ALDS GM2: Manny's 9th-inning bomb propels Sox to 2-0 series lead

Sox 6, Angles 3
WP: Papelbon (1-0)
LP: F. Rodriguez (0-1)
HRs: BOS-Manny (1)

Amazingly after 21 postseason homers, good for 2nd place all time in MLB, this was ManRam's first walk-off job. He made sure to admire it appropriately.

SUMMARY
Manny Ramirez put his nagging oblique injury and some earlier shoddy fielding behind him when he launched a titanic 3-run homer over the Monster and onto Lansdowne Street off Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez in the bottom of the 9th to give Boston 2-0 advantage over LA in the ALDS.

#1 STUNNER Ramirez 1-3, R, 3BI, 2BB, GW-HR
He had only notched one extra base hit since returning from an oblique injury in the last week of the season, but Manny, who always had a flair for the dramatic, made sure his first homer since August 28th was a memorable one.

Indeed it was only the 5th walkoff homer in Red Sox postseason history.

GAGME F. Rodriguez 1/3IP,1H, 2R, BB, K, GL-HR
The kid called K-Rod made a name for himself in the 2002 playoffs, when the flamethrowing phenom helped the Halos win the world Series. But by trying to sneak a fastball by Manny in the 9th tonight, he might have assured his team doesn't get out of the first round in 2007.

RECAP
The Red Sox extended their postseason dominance over the Angels, beating them for the eighth straight time in the playoffs, but it took some terrific work by the beleaguered bullpen, a slew of bases-on-balls, and a fortuitious play by the son of a minority owner in order to extend that streak.

Boston stepped one win closer to the ALCS when Manny Ramirez clubbed a game-winning homer off Francisco Rodriguez with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but before that spectacular finish could occur the Sox took thier sweet time getting to that point as this game had more twists and turns than a Stephen King novel.

Oh, did I mention the high priest of horror was also involved in this memorable October matchup?

Daisuke Matsuzaka (4.2IP, 7H, 3ER, 3BB, 3K) made his MLB postseason debut, and unfortunately for the Sox and the Nation, he pitched pretty much like he has for most of his inital season in the majors--halfway decent yet still not quite good enough.

The rookie righty really only had one bad inning, when he allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in the second, but it was his lack of command and inabilty to shut the sputtering Angels lineup down that forced Terry Francona to pull his #2 starter with two outs in the fifth with the score only 3-2 Los Angeles.

As a dissapointed & dejected Dice-K left the mound, he got his first taste of what life can really be like as a member of the Boston Red Sox when a smattering of boos rained down on him, a sharp reminder that a big contract, high expectations and postseason failure make for a hostile work environment in the best baseball city in America.

Welcome to playoff baseball in Beantown, Diceman.

The reason the Faithful were so upset was because another high-paid, high-profile bust, J.D. Drew, actually came through in the clutch in his first playoff game in a Boston uni, stroking a bases-loaded, two-out, two-run single off Anaheim starter Kelvim Escobar in the first inning to give the Sox an early 2-0 lead, only to have Matsuzaka blow that lead mere minutes later.

The worst part about it is that the second inning could have been a one-run affair. Dice-K allowed a leadoff walk to Casey Kotchman and an infield single to Kendry Morales but then retired the next two batters, with Kotchman scoring on a fielder's choice grounder by catcher Jeff Mathis to slice the lead to 2-1.

Except Matsuzaka had one of his patented phases when he forgets he's supposed to be an elite pitcher and allowed back-to-back doubles by Chone Figgins and Orlando Cabrera to give the Angles a 3-2 lead, and even though he retired Vlad Guerrero on a grounder to end the inning, the boo birds that came out for the first time in Dice's brief Boston career and reminded him that the feel-good vibes of the regular season are gone when the hardware is on the line.

The score remained that way for a few innings, with both teams committing baserunning blunders along the way, but the fifth inning brought not only Matsuzaka's departure and the Red Sox tying the game but the entrance of another Bartman-like play into postseason lore.

Matsuzaka ran into two out trouble again in the top of the fifth when he surrendered a single to Maicer Izturis and then walked Kotchman on four pitches, the last one scooting past Varitek for a wild pitch that sent Izturis to third and brought Tito out of the dugout.

Javier Lopez replaced the disgraced starter and got Morales to ground out to Lugo at short, and Boston was forced into a situation it had not been too succesful with over the last few weeks of the season--having to go to the bullpen early.

Thankfully in the bottwom of the frame the Sox tied it up when Dustin pedroia led off with a double, and after Youk grounded out, David ortiz drew the second of his ALDS-record four walks, the fisrt of his tywo intentional freebies, setting up Manny for a big RBI situation.

Cue the Twilight Zone music.

Ramirez battled Escobar, fouling off a few pitches, but it was one foul ball in particular that will be rembered for a long time to come in the Commonwealth.

As Manny's pop up soared towrds the seats, mathis raced over to the rail of the photographer's section and reached into the stands to snag the ball. Only a young kid named Danny Vinik, the son of a part-owner of the team, reached over Mathis' glove and snagged the ball first, and as Mathis swore in idsgust, Vinnick was congratulated by everyone around him, including Boston's best famous fan, Stephen King, who was seated one row behind the kid they're calling the anti-Bartman.

Given new life Ramirez drew a walk from the rattled escobar, and the bases were loaded for Boston's top RB I man and most consiustent clutch hitter all season, Mikle Lowell.

Lowell lofted a flyball to centerfield, deep enough to score Pedroia with the tying run, and suddenly the problem became how Francona was going to piece together a potential game-saving combination out of his embattled bully.

Turned out it wasn't an issue as the Boston penb reverted to pre-Gagne form, turning in 4 1/3 scoreless innings, starting with Manny Delcarmen's 1-2-3 sixth.

After Manny D. plunked Guerrero with one out in the seventh, Hideki Okajima came in for his postseason debut and got Garrett one eye Anderson on a fly ball to center and then struck out Izturis, and after he set down the first two batters of the eighth, Francona went to his closer to get the final four outs.

The last out of the eighth proved elusive as Howie Kendrick reached on an error by Lowell, stole second and third like a mouse on a trweadmill, and then Papelbon walked Juan Rivera and allowed hiom to skate to second before he fanned Figgins to end the inning, exiting the field with a fist-pump and a primal scream that said to his team let's go out and win this fucking thing.

It took a couple of innings, but in the final inning that's exactly what they did.

It all started with a leadoff single by Julio Lugo, and after Pedroia grounded him over to second, Mike Scioscia brought on K-Rod to face the heart of the Boston order.

Rodriguez struck out Youk, making him look silly in the process, and then everyone watching knew Papi was going to draw the free pass again in order to see if Manny could finally make the move backfire.

Boy did he ever.

After taking the first pitch for a ball, Manny tracked a Rodriguez heater right to his whellhouse and turned on it quicker than Mike Vick's cousin, crushing the ball high, far and deep into the Fenway night, and before he made it to home plate the entire team was there, ready to jump around in celebration of Manny's 21st postseason longball.

And so it took a number of wacky plays, a number of clutch hits, and a little intervention by a fan to get Boston to the brink of its 3rd ALCS in four years, and it will be up to Curt Schilling to puch the Sox ticket to the next round on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim.

Oh and what could make a win like this sweeter?

The Indians knocked off the Stanks in 11 innings to take a 2-0 lead in that series with help from a sudden swarm of pesky insects.

Looks like stephen King might be more powerful than we thought.

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ALDS Notes: Beckett's gem continues to impress a day later

One day after one of the most impressive postseason performances in Red Sox history, the accolades keep pouring in for the new Mr. October.

Don't believe me? here's a small sample:

"No one was quite sure who would emerge as Boston's ace entering the season. It's no longer up for debate. {Beckett} moved the ball inside and out, up and down. He located his fastball and didn't leave anything over the plate. Mike Scioscia's club had no clue what was coming."--Jeff Goodman, FOXSports Net

"Beckett was undoubtedly the last person many Red Sox fans mentioned before going to sleep Wednesday night and the first they will mention when they wake up. That kind of adoration happens when a pitcher dominates in the postseason the way Beckett dominated the Angels."--Jack Curry, NY Times

"We've seen the miracle of Curt Schilling's bloody sock in 2004. We've seen Pedro Martinez climb out of the bullpen with a strained muscle under his right shoulder blade in 1999 and pitch six innings of no-hit ball. We've seen Luis Tiant grunt, groan and sweat his mustache off on his way to a 163-pitch night in the 1975 World Series."

"Yes, there may have been more dramatic pitching performances in Red Sox postseason history. But there have been no more authoritative than Josh Beckett's four-hit shutout of the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park."--Jeff Jacobs, Hartford Courant

See what I mean.

But no matter how many writers have tried, there really aren't enough words to describe the masterful effort Beckett turned in last night at Fenway. it was a performance for the ages, a dominating, devastating, demoralizing evisceration of a talented playoff team, one that had it taken place in Game 7 of the World series a la Beckett's last postseason start would be considered one of the greatest postseason performances of all time.

But the way you hear the man himself talk about it, it was just another day at the office.

Among the certain Cy Young winner's attention-deflecting remarks, Josh downplayed the comparisons to that 2003 win over the Stanks in the Bronx, saying the only thing similar are the results, and the humble-yet-fiery Texan refused to accept the fact that he now will likely now be included in the group of the best playoff pitchers in the history of the game.

"I think those are all things that you should worry about when you retire."

Josh, dude, you've thrown two consecutive postseason masterpieces and are one of only three men to own three career playoff shutouts, you're about to win your fist Cy Young, were the majors only 20-game winner this season, and have just put your team on your back and said "hop on boys, I;m gonna be the horse that takes us to the promised land."

Do yourself a favor, okay: enjoy it a little.

You deserve to.

Other Game 1 Notes:

-Although I was thrilled to learn that my local cable company added TBS HD just in time for the play-in game Monday night, I must say the new MLB playoff network has not impressed.

Poor sound quality has been voiced by a number of viewers, and some of that must have to do with the terrible announcers. How we got saddled with Ted who the hell are you? Robinson and Steve Stone Age I'll never understand, but Dry & Dryer had me pining for the ear-bleeding tones of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.

Oh and they were late coming back from commercial break a couple of times. Look, I know it's your first time, and you gotta pimp your products, but don't pull that shit in the playoffs, guys.

-Don't forget about that other postseason hero: when David Ortiz hit his 9th postseason home run in the third off of John Lacking, it gave him at least one hit in 16 of the 18 postseason games he's played in since the start of the 2004 playoffs. Boston is 7-2 in the postseason when the big fella goes yard, and his longball matched Cap'n Tek's club record for playoff homers.

Oh, and the last time Papi faced the Halos in the postseason? His 10th-inning homer sent them packing in the 2004 ALDS and proved to be the springboard for the championship run.

-Manny Ramirez' first inning single gave him at least one hit in 21 of his last 22 playoff games. Since his return from the oblique injury, ManRam is batting .380 (8-21), but seven of those hits have been singles

-Jacoby Ellsbury got his first taste of the postseason when he replaced Manny in left field for the 9th. And in true phenom style, he made a fantastic sliding catch of a Chone Figgins liner leading off the inning just a few minutes later

-Youk joined a select group when he homered for his first postseason hit, and the slumping first baseman added a double and scored two runs. Ironically Youk's first career hit was also a homer.

-Anyone ever wonder how in the heck Reggie Willits is white and Howie Kendrick is black? We need someone to investigate this odd phenomenon.

UP NEXT: GM 2 Fri 8:37 @ Fenway
Escobar (18-7) vs. Matsuzaka (15-12) (no pressure, Diceman!)

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ALDS Game 1: Beckett decimates helpless Halos

Sox 4, Angels 0
WP: Beckett (1-0)
LP: Lackey (0-1)
HRs: Papi (1), Youk (1)

SUMMARY
The Red Sox only needed Kevin Youkilis' solo shot in the first inning to take game one of this opening round playoff series because Josh Beckett pitched what can only be described as a masterpiece. Beckett, using a bevy of baffling pitches, surrendered just three singles in nine innings, retired 19 straight batters at one point, and threw first pitch strkies to 25 of the 31 hitters he faced.

Oh, and his closest competitor for the Cy Young, LA's John Lackey, got shellacked again at Fenway, making Beckett's performance all the more impressive.

#1 STUNNER "Cy" Beckett 9IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 8K
As good as this 20-game winner has been all year, this was far and away the best performance of his season and possibly his career. I know all about Game 7 at New York in 2003, but he was just a fireballing kid then; this was a virtuoso effort.

BTW, this was his third postseason shutout, tying a major league record, and his second in a row, following that Game 7 gem. Nice.

GAGME Lackey 6IP, 9H, 4ER, 2BB, 4K
Granted this outing wasn't as bad as his 11-hit, 7-run meltdown back on August 17th, but with one out in the third Boston had already amassed 8 hits and a walk, and if not for a couple of fortuitous calls and a trio of double plays, this beating would have been a lot worse.

RECAP
Boston kicked off the 2007 playoffs with the best pitching performance we've seen all year from their All Star ace Josh Beckett, the kind of shut-down statement start that propels teams to series wins and sets the tone for the rest of the postseason run.

Beckett surrendered a fluke single to Chone Figgins off Dustin Pedroia's glove six pitches into the game, then didn't allow another baserunner until Vlad Guerrero lined a single to left with one out in the seventh, a string of 19 batters in a row that left the Angles players shaking their heads in disbelief and the Fenway Faithful giddy with relief.

After weeks filled with shaky play and injuries to key players followed by a late surge that netted them their first division title since '95, no one was real sure which Sox team would show up in this series.

Would it be the club that got tooled by the Angles in the first two games of a three game set in Anaheim in early August, or would it be the team that averaged more than 8 1/2 run in its six wins vs. Anaheim this season and treats John Lackey like its own personal chew toy?

Thankfully for the psyche of the Nation the answer was the latter, as Lackey's troubles against Boston (1-6, 6.27 ERA lifetime), especially at Fenway Park, where he was 1-4 with a 7.46 ERA in 7 career starts coming in, continued to bite him in the ass.

Following Figgins' leadoff single Beckett retired Orlando Cabrera, Vlad, and Garrett Anderson on a grounder with Figgins at third to escape the inning unscathed, and Youk wasted no time in getting him the only run support he would need on the night when he launched a 2-1 offering from Lackey into the Monster seats with one out in the bottom of the inning to give the Sox an early 1-0 lead.; it was Youk's first career postseason hit.

One of the major contributors to the late-season struggles reared its fugly face afterwards thought when consecutive singles by Papi (2-3, R, 2BI) and Manny were wasted when Lowell grounded out and Drew flied out, leaving both big men stranded.

Ortiz would more than make up for that missed opportunity and provide Beckett with what turned out to be a comfy cushion when he turned on a hanging Lackey curveball and crushed it into the right field seats with one out in the third, scoring Youk, who had reached on a double, and sending the crowd into a typical Fenway playoff frenzy.

One thing we know for sure: screw the knee injury, if it's the playoffs, it's time for Papi to shine.

Boston tacked on what wound up being the final run scored in the game when Manny (1-3, R) followed Papi's blast with a walk, alertly moved to second on a wild pitch, then scored on yet another clutch RBI single by Mike Lowell, and even Drew grounding into a double play two pitches later couldn't get the record Fenway crowd in a foul mood.

That's because the game was actually more exciting when Boston was not at bat, and you could tell as the game went on that Beckett was turning in a performance that was nothing short of remarkable.

Not only was Becks setting down LA batters at a rapid clip, but it was the way he was doing it that made the feat all the more amazing. Utilizing a variety of pitches including his usual 97 mph heater, a nasty low-90s slider and a knee-buckling 77-80 mph curve, Beckett was not so much as pitching to the Angles hitters but pitching through them, like a brand new John Deere plowing a field of knee-high grass.

In the fourth he needed just 10 pitches to cut down the trio of Cabrera-Guerrero-Anderson again; in the fifth, after pesky Maicer Izturis managed an 8-pitch at bat before popping out to short, Beckett needed only five more pitches to retire Casey Kotchman and Howie Kendrick; and in the sixth he absolutely tortured Mike Napoli and Reggie Willits, getting them to whiff on 77 mph yakkers before Figgins lined out to Coco Crisp, who made a nice sliding catch to extend Beckett's streak to 18 batters in a row sent back to the bench.

By the 7th Lackey was gone, who in all fairness held on to keep the game close after those first few innings, and although Boston squandered a couple of possible scoring chances and had four calls go against them (a phantom foul tip by Kendrick, a bogus caught stealing on Lugo, and two horrible strike-three calls on Youk and Manny in the 5th), thanks to Beckett's dominance the game was all but over.

The string of retired batters ended with one out in the seventh when Guerrero fought off a sinker in the dirt and a 97 fastball on the hands and lined a single into left field, drawing a polite applause from the appreciative crowd, but Becks shook it right off and needed just five pitches to get out of the inning.

With one out in the eighth Howie Kendrick singled past Lowell and under Lugo's glove for the Angels third hit of the night, and Tito had Papelbon & Okajima ready in case Beckett began to peter out.

Fat chance. After Manny Aybar's grounder forced Kendrick at second, Beckett made pinch hitter Kendry Morales look like a Little Leaguer, running the count to 1-2 before freezing him in his place with a wicked 96-mph curve that appeared to come from left field and bisect home plate like a laser-guided missile.

The Sox went down in order against Earvin Santana in the bottom of the inning, and then all that was left was for Beckett to close the book on his third playoff shutout.

Another managerial move by Francona paid off when Jacoby Ellsbury, freshly inserted in left field for defensive purposes, made an excellent sliding catch of a sinking Figgins liner to lead off the ninth, one pitch later OC grounded out to Lowell, and after Guerrero notched his second single of the night and with Papelbon looking on from the pen and the applause rising to a deafening crescendo in the park, Beckett got Garrett Anderson to fly out to Coco in deep left center to put a cap on what will go down as yet another brilliant postseason performance for a man who is starting to make a habit of turning in such efforts.

Now Boston can relax and enjoy the off-day tomorrow, secure in the knowledge that if Dice-K can shut down this stumbling Angels lineup on Friday, the series could be all but over. And with Beckett assured of another start should it go more than three games and LA riding a 5-game postseaosn losing streak, one could almost assume that this series is done.

But we'll take it one game at a time. As long as each of the next two games are victories, we'll be alright.

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ALDS Sox Drawer: Roster, rotation, game times all set

Tim Wakefield's back keeps him off the roster for round one, Dice-K gets the start in Game 2, and best news of all--no day games!

Here's the schedule for the 2007 ALDS between Boston and the Angels.

GM1 Wednesday @ Boston 6:37EST
Lackey vs. Beckett

GM2 Friday @ Boston 8:37EST
Escobar vs. Matsuzaka

GM3 Sunday @ LA of A 3:07EST
Schilling vs. Weaver

IF NECESSARY:
GM 4 Mon @ LA 9:37EST
GM5 Wed @ BOS 8:37EST

The good news is that no games are scheduled for the early afternoon (great, no skipping work). The bad news is that Game 3, which will be started by Schill in order to give him extra rest, is Sunday at 3:07 EST, which puts it smack dab in the middle of the Pats game at Gillette against the Browns. Not like that game won't be a slaughter, especially by that time, but still, we Boston fans like to be able to enjoy both our beloved championship-caliber teams without any aggravating PIP crossovers involved.

The other big news out of the Boston camp was the announcement of the roster for the first round. Terry Francona gave the media the list of players who will be participating, and there was was one notable name that did not make the cut: 17-game winner Tim Wakefield.

Here is the entire roster:

Pitchers:

SP-Josh Beckett (R)
SP-Daisuke Matsuzaka (R)
SP-Curt Schilling (R)
CL-Jonathan Papelbon (R)
RP-Jon Lester (L)
RP-Eric Gagne (R)
RP-Hideki Okajima (L)
RP-Mike Timlin (R)
RP-Manny Delcarmen (R)
RP-Javier Lopez (L)

Starters:

C-Jason Varitek
1B-Kevin Youkilis
2B-Dustin Pedroia
SS-Julio Lugo
3B-Mike Lowell
RF-J.D. Drew
CF-Coco Crisp
LF-Manny Ramirez
DH-David Ortiz

Bench:

INF/OF-Eric Hinske
2B/SS-Alex Cora
OF-Jacoby Ellsbury
1B/OF-Bobby Kielty
C-Doug Mirabelli
C-Kevin Cash

Evidently the back injury that sidelined Wake for one start in early September, which led to fellow non-rostered player Clay Buchholz' no hitter, has flared up again, and coupled with the fact that Boston only needs three starting pitchers with the 8-day format, Wake's exclusion was understandable.

Still, the loss of a veteran of 17 postseason games who also won a career-high tying 17 games this season could come back to hurt Boston, especially if Matsuzaka or Schilling run into any early trouble in their starts. Sure Lester will fill that role, but a greenhorn over a steeled playoff veteran? Even with the memory of Aaron Bleepin' Boone lingering, I'd still take my chances with Wake over Lester.

Also, Julian Tavarez was left off thanks to a horrendous finish to the season in which he allowed 11 earned runs over his final 12 innings (8.25 ERA), including a 3H-3R-3IP stink bomb in the season finale on Sunday.

The other most notable thing about the roster is the fact that the Sox will carry three catchers, with Tito rationalizing that the extra backstop will be useful in pinch hit and late game substitution situations.

Obviously rookie spark plug Jacoby Ellsbury made the cut, and don't be surprised to see him enter very early in games depending on the score and situation. He's been to hot (hit in 23 of 26 games and batted .390 in September) and is too potent an offensive weapon not to have on the field, plus he will need to spell Manny late for defensive reasons with Manny's range still limited by his oblique injury.

The Angels also had some glaring omissions from their own roster, including overrated outfielder Garry Matthroids Jr. and always-injured starter Bartolo Colon. Matthroids has been battling patellar tendinitis in his left knee for weeks, while Colon has added an elbow injury to the lengthy list of health issues he's had in his career.

Good ole' Bartolo, the only opener you can count on him being available for is the grand opening of an In & Out Burger.

So the roster has been finalized, the rotation determined and the start times are in.

Now it's up to Josh Beckett and the Boston offense to start this series off right with a win tomorrow night, and hopefully by 3:07 on Sunday the Sox will own a 2-0 advantage, the Pats will be annihilating the Brownies 45-7, and Schill will be preparing for one more magnificent postseason performance.

Go Sox!

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Sox end season with a loss, but who the hell cares?

Minnesota 3, Sox 2
WP: Garza (5-7)
LP: Tavarez (7-11)
SV: Nathan (37)
HRs: BOS-Varitek (17)

SUMMARY
The Red Sox wrapped up the 2007 regular season with a meaningless game that ended in an inconsequential loss. Terry Francona began pulling starters midway through and used 16 position players, and Boston escaped the season finale with mission no. 1 accomplished: everyone stayed healthy for the playoffs.

The Sox finished the regular season with a record of 96-66, tied for the best record in baseball, and ended up winning the East division by two games over New York. They will open the American League division Series against the AL West champion Angels on Wednesday night at Fenway, with Josh Beckett scheduled to pitch opposite LA of A's John Lackey.

The times of the first round have yet to be determined, but Game 2 will be Friday in Boston, with the matchup likely being Curt Schilling facing Kelvim Escobar, and Game 3 will be on Sunday out in Orange County where Daisuke Matsuzaka will make his MLB postseason debut when he squares off against Jered Weaver.

Tonight the team gets to rest and let the grind of the regular season seep out of them, recharge the batteries for what should be a tough ALDS, and then after taking care of business in the opening round, start preparing for what could be the third ALCS between the Sox and Stanks in the last five years.

The regular season was fun, memorable, and historic for many reasons.

But this postseason has a chance to be one for the ages.

The drive to bring championship No. 2 of the new millennium to the Hub begins on Wednesday in what will be an electric atmosphere in the best baseball city in the world, and by this time next week we could know if another meeting with the Bombers is in the cards.

But first things first for the club. First enjoy the rally tomorrow, then shoot 18 holes or lounge around your cribs all day Tuesday, because on Wednesday the white-hot spotlight of the postseason will be beaming down on Beantown.

And there's no place else the Sox and its Nation of faithful would rather be.

Congrats, Sox, and let's kick some Angels ass.

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Game Preview: 2007 Season Finale (Sox vs. Twins)

Boston will put a cap on the regular season with an utterly meaningless game against the Twins

Garza (4-7) vs. Tavarez (7-10)
205 @ Fenway Park

The Red Sox will finish the 2007 season this afternoon at Fenway in game that carries about as much importance as a mid-March matchup at Chain O' Lakes Park.

How meaningless is this contest?

With both the East title and best record in baseball wrapped up, Boston elected to scratch scheduled starter Curt Schilling and replace him with scrub starter Julian Tavarez, a move that says as much about the Sox postseason pitching plans than the unimportance of this contest.

With nothing left to play for Schilling will be rested presumably to start Game 2 of the ALDS on Friday against the Angels, and Tito will cross his digits and pray that nobody gets injured in this game today, even if he has to pull every regular before the fourth inning.

As the hangover subsides and reality sets in, this game will give Boston a chance to sit back, relax, and asses their postseason plans. Decisions need to be made on who will make the roster and who will be left off, but by electing to begin their series on Wednesday it appears the sox will be content to bring only three starters into the first round.

Obviosuly ace Josh Beckett is the No. 1 man, and by pulling Schill today to set him up for Game 2, that would leave struggling starter Daisuke Matsuzaka to start Game 3 in Anaheim on Sunday. And with Wakefield pitching poorly the last month + and Clay Buchholz being shut down with the dreaded but convenient "tired arm" syndrome, it makes sense for Boston to use three starters for a series that will be stretched out over eight days.

So there's nothing left but the shutting down of the regular season and getting on with the postseason plans today at Fenway, and you can bet by the middle of this game all the regulars will be relaxing in the clubhouse, the Sox brass will be brainstorming their playoff roster, and the Faithful will be gearing up for the rally Monday evening at City Hall Plaza.

Like last year the Sox are playing another meaningless game on the last day of the regular season.

But this time its for all the right reasons.

Congratulations and thanks for an awesome, memorable regular season, BoSox.

Now let's get to work on scheduling another duck boat invasion come late October.

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