Sox play for tomorrow

Phillies can't be feeling good right now

Can we please have the "old" Beckett back - please? If not, we need to throw Lester to give us the best chance to win and get to Game 7 where anything can happen and I like our chances...

real nice piece Tony. I hope this made you a Red Sox fan!

Talk about "CORKERS"!This was or is the one.I've seen great comebacks,but this blows out the candle........Great at bat by Crisp.I believe that at bat truly stimulated the game.That's when I believed that something good was on the menu.......and they can say what they want but Gross could've,should've made that catch.He played so shallow with two outs...........The mistakes and throwing error by Langora have to be in there heads
Now,Beckett gets a reprieve and you know he wants redemption.If they win #6,anything goes...........But as far as I'm concerned,they redeemed themselves

I'm hijacking this one since Toni seems to be on perpetual retread mode.

Hoss Blog

Game 5 Thoughts:
1. Varitek sulking back to the dugout and Francona patting him on the back to comfort him after the decision was made to lift him for PH Casey. I was certain at the time, that this was Tek's last act in a Red Sox uni.

2. J.D. Drew - Give credit where credit is due. He's clutch when it counts. Four different occassions over the last two post-seasons in which he has had enormous hits. His two run homer in the 8th was the key play of the game. Sox were still down 3.

3. Masterson is gaining huge confidence from this postseason. I hope Clay Bucholz is taking notes on how to go after hitters and trust your stuff.

Game Six considerations:

1. Beckett has to cut it loose. If he cannot throw fastballs for swings and misses in the first inning, then I want to see activity in the pen in the second inning. No more flat 90 MPH fastballs while Terry waves pom-poms in the dugout.

2. Sox need to make Shields throw strikes. Patience. Patience. If they lay off his ankle high stuff, then he may get rattled. He's an emotional tightrope guy. Get in his head early and try to get him out after 5 innings (a la the Yanks vs. Pedro in years past).

3. Take the poseur Rays fans out of the game early. I want to see more "I can't believe this is happening" looks from Rays fans with the price tags still sticking out of their replica jerseys.

Tony, do you still think Boston can't come back from five ... er ... seven runs down?

And let's ban those so-called "fans" who left the game in the 7th last night, who booed Dice-K, Tek, Papi, and Wake, and the sportswriters who know so little about this team's history and character that they wrote off the season after Tuesday's loss. These people don't deserve the Red Sox. Send them to Pittsburgh.

Hey VermontSox -- Phillies feel fine. If the Sox win, they can't pitch Lester against Hamels in Game 1. If the Rays win, they can't pitch Shields.

"We're kings of the world"...."the sky is falling"..."we're kings of the world"....the Boston media needs to be on a more even keel!

I find it funny that Red Sox fans are going bonkers because there team got lucky in one game. The chances of the Rays actually losing this series is about 0%. We have home field advantage, the better pitchers in both games, and overall a much deeper team. Good luck next year Red Sox but this year belongs to the Rays.

I will admit it, i went to bed............

I did however have a premonition getting in bed that i would wake up to my friends telling me that I missed the greatest comeback in red sox history like in fever pitch...........oh well!

GO SOX!

Type your comment here...

GO SOX!!

All-time. Really no other way to look at it.

i just want to thank the fenway faithful who left the game in the 7th... it's because of you that i got to experience this comeback from 3rd base box seats. hope you enjoyed hearing what you missed on the radio on your drives home!

Can someone explain how they "deserved better" in games 3 & 4, and early in game 5? They didn't hit at all and pitched poorly, thus got exactly what they "deserved."

It's articles like this that make it EMBARASSING to be a Red Sox fan.

First of all, Hoss, you're right on track. Love #3 at the bottom the best. One thing I'd like to add is that, regardless if it's Beckett or Lester, they need to put Upton/Pena/Longoria on their a$$e$. Those guys are waaaaaay too comfortable at the plate.

Nice to see Papi try to bunt in the 9th against Howell. The 3-run HR in the 7th notwithstanding, I think he should be bunting more. Let Youk, Bay, and Drew (!) take their hacks, as they've all been more successful at the plate than Papi has.

I think Lester should go in Game 6. He's been much better than Beckett and you can't play a Game 7 without winning Game 6, and Lester simply puts them in the best position to do so.

We feel fine, actually.

Both our potential opponents demonstrated an ability and a willingness to choke last night. We match up fine against both these teams. The only possible concern we'd have would be that the long layoff between the end of the NLCS and the end of the ALCS seems to have hurt the Rockies last year - but at least our bullpen will be well-rested.

I wonder if that's the first ground rule double ever to be recorded as a single? I know there have been homers recorded as singles (Robin Ventura).

I wonder if that's the first ground rule double ever to be recorded as a single? I know there have been homers recorded as singles (Robin Ventura).

Part of being a Sox fan is having a cyncial, defeatist attitude. The boys have done wonderful to help cahnge that over the last four years, but old habits die hard. I say give the fans who counted them out another shot. It makes the bandwagon even harder to derail in game 6.

Maz,

Game 6 in '86, not game 7. The nation knew before the game that they would lose game 7. Stuffing corks back in bottle a the end of #6.

My team has HUGE heart. As we all know.

They CAN do it.

Great piece, Tony. Here's hoping we are still here talking with smiling faces next week. But, meanwhile, I like the Sox' chances. That said, we're still down 3-2 and headed to a ballpark that made us look silly all year with 2 starting pitchers whose last performances we'd love to have back. But, doesn't this all add to the drama and make the victory all the more worthwhile?

To all those losers who want to slag off fans who left early, give it up. They are beating themselves up enough about it already. Plus, don't anyone tell me they were 100% certain after 6 innings of a comatose offense these Sox were going to win. I stuck out the whole game, but I didn't think it was possible. I wanted it, sure, but didn't assume it. Please, get off their backs. Tek 3 auto-outs still turns the offense into only 8 innings of legit baseball and god only knows what Beckett will turn up.

I've seen a lot of Sox games since my first trip to the Fens in '67, but last night was something else! I was so amped I couldn't sleep!
That being said, Beckett is going to have to deliver his own version of the 'bloody sock' game. Wake, Byrd and everybody else will need to be ready and those bats need to stay awake now. If we can get to game 7 Lester is going to have to be perfect because the Rays know they can beat him now. This is going to be real interesting from here, but if there is a team that can do it, it is definatley the Red Sox. GO SOX!!!!!

The bats disappeared at the wrong time. They came back at an improbable time. Who woulda thunk it?

Here's a chance for the "aces" to show their appreciation for an opportunity to redeem.

I admit to a premature sadness after 6 innings but I couldn't, and the knew that I shouldn't actually change the channel. We don't give up on them that easily. Not at this time of year. Not these days. Sitting alone at home, I could feel like I was part of the millions of other Sox fans around the country willing the ball into play off of Pedroia's bat. I agree with Jack. If those of us at home keep hope alive, then those fans who actually had the opportunity to be at Fenway should be ashamed of themselves for leaving when they did. You spend the dough, you stick around and show em you're behind them.

Wow....

If you left in the middle of the 7th, shame on you, you don't deserve to be called a fan. Even if they lost, you had to stay and cheer the season, and possibly the end of the Tek Era. And while it's not the same as the Lakers 20 point choke in the finals, it ranks up there. But for it to matter, we have to windthe series (see Celtics/Nets Eastern Div Championships as Exhibit A) Come on Beckett!

Mazz, do you think the sox get a kick out of giving us all a heart attack each year?

I still can't believe Maddon let Balfour pitch to Ortiz. Even in a slump Ortiz can deposit a flat 95 mph fastball into the seats. I was about halfway through saying that sentence to my buddy in the bleachers when Ortiz unloaded.

Tuned in late, top of the 7th, with Papelpon on the mound, thought "what's up with this?", saw the 7-0 score, said goodbye to the Sox, not their or the Pat's year but can't complain and be greedy with the success of the Celtics, flipped to HGTV channel, then saw the final score this morning. Wow.

I wholeheartedly agree. I believe and will until it's totally over. Being a Red Sox fan means never saying NEVER!

Wow this is an amazing article. Good Job.

This is the best thing you've written in a long time, Tony. You really capture the awesomeness of the moment. It's kinda strange to actually read something you write and have it contain optimism and hope.

Great article! I'm surprised there was no mention of the 2004 ACLS series against the Yanks. That was an amazing feat to come back and win 3 games in a row to take the series!

#7 Jack Marshall. Your comment is absolutley PERFECT.
It is unbelievable what those 'fans" were doing. Absolutley Pathetic.
Congratulations on your comment. Hope Red Sox Nation realize what happend...

Dont call it a comeback
I been here for years
Rockin my peers and puttin suckas in fear
Makin the tears rain down like a mon soon
Listen to the bass go boom
Explosion overpowerin
Over the competition Im towerin
Wreckin shop when I drop these lyrics thatll make you call the cops
Dont you dare stare, you betta move
Dont ever compare
Me to the rest thatll all get sliced and diced
Competitions payin the price

Hey Tony, what did you do with the piece you finished in the 6th inning? I hope it's still in the crapper!

Maz, are you sure your from MA? Writing off the Sox when they're down 3-1 is not smart journalism. In the words of KG, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When almost all your starting pitchers get their brains beat out, it takes a toll on the players having to try and overcome huge deficits every day, however they did it finally for game 5 and will need to do that if the pitching is what it is!

The fans at Fenway park and the "experts" of the Globe should be ashamed. They give up so easily on this team itīs ridicolous. People gave up after game 2! Whatīs the point of having a packed house if the fans only make noise when things go right!!?? Itīs easy to cheer when the team pulls one of the great comebacks ever. But when the team needs the fans, they boo...Varitek, Ortiz. Simply two of the most important players int franchise history, booed while the team was still alive. Really, embarassing. To everyone at Fenway last night: go home, and donīt comeback! Red Sox nation isinīt about a bunch of ungreatfull traitors!! GO SOX, I AlWAYS BELIEVED AND SUPPORTED!!! The fans at Fenway park and the "experts" of the Globe should be ashamed. They give up so easily on this team itīs ridicolous. People gave up after game 2! Whatīs the point of having a packed house if the fans only make noise when things go right!!?? Itīs easy to cheer when the team pulls one of the great comebacks ever. But when the team needs the fans, they boo...Varitek, Ortiz. Simply two of the most important players int franchise history, booed while the team was still alive. Really, embarassing. To everyone at Fenway last night: go home, and donīt comeback! Red Sox nation isinīt about a bunch of ungreatfull traitors!! GO SOX, I AlWAYS BELIEVED AND SUPPORTED!!! The fans at Fenway park and the "experts" of the Globe should be ashamed. They give up so easily on this team itīs ridicolous. People gave up after game 2! Whatīs the point of having a packed house if the fans only make noise when things go right!!?? Itīs easy to cheer when the team pulls one of the great comebacks ever. But when the team needs the fans, they boo...Varitek, Ortiz. Simply two of the most important players int franchise history, booed while the team was still alive. Really, embarassing. To everyone at Fenway last night: go home, and donīt comeback! Red Sox nation isinīt about a bunch of ungreatfull traitors!! GO SOX, I AlWAYS BELIEVED AND SUPPORTED!!! Jo

Man, how does it taste for those Red Sox fans who left early? It's one thing to admit it if you're in LA (hell, it'd probably chic), but everyone who left Fenway before the comeback will take that secret to his or her grave :-)

I was at the game last night. Not a lot of people really left. People get up and use the bathroom, get a beer/food every half inning. The stairs are so narrow, it gets quickly congested. It looks worse than it is.

I heard that TBS kept showing people leaving in the 6th or 7th. If they panned to the same stairs in the 2nd inning of a game in the middle of July, it looks pretty much the same.

I was at the game last night. Not a lot of people really left. People get up and use the bathroom, get a beer/food every half inning. The stairs are so narrow, it gets quickly congested. It looks worse than it is.

I heard that TBS kept showing people leaving in the 6th or 7th. If they panned to the same stairs in the 2nd inning of a game in the middle of July, it looks pretty much the same.

If Tek doesn't want to be hit for, then he needs to hit the ball himself. Quit sulking and pick it up. Granted Casey didn't do any better, but his bat didn't look slow. If Tek wants to keep his job, then he needs to get the cobwebs out of the brain, get the rust out of the arms, and stand up for himself.

Finally, I don't have a problem with Beckett going out there in Game 6. Why? You know that he is furious about losing the lead in game 2. You know that he will do anything he can to get it to seven games and I believe that he will.

Ditto Jack! Those fans that left early obviously did not BELIEVE like the rest of us did!! They are NOT real BoSos fans!! Real fans stick in good times and bad and they always BELIEVE!!

Hoss can go with them...

TESSIE, TESSIE, TESSIE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How many times did Joe Maddon say "We can't dwell on it. Can't dwell on gthis loss. We must not dwell on this and move on" Red Sox nation, it seems to me that Masddon & Co are indeed "dwelling" on this defeat....If Beckett can stand the elbow pain (its not his oblique friends) this series has turned a 360 and its Deja Vu all over again!!!! Sox 2008 World Champions....The Phils are easy (no pitching after Hammel) after this very talented, Rays team!

For one shining moment, Big Papi cast aside his Bizzaro World persona (Big Poopi) and hit the living crap out of the ball. That's when it was officially ON. It's on Tampa. Papi is lurking with a toothy grin. You can't pitch around Drew, which means you can't pitch around Bay, which means you're more likely to pitch to Papi because you're definitely not going to f*** with Youk. I'll tak to ya, Tampa! Tak to ya!

On Saturday Beckett needs to earn his money. If he is in fact injured and cannot throw his normal pitches then he needs to "man up" and tell Francona he does not think he can get these guys out. The fact is the Rays offense is cruising and we need to shut them down in order to have any chance of winning.

Hoss,
Right on with #1 of game 6 considerations. Tito needs the quick hook if Beckett doesn't have anything to offer. No waiting for the implosion or explosion!

Beckett will absolutley let loose tomorow night. There is no way, with the competitor that he is, that he wont give the Sox a chance to win. Expect atleast 8 innings and no more than 3 runs.

If if they lose the ALCS, at least the Sox made a race out of it. But that's being negative. I say, threepeat (as in three comebacks--2004, 2007 and 2008).

I have been a sox fan for over 60 years and last night was an unbelievable experience. My problem with Francona has always been his coddling of pitchers and not pulling them when everybody knows they don't have it that night. If he plays to win at any cost they just might pull it off again.

Ernie, Delray Beach, Florida

It's amazing, what happens with the sox. Over the years, win or lose, some of the most amazing moments in baseball happen when the Sox are in the game. From Fisk's dinger to the Buckner ball in '86, to 2004's comeback vs. the Yanks, to last night's game, the Sox have always, always brought moments that live forever. You can't really say that much for any other team, at least to this degree.
Wow. Never a dull moment. Thanks guys!

I feel so blessed to be a Red Sox fan... what an amazing "era" over the course of these last five seasons. These '08 guys, like our recent teams, just have HEART. And, they are such a likeable bunch. Who knows what will really happen the rest of the way this season, but the result (if a losing one) will not be from a lack of emotion nor effort. This season's team has its own identity (especially with all the injuries), but they are cast in the same "new" Red Sox mold. Thanks, gentlemen, for such a fantastic experience last night / this morning.

Hey Hoss,
pretty classless and unnecessary attack on Rays fans. We've got no shortage of Yahoos here wearing Sox or Pats fan gear. A few winning seasons doesn't give you the right.

Hey Hoss,
pretty classless and unnecessary attack on Rays fans. We've got no shortage of Yahoos here wearing Sox or Pats fan gear. A few winning seasons doesn't give you the right.

I LIKE BASEBALL, thanks RED SOX

Everybody in the park last night booing Papi and Tek should have their freaking heads examined. Have we really become the 'what have you done for me lately' crowd like all those spoiled children in the Bronx?
At least the people who left or were booing didnt get to enjoy an unbelievable comeback. Never forget what guys like Papi,Wake, and Tek have done for this team. None of them bitch about playing time, or make excuses when they struggle.
You fans should learn to grow up.
P.S.- The series would have already been over it werent for Dice-K's great game 1 start. If you have this short a memory, please head down to 95 to Philadelphia with the worst fans in baseball

Boston Fans,

I give you congrats on a tremendous comeback by your team. I think the only thing that last night proved was the heart and determination of the Red Sox. They were getting smoked, about to be obliterated out of the ALCS - but they found the heart to not go out like that. Its commendable. You should be proud.

But make no mistake - this isn't the 07 Red Sox or the 04 Red Sox. The Rays are a better, deeper, younger, and hungrier baseball team than the Red Sox. Last night was a great lesson for the young Rays that the game is, as Yogi said, "Not over til its over". They won't make that same mistake again.

The truth is, the Rays accomplished what they wanted to in Boston. They took two out of three in Boston, giving themselves two chances to close out the Red Sox at the Trop.

That's all you can ask for from a roadtrip in the ALCS. Will the Rays be shakened by the meltdown? Nope. I don't think so. The team has never been bothered by a result from one day to the next all season, they won't do it now. I think the team understands where they failed and won't allow it to happen again.

I think the victory yesterday delayed the inevitable. Tampa Bay will come back to the Trop and put the finishing touches on their first AL Pennant.

As a Sox fan, it goes without saying that I want them to win, and advance to the World Series. But if they DON'T, I'll commend the Rays on playing their hearts out, and having one of the best comeback seasons ever. However - as much as the Rays as a team might deserve it, the MAJORITY of their fans do not. I'm sure there are a select few who have always been Rays fans. Who were there the first 29 games of the season when their attendance per game averaged around 1,000 people. But, it makes me freakin' sick to see the Rays fans at Fenway taunting the Sox fans, when they couldn't have cared less about "their" team, until they made the playoffs. Whatever the outcome, the Rays should be congratulated on an amazing season, but their fans should quit with the trash talking, since I'm guessing that most of them can't name their starting rotation.

Upton and Longoria hit homeruns...again!! Any chance that we'll see Beckett throw at either of them in game 6?

Sitting in Fat Face Fenner's Fish Shack on Hermosa Pier for this game. Mid Seventh, I switched my drink from Sam Adams to Maker's on the rocks, "just to shake things up". I got everyone at my table to do it. After Papi's homer, we had the other table's doing it.

Your welcome.

Last night's 9-8 comeback win over the Rays reminded me of the day 79 years ago that started ne on the road to becoming a Red SOx fan. Though a Bronxite I was in Jersey City,NJ with my father visiting oneof his Irish cousins, Since I and was not interested in what they were saying I took a walk around the neighborhood. A kid across the street was on his porch listening to the radio and he jnvited me to join him, It was the 4th game of the 1929 World Series between the Phila. Athletics and the Chicago Cubs. It was the bottom of the 7th inning and the Cubs were leading 8-0. As I arrived the A's rally was just beginning. They scored 10 runs and went on to win the game and the Series. I was 9 years old and instantly became an A's fan.Connie Mack eventually sold most of the team to the Red Sox inthe 30's and since 1935 have been one of th Red Sox Nation,

Amazing, only the sox can pull that off. I watched THE WHOLE GAME it was tough but i hung in there. I just knew it couldnt be that easy for the rays, it just couldnt. And the sox played with the heart of champions. Now weve got ourselves a series its time for beckett to man up and PITCH we all know hes hurt so he just cant overpower hitters so hes gotta make do with what hes got and out think them. GO SOX!!!!!!!!! WE BELIEVE!!!!!!!!!!

Hello my fellow Boston fans. What a great night to BELIEVE in Boston. What a game.
Go Sox. Papi welcome back. I will be rooting for you from Central Ohio. Red Sox Nation alive and well. Needs to work on their nerves and make them nervous. I will always believe win or lose. I will forever be your fan. Everyone say a prayer Beckett is on tomorrow night. We have an excellent chance if both he and Lester are on. They have the experience. I cannot wait for tomorrow.

If this opened the flood gates for the hitters then it will be a third ring ...

i also hope that the so-called fans that left the game early got caught in traffic, they should be photographed like they do with the hulligans in england's soccer matches and never be allowed back, you could tell they are not fans of not only the red sox but baseball, just the rich people with the hottest ticket in town, they don't even know how the game works never mind how to yell, scream and do the wave, thanks to all the fans who stayed, i think they had a lot to do with that win, i live in FLA now but a life long fan of the sox and i see them when they do play in tampa, rays stadium is like fenway south , hopefully half the house will have a hat with a big red B on it ," it ain't over til it's over" hmm , i wonder what sport gave birth to that saying? GO SOX, and as far as the fans who left early, to bad you missed history, history will NOT MISS YOU

I'll buy the first one of you Bobby Soxers to dare to show up at Fergs in Saint Pete on Saturday night a Greyhound ticket home and a beer to go.

Question is:

?Will JasonOfthetower jump when his team loses in games 6 and 7?

Hey Jason - you're forgetting one very important thing. A little MO. Not as in Vaughn...as in MOMENTUM. Sox have it, Rays don't. In any series, momentum is way more important than whose "deeper, younger, and hungrier." The Rays needed to close it out last night if they were going to beat these Sox...and they didn't. They are in big trouble boy!

I have been thinking about this game all day, and about how I want to tell people how it was for me. I'm Irish and I live in Brazil, and I've been a Red Sox fan for God only knows how long. I listened to the games on Armed Forces Radio in Belfast when I was younger, and as time has passed, have moved on to cable TV and the internet. I've been to Fenway a couple of times, and seen the Sox get hammered in Yankee Stadium (I can't remember who pitched but we're talking the Ramon Martinez and Rolando Arroyo era). I remember ducking upstairs at a party in London England when I should have been talking to a girl to try and tune in to Pedro v Clemens in whatever playoff year it was. Before the game last night I thought the Sox would do a roaring tiger act and throw one last wounded pride knockout punch. I got home and tuned in when it was 2-0. A few minutes later it was 5-0. A little after that it was 7-0. I turned off and went to bed. But something kept me awake. I kept thinking....what if, what if. It was after 1 o'clock. I figured it had to be about the seventh inning. I thought what the hell. My computer is old and takes a hell of a long time to get going. On MLB.com I glimpsed a headline - Ortiz gives Sox hope. My computer crashed. I tried again. JD hit his home run. OHMYGOD I thought. My computer crashed. I tried it yet again. I got WRKO. Masterson got out of his jam. A few minutes later, well, we all know the rest.

I think this series has been hard to understand and take for all Sox fans because its the Rays, not the Yankees or the Angels or the Indians. No disrespect intended. A wonderful 2008 club. But until now a joke franchise. And also because while I thought the Sox might not win it all this year, I figured they'd bow out because of a couple of key errors, or because of a pitching gem on the other side. I didn't think they would get as utterly humiliated as they have until now. I don't know what the point of this is. I have no point. But last night was a truly wonderful night of baseball, even from very far away and via horrible means of communication, and I hope Beckett can get us to Game 7, and after that who the hell knows?

I am seriously SHOCKED that anybody would boo those guys, especially Papi and Tek. Hello, you morons, they're all class act guys...always have been...and deserve better than that.

If you're booing your team when they're trying to rally to win a game...well, that's classless. Go away now.

i am a lifelong sox fan... i have to say with the injuries to lowell, beckett and papi they just didn't have things lined up this season and were not peaking at the right time... i wondered if they would have the magic of previous years and did not foresee a world series... plus they just haven't had a great season against the angels and rays either..
clearly i was wrong.... incredible win last night. needless to say i have a good feeling about the sox going forward... if they can wake up from that two game funk so dramatically, they can take two more games. can the young rays rebound from a once in a century collapse??? questionable.
can't wait to find out

I was there last night. 40 years from now i'll be able to say the same thing. As i type this i still have tears in my eyes. Let's give some kudos to Tito for bringing in Papelbon down 5-0. Tito was sending a message to the team and to the world that he would fight til the end. In a way i'm happy Pap gave up another 2 runs as I was able to upgrade from Bleachers to 1st base 15th row for no additional cost!!! Yep, a bit of seat surfing as a few of "Fenway Faithful" perhaps those with more $$ gave up on our boys. Let's hope Tito treats this one game at a time. Perhaps we may even see Lester in Game 6?

Hey

'RAYsWorldChamps08' Thanks for jinxing your team with your name...You think there is a 0% chance for the Sox to win this series. Well, there was a 0% chance they come back from a 7-0 deficit in the 7th inning of a game - LOOK WHAT HAPPENED! Go Sox and thanks for providing yet another memory (last night) that will be forever in my mind! I'd like 2 more memories please...Saturday and Sunday night!

Very cool James.My wife came down stairs and asked me why I was torturing myself.The next pitch Papi snapped out of it.Big game james is about to lose his nickname.

All I could think of Last Night was a speech I heard from a Movie. Well 24 Hours and exhusted from last nights emotional drain I rembered the line.
" We will not go quietly and vanish into the night We will not go without a fight" (Independence Day)We all know that as a Red Sox Fan(40 Years of Memories I am 46 now) we can be down right mean when it comes to not winning. Well I am blogging to say Thank You once again. The pride and heart,detrmination that 08 Sox displayed is unparreled to any Team we have had. Win Lose or Draw you have once again proved that BELIEF in the Team is utterly unstoppable. Win SOX Win. Get this to SOX

It's easy to grin, when your ship comes in, and you've got the stock market beat. But the man that's worthwhile, is the man that can smile, when his pants are too tight in the seat. (Judge Smales). What the H does that mean? It means we can do this. We have done this. And we will do this. Great post Mazz. You and Chad Finn bring an additional dimension to fandom with writing this strong. GO SOX, AND GO JOSH!

When did they transplant Johnny Damon's arm ont o Gabe Gross' shoulder?

Awesome article! I cried - partly because remembering the ending of that game was just that good, and partly because I am so tired because I stayed up to watch that game, and then was so full of adrenaline afterward that stayed up until 3:00 am.

The magic is back! GO SOX!

Mr. Massarotti, this was a fine article. And kudos to the commenters here for keeping most of the commentary confined to the arena where it counts, on the field. I'm a Rays fan, will be at the game tonight, and I BELIEVE in the Rays and their ability to get it done. Maddon's rule is to have 30 minutes in the clubhouse for the guys to get it out of their systems. That system has been working all year, and I believe it will work even after a devastating loss like Thursday's. In my opinion, whatever momentum Boston got from the last game will be counteracted and surpassed by the Rays homefield advantage. Big Game James will continue to earn his way into that nickname, and the Rays will win 6-5.

I am a 68 year old "DYING HARD" Chicago Cubs fan from Highland, Indiana [who met Red Sox great Carl Yastrzemski in South Bend, IN. while he was a Notre Dame U. Freshman]. I have also become a Red Sox Nation rooter since their miracle year of 2004. After my beloved "CUBBIES" lose in the play-offs it is heart warming to display my Red-Sox banner and root for them [White Sox fans in my area don't like me very much]. Good luck to the 2008 World Series hunting Miracle Red Sox [game 5 WIN of the ALCS against the Tampa Bay RAYS was a come-back for the ages [I wish all the CUBS players saw this game]. I hope one day to come to Fennway Park and see in person the Cubbies play the Red Sox in a World Series Game.
I thought I would also include a little Bio on my Cubs fan history.

My very first Cubs Game was the 7th game of the 1945 World Series with the Detroit Tigers-which the Cubs lost. WOW! I MUST BE ONE OF THE VERY FEW TO HAVE SEEN THE CUBS IN A WORLD SERIES GAME. Of course I was very young then, but have come to appreciate over the years what being a Chicago Cubs fan really means. IT REALLY MEANS BEING ABLE TO FANTASIZE AND DREAM AND BEING 'YOUNG AT HEART' ALWAYS. Being able to see day games at home then. Going to Wrigley Field in the spring [heaven on earth for me]. Rooting for the underdog-almost always. Listing to my alltime favorite Cubs announcer Bert Wilson on WIND Radio [1944-1955]. Meeting & having my favorite Cubs players sign my baseball [Andy Pafko - Hank Sauer - Frankie Baumholtz - Kenny Holtzman - Ernie Banks - Kenny Hubbs - Lou Brock][ALSO PAT "Have your pensils & scorecards ready' PIPER]. Hoping that one day my two favorite teams [Cubs & the Boston Red Sox] will play in the World Series [EVEN IF I HAVE TO ROOT FOR THEM FROM HEAVEN]. Go Cubbies [Baby Bears]!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL & GOOD LUCK - 'Hoosier Bob'

hey raysworldchamps08 you and the rest of the bandwagon fans should shut up and watch the collapse because the sox have all the momentum now

Brian I have not jinxed anything. I used to be a Red Sox fan but when I relized that all they do is buy players and than drive them out of town I had to switch to a better team that runs its organization correctly. Anyone who feels any differently has little to no baseball knowledge.

What in the hell are you talking about raysworldchamps08? I am almost positive that if you look at the sox lineup, youkilis, pedroia, lowrie, lester, and ellsbury are all home grown players. Or have you not been paying attention. And as for the whole buying players and then driving them out of town, Manny gave up, Nomar was pouting like a little baby, and Damon didnt accept the money. Same thing goes for pedro. If you have any other arguments i will be more than glad to tell you how wrong you actually are. As for running the organization correctly, it seems to me that the red sox have become a blueprint for how to run a good franchise. Any other points you want proven wrong, please let me know

The Rays may be a better team than the Red Sox at this point, but in a 2-game showdown, anything can happen. The Red Sox have plenty of playoff experience, which can't be emphasized enough. Coolness under pressure can make all the difference in the world. Let's see what happens tonight.

Very nice site!

Very nice site!

Very nice site!