Not news, really, but worth savoring

Al:
Well, the news that the Red Sox are officially postseason contendahs would typically vie for least unexpected news of the day, but it's beat soundly in the unsurprising category by Clay "Hey I'm Gay!" Aiken.

 

---

Doug:
5 playoff appearances in 6 years. Sweet.

 

---

Mike:
Yeah, and this team is owed a real pat on the back for overcoming a lot of obstacles: injuries to Schilling, Mike Lowell, J.D. Drew and David Ortiz.

 

---

Doug:
The demise of implosion of Clay Buchholz.

 

---

Al:
And last but not least, Manny Being Ass-holey.

 

---

Mike:
Seriously. They've done a heckuva job, Brownie.

 

---

Al:
So 3 games back with 5 to go and a tie goes to Tampa Bay — Time to rest the stahtahs and play out the string?

 

---

Mike:
Oh, absolutely.

 

---

Doug:
Let the Angels prepare to face their destiny — a black and white dreary world as imagined by Wim Wenders.

 

---

Comments

[Bob]

Nice red shirt, H.B.. Thanks.

Yeah, I think the Sox play to set up their rotation and rest injured players.

An example of that will be most obvious when Mussna starts against us. He's going for 20 wins (for the first time). We'll probably throw Jerry Mathers as the Beaver out on the mound.

[vasoxfan]

We are keeping the trapeze artist hostage. But damn h.b. are you a peter falk fan? How did you end up seeing that flick?

[NolaSox]

Go Sox!

This will always get my hackles up "They've done a heckuva job, Brownie"

BTW - it's Wim not Win. One of my all time favorite movies. Als das Kind, Kind war...I'll be digging out the soundtrack later, thanks.

[Colin]

The baseball gods along with Ditka (though unrelated to MLB) are pleased.

Mahts, Jason O, and BigBri tee up at the local 18-hole early in da Bronx as the Sox head on to the promised land of playoffs. Rest up and watch for those Rays and Angels. They're tricky bastards and you better have your A game against them.

[Billy Mahty]

Congrats folks.

[Yossarian]

//We'll probably throw Jerry Mathers as the Beaver out on the mound.//

Yes, but unlike Ward, we probably don't have to worry about Jeter and A-Rod being too hard on the Beaver, now do we?

[Jason O.]

Hey Colin,

Vanderbilt's football team is ranked in the top #25.

Fucking ranked, baby.

I'm a huge Yankees fan, but I would trade the Red Sox winning the next 5 WS in exchange for Vandy winning the SEC east in 2008.

And congrats on the playoffs.

[RationalSoxFan]

Enjoyed the celebration - lucky to be there. Papelbon handed second base to a guy right in front of me! Fun night!

Fitting that the Sox elimate the Yankees (finally).

[Colin]

Jason,
Didn't expect a Vandy fan to be here. I'll certainly make that trade. Red Sox can win 5 WS rings and Vanderbilt can have the SEC. I see no problem with that whatsoever.

See what happens when common ground can be created? :)

[scott12xu]

in the unsurprising category by Clay "Hey I'm Gay!" Aiken
...or that Lindsay Lohan finally confessed she's dating a woman (lucky her).

[Genghis Ortiz]

Great job by the Sox and well put. In the Gorman/Duquette days this team would have mailed in the rest of the season...July 25th?

It's gotta be Pedroia's team. He must be the driving force. Combination of Millar's antics and Rem-dog stability?

Angels will be tough to beat. But they're still named 'the Angels'. Fags.

[louclinton]

ok, now the fun begins.

lc

[da kine]

I bought a rally monkey and sacrificed it to Asmodey, the evil god of sabermetrics. If I did the spell correctly, Lowrie and Bay should hit .423 and .416 throughout the playoffs, respectively.

[COD]

Hank Steinbrenner is whining about the divisional system being unfair... Funny how it wasn't unfair for the last 12 years.

[COD]

Hank Steinbrenner is whining about the divisional system being unfair... Funny how it wasn't unfair for the last 12 years.

[Colin]

Fat Fuck Hanky can take a meatball sub and cram it down his throat, the mozzarella cheese so thick it clogs his throat and he croaks. Even MFY fans rejoice as he can never blab on about how he's not getting his way ever again. What an unappreciative prick and shame on the FO for not including Torre in their little tribute. That man only brought them a few rings but fuck him now right?

[paddy24]

You guys are a real riot today. OK, right. Congratulations for getting beat by three games (currently) by the Rays. Most of their team is comprised of Red Sox rejects like Hinske, Bradford and Pena and they don't have stars like Lowell, Dice-K, Papelbon, Pedroia, Beckett, Drew, Bay, Manny, Papi, Youk - but if you guys want to congratulate Francona, go ahead. Maddon schooled Francona this year. Coco has already shut it down. He missed three balls last night, two of which he didn't bother diving for. Can the batting coach please fix that horrid hitch in Kotsay's swing? I suppose anything's possible, now that we got the gift wildcard spot. Finishing second is never anything to aspire to.

[Colin]

Ah paddy...you seem like the fan who desperately wants the AL East pennant. Well while Maddon outcoached Francona, I don't think Francona wants to go apeshit for the East. The Sox team has never felt like that. They want the playoffs, not the pennant. They're in it for the series, not for your pennant. I do not give a shit whether they end up first or second, because what mattered is that they got in the playoffs. That is what should matter. No sense hurting any more guys to get a stupid pennant. Let Tampa have their moment in the sun. I mean, would we Sox fans not be calling the kettle black thinking that a team everyone writes off as losers (as NY fans did with us) has no right to win?

[h.i.soxfan]

release the call-ups!

[Kaz]

Paddy's right! The Rays didn't have stars like Lowell, Dice-K, Drew, Bay, Manny, and Papi!

Hell, the Red Sox didn't even have any of those guys for major chunks of the season this year!

[Scott]

Loving the fact that the Skanks are eliminated. AL East pennant or not. Got to beat the Angels at some point in the playoffs. Might as well get them out of the way first. Question is does the shorter series help or hurt the Red Sox?

[PApesky]

It only took a few pages of Lehane's new novel- The Given Day, to remind me that the WS of 1918 was the Boys and the Cubs.
This and 24 hours in a day and 24 beers in a case...all coincidence or what? Wrigley and Fenway...bring it on!

[Son of Hamulack]

Paddy... last I checked, you don't get a penant for winning the division... you get a hat that's less lame.

[Steve in MD]

Joe Maddon outcoached Tito? Give me a break. Manny would have run Maddon out of town. And the guy's a hack. Having your middle infielders using a knee to block the bag against head first slides, with clear intent to dissuade or injure? Then having a pitcher throw at the guy after he rightly retaliates? Having a player lay down a bunt when the pitcher is throwing a perfect game? He is only succeeding because his team is stocked with #1 draft choices who aren't arbitration eligible. While the TB FO may have built the team the "right way", Maddon doesn't manage the "right way" and it will catch up with him soon.

[paddy24]

In spite of the injuries, Francona's roster all year has been vastly superior to Maddon's. Most of the Rays could not start for the Red Sox. The only ones that might start if they were on the Red Sox are Longoria, Crawford (when healthy) and Navarro.

[kjc]

Great strip h.b. But how can you tick off the litany of the walking wounded and not mention Julio "4-6-3" Lugo, aka Julio "I'm still the shortstop, remember me?" Lugo.

Is he still on the team?

When the hell are the Rays gonna fold?