Yankees-Red Sox Thread

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Here we go kids. A separate thread to discuss this weekend's series, and any possible tiebreaker on Monday.

[Precious Roy 0]

[Guest I miss Test.]

I like Wang having a strong start tonight mostly because of unfamiliarity. So, Yanks probably win tonight... and then just have to win 1 out of 3. Looks bad for Boston. Especially with a Mussina-Schilling matchup on Sunday.

[Boon 0]

[mike546 0]

Tonight is the huge game. If Wang has a good start and the Yanks win, The Yanks can basically relax and go out and play knowing they have a safety net in a one game playoff at the Stadium. If they lose, Oy.

[Boon 0]

I'm more worried about which David Wells is going to show up tonight.

[Open the Muggy Gate 0]

After everything that happened last year... I will NOT be predicting any winners in this battle.

 

I will say that David Ortiz is your lord and savior though.

[mike546 0]

I kind of blame myself for the Yankees losing last year. If only I hadn't gotten Muggy to admit he cursed the Sox.

[iliketurtles 0]

Alright, well we go...again.

 

Sox will win tonight. Yanks will win Saturday. Sunday is totally up in the air. Whoever gets out of their funk first (Schilling or Mussina) will be the winning pitcher. I'm excited, but nothing's going to top last year (obviously).

 

If the Sox lose tonight, they won't make the playoffs. The main reason the Sox got Wells was for the playoffs and if he can't come through tonight, then it's useless.

 

And if the Yanks win the series, A-Rod's the MVP. If Sox win, Papi is the MVP.

[Open the Muggy Gate 0]

Last year was just.... surreal. That's the only way to describe it. I remember looking back at the topic with the Yankee fans posting THIS ISN'T FUCKING HAPPENING and just going crazy. Anglesault was probably somewhere finding some rope and a hook in the ceiling. Just an insane time.

 

Fear the Curse of the Muggy.

[bob_barron 0]

::puts on $45 Sox hat::

 

Should be a fun series. Of course, Sportsnet is showing us the riveting game sure to have playoff implications tonight....

 

The Royals v. Toronto.

 

So, what's the over/under on bench clearing brawls this weekend? I hope I'm wrong, but I think the Yankees take 2 out of 3.

[Guest I miss Test.]

I just hope Cleveland gets the WC, so the playoffs aren't all Yanks-Sox shit again.

[Guest TheDon]

This is a question for the Yankee fans. Al you can feel free to join in and answer this. There is 2 questions the Yankees have for tonight. One should they lay the bunt down and challenge David Wells. The second question is should the Yankee hitters work the count or should they swing early.

 

There is alot of talk about David Wells having a bad knee and a bad back. The theory is that the Yankees should see how well he can get off of the mound when a bunt is down. The other question about swinging early or working the count comes down to this. David is going to throw strikes. Wells only had 5 walks given up in 75 innings pitched at Fenway. So if you were the Yankee batters tonight what would you do???

[mike546 0]

The Yankees bunt on Wells because of a bad back? HA!

 

This coming from a team that didn't bunt once on a guy with an ankle that was basically shattered.

[Brett Favre 0]

The Yankees might even bunt LESS when a pitcher has an injury.

 

As far as taking pitches or what not, the Yankees are a patient team. That doesn't mean they won't swing at strikes early in the count, but usually they won't swing at bad pitches. They'll just wait for their pitch like they always do.

[Guest TheDon]

Wells also has a bad knee and the game is it at night on a cool crisp fall day. The theory behind working the count is that if you work the count you are probably going to be called out looking at strike 3.

[Guest I miss Test.]

If the Yanks bunt, Schilling is going to attack the Yanks' dugout.

[Dangerous A 0]

I'm back to being a casual baseball guy now that the A's decided to wither away and die instead of trying to make something happen the last 3 weeks, I'll be keeping an eye on this weekend for sure.

[Boon 0]

The problem with bunting is that the Yanks lineup is too powerful to be wasting them on getting to Wells- if Wells is on, you're going to have a hard enough time with him as is- jump on him quick if you can, b/c if you start to work the count, you're going to pay.

[mike546 0]

The Yankees might even bunt LESS when a pitcher has an injury.

 

As far as taking pitches or what not, the Yankees are a patient team. That doesn't mean they won't swing at strikes early in the count, but usually they won't swing at bad pitches. They'll just wait for their pitch like they always do.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

They go into streaks, mostly against pitchers like Wells (not a greatfastball, but a very good curveball), where they just swing at the first thing they see.

[KingPK 0]

You know something?

 

I don't care as much about what happens this weekend than I thought I would have in this situation.

 

Really, if the Red Sox lose 2 of 3 and miss the playoffs, I won't really be bothered as much as if this happened last year. You know why?

 

This team is lucky to be in this position in the first place and all their weaknesses are starting to catch up with them. The offense is banged up (only Ortiz is really getting it done in crunch time. Sure, Rentaria is hot, but that's in the early part of the game. How many clutch hits does he have? Two?) the rotation is full of #3 starters (though Wakefield is the de-facto ace right now) and the bullpen is crap (Papelbon is the only reliable guy and he's not pitching tonight). The offense had been saving the team's ass all year, but not now.

 

Meanwhile, the Yankees have an ace (Johnson), two reliable starters off the scrap heap (Chacon and Small) and two guys that can finish it off in the end (Gordon and Rivera) to go with the offense they have. THAT'S why Ortiz should be MVP; if the Sox don't have him, they would have been out of it a month ago. The Yankees fought through bad pitching and the Giambi thing and have gotten it all together. The Red Sox let them hang around too long (I believe they are something like 2-6 H2H since the ASB) and now it finally caught up with them. A Sox sweep isn't out of the question, but it is highly doubtful they can do it.

[Brett Favre 0]

You've gotta be kidding me. Our bullpen is crap before Gordon and Rivera. We need some bridge to get to them in the first place. We lost our investments in Brown, Wright, and Pavano. And suddenly Randy Johnson is an ace, when we leap ahead of Boston? Fuck outta here. None of these bullcrap excuses. Our outfielders aren't fucking gold glovers either.

 

And I don't get quite you. First you let us hang around, but you were the battered and lucky team? I don't get it. We were the better team with super starters like Johnson, Small, Chacon, and we have the powerful Giambi, but you let US come back? One or the other. None of this two sides crap where you let us come back AND that your team is suddenly garbage and is lucky. It's not cool to do that.

[mike546 0]

The Sox middle relief is much better than the Yankees. Myers, Hansen, Braford, ect ... all CAN get hitters out. Maybe they'll give up a run, but they'll get out of an inning.

 

Felix Rodriguez, Tanyon Sturtze, Allan Embree, Ramiro Mendoza, Al Leiter, can honestly NOT.

 

Our 3rd guy right now out of the pen is Scott Proctor, who I admit has done a decent job.

[KingPK 0]

Uh, I was complimenting the Yankees on getting it mostly together in the second half while saying that the Red Sox were getting along mostly with offense, but that has cooled down over the past month and their weak bullpen (at least the Yankees have set roles in set-up and closer, unlike the Sox) and inconsistent rotation is being exposed and couldn't keep the Yankees at bay any longer.

[Brett Favre 0]

I want you to believe your team is as good if not better, and would like to see you feel some pain if you lose. I'm sorry.

[KingPK 0]

This Sports Guy article sums up my feelings pretty well.

 

EDIT: And just to rile you guys up more, I'm probably only going to watch the game tonight off and on. I'm not giving myself an ulcer at 22.

[Dangerous A 0]

You know, if the Red Sox take Two out of three from the Yanks and force a one game playoff, that game will take place monday night on ESPN. If that happens, on monday night you have a lot of TSM'ers watching TV for...

 

Red Sox v Yankees playoff

MNF Panthers v Packers

Raw "Homecoming" 3 hour event

Live UFC on Spike

 

 

That's a lot to choke down.

[mike546 0]

Screw you Red Sox fans and your negativitey that always causes you to win.

[the max 0]

I don't like how spiteful the Boston media has gotten. It's almost like they want the Red Sox to lose so they'll be able to write scathing articles about trading Manny, ripping Schilling, or ripping the front office. I've been disappointed in this team this year as well, but they gave me one of the greatest feelings that a sports team has ever given me. It was hope, happiness, relief and glory all rolled into one. And I'd like to think that something like that would stick with people. Like I said, this team has been very inconsistant all year long. They've had opportunities to slam the door on the Yankees, but they keep leaving it open with another defensive miscue by E. Renteria (I swear, he needs to drop the 'dgar' from his first name) or another lacklustre pitching performance by Clement/Schilling/Wells/Miller/Arroyo/Foulke.

 

In the end though, this series is huge, but if the Red Sox don't end up making it, it's not on the Yanks. It's not on the Tribe. It's on them. They have had the chances. This is their biggest and best. The arch-rival on the home field. If they can't do it now, they don't deserve another chance.

[KingPK 0]

Look, all I'm saying is that they won last year, and it is incredibly difficult to repeat, so I'm not going to torture myself if a team that is inferior to that team where it counts in October (pitching and D) doesn't win. I've had that mindset all year. Besides, they've definitely got a bright future ahead of them (if he gets his off-speed stuff going, Jonathan Papelbon is going to be a fucking HOSS next year in the rotation) unlike the Yankees, whose minor leagues are in shambles and there's no guarantee they'll win this year, so they will still have the distinction of being the only MLB team to choke away a 3-0 lead.

 

There, is that negative enough?