Red Sox/Rays Game 5

[Bahku]

GO RED SOX!!!          GO RED SOX!!!          GO RED SOX!!!          GO RED SOX!!!          GO RED SOX!!!          GO RED SOX!!!          GO RED SOX!!!          GO RED SOX!!!          GO RED SOX!!!

[Celtic]

YES YES YES OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Celtic]

Momentum has officially completely changed, Sox in 7.

[Andrew Celtic Nation]

Im speechless...I had the Sox dead in the water after the first 5 innings and was so frustrated...what a turn around.

[Bahku]

UNBELIEVABLE!! One of the greatest comebacks I've ever seen ... what an amazing game, and as Celtic said: The momentum is now OURS! Go Sox!!

[Redz]

Man, I love baseball!

How the hell can a team get that far down and come back.  Never mind a 7-run lead, they'd been crushed two straight games and came out tonight and were getting crushed again in an elimination game. 

You have to keep watching the Sox, just in case.  I had them out, of course I did.  How could you not?  But you still had to watch, because in baseball a spark and start a flame, and we've seen the Sox do it, time and again. 

Just unbelievable.

Hopefully Beckett can do what Kazmir did in his "redemption" start.  If the Sox pull this thing off...wow...just wow...Even if they don't win this series you have to respect them for playing like defending champs tonight.

Lordy!

[Celtic]

Beckett is really gonna be looking forward to Saturday's game.

[Redz]

Beckett is really gonna be looking forward to Saturday's game.

It would be pretty flippin' sweet if he "has it".  I've never been more confident of a 1-run lead than I was in last years playoffs with him on the mound.

[Not Walkin Thru]

It is incredible what a hard fought, back to the wall at bat by Pedroia can do to turn around a whole team.

Loved how the announcers were about ready to put Longoria in the Hall of Fame on that play as he was throwing the ball in the dirt.

Go Sox!!!

[Bahku]

Beckett is really gonna be looking forward to Saturday's game.

It would be pretty flippin' sweet if he "has it".  I've never been more confident of a 1-run lead than I was in last years playoffs with him on the mound.

Well said, Redz ... Beckett's the guy to have on the mound at times like these ... we've got a good chance at evening this one up! (And a TP for you ... so this TP thing WON"T be "evened up"!) 

[libermaniac]

Ok - time to focus exclusively on the Celtics!

Um, ya think I was a bit premature?  Good thing I didn't turn the TV off ... I was very tempted, but decided I didn't want them to shut us out. Unreal! 

All the talk about Pedroia's clutch AB ... let's face it ... this one was on Papi ... he gave the whole stadium hope.  Then JD was awesome.  Go Sox!

[Redz]

I had a hard time sleeping last night after that one.  Right up there with Game 5 vs the Angels in `86 for miraculous comebacks facing elimination.

A couple signs that the Sox had a chance last night.

TBS flashing a graphic of the Rays having the youngest rotation for any World Series team since whenever it was, and the announcers talking about how the Rays would have a tougher time running on the Phillies catcher.

They started out guarding themselves with, "if the Rays can hang on", then totally abandoned it and penciled the Rays in.

The other glaring signs were the Rays bullpen choking their faces off!

[ChampKind]

Ok - time to focus exclusively on the Celtics!

Um, ya think I was a bit premature?  Good thing I didn't turn the TV off ... I was very tempted, but decided I didn't want them to shut us out. Unreal! 

All the talk about Pedroia's clutch AB ... let's face it ... this one was on Papi ... he gave the whole stadium hope.  Then JD was awesome.  Go Sox!

I did.  Once the Sox were down 7 I went to bed.  Woke up to about 15 text messages on my phone.  I am hating myself this morning, yet also intrigued that my going to sleep may have sparked the turnaround.  If the Sox are getting beat next game maybe I should do it again.

[Redz]

Ok - time to focus exclusively on the Celtics!

Um, ya think I was a bit premature?  Good thing I didn't turn the TV off ... I was very tempted, but decided I didn't want them to shut us out. Unreal! 

All the talk about Pedroia's clutch AB ... let's face it ... this one was on Papi ... he gave the whole stadium hope.  Then JD was awesome.  Go Sox!

I did.  Once the Sox were down 7 I went to bed.  Woke up to about 15 text messages on my phone.  I am hating myself this morning, yet also intrigued that my going to sleep may have sparked the turnaround.  If the Sox are getting beat next game maybe I should do it again.

Quitter

Luckily I have this thing with watching Sox playoff games until the bitter end.  Growing up they made the playoffs so infrequently, that I decided it was still "Playoff Baseball" even if they were getting smoked, and that I should watch it, even if I'm pretty sure what the outcome is going to be.  The sweeps at the hands of the A's in `88 & `90 severely tested that theory. 

I always look back at that Game 5 vs the Angels in `86 as example #1 of why should hang in there til the end.  The Sox were down 5-2 with 2 outs and no one in the 9th, facing elimination.  I hung in there and saw the most amazing comeback ever (let's not talk about the `86 Mets). 

Last night was right up there.

[Redz]

Excellent line by Shaugnessy in the Globe

Next came the Game 5 ceremonial first pitch. The Sox turned to the inimitable Blowhard himself - Mr. Big Game Bloody Sock - Curt Schilling. It was somewhat amazing that the Big Lug was available since the presidential election is less than three weeks away, but Schill strode out to his old mound of glory and bounced a pitch 6 feet in front of catcher David Ross. That's what the Red Sox got for their $8 million this year - one pitch, in the dirt.