Sox fail again

And so the baseball misery continues despite the season already being over.

This time, however, I’m talking about the virtual form of baseball that is MLB 08: The Show.

The Show is, undeniably in my eyes, the best sports game on PS3. And in trying to get the Red Sox’s Floridan failure out of my system, I decided on Tuesday night to start a new franchise on it, and sim straight through to the play-offs (arrogantly, and correctly, assuming that the AI would be intelligent enough to carry me there of its own accord).

First game up in the ALCS was at Fenway, against the Minnesota Twins, with Glen Perkins and Josh Beckett on the mound. As Beckett I was initially unhittable; against Perkins, I couldn’t put a bat on the ball. So when the Twins finally broke Beckett’s resolve and took a 1-0 lead in the 5th, I was panic-stricken. But in the bottom of the same inning JD Drew blooped a single over the infield before Jason Bay blasted a two-run shot against the Green Monster coke bottles.

2 hits, 2-1 lead.

The Twins pulled level next inning, only for me to pound Dennis Reyes in the bottom of the 7th and go up 4-2.

Time to put the game into the hands of my bullpen, which is where it all went tits. Hideki Okajima allowed a couple of men to reach base. With two outs Ben Revere drove one of them home. 4-3. Worse: As the scoring man beat Jason Varitek’s despairing dive at the plate I spotted Revere heading for second and launched the ball towards Dustin Pedroia – but it sailed over his head, enabling Revere to come round and tie the game.

Arse!

Or maybe not. In the bottom of the 8th, at 4-4, I loaded the bases and had JD Drew up with one out. Surely, with Paps warming in preparation for the 9th, I couldn’t lose it from here? Yup. In a moment of Mike Scoscia-style madness I went for a suicide squeeze to bring Jacoby Ellsbury home at third. But Drew’s bunt flew back to the pitcher for an easy home-first double play.

Arse!

All the remained was Paps to fall apart on the mound in the 9th and I’d impressively thrown away a victory that I’d had not one but two shots at tying up. It ended 4-7 with Paps’ era at 27.00.

Game two is tonight, Jon Lester on the mound. Wish me luck.

It’s been a while

And for that, I apologise.

Contrary to how it must look, I haven’t given up on this ole blog. It’s just been a crazy month with work/a trip to Rome/other stuff and I’ve taken my eye off the ball like an offensive lineman excitedly snapping up fumble, only to see it ripped from his hands and taken to the house. (Sorry, Pete Kendall, couldn’t resist).

Anyway. Hello again.

During the down period the Rays have been the Rays – winning tough games with ease when everyone had basically written them off – and the Sox have been the Sox – coming back into play-off contention from the most precarious of positions. Over in the NFL the QB injury crisis continues with quality names like Tony Romo, Carson Palmer and Jon Kitna (just kidding) following one Mr Brady towards the treatment table, while the Tennessee Titans look like the best team in football.

Wait, what?

No, I just checked, and that really is the case. For now.

Proper constructive analysis of some/most/all of the above to follow in the coming days. Beginning with a deliriously happy – or, more likely, head-in-hands sad – appraisal of tonight’s game seven showdown between Tampa and Boston. It’d be the typical of the Sox to come back from the dead and win it all again, just like ’04 and ’07. But it would also be jarringly characteristic of those damn Rays to drag themselves back from the brink like they’ve been doing all season, in what might be the most important game of all.

You call it. I really don’t want to.

Youk, Papi, Paps, Tek: just one more win. Please?