Looking back

I just graduated college this morning, so I'll have a lot more time to post on this site (as if I don't do that enough...). My four years in Amherst have been among the greatest in Red Sox baseball history. This'll probably be a ridiculously long look back. Feel free to skim it or skip it or buckle up and enjoy the ride.

I forget exactly when I first arrived at UMass. Sometime in late August of 2003. In the regular season from September of 2003 to the present, the Sox went 328-233. In that time, they qualified for the playoffs three years in a row (the only time other time in Sox history they had back-to-back post season appearances was 1915-1916). They went 17-12 in 6 post season series. And, after generations of heartbreak, they finally won a World Championship.

Regardless of how 2003 ended, that was such an awesome roller coaster ride. The Sox were all but eliminated in the LDS against the A's. In a tie game with the A's up two games to none, Eric Byrnes tried to score the series winning run, but Varitek blocked the plate by putting his leg on top of it and actually kicking Byrnes' foot up. Simultaniously, the ball soared past Varitek. Rather than touching home plate to score what would have been the winning run, Byrnes went and pushed Varitek and then headed back to the dugout. Jason picked up the ball and tagged him out, setting up Trot Nixon's game winning, pinch hit walk off homer in extra innings. The next day, the legend of David Ortiz was born. With the Sox down by 1in the 8th and closer Keith Foulke pitching for the A's, Ortiz smacked a game winning 2 run double to send the series back to Oakland. Game five, in the bottom of the ninth, starter Derek Lowe was brought in to relieve Sox closer Scott Williamson who was wild. Long story short: bases loaded, 2 outs, Sox up by one. 3-2 count to pinch hitter Terrance Long. Lowe throws a fastball that catches the inside corner. Long jumps back as if it was about to hit him. The home plate umpire (rightfully) rings Long up in the gutsiest call I've ever seen made (I wouldn't expect that to go against a home team in an elimination game...).

The 2003 ALCS with the New York Yankees was among the best I've ever seen played. The teams split the first two, setting up a game three to die for: Roger Clemens vs. Pedro Martinez. Pedro hit Karem Garcia (SUCKS!) up by the head, and threatened to do the same to Jorge Posada if Posada didn't shut up and get back into the dugout. Clemens threw a high pitch over the plate, no wear near Manny, but Rameriz took offense. Clemens told him to bring it, and Manny did. The benches cleared and the stupid Gerbil Don Zimmer charged Pedro, trying to punch Martinez in the head. Pedro grabbed the Gerbil by the neck and tossed him harmlessly to the ground. Later on, a grounds crew worker who was stationed in the Yankees bullpen was cheering waving a towel for the Sox. Yankee reliever Jeff Nelson (SUCKS!) took exception and attacked the guy. Karem Garcia (SUCKS!) jumped into the bullpen from right field and also started pounding the guy. New York Mayor Michael Bloomburg (the traitor from Medford, MA) called Boston a lawless city. Boston Mayor Tom Menino called the entire Yankee organization a bunch of Thugs and vowed do everything in his power to have Garcia and Nelson serve time. The game left a really bad taste in everyone's mouth, especially mine since the Yankees won.

The teams split games 4 and 5 to bring the Series back to Yankee Stadium. In the 7th inning with Sox down 6-4 in the game and 3-2 in the Series, the team rallied and scored 3 runs to go ahead and send the series to game 7: Pedro vs Clemens. Roger got rocked. Little stuck with Pedro and the Yankees tied the game. In the 11th inning Tim Wakefield (who would have been the MVP...) threw only one pitch. It was hit into the left field stands by the least likely of heroes, Aaron Boone as the Yankees won their 39th pennant. As a side note, Ortiz's homer in the 8th to put the Sox up 5-2 and silence the crowd was among the most clutch he's hit. I know now it counts for nothing, but at the time it was huge and I was and still am extremely thankful. No one talks about that one now, but still, that's the most clutch homer I've ever seen.

2004: Epstein traded away Nomar Garciapara, the face of the franchise, for Doug Mientkiewitczfjdsals and Orlando Cabrera, while also acquiring Dave Roberts. The team never looked back, going on a hot streak in the middle of August and in the LDS steam rolled the Angels. Ortiz hit his first walk off of the postseason in game 3, over the Monster in extra innings to finish the sweep and set up a rematch with New York. In game 1, Schilling had nothing and got lit up. The Red Sox encouraged me with a late comeback. After being down 8-0 going into the seventh, Bill Mueller came up as the tying run in the ninth, but Rivera got him to ground out into the game ending double play. Pedro Martinez, fresh off of his "Call the Yankees my Daddy" statement, pitch an amazing game two. Probably one of the best pitched playoff games I've seen, but he got no run support and the Sox were down 0-2. Game 3 was a blood bath. The Yankees won 19-8, prompting one of my best friends, Luke Miller, to say "John, I don't think the Red Sox are going to win this series." Also, I lived next to two girls from New York, and they played that stupid Frank Sinatra song on repeat until four in the morning. Next day, Kevin Millar came out and said to the press "Tell the Yankees they better beat us today. Otherwise, we have Pedro going game five, Schilling in game 6 and in game 7....well, anything can happen in game 7."

Bottom of the ninth, Sox down 4-3. Rivera walks Millar to start the inning. Dave Roberts pinch runs for him, and everyone on the planet knows he's running. Rivera throws over three or four times, but can't pick him off. First pitch Rivera throws to Bill Mueller, Roberts steals second. Why they don't pitch out is beyond. Fools. Mueller singles up the middle past Rivera, who did his best NHL goalie impression, trying to make the kick save. Roberts scores to tie the game. My glasses break in the ensuing celebration. I watch the next few innings holding the glass to my eyes to see. Then I find a pair of prescription sun glasses and Ortiz sends everyone home happy with a walk off homer in the 12. I don't bother to fix the glasses. For the rest of the post season, I wore sun glasses 24-7.

Game 5 was more of the same. Sox down one, Millar walks to lead off an inning. Roberts pinch runs for him and scores the game tying run as Varitek gets a sac fly against Rivera. Game goes to extras. Wakefield, who would have started game 7, volunteers to pitch. Varitek, can't catch him at all. In one of the innings, Varitek had three past balls, yet the Yankees didn't score a single run. That has to be a record. Three past balls in an inning without a run scoring. In the 13th, Ortiz came up with runners on first and second and hit a single to center, scoring Damon to win the game.

Game 6, Schilling had some crazy procedure done and pitched magnificantly. Mark Bellhorn hit a huge homer. A fan dropped it back onto the playing field, and the umpire originally said it was still in play. Francona argued, the crew huddled together and rightfully awarded Bellhorn a homer. A-Rod tried to cheat later, mugging Bronson Arroyo. Originally, Jeter scored to make it 4-3 and A-Rod was on second. Francona again argued, and again the umpires met, and again overturned the call. Fans started throwing things onto the field, so riot police had to line up alone either foul line, but the Sox tied the series.

Game 7 was so anti climatic. Boston beat the crap out of New York. There's no other way to put it. Kevin Brown started and had nothing. He left with the bases loaded and no one out in the second down 2-0. Johnny Damon hit the first pitch he saw from the reliever over the right field wall and the rest is history. I went over and knocked on the girls' room next to me and asked why they hadn't played "New York, New York" in such a long time. They slammed the door on my face. It was glorious.

The World Series was also glorious. Derek Lowe reminded me a lot of Drew Bledsoe in 2001. Francona took him out of the rotation before the post season, but Lowe stayed sharpe and won all three clinching games when the team needed him most. After Boston went up 2-0, some morons started cheering for the Cardinals to win 2 of three in St. Louis so the Sox could clinch at home. Fools. Every world series they Sox ever lost went 7 games (including '86, when the Sox had a 2-0 lead over the Mets.). If they had lost 1 game, talk of the Curse would come back, and the team would have choked.

Well, this post is probably long enough. I'm just pumped to know that while I was an undergrad, I got to see some of the Best Red Sox Baseball in history.