Some people ask me what it’s like to blog about baseball in a flipped time zone. Well, it’s the weekend day games that kill me: a day game with a beautiful 2pm start EST starts at 2am Monday morning for me, making it impossible to follow, at least not without severe repercussions on my work. So I missed the game, and only woke up at 6am to go to the bathroom, chanting “Sox 5 Rangers 1” in my mind - baseball reduces the most rational of us all into gibbering morasses of superstition. A quick glance at the computer screen showed a tighter result, with the Sox continuing their charmed lives, providing ecclesiastical relief to the faithful. Ah. Went back to sleep happy.
On to some analysis, following a quick review of the game on MLB.tv and box scores. Does anyone get the sense that Foulke sometimes likes to make things interesting? There’s a debate on Sons of Sam Horn on whether Schilling should even have been out there in the 9th. But if he threw 103 pitches all in, and had been cruising up till then, why not? Tito has had quite a slow hook with Schilling (that Toronto grand slam still lingers in my mind), but lately he’s been good about yanking starters before they cough up the lead, and he did so in this game. I don’t think Francona is the second coming of Connie Mack, but at least he seems willing to learn.
And 5-1 against 2 of the best teams in the AL is an excellent record to take on to Oakland, hometown of MC Hammer (just thought of the classic “Behind the Music” episode with MC Hammer, can’t get it out of my head). September pennant races: U can’t touch this.