Posts tagged WorldSeries at FanHouse

I remember back in May 2005, the Chicago White Sox were off to a fantastic start to the season. Halfway through the month they had a 29-12 record, and a 5 and a half game lead over the Twins. Most people don't believe me when I tell them this, but at that point, I knew the White Sox were going to win the World Series that season.

I didn't care that they hadn't won a title since 1917, or that they had only played the first quarter of the season. I knew that 2005 was going to be the year. It was at that point that I went to an online betting site and put money down on it at 15-1 odds. I wasn't risking a large sum of money, for I wasn't making these big time blogger dollars at the time, but it was enough to make their eventual championship all that much sweeter.

Of course, I didn't view it as a risk. As I said, I knew they were going to win it all. I wasn't exactly sure what I saw in that team up to that point, but there was just this feeling about them, I guess you could call it swagger. I'm not even exactly sure just what the hell swagger means, but whatever it is, the White Sox had it that season. When they were down four runs going into the ninth inning, I still felt like they were going to win, and more importantly, so did they.

I haven't had that feeling about the White Sox since, and I don't have it this year. Of course, there's only one team in baseball that I do have that feeling about, and I've had it for a while, I just haven't found the courage to tell anyone about it.

Well, today is the day I man up.

Remember how the ball used for the final out of the World Series mysteriously went missing? Jason Varitek quite obviously put it in his pocket before celebrating but later said he'd give it back to the team ... and then later revealed he gave it to Jonathan Papelbon, instead. Paps more or less confirmed it but never officially 'fessed up ... until now. And if the Red Sox still want it back? Well, it's a little too late. From the Hattiesburg American (via Defensive Indifference):

"My dog ate it," said Papelbon, who has a home in the Canebrake subdivision.

"He plays with baseballs like they are his toys. His name is Boss. He jumped up one day on the counter and snatched it. He likes rawhide. He tore that thing to pieces. Nobody knows that. I'll keep what's left of it."

"Nobody knows that" ... until you tell the story to a reporter. I'm not sure I'd believe it coming from any other player (maybe Manny Ramirez, although he'd be more likely to simply throw the ball out forgetting what it was or where it came from), but coming from Papelbon? Yep, this sounds about right.
Sorry, No Photos

Now, those memories you have are all that's left of Kevin Youkilis' facial hair, as it is now all gone ... in the name of a good cause.

The Boston Red Sox continued their odd tradition of post-championship grooming Tuesday when first baseman Kevin Youkilis shaved off his goatee for a $5,000 donation to his charity, youkskids.org. The public haircut came three seasons after outfielder Johnny Damon ditched his caveman look for charity in the Back Bay, with giant TV screens to give the throngs a better view.

Youkilis was shaved by two blonde stylists from a local salon at the Cask 'n Flagon, a bar across the street from Fenway Park. Nine TV cameras captured the moment -- including one that broadcast a live shot ("The shaving is under way, as you can see") -- with their trucks parked outside to beam the images to a grateful nation. Master of ceremonies Greg Hill of local radio station WAAF compared Youkilis' goatee to other great hair in local lore, including Carl Yastrzemski's sideburns, Larry Bird's mustache and Manny Ramirez's cornrows.

"By far, the most memorable piece of body hair in Boston sports history," Hill said, neglecting to mention Damon's beard, which came off in a charity stunt in 2005 before he left the Red Sox to sign with the rival New York Yankees.

In case you were curious, neither the goatee of former New England Revolution Alexi Lalas, nor the blood red hair of Boston roller derby star Bloodbath Bettie made Boston's most memorable hair list.

Honestly, I can't believe how well that video sums up Colorado's 21-1 run before getting swept in the World Series. I just hope the Geroge Mitchell doesn't come around asking too many questions about that mushroom or the star -- the last thing the Rockies need to worry about is a 25-game suspension hanging over their head.

(via Deadspin, Red Sox Monster, Ballhype and probably others ...)

It's been a crazy few weeks for the Colorado Rockies and their fans. The team came seemingly out of nowhere to jump into the playoff picture, and then rode that momentum all the way to the World Series. Everything was going terrific until they ran into the Red Sox. Still, even though the Rockies lost they still had a season that the team and the city of Denver should be proud of.

Of course, now the Rockies are learning of one of the pitfalls of making the postseason. When you're a small market team, which the Rockies are, that most of the country ignores during the season, you fly under the radar. That's why even though Matt Holliday had an MVP like season, most people had no idea who the hell he even was.

Now that the Rockies reached the World Series, Holliday has a national profile, and that means one thing. He's going to be making a lot more money in the near future.

I don't know where that future will be, but the Rockies would like it to be in Denver. Owner Charlie Monfort may be deep in denial when it comes to his opinion of the Red Sox, but he's not deluded enough to think his team doesn't need Holliday.

Will the Rockies try to lock him up for the long term? Owner Charlie Monfort insisted they will, while making it clear the team has money to go year-to-year with Holliday over the next seasons in salary arbitration.

For his part, Holliday's not really ready to start discussing it.

Will Curt Schilling pitch for the Red Sox next year? Right now, no ones the answer to that question, not even Schilling or GM Theo Epstein. But just in case the World Series really was his swan song with the Sox, Schilling penned a blog post thanking, well, everyone he's ever come into contact with in Boston. Last but not least, on behalf of him and his wife Shonda, he thanked the fans:

To Red Sox Nation we'd like to offer our deepest and most profound thank you for making the last four years some of the greatest moments personally and professionally, of our lives. Much like the fans in Philadelphia, and Arizona, you always treated my wife and my children with respect. You were far better to me than I deserved at times, and never worse than I deserved at others. The only thing I know I can say without a doubt is that I took the ball, every single time, and never ever left anything in the tank.

If October 28, 2007, was the last time I ever wear this uniform, thank you. It was an honor and a privelage to be allowed to play here.

Schilling pitched well in the playoffs so I can understand those who'd like to see him return in 2008, but the fact remains that he turns 41 years old next month and probably can't be counted on over the course of a full regular season. If he's demanding to be paid like an ace, that money is better served going elsewhere.

Schilling also gave credit to the Rockies, acknowledging their fantastic run to get to the World Series and pointing out that their eight-day layoff between games almost certainly worked in Boston's favor, even if no one on the Rockies wanted to use it as an excuse.

In case you couldn't make it out to downtown Boston last night, this is what the scene looked like: a lot of chanting, a lot of drunk people and a lot of street lamp climbing. Seriously, who does that? He seemed to be in one piece after landing, but I half expected everyone to be too busy snapping a picture of him with their cameraphone to bother catching him ...)

There was also a little truck tipping (at least one pickup truck met the business end of mob mentality), but by and large it seems like it was a more peaceful celebration than in 2004. Continue after the jump for some more footage from outside Fenway.

For years in baseball, it's always been the Yankees that were the most hated team in baseball. Of course Yankees fans love them, but if you asked any other baseball fan about the Yankees, you generally always got the same sort of response.

"[Expletive] the Yankees!"

The question I've been wrestling with the last few weeks is if it's now officially time to start hating the Red Sox. I've never hated them before, and I was probably one of a whole lot of non-Boston fans rooting for them to beat the Yankees in 2003, and in 2004.

Now I'm starting to wonder how the Red Sox are any different than the "Evil Empire" they once accused the Yankees of being. They have more money to spend than anybody else, just like the Yankees, and now they're winning World Series titles all the time. Just like the Yankees used to.

So throughout the ALCS and World Series, I was rooting for Cleveland and Colorado. I was trying to convince myself that I hate the Red Sox, but for some reason, I was never able to convince myself that I meant it. I mean, how can you hate Big Papi? Not only is he an amazing baseball player, but he's probably one of the nicest people on the planet as well.

Manny? You can't hate Manny! You can get mad at him, but you can't hate him. Really, he's no different than your children. Sure, sometimes they do things that drive you insane, but then you remember the kid just doesn't know any better, and you forgive them.

I go up and down the Red Sox roster, and there's only one player on the team this year that's genuinely worthy of my hatred: Curt Schilling. That's it, though. And even then, I don't hate Schilling. I just find him to be really annoying.

So no, no matter how hard I try to convince myself that the Red Sox are just as evil as the Yankees were, I can't do it. Of course, if they win it all again next season, that opinion may change.
Sorry, No Photos

I'm referring, of course, to the way that Doug Mientkiewicz kept the ball used during the final out of the 2004 World Series. He soon left the team as a free agent and took the ball with him, much to Boston's chagrin. The Sox believed the ball belonged in a museum, and it took a year and a half of bickering (as well as a lawsuit that the team eventually dropped) before Mientkiewicz reached an agreement for the ball to be displayed in the Hall of Fame.

As you can see in the picture above (and it's even more obvious in video highlights), Varitek stashed the ball in his back pocket as he ran out to the pitcher's mound following the final strike. Did he want to keep a piece of history? Or did he hold onto the ball so he could be at team player and offer it back to the franchise? (Update: As pointed out in the comments, Varitek said he'll give the ball to the team.)

I hope you enjoyed the Red Sox on field celebration after their World Series win last night because the dark truth is that it's probably something we're all going to have to get used to. That's because the Boston Red Sox are built just as much for the next five years as they were built for 2007. I know, I know, nothing's set in stone and all the games have to be played and the AL is stocked with good young teams like the Indians, etc. etc. etc. It's still hard to ignore the facts that are right in front of us.

In the World Series, Game 1 was won by Josh Beckett, a 27-year old ace in the making who is just hitting his prime. Game 3 was won by Daisuke Matsuzaka, a 26-year old Japanese legend who averaged nearly a strikeout an inning in his rookie year in America. Game 4 was won by Jon Lester, a 23-year old lefty who just won the deciding game of the World Series 13 months after being diagnosed with cancer. Then consider Dustin Pedroia, who hit even better in the LCS and the World Series than he did in his impressive rookie year, Jacoby Ellsbury, who provided a spark in the lineup after being inserted in Game 5 of the ALCS and isn't even a rookie yet, and Jonathan Papelbon, the 26-year old lights-out closer (don't forget Clay Buchholz, Manny Delcarmen, or Craig Hansen, either).

That brings us to our hero of the day, Theo Epstein. He took a lot of flack in Boston for the way things were handled in the wake of the 2004 World Series, which was won with a very veteran roster. Now, three years later, he's got the Red Sox on top of the baseball world again with a very different team and they're looking much, much stronger for the future than they did the last time they were partying in a National League clubhouse. There's a very good chance that tonight we witnessed the beginning of something, not just the end of another season.