The Kinks

Games 154 through 156 – Red Sox

Red Sox 8, Devil Rays 1
Red Sox 8, Devil Rays 6
Devil Rays 5, Red Sox 4
Record: 92-64

Quite frankly, I’m at a bit of a loss this morning. I haven’t quite muddled through my state of mind regarding the Sox. This weekend brought a gutsy performance by Josh Beckett in the clutch, a cardiac comeback in another game marred by managerial indecision, and a very predictable loss with a JV lineup on the day after the Sox clinched a playoff berth.

That last sentence is the key. Even as my irrational fanboy side desperately wants the Sox to win the AL East and break the Yankees’ decade-long stranglehold on the top spot in the standings, my rational mind knows that the Sox would be better prepared for October if any number of key players could take a few days off to rest and recuperate. With the Sox facing the A’s and Twins to the Yankees’ Rays and Orioles, that plan for relaxation is also a recipe for a Wild Card entry into the playoffs. What’s a girl to do?

It comes to this then: ultimately, I want to Sox to win the division mostly because I personally dread the landslide of poorly-written “choke” stories and endless McCarver/Buck references to 1978 and Bucky Dent and Aaron Boone, and…gack. I want the Sox to win the division so I don’t have to hear every mouthbreather pinstripe jerkoff fan proclaiming the Yankees’ superiority. I want the Sox to win the division for me, dammit – way more than I think they need to win it for strategic reasons.

And, at the end of the day, that’s pretty lame reasoning.

So I’m resolved to just watch these last 6 games for fun, let the chips fall where they may, and trust that the Sox’ management team knows a skosh more than me about how best to set up the roster for postseason success. And if, by some chance, the Yankees win the division, that smile you’ll see on my face is there to hide the burning desire to punch the next jackass wearing crossed NY gear in the neck. Serenity, now. At least for the next 10 days or so.

Let’s go Mets.