Wrong again........

This is the playoffs, and this year will be different.

So wrong.

The player of the game was very clearly John Lieber. What a game he pitched, only allowing four baserunners in seven strong innings. There are a lot worse things that could happen than getting swept at Yankee stadium in the League Championship Series, but on a baseball scale, this is about as bad as it gets.

I still believe that the Red Sox can come back. I still believe that this Red Sox team is better than that Yankee team. I also am starting to come to my annual realization that it just doesn't matter.

I'm a stats guy who believes in the unmeasurable. What sabremetricians affectionately refer to as luck, I usually attribute to character or--even more simply--one player coming through when it matters.

In two games, the Yankees have, while the Red Sox have not. John Lieber steps up and pitches the game of his career. Johnny Damon strikes out four times in one game for the first time in his.

The Red Sox have not come through when it matters. Not yet. It's like the Red Sox are holding an Ace-Ten. They have holes, they're not perfect, but if they would only sack up and play the cards they're dealt, they might be able to take those cards for a little ride.

Which, of course, is not a good analogy, and some groupthink Yankee fan might stop by to interrupt my rambling self-pity. From the other side, one might say that the Red Sox HAVE played the cards they were dealt. They are just on the river and finally realizing that they are up against kings.

One more card to come though. It comes in the form of three games at Fenway Park where the Red Sox are 55-26 (43-38 on the road). They did so well at home because their offense is built for Fenway, where they hit .304/.378/.504 vs. .260/.342/.441 at stadiums that are not safety hazards.

But I suppose its only fair to mention that Game 3 starter Harmonica Arroyo has a 5.35 ERA at home vs. a 3.06 ERA on the road. I guess knowing that is sort of like knowing that only three cards in the deck give the Red Sox a winning hand.

It doesn't look good, especially now that Curt Schilling might be done for the remainder of the playoffs. If sometime in the next several days I start talking about off-season projections for the Milwaukee Brewers, please have a little sympathy.

For now though, I still have some faith. This is a very good team that could suprise everyone and pull something off. Baseball fans around the country ought not to hold their breath. Red Sox fans, I know you have no choice.
Curt  ¶ 1:49 AM