Yes, Northeastern sports are on top of the world right now. Yes, the New England Patriots looked great against the Jets and are 2-1 in the young NFL season. Nevertheless, only one thing has been on my mind the past two weeks: the Boston Red Sox.
Scott Thurston, a copy editor in The Boston Globe’s Sports Department, once said that there is no point in watching a basketball game in its entirety; all one had to do was tune in for the last two minutes for all the needed action. The baseball season is no different. The season is a marathon, allowing the contenders to separate themselves from the pretenders in a manner unlike any professional sport. It’s easy enough to steal a couple of games over a 16-contest campaign, or to slug out some gimmick W’s during an 82-game excursion. In truth, I can give you 162 reasons why that cannot happen in baseball … but I won’t.
What I will do, however, is sing the praises of Theo, Trot and Tim while bemusing the testosterone-infused soap opera sagas of Pedro, Manny and Nomah (come to think of it, all the story lines would make for a helluva WWE pay-per-view event). Now, 155 games into the season, the Olde Towne Team is 91-64, 2 1’#8260;2 games ahead of the hapless Seattle Mariners, a team so desperate for a spark it went so far as to accuse the Red Sox of cheating with television monitors to gain an advantage on the opposition. Guess the floundering fishermen had to come up with something.
Regardless, do not worry about a playoff spot; the Sox have that locked down like Jodie Foster in “Panic Room.” Yes, we all know that the bullpen on this team has been as dependable as President Bush’s economic agendas, but the starting pitching has been solid (4.29 ERA), especially in the second half of the season, where the staff has posted a team ERA around 4.02 in the last month. And we have not even discussed the hitting, nor the fact that the Beantown Bashers lead the universe in about every single offensive statistical category, including hits (1,596), runs (919) and batting average (.289). Their everyday number nine hitter, Jason Varitek, is on pace for 25 homers and 90 RBIs. Seattle will spend the next couple of weeks battling American League West foes, particularly the division-leading Oakland Athletics, who nobody wants to play in the second half.
That said, getting to the playoffs is not the issue; doing something when the team gets there is. The New York Yankees seem to own the post season once they get in, and nobody wants to play against the resurgent Minnesota Twins, who will beat out the White Sox and the Royals for the AL Central division title. Word on the street is that Bostonians fear the A’s more than they fear the Bronx Bombers. That is preposterous, but what I am about to say next, may be even more so: the Red Sox will play in the World Series this season.
Crazy? Not so much … no team in the American League can claim a spot as the dominant team. Despite their outstanding pitching staff, Oakland could not manufacture offense consistently if you allowed them to enter the batter’s box with redwoods. The Twins are a hot team, but do they have the arms and the bats to take them deep into the post season, as was the case last year? I doubt it. The Yankees, arguably the most feared team in the league, pose a ferocious starting nine and a decorated starting pitching staff. Their closer, Mariano Rivera, is no longer money in the bank, but he is still one of the best firemen in the business. The problem has been bridging the gap between the starters and Rivera; New York’s bullpen ineptitude rivals that of the Boston’s beleaguered corps.
But therein lies the caveat; Boston has perhaps the most talented set of arms coming out of the ‘pen in the league. Southpaws Alan Embree throws in the mid-90s, and Scott Sauerbeck throws a nasty curve, providing reinforcement against left-handed batters. Mike Timlin throws nothing but strikes, and Scott Williamson hurls a high-90s fastball and a superior slider. That sets the path for Byung-Hyun Kim, who is still one of the top closers in all of baseball. If the relievers get hot, it would complement the offense and starting pitching perfectly, catapulting the squad into its first mid-October classic since 1986.
Will the Boston Red Sox win the World Series? I am not saying that; if they do, I will make it a point not to be in the city to witness a modern-day Armageddon. But fasten your seat belts; I guarantee it will a very special post season ride.
– Evans Erlius may be reached at [email protected]
