2004 ALCS Roundtable – Game 7
October 21, 2004
GROUP DISCUSSION

David Brown: I am stunned. I don’t know quite what to do or how to feel. I’m trying to tell myself that it’s not that big a deal, but then I see the Red Sox celebrating in the visitor’s clubhouse at Yankee Stadium and hear on and on about no team has ever come back.

It was obvious from the beginning that Kevin Brown didn’t have good stuff, and that Derek Lowe did. As great as Schilling was in Game 6, I think what Lowe did was even more impressive. Schilling is an ace. I don’t think too many people were surprised to see him pitch as well as he did. Lowe was going on two days rest and was brilliant.

This series, as closely contested as it was all season, was won in the off-season. The Sox got Schilling. The Yankees lost Clemens and Pettitte and had to settle for Brown and Vazquez. Brown stunk it up in two appearances in this series, and Vazquez, banished from the post-season rotation, gave up the Damon grand salami. I stopped watching after that, only to tune in to watch the final two innings.

Boston needs to win the World Series to truly end the curse. And I suspect they will. But even if they don’t, this win cured the Sox franchise of most of what has ailed them for decades.

I would be shocked if Kevin Brown ever pitched another inning in pinstripes. Between his dreadful appearances in this series and the broken hand, I can’t imagine Steinbrenner would ever let him pitch for this team again.

If there’s any solace for Yankee fans, it’s that Carlos Beltran will be patrolling center field next year.

Mike Spinney: Two things stand out for me after this epic series: Matsui is the scariest batter in the Yankee lineup, and Joe Torre still impresses me with his class. I have no idea what I'm feeling right now. I watch the celebration and I know it's not the real thing, but I haven't come to grips with the idea that my beloved Red Sox are going to, in the words of Ring Lardner, the World Serious. I might write more later, but I'm tired, elated, and all kinds of crazy right now.

Brendon McCullin: In the words of the legendary Jack Buck, "I don't believe what I just saw." If you were going to think of something historical that would happen in a Red Sox-Yankees playoff series, having either one of the teams come back from 3-0 on the other would be far down the list. And most people would've had their money on the Yankees being the ones to do it.

I suppose it's fitting that a series that had an anticlimactic start had a similar finish. Let's face it, the Yankees really didn't put up much of a fight for whatever reason. They couldn't even completely capitalize on one of the stupidest managerial moves I've ever seen. With a 7 run lead and a World Series start coming up there's absolutely no reason for Pedro Martinez to get anywhere near the mound unless it's for the celebration...and even then I'd be worried that he'd hurt his arm.

On the other hand, if you're going to break out of a slump, then Game 7 is a good place to do it. Welcome to the legendary status level of Red Sox Nation Johnny Damon!

Did you see the look on Brian Cashman's face after Damon hit the grand slam? And again while the Red Sox were celebrating on the field? There's a guy that knows he's going to spend too much time with George Steinbrenner in the coming weeks. Dave's right that the Yankees will be fine and just go buy another batch of All-stars starting with Beltran, but even if Cashman is there for it he's going to have a pretty miserable existence with plenty of help from the Boss.

Yesterday, Mike Walls accused me of becoming a closet Red Sox fan. I don't mind because in the end I was pulling for the Red Sox to go ahead and do something historical. If one thing's never happened before and something else has happened plenty, I'm opting for the chance to see something exciting and new...just like love on "The Love Boat." However, the difference between a real fan and someone like myself is that after the Sox put up a big lead, I started rooting for the Yankees to at least make it close. Alas, not even Terry Francona could manage to do that.

With a Game 7 in the NLCS coming up, Red Sox Nation should be rooting hard for the Astros. They would get to face Roger Clemens for one thing, with a chance to exercise some more demons. For another thing, Astros' manager Phil "Scrap Iron" Garner would have to be the most unlikely World Series manager in history. The guy was a complete flameout in his other managing stints and even if he won a Series his manage by the seat of his pants style will get him fired again sooner rather than later. Heck, the only reason that he's even there is because the team got so sick of former Red Sox skipper Jimy Williams. Then again, for a lot of Red Sox fans that might cause a bout of empathy for Houston.

In either case – Astros or Cardinals – it would be nice if at least a couple of World Series games came close to matching the best of the League Championships Series.

Michael Walls: Brendon beat me to it. I was going to use the same quote, but I’ll use a variation of it instead: I can’t believe what I just saw this week!

It really is unbelievable, and I think everyone is in shock – Red Sox and Yankee fans alike – and I don’t think the significance of what has happened this week will sink in until the Red Sox complete the “impossible quest” by winning the World Series.

I made my wife sit down and watch the last out with me, trying to explain the historic value of it. I explained that aside from the minor 18-year wait for the Red Sox to return to the World Series, or the more significant 86-year wait since the Red Sox won the World Series – we were watching something that had never been done before. Sure, records are broken all the time and unbelievable feats are accomplished. In fact we watched Ichiro Suzuki breaks the 84-year old single season hits record this season. That was unbelievable. But watching the Boston Red Sox come back from a 0-3 deficit in a 7-game league championship series and win – well, that’s like our parents watching Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. There was no record to be broken – it simply had never been done before in the history of baseball.

I never imagined any scenario that could top last year’s ALCS. I figured if the Red Sox won the series, that would be good enough. But to be painted into an impossible corner, three outs away from elimination, and an obstacle in front of them – equivalent in size to an erupting Mount St. Helens blocking their path to survival – I can’t imagine anybody having the kind of faith it would take to see them succeed. I certainly didn’t.

I’m happy for Boston. I’m happy for the fans. I don’t think this is any kind of shift in power or the fall and rise of empires. The Yankees will continue to be the gatekeepers of the American League, as they will continue to build their roster with the biggest and the best. But for Boston, they now have a ticket to legitimately challenge the gatekeepers each and every season – and only the gatekeepers – without those pesky demons and ghosts to haunt them.