mstar1

I suppose I feel bad for the mets fans as well, I have been on the recieving end of more than a few of those gut wrenching heart tearer outers. It is horrible. It is absolutely horrible Bucky Dent......Bill Buckner...........After the Aaron Boone HR in 03 I couldnt talk for what seemed a week It was a sickness and a disaster, and then in '04 after falling down 0-3 in the ALCS I even posted a gravestone for the Red Sox here at greasespot and vowed (momentarily) to give up baseball forever...but then.. well..things can change even if it takes 40 or 86 or a 100 years.... things can change. LETS GO CUBS!! YOU"RE DUE!

Flashback: Today is October 1st, the 40th Anniversary of arguably THE most significant baseball day of my life and the most important day in Red Sox history It was the day that the 100-1 shot, previously 9th place Red Sox--the then perennial losers-- clinched the pennant on the final day of the season in 1967. Four decades have passed, but anyone who lived through that remarkable year still fiercely clings to its memory for what it brought - the Red Sox Nation of today is all a byproduct that can be traced to that one magical summer that culminated in that day , but even more so it let us know that at least for one time in our lives, the impossible was just not a dream. Jim Lonborg gets carried from the field on October 1st, 1967

I demand to be right-Im an exwayfer! (kidding) I dont know, in one sense I dont care all that much, the Red Sox are in and will be playing the Angels in the longer series ( I forget if that is the "A" or "B" series) and thats all good enough for me for the time being. I'll watch, be interested and see what happens in the NL, but I wont be feeling it quite the same as the fans in the two cities who will be elated or the unfortunate ones who after coming this () close , will be disappointedly ..waiting until next year....

Are you sure of that? This is from Rockys Link: If the Mets /Phillies /Padres all have the same record after today. The way that I am reading it is that the NL East Div. will be decided by the above formula ( Similar to the 05 AL East Where the yankees were declared winners even though the Red Sox and Yanks had the same overall record). Whoever is declared second in the Division, ( I didnt look up the head to head or the intradivision..)would then get a one game playoff with the Padres for the wildcard I think thats how it works...either way there will be alot of heart palpitations around the NL cities today ...of course I could just turn on the TV and have them explain it to me, or wait until tomorrow and see what happens. I think that it is really odd that the tiebreaker in the above quote gets into games in the second half of the season as being more valuable than games in the first half....that makes no sense to me So much for the idea of a win in April being the same as a win in September

To me--yes it is an addiction and one that is not always all that good. I find myself on it way too often much longer than I should be and needful things going undone. Yes I read alot, but I find that my reading is sporadic and less concentrated, I can follow links and jump around forever to the point where it can become aimless if I am not careful as opposed to taking one thought or one book and riding it through. I do like the social aspect of it, but my real life social life honestly isnt what it would be if I shut this darn thing off. I like it for gathering information and ease of communication, but it can be like a drug, that sucks your time and gives you little to show for it if you are not careful. Everyone needs to set their own parameters. I 'leave' it from time to time and generally find that outside life is just a little better, a little more colorful, a little more real when it is used at a bare minimum.... I dont know if I personally would give it up all together, but finding and maintaining the right balance for me hasnt been easy. It gets too much like a toy

the Mets and the Phils are now tied with one to play..This is going to get complicated if those two and the Padres finish with the exact same record. Anyone know how that would be worked out?

Something to look forward to

There is a LOT of excitiing baseball left--no time to lament the end of the season just yet. You are right however , even with the elation of the series win, and the lift of the curse in '04, which were enough for me to believe that I could really fly, There was the unsettling and difficult realization the next day that there would be no more games until Spring. It was like waking up and finding the love of your life had disappeared in the night leaving only the wonderful memories behind

Even though I voted to send it into space --That will be an appropriate symbol of these baseball times to future generations... I am on all the lists and lotteries around here. I'll keep my fingers crossed and see what happens. I am expecting that the worst Standing Room/Obstructed View would go for about $500 from the brokers/scalpers and good seats will be astronomical. But...but...ITS THE PLAYOFFS!..these things dont happen everyday I'll see... If i can get something reasonable I'll go ..... First one to 11 wins!!

making the BP prognostications possible. Congrats Cubs... RedSox also clinched the Division for the first time since 95 (when i was there) which is no small feat--finally dislodging the Yankees who have been there for 11 years. I think that its going to be Yankees/Indians and Angels/RedSox The next big thing is vying for home field and the series choice with The Sox and Indians tied at 95-65.. ..... Even though the Mets have made an historic collapse, I have to hand it to the Phillies, they were down what about 7 games just a few weeks ago? They look really good to me and are playing great under pressure --I think that they could be the real surprise team.. ....... and ..a liuttle off topic but since I just happened to be reading this, I will pass it along...I dont know if any of you all are/were Tiger or Tiger Stadium Fans or memorabilia buffs but they are auctioning off parts of the old stadium... HERE They have seats , signs , the pitching rubber, dugout benches, all sorts of things that would be really cool to own. Even the scoreboard!

FWIW, if any of you guys are ultra statheads, which I am not.... I just read THIS ARTICLE at Baseball Prospectus. BP's "secret sauce' is a mixture of the three "ingredients" their studies linked to postseason success: Equivalent K/9, Fielding Runs Above Average (how many runs above average a fielder saved), and Closer WXRL (pitcher Wins eXpected above Replacement Level for the closer). BP by this method predicts a Red Sox/Cubs World Series, which would be fine with me and perhaps another sign the apocalypse is coming very near I dont know who figures out these stats, they are obviously smart, but thankfully all the teams will still have to play all the games to get there

Its been a great crop of rookies this year. I know the RedSox have 5 who have contributed a lot, especially Dustin Pedroia who imo should be Rookie of the Year, Hideki Okajima who was dominant as a set up man through most of the year, Clay Bucholz who threw a no hitter, and my current fav to watch Jacoby Ellsbury who is hitting around .370 since he was called up and runs like a deer on amphetamines. Its good to know that the future of baseball is in good hands. ....... NL sure is exciting coming down to nailbiting time, these last few days will probably cause a few coronaries. It just looks-well sort of crazy over there--even the Rockies have exploded into it. As far as the AL , 4 very strong and evenly matched teams, Yanks, Angels, Indians and RedSox ..who are all separted by 2 games. This is shaping up to be a great October

Wow-He must be some amazing ballplayer. I Hope to see him in the playoffs. If the snakes make it to the series, I'll be hoping his turn comes up in an American League park, Which brings up the question would your manager DH for a position player?

Fausto Carmona and C.C Sabathia scare the hell out of me, especially in a five game series, but still good luck to the Indians! .... A 3 Run come from behind ninth combined with a Tiger loss, and the RED Sox are officially now into October! Magic Number for the east division is now 6 (17 more wins to the world series).

The Angels are tough enough---Vlad and Bonds back to back would give pitchers nightmares

Interesting--50% sounds about right and would bring the whole eras totals back to a semblance of normalcy. I also read THIS today Any bets that the Giants record improves next year now that the Barry circus is over? Im in

If i remember rightly ( I was very young) didnt Koufax skip a World Series game too? or maybe that was some other holiday? I dont know why I havent thought of it before, this is a pretty big night for alot of teams

I have a stupid question Its Yom Kippur, do/can the chosen people play today? Im thinking Kevin Youkilis of the Red Sox, but I am sure there are others. Happy Yom Kippur! or whatever the correct greeting is...

200 hits is an amazing feat ---to string together 5 years ..or 7 is remarkable....Speaking of Barry...have you Voted? Incidently, I voted to blast it into space. (although I would just as soon see it run through a meatgrinder and put in a landfill) LINK to ESPN story Vote Here: VOTE 756 Website ....... Maybe I'll get around to changing my tag,

WOW--Pete Rose never did that? I would have bet on it. Thats an amazing accomplishment--Way to go Michael!

( but baseball related) Im on a lot of lists I just got this from Curt Schillings ALS Foundation: "Please click this link and watch the short video (about 4 minutes) about ALS and Augie's Quest for a cure. A donor is giving Augie's Quest (affiliated with the MDA) $1 for everyone who watches it! Please pass this link on to friends so we can raise as many dollars as possible for this important ALS research plan." http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/vi.../view/id/382360 Thanks back to your regularly scheduled thred

It definitely caught me off guard and made me smile. I needed a pick me up this AM. Yoda sent wave of happiness in sad morning to change bright! calm reinstate! The 'nation' takes alot of forms --its just the loud ones that get attention --Mr. Chong fits right in.. ........ OH and just for you Mr. "Worlds Biggest Gabe Fan" Strange I just read THISpiece of good news " Kapler to resume playing career Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Gabe Kapler informed the Red Sox that he intends to resume his playing career in the 2008 season. The 32-year-old outfielder spent this past season managing Boston's Single-A Greenville club in the South Atlantic League. Kapler played in the major leagues from 1998-2006 with Detroit, Texas, Colorado, and Boston, hitting .264 with 64 homers and 302 RBI in 850 games. "Managing was incredible for me this year," Kapler said. "I learned so much about baseball, about the young men I had an opportunity to lead, and about myself. Ultimately, the experience reawakened the competitor in me. I miss the battle. I still need to be on the field as a player. My body is as healthy as it has ever been, and I must take advantage of that. Managing was an important component of my development, and I am eternally grateful to the Red Sox for having provided me the opportunity to tackle a new challenge."

I personally wouldnt mind seeing a Milwaukee-Cleveland series myself. Im a little discouraged with the tack that the Red Sox are taking. They are pretty banged up, and I guess the theory is that they could go 0-9 and Detroit would have to go 7-2 to get in to October. So everybody is 'resting'. I know they have the 'bigger picture' in mind but the division, choice of series, and home field advantage are nothing to sneeze at, never mind what it looks like losing a 14 1/2 game lead. Well...as Ive been saying all season there is still a ways to go yet.... on the bright side, I belong to another messageboard and just got what could be the best email I have gotten this year, maybe ever, out of the blue from a Red Sox fan in China of all places Its like getting a letter from Yoda, if baseball just brings me something like this once in awhile --It is all worth it :) It just might be enough to make me believe in this team again

The same thing happened when you cut ARod loose as well. Im not much for the 'studs and scrubs' approach to teams. ie a marquee name or two to fill some seats then too many positions filled with whoever as an afterthough--- It never works, or at least I cant remember it ever working. I just now read where the RedSox are basically shut down, will rest a bunch of players and essentially coast in to October. The division and home field apparently means nothing. I dont like the sound of this at all-- if anything ever smelled like it could backfire this is it.

Well you are probably right-after being beaten to death for 86 years, and finally winning something, it can make some a little too exuberant. ...The down side ( well the other down side -there really is no upside) of the Gagne trade, Not only did they lose Kason Gabbard and David Murphy two very good prospects, but now I have serious doubts if he will be worth much of anything as far as draft picks if he does sign elsewhere as a free agent. I am not quite sure of the rules on how that exactly works but I cant see any team willingly relenquishing two picks the way he has been pitching. I hope the Rangers develop them well....Gabbard wins 22, and Murphy hits 325 next year as an outfront reminder to the Front Office here of what not to do