Wednesday, October 06, 2004

ALDS Game 1

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 9, Anaheim Angels 3

Auspicious beginnings, as the Sox battered Jared Washburn and the Schill shut the Angels down. The Sox drew first blood in the first inning, then went on to score a post-season record seven runs in the fourth inning, thanks to homers by Kevin "Cowboy Up" Millar and Manny "It's What? The Postseason?" Ramirez. The Sox even bunted in a Johnny Damon for a run in the eighth. Curt Schilling hurt his ankle a bit right before he came out, but he's apparently fine and pitched very very well.

The baseball started at 1 PM Eastern yesterday, with St. Louis versus Los Angeles. I had made the decision behorehand not to leave the office until the Sox game, which started at 4:00, had ended. Thus, at 7:15, after six hours plus of baseball, I went to the gym, came home...and listened to the Twins beat the Yankees 2 - 0. St. Louis, by the way, beat the Dodgers 8 - 3, hitting five homeruns in the process. Their offense, to put it mildly, is pretty sick.

Today it was Houston and Atlanta, which I caught half an hour of before leaving for New Jersey for services* for the current Jewish holidays. The Astros, who blew the game open right before I left and ended up winning 9 - 3 (seems to be a really common score, doesn't it?), have an interesting announcing style - the Astros are the "good guys." I think I've heard the Sox announcers refer to the Sox as the "good guys" once - here it was the announcers at least twice and even an advertiser who used the term "good guys." Maybe it's a Houston thing.

The last thing of note from yesterday was Jayson Stark's article on why the Sox will win it all this year; an interesting and well argued piece on why this year is the end of the World Series drought.** My favorite part, however, was the ending, which I feel sums up the situation perfectly: "So when you look at these Red Sox, and you size up the other seven teams, is there any reason to think they won't win? Absolutely not. Except ...'The Red Sox are the logical pick,' said one scout, 'except for one thing: They're the Red Sox.'" It's like they read my mind. GO SOX!!!

* - Robin declared, for the second time this season, that he had lost all respect for me for doing anything besides watching baseball during the playoffs. Little does he know that I'm watching game 2 right now, despite the 10:00 PM start and having to get up at 6:30. Don't doubt the love, baby.
** - Let it be known, however, that the real reason the Sox will win this year is because Mike "Blueguy" Kanarek is in Japan until December at the earliest. You heard it here first, folks.