ALCS Recap: 2004

Know what never seems to stop amazing me? That even when my beloved Yankees screw the pooch – and make no mistake, this was a huge, Clifford sized dog that was screwed – they still some how make history… it just isn’t always good history.

Remember the six-pitcher no hitter that was thrown against them? That was history making. Need another example? Here it is, the twilight of the ALCS for 2004, and my boys done got the business end of a Reversed-Sweep, with the Fox announcers calling it the “worst collapse in MLB post season history”. I won’t sugar coat it, but winning three in a row is the same as losing three in a row… happens all season long.

The fourth lost stings a good deal, especially because the whole debacle was against Boston. Does that mean I’m pro AL in the World Series? Hell no! I want Boston to get beat by the team with the best record in baseball (Cards) or better yet, to lose to the Clemens infused Astros. That would send the fans in Boston right around the bend, I think, and that would be a worthy consolation price. Almost as bad as watching the reaction to Pedro being in the game in the 7th… what the hell were they thinking anyway? Jeesh. [If the Astros win, by the way, Andy Pettitte should be named MVP, since he’s the reason why the Rocket is still playing, even if he’s been on the DL for forever.]

Oh, and the Curse is still alive, until the Red Sox win the four out of their next seven. Sorry, boys, but I remember 1986 and the Curse is still very much in effect, even if the Babe didn’t make an appearance tonight.

Speaking of the Babe, what of that? Is he pissed that the Yankees sold one of his bats at an auction this year? Is he taking pity on the Sox finally? Maybe… just maybe… I’m being punished for living so far from NY now? Hard to say. What’s done is done. MLB teams need to lock up their pitchers though… George is going to be shopping for some stronger boys this off season.

Today I was in pinstripes. Number 7 on my back, for Mantle’s birthday, and for luck [right now they’re losing by 7 – go figure). Interlocking NY on my had and my jacket. Tomorrow I’ll be in black, sporting a black on black hat with a Munson jersey (nearly black, actually)… and a Boston Sucks T-shirt underneath it (to thyself be true!). As I told the people that said “You think that’ll help?! Sox!” at me today, “Hey – I win with my team and I lose with my team, and I don’t care who knows it.”

Solace? After this ALCS? Sure – just do the math… 39 Pennants and 26 World Series rings versus 9 10 Pennants and 5 World Series ring… for now, and for at least the next seven days, I can shamely spout one happy number…

1918


12 thoughts on “ALCS Recap: 2004”

  1. Randy, Randy, Randy…

    You have never known passion, faith and just utter hope for world peace until you live in Massachusetts and know the Red Sox nation emotions. Yeah, we know about the curse, we know about this being just one out of your many – but we all feel really good. And with the state of the world – IT FEELS PRETTY DAMN GOOD!

    Jennifer

  2. Oh, and I have to also point out that I very well know the passion and faith and utter hope of sports: I’m a New York Rangers fan. who had to hear 1940 for the majority of their hockey fandom… :)

  3. These people who think the curse is broken are forgetting one thing, the Red Sox have been to the World Series 4 times since 1918 (1946, 1967, 1975 & 1986) and they have lost every one of those series in 7 games. The curse lives until they win a World Series. I have to admit that it was pretty painful to watch these last four games, knowing you only had to win one to move on. Every move Torre made turned out to be wrong, but thats Baseball. My only complaint was his choice of Brown and Vazquez last night. This is not hindsight, but he should have gone with El Duque for 3 innings, the Moose for 3 innings, Sturtze for 1 or 2 innings and Rivera to close out if they had the lead. Brown and Vazquez gave us nothing the second half of the season. However in the end Mariano could not get 3 outs in game 4 to close out and Gordon could not get 3 outs in game 5 to give Rivera the lead going into 9th of game 5. Also the Yankees had many chances to win games 4 & 5 in the extra innings. Life goes on.

  4. 1918. Doesn’t seem too long ago. I’m glad the damn Yankees got crushed. :) Too bad we can’t do it again.

    The World Series will come down to home field advantage because St Louis country is nearly as influential as Red Sox Nation. Fortunately, Fenway has more home games and the series will come down to a game 7 Sox win. Hoorah!

  5. Hehehe… I still enjoy reading this post. It’s almost sad, but mostly hysterical, how sure you were that the Sox were going down yet again. And yet, the Red Sox pulled it off TWICE! Maybe the Yankees can blame the curse of A-Fraud!


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