Did you see Sox failure coming? I did

It may seem silly for me to contend that I saw this short exit by Boston in the postseason coming given I picked Boston to win the whole shebang in 7, but... I'm not in the least bit surprised by what happened. I think part of the reason why I didn't really talk about it and hedged in person about the Sox's chances is because I didn't particularly want to admit it. Oh, make no mistake: This was a World Series-caliber team, and I'm singing a different tune this morning if Jonathan Papelbon had any clue that you can't just throw a fastball and expect to get away with it. But this was also a team that could exit stage-left rather quickly. The bats went cold, the starting pitching was decent enough, and the bullpen was solid -- but nowhere the fearsome combo it was earlier in the season. The big thing, for me, though? What really got me is the lack of energy I saw with the team.

LAA 7, BOS 6: The End Is Here

That one stings. Jon Papelbon's ninth inning meltdown ended the playoff journey for Boston, as the Red Sox are swept by the Los Angeles Angels, 7-6. After leading for the entire game, Vlad Guerrero's single off Papelbon in the top of the ninth was the culmination of a completely lackluster post-season, the end of a pretty abysmal weekend for Boston sports in general. But... there's always next year.

10/11: This feels familiar

POLL: What will happen in Game 3?

New Poll Question: What do you expect out of the Kaz/Buchholz game Sunday?

• Gotta love that home cookin', baby.
• For Kaz to be a Sox killer again and Buchholz to wilt.
• A pitching duel with the Sox bats not showing up again.
• It'll come down to who hits more home runs.

I'm choosing to be optimistic and say it's all about the home cooking! Leave your line predictions in the comments and vote in the poll on the right.

Do Sox stand a fightin’ chance to emerge victorious?

The Red Sox are in such dire straits offensively, I'm pining for the offensive slump the team was in that precipitated the Victor Martinez trade. Across two games, Boston's come up with just eight measly hits, only two of them extra-base hits (and not of the four-bagger variety). Putting aside for the moment whether Terry Francona messed up on such decisions as leaving Josh Beckett in too long, where do the Sox go from here?

10/9: Can Beckett do it?

10/8: The first marble

Looking at the rest of the postseason field

Fire Brand has been very aggressive these past few days at completely breaking down the Angels from Boston's perspective. We've brought to you a look at the hitters, pitchers, the running game, Angels' official postseason roster, other breakdowns and of course... predictions. Let's take a (short) break and look at the other series which begins tonight.

Answering Kurkjian’s Questions

In his preview of the Angels/Red Sox impending match up, ESPN's Tim Kurkjain asks five questions about the series. *What is it about the number five that makes it so tidy for lists of this sort? Here are my responses to Tim's questions. Consider this answers from one Tim to another.

So, who’s winning this Sox/Angels battle?

The Red Sox are set to do battle with the Angels later this week to decide who gets to play for the American League pennant. Boston and Los Angeles are certainly familiar with each other, having done battle in the 2004, '07 and '08 DCS. In fact, Boston went 9-1 in those games and the Angels' futility extends all the way bac to 1986 and Donnie Moore. Do the Angels have a chance to put their Boston voodoo behind them or will the Sawx manhandle L.A. all the way towards what seems to be an inevitable date with the Evil Empire? Read on to see pitching breakdowns, a look at the offense and defense, musings on hometown advantages, and the official prediction.