I had to give up on Game Chatter because of the ~2 minute internet delay, and couldn't take the accidental spoilers in game 2. But the dismay wasn't actually as bad as I expected.

Man. Being a Red Sox fan is a good thing.

There had been a thousand things since the late innings of game 2 that seemed to go the Rays way, in no small part because of their excellent play. Those things all went the Sox way in innings 7-9 tonight. For example, the ball going off of Upton's glove in the 7th. Kotsay had hit the ball to almost that same spot several times and each time Upton had run it down, but this time he missed. Very, very fortunate for the Sox.

I look forward to many great battles between the Sox and Rays over the next couple of years.

Also, the hit that made it 7-1 by Dusty looked like it might have been caught, had the ball been
agressively charged.

Yeah Gross was awesome tonight

I'm still in shock

Games 6 and & are gravy - I'm proud of this team

If I admit I was out with a girl, and found this out from shouts by some random dudes at a bar, should I be embarrassed? I think not, but good god. Also, good on Terry for bringing in Paps in the 7th even though it didn't work out.

I think it did work out. Upton's hit was really just a routine fly (though that would have scored one run anyway), and he dominated from there.

Wow, that Crisp at-bat in the bottom of the 8th. I don't know what pitches Wheeler was throwing that Crisp fouled off, they all seemed high. That was an incredible at-bat. Weird how Kotsay kept going to the same place in deep left-center. Papi bunting - interesting, I barely disagree with that. An INCREDIBLE game. Sox still are best w/ the underdog mantle. Fun to watch. Whatta crazy series.

I asked her name but she wouldn't give it.

I asked her what she did but she wouldn't tell.

She wasn't from around here. She had sad eyes and dancer's legs and she needed a place to crash. Her old digs were being knocked down, or something, and it can get awful cold in October.

Next morning, over a cigarette, she tells me she has a sister.

I think maybe we can work something out.

Also, the hit that made it 7-1 by Dusty looked like it might have been caught, had the ball been agressively charged.

I saw it from the bleachers, and, yes, had he read the ball faster and charged he probably would've had it. But once he didn't get a good initial read, he had to play it on a hop. In a 7-0 game, there's no reason to take the chance. Because, you know, there's no way the Rays will lose the game. ;-)

I did tell someone in the bleachers when they were "only" down 5-0 that the only good thing about being down so much is that it'll be that much more fun if they come back from it. He wasn't buying what I was selling, and frankly neither was I. But great googly moogly what a game.

Joel, that is all fine, so long as you allowed intercourse in any manner of your choosing. Otherwise, you're a terrible, terrible fan.

I saw it from the bleachers, and, yes, had he read the ball faster and charged he probably would've had it. But once he didn't get a good initial read, he had to play it on a hop. In a 7-0 game, there's no reason to take the chance. Because, you know, there's no way the Rays will lose the game. ;-)

I thought the same thing. At the time, it looked like the good play. Allow the run, but keep the big inning off the board. Of course, for that strategy to work, you have to remove the imploding pitcher.

Joe Maddon decided his real name was Joe Torre.
Bullpen management out of the Joe Torre playbook.

Cautious optimism is the rule of the day.

Now it's all on Josh Beckett.

Reminiscent of Curt Schilling in 2004 and 2007, pitching Game 6 after a bad performance early in the series. Schilling made adjustments and pitched two huge clutch game. Beckett's got a chance to make his legend here.

I don't have any faith in Beckett.

If Francona doesn't have Byrd ready by the second hard hit ball off of Beckett, he stinks.

Wow. Ri-donculous.

Did anyone see the interview with Coco Crisp? He told the TV guys that, during his epic at-bat, he was praying for a hit "between every pitch... Sometimes your prayers are answered." Not only was that uncommonly honest, that is kind of amazing to me. I guess it worked for him.

Wake, too. Tito needs to have Johnny Wholestaff available tomorrow, pray for the good outcome, and have faith in Lester for Sunday.

Matt, to me this is more like starting Burkett in Game 6 of the 2003 ALCS. Yes, there was no injury there, but my expectation of a "quality start" out of Beckett on Saturday is right where it was with Burkett in 2003.

I'm reasonably hopeful from Byrd's outing in Game 3 that he can keep us close if Beckett blows up. And close may be all we need, given that I think we'll take a good approach to their bullpen from here on out, and the Rays' bullpen may get all head-case-y for the rest of the series.

woo hoo

at the last minute last night (at about 6:15) I decided on a whim to drive down towards fenway and try to get in. I shot down the Mcgrath highway and Storrow, and parked for free in the Bs2836secret9LS71#$#1 lot, and walked over towards the park. I checked out the the 'scalp-free zone' and could have gotten a nice loge box ticket for face ($175) but passed. I walked around landsdowne and within a minute was able to get a great grandstand ticket, at the front of sec 19, for $70 (which is less than face). And then the game was exactly like game 3, with Upton and Longoria bombing away again.

In the 7th I moved down to the front of the loge boxes behind the place when some now-regretful people left. and then the comeback. Ortiz's blast made it a ballgame again.

and then Coco coco coco coco. man that was a hell of an at-bat. I dont know how many 3-2 pitches he fouled off but it seemed like a dozen and then he lines the hit. Place goes bonkers. Everyone in the park felt like they would win it in the 9th with the meat of the order coming up.

The winning hit was reminiscent of Jermaine Dye stumbling around right-field in the 03 LDS. Gross must have been so geared towards coming in on a single and trying to throw out Youk at the place that he misplayed it a little.

Burkett was a mediocre pitcher. Schilling in 2004 was an excellent pitcher with an injury, Schilling in 2007 was a good pitcher with a balky shoulder. Likewise, Beckett's an excellent pitcher with an injury. Just as Schilling was already a great postseason performer heading toward historic, Beckett only needs one to two more moments of heroism to make his own legend.

No one, going into game 6 in 2003, thought Burkett could just make an adjustment or two and shut down the Yankees. That's precisely what all of Boston is wishing for this year, and what we were hoping for and what happened in 2004 and 2007.

If Paul Byrd were starting tomorrow, that'd be a Burkett parallel.

Matt, I don't disagree with you, but I strongly suspect Beckett isn't an adjustment or two away from shutting down the Rays. He's hurt, and he's not shown in the past (to my memory, which, admittedly, could be faulty) that he can throw effectively when he's hurt and can't execute his pitches the way he normally does. We're going to have to get lucky to win Game 6... just as we had to in order to win Game 6 in 2003; that's the parallel for me. I have zero confidence Beckett is going to shut down anything on Saturday. Could he rope-a-dope and get lucky for 5 innings while we get to Shields? Sure, but that to me is the best we can hope for.

All that said, I have 100% confidence in Lester beating Garza in a Game 7 if it comes to it. Garza is a great candidate to completely melt down in a Game 7 and spit the bit.

My mind is officially blown. I agree that if they can somehow claw their way to a game 6 win, the Red Sox will spank the Rays in game 7 just like they did NY and Cleveland. I also agree that Beckett isn't the best idea for game 6, but they clearly have faith in him, and this team has had to pull off some ridiculous #### in their last two LCS so why not this year?

If the Sox win the ALCS, that probably punches Terry Francona's ticket to the Hall of Fame; if they win the WS, it certainly does.

Gross's defense in the last two innings last night was pathetic. I could probably have caught the double from Drew and he did not even make it close...

[crosses fingers]

Maybe Beckett's not really still hurt - maybe he was just rusty! Yeah, that's it! That's why he couldn't get above 92 on the four-seam fastball last time! Tomorrow it will be all 97 MPH gas!

He's just resting.

No, he's pining for the fjords.

Look who knows so much! It just so happens that your friend here is only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive.

what I wouldn't give for a holocaust cloak!

DR JAMES ANDREWS:
Bring out your injured!
[clang]
Bring out your injured!
[clang]
TERRY FRANCONA:
Here's one.
ANDREWS:
Ninepence.
JOSH BECKETT:
I'm not injured!
ANDREWS:
What?
FRANCONA:
Nothing. Here's your ninepence.
BECKETT:
I'm not injured!
ANDREWS:
'Ere. He says he's not injured!
FRANCONA:
Yes, he is.
BECKETT:
I'm not!
ANDREWS:
He isn't?
FRANCONA:
Well, he will be soon. He's very ill.
BECKETT:
I'm getting better!
FRANCONA:
No, you're not. You'll be completely disabled in a moment.
ANDREWS:
Oh, I can't take him like that. It's against regulations.
BECKETT:
I don't want to go on the DL!
FRANCONA:
Oh, don't be such a baby.
ANDREWS:
I can't take him.
BECKETT:
I feel fine!
FRANCONA:
Well, do us a favour.
ANDREWS:
I can't.
FRANCONA:
Well, can you hang around a couple of minutes? He won't be long.
ANDREWS:
No, I've got to go to the Reds. They've lost nine today.
FRANCONA:
Well, when's your next round?
ANDREWS:
Thursday.
BECKETT:
I think I'll go warm up.
FRANCONA:
You're not fooling anyone, you know. Look. Isn't there something you can do?
BECKETT: [singing]
I feel healthy. I feel healthy.
[whop]
FRANCONA:
Ah, thanks very much.
ANDREWS:
Not at all. See you on Thursday.

Frustration drove me to flip to "Property Virgins" on HGTV. Similar feelings and actions have driven me to miss every dramatic Sox postseason moment since 1999.

No flipping here. But by the time it was 5-0 I was doing enough to distract myself from the upcoming loss that I forgot there had been a pitching change from one Japanese guy to the other, as participants in the chat can attest.