On one hand, we have seen this movie before...but then again, this Angels team is a bit different - better OBP guys, etc. I think the Sox win today, but I think the Angels still find a way to finally take a series from them.

Me three. But I also don't believe the Sox are dead until that third out is made in the ninth.

Buck Martinez says that Clay Buchholz is not showing any signs of extra emotion, right as the camera shows Buchholz slapping his glove against his leg in disgust after giving up a single to Abreu.

I like these noon starts. On the weekend of course. : )

i'm cool with the angels winning 3-1 - don't trust the angels if it goes 5

On the one hand, the best scenario is the Yankees sweep today and this series goes 5 games, all in extra innings, and every pitcher gets dog tired.

On the other hand, I hate the f-ing Red Sox.

Kazmir frightens me more than anyone the Sox can throw at the Yanks. In any event, won't be surprised if the Sox get the broom today. Yeesh, more awful umpiring. Yeah, Martniez was pointing out that the batter got hit. I hate Scioscia and all his stupid faces.

[7] lester is much better than kazmir

[8] That may be true, but Kazmir has done far better in more opportunites. Plus the Yanks roughed up Lester pretty good in their last meeting.

[6] I'm all for any scenario that gives the Yankees every possible advantage. The Marte Debacle Friday night proved all my worst fears about Girardi, and he scares the shit out of me going forward, so I'll take five games, extra innings, and a freak snowstorm that delays the trip to the Bronx until the day of game one.

[10] i really don't think the marte move was that bad. aceves looked a little shaky in his inning, and i wasn't at all looking forward to him facing mauer.
that said, i hope (and expect) that marte will be off the roster if we get to the alcs.

Holy shit, that was one fuck of a play!

Walking Gonzalez was anit-good, Kazmir. Oh, Dustbin, you're my hero.

And the Red Sox double their offensive output from the first two games. Oh, the homefield advantage.

that's enough for me. time to watch the giants crush the raiders.

regardless of wanting the sox to win this game, at least they angels got ugly out

[16] :)

[17] thanks weeping - i mean it is bad enough we are sort of "rooting" for the angels for the series, and dispassionately "rooting" for the sox today, but wishing ugly well is just far too onerous a task

laptops giving up the immediate homerr

[18] I was going to say the same thing about "rooting." I mean, we're not so much "rooting" as "hoping," right?

Or perhaps, I'm "rooting" for a 5-game, knock-down, drag-out affair complete with eye-gougings, hair-pulling, low-blows--a no-holds-barred Death Match in a Cage, if you will--with California coming out on top, needing to be stitched back together with spit and duct tape on the aeroplane ride to the Bronx so they come out looking like German war veterans during the Weimar Republic.

To that end, I "hope" Boston wins today, but not rooting for them to win today, if that makes any sense.

I'm so confused. I can't take pleasure in any of this. : /

[19] bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaa

perfect weeping - this is exactly what we are doing

which results is just fair's (and all of our) confusion :}

[11] I hate lefty specialists to begin with, but once he gave up a double AND a single to Mauer, it was time to take him out. He didn't because the next guy was lefty too.

Choad can't buy a hit vs. the Sox. Little Bastard.

[23] nick punto stole all of his powers

28-0 Giants, 3 minutes gone in 2nd quarter. Wow.

I'm just poking my head in ... back to bed.

[25] Yes!

[24] Heh heh eh heh.

(Meanwhile, *when* is *our* game going to begin?)

I can't wait five hours!!!!!

[24] Punto has been a gigantic pain in the ass these first 2 games. Hopefully he spends all of his time off the bases tonight along with his mates.

So, I've not played softball in waaay, waaayyy too long, but when I did, I was a centerfielder and one of the hardest challenges was training myself not to take that first step in on the ball hit right at me. I had to fight against that natural instinct and it felt really, really awkward.

That's how I feel now, as I looked at that 5-1 score and winced, only to remember a half-second later that, actually, for our Master Plan to pan out, the score must needs favor the Bostons today.

Talk about cognitive dissonance.

Fenway is ridiculously quiet.

[30] haha - you played cf in softball after playing 2b earlier? much like boras said about arod, my feet have never left the infield dirt - it would be quite odd to be out there.

laptop is frustrating as hell to watch

[32] Yes, well, my last position was second, when my little league career ended around 13 or 14. Then I began playing softball when I was probably 28 or 29, at which point the body wasn't what it was and getting down on the ball was something of a minor trial.

God, I miss playing.

That phantom whistle call in the Giant game was far worse than Cuzzi's.

Daniel Bard pulls a David Robertson

Bard and Robertson have almost identical stats and could have very comparable careers.

[33] :}

[36] interesting comparison - i wonder if the yankees will be as loathe to trade robertson as the sox have been with bard

[37] I think they view Roberston as the primary 8th inning reliever, starting next seasno.

BTW, in case you were wondering, if the Yankees lose tonight, I'll assume my usual role of flying into a panic and assuming the worst.

Re: Bard and Robertson. I knew I recently read something about them. This from a reader at Lohud last month.
http://tinyurl.com/yhce89b

[38] i agree - i think he will do well too - he would be absolutely outstanding if he improved his control even a tick

[39] I'll support you in that, but won't necessarily join you. I *will,* however, slit my wrists if we lose to Pavano. But that's just on principle, not necessarily a reflection of an overall loss of confidence.

[39] thanks for clarifying - we were unsure how you would go :}
would it be the same even if your buddy wasn't pitching for the twins tonight?

Btw, I like this broadcasting team. I've not been listening closely, but when I do turn up the sound, I notice I don't find them repellent in the least. They seem to do a good job getting the fuck out of the way and letting the game speak for itself. And the play-by-play guy is quite dignified in a nice, old-school way.

[44] don orsillo is the red sox play-by-play guy - he is pretty good

[45] i should clarify that the guy who is doing pbp is don orsillo who happens to be the red sox pbp guy - i wish we could have gotten a team with either kenny or coney on it

[44] Earlier in the game they had a discussion about how OPS is a good stat. That'll win me over in a second. Probably loses your support though :-)

what the fuck - did this game start at NOON?! i had no idea. just awful to turn on and see the Shit Sox winning big, late in the game. i hate giving them any breath. now, i feel they'll win the whole thing...

great start to the inning. haha, ugly! now - SCORE FOUR!!! (wasn't that an old board game, or something?!). wait...that was a double?! stoopid home scoring. error on ugly. E3.

if we lose tonight, i'll be a freaking mess. i have to work a job tonight, but i was able to move the downbeat up a half-hour, so it starts at 5:30. i hope to be home around halfway thru the game.

wow, these umpires are freaking AWFUL!!!

That was the latest appeal strike I have even seen on that bunt. What a fuckin' joke!

Bring in Papelface for 6 outs please. Make that 5 outs. Try swining the bat next time Toriiiiiiiii.

that strike call on the faux bunt attempt was total HORSESHIT!!!

[47] hey man, that Highland Brewery is pretty awesome! the St. Teresa Pale Ale is great, too. they have an oatmeal stout/porter that's excellent, as well. i've played in Highlands, NC a few times and in Asheville a bunch. some excellent beer in that area, for sure! : )

i think hoss was right about the tipping point effect of the shitty umpiring perhaps leading to an improved system

why wasn't that called a strike?! ; )

boBBy should be stealing.

[53] if vladdy did NOT swing i seriously doubt it was a strike

fuck you fenway crowd, that was a mile inside.

i would LOVE a late game comeback here for the halos. i just want boston out already...

[47] :)

[51] Highlands beer is great. From Asheville, also check out French Broad (named after the river), particularly the Wee-Heavy-er. Elsewhere in NC there's Foothills (Winston-Salem) and Duckrabbit (Farmville, NC), enough to convince me that I'm living in a microbrew mecca here.

What do you do up at Highlands, NC? Duke has a biological station out there that I've been to a few times. Really beautiful area, lots of unique plant life, if you're into that like I am.

[55] my best friend just texted me and called me a "scumbucket". that's a new one. not an all-time classic, but not bad - whaddya think?!

I did not realize that Vlad, in his last 20 post season games, has 1 rbi.

[57] that's not part of our masterplan thelarmis - please see weeping's description in [19}

Great AP photo from today's Angels-Sox game: http://twitpic.com/l5e9t

they can still hit a 3-run homer here in the god-awful little league smallpark.

here comes papelbitch and the dumbest game face in the history of life.

[60] yeah that's pretty good - my brother and i called each other that a bit when we were kids

[61] wow i didn't know it was that bad, but i do remember after last year's early exit to the sox wondering why he was so off the hook for a series shitty playoff performances

[61] yeah, he sucks in the postseason, but since he plays in a "small market", no one talks about it. : /

[62] i know, i know. still, i'd feel MUCH more betterer knowing the Shit Sox are eliminated.

[63] nice!

[63] nice emma- i recognize ugly, but not sure who the other one is

Papel-FAIL

nice pitch paplebitch

[57] I'm with you thelarmis. Fuck the Sox. And Rivera makes it interesting.

that is terrific!!! Yankees farmhand!!! wahoo!!! go Juan Rivera!!!

now - hit a 2-run homer!!!

Willits still on 1st after two pitches. Lame.

[71] Macier Izturis, career home runs: 24.

[59] yeah, we've got some decent ones around Atlanta, like Sweetwater, but sounds like you're in microbrew heaven!

"What do you do up at Highlands, NC?"

answer: nothing smart. the coupla times i worked there - a few years back - i just hit and kicked things, at the same time. (i play drums for a living.)

that was lame willits

What a jackass!

How do you get picked off there?

Atta boy Willits. But I am happy that Scioscia makes a patent stupid face. Argggghhhhhhh! I hate this series.

[60] That's new to you? Obviously you didn't grow up in Yonkers.

[72] willits picked off 1st bast = even lamer.

[59] yes, Highlands, NC is indeed a beautiful area.

[73] i just want the scumbags to lose, that's all. then, contract them. i would not miss them for a millisecond, "rivalry" be damned...

Too bad Willits wasn't called safe. Ugly's head would have imploded on site.

[78] Far Rockaway.

i think it's just been ages since i heard 'scumbucket', thazzall...

Btw, speaking of watching a lot of awful mental and physical errors thus far this postseason, I really didn't think Gardner's getting doubled up was bad at all. I think it made sense to be aggressive in that spot and Damon just hit it hard.

siddown and shut the fuck up, you ugly scumbucket!!!

[82] yeah, and dude was playing waaaay in, also...

[82] Gardner goofed in that situation. IMO. Runners are always reminded to mind the line drive. And that was sort of a soft looper with the infield playing in. It all worked out in the end though. : D

You know what I love about these booth guys? They don't manufacture emotion. They're pretty monotoned, which is a fabulous relief from someone like Miller, who calls the game like he's never seen a bat and a ball before and can't get over the fact that there's a whole game devised around using the one to hit the other.

With these guys, if anything Big actually happens, it can be appreciated because they don't cry wolf.

You'd think it'd be an obvious point, but these days everyone screams all the time and feels their job is to tell fans how they should be responding to the action on the field.

Nice throw Napoli.

[81] Yeah, I'd imagine that's pretty much the same thing! It must be Atlanta: you're forgetting your roots.

that fucking sucks ass. i know he's a 'good guy' and whatever, but i've always disliked Lowell. sue me. (actually don't, i'm not making any money...)

[89] He reminds me of Cro Magnum Man. I don't like him either.

[86] buck martinez is NOT good.

[88] yeah, i booked a flight to NY yesterday. gonna see the fam for Turkey Day and birthdays. it'll be a refresher! : )

[90] his stoicism reminds me of garrett anderson, and i freaking hate that guy. they also both look perpetually stoned...

will Barry Larkin end up in Cooperstown? i think it'll take awhile, but he'll prolly make it...

Load em up Papelface.

bollocks.

How bout that douche in the first row. Hurray, I just missed screwing up the first out of the inning.

the "catch" that made this doofus rich, wasn't even as good as the Ichiro catch of the same season, when he climbed the wall and robbed a homer, with a SICK backhanded catch, that got no love.

That strike 2 pitch was 8 inches off the black. Unbelievable.

[96] i think he's a douchelord! ; )

papelbitch, also gave up 2 runs, allowing both of his inherited runners to score.

another horseshit strike call.

please hit a 2-run homerun.

C'mon CHOAD. You're due. (I puked a little in my mouth typing that)

D.I. vs. SB debate...

Pesky Pole. do it!

Hey our old buddy aBBreu could make it fun. Pending this ab. : O

let's go boBBy !! !!!

Come on, Bobby! Don't hit it out, but clear the bases!

[105] i like the double BB !!!

i LOVE boBBy. do it, dude! 3-run jack!!!!!

[107] wha?!?!?! hit it to Landsdowne street, or whatever the fuck it is! hit it to Mama Kin's (though that'd be foul, methinks...)

Ahhhh! That was a sweet pitch!

Damn, he missed it.

[109] Not part of the Master Plan! I want this fucker going five!

Another sweet pitch, bit better swing.

If Scioscia were such a fu%$ing genius why couldn't he reach his players about patience like Bobby?

bobby!!!

Atta boy, Bobby!

Whoo-hoo. Eat it Papelbitch.

great hit! why'd only 1 run score?!

FUCK!!!

That was a fabulous, fabulous ab.

He's a good hitter, our old buddy.

if the yanks let matsui go, i would be cool with bobby getting most of the dh abs

[111] i just want the Shit Sox to LOSE!!!

Sweet matchup here. C'mon Impaler.

wow walking torri to get to vladdy - let's see if vladdy comes through

[117] Because the wall's 150 feet from home plate!

[122] Yeah, wtf?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

OOOOOOOOOOOOOH DOCTOR

wow vladdy came through

yippee

Wow!

What.

The.

Fuck??

Why on God's green earth would anyone walk anyone to face Vlad?

Vlad the Impaler! This is the week of clutch-cursed redemption!

YEEEESSSS!!!!

suck it, red sox "nation"

haha, FUCK YOU!!!

i'm a little late to log on here, but what the hell are they thinking walking hunter to get to vlad??? that's a terrible move.

OH this is good. Nice choke job, Papps.

where is your precious jig now Papelbon!?

the walk of shame.

fuck you, papelbitch!!!

couldn't happen to a better scumbucket!

i do hope this is paplebitch's brad lidge moment

Did they seriously just boo Papelbon?

[132] Vlad had one rbi in his previous 20 postseason games.

also, i kind of wanted the sox to win this one, but papelbon's postseason scoreless streak was getting a little too close to mo territory

[132] I can't think of one reason that would make sense.

Man, they're going to crucify Francona over this.

[119] i would LOVE to have boBBy back. love it!

[132] yeah weeping and i voiced our uncertainty over that move
maybe tito is losing his magic touch too!!!!!!

i think that hit made my hangover go away : )

VLADI!

[138] Still, that's zero reason. Makes no goddamned sense at all.

[138] still, he's a better hitter than hunter, and papelbon throws strikes

[123] i know. i hate this freaking ballpark. i also hate that everybody loves it sooo much and thinks it's the greatest place in the world.

fuck the color RED.

[134] on the bench! mwhaahahaha

[138] As one Alex Rordriguez would be happy to point out, perhaps regular season stats are more predictive of future success than are post season stats...

muahahahahahahahahah!

alright, Fuentes, you tightrope-walking-son-of-a-bitch, how about an EASY inning?!?!?!?!

The Scumbuckets will probably at least tie it in the 9th. Seeing Papelbitch pouting on the bech was bee-you-tee-fullll.

Unbelievable ... Two strikes on Abreu and my one year old had somehow crawled behind the tv and hit the switch on the power strip. Yes I realize this is a potentially dangerous set-up and I already changed it but ... my GOD so frustrating. I've been waiting and waiting to see Papelbon fall on his face like this, and I missed it. The cable box didn't reboot till right after Guerrero's hit, which I at least heard on the radio.

Annoying!!!

[150] there's basically a 0% chance of that happening. definitely don't look for a called 3rd strike for out 3.

be nice of the yankees handled their business tonight too

Paps was throwing NOTHING but 4-seam fastballs ... I think the Halos noticed ...

The only way I could see it making sense is if Vlad was in some kind of visible funk where anyone could see he had zero chance of getting a hit. Think David Justice in the PS, 2002. Anything short of that, and all I can say is, maybe Francona's smoking some really, really good shit.

Hey, if the Red Sox tie it, we at least get our Extra Innings wish.

/Bargaining

[139] i wonder how many inherited runners he's allowed to score in the PS. he let 2 in in the 8th.

well, i guess tito was thinkin' - hunter's hot, vladi's not, force at every base, runners not moving to distract papelbitch, etc. i wonder how much 2nd guessing he'll get from the media and what Pete Abe will write (and if anyone there will read him...).

GO FUENTES!!! bottom of the order, methinks...

i was talking to my still-fragile sox fan friend at the beginning of this inning. boy am i glad i got off before anyone scored.

uh, scratch that - heart of the order.

damn.

[157] stop it.

[152] get away from the back of my tv!!

sounds like he(she) is okay though

that stinks, i'm sure you can imagine the abject failure though

I said DJ in 2002, I should have said 2001, right?

Torii Hunter has to "close the door at Fenway."

How metaphorical!

[152] i missed it, too. was in the bathroom. you have much better - and cuter! - excuse! i did hear it though. can't wait to see a replay. : )

this angels bullpen blows. who was that guy throwing gas last inning though? didn't look like he had any control, but 100 mph gets your attention.

i hope the Halos celebrate at the Fens.

YES!!!!

1 more out.

tbs just awarded boston another run, then corrected itself by taking a run away from anaheim. oh they finally fixed it.

wait, why does TBS have boston leading 7-6. oh good, they just changed it.

i guess they're related to ESPN, or some bullshit.

oh, please let Dusty McFuckFace be the last out!

Oh, what an ungodly sick curve there!

Last strike.

[158] Papelbon has inherited 11 (now 13) runners in the post-season, and has allowed 3 (now 5) of them to score.

[168] my heart skipped a beat. actually it didn't, i was just like: "fuck the heck?!"

Damn.

And that's that.

SWEPT!!!!

nice dugout shout of facemask and papi

this wasn't the means we wanted but it was the ends - fuck off red sox

That's a shame.

[172] wow that's pretty bad. i think that's about as many as mo has allowed his whole postseason career.

[172] thanks, man! 5 of 13 scoring seems a little high. i guess there are all kindsa variables to that though...

LET'S GO YAN-KEES !! !!!

LOL! Red Sox and their fans stunned.

[176] maybe they'll get rusty! : )

i love boBBy abreu.

[178] His Mo-ness has inherited 42 runners in His long postseason career. Ten of them have scored.

about 3 hours team - let's join both sets of la teams with the broomsticks

It is probably unhealthy, how happy it made me feel to see that comeback against Papelbon, then the Sox Nation swept. PEDroida as last out only added more pleasure.

Of course now we start getting panicky about Figgy, Abreu, those 4 starters, 6 sbs a game ...

But for the moment, this was VERY nice.

Buh-bye, Boston! Buh-bye! Thanks for playing, don't forget to write!

[185] They'll be tough, but I'm not afraid of anyone in a seven game set.

However, first things first.

We have to take care of business tonight.

Let's go, Andy!

[184] unfortunately, i need to tack on an hour-and-a-half / 2 hours to that. gotta work. need that paycheck! gotsta get ready for my hit now...

am i right in thinking the alcs isn't starting until friday regardless?

2009. The Year of Redemption. Now the Yanks need to do their part.

[189] yes, which is why it really didn't matter all that much if the sox stretched the series out a bit.

[191] thanks - so potentially there is no al baseball for basically this whole week - weird

yowza ... those are some ugly throwbacks the broncos are wearing

[192] hopefully. i was just talking about this with my friend. since when do they stretch it out so much? is it because now the same network shows every series? it's ridiculous.

Call me crazy but I've said more than once that it's almost as much fun watching Boston lose as it is watching the Yanks win.
The looks on the faces of the obnoxious Fenway faithful as the horror of what was happening to their beloved Sox was sinking in was better than sex.
And screw that twittering old fool John Henry and the moped he rides to Fenway Park.
BTW, get me up to speed here, but what the hell is Peter Abraham doing giving in-game updates at Boston.com. I've been out of the loop on the blogs lately, but did he leave Lo-Hud or what?

[193] They could set an ugliness record. Although I DO find them interesting. Go Broncos (salt the wound)

[194] yah i don't get it. yep could be it is a network thing. i know the nba likes the finals to be tu, th, su for ratings. i guess they feel this simplifies travel and scheduling and you aren't shuffling things around if one series goes longer or whatever, but stretching it out like this is not baseball.

Ha, the ESPN News analysts are all depressed. It's like a morgue in that studio.

So, that was sweet. I missed the real fireworks but I did get to see the sad end. It really is sad to see those guys in the Red Sox dugout. I wouldn't trade it for the world, but at the same time that's a crushing defeat.

Mainly I'm stoked about Papelbon not continuing his dominant ways. I am protective of Mariano Rivera, I guess. I don't want anyone even thinking about being near him while he's still pitching.

The only downside is I wanted the series to continue. While I ultimately wanted the Angels to prevail, it would have been nice to see it extended to five games or at least four. But, a sweep and against Papelbon is pretty damn good.

Also, I feel a little pressure that the Yanks gotta win tonight so they can get their starting pitching set-up like the Angels will be able to do.

In the interest of full disclosure I'll also say I like the Angels, and I have for a while. I just like their style and there's no one on that team that really bugs me now that Krod is gone. When I play MLB The Show on the PS3, I often use them (people piss and moan if you use the Yankees).

Though they've caused the Yankees and me misery, I don't hate them, for some reason. A series against them should be enjoyable. The Yanks can get the monkey off their back the way the Angels did vs the Red Sox. And everyone will be happy, right?

[196] they are hurting my eyes - could you imagine if ugly played football for the broncos?!?

Now the ESPN News analysts are jinxing the living daylights out of the Yankees, talking exclusively about the Angels vs the Yankees, not doing any analysis about Angels vs Twins. Crikey!