MLB Playoffs

[DG_ThenNowForever]

This thing ain't over yet. I said it earlier and I'll say it again...I'll believe The Red Sox are done when The Rays record the final out of their 4th win in this series. Until then...7 outs to go for The Rays. And the fat lady has headed back to the buffet line for a while.

I wonder how many of those fans who left in the 7th will claim they were still there if The Red Sox pull this off.

Funny that it was an Indians fan who's consistently had faith in the Red Sox.

Some of you Boston fans are too much.

How much of a chance did you give them based on the first 6.5 innings of this game and the last 2.5 games? Seriously, I don't know any other person who honestly truly believed (or could think) they would pull it off. Obviously it's always possible but how could you think that without doubt? I admit I just about let it go there, but hey, sometimes it's better to get a surprise like that and look like an idiot. That's why sports are so great.

Look above. Infrared is no fan of the Sox, but even he had more faith in your team than you did.

[See Red]

This thing ain't over yet. I said it earlier and I'll say it again...I'll believe The Red Sox are done when The Rays record the final out of their 4th win in this series. Until then...7 outs to go for The Rays. And the fat lady has headed back to the buffet line for a while.

I wonder how many of those fans who left in the 7th will claim they were still there if The Red Sox pull this off.

Funny that it was an Indians fan who's consistently had faith in the Red Sox.

Some of you Boston fans are too much.

How much of a chance did you give them based on the first 6.5 innings of this game and the last 2.5 games? Seriously, I don't know any other person who honestly truly believed (or could think) they would pull it off. Obviously it's always possible but how could you think that without doubt? I admit I just about let it go there, but hey, sometimes it's better to get a surprise like that and look like an idiot. That's why sports are so great.

Look above. Infrared is no fan of the Sox, but even he had more faith in your team than you did.

Regarding this series... there's an 18-3 pitcher on the mound tomorrow followed by Beckett and Lester. It's unlikely that they come back, but it was unlikely in 2004 and 2007 too. I don't really see how guys can question this teams heart and say the Rays have more -- just because the Red Sox aren't all rah rah and aren't playing with a chip on their shoulder doesn't mean they care any less, they're just not getting it done with men on, Beckett pitched hurt, and Wake hasn't gotten it done in the postseason in a while. I mean, this is predominantly the same team that came back from a 3-1 deficit last year and crushed a team with "more heart", the Rockies.

Yankees had homefield advantage in the 2004 ALCS and had taken a 3-0 lead on a 19-8 blowout in Fenway. And they held leads late in games four and five with Rivera on the mound. And hell, they had ace pitching with a torn tendon that was sutured in place hours before the game in game six. Given the choice, I'd much rather the situation the Sox are in now.

Again, not saying they will come back, or even that they'll get back to Tampa -- but they're fully capable of doing it.

My only admissions of anything being over was a realistic look at game four when the Sox got behind and into the bullpen very early and when they got down 5-0 tonight... but then, who actually thought they would come back tonight?

Saying it's 'unlikely' they come back is nothing more than a realistic look at the series.

But whatever. If being an "actual fan" means blind faith that they undoubtedly will come back and bold, unrealistic predictions, then maybe I'm not one. Oh well.

[DEAD!]

Wow! I go to sleep and THAT happened?

[Swiss]

Man I hate the Red Sox!!!

And I love the Browns. Go Browns!!!

Wow! I go to sleep and THAT happened?

The Red Sox won an almost lost game! That's what happened.

[Pharos04]

wow what an ending. All those Sox fans who gave up on them earlier in the game and especially those 's who left early....bunch of wannabe bandwagoneers. None of them displayed what it means to be a true fan to a team. True fans stick it out through the worst of times so when something amazing happens it's magical. Great job Sox. Enjoy the break traveling down to Tampa and let's take dem Rays and show them what it takes to be a championship caliber team. GO SOX!!!

[Audiodrama]

Game Six = Game Seven

Rays must win or its over.

For once, I actually agree with Tank. Game Six is a must-win for the Rays. If the Sox pull that one off, they have Lester waiting in the wings.

Interesting fact -- Drew's game-winning hit last night came EXACTLY five years after Aaron Boone's home run in 2003. Down to the minute. 12:16 AM.

[Burning River]

I have two things to say... "WOW!!!! The true meaning of October and still being the current Champion"

and

I am SO glad this wasn't against the Indians! Our teathered Cleveland hearts couldn't take it!

[DEAD!]

Wow! I go to sleep and THAT happened?

The Red Sox won an almost lost game! That's what happened.

uhhh... yeah, I know WHAT happened!

[fiasco!]

Wow! I go to sleep and THAT happened?

Same here, dude. I dozed off in the 7th right after the Rays went up 7-0. I figured it was over and I was sleepy so I turned off the tube. Oh well.

[twi]

Game Six = Game Seven

Rays must win or its over.

For once, I actually agree with Tank. Game Six is a must-win for the Rays. If the Sox pull that one off, they have Lester waiting in the wings.

Interesting fact -- Drew's game-winning hit last night came EXACTLY five years after Aaron Boone's home run in 2003. Down to the minute. 12:16 AM.

Heard that before, beat that before.

[SteveR]

You just can't kill it.

That's 8 straight wins in ALCS elimination games for Boston.

Explain it? Not possible.

[CC97]

Wow! I go to sleep and THAT happened?

Same here, dude. I dozed off in the 7th right after the Rays went up 7-0. I figured it was over and I was sleepy so I turned off the tube. Oh well.

Yeah same here -- I woke up this morning upset thinking that I missed the Rays winning the ALCS; guess I forgot this game was at Fenway Park.

[McCall]

Ok, it was pretty awe inspiring in 2004 when they came back from 0-3 to beat the much hated (by almost everyone) Yankees, and break the 84-year-old well known curse, and I guess even last year for the Red Sox fans themselves, but after winning 2 of the last 4 World Series', you think the rest of the country who aren't necessarily Sox fans give a crap if they pull of another comeback? Their no longer the little darlings beating the big bad Yankees. They ARE the Yankees. Getting old seeing them there. I would almost guaranty that, unless you ARE a Red Sox fan, you're pulling for the Rays, who are a much bigger story than the Red Sox coming back again ever could be. But of course, ESPN is the Red Sox television network, so it's gonna be played out like they're the guys everybody's rootin' for. Heh, screw that.

I hated the Yankees part 1, and I'm getting sick of the Yankees part 2. (Yeah, that'll probably piss off some Sox fans around here. )

[speedy]

Game Six = Game Seven

Rays must win or its over.

For once, I actually agree with Tank. Game Six is a must-win for the Rays. If the Sox pull that one off, they have Lester waiting in the wings.

Interesting fact -- Drew's game-winning hit last night came EXACTLY five years after Aaron Boone's home run in 2003. Down to the minute. 12:16 AM.

Too be honest, when I looked at the clock and saw midnight I thought back to the '04 playoffs, sitting in the same spot, watching yet another comback.. odd feeling really.

[FiddySicks]

Ok, it was pretty awe inspiring in 2004 when they came back from 0-3 to beat the much hated (by almost everyone) Yankees, and break the 84-year-old well known curse, and I guess even last year for the Red Sox fans themselves, but after winning 2 of the last 4 World Series', you think the rest of the country who aren't necessarily Sox fans give a crap if they pull of another comeback? Their no longer the little darlings beating the big bad Yankees. They ARE the Yankees. Getting old seeing them there. I would almost guaranty that, unless you ARE a Red Sox fan, you're pulling for the Rays, who are a much bigger story than the Red Sox coming back again ever could be. But of course, ESPN is the Red Sox television network, so it's gonna be played out like they're the guys everybody's rootin' for. Heh, screw that.

I hated the Yankees part 1, and I'm getting sick of the Yankees part 2. (Yeah, that'll probably piss off some Sox fans around here. )

If it pisses people off or not, it's true. I sat back watching this comeback and instead of thinking wow, the Sox are really gonna do it, what an awesome story. I thought to my self uggh, not the Red Sox again. Instead of feeling like a great story it felt like they were ruining a great story. I remember last season and watching Boston absolutely dismantle the great story that was Colorado and felt such a sense of apathy towards the series that even the Marlins Yankees series in 03, which I didn't even watch a second of, could compare.

[TFoA]

You know, after thinking about this game and realizing how much of a classic it was...I thought to myself "Of course, the Rays are done..."

Then I thought "Hey, they're going to the Trop. Hey, Shields is starting. Hey, this team rarely ever loses when the Trop is full to capacity. Hey, this team always seems to buck traditional thinking."

So yeah, I still don't think that this series is going to go in the Sox's favor. The Rays will find a way to get this done since, y'know, they're too dumb to let a meltdown linger onto the next game. As much as I want to see the Red Sox do it (for the Red Sox sakes, not the media or bandwagoners.), I still think the Rays are gonna find a way to get this done. It just got a helluva lot more exciting though.

[gingerbreadmann]

Look above. Infrared is no fan of the Sox, but even he had more faith in your team than you did.

My only admissions of anything being over was a realistic look at game four when the Sox got behind and into the bullpen very early and when they got down 5-0 tonight... but then, who actually thought they would come back tonight?

Saying it's 'unlikely' they come back is nothing more than a realistic look at the series.

But whatever. If being an "actual fan" means blind faith that they undoubtedly will come back and bold, unrealistic predictions, then maybe I'm not one. Oh well.

Exactly... that's a completely unrealistic view of what an "actual" fan is and what "faith" is. I don't know how you expect people to truly believe in their heart that something nearly impossible would be pulled off and saying that if they don't they're not "real" fans is crazy talk. If so there are probably about 17 "actual" Red Sox fans in existence right now. I would think leaving the game in the 7th inning or going to bed when it was 7-0 are much worse "offenses," myself. Oh well. Still down by a game on the road. I think the fangraphs blog summed it up well in a completely objective sense. (link, more good analysis there)

All that being said, this loss obviously hurts the Rays deeply. They had seven outs to get and a six run buffer to clinch the AL pennant and lost. That will hurt. However, let us not act like Boston just won the series. All they did was stay their execution for now. Games six and seven are in Tampa, where the Red Sox were just 1-8 during the regular season and the Rays overall were 57-24. Boston has an injured Josh Beckett going in game six, while Tampa gets to counter with James Shields. This series still greatly favors the Rays, dramatic comeback or not.

[twi]

Also lost in a lot of this is the fact that the Rays lost the game just as much, if not more, than the Red Sox won it. I rarely if ever say that but I think it applies here. There's just so many things out of the Red Sox control that the Rays let happen, Gross's non-catch and Longoria's throw being the key ones. With the wau this team has handled bumps in the road all year plus they way they have played at home I think they win 1 out of 2 games.

[TFoA]

Also lost in a lot of this is the fact that the Rays lost the game just as much, if not more, than the Red Sox won it. I rarely if ever say that but I think it applies here. There's just so many things out of the Red Sox control that the Rays let happen, Gross's non-catch and Longoria's throw being the key ones. With the wau this team has handled bumps in the road all year plus they way they have played at home I think they win 1 out of 2 games.

Agreed. No way in hell do the Rays choke it away at the Trop...unless they lose Game 6, then they're basically toast.

[See Red]

Also lost in a lot of this is the fact that the Rays lost the game just as much, if not more, than the Red Sox won it. I rarely if ever say that but I think it applies here. There's just so many things out of the Red Sox control that the Rays let happen, Gross's non-catch and Longoria's throw being the key ones. With the wau this team has handled bumps in the road all year plus they way they have played at home I think they win 1 out of 2 games.

Agreed. No way in hell do the Rays choke it away at the Trop...unless they lose Game 6, then they're basically toast.

Then again, no way would the Rays blow a 7-0 lead when they were 7 outs away from the World Series...

Who knows what to expect from Beckett. But based on games 1 and 2, and Dice-K and Kazmir's performances, the Red Sox should've been expected to win last nights game quite a bit easier than they did. But Kazmir was great, Dice-K was awful, so who knows...

I know he's called "Big Game James", but game two aside, he hasn't exactly been great against the Red Sox all year -- 2-2 with a 5.85 ERA. Though, I would think those splits are better at home. edit: yeah, looking into that that's skewed by a bad game at Fenway, but the Sox have it in them to hit him so who knows...

And yeah, they've handled every bump in the road... but none of those bumps have been the biggest single game postseason choke in the past 80+ years when they're 7 outs from the World Series. Little different than losing a few games heading into the All-Star break...