It's coming up lucky sevens all over the place.

J.D. Drew, he of the much maligned uniform number 7, answered the haters who'd been on his case all season with a moon shot grand slam in the first inning. That HR set the tone for the rest of the game, as it felt like it was all over after just that first inning. I'm hoping that tonight will also mean the haters will get off his case- and I suspect the pendulum will swing the other direction, and we'll be seeing lots of brand spankin' new Drew shirts at the Fens.

Curt Schilling was just what the doctor ordered- he wasn't the lights-out total domination that we saw from Beckett, but he was masterful and in control and laid in some gorgeous pitches. His pinpoint control was enough to fool the Indians lineup, and was also enough to take him through 7 innings, a big improvement over the 4 and 2/3 from his last outing. Curt seemed almost joyous after the win- albeit in his own, restrained, Curtis Montague Schilling way. As well he should be- he deserved that W.

And the bottom of the order plus Dustin Pedroia, who had so far been fairly disappointing at the plate, got their act together and pounded out 7 hits. In a game that gave Manny and Papi the luxury of not having to carry the team on their backs, it was the other guys who pulled through and scored the big runs.

But the biggest seven of them all? Game 7. We're taking it to game 7, y'all. GAME 7.

My third favorite Texan* on the Red Sox** is not content with just delivering a video message to Red Sox Nation to Cowboy Up*** -- he's gotta come tell us in person. Kevin Millar is riding in on his horse into Fenway tonight to deliver the first pitch.

Someone call his uniform jersey from back out of storage- it's making an encore appearance.

* His birth certificate may say he was born in Los Angeles, but make no mistake, Millar is a Texan now. He played college ball for Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, and still lives near there in the off-season. I may or may not be able to do the Lamar University cheer, since I grew up not far away from there. OK, I totally can do the cheer.

** Like I said before, he may not be on the roster, but make no mistake, he's still a part of the team.

*** I may or may not have rewatched that video clip of his ALCS game 5 intro at least 10 times. OK, I totally have watched that clip 10+ times.

You know, anything big happen last night? Any teams clinch a World Series berth, after coming back from a 3-1 deficit? Anything like that? Hold on, I think Jonathan Papelbon has something to say...

I don't know about y'all, but after this weekend I am flat worn out. I will have all the video and pictures and stuff from the celebration tomorrow, but for now, I'm going to sleep the sleep of the victorious.

CONGRATULATIONS BOSTON RED SOX
2007 AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

It's been 203 days, and 172 games against 18 different opponents with 96 victories... and that's not even counting spring training. Six and a half months of the daily agony and ecstasy of the Red Sox season-- and it all comes down to this:

It's a winner-take-all battle between the Sox and the Rocks, and only one team is gonna emerge from the scrum. After being down 3-1 against the Tribe, not everyone expected that this would be the ultimate matchup-- MLB and the city of Cleveland certainly didn't, judging by all the reports of World Series merchandise on sale around town there, and this cart-before-the-horse snafu that was displayed in the MLB shop before Game 7 of the ALCS even took place:

I imagine those shirts are winging their way to a scrap heap located somewhere in the wilds of Ohio by now. Or will people just wear them anyway, and just hope no one looks too closely at the date and assumes the shirts are from 1997?

Cleveland: you had a great team and a great run- but you never, ever, EVER say something like this during the ALCS... even if you have a 3-2 lead at the time:

This Indians team is better than the Red Sox and will prove it once and for all in cramped Fenway Park. Sure, a home-field celebration would've been nice, but silencing Red Sox Nation in its house will be just as sweet.

"The champagne tastes just as good on the road as it does at home," first baseman Ryan Garko said.

Because that? That's just asking for it.

Here's hoping the Sox clubbies sent a case of champagne over to the visitor's dugout at Fenway last night -- I sure would hate for Ryan to have to go back to Cleveland never having that drink of champagne on the road.

You know how you know it was a good night? When there is so much Sox-y video goodness, it can't be contained in one post. So I'm gonna break it up into pregame, gametime and postgame video- dole it out in bite-size chunks. Some of these bits and pieces have been floating around, some haven't- but everything should be in nicer quality than your standard Youtube fare (thanks, AOL Video for much nicer video resolutions!).

So since they kicked off the game last night with a first pitch by my favorite Oriole and yours, one Kevin Millar, it's only fitting I kick off this video barrage with some Miilarage as well. Here's the video of him throwing out that first pitch to Dougie "Fresh" Mirabelli to start the game. Not content with that, and despite his assertions he wasn't pulling for either team (to avoid incurring the wrath of one Trot Nixon, who I picture grumpily crossing his arms and scowling at Millar from the visitor's dugout), Kevin also read out the starting lineup for the Red Sox. And true to form, Millar gets in digs at Mike Lowell ("biggest eyebrows in baseball") and Jason Varitek ("the only guy to wear a flattop in 2007").

video courtesy of FOX

I applaud the Baltimore Orioles for letting Millar come and participate in the fun- it takes a set of cojones to do that, and more than a little bit of heart as well to understand the emotional ties the Sox fans have to Millar. Letting a current player be free to root like hell for his buddies... that play for a division rival? This can't have been an easy decision for the Baltimore front office - and the Sox did get permission (they also asked the Mets' front office for permission to have Pedro participate as well, and that never materialized). Not everyone is happy about it- but I say thanks to the Orioles fans, too, for letting us have him back even if only for a short while. There's a big part of my heart that will always be reserved for Millar, and I suspect most other Sox fans feel the same way. So thanks for sharing him with us. After this, and the Mora bunt? Well let's just say we owe you, Orioles.

More video after the jump...

Continue reading »

My second batch of video goodies contains a couple of videos of the in-game action. Namely, that magical ninth inning that clinched the American League pennant for the Sox, behind some nasty pitching by Papelbon and one spectacularly wicked catch in center field by Coco Crisp. I'm glad to see Papi was fully prepared in advance, and had his champagne-shielding goggles on before the game was even over. And that Papelbon jump-scream-squat-holler-point-grab-bearhug needs to be patented, because it was glorious.

video courtesy of FOX

This second video is a short but cool one: the Boston Globe once again set up a time-lapse camera at the Fens, this time to catch all the action of Game 7 from a birds-eye view. Genius.

video courtesy of Boston Globe

You want celebration video? You can't HANDLE all the celebration video I've got for you in this third and final installment of Videorama (for now, at least). Dancing, hugging, jumping, yelling, chugging - it's all here. Pants stayed on, but jigs were a'plenty- and Josh Beckett gets all literary with the metaphors. Sort of.

First up: NESN coverage, in three parts.

Part One:
-Tito Francona press conference
-Dustin Pedroia press conference: "nobody wanted to go home, nobody wanted to say goodbye"
-Papi on the field
-Theo Epstein on-field interview
-Mike Timlin & Jonathan Papelbon on-field: "this could be a dangerous moment with him and a live mic on the field"
-PAPELBON IRISH JIG: AL PENNANT VERSION (now with goggles and cigar and hugs for the Dropkicks!)
-"Papy? please don't get hurt"
-John Henry on-field interview

video courtesy of NESN

Lots, lots more video after the jump...

Continue reading »

Don't worry, everyone- nothing has changed with Josh Beckett. I know there were some grave concerns that maybe Josh had changed- that he had starting smiling, engaging reporters, sharing his feelings, laughing and joking with the media and generally playing the clown. Never fear, the same Josh reported for duty in the press room today for his day-before press conference. He's still talking about executing pitches, he's still pulling faces at reporters' stupid questions, he's still giving stilted answers when he's annoyed. He just LOVES this part of his job.

Never change one bit, Josh.

Best part of the whole interview? The reporter who asks him about being "locked in", and Josh furrows his brow and makes a face as though the reporter was asking him if he preferred the color green on Tuesdays: "I don't even know what that means." And then you hear various reporters in the room trying to stifle their giggles. I'm betting it was a Colorado guy asking the question, and the giggles were from Boston guys who found his initiation in the Rollercoaster Of The Josh Beckett Press Conference funny.

I take it back, best part was this whole exchange- I think he's tired of answering this same question, phrased 100 different ways:

Q: If you had been needed in game 7, a few days ago, could you have physically pitched? And how are you feeling right now at this point in the season, physically?

A: I feel fine. Yes I could have pitched.

No, wait- I'm positive the real best part was when the lady running the press conference tells him he's done, and he pops up out of that seat so fast it's like his pants are on fire... and then he has to sit back down and take one more question. Hee.

Here's video of the full conference, from start to finish:

video courtesy of MLB

Josh gets a big Hook 'Em Horns from me for also supporting the Texas Music scene with his Kevin Fowler shirt. Nice choice, Josh- I own 4 of the 5 Kevin Fowler albums, and let me say: you have excellent taste. And if anyone wants to sample some of Kevin's music, please let me suggest you buy from Lone Star Music, rather than some large faceless national chain store. And you can buy Josh's "Long Line of Losers: My Bloodline Makes Me Who I Am" shirt right here.

nothin' makes a Texas girl happier than Josh giving the Hook 'Em Horns

One noticeable absence: no cussing. Typically, we don't get full-on cussfests pregame- Josh reserves those special treats for postgame comments. But this makes me wonder: is there any chance the MLB senior vice president for club relations can say or do anything that prevents Josh from saying exactly what's on his mind in exactly whatever manner he chooses? I doubt it.

MISSING: one "beat up" fake parrot red head, green tail, looks like macaw answers to the name "Parlay" if found, please return to Red Sox bullpen no questions asked

The Pirates of the Black Pearl (a.k.a. the crazy members of the Red Sox bullpen) are in dire straits- because it seems that some unknown person crept into the 'pen under cover of the AL Pennant celebrations, and parrot-napped the Pirates' mascot... a stuffed parrot they've named Parlay.

Problem is, according to Mike Timlin (whose wife bought the parrot for the bullpen about four months ago), Parlay the parrot isn't just a mascot for the 'Pen Pirates- he's also a particular good luck charm for Hideki Okajima. And the bullpen guys aren't kidding when they say- they really, REALLY want the parrot back. No questions asked, just return the bird to the pirate ship, and all will be well with the 'Pen Pirates once more.

video courtesy of WBZ

Why in the world a Sox fan would ever sneak into the bullpen and take a ratty old parrot (that clearly held some major sentimental value) is beyond me. What's next- is someone going to steal the pirate flag from the bullpen wall? The empty water bottles from the hands of Manny Delcarmen? The pistol from out of Jonathan Papelbon's locker? (no really: he has a pirate pistol displayed up next to his locker)

BRING BACK PARLAY THE PARROT!

Update, 12:00 am: The culprits have returned Parlay- he is now back safe and sound with the 'Pen Pirates. Breathe easy, Okajimer. WBZ interviewed the two guys who returned the parrot back to Fenway late tonight, Northeastern students who claimed they woke up this morning with the parrot in their freezer (no, really) and that they have no idea who put it there (seriously). You can tell the reporter thinks they are lying, but he's forced to reward them with two World Series tickets anyway (I know!) because he promised to.

video courtesy of WBZ

In which I highlight noteworthy blogs for you to gather reconnaissance on the Red Sox upcoming opponent. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Purple Row: premier Rockies blog, with all the news updates you could ask for Bad Altitude: serving up Rockies news and analysis, but with an irreverant attitude Up In The Rockies: MVN site that's updated daily with all the latest news & features Diamond In The Rox: no-frills place to get the complete low-down on the Rox

And let me also point you towards some good work being done by the Red Sox Monster himself over at Yahoo! today- he's fighting the good fight against out there against a Rockies blogger, so go show him some love.

"The playoff are all about momentum, right? So how are we the [bleeping] favorites? [The Rockies] won 20-freaking-something games in a row. Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?" asked Papelbon good-naturedly. "They should be the favorites. Or have you ever heard about an even-point spread?"

And if that awesomeness wasn't enough, how about this- the Friendly's Scoop segment from this week, in which Papelbon confesses that "the voices" are responsible for his wacky antics:

video courtesy of FSNE

This explains a lot. I'm assuming the same voices that told him to dance a jig on multiple occasions are the same voices that told him to jump around the AL East locker room celebration in nothing but a jockstrap. And yesterday several reporters asked him what the voices were telling him:

"Let me listen real quick." Papelbon bows his head and executes a comic pause that would have made Chris Rock proud. "They're telling me to go out and have fun. That's what we've got to do. Nothing's changed. I mean, we played 30-something games in spring training, and then 162, and now 10 more here. We're over 200 games, right? Just because this is the World Series - there's more on the line, I know. But we have to go out and treat this like it's number 200 and whatever."

As long as the voices keep helping him get 6-out saves in crucial games, I am more than happy to have them around.

Game One.
Fenway Park.
The World Series.
Sox and Rocks.
Only One Winner.



BRING IT.

I'm here in Boston and headed over to Fenway for Game 1 (where there were most assuredly NOT be any stupid white towels) - and so it's unlikely there will be any more updates this evening. So get your best gameface on... and let's beat the hell outta the Rockies!

He tipped his cap.

Not much of a gesture, to be sure- but Josh Beckett isn't big on gestures.

Actually, Josh isn't big on gestures that require him to grin and wave at the compliments of a stadium full of grateful Red Sox fans. Not because he's not appreciative, not because he doesn't care-- but because he prides himself on locking down while he's on the diamond.... and I'm also not sure that underneath it all, Josh is ever really certain he deserves it. He has carefully constructed a fence around his professional self; he refuses to let sentiment or emotion out for display to the media or public, and he also refuses to let the media or public in.

Whether it's purely a part of his mechanics and process, or whether it's out of self-preservation for his confidence and mental health (or a little of both), Josh eschews clowning around with fans or emotional interviews with reporters, and prefers to let his pitching do the talking. Inside the dugout, he's an effusive chatterbox, happy to talk and joke with his teammates-- whether he's pitching that day or not. But from the moment he steps foot outside and onto the field, he is stonefaced- except for that quirky little hop over the baseline, and (on occasion) to bark at a hitter who he thinks has broken the code of baseball. On the field (and in the pressroom) he is at work, and is all business.

So when Josh left the mound tonight after 7 innings of phenomenal baseball- the kind of pitching performance we have come not just to expect from him, but almost take for granted- the Fenway crowd jumped to their feet and roared out in appreciation. A crowd that a few moments previous had seemed lulled into a haze of disbelief after watching 13 pasted on the Rockies (with seeming ease), instantly turned electric. I think everyone realized that we had all just witnessed a dominating performance on baseball's largest stage-- and also realized what a rare treat it is to see a feat like that in person.

Per usual, Josh strode back to the dugout with his eyes lowered, and in measured stride... almost infuriatingly measured, considering the thunderous applause and cheers. No grin, no wave, not even eye contact. But then, just like the crowd had realized the magnitude of the occasion and responded with unbridled glee, I think Josh also finally realized it as well. The guy who took up the mantle of the ace of the pitching staff one of the very best teams in baseball, and lead the charge to win game one of the World Series (THE WORLD SERIES!) had his teammates and coaches and all the Sox fans in attendance busting at the seams with joy. And I think the moment caught up with him, and Josh couldn't help himself- he broke his own code, and let a tiny sliver of his emotions break through. So Josh briefly raised his eyes, and with an almost bashful expression, he tipped his cap to the crowd.

That tip of the cap was the Josh Beckett equivalent of a year's worth of Papelbon Irish jigs and Bud Light hats- and possibly even more precious an experience to be a part of, because Josh just doesn't really ever share a piece of his joyous emotions with the fans. But he did tonight.

Other random thoughts and observations from tonight at Fenway:

* There is a giant billboard outside Fenway commemorating the pennant win prominently featuring Jonathan Papelbon mid-crazypants celebration. It is a thing of beauty.

* Carl Yastrzemski (who I have gone on record as stating was a fox) throwing out the first pitch was like getting to see a piece of history revived and played out in front of us. Sure, the old zip in the throw was missing- but the who hell cares when you get to see Yaz tossing around a baseball again?

* John Williams directing the Pops for the national anthem? Very cool. And there was a Sox highlights montage on the jumbotron later in the game set to music from Star Wars.

* The bullpen band is RIDICULOUSLY loud. Like, it echoes through the Park. I was sitting way up high in Section 10, and we could all hear their tunes clear as day. Sometimes the banging would be so loud, you could even hear it over the thunderous chanting of the crowd. It is awesome. (and if it's that loud on the other side of the park, it must be a touch bit intimidating to the visitors sitting in the bullpen right next to them- for the insanity factor, if nothing else)

* Golden sombrero by Hawpe. Saying "golden sombrero" never gets old.

* Oh yeah, and in case Fox didn't make it clear during the broadcast, the chant that 90% of the Park hollered throughout the first 5 innings was, "FRAAAAN-CIS! FRAAAAN-CIS! FRAAAAN-CIS!" Which he did not seem to enjoy at all. (and yes, I realize he was pulled after four- but they kept it up for a little bit in the fifth, too- I think just to let Francis know he wasn't forgotten)

* Eric Gagne did not get booed when he came in. In fact, there was a rousing chant of "LET'S GO GAG-NE (clap clap clapclapclap)". I'm sure Gagne didn't know how to respond to a Fenway crowd chanting his name in happiness, rather than cursing his name in anger (and throwing water bottles). Granted, he came in with a 12-run lead- but no one was sure even that was safe.

* Best. Giveaway. Sign. Ever.

I'm not normally one to give Tim McCarver props for anything whatsoever, but McCarver referring to Manny Ramirez as a "cobra in a basket" last night may have been one of the funniest things he's ever said. I don't think he meant it to be humorous, but he shouldn't complain since I'm paying him an actual compliment.

Tacoby Bellsbury also managed to get himself millions of fans across the country in fell swoop with his taco-licious stolen base. At last count, there were 14 brand new facebook groups dedicated to Jacoby's quest to feed America, including:

Jacoby, Thanks for the Taco.
Jacoby Ellsbury: A National Hero
I'm so happy Jacoby Elsbury stole us all free taco bell
Jacoby Ellsbury is the Man for Winning America a Free Taco!!!
America thanks you Jacoby Ellsbury for your gracious gift of tacos.
Jacoby Ellsbury Won me a friggin Taco
Free Taco's Courtesy of Jacoby
Jacoby Ellsbury: Ending World Hunger 1 Stolen Base at a Time

I know Royce Clayton must be really worried how this is all going to work out, but the rest of America is happy because we all know: the best taco is a free taco.

image created by Jeff Dockum

At least one very positive sign from the front office about resigning Mike Lowell (who gets a free pass from me on the E5 last night purely because he's just so damned awesome, and because I'm a member of NDRaPRSFftEMRSoML):

"(Re-signing Lowell is) a priority for the offseason, and I'm sure we'll be able to get something done," Epstein said of his pending free agent. "We have a desire to keep him here a long time. He's a core member of the organization. It's just not the time to talk about that."

And taking a quick survey of this gathering of World Series picks by random athletes and celebrities, I'd say Red Sox come out ahead. I mean, could Faith Hill, Greg Oden, Meredith Vieira and Jimmy Johnson all be wrong? Nice how two of the votes Colorado gets aren't so much votes FOR the Rockies to win, as they are votes AGAINST the Red Sox winning. Also: I love that Tom Glavine identifies himself as a Red Sox fan, while wearing a Mets uniform.

From the genius mind of Tim Souers, here's a visual representation of what Matt Holliday must have felt like getting picked off in the World Series to end the eighth, when his team was down one run.

Check out all of Tim's work-- he has chronicled the Cubs in illustration since 2003-- at Cubby Blue.

Checking in from the Denver airport- I'm locked and loaded (literally, on Jameson), and ready to roll down to Coors Field for the game tonight. I think Dice-K is ready to get his Mr. Roboto on, and it's gonna be ON all over the Rockies tonight. Let's Go Sox!