Rambling

Did I really say the Sox' 3rd and 4th starters are "much better" than Cleveland's? Ah, the confidence that comes from beating up on what's left of the California Angels, as opposed to playing a good team. I really feel bad for Angels fans, if any exist. They were a good team during the regular season, and come playoff time, half their offense gets injured. I like to imagine that I believe in that baseball cliche -- you're not as good as you look when you win, and you're not as bad as you look when you lose. And yet, I fall for he opposite ALL THE TIME. Every four-game winning streak, and suddenly the Red Sox are the best team I've ever seen.

Not only is Cleveland good, they're also a lot of fun. Is there anyone on this team I'm supposed to be rooting against? (I used to hate Kenny Lofton, but I think that's just the pinstriped residue on his uniform.) (And I do hate that hideous, offensive logo.)

And the city of Cleveland -- come on! What a crappy place to be a sports fan! First, they don't have an MLS franchise! Can you imagine?

But (a) the Browns left, (b) the Browns came back, (c) Craig Ehlo, (d) The fumble, (e) The Drive, (f) Pedro's 6 no-hit innings in 1999 ... I mean, now that the Red Sox have won it, there's no fan base that's suffered worse. And at least Red Sox fans had the Celtics winning championships during the 70s and 80s, and got to watch Bobby Orr win a couple, too. What's on the 'Best of Cleveland' video? (I've always been fascinated by the dichotomy of the Celtic fan's arrogance with the pessimism of the Red Sox fan. I mean, these are the same people! And October in New England is a great time and place to be alive! I still don't get it.)

I know that Colorado is becoming the designated fan-favorite (or maybe that's just what Dane Cook's script is telling me), but Cleveland is much more interesting and likeable. And Colorado isn't a small-market team, whatever that means.

Boston is, like, 80 times smaller than everywhere else. The Sox make money because Red Sox *Nation* is so large, passionate, and rich. You, too, could root for a "large market" team if your people cared more about baseball and less about college football and NASCAR. End of story.

(As it happens, I would like to see more revenue sharing along with a salary floor. But if large-market teams like Colorado want to piss away money on Todd Helton, Mike Hampton, and Denny Neagle, and then cry poverty, there's no stopping them. What ticks me off is when teams stop being interested in fielding a major-league roster.)

I like the Sox' chances tonight and in Game Four, mostly because they do well against pitchers who don't strike batters out. Being patient against Carmona paid off huge by knocking him out of the game early. One just can't get Youkilis, Ortiz, and Ramirez (for that matter, Jason Varitek and J.D. Drew) to chase pitches outside the strike zone. My guess is that Westbrook won't last 4 innings tonight. Then again, I have no idea what to expect from Matsuzaka.

Go Sox.