Baseball

It's not what they were hoping for, but the Boston Red Sox find themselves down two games to none against the American League West Champions, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, in the American League Division Series.

Down 2-0 in a five-game series? Pshhhh, please. That's nothing. Try being down 3-0 to your blood rivals in the ALCS a year removed from them ripping your hearts out in Game Seven.

Sunday's Game Three against the Angels is just another day at Fenway Park...we hope.

This is getting to be old news for the Local Nine: down 3-1 in '04 against the afore-mentioned Yankees and down 3-1 in '07 against the Cleveland Indians - both World Series winning seasons. They were also down 3-1 in the ALCS last season but since they lost in Game 7, many forget the accomplishment.

As the Twins prepare their final stand in defense of their 2009 season tonight against the New York Yankees at the Metrodome, it's important Twins fans realize one thing: There are no expectations. There can be none.

There cannot be any regrets, lamentations or disappointments.

Win or lose, this team deserves celebrating.

I am often asked, "Why do you buy season tickets to the Arizona Diamondbacks?"

The question usually results in me staring at the asker with the same incredulous look that I gave the guy who asked me why I thought it necessary to constantly breathe.

I am not suggesting that baseball tickets are as necessary as breathing.

Baseball tickets are much more important that that.

I've briefly considered having a bumper sticker created that simply states, "You can have my Diamondbacks tickets when you pry them from my cold dead fingers."

As the Los Angeles Dodgers finished their three-game sweep of the Cardinals, it occurred to me that this is one club whose success has seemed to be taken for granted.

Last year, as the Dodgers did the same to my Cubbies, most everything that was talked about and written seemed to focus on how poorly the Cubs played and very little, if any, respect was accorded the Dodgers for winning the series.

As a Mets fan, this has been a long, terrible season, and yet, for me personally, it all came together with one blast off the bat of Alex Rodriguez.

I went to see the Mets on opening day, the first time all of the rivals came to Citi Field, and I was fortunate enough to see the team finish the season with a 10-7 record at my games.

Carl Pavano robbed the Yankees of $38 million from 2005-2008 and on Sunday night, New York will look to make him pay for it.

The 33-year-old right-hander is the only thing standing between the Bombers and their first trip to the American League Championship Series since 2004, and there's more on the line in Game 3 than just the satisfaction of sweeping the Twins and exacting revenge on Pavano.

When I first heard that game 3 of the NLDS between the Rockies and Phillies was postponed to tomorrow night, my immediate reaction was one of selfish discontent.  

This would have been a great opportunity for the Rockies to get a victory over an ancient Pedro Martinez, who I'm sure will be glad to know he will now be able to hit up the Country Buffet for an early dinner and be in bed by 7:00.

He knew it was gone the moment he hit it.

It was one more in a long series of moments that have Yankee fans everywhere believing that this is one of those special teams that will go down in history. One more long shot paying off for a team that, for all its talent and gaudy statistics, for all the money it cost to put together, is building its legacy as a team that refused to lie down.