Friday’s Links – A New Opponent

Photo by Kelly O’Connor of sittingstill.smugmug.com

Considering how time seemed to slow down a ton in the ALDS, it feels like forever since the Red Sox played a game. Yay for anxiety and years off my life!

• No matter how hardened the person, the postseason exacts a toll on all of us, be it our patience or our energy. October is a ferocious beast to all fans involved. (October’s brutal, relentless pursuit)

• Thanks to a superb outing in Game 5 from Justin Verlander, the Detroit Tigers will be the Red Sox’s opponent in the American League Championship Series. (Tigers head to Boston for ALCS)

• All for one, and one for all. That sentiment is running rampant throughout the Red Sox clubhouse, turning these 25 guys into a full-fledged baseball team. (Musketeers mentality for Red Sox)

• If there’s an art to getting hit by a pitch, then Shane Victorino is one hell of an artist. It’s the Bruises For Bases Exchange Program! (Shane Victorino and Near-Strike Hit-By-Pitches)

• They’ve been here for a while, and are a couple of the few guys left from 2007. So it’s only right that David Ortiz & Dustin Pedroia are the stalwarts of this playoff team. (Pedroia and Ortiz set the tone as holdovers)

• The Red Sox are going strong despite a lack of right-handed power. Look for Mike Napoli and Will Middlebrooks to rebound in the ALCS. (Sox would love to see Napoli, Middlebrooks get hot)

• Doesn’t matter the month, the looming free agency of Jacoby Ellsbury will be on our minds. Especially if he’s doing well. (How Postseason Perception Can Alter Offseason Reality)

This is cool.