Damien Doran's Baseball Blog

SOX PULLED UP FOR WORLD SERIES

27-10-2007

Birmingham baseball fan Damien Doran is the eternal pessimist, so if you read his previous despatches you'll have expected Boston Red Sox to have missed out on the World Series. Yet here they, favourites to win it, up against the Colorado Rockies.

It's baseball's World Series time. (No, they don't think its a world competition played only by Americans - it was originally sponsored by 'The World' newspaper). An despite all my earlier pessimism the Boston Red Sox have made it through.

I have painted a picture of Red Sox history as one of self-doubt and failure, which it is. I have also made them out to be plucky underdogs, which clearly they are not. Because they must always beat The Yankees to progress they have amassed a team at huge expense with a payroll second only to New York.

Despite this, at 3-1 down to the Yankee beating Cleveland Indians, in a best of seven, it looked as though they would not make it to the World Series.

They needed inspiration and it came from the most unlikely of sources, dreadlocked super star batsman Manny Ramirez. Having celebrated a consolation home run in a 3-7 defeat as though he had just won a championship, Manny (being Manny) responded to the press by declaring it wouldn't be the end of the world if they lost, there was always next year and, anyway, "who cares?"

Light blue touchpaper and stand back.

Back in Boston they went beserk. The team, especially Manny, were stung into response winning the next three games and outscoring the Indians 30-5 in an incredible fightback.

In contrast, their opponents, the Colorado Rockies are the most unlikely of finalists. They have no super stars, and at the beginning of September were languishing in their division just playing out the season. They then went on an unbelievable run winning 21 out of 22 games, including a one-off match to get into the play offs, which they forced on the very last day of the season.

Over the past few weeks there have been expressions of concern over the Red Sox winning and becoming the big team hot favourites, of becoming like the Yankees! But the feeling here in Boston is just excitement, there may not be the expectation of failure that has hounded this club, but I don't detect any sense of arrogance among the fans.

Everywhere in Boston there is support for the team and the city's tallest building the Prudential Tower has its lights on displaying the slogan "Go Sox". Outside the ground the many bars are packed. The famous 'Cask 'n' Flaggon' has given up its dance floor to accommodate a heaving mass watching the game on big screens. Inside it's even better.

Having seen many World Series games on TV I expected the worst of showbiz with lots of celebrities and glitz. Not here in Boston. The stars rolled out to perform the National Anthem are composer John Williams and singer songwriter James Taylor, both locals. They receive rapturous applause, in contrast to a cameo performance by Boys II Men which is greeted with laughter.

All the other 'duties' are carried out by local kids and ex-players, this is Red Sox Nation night.

Best of all there is no attempt to whip the crowd up with loads of pre game entertainment or drown the fans out with the type of crap-rock that deafens us at even the most ordinary of football matches.

Instead they play The Beatles 'Sgt Pepper' album, in its entirety, in synch with videos of Red Sox history. It reaches its climax at the end of 'Day in the Life' with them winning the World Series in 2004 to huge cheers.

There is no need to try and create an atmosphere at Fenway. The fans and the booze do that. When sponsors DHL give everyone special souvenir towels in their corporate colours for the fans to twirl above their heads in a whirling sea of yellow, nobody does.

My seats are in centre field bleachers, the cheap seats occupied by the rowdiest, noisiest and probably drunkest fans in the crowd. Lots of standing up, chanting and cheering on the team. It's terrific.

In the back row, a group hold up placards spelling out the name of ace pitcher Josh Beckett. In baseball scoring a 'strike out' is sybolised by a 'K'. For each strike out Beckett gets, another 'K' is added to the cards. By the time he leaves the game they spellout "BECKKKKKKKKKETT".

Beckett is an incredible pitcher. In his four post season games he has given up a total of just three runs and in Game 1 of the World Series best of seven the Red Sox win 13-1.

Game 2 is much more exciting with Colorado taking an early lead only to be beaten 2-1 in a tense tight match. The Red Sox closing pitcher Jonathan Papelbon finishes off the last four batsmen to thunderous cheers.

A young pitcher who has come up through the ranks, Papelbon is legend for his Riverdance impression on the field when the team won the division. In honour of this, the guys at the back raise up a Papelbon puppet on a stick which performs an Irish Jig each time he gets a batsman out.

The game ends at 12.15am, to be followed in the bars by more celebrations. Two down and two to go.

To see Damien's previous blog click here