Fast forward to game day. We were up early and headed to Alltel Stadium.  We parked near the stadium and began our hunt for tickets. I only had a total of $1,000 to spend for food, drink and tickets over the 3 days, so I had been eating like a bird in order to maximize my bankroll for tickets.  We strolled around the streets and parking lots around the stadium, soaking in the atmosphere.  Eagle’s fans seemingly outnumbered Patriot’s fans by a 10-1 margin.  We were harassed, pelted with insults, beer, half eaten egg sandwiches and even hard candy.   Even Yankee fans know better…(EDITORS NOTE: We threw batteries at Ken Griffey Jr… No we don’t!) you don’t waste beer on a Boston fan!!!!  As we wandered around the lots we found plenty of ticket scalpers, but the cheapest price we came across that morning was $3,600!  Yikes! 

At one point we walked by a bar called the Tailgate Bar, just outside of the north end zone that was swarming with Eagles fans. There was a group of Eagles fans, perched up on the upper deck with a bunch of those palm-sized footballs.  A couple of them were having a good ole time trying to pick off unsuspecting Patriot fans by firing the little footballs at their heads as they passed by.  Of course just had to taunt them, hoping they’d fire some at me.  I dodged a few and caught one or two as I laughed at them.  They were getting more & more pissed as they fired and missed.  They finally laid off me when I cockily made a one-handed catch behind my back, followed by a disrespectful reverse spike. It’s not that I am really that cocky, but after watching them prey on innocent passerby’s, I just had to try to get the best of them!  Mission accomplished!

By noon, Lou and his friends were disappointed with the lack of ticket success and decided to go back to hole up at the Tailgate Bar for a drink or 10.  As we walked in, we were surprised that, despite how crowded it was, there was an open table right in front of their largest TV so we grabbed it.  Over the next several hours, I made several “runs” to search for tickets.  Still no luck.  The average price per ticket was still over $3,000 and way out of our range.  But I was determined.  Finally, about an hour before kickoff, I got up from the table and asked them if they wanted to come look for tickets with me.  Lou shook his head and laughed, “I’ve got a big screen TV right in front of me & I have waitress service, I’m not moving!”  They’d given up, but I was not willing give up after coming all that way.  One of Lou’s friends shook his head in amazement and asked, “Boy, you are really determined to get in, aren’t you?”  Of course I was & my response was quick, confident and incredibly ironic, “EVEN IF I HAVE TO SELL HOTDOGS TO GET IN, I AM GETTING INTO THIS GAME!”  With that, I turned and headed out for one last try.

I made one last sweep, heading along the east side of the stadium towards the south endzone.  Still no luck as my $700 plus sat lonely in my pocket.  I heard a roar from the crowd and then I heard the muffled echo of Alicia Keyes singing “America the Beautiful” followed by a (military) choir singing the National Anthem. I had turned the corner near the southern endzone, as the booming roar of military flyover sent sonic shockwaves through the air, the earth and my heart.  Reality was setting in.  It was nearly game time and my chances were dwindling fast, but, as an eternal optimist I still held out hope that I could find a reasonable ticket, once the game began.

That road behind that endzone was divided by ‘jersey barriers to accommodate the flow of fans on the inside and flow of vehicles to the outside.  I found a spot where I could see the top two-thirds of the jumbotron when I stood on one of the jersey barriers.  I watched the kickoff from my perch as hopes continued to fade.  A few plays later, as Donovan McNabb fumbled the ball, (later overturned), I felt a tug on my pant leg.  ‘Damn,’ I thought, it’s probably a policeman who wants me to step off the barrier.    I looked down and saw a young guy, early to mid 20’s instead.  “How much ya looking to pay for tickets?” he asked.  Hopes rose!  I thought carefully (for once) and responded, “Well, the game has started, so a few hundred bucks maybe,” I said, almost in the form of a question.  The guy proceeded to tell me that he had been working as a vendor inside the stadium, but was also a bartender at a bar at “The Landing” which was Jacksonville’s festival-like marketplace and a “hopping” place to be if you weren’t at the game.  He explained that expected to make over $1,000 bartending that night and that he’d ‘sell me’ his vendor shirt and credentials for a couple hundred dollars.  SCORE!!!! 

I was a little skeptical about getting through security, after all, it was post 9/11, so I handed him $100 and told him I would ‘palm ‘ him the rest if I felt like I was going to waltz through the first security gate.  I had pulled on the polo shirt, 2 sizes too small by the way, and pulled my windbreaker over it, leaving it unzipped enough to showcase my flashy new teal vendor shirt.  As we got to the gate, I saw several vendors in line ahead of me. My heart raced as I watched them flash their credentials and swiftly passed through security.  I stealthily palmed the ‘bartender’ the rest of his money and got into line.  Five minutes later, I was in the stadium watching the Super Bowl in a damn hotdog vendor uniform!  Even I could NOT believe my own prophetic freakin’ irony!

Notice the guy on far right just after slinging a mini-football

The game was tense and ultimately went the Patriot’s way as they held on to with their 3^rd Super Bowl in 4 years, 24-21.  I soaked it all in, staying through the post-game ceremony before my attention turned to my friends back at the Tailgate Bar, who I ‘d hoped had not left me stranded.  I picked up my pace as I bounded out of the stadium, eager to tell Lou and his buddies my incredible story.  I thought to myself, “damn, they will NEVER believe this!”  As I strolled into the Tailgate Bar, Lou and his friends looked up and just stared at me.  “You got into the game, didn’t you?” Lou asked in disbelief.  I was bursting at the seams, smiling from ear to ear as I ripped open my jacket to reveal my vendor uniform and credentials hanging from a lanyard around my neck that read “STADIUM OPERATIONS” with “Concessions” underneath.  Lou nearly fell off of his chair, literally.

“Hey getcha hotdawgs heyah!”

All 3 sat there, mouths wide open, not believing what they were seeing. “Noooo!” exclaimed Lou in a loud booming voice, “Tell me you didn’t; If you sold  #%&<@# hotdogs to get into that game, I will dance naked on this table right #^$%*$# now!”(Luckily, we never had to see that).   As Lou boomed in amazement, people curiously started coming over to see what the commotion was all about and soon the story quickly got around the bar.  Random people began coming over, excitedly patting me on the back & asking to hear the details, some offering to buy me a beer.  I think I had to retell that story  6 or 7 times as people kept calling over their friends so they could hear the story, too.   

Hard at work!

As we were heading out, Lou must have remembered that we had decided to spend the following day at Disney World because stopped in his tracks and asked, “Hey, you aren’t going to dress as a Mickey Mouse character to get into Disney are you?”  “Don’t tempt me Lou, don’t tempt me…” 

Victory!

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In today’s MLB, players come and go.  Gone are the days when most of the star players play for one team throughout their careers.  That is why those players tend to become revered as iconic ambassadors for their team and its city, much more frequently and passionately than those players who are more transient.  Admittedly, I am more of a traditionalist who values such characteristics as loyalty and passion when it comes to sports and quite frankly, in life in general.  Whether it’s coaching, playing or my business career, these qualities are high on my list.  In today’s professional sports, loyalty is sorely lacking from both athlete and owner, but we all know that loyalty truly cuts both ways.  Unfortunately, sports are a microcosm of life and that same loyalty is lacking in today’s society, too, as many of us have found out the hard way.  Perhaps that’s why I admire and respect loyalty so much from today’s professional athletes, especially when a player opts for loyalty and stability and forgoes a bigger payday. (see Tom Brady)  After all, how much money is enough?  I mean, the average MLB salary in 2012 was $3.2 million, which is more than the average person will make in their lifetime.

Getting back to Jacoby Ellsbury, I think the vast majority of Red Sox Nation wants Ellsbury to stay in Boston.  He is a catalyst and a star who already owns a handful of Red Sox records.  The odds are against him opting for a ‘home town discount’ because that is not his agent’s style.  Scott Boras, Ellsbury’s agent, has a reputation of delivering his players the huge bucks, no matter what the cost, the player’s soul included!   But I am hoping that Jacoby is amongst those players who realize that their place in this game far out lasts their dollar value when it is all said and done!  That’s why I think his place is with the Red Sox, long term.  His accumulated ‘historic’ value with one team over his career will be much richer than those same values spread out over two or three teams.  We’re talking baseball values here, not monetary value.  And I believe every ballplayer dreams of being revered, now and well after they retire.  Jacoby’s best shot is to remain in Boston for a long, long time!

So, with that, I send out my ‘Top Ten Reasons to Stay in Boston” to Jacoby Ellsbury!

10) You were drafted by the Red Sox and have grown up in the organization, from day one!  It’s in your blood, that Red Sox red blood runs through you now and forever!

9) Where better for a Native American to play than in Massachusetts, the birthplace of Thanksgiving and the most historic coming together of Native Americans & Pilgrims.

8) Oh and the team once had a cryptic nickname back in 1907, Pilgrims, so there’s that whole Native American-Pilgrim tie again!

7) Boston fans have pushed your jersey sales into top 20 of MLB in recent years, now that’s love!  Plus, we know what SPARQ is!

6) Your wife Kelsey has a deep, emotional bond with Boston, having  run the Boston Marathon, ‘nuff said! #BostonStrong

5) You are a season or two from passing Harry Hooper as the All-Time Red Sox leader in stolen bases (300) which has stood since 1920 and eventually you could double that record WHEN you finish your career in Boston!   WOW!  Can you say LEGACY?

4) Legends, Iconic Legends, rarely split their career down the middle with more than one team. #RedSox #Yaz #TeddyBallgame #JimRice

3) How will you ever learn to dip without your buddy Pedey?

http://screen.yahoo.com/sports-friends-jacoby-ellsbury-dustin-182911178.html

2) Do you remember catching that FEVER BACK when you were playing in the Cape League and you came to Fenway Park? Remember how that energy captivated you so much that you began wearing your Sox hat back in Oregon, before you were even drafted, especially during games as the Sox mounted an comeback in the ALCS against the Yankees on the way to their first World Series in 86 years?  Well dude, that makes you a lifer, it’s in your blood!  And that means you’ve been a part of the Red Sox family for three World Series and will be for life!

1) Because there are no redo’s in baseball or life!  You may think the grass is greener, you might think you can get a little more money, you might hope that you can put up star numbers elsewhere and you might believe you can win elsewhere…and finally, you may long to be as appreciated and loved by a new fan base, but in truth, the odds are long and there is no turning back the clock once you’re gone!  At the end of the day, when we’ve reached the late innings of our lives, one of the things that matters most are the footprints of our lives.  Did we live our lives with integrity and trueness to our ideals free of regret?  If so, then respect follows! …or did we sell out under a false blanket of “respect” or “peer status” born out of instant gratification?   Unlike the misguided interpretation of the word “respect” perpetuated by greedy agents that equates respect to money, society does not share that same interpretation.  Respect is and always will be about VALUES, not MONEY and must be earned, not handed over on payday!

Jacoby, maybe this is the moment, here and now, that you may wish that you could go back to someday, in order to make a different choice.  Use that moment now, to look at the bigger picture, as if you have come back in time and have a second chance to weigh your decision to stay in Boston or to follow the herd and pursue the dollar over stability, loyalty and integrity!  It’s your legacy, only you get to write it…how will you ‘right’ it?

Here’s to hoping that you, Jacoby, can take a step back and truly evaluate what’s best for you, your career and your lasting legacy.  You have been a solid role model for so many young athletes because of the way you play the game and because of your character and passion.  You can be an even bigger role model to young and not so young, by shunning instant gratification and instead, light SPARQ by following your true values!

Tell Jimmy Derochea what you think: Tweet to @jimderochea

In the days leading up to Game 6 against the Cardinals, I had a conversation with Red Sox Chairman, Tom Werner via email. Making light of the Red Sox incredible journey, I joked that he (Werner) of all people knew that if someone had brought this script to Hollywood, they’d have laughed and dismissed it for being to hokey and unbelievable. For those who are not aware, prior to Tom Werner becoming a team owner in 1990, he had built a career as a highly respected and successful Television Executive. Werner was largely responsible for developing such shows as “Mork & Mindy,” “Bosom Buddies,” “Taxi” & “Soap,” in essence, playing a significant role in launching the careers of Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, Danny DeVito and Billy Crystal. Oh, and he was also Executive Producer of “The Cosby Show.” Tom Werner was no stranger to such scripts!

On the eve of the impending Game 6, I wished him luck and stealthily congratulated him for being one step away from being part of one of the most historic turnarounds in baseball history. “It is still one more hill to climb,” he began, “but I think there is enough magic in their tank to close it out!”

MAGICAL! Werner hit the nail on the head! That was the perfect way to describe the plot twists, turns & the dramatic events that brought this team and Red Sox Nation to the threshold of glory! Perhaps this season was truly driven by some mystical destiny and influence; Much like when Ray Kinsella explained to Terrance Mann in ‘Field of Dreams’ about the voices in the cornfield and subsequent spiritual chain of events, by rationalizing that “there comes a time when all the cosmic tumblers have clicked into place and the universe opens itself up a few seconds to show you what’s possible.” No one could have expected a miracle after the Red Sox fell from grace in 2011 & 2012 when they plummeted to last place with 93 losses. Nor could they have expected one when they subsequently jettisoned $170 million in payroll to create roster and cash flexibility only to totally stump the media by not signing either of the top two available impact Free Agents. But a miracle did indeed happen! For sure, the stars had aligned, the cosmic tumblers had clicked into place for this season, this organization, this team and the result was a rebirth of charmed glory! All that was missing was recurring sighting of an apparition in the form of Ted Williams, emerging from the shadows of the Green Monster as he strutted to home plate to hit a pinch-hit, walk-off homerun!

“Go the Distance!” With one more victory, that is what the 2013 Red Sox were trying to accomplish! To go the distance, from worst to first, to go the distance from a battered city to city in healing, this team was poised to capture it all. During this improbable season they’d already captured our imagination and our hearts & now they were poised to capture the ultimate baseball prize, the World Series Championship! Was there enough magic left in the tank, as Werner had hoped for? A Nation waited!

One night later, on October 30, 2013, we had our answer! YES, there was indeed more than enough magic in the moonlight & in their tanks to conjure up one more win, capturing another fairy-tale championship for Boston, the city that this team has been instrumental in helping to heal!

This was indeed one of the most magical, improbable journeys in sports history! From the “worst to first” angle, to the “under the radar, off-season signings of players like Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes, Stephen Drew, David Ross and Koji Uehara, to the Marathon bombings and the subsequent bonding of a team to the city, it is nearly impossible to rationally comprehend the all that has happened and the ensuing results of the journey that we just experienced. This doesn’t happen in real life, this only happens in the movies. It is like combining ‘Rocky,’ ‘Miracle,’ ‘Field of Dreams,’ ‘The Natural’ and ‘We Are Marshall’ into one movie under the pretext that it was based on a true story! Like

I mentioned earlier, Hollywood would have rejected this script for its lack of believability and corniness. That is what makes this season and this Championship so special. This team broke all the rules of predictability & probability and through their grit and heart, not only won a championship and the hearts of their fans, but they connected with a wounded city like never before, playing a large role in their healing process.

This season was a perfect storm of karma, emotion, talent and a bit of magic, coming together to turn the impossible into the possible. The hiring of John Farrell; not signing Josh Hamilton or Zack Greinke in the off-season but instead signing Victorino, Napoli, Gomes, Drew, Ross, Koji and company; the Marathon Bombings; Big Papi missing the first three weeks of the season, then finally making his 2013 debut in the first home game after the bombings where his rousing, defiant pre-game speech epitomized the Boston spirit and helped ignite the healing process; Gomes and Nava leading an emotional comeback late in that same game to figuratively and literally flex their Boston Strong muscles; walk-offs; the beards; High Five City; and finally, the unwavering belief in each other were, individually, nothing special, but together, created a cosmic snowball of success for the 2013 Red Sox that culminated in their World Series victory!

This is HIS Fucking city

Immediately after the Game 6 ended, I sent Werner a congratulatory email, to which he replied, “Thank you…It really was a magical season.” There it was again! Magical! After such an incredible journey, many of us in Red Sox Nation undoubtedly looked skyward, as if looking up to let our departed Red Sox family know that ‘this was for them,’ hoping that in someway it could “ease their pain” from never having witnessed a Red Sox Championship themselves. But maybe it wasn’t their pain this time.

Do you remember the ironic twist at the end of “Field of Dreams” when Shoeless Joe Jackson corrects Ray Kinsella who mistakenly thought the reason for all the cosmic karma was to ease Ray’s father’s pain? Well, perhaps we too were mistaken and in the end, it was our own dear departed loved ones that were responsible for clicking those cosmic tumblers in to place in order to ease our pain and the pain of a city, a region and a Nation! Just maybe…

 I didn’t have the strength to put the “want to have a catch” scene.

Whether you believe that there was something a little magical or cosmic about this season or not, it does not change the incredible, inescapably emotional experience that was the 2013 Red Sox season! The character of this 2013 Red Sox team, mirrored the city and region for which they represent; Tenacious, Resilient, Unity! TRU Boston Strong, TRU Red Sox, TRU Champions!

Thank you Boston Red Sox for giving us the ride of a lifetime! …and thank you to our departed Red Sox family (Dad, Mom, Grandpa, etc) for clicking those cosmic tumblers in to place.

Tell Jimmy Derochea what you think: Tweet to @jimderochea

These are Jimmy’s Seats.  It’s his world.  He just live in it.

Before I explain why, let me back up for a moment to put some perspective and definition around the kind of impactful moments that ultimately define our fanaticism and sometimes, who we are. I have been lucky enough to have witnessed so many incredible and historic baseball games and other sporting events in general in my lifetime.   And more so, I have been lucky enough to experience surreal, indelible moments that transcend the game itself.  You see, beyond the elation or heartache of the game’s outcome, there are these rare hidden gems of emotion, feelings and experiences that strike us unexpectedly and forever affect us, emotionally and sometimes spiritually.  These moments can affirm you, lock you in as a card-carrying, full-fledged baseball fanatic for life because they provide the vehicle for those moments. They become a part of you. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to experience these kind of moments, you know what I am talking about.  Whether getting caught up in an unexpected, surreal sports moment or witnessing baseball history & sharing an emotional bond with your father, son, daughter or friends, these moments touch you deeply and stay with you forever.

I was at Fenway for a playoff game in each the ALDS and ALCS.  Besides experiencing that incredible swarm of electricity that buzzes through ballparks like Fenway during the playoffs, there was something else that captivated me at those games, giving me chills and leaving one of those indelible marks on me.  It involves a now recurring event that started earlier this year and has caught fire in during playoff games at Fenway Park each time that Shane Victorino strides to the plate.  It was that same electric moment that a national TV audience witnessed as Victorino came to the plate before smacking his ALCS clinching Grand Slam against the Tigers that sent my emotions flashing back to when I first experienced 38,000 fans belting out,  “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘Cause every little thing, gonna be all right”  when Victorino came to bat. Not because we’ve never heard the entire Fenway crowd singing in unison, I mean, they do it every game when they belt out “Sweet Caroline” after the top of the 8^th inning, but because of it’s polysemantic meaning for the people of Boston.

The Red Sox can’t help but to be linked to the Boston Marathon bombings by proxy because of the traditions surrounding the annual “Patriot’s Day” Game.  Patriot’s Day is a local Boston Holiday where the Sox annually begin play at the odd time of 11am to allow for fans to scurry out at games end and catch a glimpse of the runners just a block away from the park, as they race the last mile towards the finish line.  And they are tied to it because of their response when they returned home for the first time after the bombings and how their play embodied the strength and resilience of the town they play for.   And there is no doubt, that made a conscious decision when he chose that song. The lyrics are purposefully and dually emblematic of his personality and of his message to Bostonians.   It is his anthem and also his message of support and encouragement to the people of Boston after the tragedy surrounding the Boston Marathon bombings.  And by singing it loud & clear each time Shane comes to bat is Boston’s way of thanking Victorino for the gesture and more importantly, it’s Boston’s way of announcing to the world that despite those tragic events, “every little thing, Gonna be alright!” That’s what makes it so special.  That’s what sent a bolt of shivering tingles up and down my spine the first time I witnessed it in person.  It’s symbolically bigger than the game of baseball.  It’s about life and persevering!   Long after this season is over, that surreal, electric moment of hearing 38,000 fans belt out to the world that every thing is going to be ok, will stick with me forever!  Forever!!!

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Still, the kid had just 44 Major League at bats under his belt, hitting a respectable (for a 20 year old) .250 with a home run and 5 RBI, which left some wonder why John Farrell would include him on the playoff roster.  Surely a veteran like John McDonald would offer the Red Sox a top-notch defensive infielder for those late inning situations, but Farrell bucked that conventional wisdom and went with Bogaerts instead.  Yet through three games of the ALDS against Tampa, Bogaerts only appearance was as a 9^th inning pinch runner for Will Middlebrooks leaving many to wonder why he was on the playoff roster and what was his expected role?  Defense? Not yet.  Offense? Not yet. Pinch Runner? Yes, but he’s not known as a base stealer.  This left us to ponder, ‘why call the kid up and put him on the roster if he’s not going to serve a playoff role?’

Then in Game 4, Xander got his chance when Farrell called upon the Rookie to give the Red Sox a late inning spark.  Trailing 1-0, Bogaerts showcased his keen awareness of the strike zone, working a one-out walk and eventually came around to score the tying run.   The, in the top of the 9^th, still tied at 1, Bogaerts chalked up another quality at bat, working another one-out walk that helped key the deciding 2-run rally that secured the game and a trip to the ALCS for the Red Sox.   Bogaerts line for the ALDS, 0 AB’s, 2 BB’s, 3 Runs Scored!  Win!

What we saw in Game 4 was a small sliver of what has made so many scouts and baseball experts salivate over this kid’s potential.  He didn’t have to hit one out of the park or make a spectacular diving play on a hot shot to make his presence felt and get the attention of even casual baseball fans.  His incredible poise in the face of playoff pressure, and his uncanny plate discipline for a player of his age and experience were enough to open the eyes of even those who wondered what the “Bogie Buzz” was all about.  Poise and plate awareness well beyond his years!  If I could grant any young ballplayer two natural attributes, poise and plate discipline would be at the top of the list.  All the talent in the world can go for naught, especially for a young player, without the ability to slow the game down and play with a controlled, focused tenacity.  And many minor league offensive juggernauts have wilted and never reached their perceived potential due to their lack of plate discipline and their inability to temper their flailing ways!

Poise and plate discipline; Those alone are not enough to make Bogaerts or any player a future superstar, but they surely give the kid a tremendous foundation for success in the Major Leagues.  When you combine that foundation with Xander’s raw, natural athletic ability, smooth swing, soft hands, strong arm along with the fact that he is still filling out his 6’ 3” frame and what you have is Xander Bogaerts, recipe for an emerging Red Sox star!  And these are some of the obvious attributes that caught the eye of scouts and experts dating back to when Bogaerts was a young teen and finally, that we have begun to see for ourselves during his brief MLB experience.   “X” just turned 21 in early October!  Can you say “huge upside!”

As we are on the cusp of Game 6 of the ALCS, Bogaerts has quietly made his presence known.  He has 2 hit sin 5 at bats and scored 2 runs on a Red Sox Team that is barely hitting .200 as a team and scored 14 total runs so far in the series.  Bogaerts isn’t necessarily expected to be a critical, “X” factor in these playoffs, but simply by ‘doing his job” with that same poise and maturity that he’s shown when he’s been called upon, is a bonus for the Red Sox and for Bogaerts growth going forward.  Xander has calmly answered the questions himself through his play in the playoffs as to why he is on the roster and why he is projected to be a special player.

 At 20, I was concerned with things like, can I beat Mega Man, drunk?

Derek Jeter had that same kind of poise and plate discipline when he came into the majors, as did Nomar Garciaparra and Wade Boggs and I see a quite a bit of those players in Xander Bogaerts.   For many young players, heaping such praise, comparisons and lofty expectations on them creates an overwhelming pressure for them to live up to those standards that they regress under that pressure. To this point, Bogaerts has proven that he is un-phased by such high expectations or by the pressure of playoff baseball.   Similar to how refreshing it was when such talented, poised rookies like Jeter, Garciaparra & Boggs came into the league as humble, respectful players, so to is it refreshing to see a kid like Xander Bogaerts step into the spotlight without a selfish drive to “BE the spotlight!”  Xander Bogaerts belongs on this playoff roster and has quietly done his job and done it well.  There is not much more you can ask of a ‘barely 21 year old’ with less than 50 MLB at bats on his resume who projects to be a true impact player…possibly as soon as his 2014 rookie season!   Yes, the Red Sox have a gem on their hands and the Bogaerts bandwagon is growing daily!  There’s plenty of room, come on aboard, “X” marks the spot!

Tell Jimmy Derochea what you think: Tweet to @jimderochea

The Cardinals and Dodgers should be a NLCS great match up.  I’d have a hard time choosing a team to come out on top if I had to place a significant wager on the series, it’s that close.  They are evenly matched, yet are polar opposites in many ways.  The Cards have built their team from the ground up, with more than half of their roster coming up through their farm system, while the Dodgers have wheeled-and-dealed their way to their roster, leveraging free agency and the trade market.  Most notably, the blockbuster deal with the Red Sox in 2012 that brought Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett to LA.  The NLCS series may come down to match ups.  The Dodgers are filled with big name stars and the Cards have a group of workman-like players who, for the most part, fly under the radar. Both teams have solid starting rotations, with a slight edge to the Cards who are deeper, 1 through 4 but the Dodgers have their two aces, Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw lined up to pitch games 1 and 2.  Not to mention that those 2 would also be lined up to pitch games 6 & 7 on normal rest if the series goes that far, which I believe it will.  Having said that, the Cards pitching overall and their strong defense will keep them in most games and that can easily offset a Greinke or Kershaw throwing against the Card’s third or fourth starter if the Cards keep the game close early and can get into the Dodgers bullpen. The keys to the series could come down to which team comes up with just one more timely hit than the other. The sadist in me would love to see a Dodgers-Red Sox match up in the World Series just to hear how loudly that Red Sox Nation greets (as in heckles) the departed trio of Crawford, Gonzalez and the injured Beckett.  But my baseball intellect tells me it will be the Cardinals as they outlast the Dodgers in series that may very well become an instant classic, 4 games to 3!

As for the ALCS, much like the NLCS, these two teams are fairly evenly matched and the series will likely go 6 or 7 games.  On paper, the Tigers have a deeper overall rotation, 1 through 4, but Boston’s 3^rd and 4^th pitchers, John Lackey and Jake Peavey, are both former aces that certainly “know how to pitch” and know how to pitch on the big stage.  One advantage the Red Sox hope to exploit will be that they will have their top two pitchers, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, going in games 1 and 2 (and 6 & 7), while the white-hot Justin Verlander will not make a start until game 3.  Still, every starting pitcher on both teams is fully capable of pitching shutdown baseball at any time; so, there are no ‘gimmies’ in this series, matchup-wise.  If Miguel Cabrera can get back to being close his stratospheric hitting prowess in this series and Jhonny Peralta and Prince Fielder get hot behind him, the Tigers very tough to beat. Meanwhile, the Red Sox must do what they do best in order to win and that is to work the pitch count, grinding out at bats.  No team in baseball saw more pitches than the Red Sox and their tendency to work counts and driving up pitch counts is one of their main hallmarks that they must continue to employ.  When they get on base, they can also put a lot of pressure on the Detroit defense with their speed.   I think the difference will be the Red Sox ability to get to and exploit the Tigers bullpen and to take advantage of the Tigers defense over the course of the Series; No surprise here, Red Sox in 6 games!

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Overshadowing all those events, though, was the day that will live in Red Sox infamy, October 2, 1978.  The day that The Red Sox and Yankees played game 163 of the season, the day that saw one of the greatest collapses in MLB history came to fruition, the day that Bucky Dent earned a new middle name and the day that a 15 year old boy (me) and his *11 year old brother witnessed (a painful) history that has given us a lifetime of stories & memories.

Guess What It Is??

From 2^nd grade on, I grew up in Brockton, hometown of the great Rocky Marciano and later Marvelous Marvin Hagler.  Since the age of 11, I’d been taking the bus from Brockton to the outskirts of Boston, then onto the “T” (MBTA) over to Fenway Park to watch my beloved Red Sox.  Ya, it was a different era!  By 1978, my younger brother Jeff and I had travelled that path together to dozens and dozens of games.  He was nearly 11, but whenever he retells the story, he emphasizes that he was 10. Technically so, but more on that later.  On this October 2^nd, Mom allowed us to “skip school” knowing how important this game was.  The Sox had blown a 14 game lead and had to fight back in the last week of the season to tie the Yankees and force the extra game.

Jimmy, THIS is the Pride of Brockton

The game was slated for late afternoon on a gloriously sunshiny day in Boston.  Jeff and I got there early for batting practice and found our seats in section 4A in the right field corner.  We watched Reggie Jackson put on one of the most impressive batting practice displays I have ever seen as he sailed homer after homer far over our heads and even hit one off the right field façade. Impressive! The game featured Boston’s #2 starter, Mike Torrez  (Eckersley, 20-8 was #1) against the best pitcher in baseball, “Louisiana Lightning,” Ron Guidry.

The Sox held a 2-0 lead into the 7^th as Torrez put 2 men on with one out before Bucky #@%^! Dent changed history with one swing of the bat.  From right field, the ball looked like a lazy fly ball to Yaz in left, but as Yaz drifted back, it began to look like it might catch some wall, floating, floating and BOOM, it settled into the net over the Green Monster and the Yankees had a 3-2 lead they eventually stretched to 5-2 when Mr. October smacked a solo bomb to straight away center field.

But the biggest play, unheralded play, and came in the bottom of the 9^th inning that Jeff and I had a perfect view to.  The Sox had scrapped back to cut the lead to 5-4 heading to the 9^th as Sox shortstop and leadoff hitter, Rick Burleson worked a one out walk.  Jerry Remy then met up with a Goose Gossage offering and smacked line drive to right field.  If you know anything about baseball, you know that Fenway Park has one of the worst right field sun fields in baseball, especially during late afternoon games.

Our seats were positioned (behind and) about 20 feet to the left of right fielder Lou Piniella, so we had a slight angle advantage fighting the sun than Piniella had as the ball sailed his way.  Right away, I knew that the ball was to Piniella’s left as he moved a step to his right.  He couldn’t see the ball!  Remy was a speedster and he certainly would have had an easy triple or a two run, walk off, inside-the-park home run if it got past the shallow Piniella.  But just as the ball landed to the left and just in front of the blinded Piniella, he lunged and stuck out his glove to snag the ball, holding Remy to a single and more importantly, keeping Burleson from going to third base.  That and the throw he uncorked as he righted himself and threw a ball all the way to third base on the fly!  WOW!

No, he REALLY couldn’t see the ball!

The rest is history, Rice flew skied a deep fly ball that would have plated Burleson had he been able to reach third and Yaz popped out to third base to end it!  Pain, agony and, the rest of the story…

As Rice was coming to the plate, Jeff and I were plotting on how to get on the field.  We felt that he would have a better chance getting on the field because security they’d likely go after one of the adults that stormed the field, not an (almost) 11 year old.  So off Jeff headed toward the 1^st base side with visions of storming the field if the Sox came back to win and stealing second base.  No, literally, we plotted that he’d go out and pull up second base and steal it!  We agreed to meet at a specific spot out side of ‘Gate A’ if we got separated.   Simple plan, right?  Well, we get separated so I head out to ‘Gate A’ and waited and waited and waited.  After an hour, it began to get dark so I decided to walk around the park to look for my little brother.  All the while, he had gone out to wait outside the player’s parking lot in hopes of getting autographs and lost track of time.  (An admission that he later retracted and conveniently forgot.)  As darkness crept in, he realized he’d lost me so he began asking anyone who would listen, including a cop if they had seen his brother  “wearing a Red Sox jacket.”  Umm, there were probably tens of thousands of males in Red Sox jackets that day.

Eventually I assumed that since Jeff was so familiar with the “T” and bus trip back and forth between Fenway and Brockton, that he’d made his way home, after all, it was now 2 hours after the game ended.  As I got off the bus in front of our house, my Mother was waiting, hair brush in hand as she whipped my ass!

Grandma Derochea, circa ’73.

Apparently Jeff had not made his way home, but after hailing a policeman who gave him a ride to the bus, the policeman called my Mom and told her that he had Jeff and was getting him home because “his brother left him in Boston!”  Really?  I left him in Boston or he left me hanging.  To this day, he tells the story portraying himself from a “poor me, I was *10 years old and he left me there” perspective, which is half of the fun whenever we reminisce and debate over our adventure from that day.  (Dude, you were 6 weeks away from being 11, so I say you were 11!  Damn semantics!)

Looking back to that day after 35 years, I guess October 2^nd wasn’t really that bad of a day.  Sure, the Sox lost to the Yankees, but we got to see a classic, historic game and Jeff and I shared an adventure that has bonded us for life! But I still wish Piniella missed that damn ball!

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And to watch the emotion on the faces of all 3 was priceless, but when Mo handed the ball to Pettitte and they embraced, I lost it.  It was a real life “Norman Rockwell” moment if I ever saw one.  What a moment for baseball, for Mo and for those three, the last icons from a solid Yankee era. Even having Mo hand the ball off to Pettitte had an extra special meaning because no other closer in baseball saved more games for one pitcher in the history of the game, than Mo Rivera did for Andy Pettitte!  Classy, emotional…perfect! I am sure I speak for many in Red Sox Nation when I tip my cap in respect to Mariano Rivera for his illustrious & dominating career.

 

Ok, onto the Red Sox and playoffs.  The Red Sox are seemingly set to wrap up the best record and home field advantage this weekend.  The reward for doing so will be a playoff date with the eventual AL Wild Card team at Fenway Park on Friday, October 4^th.   Who that will be is anyone’s guess.  Tampa and Cleveland are deadlocked with 2 to go and Texas is one game behind.  What a wild scenario it would be if the season ended with all 3 teams in dead heat!  My guess, Tampa and Cleveland edge out Texas and they square off, with Tampa winning and heading on to meet Boston.  But I’d love to see Cleveland win, just for the Tito Francona storyline that would dominate the sports airwaves and headlines in Boston.

This week, someone from outside of RSN asked me about the Red Sox strengths and weaknesses and if I thought that they were built for playoff success.  It got me really thinking about the Red Sox recent playoff history, their past successes and disappointments.  The teams that disappointed seemed to rely heavily on a small core of players or on one aspect of the game, be it pitching or slugging.  Contrarily, the successful teams seemed to have balance and consistency in all aspects of the game and up and down their lineup.   This 2013 Red Sox team shares that same blueprint and in fact, is balanced and has not only been consistent up and down the lineup, but up and down the entire ROSTER!

The Red Sox will finish the season having never lost four games in a row.  The last Sox team to do that was the 1903 squad that later went on to defeat the Pirates in the first World Series ever!  (Editor’s Note:  And don’t we all remember THAT squad )They have been consistent and have not relied too heavily on any player or single aspect of their game.  They are not spectacular, but they are efficiently sound all around. Their starting staff is steady, experienced & solid, as is their defense.  Their bench has produced all season, whether in pinch-hitting roles, spot starts or swiping a well-timed base. The back end of the bullpen has been lights out (#High5City) (Ed. #GAGME) and the Sox have 2 or 3 options to work the 7^th and 8^th innings, depending on the situation. They have 3 or 4 guys that will swipe a base or 2 and they have consistent thump up and down the lineup.  And they know how to get on base and work the pitch count, which is one of their greatest assets.  And yes, I purposely refrained from dropping names as much as possible, because though this team has some marquis players, their success was built on the “the whole being greater than the sum of its parts!”  (Thank you Aristotle).

No Problem, Jimmy. Glad I could help invent modern thought so you could compare it to some knuckleheads playing a game.

In short, the Red Sox are a very dangerous team because opponents can’t game plan to shut down one player or one aspect of their game. They can beat you in so many ways! Someone different is seemingly stepping up and making something happen game after game.  And they do not panic and they never give up nr do they give in. Their consistency & balance have helped put the Red Sox in the position that they are in, having clinched the AL East and on the cusp of claiming the best record in the MLB.  But the playoffs are an entirely new season, where everyone involved starts fresh with 0-0 records each series and regular season success does not guarantee anything except a favorable seeding.  Still, the more you dissect the Red Sox, the better you have to feel about their playoff chances, especially if they continue to get that balance up and down the roster.

One thing for sure, there are no clear front-runners in this year’s playoffs which are loaded with quality teams in each league, which should make for some exciting matchups, drama and surprises!  Football season will have to wait another month (hopefully) because it’s playoff baseball time!  I live for this!  #GoSox

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Just look at this guy…

Even as the Red Sox brass, led by GM Ben Cherington, acquired players in the off-season, the Nation’s frustration needle did not move. The Sox failed to acquire any impact free agents like Josh Hamilton or Zack Greinke and instead opted for peripheral players.  Players who could fill holes in the lineup but were not perceived as impact players.  I recall numerous radio shows from the Boston market spending days on end feeding the anger of RSN by admonishing the Sox brass for not signing big name players after dumping a large chunk of their payroll in 2012 (Beckett, Crawford & Gonzalez). Some urged the fans to stay away from the ballpark in protest.  And many did!  The 10-year sellout streak of 820 games came to an unceremonious end in early April. (EDITORS NOTE: FENWAY holds like 4700 people, so let’s just chill out with this “streak”)

The Red Sox got out of the gate quick and darted out front of the A.L. East pack right from Opening Day.  Still, only a small minority in Red Sox Nation truly believed.  And then, they kept winning and grinning.  This team, unlike the boorish and standoffish stars from 2011 & 2012, seemed happy and passionate about playing the game.  The Sox have not lost 4 games in a row this entire season.  No other team can make that claim. What we thought were smaller pieces that the Ben Cherington put together this off-season, has turned out to be the perfect pieces to create a well-oiled machine!

Every successful season seems to have a specific “defining moment” that turns the season around, bonds the team, creates momentum and fires up the fans. The 2004 season had the Jason Varitek – Alex Rodriguez scuffle on July 24^th that seemed to be the lynchpin that sparked the Sox the rest of the way.  This year was no different.  Three weeks into the season, the Marathon Bombings rocked Boston.  As often happens, we turn to sports for our relief, our outlet and the Boston sports teams rose to the occasion.  That day, that game will always stick out in my mind as the day the 2013 Red Sox identity was born and the day that Red Sox Nation looks back on as this year’s “defining moment.”

How can anyone forget April 20^th, that first game back in Boston after the Marathon bombings? That was the day that Big Papi slung an F-Bomb in front of a national audience and galvanized Boston and RSN by claiming, “This is our f’ing city and nobody’s gonna dictate our freedom, Stay Strong!”

 

I was 1,600 miles away, in Florida and I got the chills when I heard those words, was never prouder of being from the Boston area. Not for the F-Bomb, but for those words and the passion and conviction behind them. (ED: Come on Jimmy, the f-bomb made you a little proud…)

Later, in the bottom of the 8^th inning, trailing by a run, Jonny Gomes doubled to lead off the inning to spark a 3 run rally.  As Gomes stood on 2^nd base, he flexed both arms as a tribute to the “Boston Strong” mantra, a tradition that has carried throughout the season for the Sox. By the time Daniel Nava hit his 3-run homer later in that 8^th inning, RSN was again firmly behind this team.

Some might say the Red Sox “had me at this f’ing city” that day.  I know they had me!  You see, Big Papi symbolized the Boston spirit in that moment as perfectly as anyone could; A spirit of tenacity, resiliency and unity. And in reality, Big Papi also captured the essence of the 2013 Red Sox, though it took us a little longer to realize it.  TRU…Tenacity, Resiliency and Unity!  Those words perfectly epitomize both the city of Boston and the 2013 Boston Red Sox.  TRU that!

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And This Jimmy, Don’t forget this!

During one off season, they put together a gritty, resilient team that plays with passion and is full of character, aka “Jr. Idiots.”  They may not be as offbeat as that “Band of Idiots” from 2004, but they aren’t far behind, in both character and grit and hopefully, in ultimate success as well.  That “idiot” or character quality is what allows them to play for each other, to never panic and to always focus on that next pitch, next inning or next game rather than dwell on a crushing defeat.  I recently saw a simple, yet perfect description of these 2013 Red Sox on Facebook, “Blood, Sweat and Beards!”  True that!

The latest surge by the Red Sox has increased their lead over second place Rays from mere percentage points just 2 weeks ago to as many as 9.5 games with less than 20 games to play.  We’ve seen a similar lead over the Rays in September that ended disastrously for the Sox (see 2011) but this is a totally different team with drastically different grit and character.  I don’t see a repeat of 2011 any time soon; not with this group of throwback players. Instead, I see this as an opportunity for the Sox to fine tune things while finding opportunities to rest key players down the stretch to make sure everyone is at their optimal performance level come playoff time.   They simply need to “Mind the Gap!”

Mind the gap? Yes, ‘Mind the gap!’  It’s most well known as a British term that refers to watching one’s step between the gap between the train and the platform as one enters or exits the train, an apparently dangerous endeavor at some stations in England. It’s actually become a big part of the British culture, to ‘mind the gap.’   But I also have heard it used long ago in reference to keeping a consistent gap and pace on the highway between your car and the car ahead or behind you.  I also heard it used by a local stock car racer, referring to his handling a big lead down the stretch. It’s a term that I have used often then when driving on the highway, usually accompanied by a few well-chosen ‘Bawston’ superlatives.

But today, I find this term very apropos when talking about how I feel the Red Sox should approach the final few weeks down the stretch!  “Mind the Gap!”  Note: The 2011 Red Sox did NOT ‘Mind the Gap’ down the stretch and not only fell through the gap between the train and platform and onto the tracks below, but they were then unceremoniously run over by a slew of trains, cars, trucks and even a tricycle before ultimately being kicked in the ass for good measure by that little guy in suspenders who sweeps up the platform late at night! (Whew!  I finally got that out of my system!)

2011 Red Sox – Personified

Nothing is over and I am not advocating that the Red Sox coast in any way!  Au contraire, I think they should keep the pedal to the metal in order to stay sharp as the playoffs approach.  They just need to do it wisely. I think they should manage their pitcher’s innings, pitch counts, etc., as well as managing everyday player’s overall innings down the stretch, so long as they can do it while likewise managing their lead while continuing to play consistent baseball.  It’s a win-win situation because not only will they have the opportunity to keep their players fresh heading into the playoffs, but it creates an opportunity for other players to step up while getting additional playing time to help them get sharp and to stay sharp.  It will also allow them to set up their rotation heading into the post-season as well as their bullpen. Especially their bullpen, where set-up roles still need to be ironed out.

The Sox, like most teams this time of year, have a few players that are nursing bumps and bruises and some veteran players that would benefit from some timely rest here and there going into the playoffs.  They simply need to pick their spots wisely and need to, at the very least, maintain their (comfortable) distance between themselves and their chasers, be it Tampa, NY or Baltimore.   In other words, ‘mind the gap,’ just like Jimmy Johnson, Carl Edwards or Jeff Gordon [and someday soon Danica! ] might do when contentedly leading a NASCAR race with mere laps to go. Keep a comfortable cushion between themselves and the  ‘cars behind them, allowing themselves to conserve fuel down the stretch without jeopardizing their lead or their focus…and without running out of gas!   That’s the task at hand for these Red Sox; To Mind the gap to ensure that they have plenty in the tank.  Then let the real chase begin!

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