Oh Captain, My Captain

Matt Stone, Boston Herald
Jason Varitek hits a solo home run in the sixth inning.

One more game. One more win.

Last night was a great win for the Red Sox, but it was not fun. It was tense. And it started out with a cable disaster, as TBS didn't have the game on. They were showing a rerun of some not-funny show. We were in full panic mode. Checked Fox, the nets, ESPN, no game. Ran to computer, no video. My friend is on the floor trying to find a radio station -- we are lost in the wilds of Central Mass., lousy radio. Then after about 10 minutes TBS finally runs the technical difficulties crawl. Finally find the game at 1280 AM and THEY STARTED WITHOUT US! They couldn't postpone the game until the fans could see it? We hear that Upton has hit a home run, but don't know if anyone was on and the score.

Finally, picture and we learn that it is only 1-0. Much cursing of TBS. If our curses work, Ted Turner is going to hell. Go and take your lousy announcers with you. (OK, you can leave Ron Darling behind.)

The game itself was tight. We were tight. Beckett was pitching like a pitcher, not a young fireball, not trying (probably unable) to blow by hitters with his diminished fastball. Most of the scoring came from one run homers that landed in the front row. We kept leaving men on base, 12 in total, which made everything all the more ominous. Wasted opportunities, leaving the door open for the Rays.

When Varitek got up with two outs in the 6th I (dramatically) announced, oh, just call the inning and take the field; the guy's 0-for-the-series. And Varitek promptly hit the homer! I took full credit. And Crisp gets on, Bartlett commits an error (which ends up wiping out his HR) and The Large Father singles in an insurance rune. But even with a lead we were still quiet. Could this really be happening? Yes, it is. Okajima looked like 2007 Okajima. Masterson put on one runner but settled down after John Farrell came out to the mound and talked to him. And Pap was Pap, Mr. I Do Not Give Up Postseason Runs. Ever. shut down the Rays and lifted his index finger as Youkilis caught the final out. One more win. One more game.

The Red Sox are 9-1 in elimination games, including 9-0 in ALCS elimination games, with Terry Francona as manager. Let's make it 10-1 tonight.

Boston Globe Photo Gallery: Game 6 ALCS

Boston Globe Photo Gallery: The scene in St. Pete

Boston Herald Photo Gallery: Game 6 ALCS

Boston Globe: For Varitek, 'C' stands for clutch
Captain hits crucial blow

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe: Captain deserves a big salute

Boston Herald: Homer is good sign for Sox
’Tek adds to crazy run

But on those occasions when Varitek produced anything even remotely above average on offense, the Red Sox were nearly unbeatable. They went 9-0 when he recorded a two-out RBI with runners in scoring position, 11-0 when he recorded a two-out RBI of any kind, and 29-5 (.853) when he drove in a run, period.

Boston Herald: Storybook ending
Time to write off the Rays

Nancy Lane, Boston Herald
Jonathan Papelbon celebrates the Red Sox win.

One more game for all the marbles, baby. One more game.

Red Sox Notes

Boston Herald: Photo by Matt Stone
Josh Beckett not looking like a lean, mean pitching machine that he reportedly is at Spring Training in Florida yesterday.

I always feel like this when I put on my bathing suit on the first beach day of the year.

Spring training has begun! Well, at least pitchers & catchers and a few other early birds (click on this link & watch the video on the right for a hilarious interview with Jonathon Papelbon) have reported. Time to begin reading Joy of Sox and The Soxaholix daily again.

We are having one brutal winter, which I hate, but do you realize that the last terrible winter we had followed our last World Series triumph (2004). So now we know: When the Red Sox win the World Series, we spend the winter digging out. Good trade; let it snow, let snow, let it snow.

Great long piece on Dustin Pedroia from Sunday's Boston Globe.

Clay Buchholtz (Mr. Rookie No-No) spent the offseason working out & putting on 10 much-needed pounds.

Dice-K's got a mullet.

Okajima, on the other hand, tells the media that he's got a new secret pitch. Ooooh!

Didja know that Jacoby Ellsbury is a Mormon? So is Dennis Eckersley. This blogger put both on his her All-Mormon team.

Our happy warrior.Boston Globe:
Papelbon addressed the media, saying, "Just on the way down here, you know, driving and stuff, you think about what happened last year, going out there and doing it again. You turn the radio up loud. You cruise. It's always a fun time of the year for me."
(AP Photo)

Oh Happy Day

Boston Red Sox closer Hideki Okajima delivers during the ninth inning of their baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park in Boston, Thursday, May 17, 2007. Okajima earned the save in the 4-2 win over the Tigers. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
It may be cold and raining, but we've got our Sox on so we're never cold:

NYTimes: Red Sox Sweep Tigers in Doubleheader

The sweep increased Boston's lead in the AL East over the second-place New York Yankees to 9 1/2 games. The last time the Yankees, who lost to Chicago 4-1, were that far back was after games of Sept. 6, 1997.

A Red Sox Fan in Pinstripe Territory

9.5 games is our biggest division lead since 1995, when we topped out at around a 16-game lead. In 1912, we finished the season 55 games ahead of the Yanks (then Highlanders). That must've been a fun September.

We do have our little worries. It's only May. Julian Tavarez? And then there's Beckett's avulsion:

Joy of Sox: Beckett's Finger

Redsox.com reports that Josh Beckett left the game after four innings with

an avulsion on the right middle finger, leading to "irritation of the skin." ...

It was not a blister, he said, referring to the problem that plagued him earlier in his career. Francona said it would be a couple of days before the team would decide on Beckett's next start.

From Beckett's DL history:

5/1/02: Placed on the 15-day DL retroactive to April 29 with a blister on the middle finger of his right hand. (Activated 5/14)

6/5/02: Placed on the 15-day disabled list (right middle finger blister). (Activated ???)

8/24/02: Placed on the 15-day DL with a blister to his right middle finger. (Activated 9/11)

5/31/04: Placed on the 15-day disabled list with a blister to his right middle finger. (Activated 6/16)

7/6/04: Placed on the 15-day DL with a skin tear to his right middle finger. (Activated 7/30)

6/17/05: Placed on the 15-day disabled list with a blister to his right middle finger. (Activated 6/30)

But the Red Sox have the best record in baseball, and the Yankees are in the crapper. Oh happy day.