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Hey, things happen...

Email|Link Posted by Bob Ryan, Globe Staff October 29, 2007 01:54 PM

On deadline. I screwed up and about 70 kazillion sharp-eyed readers picked up on it.

In my post-game column on Sunday night, I said that the American League has now had four sweeps in the past nine years.

Well, of course, the answer is 5 in 10. I cited the Yankees over the Padres and Braves in '98 and '99, as well as the Red Sox over the Cardinals and now the Rockies in '04 and '07. I forgot all about the White Sox taking out the Astros in 4 just two years ago, and I should know since I was there for Games 3 and 4.

Things happen on deadline, especially when you don't have the extra time to look something up. But that was something that I was never going to look up, because, well, because when you're sure about something why look it up? And I just didn't have the White Sox in my head, for some reason.

So you can stop with the e-mails now. I'm 'fessing up, and it's time to move on.

The sweep really didn't come as a shock, did it? I had picked the Sox in 5 because I continued to doubt that Curt Schilling could beat a good team with that stuff he throws up there now. I didn't think he could beat the Indians, and I was wrong. I was equally wrong when he pitched against the Rockies. Props for Curt.

What happens now? Schill has obviously proven that he has a place in the 2008 baseball scheme of things. He will probably miss at least 10 starts with an almost guaranteed two trips to the DL. But he can win 10-11 games and be a very useful fourth or fifth starter, and he really is a useful resource for any young pitchers a team might have. So, what's all this worth for a year? I really don't know. I'd say Wakefield money ($4 million), but I doubt Curt thinks he's due for a pay cut, and he's in the $13 million range. He represents himself, so we won't be able to blame anything that happens on the agent.

The Rockies came into the Series hitting about .220 on the post-season as a team, and you knew they were going to have a hard time, because, as the Cardinals found out three years ago, no one is better prepared with scouting reports than the Boston Red Sox. Combine the reports with the skill of the pitchers and the unsurpassed brilliance of Jason Varitek behind the plate and it's almost a cruel mismatch.

It's mandatory to give a shoutout to John Henry. You think it's an accident that the Red Sox have taken this quantum leap in the last five years? The man has that vision thing, and it cannot be implanted or purchased. I guess what I'm saying is that we now have two model organizatiions in this town. Hard to believe, isn't it?

Please America, don't hate us because we're beautiful.

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