Monday, October 18, 2004

Rivera Blows One and David Beats Goliath

What a game last night. At first, I didn't care much, considering that I thought the series was over (and I still do). But it was a close one, and hard to turn off.

Seeing Rivera blow a game is as good a feeling as it gets for the Yankee-hater. You constantly hear how the guy is invincible, he's the MVP of the Yankees, etc. Problem is, most of the time he lives up to the hype. So it's always great to see him blow one. Even in a game like this which is probably meaningless (if the Sox lose), it's still a pleasure to see. It was a far cry from Sandy Alomar in '97 and Luis Gonzalez in '01 (which was heaven), but still pretty darn good.

But the pleasure of Rivera's BS was only redeemed by the Sox winning. If they would've lost, then Rivera's BS would be meaningless. And when Francona brought Leskanic in there, I feared the worst. But the Yankees have a worse pitcher in Quantrill, and the Sox took full advantage.

But again, I don't see the Sox pulling this one out, unless the momentum from this win can have a huge impact. The Sox have been so streaky this year. They had that awfully mediocre first half, and then, post-Nomar, became the hottest team in the game. Then they breezed past the Angels in the ALDS. Maybe they can turn it on again, but will that help here, with the Yankee pitching being half-decent and Shemp Matsui playing like Barry Bonds? We'll find out.

1 comment:

John W Leys said...

The Sox played a hell of a game last night. I would have been easy, given the circumstances, to just roll over and die. You have to give them credit for not giving up. I really don't see them winning the next three games, but I respect them for trying despite the odds.