SoxSport

Pedroia is playing at an intensity beyond his usual high level--out of sight.

cmon guys. make my birthday.

The best thing they can do right now is to tune out the media and stay focussed on winning. It ain't over yet.

Veterans can make a difference in the World Series. You go with them. Look at the difference Ross has made. Drew is a steady hand at SS. Papi playing 1B like a lot of people know he can do. You go down the lineup, all gritty veterans. Except for one kid, Bogaerts, who is playing like a veteran.

Anything can happen, but I said from the start the Sox had the best record in the best division in the better league.Plus home field. Even so, it takes great clutch performances to beat a good, well-balanced team like the Cardinals. And they're getting them--from different guys. Do it to them--one more time, please.

Just watched this game again. They showed a replay of that obstruction play previous game with a camera behind home plate looking up the third baseline. The baserunner was off the baseline--a couple of feet inside it, in fair territory. Middlebrooks was well off the baseline on the infield side--his legs were in fair territory at the edge of the grass. the baserunner tripped over his legs because he was well inside the baseline. If he was on the baseline, he could have avoided his legs. So maybe it was intentional. Whatever, it was a poor call--the baserunner actually was in fair territory, and was just as guilty of interfering with Middlebrooks. In the game last night, that home plate ump gave a couple of key pitches late to the Cards: against Napoli in the 9th (that was not strike 3) and Bogaerts (first slider was high and inside--he should have walked). Ross called a super game--excellent framing of pitches for Doubront--inside and outside corners. He did have a passed ball with Lackey, but it was a slider that tailed way down and inside to the LHd hitter. Lackey is a very gutsy pitcher. I thought Papi might have had that throw from Bogaerts in the 8th or 9th, after that great stop. Napoli doesn't have much stretch. Ortiz is an underrated first baseman who can still play in spots. He might have stretched far enough to catch that throw on a bounce. You had to be impressed with Berry's SB, after the MF media had elevated Molina to sainthood. Hopefully, Farrell got the message, and we'll see more SBs.

The series is all about pitching and defense. It's usually that. The FO knows now how important defense is--hopefully. Especially up the middle. Starting at catcher.

Poor Breslow may have been overused, and hit a wall. That cannot happen to Uehara. Salty is weak defensively, and they have to focus on defense up the middle. The last few games has probably taught them a lot. Catching is a critical defensive position. Middlebrooks is still growing. I thought he should have had that Holiday shot, but it's a game of inches. And I can't fault him on the last obstruction play--it was unintentional, and the rule should read that way. It's a bad rule, and led to a freaky result. Salty obviously erred twice--bad judgement and bad throw. Hey, it's even again. The Sox have more heart than the Cardinals. With Ross catching, the Series might be over right now. Hope Vic is OK. They left Bradley out there somewhere, knowing at some point they might wish they had him.

At the beginning of the season, a lot of people were questioning giving Papi $16 mil per year for 2 years. Now, the question is if he is worth more than that. Looks like a bargain.

I doubt you'll see Salty again this series. Somebody has to take the blame. Actually, Ross should have caught tonite, after game 2. They won't make that mistake again. Salty just isn't good enough defensively. His extension is in jeopardy. The Red Sox braintrust continually has to be reminded that defense starts up the middle. That's basic. This series so far sucks. It's a comedy of errors.

By the way, did any "minor leaguer" check Wacha's glove for green resin? You have to wonder who fabricated that story. Can't trust the media these days. The players have to block all this crap out. Stay away from the media.

Could be the key right there. Every game has huge importance. The 2-3-2 scheduling sucks. It removes a lot of the home field advantage. The NBA has just gone back to 2-2-1-1-1. Farrell has confidence in Breslow in high leverage situations. But that was the spot for Koji.

Doubt the Cards can beat them at Fenway.

Those NY based mediots on twitter have started their discrediting campaign against the Red Sox. Remember Buchholz and resin? Now it's Lester and resin. These guys hate the Red Sox. Stark, Passan, and the rest. Passan even injected racism in a story the other night about a HR ball being thrown back on the field. They just can't accept the possibility that the Red Sox might be better than the Cardinals--like they were in '04. You just hope this nonsense doesn't distract the Red Sox.

Forget the media and their predictions. They are mostly NY based anyways, and are biased against Boston. In '04, I ran into a couple of them from ESPN at the airport just before the Cardinals series, and they sneered at the Red Sox ("Cardinals in 5"). I said Red Sox have better pitching. I was right. This time, the same bunch at CBS -NY, etc are tweeting the same. No mention that the Red Sox have home field, they have the best record in Baseball's best division, and the AL by now is known to be better than the NL. Make no mistake, this is more of an uphill climb for the Cardinals than it is for the Red Sox.

I don't know if sizing up the personnel on two teams will make much difference. They are both good teams with the same season record--but in different leagues who have faced very different opponents. The advantage must go to the Red Sox for the following reasons: 1) they have home field, and they win 2 out of every 3 games at Fenway, 2) they are in the best division in baseball and have played most of their games there--with the best record, and 3) the AL is generally considered to be better than the NL in recent times--the Red Sox have done very well in interleague competition. A lot of people were surprised--including lot of "brilliant" sportswriters--when the Red Sox swept the powerhouse Cardinals in '04. They shouldn't have been, when you consider they beat the Yankees--a team which might have also beaten the Cardinals, and they were coming out of the superior league. Besides, didn't they have Pedro and Schilling? The Cardinals had no answer to them in pitching. In the media discussions I've heard, once again the advantages the Red Sox have (home field, superior division & League) are being overlooked. They compare the teams as though they had the same opponents all year. Not so. Plus the home field could be decisive. Having said that, anything is possible. But the odds are in favor of the Sox.

P.S. I hope they don't forget to send a thank you card to the LA Dodgers.

Koji finally gets deserved recognition. AL Championship series MVP.

Yup--Impossible Dream all right. Except no Gibson this time. That will make it easier. They're lucky they don't have to play in NY. No mysterious home calls--like the one that just beat the Patriots. Not that Brady & Co didn't suck. Except to the MF Jets? Embarrassing. No embarrassment at Fenway. Get the broom out--again. Remember '04.

Boras will look for multi years for Drew, and they won't go for that. They have too much young depth on the left side. I doubt they are completely sold on Middlebrooks at 3B. He has to hit better and more consistently. He may be a bigger question than Bogaerts.

TV dictates the schedule. No NL game means AL game moved to "prime time" 8 pm.

Verlander is pitching better than Scherzer lately, plus the Sox have the momentum, so I figure they will end it tomorrow night. Regardless of what happens, I will say that Cherington deserves a hell of a lot of credit for distributing the money and finding the right chemistry--on the field. Plus the manager and the coaches for doing their job splendidly. You've got some awards coming to this team here after tying for the best record in baseball in the toughest division. My hope is they don't change anything next year--except maybe to find Dempster a good home. Though he still may be heard from in the playoffs--in the bullpen. It's interesting that two similar teams, the Red Sox and the Cardinals, with baseball's best records, are up 3-2 with 2 games left at home. Chances are they will meet in the World Series. Hope so.

Lackey praised Salty for calling a good game. His framing was very good. Salty will get re-signed.

and they got him for nothing next year. great competitor.

wow. what else is there to say? this team is World Series bound.