Just some random thoughts to do with the game (or maybe not) to get out the nervousness in the pit of my belly (or is it just the lousy food I had an hour ago weighing on me?) as Game Six looms in a matter of 36 minutes (perhaps it looms, period, by the time I finish this column).
According to ESPN Radio this morning, the Yankees are allegedly planning to bunt, over and over again, in an effort to make the hobbled Curt Schilling field balls on wet grass, and cover first.
Pretty dirty and underhanded, but you know, the object of the game is … to win it. You have to do the best you can to get that win. The Yankees had no plans on returning to New York to play a game, and now they have to. They sure don’t want it to reach Game 7, because you then have Kevin Brown (against Tim Wakefield per the Boston Dirt Dogs) and we would have the upper hand there (on paper, at least … and paper means nothing). They have to win today against Schilling. Because then the momentum completely shifts to us. Paper and momentum are fickle beings, but it’s at least nice to have them on our side!
Now … how to avoid getting hurt by this? I’m thinking … have the team tell (hopefully, already told) Schilling to not worry about the bunts. Have Millar and Mueller ready to cheat in, with Varitek chomping at the bit and Bellhorn ready to cover first. Have them get the outs. If there’s a runner on second, have the shortstop cover third. If there is a runner on first, then react to where the ball goes. That could be a play Schilling could get involved on.
Categories: 2004 ALCS
Scooter is proof of the Apocalypse.
ALEX RODRIGUEZ IS THE DIRTEST, CHEAPEST, LOWEST SOB ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH.
It is official.
It is also official that Schilling pisses nails. That man is a king, in my book.
And so is Foulke.
You know that saying, "be still my heart"?
My heart was still.
As I've said before, I work for the Air Force forecasting weather. On our forecast floor, we had the game on our plasma TV, and we had, literally, every person on the floor standing up rooting for the Sox. All nine of us were standing up, intently focused on the game, and you'd have thought we were all Sox lifers. That ninth inning, we hung on every single pitch. We cursed out ARod and cursed out Yankees fans for their outburst. We cheered for Schilling like he was our own son.
The room was electric. Even if the Sox lose game seven, I think that this has to go down as one of the most incredible series ever.
The Sox have gone somewhere no team has ever gone before. There's no history and no precedent for tomorrow's game. There's only two desperate, tired teams.
And my Sox bandwagon? I think I'm off the bandwagon as of tonight officially. I think tonight I became a permanent fan.
Great game. But i have never been so nervous as i was in the ninth inning thinking of tony clark hooking a ball over the 314 sign. Whatever, it ended good. One thing though, could fox please not zoom in on curt schillings notes, we dont need the yankees getting anything from that.
Yeah I caught that with the notes. Like you, I wasn't happy, either.
I realized something, watching Foulke pitch last night. The numbers say he's pretty much on par with Mo Rivera, in terms odf effectiveness, but the numbers don't show one thing: because he doesn't have a dominant fastball like Rivera has, Foulke has to be BETTER to be JUST AS GOOD. Rivera can give in to the hitter, if he needs to, and pitch to contact. Foulke can never do that. If he pitches to contact, he's likely to give up extra bases. Rivera is always good, but Foulke has to be perfect.
Just an observation. In appreciation of his gutsy, clutch performances this series.