NEW YORK – Before the weekend series against the Red Sox started, I declared the following as a way to kick this all off:
“Win, lose or draw, we will always be on your ass.”
“We’re going to keep knocking your ass down, until you don’t get up.”
With each win, the confidence grew. More and more, there became this belief that in fact, the Yankees were a better team than Boston and they were now showing why. I was reserving judgment until I saw the results this weekend, because even for me the 0-8 record was something that I could not get over.
I said that the record meant nothing, and as the four games this weekend proved, it was the right thought. There was no “fear” of the Red Sox or any of that other nonsense that permeates television shows, bumbling idiots on message boards and talk radio, and the newly found dopes who use something called Twitter.
Systematically, the Yankees went about dissecting the Red Sox in each fashion of the game.
When they needed to make a pitch to get a key out, they made it.
When they needed to make a defensive play, they made it.
When they needed to get a big hit, they got it.
When they needed to come from behind, they did exactly that.
Where we once wondered what would go wrong at the first sign of trouble against Boston, as each good moment went in the Yankees favor, the confidence grew. There was nothing to worry. By the time it got to Saturday, there was an overwhelming feeling that there was nothing to worry about, that they would find a way to win.
It was how things used to be. Everything used to be this way until four fateful days in October 2004. Suddenly, things turned and nothing has been the same since. There was momentary blast from the past in 2006 when the Yankees swept Boston five straight right out Fenway Park and effectively ended their season.
The Red Sox are the team that has my ultimate respect. Just because they were swept out of The Bronx this weekend, does not mean their season is over. The chances are still very high that we will see them in the American League Championship Series in October as I have been predicting since June. Make no mistake that these are still the two best teams in baseball even though it does not appear that way after this weekend.
Josh Beckett and Jon Lester could not have pitched any better than they did in their two starts. Unfortunately for them, they saw AJ Burnett match Beckett’s performance on Friday night by dealing his best game as a Yankee. He gave up a hit to begin the start, and did not allow another for the next 7 2/3 innings. Sunday night, Lester made just one mistake when he served up the homerun to Alex Rodriguez. Andy Pettitte on the other hand, did not make any mistakes.
That is what these games come down to. What used to be knockdown, drag out, bloody cage fighting, was replacing by old baseball fundamentals: great pitching, defense and the occasional timely hit. In this game, the Yankees excelled in these facets.
Boston was doing this early in the season while the Yankees were looking like lightweights in this battle. It seemed as if they were never going to beat their rivals again. Each and every way, the Red Sox would find different methods to win. It left one with the feeling that no matter the situation, no lead was ever safe.
Even last night, when the Yankees led 1-0 going into the eighth, you still kept that feeling that Boston was not out of the game just yet. They have built up so much good credit that you knew they were not going to go quietly into the night.
Sure enough, Victor Martinez went deep for a two-run homer to give the Red Sox the lead, you got the feeling that this was going to be one of those moments where they were going to somehow keep themselves afloat. A win that they have been able to cultivate since the beginning of their championship run. All they needed to do now was at the very least, get three more defensive outs to get the ball into the hands of closer Jonathan Papelbon.
Daniel Bard, who has unreal stuff comes in and gets two quick easy outs. Even our fans, the most optimistic and pessimistic fans in all of sports, thought at this exact moment it may not be our night. Then, out of nowhere comes a homerun by Johnny Damon on a 98 MPH fastball into the Yankee bullpen to tie the game. An absolute stunner, but then two pitches later Mark Teixeira hits a high fly down the right field line that finds it way into the second deck (known as Teixeira Terrace) to give the Yankees the lead. The crowd is going crazy and so are the players. If you’re watching at home, you are probably screaming stuff too and pumping your fists.
We all believed, but didn’t really believe. When it happened, we believed again. As Mariano Rivera got those final three outs, the sweep was complete. It felt as if happy days were here again.
History tells us that no Yankee team has ever blown a division lead of 6 1/2 games with this much time remaining in the season. This means that the Red Sox should start looking at the Wild Card standings instead. But by no means is this over. Just because Boston is gone for now, does not mean they will not reappear again.
In order to fully escape whatever Red Sox Hex exists, it has to come in October. It has to happen in the ALCS. It has to be against Boston. The Angels would be a nice consolation, but that can be worried about later. If the team the Yankees just swept can get up off their limp carcass and find their way to postseason along with us and each team can win their Division Series, it will set up what we want.
A chance for redemption.
There is a long way to go before that. For now, one can enjoy the good times and a view from the top.
Again.
With that, let us throw out some random thoughts from this weekend series…
I won’t kill Joba Chamberlain too much for pitching like Lassie on Thursday and walking seven hitters. That umpire behind the plate was beyond terrible.
Somehow, umpire Jim Joyce’s interpretation of the strike zone is something that amounts to an Aspirin. Perhaps I should blame the umpires for the unbelievably long games.
You can tell when Senor Leche gets it all when he starts his trot the moment he hits the ball. Considering that a majority of his blasts have been bare-scrapers, I would not think he would know the sound of his blasts.
John Smoltz, retirement is calling. Answer the phone.
I actually said that after the Thursday game. The next day, the Red Sox released him.
I was pissed off for about two innings when Posada did not slide at home plate after Nicky Swish looked to have an RBI single. Was he not looking for a sign?
But then he made up for it with a three-run homer in the fourth inning to make it 9-3 and all was forgiven.
See, we are simple creatures. Screw up and we’ll get on you. But makeup for it with a big hit, and I’ll give you a hug and say “no hard feelings”.
The Yankees scored so many runs on Thursday (13 to be exact), that I somehow missed the Tex Message that was sent into right center bullpen in the seventh inning.
Hey, when you’re kicking the other team’s ass, it is very difficult to keep score.
Did Mark Melancon really try to hit Midget with a pitch?
Ok, so one did go over his head and another grazed his shoulder. Would he rather have been drilled in the back?
Besides, at 5’7, he’s not going to win a fight against many guys. So keep on yapping all the way to first, you are not going to do anything.
Anthony Clagett coming into the game is the equivalent of the last man on the college basketball bench that comes into the game when the team is either winning or losing by 30 points and the crowd is rooting for him to make a shot.
I didn’t even realize until the eighth inning that AJ Burnett had not given up a hit since Jacoby Ellsbury led off the game.
Burnett pitched the game of his life despite walking six batters. I know have been hard on him this year, going so far as to refer to him as “Underachiever” after his putrid start in Fenway Park.
Now, all is forgiven. Sorry for the tough love, but it had to be this way. Some players are harder for me to embrace than others. It was nothing against you personally, but I had my expectations high. When I saw the performance early on (along with the performance on my birthday), I was jaded.
You’ve brought me back.
After about the 13th inning on Friday, I was just hoping the game would be over. I couldn’t take anymore of it. The game was closing in on five hours old and after JD Drew made a great leaping catch of Eric Hinske’s line drive to right, I felt the game might go about 20 innings.
Then I thought it would end sooner when I saw Brian Bruney take the mound. I literally started screaming “No!” when he came in there.
Two scoreless innings later, every Yankee fan watching had to have been stunned by the development that the Red Sox somehow didn’t score.
CC Sabathia pitched his best game of the season for 7 2/3 Saturday. He should have had the perfect game in tact before that 3-2 pitch to Ortiz was ruled a ball. I know The Big Man thought it was a ball too, but what was Ortiz going to complain about?
It wasn’t as if he was going to hit anything anyway.
Clay Buchholz looks like a very good pitcher. Why he hasn’t been more consistent is odd.
I would put out this disclaimer though that this was the first time the Yankees have seen him. If Francona dares throws him out there again next weekend at Fenway Park, the results will be completely different.
Mike Lowell appears to be running with Molasses under his shoes. How the hell did he not beat out that double play ball in the seventh?
Youkilis slid hard into second base trying to upset the timing of Jeter’s throw, yet he was able to leap over Youk, come down, set his feet, and still was able to fire to first to complete the double play to get Sabathia out of the inning.
Unreal.
Razor Ramon Ramirez hitting A-Rod was bush. Anyone who thinks otherwise should have noticed how he came up and in on Teixeira in the previous at bat. It was too easy not to notice.
Enrique Gonzalez should be code for “Rich Garces Jr.”
Something that should scare me about the Red Sox in the playoffs –
Josh Beckett and Jon Lester – 14 innings, 0.00 ERA
Something that should scare the Red Sox about the playoffs –
AJ Burnett and CC Sabathia – 15 1/3 innings, 0.00 ERA
Seems like a wash to me.
Ortiz did not get as loud a booing reception as I would have thought going into the weekend. That is likely due to us not having their vocal intensity to boo a man hitting .220, popping up everything and hitting into double plays.
As the saying goes, “We don’t boo no-bodies”.
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