Game 4

I thought for a few minutes what to title this post. The above is the only thing I could come up with.

World Championship caliber baseball teams do not allow 7 runs in one inning. It might happen once, as a fluke, in the regular season. But to happen in the post season is disgusting. Again, perhaps we could write it off as a fluke, until it happens twice...in the same series.

I sent my friend Luke a text message after the Indians fifth. "I don't think the Red Sox are going to the World Series..." I stand by that statement.

It's quite unfortunate. Aside from those two half innings, the top of the 11th in game 2 and the bottom of the 5th in game 4, the Red Sox have played excellent. I really don't think Cleveland is that good. That could be jealousy, it could be being a sore loser, it could be whatever you wanna call it. It doesn't matter. They're not. I just can't understand how the Red Sox could melt down twice in the same series like this. I don't know.

One thing I'll say for Cleveland: I think they love and care about each other. You can tell every time they score a run or win a game just by the way they celebrate. The Red Sox celebrate in a way I would celebrate getting a problem correct with other graduate students. In a very professional and business like manner. No big deal. We did our job. Kind of the feeling I got from the Yankees from 1996 till now. Cleveland celebrates like a family would a wedding or a birth or something. Perhaps this is an X factor or whatever. Something I think Cleveland shares with the 2004 Red Sox. I don't know. It's just something I've noticed.

The last two Red Sox teams to win the American League Pennant were 1986 and 2004. In both those series, the Sox trailed 3-1. In both those series, the Red Sox were also losing game 5 in the 8th inning. Perhaps this is just the only way for the Red Sox to win a pennant. I'm pretty sure either '85 or '86 was the first year of the best of seven LCS, so we can't compare to the 1975, '67, '46, '18, '16, '15, '12, '04, and '03 teams.

At any rate, I still take Beckett over anyone. Hopefully the Red Sox win game 5. Then they're better off than the 2004 team. '04 had to win two in a row at Yankee Stadium after game 5. If the 2007 version can live to see Friday Morning, games 6 and 7 are at Fenway Park.

Beckett, Schilling, Matsuzaka. Those are the three you would have wanted in control of your destiny before the season. The 2004 version had Pedro (2004 Pedro, not automatic win Pedro from '97-2002ish), Schilling (pitching with that sutured ankle or whatever...) and cast away Derek Lowe. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.