Red Sox / Cardinals Game 4 Diary

Live blogging what may be the final game of the 2004 season and an end to an awfully long wait for Red Sox fans.

Three quick thoughts to start off the night:

1. If the Red Sox win tonight - who's the Series MVP? Manny has been the best hitter but there are so many others close to him (like Damon, Bellhorn, Mueller or Ortiz). My suggestion would be to have a split MVP between Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling (like Schilling and Randy Johnson back in 2001). Keith Foulke also has to be in the running.

2. I think it would be pretty funny if someone were to send copies of the book ">Who Moved My Cheese to all the Yankee players and front office personnel.

3. Tim McCarver sucks.

Speaking of long waits - I just cracked my first beer.

In case you are wondering why the Cardinals are down three games to zero - consider that if you took away Larry Walker and Albert Pujols the rest of the team is batting just .134 (even with Walker and Pujols - they are hitting just .200 as a team).

Johnny saves! Damon with a HR! 1-0 Red Sox! Damon's third HR of the post season. Maybe he'll be the Series MVP?

Oh crap - I just learned that Manny won the AL Hammer Award. Good for you Manny! They should wait till the World Series is over to announce these awards.

Paulie points out an excellent interview of Curt Schilling over at Boston Dirt Dogs. Wow - he questions LaRussa's lineups, calls "reporters" Laura Vecsey, Pedro Gomez and Joel Heyman bad people "with little skill in their profession" and he says that Foulke should be the Series MVP. Good stuff.

Good bunt by Derek Lowe. If he hustled down the line he would have been safe. That out may be important if Damon doesn't get a hit. Still - it was good bunt.

Trot Nixon hits a double with the bases loaded making it 3-0 Red Sox. I give plenty of credit for that to Terry Francona. No manager in MLB gives hitters the green light on a 3-0 count as often as Francona.

From my buddy Bill:

As a six year old, I watched as the Sox lost to the Cardinals in 67. That year we decorated our garage with Sox signs for the world to see, even though we lived on a dead end street that held 6 houses. I was surprised when we didn't make the news. In 75, I was heart broken with the loss, but Bernie Carbo and Fisk and Tiant and all the boys were still heroes. In 86, the pain the pain. And since 67, I've watched and hoped every year. Rice brakes his hand, bad teams, bad signing, more bad signings, and bad breaks. Today I think the Sox will win the World Series. I have the same confident feeling that I get when I watch the Patriots play. But standing right behind me is the kid that has been through all the disappointment. He's telling me that this is going to be the biggest let down in Curse history and he can't believe that people have fallen into the trap again. Then he tells me that it's a no-win situation for the Sox. If they lose, everyone will be in tremendous pain, but if they win, people will actually be hurt worse. It's the Moonlighting Syndrome. Bruce Willis and Sybil Sheppard were kept apart for a few years and the everyone loved the show - until they were put together. The Sox and the Championship have been kept apart for 86 years. The team could not be loved any more (because they are losers like you and me). Can you imagine the disappointment and indifference after this brief affair? It will be like a bad accident that you can't look away from - at first it was spectacular, but in the end something died (the curse). Talk radio will start in on missing the curse three days after the parade. Unfortunately, It will take another 86 years to get one as good as the one we have now. And that's something we won't see again in our lifetime. Go Curse, I mean go Sox!

First off Bill - don't listen to your inner child here. The curse doesn't exist and if it did - it still wouldn't make the Sox "lovable losers". Secondly - Moonlighting had just run it's course. Putting Willis and Shepard together was a last gasp effort by a dying program. (BTW - have you seen pictures of Cybil Shepard lately?) Let down your defense mechanism here and enjoy the moment. With Theo in charge this will be a regular occurrence.

Back to the game - Lowe is coming up huge. No runs into the fifth inning.

Did you see that Ashley ad? That ad makes me misty every time. Did you know that the ad was paid for in large part by Alex Spanos the owner of the San Diego Chargers?

Jason Marquis is giving the Cardinals their best starting effort of the Series. He's only given up three runs in six innings. However - he's up over 120 pitches now and will probably be done for the night. I've said it before - it was a huge mistake for LaRussa not to pitch Marquis in game 2. Huge mistake.

Derek Lowe is only at 54 pitches going into the sixth. He could pitch a complete game. OK - now after six complete Lowe is only at 71 pitches and has only allowed 2 hits. It should be pointed out that many believe that Lowe's sinker works better when he gets tired. We could be looking at a shut-out by Lowe.

In politics everyone has been waiting for an "October surprise". Could the Red Sox be the surprise? Kerry is supposedly a fan but do you think he'd show up at a Red Sox parade? Not in your life.

Scott Stapp's version of God Bless America was as lifeless as the Cardinal offense. Man - that may have been the worst rendition I've ever heard. Donna Summer kicked his ass.

Derek Lowe ends the 7th with just 85 pitches thrown. Just sayin'. The Series MVP is still up in the air. I'm gonna step out side for a minute to check out the lunar eclipse.

Second and third with no outs as Nixon hits a double. I'm thinking that this is now a done deal. Bellhorn walks and Millar pinch hits for Lowe. I know this is the right move but still I'm disappointed that Lowe didn't get the chance for a complete game.

OK - bases loaded and no outs and the Red Sox fail to score and Lowe is taken out of the game because Millar pinch hit for him. I'm going to get some Rolaids - I'll be right back.

Just a thought but could the Red Sox winning the series be part of a Ben Affleck deal with the devil? Could Affleck have traded a Red Sox victory in return for his career? Is there a better explanation for Gigli or Surviving Christmas? Three outs to go!

For the record - I'm not a "long suffering" fan. I've been a fan all my life but the Red Sox have been good for almost every year I've been alive. The Tampa Bay Devil Ray fans are long suffering.

Pujols gets a hit but I smell double play. OK - fly ball but still one out in the ninth. Edmonds strikes out - TWO OUTS in the ninth!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!



(11:44)