Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
October 12, 2007
Transition to Favorites

I like that Jonathan Papelbon is willing to go where the management of the Red Sox won't:

While owner John W. Henry acknowledges that his team's transition into a favorite's role is under way, the notion that the roles have been permanently reversed makes the front office uneasy. "To say we're no longer underdogs seems to be going too far," says club president Larry Lucchino, tempering annual expectations. "We're in the division where Goliath resides." And while the Yankees were beaten this week by the Indians, the Sox have too many painful Yankee memories from Octobers past to fully shed underdog status.

The 1949 pennant that vanished with two losses on the final weekend. The 1978 implosion, with a 14-game lead squandered and the playoff lost on Bucky Dent's long popup. The 1999 double-beatdown in Games 4 and 5 of the ALCS in the Fens after the giddy 13-1 bashing of Roger Clemens. The 2003 seventh-game nightmare in the ALCS that ended with Aaron Boone's home run in the 11th inning off Tim Wakefield.

Twenty-six titles for New York since Babe Ruth switched uniforms. One glorious exception for Boston. "Something that has lasted for a considerable number of years does not disappear overnight," says Lucchino.

Even the good years were tortuous. The Impossible Dreamers of 1967 didn't clinch the flag until after their final game. The 1986 team was one strike away from losing in five games in Anaheim. The 2004 bunch was down, three games to none, to the Yankees before pulling off the greatest comeback in history.

The players, however, are embracing their newfound overdog stature. "Hopefully, this is the beginning of our reign," Jonathan Papelbon said Sunday in the champagne-drenched clubhouse after Boston's win over the Angels.

Right now Boston has the better team and a good plan to sustain winning. Their farm system is producing talent and the front office does a decent job filling holes through trades and free agent signings. It time to make the Yankees worry about the Red Sox.


Posted by David Pinto at 08:43 AM | Team Evaluation | TrackBack (0)
Comments

"Right now Boston has the better team and a good plan to sustain winning. Their farm system is producing talent and the front office does a decent job filling holes through trades and free agent signings."

And the money. Don't forget the money.

Posted by: Geoff Young at October 12, 2007 03:37 PM

New York is a has-been team with delusional fans.

Posted by: Harry Onara at October 30, 2007 08:09 PM
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