Messrs. October

Al:
Now that was wicked!

 

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Doug:
A controlled, convincing and systematic shutout.

 

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Mike:
Dominant.

 

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Doug:
It's like the Red Sox gathahed up all the collective fan angst, pessimism, and apprehension from the All Star Break until the final game of the season, then released it last night into one big "Told you so, bitches!"

 

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Al:
The offense was solid. The defense sublime. And the pitching, ah, the pitching was a whole othah thing altogethah.

 

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Mike:
I like the way Bob Ryan put what Beckett did into historical perspective:

It was either the best postseason pitching performance since Luis Tiant in '75, Jim Lonborg in '67, Boo Ferriss in '46, or perhaps even Babe Ruth in either - take your pick - 1918 (six-hit shutout in Game 1) or 1916 (the 14-inning, 2-1 conquest of the Dodgers).

 

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Doug:
All I know is that if anyone sends me an email today it bettah have "Red Sox" in the subject line, because everything else is being filtahed into a foldah labeled "I don't give a shit."

 

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Mike:
Seriously. The only reason any of us are even at work today is to join into the communal warm and fuzzy.

 

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Comments

[Youk Rules]

One notch in the belt. Winning the first game is huge.

Huge like Papi.

[stratomaticboy]

I was cheating and sitting in the Angels wives/family section last night as my real seat was behind a pole! Those Angel supporters had not the SLIGHTEST thing to cheer about after the player intros!! btw--news flash, ball players seem to get hot women! Silicon valley indeed!

[Aaron]

Fun fact: Josh Beckett made less money this season than Gil Meche.

Even though he's signed for two more seasons, maybe Theo might want to think about signing him to an extension this winter. The last thing we want is for him to ever hit the open market.

[Harwich Rich]

,,,and lock up Mike Lowell while he's at it.

[Scott]

Not a bad job by the Sox against a light hitting club. One down 2 to go for this series. I try not to get too excited over a win or down about a loss. After all it's just the ALDS.

How much longer will Nancy be allowed to do nothing before he is benched?

How bout Francis & Company holding the highest scoring team to only two hits in Philly?

[Billy Mahty]

Er, silicone?

[vermonter]

Warm, fuzzy, content. This Prozac moment brought to you by Josh Beckett.

[Billy Mahty]

Scott, the Yanks were shut out in Philly last night? Wha?! Oh, you mean the highest scoring NL team. (The Yanks scored almost 10% more runs than the second-ranked Phillies this season.)

[Scott]

ha ha Bill. Yes believe it or not there is another league playing right now. I actually watched more NL baseball yesterday than AL.

BTW the Rockies swept your team from the Bronx quite convincingly this season.

[Aaron]

,,,and lock up Mike Lowell while he's at it.

Amen to that. Lowell's presence is the biggest reason I discounted all that "A-Fraud to opt out of Yankees deal, sign with Sox" talk earlier this year. Assuming Slappy is really crazy enough to switch sides in the most bitter rivalry in North American professional sports, his arrival here would mean that he'd either have to switch back to the more physically demanding position of shortstop at this late stage of his career, or...we'd have to let Lowell go.

Frak that.

[Jeffrey]

Here's to keeping Lowell. So much fun to watch play as well.

I don't want Slappy. Why would we. Who has a direct line to Theo and crew and say let him go somewhere else.

[Billy Mahty]

True that, Scott, and outscored 13-5. I've tried to block that out of my memory.

[Bob]

I shall state silences more competently than ever a better man spangled the butterflies of vertigo.

[Harwich Rich]

absinthe again,Bob?

[Bob]

No, just Beckett.

[yazbread]

Re: Keeping Lowell. I think having a 'greybeard' on the team ranks high in the 'intangibles' category. Outstanding player, great role model for the younger players, etc. Give the guy a blank check.

[jdog71]

Anyone have a transcript of Jose Mota's inane sideline babblings? I'm convinced someone dosed him. I think I remember something along the lines of "Josh Beckett is an intense guy...when hes a purple headed garden gnome" He really needed a visit to the freak-out tent.

"Stand real close to the plate and hope he hits you." - Cal Ripken on Beckett

[Harwich Rich]

I'll have a hit of whatever Mr.Mesa's having please. LOL

[Harwich Rich]

Sorry, Mr.Mota-mybad

[NolaSox]

Bob, how about to the Angels "Go on failing. Go on. Only next time, try to fail better."

Or in re: Beckett "In the landscape of extinction, precision is next to godliness."

Since I somehow was never required to read Waiting for Godot in HS and college, thanks go to Brainyquote.com, (where you won't find any quotes from the TBS broadcast last night). Although, I did like Ripken's.

[vasoxfan]

Scott,
>>Not a bad job by the Sox against a light hitting club.
Huh?
Halo's are
6th in runs in the majors.
5th in hits in the majors.
5th in obp in the majors.
4th in avg in the majors.

So I don't think light hitting is the way i would describe them. Beckett was awesome against a pretty good hitting club.

[illegitimate son of dwight evans]

Sublime indeed last night. But Beckett can only pitch so many times. Tonight we find out what Matsuzaka, and indeed this entire club, is truly made of. Once you start putting halos on base, it's gonna take some seriously good pitching to keep them off the scoreboard enough. If Dice K can come up big, methinks it bodes well for the rest of October.

And speaking as someone firmly on the bring-back-Lowell bandwagon, isn't anyone else worried that should we bring him back and he doesn't match his ridiculous 120 RBI season that they'll complain it's money ill-spent? Personally I think not, due to aforementioned intangibles and such. But the naysayers are surely polishing their rifles.

[Kaz]

Jeffrey, why have we got to give up Lowell to get A-Rod? A-Rod used to play SS and hell, if we've had 24 guys play the position in 2 years (hyperbole), what's wrong with another one...particularly another one with 40+ HR/100+ RBI potential?

[chucks]

ARod's looking a step slower than he used to be. I'll take the whippet-slim types like Lugo @ SS and keep the relative plodders on the corners. Debating ARod vs Lowell is pointless - while from a pure talent perspective it'd be foolish to argue against ARod, there's no way that Boras would convince him to make the move to Boston. It's either stay in NY, or move west.

My "don't give a shit" folder is surprisingly light today, I suspect that most everyone in our operation is of a like mind.

[Natalie]

Not to bring down the comments board because, yes, euphoria today... but how bad is TBS? Mysteries about what the HELL Mota was saying aside, I thought nothing could be worse than Fox, but at least Fox did not come back from commercial AFTER THE FIRST OUT WAS ALREADY COMMITTED (that third inning gaffe was the most egregious- but they missed the first pitch of the inning more than once). Are you kidding me?

Oh, and if I see an ad for FrankTV one more time, I will commit hari kari. I hate DVRing live baseball, but it may come to that.

Okay, rant(s) over. Have I mentioned I am actually in a really GOOD mood today? :) Thanks, boys.

[Bob]

Anybody going tomorrow? If so, I'm gonna be at The Crossroads around 6:00.

[soxboy]

For the record, and b/c I'm pretty darn proud of it today, my youngest boy's name is Beckett. I had the foresight 3 years ago to do it. Shit, I amaze myself sometimes!

And he looks kickin' in his Beckett jersey today.

[soxdownunder]

Natalie - our household agrees: TBS is amateur hour. Mrs SDU even said 'oh God, even Buck would be better than this. At one stage they had Manny hitting Papi's home run and at another were saying 'it's a double play ball' with two outs!

LC might need to start another blog.

Nevertheless, Beckett was sublime.

[RonF]

My daughter was at the game in standing room. She told me that the crowd went berzerk when Beckett came out for the 9th.

My dad (who was watching from Indy) and I started yelling at the TV when they came back from commercial in the top of the 4th and had missed the 1st pitch for the 2nd inning in a row. WTF?

Here in Chicago Steve Stone was well received. Steve used to do the Cubs games for years, but fell afoul of plain speaking. The Cubs sucked, and there were specific players who sucked badly. Steve called a spade a spade (not in an inflammatory fashion, mind you) and the players involved didn't like it. The locals would love to have Steve Stone back on the air. Steve doesn't give you a lot of inane yap, he does the game a little dry, but that's better than a lot of the non-local announcers that try to fill the air time with "that's the 14th left-hander who uses a black bat that he's struck out on Tuesday nights with a full moon" stuff.

[NYSoxfan]

I second that comment re: TBS although Steve Stone's "Pud Galvin" reference nearly redeemed his complete lack of personality. TBS must be regretting assigning this milquetoast crew to such a series. Meanwhile, Don Orsillo is doing a solid job in the NL.

[Kaz]

Kaz is a single from the cycle.

No relation.

Unfortunately.

[Steve in MD]

/Meanwhile, Don Orsillo is doing a solid job in the NL.?

Alas, the same cannot be said for the poor Phillies - looks like 3 and done. I really, really wanted the banged up Padres to win the play-in game, because the Rocks a way to hot.

[Kaz]

You stay classy, NYC.

[shell]

Hehe, the "I don't give a sh-t" folder. Hysterical!

[IkeG]

Carlos Ortez? Is that Manny's brother?

[Bob]

Anybody else hope we'll see Marty today?

Heh.