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Congrats, boys, but give a tip of the old chapeau to Manny and Abreu. If you were watching the Sox and didn't see the real clincher, he played two singles into triples, and that was what put you all over the top.
Damn. I've been worrying about this every day since mid-April, and this is just awesome. All the negativity, anxiety - it's all worth it when they win. #### yeah.
This is way better than the feeling of, say, winning the divisional series is 03 or 04. They beat the goddam Yankees. Awesome.
And such a likable, fun team, too. Big Papi on fire. Papelbon a crazy person. Daisuke pitching his guts out. So great.
6. John DiFool2
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 03:53 AM (#2549493)
The war for the AL East is now over.
The war for the AL Pennant is about to begin.
I wasn't so much pessimistic, but terribly pissed off at this team during certain stretches, and at certain individuals (Lugo, Drew, Francona, Gagne), because I knew the talent level here should have translated to quite a few more wins. But while weird things sometimes beat us, we had our share of weird things to win games (c.f. Buch's no-no, certain improbable comeback wins).
7. tfbg9
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 03:54 AM (#2549495)
And Dice gets to 15 wins, and 201 K's. Not bad for a rookie.
8. Darren
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 04:02 AM (#2549502)
tfbg,
I expected a little more celebration than that. Come on, let's hear the relief in your voice after all the worries.
certain individuals (Lugo, Drew, Francona, Gagne),
Hinske
10. Darren
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 04:03 AM (#2549506)
Congrats, boys, but give a tip of the old chapeau to Manny and Abreu. If you were watching the Sox and didn't see the real clincher, he played two singles into triples, and that was what put you all over the top.
That and 95 wins. Abreu's had a fine year--I'm not especially happy he's on the Yanks.
11. Dr. Vaux
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 04:03 AM (#2549507)
The prediction thread is closed, but DCA it appears DCA won with this prediction:
13-10 198.0 4.50 220 96
Several others predicted ERAs of 4.30 or 4.40, but with far fewer innings. With 4.30 and 180 innings, I was fairly close. SJ and Cowboy Popup also hit it quite close. Two Yankee fans, a certifiable pessimist, and somebody I'm not familiar with.
I enjoyed watching the clips from the celebration on NESN.
Jonathan Papelbon continues to be a crazy person, chasing teammates around the field and the clubhouse, and he'd clearly lost his voice from celebrating. Dustin Pedroia looked like he was preparing for the game tomorrow already, speaking in a monotone, drawing entirely from the Bull Durham handbook of rookie phrases. Erik Hinske was so happy he was close to tears. I'm not sure what that means - this will be the first postseason of his career, so there's that - but it made me like the guy quite a bit. Mike Timlin had a funny line, talking about watching the 9th inning of the Yankee game, "We were all yelling at Kevin, how do you take strike three right down the middle!"
17. Darren
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 04:10 AM (#2549523)
Mike Timlin had a funny line, talking about watching the 9th inning of the Yankee game, "We were all yelling at Kevin, how do you take strike three right down the middle!"
I'm sure Drew explained it to them.
18. Darren
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 04:12 AM (#2549525)
Never in doubt.
Riiiggghhhtt. Write that down and mail it to last week when it mattered.
But the Sox won the division so all is forgiven Biff, even your whistling in the elevator.
But the Sox won the division so all is forgiven Biff, even your whistling in the elevator.
Hey, this is a time for pants pissers and optimists to unite.
But, as Teddy mentioned earlier today, now I hope they do something they haven't done in any of our lifetimes (unless we got a closet Harveys around here): post the best regular season record in baseball.
20. Chip
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 05:17 AM (#2549598)
Jonathan Papelbon continues to be a crazy person, chasing teammates around the field and the clubhouse, and he'd clearly lost his voice from celebrating.
As Eck said on the NESN postgame:
"Papelbon needs to put some pants on."
You can't get enough Eck.
21. GIANTlhbASS
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 06:12 AM (#2549640)
I'm sure Drew explained it to them.
Ouch.
That was cathartic, classic, deserved -- and all ending on a bunt to the MVP. The Sox had 80 minutes to unwind before it all went down. I don't know if they were drinking throughout, but that celebration was the most free-spirited I can remember.
Speaking of Papelbon's shorts, did anyone else see him in his jockstrap right after Mora's hit, at the very beginning of the pandemonium? Ay, caramba! Anyone see Manny at all? Oh, and Eck also said, "[Papelbon's] shirt is shrinking by the minute."
2007 AL East champs!!!!
22. Joel W
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 07:42 AM (#2549663)
This is fantastic. I moved to New York in June (law school), and it was quite a stressful three weeks with all the Yankees fans around. It feels that good.
I think the Red Sox catch a break playing the Angels in the first round, and that they will against Yankees would have an easier time against them than the Indians. The Indians look good, and the Angels are pretty banged up right now. I like the Red Sox in 3 or 4 against the Angels. I think the other ALDS goes 5, but I can't predict which team will win.
24. Toby
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 01:04 PM (#2549699)
25. tfbg9
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 01:16 PM (#2549701)
kevin, I owe you $15, I believe. Heh heh. You can resurface now, its OK.
26. Weekly Journalist_
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 01:23 PM (#2549702)
I dont recall all this banter about how important the division is being spouted in Oct. 2004.
:-)
I jest. Quite an accomplishment...even piddling a 14.5 game lead to 1.5 games was, I'm sure, all just a conspiracy to keep the sellout string intact until the last weekend. bravo
Oh well...at least I didnt have to see any of the games, as I had to watch Knocked Up with my sick fiancee.
And don't let any Yankee fans tell you it means nothing. It means something. Division title Flags fly forever no matter what. Wild cards mean nothing unless you win a pennant. The Yankees have a lot of work to do to ensure the season is not an embarrassment. The Red Sox can be happy with the accomplishment no matter what.
If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go bash my head against the wall repeatedly.
At least the Yankees made the Red Sox sweat it out until the end. That's something, I guess <sob>
27. rr
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 02:24 PM (#2549722)
Never in doubt.
Not serious doubt, no.
Congratulations to the Red Sox--a very good season by a well-run, quality team.
The Yankees have a lot of work to do to ensure the season is not an embarrassment. The Red Sox can be happy with the accomplishment no matter what.
I don't agree with this at all. Winning 92 games, making the playoffs and integrating some new talent onto the pitching staff is nothing to be embarrassed about, no matter how much money they gave Roger Clemens. And while the Red Sox have had a nice year no matter how things go down in October, a team with the 2nd-highest payroll in the game should be playing for championships. To me, the only "embarrassing" seasons in baseball this year are:
Dodgers (not because they missed the postseason, but because of the bizarre generational conflict)
Mets (if they don't get in)
Pirates
28. Guapo
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 02:43 PM (#2549729)
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
The sound a Red Sox fan makes after changing out of a pair of freshly-pissed pants.
Congratulations, Sox fans! The rivalry got a little more even yesterday.
29. Answer Guy.
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 02:53 PM (#2549735)
Speaking of Papelbon's shorts, did anyone else see him in his jockstrap right after Mora's hit, at the very beginning of the pandemonium?
In 2005, somebody on this board claimed that according to MLB the Yankees and Red Sox were division co-champs, the season record was used only to determine seeding. Was this claim a bunch of BS?
31. aleskel
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 03:57 PM (#2549781)
Dodgers (not because they missed the postseason, but because of the bizarre generational conflict)
Mets (if they don't get in)
Pirates
Tigers
Mariners
32. bibigon
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 03:59 PM (#2549783)
In 2005, somebody on this board claimed that according to MLB the Yankees and Red Sox were division co-champs, the season record was used only to determine seeding. Was this claim a bunch of BS?
The MLB site does actually lend a bit of support to this, as they don't have the Yankees above the Red Sox in the final standings - they just have them in alphabetical order, as they would normally when two teams were tied. They also have both the Red Sox and Yankees atop the wild card standings. They don't differentiate them at all.
That said, the Red Sox don't fly a division champs flag or anything, so this claim doesn't hold a lot of water for me. Even if MLB were to conclusively rule the Red Sox as co-champs, it wouldn't mean that much for me relative to the common interpretation.
In 2005, somebody on this board claimed that according to MLB the Yankees and Red Sox were division co-champs, the season record was used only to determine seeding. Was this claim a bunch of BS?
The Cardinals still claim the title of 2001 NL Central Co-Champions even though they lost the season series and tiebreaker to the Astros...
34. Answer Guy.
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 05:08 PM (#2549842)
Oops. I see two other people have weighed in on the 2005 co-division champions thing.
I wouldn't call the Mariners' season as a whole a disappointment. They were coming off a terrible season, were picked by many to finish dead last and they instead had a winning season where they contended almost to the end. (It seems, especially in retrospect, that they were playing a bit above their heads.) I suppose in the context of the season itself that the last two months would have been a letdown to Seattle fans.
If the Mets make it to the playoffs, I'd say the White Sox have to be the most disappointing team of 2007. Possibly the Astros too but they weren't predicted to do especially well.
I don't think either team or their fans would be happy with a 1st round exit, especially if they were perceived as playing poorly in the process.
I don't think either team or their fans would welcome a first round exit either, but both teams accomplished some pretty impressive things during the regular season. The Red Sox won their division, and the Yankees played their way back into the playoffs after a disheartening, terrible start. Doing well in the playoffs would be great, but I don't think a poor playoff showing diminishes those achievements terribly.
38. Joel W
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 06:47 PM (#2549997)
The other reason neither Yankee fans nor Red Sox fans will be terribly sad is that both teams saw glimpses of their futures this year and were incredibly excited. It makes me feel bad for the rest of the AL East, but: Melky, Joba, Hughes, Cano, Kennedy et al. for the Yankees, and, Buchholz, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Lester, Papelbon, even Dice-K for the Red Sox. It's just a lot of young talent, and it was talent that mattered to the teams this season. These two teams are going to be atop the AL East for another 5 years at least.
39. bibigon
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 06:52 PM (#2550005)
I think it's the way they exit that will determine if a first round exit will hurt or not.
If the pitching comes up empty, but the bats are there, and they make it close, then I think people will be fine. If they lose a bunch of 2-1 games, or the starters blow a bunch of leads late however, it'll be a calamity.
Basically, the more unexpected the source of defeat, the better people will deal with it. If it's the kiddie bats, or the Eric Gagne show again however, then there will be calls for Tito's head.
I don't think either team or their fans would be happy with a 1st round exit, especially if they were perceived as playing poorly in the process.
I don't think either team or their fans would welcome a first round exit either, but both teams accomplished some pretty impressive things during the regular season. The Red Sox won their division, and the Yankees played their way back into the playoffs after a disheartening, terrible start. Doing well in the playoffs would be great, but I don't think a poor playoff showing diminishes those achievements terribly.
Can't speak for Boston fans, but IMO it would depend on the hows. If (say) Sabbathia got hot and beat the Yanks in a low-scoring and well-played game, it would be one thing, but if they went out on a game like last night's mess against the Orioles, with bonehead plays on the bases and in the field and Mussina and Rivera throwing batting practice, that wouldn't go down too well, in spite of the healthy offense. I honestly can't think of a starter I'd trust with the possible exception of Pettitte, and even he's not a given. The Yanks need givens.
Pitching, pitching, pitching. You can't win without it, and I seriously question whether the Yanks have enough of it. My only hope is that the other teams' weaknesses will prove even more fatal.
41. Baldrick
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 07:41 PM (#2550105)
The Mariners' season wasn't embarrassing at all. It was actually pretty encouraging.
The Mets' season is embarrassing even if they manage to sneak back into the playoffs unless they get to the LCS (at least).
42. The Original SJ
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 07:42 PM (#2550107)
All 4 AL teams are pretty good, if not very good. I don't think it would be embarrassing to lose to any of them.
I agree w/Otto, except that the Angels seem to have limped in to the post season, so losing to them would be a disappointment.
44. PJ Martinez
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 10:24 PM (#2550329)
Apropos of nothing, here's an exchange that took place between Terry Francona and Manny Ramirez, according to The Sporting News:
Manny: Let me borrow your phone.
Terry: Huh? Who are you calling?
Manny: No one. The Dominican.
Terry: The Dominican?
Manny: Let me borrow it. I'll call Brazil.
Terry: I don't think so.
Manny: Let's go to the Cheesecake Factory.
45. Dan
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 11:11 PM (#2550397)
Is that article or whatever online PJ?
46. PJ Martinez
Posted: September 29, 2007 at 11:12 PM (#2550399)
Apparently it's for subscribers only. But there are a few other clips at sonsofsamhorn.net
Mostly a Tito puff piece, so far as I can tell. But that exchange is priceless.
48. Dr. Vaux
Posted: September 30, 2007 at 02:33 AM (#2550711)
The Tigers' season wasn't embarrassing either. It might have been if their pitchers had stayed healthy, but having most of their important starters and relievers injured or stink for most of the year and still winning 87 games isn't embarrassing at all.
49. Darren
Posted: September 30, 2007 at 02:58 AM (#2550727)
Per the Globe, the Sox have chosen Division Series B--the one with the extra day of rest. They'll start on Wed.
50. tfbg9
Posted: September 30, 2007 at 03:37 AM (#2550764)
So no Wake starts, I presume? At least until they possibly make the 2007 ALCS?
51. Dan
Posted: September 30, 2007 at 06:13 AM (#2550858)
Pffft as if there's any chance of not beating LAA.
But to be honest I really do like our chances vs. LAA. Lackey has consistently been #### vs Boston.
Reader Comments and Retorts
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Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.
1. IronChef Chris Wok Posted: September 29, 2007 at 03:26 AM (#2549455)This is way better than the feeling of, say, winning the divisional series is 03 or 04. They beat the goddam Yankees. Awesome.
And such a likable, fun team, too. Big Papi on fire. Papelbon a crazy person. Daisuke pitching his guts out. So great.
The war for the AL Pennant is about to begin.
I wasn't so much pessimistic, but terribly pissed off at this team during certain stretches, and at certain individuals (Lugo, Drew, Francona, Gagne), because I knew the talent level here should have translated to quite a few more wins. But while weird things sometimes beat us, we had our share of weird things to win games (c.f. Buch's no-no, certain improbable comeback wins).
I expected a little more celebration than that. Come on, let's hear the relief in your voice after all the worries.
Hinske
That and 95 wins. Abreu's had a fine year--I'm not especially happy he's on the Yanks.
13-10 198.0 4.50 220 96
Several others predicted ERAs of 4.30 or 4.40, but with far fewer innings. With 4.30 and 180 innings, I was fairly close. SJ and Cowboy Popup also hit it quite close. Two Yankee fans, a certifiable pessimist, and somebody I'm not familiar with.
as a Yankee fan, I can only say: well, this kinda sucks, but it could be worse. I could be a Mets fan
aaaaaaaaaah, indeed
Jonathan Papelbon continues to be a crazy person, chasing teammates around the field and the clubhouse, and he'd clearly lost his voice from celebrating. Dustin Pedroia looked like he was preparing for the game tomorrow already, speaking in a monotone, drawing entirely from the Bull Durham handbook of rookie phrases. Erik Hinske was so happy he was close to tears. I'm not sure what that means - this will be the first postseason of his career, so there's that - but it made me like the guy quite a bit. Mike Timlin had a funny line, talking about watching the 9th inning of the Yankee game, "We were all yelling at Kevin, how do you take strike three right down the middle!"
I'm sure Drew explained it to them.
Riiiggghhhtt. Write that down and mail it to last week when it mattered.
But the Sox won the division so all is forgiven Biff, even your whistling in the elevator.
Hey, this is a time for pants pissers and optimists to unite.
But, as Teddy mentioned earlier today, now I hope they do something they haven't done in any of our lifetimes (unless we got a closet Harveys around here): post the best regular season record in baseball.
As Eck said on the NESN postgame:
"Papelbon needs to put some pants on."
You can't get enough Eck.
That was cathartic, classic, deserved -- and all ending on a bunt to the MVP. The Sox had 80 minutes to unwind before it all went down. I don't know if they were drinking throughout, but that celebration was the most free-spirited I can remember.
Speaking of Papelbon's shorts, did anyone else see him in his jockstrap right after Mora's hit, at the very beginning of the pandemonium? Ay, caramba! Anyone see Manny at all? Oh, and Eck also said, "[Papelbon's] shirt is shrinking by the minute."
2007 AL East champs!!!!
I think the Red Sox catch a break playing the Angels in the first round, and that they will against Yankees would have an easier time against them than the Indians. The Indians look good, and the Angels are pretty banged up right now. I like the Red Sox in 3 or 4 against the Angels. I think the other ALDS goes 5, but I can't predict which team will win.
:-)
I jest. Quite an accomplishment...even piddling a 14.5 game lead to 1.5 games was, I'm sure, all just a conspiracy to keep the sellout string intact until the last weekend. bravo
Oh well...at least I didnt have to see any of the games, as I had to watch Knocked Up with my sick fiancee.
And don't let any Yankee fans tell you it means nothing. It means something. Division title Flags fly forever no matter what. Wild cards mean nothing unless you win a pennant. The Yankees have a lot of work to do to ensure the season is not an embarrassment. The Red Sox can be happy with the accomplishment no matter what.
If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go bash my head against the wall repeatedly.
At least the Yankees made the Red Sox sweat it out until the end. That's something, I guess <sob>
Not serious doubt, no.
Congratulations to the Red Sox--a very good season by a well-run, quality team.
I don't agree with this at all. Winning 92 games, making the playoffs and integrating some new talent onto the pitching staff is nothing to be embarrassed about, no matter how much money they gave Roger Clemens. And while the Red Sox have had a nice year no matter how things go down in October, a team with the 2nd-highest payroll in the game should be playing for championships. To me, the only "embarrassing" seasons in baseball this year are:
Dodgers (not because they missed the postseason, but because of the bizarre generational conflict)
Mets (if they don't get in)
Pirates
The sound a Red Sox fan makes after changing out of a pair of freshly-pissed pants.
Congratulations, Sox fans! The rivalry got a little more even yesterday.
Is there Youtube of this?! :)
Mets (if they don't get in)
Pirates
Tigers
Mariners
The MLB site does actually lend a bit of support to this, as they don't have the Yankees above the Red Sox in the final standings - they just have them in alphabetical order, as they would normally when two teams were tied. They also have both the Red Sox and Yankees atop the wild card standings. They don't differentiate them at all.
That said, the Red Sox don't fly a division champs flag or anything, so this claim doesn't hold a lot of water for me. Even if MLB were to conclusively rule the Red Sox as co-champs, it wouldn't mean that much for me relative to the common interpretation.
The Cardinals still claim the title of 2001 NL Central Co-Champions even though they lost the season series and tiebreaker to the Astros...
I wouldn't call the Mariners' season as a whole a disappointment. They were coming off a terrible season, were picked by many to finish dead last and they instead had a winning season where they contended almost to the end. (It seems, especially in retrospect, that they were playing a bit above their heads.) I suppose in the context of the season itself that the last two months would have been a letdown to Seattle fans.
If the Mets make it to the playoffs, I'd say the White Sox have to be the most disappointing team of 2007. Possibly the Astros too but they weren't predicted to do especially well.
I don't think either team or their fans would be happy with a 1st round exit, especially if they were perceived as playing poorly in the process.
I don't think either team or their fans would welcome a first round exit either, but both teams accomplished some pretty impressive things during the regular season. The Red Sox won their division, and the Yankees played their way back into the playoffs after a disheartening, terrible start. Doing well in the playoffs would be great, but I don't think a poor playoff showing diminishes those achievements terribly.
If the pitching comes up empty, but the bats are there, and they make it close, then I think people will be fine. If they lose a bunch of 2-1 games, or the starters blow a bunch of leads late however, it'll be a calamity.
Basically, the more unexpected the source of defeat, the better people will deal with it. If it's the kiddie bats, or the Eric Gagne show again however, then there will be calls for Tito's head.
I don't think either team or their fans would welcome a first round exit either, but both teams accomplished some pretty impressive things during the regular season. The Red Sox won their division, and the Yankees played their way back into the playoffs after a disheartening, terrible start. Doing well in the playoffs would be great, but I don't think a poor playoff showing diminishes those achievements terribly.
Can't speak for Boston fans, but IMO it would depend on the hows. If (say) Sabbathia got hot and beat the Yanks in a low-scoring and well-played game, it would be one thing, but if they went out on a game like last night's mess against the Orioles, with bonehead plays on the bases and in the field and Mussina and Rivera throwing batting practice, that wouldn't go down too well, in spite of the healthy offense. I honestly can't think of a starter I'd trust with the possible exception of Pettitte, and even he's not a given. The Yanks need givens.
Pitching, pitching, pitching. You can't win without it, and I seriously question whether the Yanks have enough of it. My only hope is that the other teams' weaknesses will prove even more fatal.
The Mets' season is embarrassing even if they manage to sneak back into the playoffs unless they get to the LCS (at least).
Manny: Let me borrow your phone.
Terry: Huh? Who are you calling?
Manny: No one. The Dominican.
Terry: The Dominican?
Manny: Let me borrow it. I'll call Brazil.
Terry: I don't think so.
Manny: Let's go to the Cheesecake Factory.
Mostly a Tito puff piece, so far as I can tell. But that exchange is priceless.
But to be honest I really do like our chances vs. LAA. Lackey has consistently been #### vs Boston.
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