How Much has 2004 Changed this Series for You?

[rician blast]

couldn't agree more JMC.

[a700hitter]

Dude, some of us have ben Sox fans for 20, 30, 40 years. Take it from us, there never was a curse...the Red Sox were simply not good enough.

 

 

 

It is the manager's job to make that change, period. All competetive pitchers (well except Clemens, he woulda been out of there after 4 with a (fill in the blank) __________ injury) would have wanted to stay in. You don't leave that decision up to the pitcher.

 

If you recall, the combo of Embree, Timlin and Williamson had been virtually unhittable...I'm not sure they'd given up an earned run in the series. This was the year of the bullpen by committee, and down the stretch they had developed one of the best back ends of the BP in baseball. Yet Grady chooses not to use them???

 

Pedro gets no blame because he deserves no blame. 2003's result was Little's doing. You could even see when Pedro finished the 7th, some guys were hugging him, as if he were done. Then when he came out for the 8th, Theo and the owners were shown shaking their heads. And after Jeter's hit they were like "what the fk?" And after every other hit they looked more shocked and pissed. Everyone in the park, everyone watching at home knew it was the wrong move to leave Pedro in.

 

Little fkn blows and if not for him the Sox might be going for their 3rd WS title in 4 years.

I agree with everything in the post, except 2004 probably doesn't happen if not for the loss in 2003. Getting that close and losing IMO motivated ownership to go out and get Schilling and Foulke in the off season. If they had won in 2003, I don't know if the FO would have had the same motivation.

[rician blast]

That's a good point 700. I've thought of that as well...similarly, if the Sox win it this year, they've again "purchased some goodwill" so to speak, which could project on how they move forward into 2008.

[TheKilo]

 

Some things I always fail to understand about RSN. Grady Little deserves all the blame for game 7 - but noone says anything about Pedro. He should have known that he was done - so when Grady came to talk to him - he should have handed that ball over to the bull pen and enjoyed the game. I think to some part - Pedro's monster ego cost us that game and may be another championship.

 

Just to piggyback on what others have said....Pedro in the tail end of his career had some testy relationships with the media. What would the uproar have been if he asked out of the game, a la Clemens?

 

Little f***ed it up. What's Pedro supposed to do in that spot? Besides, he was under strict orders to remove him after 7 innings or 100 pitches.

[TheKilo]

Last night is a perfect example of how much it changed. During the 7th, it seems some people on here were having a coronary (RS, cough) but I never thought that they were in serious jeopardy.

 

When they scored 3 in the 8th, it may have been the death blow. Good teams shut the door. The Rockies had their chance in the 7th last night.

[a700hitter]

Last night is a perfect example of how much it changed. During the 7th, it seems some people on here were having a coronary (RS, cough) but I never thought that they were in serious jeopardy.

 

When they scored 3 in the 8th, it may have been the death blow. Good teams shut the door. The Rockies had their chance in the 7th last night.

Some of us weren't worried about the players, but stupid managerial matchups. Tito didn't let the Lopez move snowball although Timlin, Okajima and MDC did not make life easy for him.

[TheKilo]

Some of us weren't worried about the players' date=' but stupid managerial matchups. Tito didn't let the Lopez move snowball although Timlin, Okajima and MDC did not make life easy for him.[/quote']

 

Well, with a 6 run lead and a situation that calls for a groundball, who else should Francona have used?

 

The only thing I would criticize Tito for last night was sending Timlin back out for the 7th...he hasn't been great in back to back innings for a while now.

 

As for Okajima, he pitched very well after the Holliday AB.

[yeszir]

I couldn't sleep the night before game 4 in 04. Last night I slept like a baby.

[BoSox21]

my mindset on being a Red Sox fan changed at the end of the 2004 ALCS, I never for a second thought they'd ever lose to the Cards after that comeback and even when they were down 3-1 to the Guardians, I never really got worried. It's kind of a strange feeling actually

[Thumper]

I still get into it because I feel like we still have something to prove. I'm sick of all this "they won't win another one until 2090" ********. If they win this year, then I won't feel like we have anything to prove.

 

I must say though, I agree with TheKilo - I'm much more relaxed. If they got eliminated, it wouldn't be the end of the world. I just enjoy watching them go as far as they have.

 

However, if we had faced the Yankees in the ALCS, I would have been a wreck for the entire ALCS. I know that much. So maybe not THAT much has changed as far as my passion with the rivalry goes.

 

I agree with your first part. I've heard it over and over again from many people "Oh it'll be another 86 years!". If the Sox win this one, we won't have to hear that s*** anymore. No one could say anything, except arrogant fans from a certain team...

 

I wasn't relaxed between games 5-6 because losing one of those would have been the end for us. Game 7 I was relaxed because I knew if the Sox lost we could atleast say we put up a fight before going down, instead of only winning one then getting swept four straight.

 

And had it been the Yankees, I would have taken up smoking.

[MANNYHOF24]

Nothing can be as exciting as 2004. It's just not possible. The first time is usually the best, I mean the Patriots second superbowl wasnt as exciting as the first. I still get excited during the games, but I will never have the same feeling I had after Aaron Boones homerun even if the same exact thing happened say next year. We have won a world series and it in some respects is been there done that almost. That being said I still love this team and watch almost 90% of the regular season games which does get you very attached to the players.