I'm not a die hard fan (of any sports team) but I do love the Red Sox. They're good people (on the whole) and from my limited and humbly ignorant perspective, real men. I love their scruffiness and heart. They just get it done. I remember when Johnny Damon, a veritable adorable Neanderthal, moved from the Sox to the Skankees - cut his hair, shaved his beard +, and started wearing suits like a prima donna. (This, from a gal who lived in BK, NY for a decade.) Pooh.
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Remember Bryan Stow.
Go Red Sox!
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If the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series with the help of a player named Mookie I will consider it reasonable payback for what happened in 1986 :)
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I am a Yankee fan. But the Red Sox are the team to beat in the WS. That is all.
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I grew up in the 1950s in northern NJ as a Dodger Fan. As we always played the Yankees in the World Series, and usually lost, I became a Yankee hater. When my team of Snider, Furillo, Hodges, and even Don Zimmer, left for California, it was odd. I was a negative fan. I rooted for whatever team was playing the Yankees that day.
But I got to spend summers on a family farm in Massachusetts, and started following the Sox, and their Superman, Ted Williams. Ted was everything John Wayne pretended to be in the movies.
When the Mets arrived in 1962, they tried to attract old Dodger and Giant fans by signing players from those New York teams who were now in the twilight of their careers. Who remembers the original Met third baseman was Don Zimmer? And poor Duke Snider, Willie Mays and Gil Hodges fighting Father Time? And Roger Craig, good enough to start, but with no run support, going something like 3 wins, 25 losses in 1963?
Well, I forgot about the Dodgers, gave up on the Mets, but have been a Boston fan for the last 60 years. Nothing pleases me more than to see the worm turn, and hearing exasperated Yankee fans saying its just not fair. Remember those 27 rings in the drawer, Yankee fans.
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Saber-metrics enables managers to overthink their substitution patterns and neglects human intuition, which is typically accurate at least 50% of the time or more depending on experience.
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Benintendi didn't hit the double off of Baez - he hit it off of Urias. Please correct the story
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The Times is winning with Billy Witz. Great column. Smart introduction to the team. Positive wit. Brings back baseball for me. Thanks!
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What is a video photographer doing behind home plate?
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@SmileyBurnette It's FOX's special up-close coverage of everything that happens, whether you want it or not. When a batter who hits a home run is in his trot to the plate, or when the players are coming off the field at the end of an inning, there is a person wielding a camera with a lens right in their faces, running alongside, to catch the breathtaking action. On occasion they do take a tumble, which can make for some amusing outtakes, as long as no one gets hurt. Reminds me of the Albert Brooks movie Real Life.
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@SmileyBurnette
What I wish these videographers would do is show players in the context of jubilant crowds. I, for one, want to commune emotionally with delirious fans after a home run. It would be ideal if producers would show players rounding the bases or approaching the dugout in full view of a raucous crowd, and dwelling on the excitement in the stands. We get way too many closeups of players during a game spitting out sunflower seeds. We know what these guys look like; we don't need to linger on their faces. I want to feel the thrill that the crowd is feeling as best as I can and that means showing the fans more, not the players.
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I have to admit that I questioned the wisdom of sending Nunez to the plate. Devers had gotten a clutch single off Kershaw and I figured he had a better chance to come through than Nunez. How Nunez got under that low pitch still amazes me. As for the Dodgers, I don’t know why Roberts lifted Baez for Wood. Baez was overpowering. Managers need to avoid being too cute with their moves. If your pitcher is mowing them down—and Baez was—keep him in the game.
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I love watching Craig Kimbrel pitch. He's so Zen!!!! LOL!!!
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The matchup stats that fans and writers are so fond of second guessing work over large samples, 162 games, hundreds of innings, thousands of pitches; for individual matchups, they succeed when they do, but fail often enough to keep managers awake at night. For Dave Roberts on the Nunez decision, the operation was successful but the patient died.
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The photograph showing a catcher, umpire, batter — and cameraman at home plate is pretty sad.
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"Modern baseball, with its luxury-tax leveling of the playing field"
LOL - was this sentence provided to Mr. Wilz by baseball commissioner Rob Manfred?
"The Red Sox lead the majors with a $228 million roster, and the Dodgers are third at slightly more expensive than $199 million"
https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonywitrado/2018/10/22/red-sox-and-dodge...
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@Dan
All true, Dan, but the A's and the Rays were both at the bottom of the payroll list. The A's made the playoffs and the Rays won 90 games so it's not all about the money.
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@C. Mayer
AND the Giants were third on the payroll list, and look how well they did.
Higher-spending teams in all sports generally do better, but the link is far from perfect for either the high-spending or low-spending ends of the spectrum.
The Dodgers will figure out the detestable Red Sox. They cannot be allowed to continue this impertinence of winning World Series. Just cannot
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@Plennie Wingo
Plennie..These Sox are the most likable team in professional sports. They're athletic, focused, articulate, and generally nice men. I think it's the laundry you're rooting against..
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@Plennie Wingo Of course you could be right about the Dodgers, but your other characterizations are so utterly wrong as to be suspect. Sarcasm? Irony? This 2018 Red Sox team is one of the most good-natured, likable, and watchable teams ever - right up there with the 2017 Astros. And impertinent? No, they've been unfailingly polite and sportsmanlike...
...unlike at least a couple of Dodgers, who need not be named.
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@Plennie Wingo
wow . . . that is a long way to project such sports dislike . . . why i love this game . . . thanks . . . william wilson dallas texas dallas press club 1981
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Why "World Series"? Aside from Japan and a few other countries, no one plays baseball. I mean, this isn't soccer, which is truly a world series.
@James Murphy
How is soccer a "series"?
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@James Murphy The original series between the established National League and the upstart American League was sponsered by the New York World newspaper. It had nothing to do with global dominence.
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Not true Milliband. You are repeating an old wive’s tale. Truth is it’s not a world championship, and it is not called that by anyone who knows what they are talking about.
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Why I love the Red Sox: because the Dodgers crossed a picket line, because I have a friend who lived in Boston one time, and because they really do have red socks.
Red Sox 1 and Dodgers, like, 0. So, you don't tug on Superman's Cape, you don't spit into the wind --and you don't cross picket lines.
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@Newell McCarty And the Dodgers of Brooklyn with the people of Brooklyn welcomed Jackie Robinson, with all the decency that brought! No franchise has been more egalitarian and fair-minded, than The Dodgers! PS The Red Sox we're the last to hire an African American player!!!
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I stopped at an Ace Hardware store on the way to work this morning because I do believe a sweep will take place. I wanted to have my little broom on hand . . . just in case.
Sincerely sorry Dodgers fans, but the staying power and electricity of those amazing Red Sox truly awed me last night (and I'm not necessarily a Red Sox fan nor am awed all that often).
Maybe it's me, but I thought the Dodgers were more together and convincing in last year's World Series than this year. They seem to squeak by with homeruns and last minute victories, and for all of right and wrong reasons, they beat the Brewers. But they don't seem to have a chance against the staying power of those Red Sox. They didn't win 108 games in the regular season by dumb luck.
I just want to thank the Dodgers for beating Milwaukee because at least, they saved us the embarrassment of getting our clocks cleaned and our bats bruised by Boston. Sorry guys, but those Red Sox are simply mind blowing this year. WOW and then some!!
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Despite giving up the earlier double, and that was an intentional walk, Baez struck out two, and looked sharp! No matter, a lefty or righty batter coming up, I would have left him in! Roberts made a mistake in bringing Wood in, based upon history!
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There's still a lot of baseball to play--so, no presumption of anything yet to come. But man, what a job by Cora--all season, but most critically in the post-season. He's got 100% buy-in from all 25 guys on the roster, and seems to be making quite a few good decisions. Yeah, the Red Sox have had a few good breaks, but success favors the prepared and Cora has this team well positioned.
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@Larry
I could not agree more with your opening sentence Larry. I recall ever so fondly with Milwaukee shut out St. Louis 10-0 in the first game of the 1982 World Series. I was convinced that we going to win the series but in the end, did not.
There IS a lot of baseball yet to be played. But I must admit the Red Sox got my attention last night. And kept my attention last night. It was an exciting game until it wasn't for LA after the 7th inning.
Can't wait for game 2 this evening.
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@Marge Keller Right you are, Marge and Larry. I was a fan of the Go-Go White Sox in the late 50s/early 60s. When they beat the Dodgers in game 1 of the 1959 WS 11-0, I was very confident. Then LA won four of the next five games. But these Red Sox are different (they can hit, and the White Sox could not), and there seems to be no way to keep them down.
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@cujo
Thanks cujo. There's this energy, excitement and electricity with the Red Sox players, coaches and club house which I haven't felt with the Dodgers. It's weird because I'm not a Red Sox fan. These guys just fired me up last night and suddenly, I got hooked on yet another World Series. My husband sighed a sigh of disappointment because he knows I won't go to bed until the game is over and if this series is anything like the Cubs/Indians series from 2016, there will be a few sleepless nights down the road.
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Now that baseball is embracing the shift in our broader culture - disrespecting your opponents, gaudy showmanship and a lack of sportsmanship - I’m done as a fan. I’ve been watching baseball since 1985, usually 100 games a year. No more. Thankfully I still have golf.
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@Mike Wow, you are not ready to hear about the behavior of Yankees fans.
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@Mike
Mike..Read the other baseball article in today's Times. It talks about the problem with baseball is exactly the opposite of what you're saying. The Red Sox are a perfect example of this. They set a franchise record for wins, they beat two 100 win AL teams just to get to the WS, and to a man they're quiet, respectful, team-oriented players. I don't know what 100 games a year you've been watching, but I'd like to hear specifics of the egregious actions you're upset about.
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@C. Mayer "to a man they're quiet, respectful, team-oriented players."
Yes, as evidenced by the picture accompanying this article of Nunez showboating across home plate. I rest my case.
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To my NY friends - I know it galls you to see us win game 1. But we still have to win 3 more games and that will be very challenging ... or not ;)
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@mark The Sawx are a steamroller this year.
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I smell a sweep. These California guys don't like playing in cool and damp weather.
Nice of the Boston fans to cheer Dave Roberts, who made that famous second base steal in 2004.
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We will have to see how Boston does in 80-90 degree temperatures.
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@David Ferraro Surprisingly, Boston has a summer too!
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@David Ferraro. California nights cool down, sometimes dramatically. Expect temps in mid 70s at game time, dropping 5 or more degrees by 8 pm.
1
Some stats from a World Series 60 years ago:
1958 World Series Milwaukee Braves vs. New York Yankees
Warren Spahn, Milwaukee’s leading pitcher, was 38 years old.
Spahn started Game 1 (October 1), pitched a complete game of 10 innings, winning 4-3
Spahn started Game 4 (October 5), pitched a complete game of 9 innings, winning 3-0
Spahn started Game 6 (October 8), pitched 9 2/3 innings of a 10-inning game, losing 4-3
In the 7-game series, Milwaukee used only 6 pitchers, including 3 starters and 3 relievers.
Of the 63 innings pitched by Milwaukee, Spahn and Burdette threw 51. Spahn threw 28 2/3.
The Milwaukee ERA for the World Series was 3.71.
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@Nick H.
I remember the 1957 Yankee - Braves series. Braves won in seven. Lew Burdette won three of those games, and he didn't even start until game 2. Also won game 5, and 7.
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@Nick H.: Spahn wouldn't make the big leagues today. Mid-80s to high-80s fastball would be launched. Sorry.
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@Ryan
Perhaps. But he still managed to win 363 games, including 13 20-win seasons. Must’ve been doing something right.
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