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Red Sox vs. Indians ALCS Game 7 Observations:
***That was a little more nerve wracking than it needed to be. Time and time again, the Sox let Jake Westbrook off the hook, and it almost came back to haunt them. I can’t believe it, but I actually was glad when Eric Wedge took him out and brought in the previously untouchable Rafael Betancourt. Westbrook had settled into an almost unhittable groove (how on earth does Jake Westbrook become unhittable?) and the best thing that could have happened was getting him out of there, regardless of who was brought in.
***Don’t think I’ve ever been as wrong about a player as I was about Dustin Pedroia. The little man can indeed hit in the majors, and he has some pop, to boot. What a clutch, clutch home run that was, just when the Tribe had seized all the momentum.
***The old baseball adage “speed kills” was proven once again when Jacoby Ellsbury hit that ball (before Pedroia’s homer) to Casey Blake. I’m convinced Blake made the error because he was trying to rush the play (Ellsbury probably would have beaten it out anyway). That’s why it’s so important to make contact when you’re a speed player. It’s the reason Ellsbury is going to be a very good player in this league, while Coco Crisp, who is probably just as fast as Ellsbury, is destined to be a career defensive replacement. (the way Crisp plays center, he could end up being the greatest defensive replacement in the history of the game...LOL!)
***Can’t overstate how huge the blowout in Game 6 was, allowing Terry Francona to rest Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon one more day and allow them to pitch multiple innings Sunday. Would you have trusted Mike Timlin or Manny Delcarmen in a deciding game? And no, I didn’t want to see Josh Beckett, either. Not that I don’t think he COULD do it, but you never want to take someone out of their element if you don’t HAVE to do it.
***Am I the only one concerned about guys continuously making solid contact against Jonathan Papelbon?
***Now that my quest to run Crisp out of the lineup is complete (it better be!), it’s time to get Julio Lugo’s fanny on the bench. It took longer than with the Cereal Killer, but I’ve come around on the “get Alex Cora in there” movement. I don’t care how bad Cora hits, he can’t be worse than Lugo, and the improvement in the field alone is worth it. What on earth was Theo thinking bringing in a Tampa Devil Ray?
***But enough negativity…World Series, here we come!
P.S. Don't worry too much about the Rockies. I don't care how hot they are, they'll have had over a week off and will face Josh Beckett in Game 1. Not to mention, Boston is a better team.
That's the view from here...how did you see it?
Great game 7 win and will hopefully be a terrific world series.
I think the series will maybe be as tough as the one against Cleveland. Besides being this hot the Rockies also played very well at Fenway earlier this year. Their pitching seems decent, their defense is out of this world, and they can hit. Being on a roll for the ages doesn't hurt either. They'd be expected to lose to Beckett in game 1 - long layoff or not- but I'll bet their hope is to do as the Indians did and try to steal game 2 of the series.
Should be a great series- I'm going to predict Boston in 7 games but honestly could see it going Rockies in 5 if the Rockies take one of the first two games in Boston. The weather in Colorado may also be a wildcard factor in the series...
The RedSox proved in 04 that when their backs are against the wall they can accomplish anything they want. Big game Beckett came through again. Just like Manny being Manny and Big Papi that should be his new name now Big Game Beckett. With the Rockies long layoff between games and now we should learn that apparently the home field advantate really does matter. The World Series starting in Fenway and the pitchers rested the redsox in six games.