We’ve all heard it before from whiny, self-loathing Red Sox fans: “This is the year!” This time, though, they really mean it. Wait a second; we’ve heard that before, too! Ignoring the C-word (which I dare not mention), 86 years of futility, and the fact that the earth may well crumble into a billion pieces should the Sox win it all, and looking at facts, I’m starting to believe that is indeed the year. Why?
Well, Curt Schilling, for one…clearly the man. He knows how to talk the talk: not only does he fraternize with Sox faithful on online message boards and call into radio shows; he rejects the notion of some supernatural feeling associated with Yankees postseason baseball. When asked about the so-called ‘aura’ and ‘mystique’ of Yankee Stadium in October, he wondered if those were the names of New York City strippers. And did I mention that he can walk the walk, too? Starting three games in the 2001 World Series against the Yanks, he threw 21 innings, striking out 26 batters, yielding a 1.69 ERA. Yikes!
So the Sox throw the one-two punch of Schilling and Pedro Martinez out there. How did the Yankees respond? Well, Kevin Brown threw a punch of his own—into a clubhouse wall, breaking a hand—which may have cost him the number two spot in the Yankees rotation. So, they go with Jon Lieber, he of one career postseason start, to complement Mike Mussina, the .500 career postseason pitcher. Then Brown, and either Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez (what is this, 1999?) or the self-destructing Javier Vazquez. George Steinbrenner expects to win a series with these starters? I’ve seen more heat in an EZ-Bake oven! Seriously … some of those guys couldn’t even throw a party. But, since they left Jason Giambi, addled with steroid withdrawal (that’s not proven, it’s my accusation), off the postseason roster, they can just have seven pitchers throw one good inning each, before they hand the ball to Mariano Rivera.
Speaking of Rivera, did you catch that blown save against the Twins? Foreshadowing, anyone? I won’t even mention that Rivera blew a save against these very same Red Sox on September 17.
These Red Sox are determined, and do they ever have a huge axe to grind. They have 86 years worth of axes to grind, and the Yankees look like they think they can coast to the Series on a healthy dose of aura, mystique, and shaky pitching. Many are dusting off the old adage that good pitching beats good hitting, but I’d like to take it a step further: good hitting and good pitching beats good hitting. And if Curt Schilling’s resolve alone can dissolve that aura and mystique for a series—as it has before—imagine what an entire team’s resolve can do.
And once the genius of Pedro’s playing-possum strategy is revealed, everything will become clear. He can’t honestly believe the Yankees are his “daddy.” He’s just setting everyone up so he can toss 16 shutout innings over two starts, striking out twenty-something batters, in what may well be his last hurrah in a Red Sox uniform. Of course, it would be a moot point if the Sox get swept by the Cardinals (silly me, I completely forgot there’s another series after the ALCS).
But at least the world won’t end. And Boston fans will still have something to complain about.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the individual writer and are not necessarily held by The Poly or the sports department.
