Red Sox Win, Grady Lost
Friday, October 17, 2003
I am sure there are several instances where a manager or coach has cost his team a game, but I can?t think of any but Game 7 of the ALCS. All too often managers and coaches get blamed for a team under performing when in reality; they are dealing with a bunch of overpaid whining babies. This team- the Red Sox- wasn?t those guys. This was a team full of energy; with an attitude of we can beat anyone, anytime. A team that never gave up and outplayed the Yankees-- and still lost. The Red Sox players beat the Yankee Players. Grady Little however, caused us to lose the game.
Once the Yankees tied the game I started to channel surf, I couldn?t bare to watch us lose this one. I had lost faith. At the top of the 10th I changed the station for good. I nodded off and was woken by a noise in the room. I flipped back to the game only to see Boone rounding third. The baseball gods wanted to inflict their usual suffering on a Red Sox fan and wanted to make sure I was sick to my stomach for at least the next 2-3 days.
The day after I turned on Sports Center and watched it all over again. I bounced from one sports station to another looking at the highlights over and over again. I got in my car and put on sports radio to hear the same thing we were all thinking ? Grady Blew It! Sick! Sick! Sick! My wife called me a masochist and I guess I am. I guess all Red Sox fans are, year after year we all subject ourselves to this unpleasant and trying experience.
I will restate the obvious. Why didn?t Grady go to the bullpen? Embree, Timlin, and Williamson had proved themselves throughout the post-season. Without those three there would be no game 7. Embree 0.00 ERA, Timlin 0.00 ERA, Williamson 1.13 ERA. Over 23 innings pitched combined, 26 strikeouts and 5 walks. These 3 men could have easily shut the Yankees down for 2 innings.
Through all of this one image will stick with me, the face of Kevin Millar when Grady finally came to take Pedro out. Kevin Millar, the rally karaoke guy, the cowboy up guy, the guy who gave his all to this team, stood there in disbelief. As Grady consoled Pedro, Kevin wanted to be positive, he nodded in agreement to what Grady was saying. His face however was saying I can?t believe the situation we are in. He looked beat down, the wind knocked out of him and so pale you would think the ghost of Yankees past were looking at him.
No dropped balls, no strikeouts at key moments, no bizarre plays, only the Red Sox players doing what they were expected to do and that is win. Losing to the Yankees makes it worse than normal. I have already started talking about spring training. Discussing with friends the moves we need to make to get there again next year. I hope the core of this team doesn?t change much because I don?t think I have enjoyed any team as much. They were a selfless bunch and in about 5 months we can start hoping again. My 2 year old daughter will wear her Red Sox shirt and continue to shout, ?Go Sox? and my son, which is arriving any day now, will sport a Red Sox bib and onesie ? and if we are lucky we can win it all on his first birthday.
posted in: Sports