HELLO OCTOBER!

The Red Sox are moving on! They defeated the Angels in 4 games to move on to the ALCS for the 4th time in 6 years! An epic series it was as the 95 win good guys faced off with the 100 win halos.
Games 1 and 2 occurred on the West Coast. In the opener, Lester and Lackey battled one another in a great pitching duel. The decisive blast was a homer from Jason Bay en route to a 4-1 victory. In the 2nd game, another Bay shot helped give the good guys a 4-0 cushion in the opening frame. But Dice-K struggled to get through 5 innings and could not protect a 5-1 lead. A sac fly in the 8th by the halos gave the club a 5-5 tie heading into the 9th. But the Sox did not stay shocked for too long, as J.D. Drew hit a 2 run blast off closer K-Rod and the Sox pulled out another road win, 7-5.
The scene shifted to Boston for games 3 and 4. Game 3 featured a Beckett/Saunders matchup. Neither starter dominated, and a 3-1 Red Sox lead disappeared as the game was tied at five through five! The next 4 innings were great as both clubs battled. The Sox tried to get the sweep while the halos tried to stave off elimination. The Sox had countless opportunities to take the lead and win, but all came up just short. The Fenway cool midst knocked down every Sox deep shot and the game would eventually go to extras.
The Sox loaded the bases off K-Rod in the bottom of the 10th. The place was going nuts as Lowrie came to the plate. With a 2-0 count in his favor, things looked good. But on the next pitch he lined out to RF and the game continued. The game progressed onwards but the halos scored a run in the 12 th off Lopez and the halos ended an 11 game postseason losing streak to the Red Sox. The 5:19 epic game ended well after midnight with the somber news: the Angels lived to play another game.
Hours later that day, Lester and Lackey battled once again. The game went scoreless until the Red Sox got RBI's from Ellsbury and Pedroia to attain a 2-0 lead. Lester was dominant throughout, completely shutting down the halos before exiting after another 7 inning-no runs performance. But in the 8th, with 2 outs and nobody on, they fought back. After putting men on 1st and 2nd, the two moved over on a wild pitch. Then, with 2 strikes, Hunter lined a base hit off Masterson and suddenly the game was tied at 2 runs.
With the game tied at 2 going into the 9th, PH Morales opening the inning with a double. He was moved to third on a sacrifice with only 1 out. Delcarmen faced Aybar, who had a 2-0 count in his favor. The next play would seal the fate for both teams. A botched suicide squeeze left the pinch runner Willets stuck between home plate and 3rd base. Varitek chased him all the way to the bag and tagged him out on a close play. The rally was over. The Sox had the momentum as they eventually headed to the bottom half of the 9th. That's when the good guys created some 2 out magic for themselves. Shields, who was dominating in the previous innings, got 2 quick outs and the game appeared headed for extras. But a double by Kotsay set the stage for a Lowrie at-bat. He came through as he lined a single through the left side and Kotsay beat the throw from Willets. The game was over. The Red Sox ended the halos great regular season.
Lester was surely the hero, as he threw 14 scoreless innings. While the 3-4-5 hitters of Teixeira/Guererro/Hunter all hit near .400 or better, Anderson/Aybar/Kendrick struggled. But it was the Red Sox who struggled, as their 3-4-5 hitters of Ortix/Drew/Bay struggled and never reached the .300 mark. AL MVP favorite had only 1 hit in 18 at-bats in the series. But Ellsbury, Lowrie and Bay carried the team. Lowell went hitless in 2 games and was eventually dropped from the 2008 playoff roster due to the hip injury that plagued him for weeks. Youkilis moved to 3rd and Kotsay to 1st. Both played well, especially defensively. Masterson pitched in all 4 games and Papelbon was stellar.
So with 3 wins down and 8 to go, the next 4 will have to come in Tampa. The upstart Rays continued their amazing storybook season as they walloped the Chicago White Sox. Games 1 and 2 will take place Friday and Saturday night in Tampa. The scene shifts to Boston for Games 3-5 in Fenway, starting on Columbus Day afternoon. The series should be great, most predict it will go 7 games. Most importantly for the Red Sox is to win one of the first two in Tampa. They must be 1-1 going to Fenway to have a true chance. Go Red Sox!
How about the NE Patriots? They team came off a bye and played in San Francisco. Things looked ominous early on, as the 49ers led 14-7 in the 1st quarter. Cassell looked shaky despite throwing a deep TD to Moss. His 2 early picks hurt the club. But the defense took over and played well the rest of the game, giving up only one score, a late 4th quarter TD. Meanwhile, Cassell looked better as the game progressed and the running tandem of Faulk and Morris were solid. The team also picked off 3 O'Sullivan passes. In the end, the Pats won 30-21. They are now 3-1 and take on the Chargers on Sunday night. A win will put the Pats back in first place alongside the Bills!
In other news briefs, the Revolution are going to the playoffs for the 7th straight season and the Bruins open their season on the road starting in Colorado later this week!