Tag: Boston

Home Field Advantage

Hello and welcome to the final day of the Major League Baseball regular season. As of yesterday, there is nothing left for the Red Sox to play for. Just as the Sox vs Orioles game was starting, the A’s lost their game. That guaranteed the Red Sox home field advantage through the American League playoffs. The AL’s win at the all star game guarantees the AL pennant winners home field in the World Series. So the Sox could potentially have home field all the way through the post season. That has a nice ring to it.

Boston has 97 wins with one game left to play. After the nightmare horror of last season, I was optimistic that they could win 81 games. Let’s look at the current standings and see where an 81 win season would have placed us. How does second to last in the AL East ahead of only Toronto sound? It sounds like a huge improvement over last year, that’s what it sounds like. It also looks really depressing to finish behind the Yankees yet again. Fortunately, we’re just cruising our way to the best record in the entire American League. I cannot overstate how happy I am with this team. What a great season, and hopefully the best is yet to come.

As for the Division Series match ups, they are set for the Division winners. Oakland plays Detroit and Boston plays the wild card winner. The wild card race is still up in the air. Neither spot in the AL has been clinched yet. With one game still to be played, Cleveland (91-70) has a one game lead over Texas and Tampa Bay (both at 90-71). Tampa Bay plays Toronto today at 1:00, Cleveland plays the Twins at 2:00, and Texas plays the Angels at 3:00 (all times are Eastern). If the race ends with two teams tied for the second wild card spot, there will be a one game playoff on Monday (to decide who gets to play in the one game playoff… confusing, eh? Just wait, it gets worse) with the team that won the season series hosting. If the race ends in a three way tie it gets really strange.

The league has a formula where they designate the three teams as Teams A, B, and C. I am not sure about this, but I think the slotting is based on winning percentage against the other two teams, with the team with the best record getting to chose which slot they want. Cleveland is team A, Tampa Bay is team B, and Texas is team C. What does that mean? On Monday, Cleveland would host Tampa Bay. The winner gets the first wild card slot. On Tuesday, Texas would host the team that lost on Monday with the winner getting the second wild card slot, and the loser getting the opportunity to start Christmas shopping a little early. Then of course, the two wild card teams play each other to determine who wins the chance to lose to the Red Sox in the Division Series.

Part of me is rooting for that three way tie! Imagine having to play three one game playoffs on three consecutive days (I think, the wild card game might be Thursday, but I am pretty sure it’s going to be Wednesday), talk about stress, huh? I don’t really care who wins what, just as long as Tampa Bay doesn’t advance to the Division Series. As far as a Red Sox opponent goes, all three teams scare me, but Tampa Bay’s pitching scares me the most. I would much rather facing the Indians or the Rangers.

We’ll have to hang on and see how it all turns out over the next few days. It definitely looks to be a fun finish to the regular season in the American League, and I haven’t even looked at what’s happening in the National League yet.

Another Celebration

Did you celebrate last night? Did you party into the wee hours? Did you join in the love fest felt all across Red Sox Nation?

We Sox fans have had a lot to celebrate this month. First we clinched a post season spot. While we had our eyes on a bigger prize, we did not get too out of control for that one. Rightfully so. We clinched the American League East. That was the bigger prize. The bubbly flowed free in the Sox clubhouse that night, and many a fan let their glee free as well. Then came the most recent excuse to go crazy in celebration. It happened last night.

The New York Yankees were eliminated from post season contention.

Yeah, baby! Send those damn Yankees home! Give them their little three inch tall participation trophy and wish them a happy off season. I hope you all go on great vacations as you spend your Yankee fortunes. Don’t let the playoff door hit you on the ass on the way out!

It’s only the second time in the last 19 years that the Yankees failed to make the post season.

And it feels so very good.

Go Red Sox

The Red Sox are Playoff Bound

I missed the game last night and do I regret it or what! Lackey took a no hitter into the seventh, and then ended up winning 3-1 in a complete game that clinched a wild card spot for the Sox. We are now officially playoff bound.

The magic number for the AL East is now one game, thanks to the combination of the Red Sox winning and the Rays losing last night. Our team could be celebrating a division win tonight if they beat the Blue Jays. Either way, one Red Sox win or Rays loss and we are the AL East champs.

After last season’s schmucko the clown nightmare coming on the heels of the chicken and beer flavored collapse in 2011, none of us thought this team had a chance. I was optimistic that they might finish the season at about .500. I would have been satisfied with that.

Now? It’s World Series or bust at this point. They have become an elite team in major league baseball. They have four pitchers who can match up with almost anyone in the game. They have an offense that can hit off anyone. They have turned into one hell of a baseball team. There is no reason they cannot win it all this year. Detroit will probably still end up being the favorite to win the American League, but it’s got to be a close call. I believe these Red Sox are up to the challenge.

Just wrap up the division tonight and get on with the playoffs!

The Return of Tim Thomas

Tim Thomas agreed to a try out deal with the Florida Panthers. Let’s start by saying that no one was ever a bigger fan of Tim Thomas the goalie than I was. I watched him in Providence, I watched him come out of nowhere and steal an NHL job through nothing more than hard work, I watched him become a starter, a Vezina winner, and a Conn Smythe winning Stanley Cup champ. I rooted for him all the way. He was the best.

Off the ice he turned out to be a tea party-esque nut job, and while that was totally distracting and annoying, it never changed the fact that he was Tim “The Man” Thomas in net. I don’t care what his politics or personal life are like (although I’d draw the line at rooting for him if he turned out to be chummy with the Hitler or Stalin types, you know?), hell I don’t even care if you’re a complete asshole. If you work hard and do your best by us, the fans, then I’ll tip my hat to you and give you my sincere thanks.

But noooooooooooooo.

Timmy had to break the contract that he agreed to that would pay him a truck load of money in order to spend time with his family. What’s the truth? I would put money on Timmy not liking either his teammates, his management, or the city, but how do I know. What it comes down to is that he screwed us, the fans, last season and for that I say to hell with him. I hope he never plays another game in the NHL. It shows you how insanely desperate the Panthers are to give a deal, even if it’s just a PTO, to a 39 year old with a history of breach of contract. If he wants to go play in Finland again, then good luck to him. Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out. I don’t ever want to see him playing in an NHL game again.

There is only one thing that Boston sports fans truly want from their professional athletes. We want them to work hard and do their best. That’s it. Really. If any fan base realizes that winning isn’t everything, it’s the fan base that stood behind a Red Sox team that went 86 years without a title. We want you to win, but if you work hard and do your best and come up short then we’re still going to hero worship the shit out of you. Thomas used to be the perfect guy for Boston, and then he screwed us over and went home for a year. To hell with him.

Red Sox / Yankees

Is there anything better than Red Sox vs Yankees baseball?

Sox down 8-4 in the seventh inning. Full count, two outs, bases loaded. Napoli lifts one into right field that just barely squeaks its way into the seats.

Grand Slam.
Tie game.

Go Red Sox!

Wicked, Eh?

The plans have been thrown for a loop. Jen, my step daughter, and my sister were supposed to go to the Opera House in Boston to see Wicked today. Unfortunately Jen has come down with something and has to back out. I’m going in her place. Now I know that I will have to check my “man” card at the door, but I will eat a raw cow or something tonight to make up for it.

Stanley Cup Finals Recap – A Choke for the Ages

With 76 seconds left in game six, the Bruins were leading 2-1. Bob Stanley walked in the tying run. Then with 59 seconds left Mookie Wilson hit a little dribbler that went through Bill Buckner’s legs and the Bruins lost the game, the series, and the Stanley Cup finals.

And I never want to speak of it again.

Stanley Cup Finals Game Six – Please Don’t Let it End This Way

Hey Bruins.  One more game.  That’s all we want.  Just one more game after tonight.  This playoff run has been a blast.  Please don’t let it end tonight.  The schedule allows for one more game after tonight, so why not just win tonight and make use of it?  That would be pretty cool, right?  Extend this magical little run you guys are on for a couple of days and play that game seven.  All you need to do to keep the fun alive is win tonight.  That’s not a big deal, is it?  You’ve already beaten these Chicago pukes twice in this series, what’s one (two) more win?  Nothing, right?  So why not win tonight?  Then you get to go back to Chicago (where I’m sure it’s really nice to visit, despite the bandwagon and all) and play game seven on Wednesday.  I don’t want to look ahead to the ramifications of a game seven, I just want there to be a game seven.  Don’t you guys want that too?  I bet you do.  You’re so close, why not keep it alive for a few more days?

So go out there on the Garden ice tonight with your die hard fans backing you up and win the game.  No biggie, just win the game.  We all know you can do it.  Chicago is a good team, but so are the Bruins.  Go ahead, win game six.  We all know you wanna.

Go Bruins!