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Over The Monster
BREAKING NEWS: ALCS "Not the WWF"<p>By the Aggravated Press</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/imported_assets/27719/610x.jpg"><img class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/imported_assets/27719/610x_medium.jpg" alt="610x_medium" /></a></p>
<p>via <a href="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0cXL915fW57mw/610x.jpg">cache.daylife.com</a></p>
<p><b>St. Petersburg, FL</b>: In an early morning press conference, <b>David "Big Papi" Ortiz</b> discussed the American League Champsionship Series. He expanded upon his previous remarks, made Friday, about how the ALCS was "<a href="http://wbztv.com/sports/redsox/boston.red.sox.2.837297.html?hbx.hra=Boston-LAN&hbx.cmp.c1=story+91197514&hbx.cmp.c3=641&hbx.cmp.c2=300+x+250+91197514&hbx.cmp=AFC-Bos" target="_blank">not the WWF</a>."</p>
<p>"There's no bad blood. This is not the WWF. It's a baseball game, bro," Ortiz said on Friday. He reiterated that sentiment today: "Man, I don't know why you keep asking me this. This is just baseball, not the WWF."</p>
<p>Ortiz then raised the World Series trophy over his head, shouting "You want this?! You want this?! This trophy is MINE!!!"</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/imported_assets/27725/large_bigpapitrophy.jpg"><img class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/imported_assets/27725/large_bigpapitrophy_medium.jpg" alt="Large_bigpapitrophy_medium" /></a></p>
<p>via <a href="http://blog.masslive.com/redsoxmonster/2007/10/large_bigpapitrophy.jpg">blog.masslive.com</a></p>
<p>Ortiz's controversial remarks provoked outrage in some quarters.</p>
<p><b>John "The Trader" Henry </b>called out Ortiz for his comments. "I OWN this team. Big Papi works for me, and he's shown me nothing but disrespect," the Red Sox principal owner said.</p>
<p>Henry then tore open his suit to reveal bulging muscles. "If Big Papi doesn't shape up, he'll be FIIIIIIRED," Henry asserted, gesticulating wildly.</p>
<p>In the Rays dugout, <b>Carlos Pena</b> addressed the subject. "The Pena believes - write this down - the Pena thinks that Big Papi is - write this down... Hold on a second... Do you like pie? You do... Alright, because the Pena thinks that you should bake the BIGGEST pie..."</p>
<p>Pena then told this reporter to do something anatomically impossible.</p>
<p>Some teammates of Big Papi had different opinions of the series. <b>Mike Timlin</b>, asked about possible bad blood between the Rays and Red Sox, stated, "Oh yes. Absolutely. There will be blood."</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/imported_assets/27733/upbinq4j.jpg"><img class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/imported_assets/27733/upbinq4j_medium.jpg" height="296" alt="Upbinq4j_medium" width="345" /></a></p>
<p>via <a href="http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/03/21/UPBInQ4J.jpg">boston.redsox.mlb.com</a></p>
<p>Timlin then turned to <b>Dustin Pedroia</b>, and began to yell. "MO-MEN-TUM!! Momentum my boy!"</p>
<p>"If you have momentum, and I don't, then I reach... <i>across</i> the field... I suck your momentum," he continued.</p>
<p>"I... SUCK... YOUR... MOMENTUM!! I SUCK IT ALL!!!" Timlin declared.</p>
<p>"Stop bullying me!" retorted Pedroia.</p>
<p>Mike Timlin then threw Pedroia across the clubhouse.</p>ALCS Game 2: Recap<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/imported_assets/27676/p1.francona.beckett.jpg"><img class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/imported_assets/27676/p1.francona.beckett_medium.jpg" alt="P1" /></a></p>
<p>"Let's blow this game, together!" say Josh and Tito. via <a href="http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2007/writers/tom_verducci/10/19/five.cuts/p1.francona.beckett.jpg">i.a.cnn.net</a></p>
<p><br />What do you call a <b>Josh Beckett</b> playoff start in which the Red Sox score 8 runs?</p>
<p>If this were the ALCS last year, you'd call it a blow-out win. This postseason, Beckett's results speak for themselves: 5 innings and 4 earned runs against the Angels; 4.1 innings and 8 earned runs against the Rays. By my quick calculation, that gives him an ERA around 11.57 for the '08 postseason.</p>
<p>When your ace starter, one of the best in October, gives up 8 earned runs, your team deserves to lose. But the Sox fought hard against a struggling <b>Scott Kazmir</b> and the vaunted Rays bullpen, scoring 8 runs of their own. They made a monumental effort of it.</p>
<p>While the box score and announcers will tell you that this game was lost in the 11th, the decisive Rays' blow came in the 5th. Beckett, who had struggled through the 4th inning, and had looked shaky all evening, came on for the fifth inning. The Sox had scored 3 in the top of the inning, to make it a precarious 6-5 Red Sox lead.</p>
<p>Beckett began the fifth by striking out <b>Akinori Iwamura</b>, and then walked <b>B.J. Upton</b> (who promptly stole second). <b>Carlos Pena</b> singled to score Upton, and the game was tied.</p>
<p>At this point, Red Sox manager <b>Terry Francona</b> could have gone to the pen. Beckett was getting lit up, and there was no reason to stick with him. But Tito made the critical decision to stick with the starter. Beckett promptly gave up a double to <b>Evan Longoria</b>, giving up the lead and putting two in scoring position. Now that the lead was gone, Tito went to lefty specialist <b>Javier Lopez</b>, who allowed a run-scoring single to <b>Carl Crawford</b>.</p>
<p>Boston battled back in the 6th and 8th innings for individual runs, but were unable to push across a go-ahead run. <b>Mike Timlin</b> came on in the 11th to blow another extra innings game, and that was it.</p>
<p>Anyway, I take solace in the great offense of Kevin Youkilis (HR, 3 for 6), Jason Bay (HR, 2B, 3 for 5), and Dustin Pedroia (2 HR, 3 for 5). Also commendable were the strong performances by our relievers not named Timlin or Lopez: <b>Masterson</b>,<b> Delcarmen</b>, <b>Okajima</b>, and <b>Papelbon</b> combined for 5.2 scoreless innings.</p>
<p>The Tampa Bay Rays just barely got a split in their highly favorable home stadium. They tagged Beckett for 8 runs, and we still took the game into extra innings. I feel good about our offense and bullpen going forward. Best of all, we can lose Beckett's next game, and Wakefield's, and still win the series, if Lester and Dice-K come through for us. Go Sox!</p>ALCS Game 2 (Cont'd): The Rally Thread<p>Let's win this fricken' game!</p>
<p>Go Sox!</p> |
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