RED SOX WIN THE WORLD SERIES

Cool, real cool. I was here to witness it in person... what if its another 86 years (2090 like the NY Daily News points out) before the Sox win it again?! That's what really gets me excited. I could really have witnessed history last night, and felt it over the past couple of weeks, and I'm sure in the coming weeks!

Read on, Dan Shaughnessy, Bob Ryan, the obligitory game story, Jackie MacMullen, Garry Brown and Ron Chimelis all with Sox stuff.

In round two, Peter Gammons and Matt Vautour. (Great job Matty V!) I had to post his entire column...

This Year

Originally writtenby mattyv424. I felt like posting my own column among the others. Since you have to pay to get it on line, I cut and pasted.

Today Carl Yastrzemski wishes he was Manny Ramirez. Jim Lonborg would give anything to trade places with Derek Lowe for a little while and everyone in baseball wishes they were the Red Sox.

For the first time in 86 years, April's promise was rewarded with October glory. Rings will be worn and a banner will be hung. Oct. 27, 2004, was the day fans have dreamed about since they were old enough to know how.

The Boston Red Sox are World Champions.
Is there a more stunning development? Considering that they looked mediocre in June and were all but dead 11 days ago after a 19-8 loss to the Yankees that put them behind 3-0 in the American League Championship Series.

This group was heading for the ranks of the forgottens, another victim of the Yankee bully that terrorized generations of Red Sox and their fans.

But instead, there will probably be a statue of Curt Schilling and a street named for David Ortiz. Everybody all the way down to David McCarty and Curtis Leskanic will be doing commercials for everything from fast food, to hardware to hair restoration.

Mark Bellhorn, who once seemed destined for the bench, now will never pay for a beer again in his life. Johnny Pesky might even have to share the name of his foul pole with him.

Has there ever been or will there ever be a champion more beloved by its city? It's hard to imagine one.

Rare is a time when the present is so obviously a critical moment in history.
Even rarer is one where so many people are united by joy.

Today will be an interesting day in New England. Old friends will call each other and laugh when nobody knows what to say. Who knows how to react? This is uncharted territory.

Cemeteries will be uncommonly busy for a Thursday as flowers and blue caps are placed at the graves of the countless devoted fans who didn't make it to today.

Strangers wearing Red Sox hats will smile at another knowing little other than that they share an inner happiness from last night's game.

This is Bobby Orr's Stanley Cup-winning goal, Adam Vinatieri's kicks and 16 Celtic banners all rolled into one and multiplied times 10. Those were great moments, but in this baseball town, they pale in comparison.

In the eighth inning Wednesday, Fox showed images of Bucky, Buckner and Boone, the Bleep Brothers, almost as if the curse's life was flashing before its eyes.

Once painful memories are now early scenes in a long drama that ended happily last night. The anguish and the heartache were worth it. Reaching the peak wouldn't be nearly as satisfying without the obstacles in the way.

There is no more 1918. That chant is dead. Five years from now school children won't even know that was a significant year.

No more wait until next year either.

Welcome to this year. It feels pretty good.

Bob Ryan from Wednesday, along with Dan Shaughnessy just so I don't miss them.

Coyne's Clippings (World Series Edition)

Too much glorious baseball, not enough time. Schilling with another unbeleiveable performance on Sunday night.

Shaughnessy recaps. And if anyone wonders years from now, why there is a little aprehension about Pedro these days,Bob Ryan points out the positives and negatives of Petey right now.

Ryan also had a great column about the best backup catcher in the business, Doug Mirabelli.

UMass grad Dan Wetzel has a cool column on the nail beating the hammer from last week. More recently, he has this article on the Harborlights Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in South Boston. It's similar to an article Dan Shaughnessy wrote late this summer, or last last summer, but good non the less.

From Monday, Shaughnessy ponders "perhaps the grandest celebration in 374 years of Hub history."

Of course that was followed up in today's (Tuesday's) Globe article that people are quietly planning a parade, which will be the nine times bigger than the Patriots celebration. WHY DOES THIS GET INTO THE PAPER????!!!! Who in their right mind wants to talk about this, although I agree it needs to be planned preliminarlry, DON'T ACTUALLY CONFRIM THE STORY TO THE NEWSPAPERS! It's as bad as last year when somehow someone got into Fenway and got a photo of the painting of the World Series logo on the field. (Why it was being done that early I have no idea, I mean the Yankees had the same turn-around time as the Sox to get that logo on their field, so why force the issue and paint it early?????!)

Coyne's Clippings (World Series Edition)

After being on the run since 8:00 a.m. to help with a Sports Illustrated photo shoot, then working on a Marketing group project (2-5 p.m.), then going to work at the Package Store (5-10 p.m.), I finally get to read today's paper's and get caught up on a few things. The photo shoot was of the men's basketball freshman and the coaching staff that focuses mostly on recruiting. Its slated to run in the SI College Basketball Preview Issue in early November. I'm sure I'll post more then... overall it was cool, but I'll write about it later.

Shaughnessy says, and I agree with him, that the "Curse" is not over and the Sox must win the World Series first. He also has this telling line...

The Yankees series was great, perhaps the greatest baseball event in our town. Ever.

That's some powerful stuff coming from someone who knows the game for 25 years here in New England. The one line people are saying that I disagree with, is that its the biggest win in Red Sox history. Wouldn't WINNING the darn thing back in 1918 be the penultimate moment? And they've won it like five times before that, so would that make the Game 7 win in 2004 like the seventh-best victory in team history? I'm awaiting confirmation from other sources before I buy this Biggest Win Ever stock.

Everyone that doesn't understand the magnitude of what's happening with the Sox in the World Series needs to read today's Bob Ryan column. It's dumbly called a "Curse Guide". Additionally B.R. STILL can't get over that they beat the Yankees.

As long as I've been in this, that fact still surprises me.

Here's a cool article from the San Francisco Chronicle by Ray Ratto. I always think its cool when a writer from somewhere outside of his home area weighs in on a local issue in another town, and CONTRIBUTES to the discussion. Not many people can do that. A favorite line is below...

The Cardinals? Please. Their fans love their team with none of the angst that Red Sox fans devote to theirs. They hold up signs that read, "Go Cardinals" in response to the signs in Fenway Park that read, "Go Sox, Or The Terrorists Win."

Here's the TV viewership which obviously was through the roof. Game 7 got a higher rating than the Patriots first Super Bowl in February, 2001, and was the highest-rated and most-watched sports since 1990.

The first showed the Sox were the first baseball team to rally from a 0-3 deficit to win a seven-game series in 26 attempts. And they were only the third team to accomplish the feat in 237 attempts involving MLB, NBA, and NHL teams.

The 1975 Islanders were one of them, along with a Pittsburgh Penguins team I think...

Globe also has a collection of pieces from all the NY papers. As well as Schilling's Top Ten list from the Late Show with David Letterman.

Stage presence - October 22, 2004

After silencing 55,000 at Yankee Stadium, Curt Schilling had one more order of business for New York; knock 'em dead on "The Late Show with David Letterman." He read the top 10 list—"Secrets to the Boston Red Sox Comeback"—last night.

10. Unlike the first three games, we didn't leave early to beat the traffic.

9. We put flu virus in Jeter's Gatorade.

8. Let's just say Pete Rose made some phone calls for us.

7. We asked Pokey Reese to be a little less pokey.

6. It's not like we haven't won a big game before—it's just been 86 years.

5. Honestly, I think we were tired of hearing about the Patriots.

4. The messages of encouragement Martha sent on prison napkins.

3. We pretended the baseball was Letterman's head.

2. What'd you expect? We have a guy who looks like Jesus!

1. We got Babe Ruth's ghost a hooker and now everything's cool.

Finally, Shaughnessy has an article about how 1986 set the standard for coming so close, but still falling short.

Coyne's Clippings (David Ortiz MVP Edition)

More to come later tonite, but here's a quick list as the Sox pull off the improbable! I've been listening to this all day.

Here's the obligatory Bob Ryan article, its great, he doesn't even know what to say...BUT I DO, THE SOX WIN!!! One of B.R.'s better pieces of the year.

Old friend Gary Brown from the Springfield Republican has one, and here's Shaughnessy, but I didn't think it was that good.

Jackie MacMullen has a pretty good piece, still looking at the remarkable performance of Curt Schilling who gives a whole new meaning to the term, "Red Sox" with his bloodied ankle. In a related piece, the Globe tracked down some local doctors to try and explain to us minions what actully occured with Schilling's ankle. People like my rommie POS and K.C. will probably find it a lot more interesting than me, but give it a try.

And if your still looking for more, check out the Boston Sports Media Watch website from October 21st which has ALL the clipping from everywhere that matters. They also have a section of all the articles that counted the Sox OUT including the line that was written. For example, last Sunday, Oct. 17 Bob Ryan wrote:


So now the Sox are down, 3-0, and it's over, and everyone knows it, even the resilient Boston players who have never said die all season, and aren't about to start now. Give them credit for that, because there isn't much else to praise them for.


You can hang your bruised and battered Boston cap on the fact this series would be different if Curt Schilling was healthy.


You'd be wrong.


How could anyone have underestimated a lineup that features Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, and Hideki Matsui all in a row?


BUT THEY WERE ALL WRONG WE'RE THEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Coyne's Clippings (David Ortiz Edition)

Still going with the David Ortiz lede (newspaper lingo) even though he was mortal in last night's Game Six. It really is unbeleivable that the Sox have come back to force a Game Seven. You really gotta like their chances tonite, of course we go through the Wakefield-on-the-mound scenario again. Hopefully he doens't get the loss, and hopefully its a close game. Today its finally starting to sink in that the Sox could win this series.

C.H.B. has this in his second paragraph of the front-page Globe story...


That was just a few long days, sleepless nights, and extra innings ago. But now the 2004 Boston Red Sox -- the wildest of wild-card entries -- are just one victory from hardball heaven and the greatest baseball comeback story ever told.

In the history of Major League Baseball, the NBA, and the NHL, 230 teams have fallen behind, 3-0, in a best-of-seven series, and only two hockey teams -- the '42 Maple Leafs and '75 Islanders -- have come back and won.

Robert Ryan actually wonders if the Sox should bring in Schilling tonite for an inning or two to close it out.

Here's an article with people still talking about Game Five Monday night. It is indeed a game of inch as I heard them say on the radio last night. Not a game of inches. That ground-rule double by Tony Clark would have been more if it hadn't gone into the stands. An inch lower off the bounce and it would have hit the wall and caromed around allowing Ruben Sierra to score from first.

And can we talk about Varitek and (gulp) Posada. Those guys have caught every inning of every game in the series. That at a total of 60 innings in the eight days (Tuesday to Tuesday), while Posada has played all 62. Crazy!

Steve Buckley's article focuses on the THEO-logy of Theo and how he keeps a low profile. Of course here at the New England Times, we love that attitude.

And how about the ratings, they're equal to the Patriots SuperBowl games. Imagine if the Sox were in the World Series? Better yet, a deciding game of the World Series. Jim Capel of ESPN has a culinination article, while Bill Simmons as expected, can hardly contain himself. He also brings up this good point from last night...

If the Yankees are down by two runs in the ninth inning, and somebody walks -- like Matsui did in Game 6 -- apparently it's as good as a home run. That's how Tim McCarver explained it last night.

And how about the fact tonite's loss could be the WORST loss in the history of New York Yankees Baseball. That's 104 years of play spanning 16,000 games. Like the Mariners and Rangers before him, its the Curse of A-Rod!

And the off-beat article of the day goes to this one on Pabst Blue Ribbon which is apparently making a comeback in popularity... I have to confirmation of this, but will keep an eye on it.

Coyne's Clippings (David Ortiz Edition)

Finally we get to today... I have to note, the Sox have played 26 inning over the past two games, the equivalent of almost three games, in order to get back to the Bronx. It's like they had to win three games, just to get back force a 3-3 tie in the series. Like their Saturday night slaying was worth two losses.
Jackie MacMullan with a great piece on Tim Wakefield, a must read. C.H.B. checks in off the front page of the Globe, while B.R. doesn't know where to begin in this epic.

It was one of the most amazing postseason baseball games played in this generation, possibly ever. says Ron Chimelis. Shaughnessy also had a line like this, but I lost it.

And the Charlotte Observer has an off beat piece on how playing basketball for North Carolina is like being in jail... a little offbase if you ask me, but what ever.

PS - I had a lot more written, but the dumb computer froze on me... Carlos Beltran is the hottest hitter on the planet, and everyone that was off the Sox bandwagon is back on. This was a cool piece on the way to celebrate a walk off homerun in a game which the Sox have trademarked by the flipping of the helmet after rounding third.

But wait there's more, Boston Halfway To Miracle says a New York paper's article penned by Ian O'Connor, while Bill Simmons can't believe what's happening.

Coyne's Clippings (David Ortiz Edition)

Then we have Monday's stuff. I'll admit it, I fell asleep in the sixth or seventh inning. Saturday night was long with a party up in Boston that went REAL late (3 am), and then I had to get up early and help a friend move (7am). I was falling asleep at lunch during the Patriots game at 3:00 p.m. and just needed to go to bed. Needless to say I was pleasantly suprised to see what happened Monday morning.

C.H.B. (I need to go back to referring to Shaughnessy as this, it stands for 'Curly Haired Boyfriend' which Carl Everett called him back in 2000 or 2001. So now everyone knows where I'm coming from.) calls Ortiz's 12th-inning homerun on par with Carlton Fisk's ding-dong back in 1975. Bob Ryan (B.R.) says the Sox have spunk!

He also has an article on the potential final appearance of Pedro in a Sox uniform.

Coyne's Clippings (David Ortiz Edition)

Too much phenominal baseball, not enough hours to digest it all... but we'll try, beginning with Sunday's stuff...

We start with Jim Donaldson's article which absolutely tears the Red Sox apart. It's the most vicious article written about something since Dan Shaughnessy's column on Jose Offerman back on May 26, 2002. (If that date sounds familar, it was UMass graduation day!)

And Bob Ryan talks about its usually better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all... but that there was NOTHINIG good about Saturday night debable. Shaughnessy throws in the towel on the Sox as well, as did I, and everyone I talked with except Jim Wrobel.

Coyne's Clippings

New York Daily News with a cool piece on the state of Red Sox Nation. I think the best line, found below, is something I've been thinking, not many people are talking about it. This afternoon on WEEI they had a Dominican Montage where random voiceovers were intersperced with Pedro's quote about sitting under a mango tree, and Shaughnessy touches on it in his column today. Personally, I think it's the most bizarre thing Pedro has said since he's been in Boston. Here's a snippet from the Daily News...

It gets worse - around here, it always does. Millions of mouths dropped simultaneously late Wednesday night, when Pedro reflected in a strange glow of those "Who's your Daddy?" chants at the Stadium. The more he spoke about mango trees and grabbing the attention of all of New York, the more he sounded as if he were auditioning for a role with Steinbrenner, Inc. At least that's the lasting impression for a Nation raised to expect the worst.

Followed by what Shaughnessy wrote...

Meanwhile, Pedro's bizarre behavior continues. There's the hair, the "daddy" quote, the 28-inch mascot pal, and the strange midnight confession after Game 2 when he talked about sitting under the mango tree and threw his teammates under the bus ("I can't do anything if we don't score runs") even when he didn't have enough money for the bus.

And here's an interesting article from the Jacksonville (Fla.) Times Union about the state of our society that condems vile acts of prostitution more heavilly than the abuse of alochol. The link is now active.

Coyne's Clippings

Just one comment on Games 1 and 2, its a best of seven series, not a best of three. So you go out there, you can only win one game Friday night. That's all you can do right now, so focus on it, and only it.

Bob Ryan has an article that's its always something with the Sox, and its never easy. Dan Wetzel has this recap, which includes this bizarre exchange...

When asked about the "Who's your daddy?" – reference to a previous bizarre Martinez answer – Pedro smiled.

"You know what, it actually made me feel really, really good," Martinez said.

There was laughter.

"I don't know why you guys laugh," he said. "I actually realized I was somebody important because I caught the attention of 60,000 people, plus you guys, plus the whole world watching a guy that if you reverse time back 15 years ago, I was sitting under a mango tree without 50 cents to actually pay for a bus.

"And today I was the center of attention of the whole city of New York. … Even if tomorrow they are going to say, Pedro lost,' Pedro won. I had an opportunity to show everybody that I believe in God."

And the Boston Globe has an excerpt from the book, "The Rivals" by the baseball writers of the Boston Globe and New York Times, published by St. Martin's Press. Dan Shaughnessy has the byline, but I'm sure he's one of a host of contributors. This line seems to be taking on a life of its own everywhere these days, yet no one knows who came up with it...

I'm not sure who first said it, but the "rivalry" between the Yankees and the Red Sox could best be likened to the eternal contest between the hammer and the nail.

GO PROVIDENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL!

Coyne's Clippings (October Baseball Edition)

Well here we are, Red Sox-Yankees, Game 1 of the ALCS. You know who ever wins the series won't be able to top the impending drama in the World Series. THIS is it as far as I'm concerned. Won't it be interesting to see what happens if the Sox beat the Yankees, and then lose in the World Series. What then? I mean you have to regroup for next year, but you certainly can't reload, the Sox are already stacked! That's why the best part is what 99% of us are doing, just sit back, and watch it unfold.

Jackie MacMullen has an interesting piece about using reverse psychology, while Gordon Edes has a great article on how the series has come full circle since last year. Both beginning and ending with Rivera.

Bob Ryan has some Torre stuff, calls this Game 8 of the series, not Game 1, and points out the Yankees has 14 new players on the roster from last season, while the Sox changed over 11 faces.

Couple of friends found the weekend activities at the Federal Hill Columbus Day Festivities to be quite entertaining.

Onto the readings! Over the weekend Shaughnessy tells us we got what we wanted, which I agree with. While it doesn't matter to me if the Sox had played the Yankees or not to get to the World Series, its certainly more appropiate. Also the following quote below, which while I have no idea if this is correct or not, (Super Bowl coverage?) he has a little more perspective than me.

The tonnage of coverage generated by another Boston-New York Trojan War will exceed that of any sports story of this century.

And somehow, PB finds his way into Fenway for Friday nights' classic contest (so did Adam V for the record). What was I doing? At a wedding (where I should have been) checking on the score every 10 minutes or so, but missing what Shaughnessy called one of the most electrifying moments in the history of a ballpark that's almost older than household electricity.

From the killing-two-birds-with-one-stone department, he's a little snippet from the New Yorker on why not to vote for W, (he takes pleasure in violence). And how great was Robin Ventura who announced his retirement following Sunday's season-ending loss to the Cardinals. I'll always remember him as MLB's active-leader in grand slams. Moonshot Manny now takes over that role I think with 17 career grannies. On a side note, has anyone heard this Moonshot Manny song that floating around out there?

In answer to a question from the audience, Bush alluded, with a low chuckle, to what I’d heard from friends in Texas was his favorite Nolan Ryan moment—on August 4, 1993. Ryan, on the mound at Arlington Stadium, with Bush not far away, in the owner’s box, struck Robin Ventura, of the Chicago White Sox, with a pitch. Ventura lost his temper and charged the mound. Ryan, who was then forty-six years old, twenty years Ventura’s senior, caught Ventura in a headlock and delivered six blows to his head and face, from a distance of about six inches, really whaling the shit out of him. The scene quickly became a canonical bit of sports video.

And for the record, you can write off UMass football (2-4, 0-3 Atlantic 10) for the year. A bad loss at James Madison, their fourth straight, has turned the Minutemen into an upset team. Screw the others! Onto college basketball which starts up this weekend! Midnight Madness across the country at the stroke of midnight on Oct. 15!

Coyne's Clippings (October Baseball Edition)

You say Sox fans should refrain from offending their potential second-round opponents with a childish and vile two-word taunt that has been known to interrupt rock concerts, the Patriots' Super Bowl rallies, and wedding receptions across Red Sox Nation. Sox fans should keep their eyes on the halos at hand.

I say knock yourself out with those chants. This is no time for dignity or decorum.

Dan Shaughnessy has gone overboard. I know its not possible, but he's done it, with a 'you say to-MA-toe, I say to-MAH-toe' column... let's call the whole thing off.

Coyne's Clippings (October Baseball Edition)

Just catching up on yesterday's games, while wondering if Red Sox reliever Mike Myers will be pitching in Game 6 of the World Series. That would also be Saturday night, October 30th, Halloween.

Jackie MacMullen has this great quote from C.T. Nixon, while Shaughnessy checks in on the resurgance of Pedro.

"When you got a guy hanging over the cliff holding on with one hand, you don't want him to get his other hand up there," Nixon explained. "You want to go ahead and stomp on it." - Trot Nixon after beating the Angels Wednesday night to go up 2-0.

And B.R. checks in from NY with including this great quote.

"About three or four times in the game I said, `What am I doing this for?' " said Joe Torre. "Why don't I retire? It's grueling. But what makes it worthwhile is watching these players never give up. Both teams. It was certainly one of the memorable games. We had one in Game 7 against the Red Sox last year. But this may even have been better, more of a dramatic game, because it went back and forth, back and forth."

Coyne's Clippings (October Baseball Edition)

BR checks in from NYC with an interesting article on Brad Radke, tonights Game Two starter for the Twinkies.

Also, "I looked up my family tree and found three dogs using it." a little shout out to Rodney Dangerfield in this sports mail bag. Caddyshack was the best!

From the other day, Bill Simmons has a cool column about Red Sox nation and the current state of it. Note, he now lives in L.A., but the opening paragraph sums up a bit about the Boston state during the year. While I never take it for granted, its always good to be reinforced why this area is great for baseball.

You can only feel so involved in a pennant race when you're 3,000 miles away.

Here in Southern California, some Sox fans frequent Sonny McLean's, a neighborhood bar in Santa Monica that shows every Boston game. It's the kind of place that makes you feel like you're home again, if only for a few hours. Almost like one of those "Total Recall" experiences that Quade had. Maybe I don't stop by Sonny's that often, but I like knowing it's there. You never know when you might need a Boston fix.

The air is lighter and so is the mood in New England when the Sox are in the hunt. Then again, there's a difference between being in a Boston bar in September and actually being in Boston. During the tail end of a pennant race, there's an extra surge of energy, a sense of purpose, a common ground. The weather makes you feel like you closed your eyes, spun around a few times and landed in San Diego. The city crawls with college kids and grad students, all of them hoping to make their mark. The girls look better than ever, squeezing those last few weeks out of their summer outfits and tans. On Saturdays, with everyone savoring those last few gorgeous days outdoors, it seems like 20 million people are crammed downtown.

The Red Sox dominate everything. You can't walk 10 feet without seeing a Sox hat, can't step into a bar without seeing baseball players on a TV, can't have a conversation without the topic turning towards the team. The collective mood of the city ebbs and flows with the fortunes of the team, like an oversized college campus, everyone riding the same daily roller coaster. When the Yankees come to town, you can feel it. It's like an invasion. The Yankees are coming.

Sure, you can follow the Sox on the West Coast. You just miss the little things. Walking into a bar and knowing that there's a 100 percent chance the game is showing. Seeing Sox hats and jerseys no matter where you are (Store 24, Dunkin' Donuts, Citizen's Bank, wherever). Loitering outside Fenway before game time, sipping on a beer and watching hordes of diehards happily filing through the turnstiles. Singing the "Bah-da-dah!" part of "Sweet Caroline," along with 35,000 other fans, as the Fenway P.A. system blasts the song between innings. You can't get these things from DirecTV and message boards. You just can't.

Finally, a post I've been trying to make for a couple of days. Last Saturday BR had a quality Baseball thoughts, while wondering just exactly when Roger Clemens will enter the "twilight of his career" article. LONG LIVE BOB RYAN! He's the best.

Coyne's Clippings

Shaughnessy - Red Sox enter playoffs with seasoned performers C.H.B. with a recap of the Sox season-to-date.

And Bob Ryan with a list of bullet points, all baseball related from Saturday's paper. I don't get this one though...

You know what would be cool? Should the Yankees show up here for the ALCS, why not give Bernie Williams a standing O the first time he comes to the plate? If you have to ask why, you wouldn't understand, anyway.

I mean Bernie has been a good player. He's getting at the end of his career, and seems to be a class act. But with around 2100 career hits including just 263 homeruns and a .301 lifetime batting average, its not like he's a Hall of Fame candidate or anything... He does hold a couple of post season records, hits, HRs and RBI I think, but the Yankees have also played a million post season games... so I don't understand. Jeter would be another story... Click here for Bernie Williams' career stats.

Coyne's Clippings

Expos' demise a debacle in any language - BR pines for Les Expoes. May they rest in peace.