Best ALCS Ever?

Except for last year. Between the same two teams. Game seven, extra innings, on-field brawls, Clemens back at Fenway.

Not to pooh-pooh the cultural drama of what's going on here, but at least wait until they play the game. Then, let history decide.

If I know one thing, it's that David Ortiz or Keith Foulke or Mark Bellhorn or Hideki Matsui or Tanyon Sturtze or Bernie Williams can go from Hero to Goat purty darn quick. Bellhorn throws one lousy relay throw into the dugout and nobody remembers the 3-run dinger from last night.


The best sportswriter in the world also takes the angle that tonight is, in fact, a "big game." In case you were wondering.

I agree with Lupica regarding one opinion that might not be so obvious and universal: The ALCS is bigger than the World Series. Same goes for most sports. Your divisional rival is your true rival, the team you play every year, the team you really, really, REALLY hate deep-down. No question about it, losing to the Red Sox tonight would be worse than losing to the Astros or Cardinals in the WS (also worse than it was to lose to the D'backs, Angels, Indians, Dodgers, Reds, Mariners, Marlins, Royals, etc.). That's what a rivalry is.

However, if Mike Lupica can find one Yankee player, coach, manager, owner, GM, or employee who "thought they had them swept," then he should quote that source. I know the Yankees play it close to the vest, and everyone had to be confident after a 19-8 win and a 3-zip lead in the series, but I truly doubt if any player on the Yankees assumed the series was over.

Mike Lupica stupidly thought the Yankees had the Red Sox swept if they went up 3-0 (he said so in his article after game two). Mike Lupica stupidly could not envision the Red Sox winning one more game, much less three more games.

Lupica-Land is a crazy place. First, he'll tell you something can't happen, and you think he's nuts, he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Then, when he is proven wrong, he won't admit that he was wrong ... the ethereal "Everybody" was wrong.

This was not "Supposed To" happen.

Ever notice how often things happen that Lupica insists were not "Supposed To" happen?

Maybe, just maybe, Mike Lupica didn't know what was "Supposed To" happen the whole time.