ALCS: Can The Red Sox Save Themselves?
October 16th, 2008 at 1:33 pmBy Chris
The Red Sox have had a devil of a time dealing with the Tampa Bay Rays this postseason; so much so, they are facing a 3-1 deficit and are in serious jeopardy of being sent home for the year. For some Boston fans, however, the feeling is the Red Sox have the Rays right where they want them.
To which I say, “yeah, right.” This is not last year’s Boston team nor is it the Boston team that came back against the Yankees in such dramatic fashion. Nevertheless, clinging to past glory for confidence isn’t restricted to Red Sox fans. Fans of teams with a rich history can find similarities in just about any situation they face. It’s not like you have a lot of alternatives when trailing 3-1 in a best-of-seven series.
If the Sox want to prolong the inevitable series, it apparently starts with pride:
The Sox are playing for pride now and for the chance to avoid an offseason of comparisons to Kimbo Slice. You can go home for the winter, guys, but do you really want to go home like THIS? A win tonight would reveal some real character in this Sox club because, let’s face it, a win tonight means one thing — in the words of Christopher Walken, more cowbell.
If the Sox take Game 5, they will earn another trip to the Trop, where they will face the Rays’ top two starting pitchers as well as 35,000 howling Rays fans who have been with their team through thick and thin for nearly a month now. In all likelihood, it will not be a lot of fun for the Sox, but they can look at it this way: It is their last chance to save some face for Big Papi and put some fear in the faces of the Rays.
I couldn’t help notice the little dig at Rays fans. I guess the pride he’s referring to is the pride of the fans and not the players. We all know what Marcellus Wallace thinks of pride, don’t we?
Some Rays fans are pretty confused by the “we’ve got them right where we want them” thinking:
Funny how these fans also forget facing elimination in the 2005 ALDS against the White Sox. Down 2 games to none with game 3 at home. The Red Sox lost. And then there was the 2003 ALCS with the Red Sox losing an elimination game against the Yankees. And the 1999 ALCS against the Yankees. In a scenario similar to this year’s ALCS, the Red Sox trailed 3 games to 1 with game 5 in Fenway. The Red Sox lost.
Oh yeah. The Red Sox have been here before.
So who ya got? Dice-K or Kazmir? The prolonging approach or the upstart beatdown ending?
