Gloating?? maybe a little

[Controlled Chaos]

Ahh....I'm usually not one to gloat...but after seeing the world series and sox pride DVD, I must say my remarks from this thread were right on the money. The battle with Cleveland was beneficial to the sox and they rode that momentum to the promise land!!!

 

 

Blessing in disguise?? Sep 15, 2005 -> 07:37 AM

 

Losing a few games here can be a blessing in disguise. For us fans...NO...we want it done and over with....But for the players....well a little extra competition can't hurt. If this goes down to the wire, the battle with Cleveland will be very similar to a playoff series. I prefer that for the players, over clinching and taking it easy for the last 10 games. I want the team fired up and playing games knowing they are all must win. I want that 'Win or Die Trying' not to just be some marketing ploy, but an attitude for the Sox to emulate. Mentally that is where they need to be. Every game will count here towards the end...and I think it's good for them. I'm not worried about them being well rested for the playoffs. Adrenaline will pull these guys through. I'm worried about the mind set it takes for a team to win it all. If they can get in that mindset before the playoffs instead of trying to turn it on right after they start...it can be a huge advantage.

 

Teams that are there every year know how to turn it up a notch....Yankees, Braves etc...Teams like the Sox need the competition. I think that's why wild card teams have been pretty successful. Bottom line...yeah this is stressful for us, but it could be worth it in the end.

 

 

Reply - Blessing in disguise??

 

I'm not calling you a 'dark cloud' or 'not a fan' and I'm not talking about anything from March. I'm talking about battling at the end of the season to get prepared for the playoffs and how it can benefit the Sox.

 

If the Sox take 4 or 5 from the best team in the AL since April 22nd....then that will be a huge lift mentally. That's my point. The fact that it is this close now...makes them mentally prepared. Do you really believe the Sox can't beat Cleveland?? Do you think Cleveland is that superior to the Sox? I believe the Sox can beat Cleveland and I believe they will. Then the momentum will be with us....right when we need it to be. Not in July....Not in August, but in October!! Who gives a s*** about the 15 game lead...you don't get points for winning the division by a sizeable margin.

 

Will your confidence rise if they take the series with Cleveland? If they stop a team that has been the best in baseball since the allstar break, will you then be excited about their postseason chances? I hope so, cause it's gonna be a helluva ride and I'd hate for any Sox fan to miss it cause they were worried about how we played in August. f*** August...it's over. Screw the 15 game lead...it's gone. We have a battle in front of us. I don't know about you, but I never though it was gonna be easy anyway. Lets win this f***in battle now and take the momentum right to the world series!!

 

 

Reply - Blessing in disguise??

 

The point of my post is that yeah we need to work on some things, but it's good to have this challenge in front of us. Cause if they face this challenge head on and overcome it, they will be in a good postion to roll.

 

Now yes I understand to overcome it, our starting pitching has to get back to where they were and our defense has to pick it up. But these are not unreasonable expectations. It's not like I'm expecting them to do something that have never done...They can do it and they need to do it.

 

I don't believe we need a strikeout starting pitcher. With a guy on first and one out..I'd much rather have a ground ball pitcher on the mound then a pitcher that feels he needs to blow guys away to get out of the jam.

 

Reply - Blessing in disguise??

 

Exactly....and in my opinion, there's something to be said about playing in a tight race. In the last 3 years, 4 out of the 6 teams in the world series were wild card teams and in all 3 the wild card team won it. Now the Sox don't have to be a wild card team, but if they have the same kind of intensity that a wild card team has at the end, it can be beneficial.