October 07, 2003 - 10:32 a.m.

Cowboy Up!

The Red Sox actually did it! They cowboyed up big time and are now officially in the American League Championship Series against our rivals, the Yankees. The phrase "cowboy up" is one that was coined by one of our pitchers and has stuck in a big way. It is perfect for the ability of this team to go to the brink of extinction without giving up and fight their way tooth and nail back to victory. This year's Red Sox players have more heart than a warehouse full of anatomical models! I love this team!

The game last night was incredible! It was frighteningly close right up to the last pitch. The score was 4-3 in favor of the Sox, the bases were loaded, and Derek Lowe was pitching. The count was three balls and two strikes, a full count, and Lowe, who just happens to have been one of my favorite players for the past several years, struck out the batter looking! Needless to say, I screamed and jumped up and down.

The funny thing about the game, for me, was my sense at various points that we were going to pull it off. Right before Jason Varitek, another one of "my boys", homered I had a gut feeling he was going to hit one out of the park. Then in the last inning as all of Red Sox nation waited anxiously for that final out, I just felt that Lowe was going to pull it off. The broadcasters were pointing out what a risky situation the Sox were in, since Lowe is known for getting batters out with ground balls rather than strikeouts. That leaves room for a ball to "dribble" into the outfield and, in the situation at hand, score the tying or even winning run. Lowe also hasn't been the most consistent pitcher in baseball, especially in away games. Yet, I suddenly calmed down and figured he'd pull it off. And he did - with a strikeout no less! It was an exhilarating game, and I am thrilled that my favorite players on the team have had such big roles in getting the Sox through this series and into the ALCS.

That said, I think I am going to have an ulcer by then end of this postseason! The Red Sox tendency to come from behind makes for exciting games but very anxious fans, especially in the playoffs when so much is at stake and the competition is so tough. Still, it is a great time to be a Boston fan, and I think we have a good shot at getting to the World Series.

The other scary part of watching last night's game was seeing two of our playerrss collide, literally head to head. Johnny Damon and Damian Jackson were both running hard to try to catch a fly ball, and crashed into each other hard. They both ended up flat on the ground. Jackson eventually got up and played the rest of the game, but Damon was carried off the field in an ambulance and spent the night in the hospital with a concussion. It was pretty tense, but it looks like he'll be okay.

Today I am less a nanny than a proud Red Sox fan. :) I am looking forward to Boston taking on the Yankees starting tomorrow in New York. Go Sox!

today's project: beaming about the big win

musing about: how many more of these nailbiter games I can stand

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flutter back - fly ahead