201 replies to this topic

[bosox188]

I don't think he's alone in thinking that unless the Yankees completely go 07 Mets on us, the division just might not be worth going all out for. If it starts looking really attainable (i.e. get another game or two closer before going to NY), then yeah, I'd be thrilled if the division can be had. But when you have a chance to go into the postseason rested against a team you have consistently given fits to in the playoffs, the amount of work placed on the pitching staff in trying to catch the Yankees just might not be worth it.

At the same time, as much as I'd love to see this team get home field advantage, Verlander really does scare the crap out of me. No part of me wants to see the Sox face that guy twice in a best of five series. Not that I think the team should "strategically" bow out of the division race, but I think that the chance of this team going the distance via the wild card is a lot closer to the chance they could go to the distance after entering as the 1 seed than it is in a typical year. Los Angeles could sweep us and make this point moot, but I do think the prospects of taking a game in Anaheim and then two in Boston are favorable - possibly moreso than winning three against Detroit.

I don't like judging a team on its past history with us, and this year we have owned the Tigers. They have a weak offense as it is and against playoff pitching they probably would not match up well at all. I think the Sox could outlast the Tigers in a pitching duel featuring Verlander at Fenway in Game 1, whether it is against Beckett or Lester. After that the series should be gravy. They're struggling to hold off the Twins right now.

Edit: Verlander really is magnificent, his 128th pitch against the Twins registered at 101mph.

Edited by bosox188, 20 September 2009 - 10:12 PM.

[paulftodd]

Yankees lose. It's down to 5 games.

4 games in the all important loss column, we can make up the win column against the lowly Indians to finish off the season, and we have 4 games against KCR while the MFY have the Angels for 3, 3000 miles from home, before the series in the toilet.

Am I alone in not caring about the division at all? If the Sox are playing well I'm confident they can beat any team in a short series, home-field or not.

Anyone not caring about the division and humiliating the MFY who have been waving the victory flag for the last month, well, I don't get it. Some say the WC is sloppy seconds, good enough if you can't get a taste of the real thing, but I guess if you win 95 games then the WC is not a cheapie. The playoffs can be a roll of the dice, who happens to be the healthiest and hottest, not to mention luckiest, and the shorter the series, the more likely the best team does not win. HFA is not always needed, but it helps. The division champ is the winner after a 162 game marathon, it is a big prize, as it was in 2007.

Also, if you only care about the WS, the Yankees are the only team who really should pose difficulty to the Red Sox in a 7 game series (removing luck from the equation). The Angels play the Yankees tough. Facing the Twins or the Tigers should be a cakewalk, and the Red Sox own the Angels in the playoffs. Personally, I am conflicted as while I want to win the division, I would like to see a rematch against the Yankees in the ALCS, it's been 5 years, and they are overdue for another spanking.

But even if the Red Sox don't win the division, making them sweat a bit is fun. Some MFY fans are hearing foot steps, others are counting on the Red Sox playing the rest of the season like ST games once the WC is clinched.

If the Red Sox are not within 3 games after the series in the toilet (2 in the loss column), Tito has my permission to concede. If he rolls out any ST lineups in that series because we clinched the WC, I might reconsider my loyalty to this team after 45 years. Maybe thats irrational, but I will be ticked off.

Edited by paulftodd, 20 September 2009 - 10:33 PM.