Tell me I'm not dreaming?

In the daylight hours following a long night of celebrating, as I wipe the champagne out of my eyes (man I need a pair of Papi's special goggles), it still hasn't hit me that the Red Sox are World Champs once again.

After all, it was just four short seasons ago that this franchise was considered one of the unluckiest in all of sports, wading through eight decades of disappointment and heartache with the same sorry mantra serving as their psuedo-rallying cry: wait 'til next year....

Now, as RSN basks in the glow of Boston's second title in four years, that "woe is me" lament hasn't been replaced, but merely altered, to sound more like this: wait 'til next year!

That's right, the 2007 Boston Red Sox accomplished something that not even that special 2004 squad could achieve during that curse-busting 2004 Series sweep--they validated the current incarnation of the franchise as a true winner, not merely a high-payroll, flash-in-the-pan team.

The scariest thing about winning the title again is that with the arch rival Stankees in utter disarray thanks to the jettisoning of Joe Torre and the defecation, I mean defection of A-Rod, the Sox have now officially become the standard bearer, the hunted, the Vegas lock as the team to beat when it comes to winning titles for at least the next 5-10 years.

In other words they've become the New England Patriots.

Wait til next year.

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World Series GM 4: Potential sweep is in Lester's hands

Game 4 @ Colorado 825 EST FOX
Jon Lester (0-0, 4.25) vs. Aaron Cook (NR)
Boston leads series, 3-0

STARTING LINEUPS:

Colorado-
1. Kazuo Matsui 2B
2. Troy Tulowitzki SS
3. Matt Holliday LF
4. Todd Helton 1B
5. Garrett Atkins 3B
6. Ryan Spilborghs CF
7. Brad Hawpe RF
8. Yorvit Torrealba C
9. Aaron Cook P

Boston-
1. Jacoby Ellsbury CF
2. Dustin Pedroia 2B
3. David Ortiz 1B
4. Manny Ramirez LF
5. Mike Lowell 3B
6. J.D. Drew RF
7. Jason Varitek C
8. Julio Lugo SS
9. Jon Lester P

And so it's come to this.

Jon Lester, the 24-year-old lefty who fought the toughest real-life opponent of all, The Big C, and won, has been entrusted with winning one of the biggest games in Boston Red Sox history.

A victory tonight would simultaneously elate Boston's Nation and infuriate its legions of haters, and who better elicit those kinds of emotions than a man who has stared cancer in the eye and said "I will not be defeated by you", who not only overcame the disease but returned as an above-average young major league pitcher?

And now, 13 months after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, that courageous young starter finds himself starting a potential World Series-deciding game. In his first career playoff start.

Funny how life turns out sometimes.

The Red Sox can wrap up their second Series sweep in four years tonight with another win in frosty Colorado, and as long as the offense keeps producing like it has for most of this postseason, Lester won't have to worry about shutting out the Rockies lineup.

Boston has been scalding the ball all over the yard this postseason, averaging nearly 7 1/2 runs per game in 13 games while scoring in double digits in six of those contests, and with the new lineup in place, rookies Ellsbury leading off and Pedroia batting second, setting the table for the heart of the lineup, it looks as if there is no stopping this team of destiny.

The job of trying to slow down the Sox juggernaut falls on the right shoulder of 28-year-old Colorado starter Aaron Cook, a man who also has survived life-threatening illness as well as season-stalling injury to find his way to the mound as a World Series starter.

After overcoming blood clots on his lungs in 2004, Cook went on to become one of the Rockies most reliable starters over the last two years. He was Colorado's opening day starter this year, but a rib injury sidelined him for two months in early August, and he hasn't pitched in a major league game since August 10th.

Now he will be entrusted with extending Colorado's magical season at least for one more night.

Two starters who have overcome enormous obstacles to get to the game's biggest stage as the World Series title hangs in the balance. Two teams that have appeared to be on destined paths, riding surreal highs and improbable wins all the way to the brink of greatness.

But only one club will walk away from this series with a satisfied feeling.

I've already got the bottle of bubbly and Montecristo waiting, fellas.

Let's end it tonight.

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World Series GM 3: Boston's 1-2 punch decimates Rockies title hopes

Sox 10, Colorado 5
Boston leads series, 3-0
WP: Matsuzaka (2-1)
LP: Fogg (2-1)
HRs: COL-Holliday (5)

SUMMARY
The revamped Boston lineup produced 15 hits and 10 runs, but it was the top of the order that did the majority of the damage as the Sox took a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Boston's first two hitters, Jacoby Ellsbury (4-5, 2R, 2BI) and Dustin Pedroia (3-5, 1R, 2BI), combined to go 7-10 with four doubles, three runs and four RBIs as the duo became the first pair of rookie teammates to notch at least three hits apiece in a playoff game. Mike Lowell also had a big night with a pair of hits including a huge, 2-RBI single in Boston's six-run third inning, and Daisuke Matsuzaka (5.1IP, 3H, 2ER, 3BB, 5K) threw 5+ quality innings before faltering in the sixth, and then the bullpen nearly blew the game.

Leading 6-0 after that explosive third, Javier Lopez, Hideki Okajima, Mike Timlin and Manny Delcarmen combined to allow seven hits and three earned runs in 2 1/3 innings, lowlighted by a three-run homer by Matt Holiday on Okajima's first pitch of the game that trimmed the Sox lead to 6-5 in the seventh.

But after allowing a single to Todd Helton following the homer, Okajima bounced back to retire the next three batters, two by strikeout, and when Manny D. allowed a pair of baserunners with two outs in the 8th, Papelbon came in and retired Holliday on one pitch to effectively end the game.

Other highlights of this 4 hour, 19 minute affair, which by the way is also aa major league record for a 9-inning playoff game:

- Dice-K's first career hit that drove in a pair of runs in the third

- Julio Lugo made two sensational defensive plays, the second a leaping grab of a liner that would have scored the tying run in the seventh

- Ellsbury was 3-3 after three innings, and the scintillating rookie, who has effectively ended Coco's career with the Sox with his play this past week, became the first rookie to have two two-baggers in an inning in WS history

- when J.D. Drew doubled to lead off the fifth it meant that every member of the lineup had reached base at least one time

- Manny Ramirez was tagged out on a questionable play at home in the third, partially due to his wayward batting helmet/horrible hairdo affecting his baserunning

- Mike Lowell became the first player to steal third base in a playoff game since the immortal Juan Beniquez in the 1975 ALCS.

All that record-breaking offense added up to another sound Red Sox beating of a helpless opponent, and if the last few games are any indication, this series should come to a quck conclusion tomorrow evening in the thin, chilly air of the Rocky Mountains.

Get that bottle of Dom ready and prepare to call in on Monday, RSN, cause it looks like we are about to witness history--again.

Tomorrow night: "Sweep! Sweep! Sweep!"

Right now: sleep sleep, sleep.

Go Sox!

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World Series GM 3 Preview: Matsuzaka meets the Mile High City

Game 3 @ Colorado 825EST FOX
Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-1, 5.65) vs. Josh Fogg (2-0, 1.13)

STARTING LINEUPS:

Colorado-
1. Kazuo Matsui 2B
2. Troy Tulowitzki SS
3. Matt Holiday LF
4. Todd Helton 1B
5. Garrett Atkins 3B
6. Brad Hawpe RF
7. Yorvit Torrealba C
8. Cory Sullivan CF
9. Josh Fogg P

Boston-
1. Jacoby Ellsbury CF
2. Dustin Pedroia 2B
3. David Ortiz 1B
4. Manny Ramirez LF
5. Mike Lowell 3B
6. J.D. Drew RF
7. Jason Varitek C
8. Julio Lugo SS
9. Daisuke Matsuzaka P

As the Series shifts top the thin air out West the Sox, who hold a comfy 2-0 advantage after winning the first two games at Fenway by a combined score of 15-2, will look to their prized, pricey free agent acquisition from the Far East to get them to a near-insurmountable 3-0 series edge.

But the venue and landscape aren't the only things changing with the teams set to play the next three contests in the National League park over the next three nights.

The biggest adjustment to either lineup is the removal of the blazing hot Boston first baseman Kevin Youkilis (.396, 4HR, 10 RBI in the postseason) in favor of playoff legend but balky-kneed David Ortiz. The dilemma for Tito over the last few days has been which player to sit with the DH unavailable in Denver, but evidently four years of historic homers and walk-off hits won out over a couple of weeks of blistering the baseball all over the yard.

Other major adjustments include the ascension of un-intimidated rookie Jacoby Ellsbury, who began the postseason on the bench, graduated to starting in place of the injured & ineffective Coco Crisp and batting 8th & 9th, to leading off the first road game of the series.

The loss of Youk enabled Francona to move the equally scorching Dustin Pedroia to the 2-hole behind Ellsbury, giving the club a dynamic 1-2 punch at the top of the order before hitting the terrific trifecta of Papi-Manny-Lowell in the middle.

The Rockies, meanwhile, have some lineup changes of their own heading into the first World Series game at home in franchise history.

First, Colorado manager Clint Hurdle benched struggling leadoff man Willy Taveras (.120, 4 runs scored in postseason) in favor of rookie Cory Sullivan; Kaz Matsui will fill the leadoff spot while Sullivan takes Taveras' place in center. Hurdle aalso moved Rookie of the Year candidate Troy Tulowitzki and his .212 playoff average to the two-hole in hopes of sparking both himself and his team.

But the story of the game, which could lead to an offensive explosion for the dormant Rocks, is going to be the play of Daisuke Matsuzaka. The erratic rookie came through in the clutch when the Sox needed him most, tossing 5 innings of 2-run ball against the Indians in Game 7 of the ALCS, but his roller-coaster ways can't give the nation or the Sox brass much confidence that he will easily master the tricky ways of Coors Field.

He will be opposed by six year veteran Josh Fogg, the dogged Rockies starter who has overcome numerous injuries to become the emotional leader of the Colorado pitching staff. In the postseason he has pitched 10 innings of one-run ball, logging his first playoff win in Game 3 of the NLDS against the D-Backs.

So the focal point of the series now becomes the ability of the third and fourth starters to keep the scores low and gives their clubs the chance to come away with a win. If Matsuzaka can use the atmospheric abnormalities to his advantage, maybe he can go longer than five innings like he'd logged in his last three playoff starts.

And maybe the Sox offense will come back to life after being shut down in Game 2 by rookie righthander Ubaldo Jimenez and the Rockies bullpen.

All I know is that with this revamped lineup Boston should be able to score some runs off the fragile Fogg, and if Dice can prevent the reeling Rockies from doing any major damage, we'll be one step closer to a second consecutive Sox World series sweep.

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World Series Game 1 Preview: The Beckett Experience continues

Game 1 Starters 830EST FOX
Jeff Francis (2-0, 4.86) vs. Josh Beckett (3-0, 1.21)

Lineups:

COLORADO-
1. Taveras CF
2. Matsui 2B
3. Holiday LF
4. Helton 1B
5. Atkins 3B
6. Hawpe RF
7. Tulowitzki SS
8. Torrealba C
9. Spillborghs DH

BOSTON-
1. Pedroia 2B
2. Youk 1B
3. Papi DH
4. Manny LF
5. Lowell 3B
6. Varitek C
7. Drew RF
8. Lugo SS
9. Ellsbury CF

The Sox continue their quest for postseason glory tonight when calm, cool and accolade-collecting Josh Beckett takes the mound tonight to open the 2007 World series against the Colorado Rockies.

Beckett is putting together one of the most impressive postseason resumes in MLB history, continuing his run of dominance that began with a World Series MVP performance in 2003 with the Marlins and could end with a bookend trophy when this series is all done.

In three postseason starts the ace has allowed a mere 13 hits and three runs in 23 innings, and he's fanned an astonishing 26 batters while walking only one during that time. he's simply having one of the best postseasons ever.

His mound opponent will be Rockies "ace" Jeff Francis, a guy who won 17 regular season games this year but had an ERA over 4.00 and who wasn't even in the league when Beckett destroyed the Stanks' title dreams in '03.

Ironically--and I say that because this stat has absolutely no bearing on this game whatsoever, yet analysts and announcers keep pointing to it as a meaningful fact--when these two clubs met back in mid-June at Fenway as part of interleague play, Francis was the winning pitcher while Colorado hung Beckett's first loss of the season on him following 9 consecutive wins in a 7-1 Rockies victory.

In that contest Beckett allowed a grand slam to Garrett Atkins and a solo shot to MVP candidate Matt Holliday as the probable Cy Young winner allowed a season-high six runs on 10 hits in five innings. Francis, meanwhile, threw five innings of shutout ball, scattering 7 hits and holding the scorching Boston lineup in check.

But like I said, that game and that whole series for that matter means nothing when these clubs take the field tonight.

Beckett will be just as focused and determined as he has been all season. Boston, which has clubbed 70 runs in seven postseason games this year, should pick up right where they left off against the Indians on Sunday night, while the rusty Rockies will most definitely feel the effects of an 8-day layoff combined with the blinding glare that comes with being at the center of the international media spotlight.

In other words my money's on the Sox laying the foundation for a second consecutive series sweep as Beckett all but ensures his name will be engraved on another MVP trophy as the Sox win convincingly in Game 1.

NOTES: Jacoby Ellsbury, a 24-year-old kid with just 166 major league at bats, will get the nod to start in Game 1 in place of the slumping/ailing Coco Crisp. Crisp injured his ankle making the game-ending catch in deep center in game 7 against the Indians, and that combined with his putrid .161/2R/2BI postseason performance has led Tito to start the electrifying rookie...rain is forecast for the Greater Boston Area tonight, so we could be in for another lengthy, late-night postseason ballgame if there are any extended weather delays...Francona announced rookie Jon Lester will pitch Game 4 in place of injured starter Tim Wakefield

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