Curses, Foiled Again!

The Yankees beat the Sox yesterday 4-2, behind excellent pitching by David Wells and some nifty defense from the much-maligned (and deservedly so) Soriano and Jeter. Neither team is hitting in this series, which makes you wonder if sooner or later one of them will score 8 runs. It could be the Yankees today if John Burkett really does get the call for Boston against the very hot Andy Pettitte. (By hot, I mean he's pitching really well lately...I'm not into that other thing, dig?) However, while I really like the Yankees chances to finish the series today, I refuse to count out this Boston team. This is a scrappy, tough team--I don't see them going quietly into that good night. Despite the lopsided pitching matchup, the Sox will no doubt make it another tight game.

ESPN.com had a great article by Bob Klapisch about Goose Gossage and Graig Nettles commenting on Game 3's insanity. It's a reminder of how heated the Sox-Yankees rivalry was in the 1970s and why Pete Hamill once described those late 70s Yankees as "...the meanest pack of bastards ever to pull on pinstripes." In fact, it sounds like these current Red Sox might need a restraining order against Goose and Nettles. Gossage says of Manny Ramirez:

"You want to bring a bat to the mound?
Let him try," Gossage said. "Ramirez
might've gotten one of us (pitchers), but
he wouldn't have gotten all 10. You wouldn't
have seen him the rest of the series, I
promise you, because we would've put
him in the hospital."

The Cubs really blew it last night. I didn't see the inning in question, but it seems to me Dusty should have yanked Prior a few batters earlier. That said, how does Alex Gonzalez blow that play at short? As for the fan...well, sure, he's a dolt, but that ball was very nearly into the seats and the overwhelming majority of baseball fans would have done the same thing, no matter what they're saying today. Why people want a baseball so desparately, I have no idea. I guess it would be cool to come home from a game with a foul ball or home run, but in my baseball fan career, I never have, and I don't really feel any worse off for it. The fan had to be protected by Wrigley security, given a new shirt and snuck out the back door for his own safety. However, judging from one of the main photos of the incident in the papers, he's not hard to identify: its clearly Jared from Subway. I knew I hated that fucking guy.

Anyway, for all the press about the potential Cubs-Sox matchup, we very well might get NY-Florida, which can't really excite anyone beyond the fans of those two teams. Oh well, suits me fine.

One last thing about Boston...a subject header seen on alt.sports.baseball.ny-yankees: Did Real Cowboys Hug So Much?

And lastly, a couple haiku:

Bald, fat Wells smiles wide
He loves to win a big game
He will party hard

The shortstop is cold
No-mah! No-mah! The fans yell.
another groundout

Cowboy Up! They say
but what exactly does it mean?
does Millar even know?

Okay, Fox is making the Yankees play at 4:18pm today, increasing the chances of a rainout, which helps Boston. Conspiracy? Eh, probably not, but I still hate it.
Go Yankees!