Those Damn Yankees!

My paternal grandfather, who passed long before I was born, apparently coined the phrase (or at least was very fond of using the phrase), "Never underestimate those pinstripes."

Those "pinstripes" are, of course, the New York Yankees.

Last night, the Boston Red Sox lost their 5th straight game to the New York Yankees. This wouldn't be so bad in and of itself, but the fact of the matter is that the Sox had, at one point in the game, a 5 run lead over the Yankees. The Yankees' bats were essentially dead for the first 7 innings, but in the 8th, they hussled a big-time rally and bounced back to claim an 8-7 victory over the Sox.

I'm not being a Sox hater. I love the Red Sox. I love everything they stand for. (Although, I do think they should speak to Manny about the "Little Orphan Manny" red braids and droopy drawers). It just breaks my heart to see them blow such a comfortable lead to those damn Yankees.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, the supposed pitching prodigy, has been a disaster in his 5 most recent starts. He begain last night by loading the bases in the first inning, havingn WALKED A-Rod after lobbing a fastball right into the guy's thigh. Jesus. I could not believe the fact that he managed to pitch his way out of that trainwreck without even giving up a single run. From there, things started looking up for the Sox. Their bats were hot, and the Yankees were fumbling around in the field.

I didn't watch the entire game. The place where I'm catsitting does not have cable TV. I watched some of it in a bar, but it got too crowded. So, I came home and did it the old fashioned way...I listened on the radio. This was apparently another of my paternal grandfather's favorite things to do. His passion for the Sox predated the advent of television, you see.

I digress....

I fell asleep at some point with the Red Sox enjoying a comfortable cushion runs up. I awoke this morning to the newscaster reading, "The Red Sox squandered a five run lead to lose to the Yankees 8-7 last night at Fenway."

I think I might have groaned in disappointment out loud.

Last night could have been the night the Red Sox won and increased their Eastern Division lead to a more comfortable margin of 5 games. Instead, through their loss, they are now down to a 4 game lead.

Yes, it is likely that they will take the division, but guess who they'll have to play in the elimination championships? Yep....those Damn Yankees.

But here's my thing....

Red Nation holds its collective breath when sluggers like A-Rod and Jeter comem to the plate. They pray that whomever is pitching will be able to put those guys to bed. I agree with my fellow Red Sox Nation dwellers, but my real apprehension kicks in when Hideki Matsui comes to the plate. Jesus, that guy's dangerous. He might not be leading the league in homeruns or anything, but that bastard can hit the ball. I don't think I've ever seen him get up to bat and NOT get a hit. Singles, doubles, triples, the guy does it all. He drives in runs like nobody's business. Every time I see that guy up there, I get all nervous, and rightfully so.

This is nail-biting time in Red Sox Nation.

I am so psyched for the Red Sox that they've had such a stellar season. I hope that their final series agains the Yankees does not result in a total Yankee Sweep, the way their last series did. I hope we can at least pull off a couple of wins here. God knows that just for morale, the Red Sox need it. They cannot enter into playoffs with the painful recent memory of devastating losses to those pinstripes.

Fingers crossed. Really, in the grand scheme of things, the Red Sox deserve victory over the Yankees. The Red Sox are a kinder, gentler, more beloved team. Sure, you can say that New Yorkers love their Yankees, too, but there is almost somewhat of a bully factor there. You see, it is easy to love a winner. And the Yankees are so frequently winners. Where's the challenge in loving the team that seems to so easily go out there and rough other teams up? Look at the almost poetic relationship that the Red Sox have with their fans. For season after season....hell, decade after decade, the Sox would come up dead in the water. But, through thick and thing, through crappy season after crappy season, the Red Sox have sold out every home game and, (and I have this on authority), they sell more logo merchandise than any other team in Major League Baseball. We love our Red Sox in good times and bad. The Red Sox are more deserving of victory any day, any sesason, any year.

All they have to do is get by those Damn Yankees!!