Martin's Musings

I’m not going to lie: I had the Red Sox dead.

I was already wishing people Happy Winter.

I was saying I didn’t want the Sox to win Game Five because I didn’t want the series to continue, didn’t want them to come back and to have to relive the same story we saw in 2004 and 2007.

Hell, I was only awake to see the end because I was going to watch John McCain on David Letterman. Continue reading →

EW.com’s PopWatch has just informed me that today is National Grouch Day. Muppets aside, I have much to be grouchy about lately (including the Red Sox falling behind 3-1 in the ALCS again) so I’ll be celebrating enthusiastically. Grumble grumble grumble …

So let me get this straight: The Red Sox win game one, Dice-K impresses (all things considered), and the series is off to a good start. Then Shaughnessy writes a column about how it’s already all over and we’ve won the whole series, and all of a sudden we can’t win, nothing’s going our way, and we’re down two games to one? I mean, sure, Beckett and Lester (and of course, Timlin) are surely to blame for our losses in games two and three, and the series is surely far from over, but jeez Louise … can’t CHB keep his mouth shut? Just once??? Shaughnessy jinxed us in a big way, and I am not happy to see the same ALCS scenario play out again.

Oh, and don’t think I missed Buck Martinez adding salt to the wound when he announced early in the game tonight that Lester was the best pitcher in the major leagues. No sooner did he say that — right after the five-pitch top of the first — that Lester starting giving up runs and basically stinking up the joint. Thanks to you, too, Buck.

Hasn’t Dan Shaughnessy learned anything in recent years?

Methinks he has gotten a bit too confident and that he’s jumping the gun.

Here’s what he wrote in today’s Globe about last night’s win over Tampa Bay:

<< It’s only one game. So how come it already feels like the Red Sox are going to the World Series? … It just does. >>

Um, dude … weren’t you here in 2004 and in 2007?

You know the Yankees were dominant in the ALCS but didn’t win the series in ’04, and that the Sox won game one against Cleveland last year before they lost the next three and were on the verge of elimination.

Hell, Cleveland even printed up and was selling ALCS championship t-shirts. So let’s not get ahead of ourselves, alright? You don’t want to jinx anything.

At least CHB‘s colleague Bob Ryan is talking some sense.

Shaughnessy sounds like he should be wearing a pink hat or something.

Alright, that’s it. I’m done talking about the Red Sox. First I write that the season may be over, and what do they do? They get better and climb back into first place. And then when they do that, I acknowledge it right here and of course, they reverse course just as quickly. So this will be my last Red Sox post for a while, until the team definitively wins something and my posting can’t affect their fortunes either way. At least publicly, I’m going to start rooting for Tampa Bay — in the hopes that my blog becomes a jinx for them and not for the hometown team. Sorry, Sox!

Alright, so either my blog is sort of powerful in a reverse-jinx sort of way, or maybe I’m just a moron. On July 31, after yet another disappointing game, I suggested that it may be time to declare the Red Sox season over. Well, today is September 16 and the Sox have woken up back in first place after beating the Rays last night — and pretty easily, too. So color me stupid. I never fully gave up on the team, but a month and a half ago it really wasn’t looking too good. I’m happy to take my lashes for being wrong on this one. The Sox have gotten hot at exactly the right time this season. Go Sox!