Maybe this is all coincidental, but let's look at what good things have happened for our Yankees, with a span of 29 years in between.
January 5th, 1920. Babe Ruth is sold from the Red Sox to the Yankees.
Well, THAT is an awesome beginning for $100k plus a loan, guaranteed by a lien on Fenway Park :-) Yanks finished third to Cleveland, who went on to beat Brooklyn in the World Series. The Yanks would win the pennant the following three years, capped by the WS title in 1923.
1949. Coming into the last weekend of the season, the Red Sox are 1 game ahead of the Yankees, with the only games left for those teams being 2 against each other, thus there can be no playoff for the AL pennant. The Red Sox need to win only 1 of those games, but the Yankees win both to take the pennant.
This had been a real scrap with the Yanks ahead going into September. Boston had won some hotly contested games to pull ahead in the standings and had the lead going into the final weekend, but the Bombers won two and that was that. [Then, they defeated the Dodgers in the World Series]
1978. September 7 - The "Boston Massacre" begins. The Boston Red Sox enter today's opening game of a four game series in Boston with a four game lead over the New York Yankees; a lead which had been fourteen games just weeks earlier. The Yankees defeat the Red Sox 15-3, and go on to sweep the series, erasing the Red Sox lead in the American League East Division. October 2 - Bucky Dent's crucial 7th-inning home run helps the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 in a 1-game playoff for the American League East title.
I remember this one, and it WAS good. Fresh enough in our collective consciousness that there are even video highlights available.
2007.
You guessed it - 29 years later....
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Sorry, sweet pea. Still not out on a ledge. I have a few parachutes I grabbed for friends, but I think this is all tactical.
I mean really, the only thing that matters is the playoffs. So, to give ourselves the best advantage, we let the Yanks pump themselves up into a series with a team that's had their number all year- LA. Meanwhile, we beat the ever loving crap out of Cleveland, get rolling again, and sweep the Angels.
And oh, yeah, we don't wear pinstripes, so we should be able to beat up on Tampa pretty good this series. ;D
Happy Thursday. I'll be spending much of the weekend with my new 360. :D I also don't believe I missed International Talk Like a Pirate day yesterday. Sigh.
Talk like a Pirate Day? How about this? 66-86 sux, so we fired our GM - maybe that'll help? hahahaha savvy? Funny quote about Tampa and I am glad you remain chipper. Meanwhile, I DO sense desperation in the air - Francona used up Paps yesterday in a losing effort, Paps got torched in the process. Here's a real concern [while I want the Sox to crash, I don't wish ill on the individuals]: is this going to shake Papelbon's confidence? In short, will this ruin him as a reliever? Just a thought... Go Yankees!
Oh, and The The Angels Angels of Anaheimlich Maneuver? hahaha! We WANT to face them. You see, there's no crying in baseball, and there's no room for fear. Fear is what other teams in other cities feel when the hear that The Mighty Yankees are coming to town. ;-)
Psh. The Tankees, maybe. ;) (Or wait...was that the '06-'07 Celts?) Like the Pirate jokes- SI.com did a few yesterday. Check out the ten-spot blog.
I think Tito used Paps yesterday just to get him in the game a little. I doubt it will shake his confidence too much. He has a pretty level head, and he understands that sometimes, even the best closers get smacked around some. Also, it was 2-1 going into the ninth, so it looked like he was also trying to up the chances for a tying run in the top 9. Can't blame a guy for trying.
What we do have to start saying is that while a division would be nice, we're pretty much in the playoffs and should proceed cautiously with key personnel. Can't do crap with a tired out team. Speaking of which- I'm going to have to wager that it's only a matter of time on another bullpen collapse for you guys. They're still worn out and tired, even with the new arms. Both a short or long series works against them. Long series drags out the mental stuff longer, short series means more work on fewer arms.
Arrr!
You may be right about Papelbon, he does seems to have his head screwed-on correctly. I must disagree about the impending bullpen implosion, though. You see, in the playoffs we will not go to a six man starting rotation, but three or four at the most. So, if Wang, Pettite, Moose and Rocket start, then Ian and Hughsie go to the pen. Gee - at THAT rate the starter only has to keep us in it for four or five innings. Reckon they'll be able to do just that ;-)
Anyway, that's why the NYY bandwagoners all "settling" for the wildcard bothers me so: the wildcard is for lesser teams. I'm not saying we should pitch Andy and Wanger every other day in an attempt to win it at all costs, but I'm also not advocating week-long sabbaticals for players [which, incidentally, gets them out of rhythm and mindset, and leads to poor performances immediately after]. I say keep with the six-man rotation for the stretch drive and rotate players like we have been doing. Maybe A-Rod even needs a game, as he is pressing a bit at the plate. Take the wildcard if we fail to win the East, but certainly do not talk about it - that's for second-rate ballclubs [nothing personal meant by that ;-) ]
Are they really having candle-light vigils to convince Manny to return? Hmmmmm.....
Wow, great post, and something I hadn't known about.
The Yankees are playing their best right now. Don't kid yourself thinking that after 9 years of the Yankees coming in first doesn't mean a lot to the Red Saux nation. Being second isn't as fun as being first. After leading throughout most of the year, losing in the last part of the season would hurt even more.
The RS have some problems in areas where they were stellar. Papelbon has lower velocity in his fastball. He has been tagged a couple of times now in a row. Okajima has been over used and is now sitting it out for a number of days, probably 3-5 more. And he isn't even pitching right now. Schilling is 2-8 - so even on his good days he can't buy a win.
Then there is the offense, which hasn't been the strongest part of the RS team this year. Youkilis is out and still sore, so probably more games lost till he is back. Manny may have a more serious injury that originally stated. Coco is having back problems. Pedroia is having some troubles (though I doubt that will last). And now Ortiz is talking about sitting.
Who is left to provide some hits? Lugo? Drew? Lowell and Pedroia can't do it on their own.
Wakefield is having trouble since his back balked. Dicey K had a start skipped because of his arm being tired... or it could be other problems with his mechanics. After Beckett, what pitchers do the Sox have NOW that can get them wins?
Tavarez? Buchholz is near his innings pitched count.
I would think those are enough problems to at least have a tough time with these last 10 games. Let alone the playoffs.
Thanks, OG, I appreciate the kind words, and thank you for the review of the pennant race. Always, always appreciate additional analysis and opinions.
Gang, I missed one tidbit that went along with the 1949 portion of the story. After the humiliating defeat to the Yanks, the Sox were riding the rails, shipping out to Boston as it were, pitcher Ellis Kinder got inebriated and punched manager Joe McCarthy [who had been the great Yankee skipper all of those years]
I remembered that by reading WCBS' story on the subject [which posted a day and a half after I first posted :-) ] The next year's [1950] Boston team was the last one to average .300 AS A TEAM, btw. Yanks were well-nigh unstoppable, though, and kept winning the WS through 1953.
Ah, but if your pitchers only stay in for four or five innings, how are the relievers who have already been overused going to manage? That's what I meant-the starting pitching may be better, but man, I wouldn't lay money on the 'pen doing well in the playoffs if the pitchers are only going 4 and 5 innings. That was the problem earlier this year, too.
Gosh, Melanie, I guess the starters are just going to have to go longer than 4 or 5 ;-) So far, seems like they are upholding their end of the bargain [you meant the Yanks' starters, right?]
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