ASNN

disappointment

At least it's not the Yankees.

P.S. I hope you have crucifixion insurance, Francona. 'Cause you're about to get nailed to the tree, '04 WS notwithstanding.

P.P.S. Let me be clear about something. (This is not hindsight being 20/20, in that I had come to this conclusion before the game, though I don't expect any of you hacks to believe me.) Francona should have started Beckett. Even if he just switched Beckett and Wakefield to pitch games 4 and 5 (to allow Schilling to pitch game 6 on full rest), he should have done it. I understand that Beckett will have to pitch another game regardless of tonight's outcome, Beckett pitching in a game down 3-1 is FAR DIFFERENT than Wakefield pitching in a game tied 2-2. The Red Sox HAD TO WIN tonight, and Francona didn't trot out their best horse.

Don't get me wrong: I love Wakefield. I cannot wait for the Sox to pick up his option so that we can watch him puzzle so many hitters next year with a 68 mph pitch. He has pitched in a number of great games for the Sox and has been a valuable asset for them. But seriously, we're talking about Josh Freaking Beckett, the second coming of Christy Mathewson and Sandy Koufax in the postseason, a guy with a PROVEN FREAKING TRACK RECORD on pitching on three days' rest.

Wakefield looked good tonight, and for a while it appeared like he was going to save Francona's bacon. That doesn't make the decision to start him a good one, and Francona is going to catch a bunch of crap for his decision. Rightly so, as his decision to leave Beckett in the wings for game 5 was flat out stupid.

Finally, in case there's any confusion about my angst, let me state it clearly: Cleveland has played better than the Sox thus far. They deserve to be up in the series, plain and simple. Despite their mediocre play, the Sox are not losing this series: the Indians are winning it.

Dang, and I was hoping for the "Rox–Sox" World Series. *sigh*

P.P.P.S. And this isn't sour grapes, but seriously. Get a freaking halfway intelligent home plate ump in there. The guys in the past two games even have the idiot savant, Tim McCarver, commenting that pitches "appeared" to be off the plate. (Nevermind that the freaking strike zone thing showed the ball CLEARLY off the plate. Shut the hell up, McCarver.) Home plate umps should have to attend a class before they are allowed to call a game behind the plate in which a knuckleballer is pitching. And if your strike zone visibly and obviously changes by four inches over the course of four innings (I'm looking at you, Game 3 home plate ump Brian Gorman), you should be punched in the face.

Posted by pcg at October 16, 2007 8:22 PM