.

[Billy Mahty]

"While im in my church please dont stand up and argue with my priest, show some respect. Go to your own church if you want to hear opinions to your liking."

Got it, fine. This ain't a church and you're not all priests, but the message is loud and clear - No dissent. Have it your way.

[Bob]

//I gotta disagree with you there, h.b. There's nothing in this world that tops a Mike's Pastry cannoli.//

//Ah, Christ, how could I have forgotten the cannoli!!!//

Kaz and H.B.; the cannoli at The Modern is SO much better than Mike's. Simply no comparison. While Mike's is pretty good, their filling sits in the shell, sometimes for hours. The Modern fills each shell upon order. I like Mike's pies better, though. But I like The Modern's run cakes better. But I like Mike's cookies better. But...GO SOX.)

[h.b.]

Bob,

My cannoli praise was for the one's at Cafe Vittoria in the North End. There's a good possibility that my taste buds are influenced strongly by the atmosphere and the grappa.

[buckner was framed]

Kaz-
Thanks for the much needed video fix to hold me over until 4PM tomorrow... Reminded me that as much as I like our chances, I wish we had a Dave Roberts on the team, though....
Billy M, Jason, et al- speaking for myself, I welcome some dissent on this site. It is one of the reasons I come here several times a day to check in. I value an intelligent discourse on the subject, just not self-righteous preaching and yelling. For that I can go listen to the yahoos on 'EEI. So please, visit and contribute- after all, the religion in question is the GAME, and it's bigger than any one priest or team....

[pawsoxpop]

In the "Two Sides to Every Story Dept.", it's interesting to read the Fort Worth Star Telegram's take on the Buck Showalter Tempest in the Texas-Sized Teapot Dome:

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/baseball/12804751.htm

Basically the writer wonders how the GBY (GetBuck? GimmeBalco?) could decide to pitch Wright instead of Mussina in a must-win game and then get upset at any moves made by their former manager.

I guess the Texas-based writer hasn't seen Mussina pitch lately...

[RonF]

A while back I stated, "The road to the World Series may run through Chicago." I was ridiculed a bit for this. I can deal with that, I'm a big boy. Just let me note for the record, however, that in the Red Sox's case at least I was right on the money.

[lowie]

So how does everyone feel about this rule? I mean the yanks going 10-9 is CLEAR dominance right? well according to the rule it is... I think this is all a boat load of crap...

If anything it should be equality... since when does beating the Sox mean more than beating the Drays... its a 162 game season for a reason....

http://theologyofsox.blogspot.com

I elaborate more there... but gesh, for real does it matter that they beat us one more time than we did... I know we have a better shot at the world series with the wild card... but I'm sick of gloating yankees fans... and the crap
I guess we sox fans should take care in the fact that for the yankees it was...

"Not their best season. Not their smoothest. And certainly not the biggest title for a franchise that has 26 World Series championships in its illustrious past. Yet somewhere in the spray of champagne in the visitors' clubhouse at Fenway Park on Saturday was the satisfaction that these Yankees came farther to win this AL East championship than any New York team since Bucky Dent popped one into the net here in 1978."-Jimmy Golen

so guys dont worry, for those MFY's this one MEANS more because they had to overcome so much like a 200+ million dollar salary... I would personally like to offer to overcome that burden for them

I mean seriously gag me ... if 1996 didnt mean more to the yankees than this I'll give out free beer to all of fenway... and theres a real fiscal burden.

[pawsoxpop]

Well, they celebrated on our field, but we still have a chance to celebrate on their field -- unless (hopefully) the Halos celebrate there first. For now, let's just take care of business in Chi. Go RED Sox!

[Devine]

To the Yankees fans that post here, I don't mind the ranting and alternate point of view, just remember there's going to be Sox bias if you come here (I sure as shit don't visit Yankee forums/blogs/whatever) and most of it is in good fun.

I am SO not ready for tomorrow. I'm going to be at work the entire time the game is on and that means painful Gameday-watching and constant ribbing from co-workers if Red yields to White. I hope Clement wins, but he's certainly not the Sox pitcher most of my hopes are riding on...

On the other hand, Contreras sucks against us historically as both a White Sox and a Yankee, so live in hope.