Baseball can be a funny game. You could go your entire career without ever playing in a World Series, let alone playing in the playoffs. Just ask Todd Helton from the Colorado Rockies. This was his first playoff appearance this season. For guys like Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Hideki Okajima and Daisuke Matsuzaka among others this was their first appearance in the postseason and now they are going after the ultimate prize in Major League Baseball, the World Series trophy.
Some of the Red Sox players have been there before with this team or others. Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell won a World Series trophy with the Marlins in 2003. Curt Schilling won one in Arizona in 2001 along with Boston in 2004. Jason Varitek, Mike Timlin, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Tim Wakefield, and Doug Mirabelli all were members of the 2004 team as well. Kevin Youkilis only played in the ALDS that year.
There were so many heroes in this ALCS for the Sox that Josh Beckett said it best, “This [ALCS MVP] trophy could go to just about anyone on this team”. It was fitting that the first person Beckett hugged on the field was Lowell as they have been playing together for a while now dating back to their Marlins days.
I, for one, can’t wait to watch the World Series starting on Wednesday night. It’s going to be a great one especially with the Rockies coming in having won 21 of their last 22 games. The Rox did take 2 of 3 from Boston this year at the Fens but as I have said in the past, you throw away what happened in the regular season.
It was a fitting end to the ALCS last night when you have the two best teams in the American League playing for the right to go to the World Series in a winner takes all game. With their backs to the wall since Game 5, the Red Sox came back and showed why they were picked to win the World Series by many of the pundits before the season started.
So while you’re recovering from last night, let’s take a look at the headlines after the jump from last night’s game from the Boston and Cleveland area media as well as Youk and Schill on this great SOXTOBER morning.
We stuck together [Yooooouuuuukkkkk]
Rox and Sox 2007 World Series, it’s on…. [38 Pitches]
Pedroia shows swagger after his daggers [Boston Globe]
Base-running decisions put stop on Cleveland Indians [The Plain Dealer]
Beckett eyes big prize [Boston Herald]
Game 7 flukes not the problem; outscored 30-5 is [Akron Beacon Journal]
ALC-Yes! [Hartford Courant]
There’s really nothing to be afraid of anymore [Pro Jo]
Beckett captures another big one – MVP [Boston Globe]
Cleveland Indians first baseman Ryan Garko’s quote taken out of context [The Plain Dealer]
Dice-K does just enough [Boston Herald]
COLOSSAL COLLAPSE [Akron Beacon Journal]
Indians Stopped By Red Light [Hartford Courant]
Grind worth it for Pedroia [Pro Jo]
For more headlines and stories, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Hartford Courant, Providence Journal, The Plain Dealer and Akron Beacon Journal websites.
