Red Sox vs Red Birds

[sublime]

I hope all those die hard Sox fans are thinking about how slimming those pinstrips are going to be on him next season.

Its confirmed

[lorinda]

I don't see Boston winning more than one game in the WS.

I really don't care who wins this one now, but I think STL sweeps, I just think that Boston are not only not good enough, but also probably will find it hard to get up for the final games after what they just achieved.

Of course, they didn't actually achieve that much, the Yankees have been playing mediocre baseball for weeks, but it was still nice to see the sox win it

Lori

[Gooch]

i personally hope the curse continues in this manner, Boston up 3-0 and loses in 7. One advantage i see is Cards at home have pitchers who've hit before and only Schilling has any experience batting and he isnt pitching in StL then again i dont think it mattered much in previous WS, also Ortiz at first, even though he is a first baseman by trade how good is he actually defensively. speaking of Defense, StL has the best and thats why i think they will win.

[ihaterivers]

The Cards definitely have the better all around team. They play defense better. They can manufacture runs better. They have a much better manager. I like the Cards in 5 maybe 6 games. I think Pujols and company will light Wakefield up in game 1.

[Toro]

The Red Sox are a hard team to figure this year. The series with the Yankees was like a microcosm of the whole season. They played bad for so long and then great at the end.

The one thing that worries me is that the Red Sox have been terrible in inter-league play the last 3 years. But this year they were a little better so maybe they've figured out how to win vs the NL style of play.

The key, I think is Schilling. This procedure with his ankle is no sure thing, but if it hold up, the Sox have a great shot since I don't think the Cards can match a healthy Schilling. But if he breaks down all bets are off.

That being siad, I'm rooting hard for the Sox, but wouldn't bet a schilling or a farthing for that matter on thse game. Now don't ridicule me you brits because I don't have the foggiest idea what either is worth.

[kenberman]

Well, I can't discuss this ratioanally with you, as you've exposed yourself as one of these Yankee fans who can't come to grips with the pathetic loss your team just had, and is grasping at straws to maintain a pyschological edge over other teams.

Sorry, but Yankee mystique and aura have been destroyed forever.

[kenberman]

[ QUOTE ]
Pedro chokes in that he gets unnerved..this is also why he hits people after getting tagged.

[/ QUOTE ]

When he was the best pitcher in baseball, he led the league in hit bastmen. It was never a control issue, it was a willingness to pitch inside and yes, bean people.
Intimidation - and questionable ethics - are part of being an A-list pitcher. Go ask Bob Gibson, or Roger Clemens, and so on...

[ QUOTE ]
but he simply isn't that same pitcher anymore

[/ QUOTE ]
No doubt, Pedro of 1999/2000 is gone and will never return.

But he is still better than anyone on the Cardinals, and is 2nd best on the Sox.

[ QUOTE ]
and he can blow a whole game in one inning after pitching 6 or 7 good ones.

[/ QUOTE ]

I still can't think of ANY instances where this happened in a big game. The Yankees are by far his toughest opponent, and have had success against him, but please don't try to mention game 7 last year.

[TRWIII]

There are three things about Boston that should be taken into consideration:

1) The Sox hae not shown themselves to be very good in interleague play (as was mentioned above).

2) Pedro doesn't choke, but does collapse in a hurry. If its a big game, he generally starts lights out, but once he gets to 100 pitches or so, his stats go to hell in a hurry and he starts throwing softballs down the middle.

3) Pedro is not a good cold weather pitcher, and these should be the coldest games of the year.

Oh I have three things to say about the curse:

1) It's not some mystical supernatural hex, but more of a self fulfilling prophecy. There's supposed to be this curse so there is one (might I mention Buckner).

2) People have to stop this talk about beating the Yankees breaking the curse. Thats nonsense. The curse isnt to be the Yankees perpetual whipping boys. The curse is supposedly that in punishment for selling the greatest player of all time to you rivals, you forfeit all subsequent World Series championships. That hasnt been broken yet and I suspect that it wont be.

3) If the Sox do win the WS and break the curse, I honestly think that it will be the worst thing for MLB since the strike. Boston identifies itself by this silly curse. Once there isnt a curse to complain about, the rivalry between NY and Boston will decline, because Boston becomes closer to just another team, nothing special about them. The rivalry will still exist in the two cities, but national notoriety will decline. Without having this perpetual loser to pull for, a lot of people will stop pulling for them at all, and that can do nothing but hurt MLB.

It still amuses me to no end though that so many otherwise rational people beilieve in the power of this silly curse, and wrap their love of baseball around it. Without this curse thing, most will lose their main reason for caring.

Oh, and as a "reward" for reading this far [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
Pick: Cards in 6

Just some rambling thoughts,
TRWIII

[kenberman]

good post, except for 1 point.

[ QUOTE ]
Boston identifies itself by this silly curse.

[/ QUOTE ]
This is not true. Boston is identified by outsiders by the curse , we do not define ourselves by it.

Fox TV, ESPN, casual fans all equate 'curse' w/ 'Boston', but Sox fans certainly do not.

[TRWIII]

I dunno, you're probably right, though I have spent time in Boston during September and October, and heard "curse" brought up more times then I expected.

Even assuming youre right and Boston is associated with the curse, then ending the curse can do nothing but hurt baseball, since now Boston wont be associated with anything special.

TRWIII