Do You Believe in Miracles?
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I do, and I saw one last night.
Either you saw the game or you didn't, so I'm not going re-hash what happened. All I know is that was the greatest comeback game I've ever seen, and that's saying something considering how high the Sox have set the bar with their ever-familiar Lazarus scenarios.
Just as expected, Dice-K was getting touched - and the Rays continued to do absolutely everything right. It's not like they were lucky or catching all the breaks - just like the ChiSox did in their series against the BoSox in 2005. No. They were just flat-out playing and executing better than us in every facet of the game. It really was hard to see how this could be anything but a humiliating sweep at home by a team with incredible potential.
That all changed when Ortiz hit his home run. The big swing we've been missing all series long. Just like Drew's grand slam last year. Finally, after looking so lame and overmatched, it all changed. It's the same team, the same players, but just like that, the momentum has shifted. For the first time in the series, there's a ball that Upton doesn't get to, then Longoria makes a rushed throwing error, keeping the ninth alive. You know the rest of the story, and here we go again.
It's one thing when you win an elimination game that's close all the way through. You know then you have a bit of chance to live another day. It's better when you win a blowout game to totally turn the tables and grab the momentum. But nothing tops a big-time comeback like this, especially after it looked totally over when our stopper, Papelbon, gives up 2 more runs in the 7th. What could we possibly have left with just 9 outs to go? Well, plenty.
We live to play later in the season than Manny did, and more importantly, we've got the mojo, baby. That's what really matters. We took it away from Tampa Bay, if you believe in things like this, you just know Beckett and Lester will do their thing this weekend. The mark of a champion team is coming back to win when you're left for dead, and with the Rays showing signs of weakness and finally making some mistakes, it's ours to win now. Isn't sports great?
This is one of those times where I'm happy to be wrong, and it's a whole new ball game now. Looks like my Boston trip will be more than just attending Avaya's conference. Sox in seven.
Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball
Either you saw the game or you didn't, so I'm not going re-hash what happened. All I know is that was the greatest comeback game I've ever seen, and that's saying something considering how high the Sox have set the bar with their ever-familiar Lazarus scenarios.
Just as expected, Dice-K was getting touched - and the Rays continued to do absolutely everything right. It's not like they were lucky or catching all the breaks - just like the ChiSox did in their series against the BoSox in 2005. No. They were just flat-out playing and executing better than us in every facet of the game. It really was hard to see how this could be anything but a humiliating sweep at home by a team with incredible potential.
That all changed when Ortiz hit his home run. The big swing we've been missing all series long. Just like Drew's grand slam last year. Finally, after looking so lame and overmatched, it all changed. It's the same team, the same players, but just like that, the momentum has shifted. For the first time in the series, there's a ball that Upton doesn't get to, then Longoria makes a rushed throwing error, keeping the ninth alive. You know the rest of the story, and here we go again.
It's one thing when you win an elimination game that's close all the way through. You know then you have a bit of chance to live another day. It's better when you win a blowout game to totally turn the tables and grab the momentum. But nothing tops a big-time comeback like this, especially after it looked totally over when our stopper, Papelbon, gives up 2 more runs in the 7th. What could we possibly have left with just 9 outs to go? Well, plenty.
We live to play later in the season than Manny did, and more importantly, we've got the mojo, baby. That's what really matters. We took it away from Tampa Bay, if you believe in things like this, you just know Beckett and Lester will do their thing this weekend. The mark of a champion team is coming back to win when you're left for dead, and with the Rays showing signs of weakness and finally making some mistakes, it's ours to win now. Isn't sports great?
This is one of those times where I'm happy to be wrong, and it's a whole new ball game now. Looks like my Boston trip will be more than just attending Avaya's conference. Sox in seven.
Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball
