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2004 ALCS October 14, 2004

Hanging On


So we lost. Again. Game Two. Martinez v. Lieber.
Okay, where are all these Yankee aces coming from? No, really. Mussina and Lieber? Jon Lieber?
What’s with this home-plate umpire debauchery? Let’s call a strike a strike folks, and a ball a ball.
Will the real Johnny Damon please stand up?
And the real Mark Bellhorn … and Manny Ramirez … and David Ortiz … and Kevin Millar … and Trot Nixon … and Jason Varitek … and Orlando Cabrera … and Bill Mueller.
Y’know, the guys who are patient and wait for their hit? And don’t hack?
Can we get some run support for Vintage Pedro?
Can Curt’s ankle please heal?
Can we win a game?
Yes, we can win a game.
The Yankees are 57-24 at home. 44-37 on the road.
The Red Sox are 55-26 at home. 43-38 on the road.
It’s very concievable we can – boom – take the next three games and head back to New York sitting pretty on a 3-2 lead. OK, maybe we aren’t sitting pretty at that point because we’re back in New York … but hey, we got two games to clinch.
We got Bronson Arroyo going in Game Three who has, so far, proven himself to be a Big Game Pitcher

Categories: 2004 ALCS

About Evan Brunell

View all posts by Evan Brunell
Born on the 37th anniversary of the the day Babe Ruth died (1985) which later became the day Jimy Williams was fired in 2001 (a monumental event at the time), Evan was too young to experience the pain 1986 brought, but a deep wound was sowed in 2003. Since then, Fire Brand has become a blog that Red Sox “club officials read,” as per Peter Gammons. Evan enjoys working out, writing, reading, quality television, science fiction and history and being newly married. He is a professional baseball journalist as well as president of a state non-profit and member of the Board of Directors for a national profit. (Twitter.)

13 Responses to “Hanging On” Subscribe

  1. J.P. October 14, 2004 at 3:27 AM #

    I'm left totally dumbfounded by Schilling. You gotta think that someone knew he couldn't pitch. Did his ego get in the way here? Sure hope not, for that would be a shame that the difference in the series (agree that they can win 2, if not 3 hete) would be traced back to a first game aborted start that could have and should have been prevented. Sorry, but I never have, and never will trust a knuckleballer.

  2. Evan October 14, 2004 at 4:48 AM #

    I trust Timmeh. He'll deliver.
    If we can take the next three at home, we are in very good shape.
    If we don't …

  3. Joseph Jackson October 14, 2004 at 5:26 AM #

    I'm new to this Red Sox bandwagon thing. Am I supposed to feel utter despair before I start getting hopeful again? Is this normal? How do you people sleep at night?!
    If there's one knuckleballer on the face of the planet I would trust, it has to be Wakefield. Why? Because he has more than just a knuckler. Mind you, it's not a LOT more than a knuckler, but he has enough pitches to keep hitters guessing.
    Bronson Arroyo needs to win one for me to start trusting in him.
    I wouldn't hold my breath on Schilling. Slight tear in the tendon in his ankle. That's surgery. If it's not, he turns out like game one, and I have to think that the Sox have more dependable pitchers than game one Schill.
    I'm going to hit myself because I hate the term "Must win game" being used in the postseason (because they're all must win games), but game 3 is a must win game. Because if the Sox drop one at home, they're cooked. My bandwagon has one wheel left.

  4. Sam October 14, 2004 at 8:25 AM #

    If you can't sleep now, fella, you might not be cut out for this kind of thing.
    Because it's only going to get tighter from here on out. But by my count, we have, at the very least, 54 more outs before elimination. And you can ask Mike Mussina: he'll tell you, a lot can happen from one out to the next. And lemme tell you something, too: if you're not wearing red, Fenway Park is the last place on earth you want to be this weekend. 55,000 raucuos New Yorkers GOT NUTHIN' on 38,000 pissed off New Englanders whose hopes are on the line.
    This ain't done yet. Have a set. Nothing more pitiful than a Red Sox fan in hysterics.

  5. Evan October 14, 2004 at 9:15 AM #

    You got it, Sam. This is nothing. It's not even close to last year.
    Oh, and Schilling is now out for Game 5. Looks like I'll be rooting Lowe on.

  6. Cal October 14, 2004 at 12:42 PM #

    El duque instead of Vasquez in game four. Based on experience, i dont know if a "dead arm" can be resurrected this quickly and still be effective for more than five innings.

  7. Evan October 14, 2004 at 1:40 PM #

    I have had only one dead arm in my life and I really doubt El Duque is going to do anything. Beat Brown and we're golden. Until Game 5 that is. Lowe and Mussina. We're going to have to work our mojo that game, Cal.

  8. Cal October 14, 2004 at 4:55 PM #

    I was thinking of some chants that sox fans could chant in reponse to "Who's your daddy" , how about this for el duque if anyones going "You're really forty!"

  9. Jane October 15, 2004 at 11:46 AM #

    Great graphic!

  10. Evan October 15, 2004 at 10:14 PM #

    Thanks, Jane. Wish I never had to make it.

  11. Sam October 16, 2004 at 7:57 AM #

    The miracle began last night with Schilling's BP session. Now we wait. And hope.

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