In Summing Up…

I love Larry Mahnken’s take on last night’s game:

…The victory cinches nothing, nor would a sweep–devastating to Boston though it would be. Not with the immense talent on the Boston roster, and the potential for debilitating injuries on the Yankees’. A Red Sox fan friend of mine at work claimed the other day that Boston’s just been toying with the Yankees for the past 85 years–just to make their ultimate victory that much more bitter for the Bombers. I pass that on for its humor, but there is a caution that comes with it: Boston will eventually beat the Yankees out, they will eventually win the World Series, some day. The Yankees rebounded in ’78 later in the season from a larger deficit than Boston could possibly face entering July, and the circumstances that brought that Red Sox team down could happen to the Yankees. Celebrate the victories, rub it in–but don’t ever allow yourself to believe it’s over until the champagne bottles are uncorked.

The series now turns in Boston’s favor, with Tim Wakefield and Pedro Martinez facing off against Jon Lieber and Brad Halsey. Wakefield’s had tremendous success against the Yankees recently, and Pedro Martinez shut them down in their last meeting in April, so a series victory by Boston is still very much a possibility, almost even a probability. But if the Yankees can keep the offense going like it has in the past three games, and get reasonable outings from their starters… well, just watch. It’s New York/Boston–it feels like October baseball already, and it’s barely summer.

I couldn’t have put it better myself.