ROX vs. SOX

[slapshot]

ssssssshhhhh....

it's 9-5 Boston

ssssshhhhhhh......

[infrared41]

You're still the biggest homer on this board, and you're still a jacka$$ I officially HATE every Red Sox fan in Mass except JP.

And I'm the one who catches a bunch of for ripping on Red Sox fans?

Regarding the Rockies. Thanks for playing. We have some lovely parting gifts. You are simply not in the same league as The Red Sox, both literally and figuratively. Helluva season though.

[Nick 1733]

You're still the biggest homer on this board, and you're still a jacka$$ I officially HATE every Red Sox fan in Mass except JP.

And I'm the one who catches a bunch of for ripping on Red Sox fans?

Regarding the Rockies. Thanks for playing. We have some lovely parting gifts. You are simply not in the same league as The Red Sox, both literally and figuratively. Helluva season though.

If the Rockies aren't off 8 1/2 days, this series is COMPLETELY different.

[infrared41]

You're still the biggest homer on this board, and you're still a jacka$$ I officially HATE every Red Sox fan in Mass except JP.

And I'm the one who catches a bunch of for ripping on Red Sox fans?

Regarding the Rockies. Thanks for playing. We have some lovely parting gifts. You are simply not in the same league as The Red Sox, both literally and figuratively. Helluva season though.

If the Rockies aren't off 8 1/2 days, this series is COMPLETELY different.

No one dislikes the Red Sox more than I do. I'd love to agree with you but the truth is your team isn't anywhere near as good as Boston. Layoff or not. It's simply reality. Sorry.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

You're still the biggest homer on this board, and you're still a jacka$$ I officially HATE every Red Sox fan in Mass except JP.

And I'm the one who catches a bunch of for ripping on Red Sox fans?

Regarding the Rockies. Thanks for playing. We have some lovely parting gifts. You are simply not in the same league as The Red Sox, both literally and figuratively. Helluva season though.

If the Rockies aren't off 8 1/2 days, this series is COMPLETELY different.

True. And if the Devil Rays were playing the Astros, neither the Red Sox nor Rockies would win it.

[TFoA]

You're still the biggest homer on this board, and you're still a jacka$$ I officially HATE every Red Sox fan in Mass except JP.

And I'm the one who catches a bunch of for ripping on Red Sox fans?

Regarding the Rockies. Thanks for playing. We have some lovely parting gifts. You are simply not in the same league as The Red Sox, both literally and figuratively. Helluva season though.

If the Rockies aren't off 8 1/2 days, this series is COMPLETELY different.

If Vick hadn't have decided to fight dogs in his spare time, the Falcons would be halfway decent.

Had Buckner exercised sound fundamentals, the Red Sox would've won the '86 WS.

Had Norwood put a little bit more accuracy on his kick, the Bills would've won a freakin Super Bowl.

[Jigga]

You're still the biggest homer on this board, and you're still a jacka$$ I officially HATE every Red Sox fan in Mass except JP.

And I'm the one who catches a bunch of for ripping on Red Sox fans?

Regarding the Rockies. Thanks for playing. We have some lovely parting gifts. You are simply not in the same league as The Red Sox, both literally and figuratively. Helluva season though.

If the Rockies aren't off 8 1/2 days, this series is COMPLETELY different.

Dude, you and everyone else here knows deep down it wouldn't have mattered if they were off for 8 days, 8 minutes or 8 months. This is the Varsity versus the JV in that scrimmage before the first game of the season. You really, really want to hope against hope that the JV can just put on a good enough show to not get completely embarrassed. In this case, the JV just didn't have it in 'em. It doesn't mean that the Rox suck, but Infrared had it exactly right when he said the Rox aren't even in the same league.

By the way, you're a way bigger homer than young Brian (even more so regarding football). YOU are the one that said the Rox were winning in 5 when you knew it was a longshot they would even win the series. 5 games is sheer domination. Boston's up 3-0. One more win, and the kid was dead on. That's not homerism, that just some good prognosticating.

[BCBoy]

Rockies to pull a Red Sox (version 2004)...

Rockies in seven.

[Swiss]

You're still the biggest homer on this board, and you're still a jacka$$ I officially HATE every Red Sox fan in Mass except JP.

And I'm the one who catches a bunch of for ripping on Red Sox fans?

Regarding the Rockies. Thanks for playing. We have some lovely parting gifts. You are simply not in the same league as The Red Sox, both literally and figuratively. Helluva season though.

If the Rockies aren't off 8 1/2 days, this series is COMPLETELY different.

As I said to a friend, the Rockies are victims of their early, "sweepish" success. It gave them lots of time to lose the rhythm.

Hey Greg, I recently saw Sportscenter... honestly I believe the catcher actually didn't touch the left hip of Manny.

[Nick 1733]

Rockies to pull a Red Sox (version 2004)...

Rockies in seven.

I hope you're right, and I think it's possible, but HIGHLY unlikely.

I don't care what anyone else says, if the Rockies don't have that long layoff, they're up 2-1 or 3-0 in the series, because they're just as talented as the Red Sox with the bats, and their pitching staff is almost as good, but not quite.

[Swiss]

Man, now the Red Sox look bad... 6-5, 3-run HR of Holliday.

They gonna lost this game.

Heeey, Unwind... the trick worked one time more! I really felt very bad and put it here written... and the Red Sox won!

[rams80]

You're still the biggest homer on this board, and you're still a jacka$$ I officially HATE every Red Sox fan in Mass except JP.

And I'm the one who catches a bunch of for ripping on Red Sox fans?

Regarding the Rockies. Thanks for playing. We have some lovely parting gifts. You are simply not in the same league as The Red Sox, both literally and figuratively. Helluva season though.

If the Rockies aren't off 8 1/2 days, this series is COMPLETELY different.

Dude, you and everyone else here knows deep down it wouldn't have mattered if they were off for 8 days, 8 minutes or 8 months. This is the Varsity versus the JV in that scrimmage before the first game of the season. You really, really want to hope against hope that the JV can just put on a good enough show to not get completely embarrassed. In this case, the JV just didn't have it in 'em. It doesn't mean that the Rox suck, but Infrared had it exactly right when he said the Rox aren't even in the same league.

By the way, you're a way bigger homer than young Brian (even more so regarding football). YOU are the one that said the Rox were winning in 5 when you knew it was a longshot they would even win the series. 5 games is sheer domination. Boston's up 3-0. One more win, and the kid was dead on. That's not homerism, that just some good prognosticating.

It depends on what he means by "completely". The Rockies may indeed have won a game by this point, which would be a significant alteration in the series from what has happened.

That said...the Red Sox are the better team, and the AL has been dominant in the post-season lately. (I'll readily admit St. Louis got VERY lucky last year.) Unfortunately, this particular problem may not be rectified until we see a salary cap in baseball; which is sad for NL fans. (I'll say it again...the Yanks, Sawx, Cubs, Cardinals, and other big spenders are doing long term harm to the game, regardless of what folks in the media say.)

Also...if tv's forcing baseball to push back the start of the World Series to a Wednesday, it's time the Division Series got upped to 7 games to prevent layoffs. Even the Red Sox had a couple of days off after a 7 game series.

[Swiss]

That said...the Red Sox are the better team, and the AL has been dominant in the post-season lately. (I'll readily admit St. Louis got VERY lucky last year.)

How could be lucky the 2006 Cards? I think they were very deserved World Champions and they defeated rightly the Tigers.

Can you explain more about this point of view? Thank you.

[Swiss]

[rams80]

That said...the Red Sox are the better team, and the AL has been dominant in the post-season lately. (I'll readily admit St. Louis got VERY lucky last year.)

How could be lucky the 2006 Cards? I think they were very deserved World Champions and they defeated rightly the Tigers.

Can you explain more about this point of view? Thank you.

1. Anthony Reyes picked an excellent time to pitch the game of his life in Game 1. I'd say 98-99 times out of 100 he'd have gotten shelled in that game, based on his overall skill.

2. The Cardinals were the beneficiaries throughout the series of very convenient throwing errors on the part of Detroit. Errors that you would not normally expect of a MLB team, and were indeed very unlike Detroit. These errors helped set up key Cardinals runs, which gave them a chance to score when their bats were intermittent

3. Detroit's bats also picked a very good time (from the Cardinals standpoint) to vanish.

4. If the Cardinals didn't win Game 5, I would class it as "highly likely" that Detroit would have taken the next two in Mo-town. Basically, the Cardinals had to sweep the games in St. Louis if they wanted to win.

[See Red]

First off, the Red Sox pitching is far and away better than the Rockies. The layoff actually really shouldn't affect pitching since they continue to keep their same routine even during extended time off. And the rust should've worn off after or during the first game. The Rockies lineup has been missing the entire playoffs... there pitching carried them, but do you expect Joss Fogg, Ubaldo Jimenez, Aaron Cook, and Jeff Francis to carry them to a victory over the Red Sox? I'll put it this way for you...

Beckett > Francis

Schilling > Jimenez

Matsuzaka > Fogg

Lester = Cook

And...

Delcarmen, Okajima, Papelbon > Hawkins, Fuentes, Corpas

And I've proven not to be the biggest fan of Dice-K on this forum, given his trouble controlling the zone. I will say this, though... if the front office thinks he'll be great eventually, then I do too because they've proven to be spot on with young talent. And the Rockies lineup and bullpens don't go as deep as Boston's.

I'm glad the Rockies made this close because it proved what I had suspected so far... when the Red Sox get a big lead early, their lineup just goes on cruise control and completely change their approach, and don't have nearly as much success because of it. Then the Rockies made it close and they just turned it back on again... remarkable. Everybody in that lineup makes you throw strikes and a big inning can get started no matter what part of the order is up.

The idea that St. Louis got lucky comes from the fact that Tigers pitchers alone made five errors in that series, which played a huge role in the outcome of the series.

[wheateater]

Rockies will win this series. Mark my words.

No, don't say that, don't jinx them, PLEASE!

Look what you did, what did I tell you? You jinxed them, thanks, thanks a lot!!!

I'll tell you what any announcer in the world should say on the air: my making a prediction has absolutely NO effect on the outcome of a game. None. Zero. I could've said the Sox will roar back and win this game and eventually sweep the series. Would I be correct? Who knows, but it all comes back to the fact that what I say has nothing to do with what happens on the field.

[Nick 1733]

Rockies will win this series. Mark my words.

No, don't say that, don't jinx them, PLEASE!

Look what you did, what did I tell you? You jinxed them, thanks, thanks a lot!!!

I'll tell you what any announcer in the world should say on the air: my making a prediction has absolutely NO effect on the outcome of a game. None. Zero. I could've said the Sox will roar back and win this game and eventually sweep the series. Would I be correct? Who knows, but it all comes back to the fact that what I say has nothing to do with what happens on the field.

I know man, don't sweat it, I was being sarcastic. There's a thing around my house where we say so and so jinxed this team because they did 'this' when 'that' happened.

My guess is the Rockies will win tomorrow and then Boston will take game 5 w/ Beckett on Monday.

[RyanB06]

Which means the Sox will sweep the Rox out of their own yard tomorrow night behind Jon Lester (considering Nick's track record making predictions).

That's got me wondering - when was the last time any team swept back-to-back WS in which they competed? I'd have to look that up...

EDIT: It was the Yankees in 1998-99.

[See Red]

Tonight and tomorrows game were must wins for the Rockies in my opinion. Beckett on the mound in an elimination game won't even be fair... if it gets that far... so the Rockies needed it to be 2-2 by game five. Aaron Cook's had a lot of time off. You can't possibly blame the performance of the Rockies pitchers on the layoff and then expect Cook to get the job done tomorrow night. I would love to see Beckett get one more start in these playoffs... but I'd love even more for Lester's first season following a return from cancer to end with a decision in the game that clinches the World Series. And hey, eight less innings pitched for Beckett certainly can't hurt him.