RED SOX WIN GAME 1

[daryn]

oh baby, what a performance by Wake!

[Dynasty]

For Red Sox fans who want to feel optomistic, here are the three options the Yankees have.

1. Win four of the next five games.
2. Beat Pedro Martinez in game 7.
3. Lose.

[daryn]

well put!

[southerndog]

Nice!

[andyfox]

Masterful performance by Wakefield. No walks thru 6 innings was the key.

Mussina has pitched relatively poorly his last 3 outings (last start of the regular season, Minnesota start, and last night).

Is it me, or do the Cubs and Marlins look like minor league teams compared to the Red Sox and Yankees?

[J.R.]

"Is it me, or do the Cubs and Marlins look like minor league teams compared to the Red Sox and Yankees?"

If so, its time to get rid of some dead weight on the big league roster and bring the kids up. You can't be serious, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, Ivan Rodriquez and Mike Lowell (yeah, he put up those numbers missing a month of the season) have you seen Derek Lee play first, Luis Castillo might be the perfect 2 hitter, Juan Pierre on top of the lineup, Sammy, amongst others.

I mean, are the Red Sox a major league team, cause who in their right mind would let a 28 year old (in all fairness he did a great job down the stretch getting bullpen help) and Grady Little run a big league ballclub? Shouldn't Grady Little be selling insurance instead of making all the wrong moves in the national spotlight.

I think this has been one of the most exciting playoffs in recent years, and I honestly think any team can win it. I love baseball.

[daryn]

[virgolettewho in their right mind would let a 28 year old (in all fairness he did a great job down the stretch getting bullpen help) and Grady Little run a big league ballclub?

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah, because we all know that your age is directly proportional to your ability to run a baseball team.

theo is a big reason why they are where they are right now.

[J.R.]

I honestly think that age (ie experience), is important in running a baseball team. I think Theo has done a great job that has been greatly suprising to me, but I still can't believe they made a 28 year old their GM. I don't think they would have won the wild card if he didn't make the bullpen improvements he made. I'd also love to see them beat the Yankees, Grady's antics notwithstanding.

[andyfox]

Gutsy job by a sub-par Pettitte. Looks like Torre has lost confidence in Jeff Nelson (and with good reason). Contreras looks very solid.

Prediction: the team that wins game 4 will win the series.

Yeah, Wood and Prior are special, and there are certainly some other talented players on both the Cubs and Marlins. Must have been the influence of those 13 home runs that made me feel like those two teams couldn't stand up to the AL teams. I agree: I wouldn't be surprised to see any of the four teams take it all down.

As for a 28 year-old running the club, the old time general managers are, how shall I say, idiots. Cashman has the bank to play with, but it's the younger GMs in Oakland, Boston and New York (Yankees) who know what they're doing. Theo is a Beane (who was John Henry's first choice) and Bill James disciple. I think the Sox are in good hands, better than they would be had they recycled an old-timer with old-time ideas about running a team.

As for Grady, I have to admit I haven't been impressed by his in-game strategic decisions, but then again Bobby Cox is bad too, so who knows.

One thing we are definitely in agreement on, and that's your last sentence.

Saturday's Re Sox/Yankees game should be a classic. Hopefully it won't turn out to be a 13-1 non-classic like it was a few years back.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
Prediction: the team that wins game 4 will win the series.

[/ QUOTE ]

From the Red Sox perspective, that's the least important game. John Burkett should be starting.