Projo Sox Blog

It all seems rather quaint, doesn't it, especially in light of the Red Sox' dispatch of the Angels in the ALDS. Now all that nonsense, which seemed so real in 2003 (and after the first three games of the 2004 ALCS), is like something from an alternate universe.

Because now we have Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports.com calling the Red Sox "[the] closest thing we have seen to the late 1990s Yankees," a "relentless band of brothers, greater than the sum of their considerable parts, impossible to hate." We have SI.com's John Donovan telling us that while getting "to this point may be old hat for the new Sox . . . the way they get there seems to be different every time," with this triumph "built on youth and ingenious trades."

Want more? Here's John Harper of the New York Daily News calling the Red Sox "the model organization in all of baseball, retooling the roster with young, home-grown players even while winning two championships and making another run at one now." And Joel Sherman of the New York Post saying "Boston is now what the Yankees recently were, a team that knows how to win at this time of year and has much bigger plans than a Division Series victory."

And all this after a mere ALDS triumph.

It all guarantees nothing moving forward, either this year or in the future. (Example: Read this fascinating Jonah Keri piece on what they were saying in the baseball world back in 2001.) But the perception of the Red Sox has changed forever, and if they lose it'll be because they got beat, not because they were predestined to fail or because a long-dead home-run king placed some sort of hex on them.

Yes, change is good.

AND NOW . . . Kevin McNamara gives us a few items to ponder in the downtime before the beginning of the ALCS.

THE BIG QUESTION: The question to be determined today is the pitching rotation for the ALCS. (Boston Globe) Old friend Sean McAdam, now settled in at the Boston Herald, says Monday's win settled the issue.

ROSTER COMPOSITION: McAdam also looks at the Sox' likely ALCS roster. The main difference (in addition to the already-made Gil Velazquez-for-Mike Lowell switch) is that Sean thinks Mike Timlin is in and David Ross is out.

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach

THE CAPTAIN: The Boston Globe's Tony Massarotti reports Jason Varitek was proud of his contribution to Boston's two-run, fifth-inning rally Monday night -- a fifth-inning single (above, Journal photograph by Bob Breidenbach) that put runners on first and third -- particularly after being pinch-hit for the night before. But Massarotti says Varitek's response to questions about being lifted for a pinch-hitter shows why he's the clubhouse leader of the Red Sox.

I'M NOT CONVINCED: Tracy Ringolsby, writing in the Rocky Mountain News, says there are baseball people questioning Josh Beckett's health.

CAN WE HAVE A DO-OVER? The Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Joe Christensen notes that Jon Lester-for-Johan Santana straight up would have been a good deal for the Twins. But they turned down Lester and Jed Lowrie and Justin Masterson for Santana.

BY THE NUMBERS: The blog The Bottom Line takes note of Epic Carnival's 11 reasons to root for the Rays and counters with five reasons to root for the Red Sox.

THE REAL REASONS: Big League Stew has the 10 reasons the Red Sox don't miss the Yankees being in the playoffs.

THE SADDEST OF ALL WORDS: Yahoo! Sports' Gordon Edes says Monday's loss leaves the Angels mulling "the might-have-beens once more."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's the first (and last) of Allan Wood's many rebuttals to John Lackey's "we're better than the Red Sox" comments after Monday's game. (Joy of Sox)

I UNDERSTAND: But Curt Schilling is willing to give Lackey a mulligan because he knows how it feels immediately after such a loss and thinks people shouldn't be held responsible for what they say in the heat of the moment. (38pitches.com)

'WOW': That was about the extent of Jacoby Ellsbury's insights after Monday's victory, but his blog entry was interesting nonetheless.

I THINK IT, YOU SAY IT: Actually, I said it Monday night -- something along the lines of "What's Tito's love affair with Justin Masterson?" -- and so did Chad Finn. But Baseball Analysts says it more intelligently than my off-the-cuff complaint and presents an alternative to the shaky Masterson: Manny Delcarmen.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY CRITIC: Baseball Analysts didn't have too many nice things to say about Mike Scioscia, either, particularly the "idiotic, indefensible [squeeze] play" and the fact that "there is an egocentrism to the way Mike Scioscia goes about his work." Speaking of the squeeze play, I took a look at it in today's newspaper.

A.L. BEASTS: Tom Verducci of SI.com points out that 14 of the 26 ALCS participants since 1996 have come from the A.L. East and presents an interesting factoid: "Over the previous 10 years every world champion except the 2006 Cardinals was either the Red Sox, the Yankees or a team that had to beat one of those two powerhouses along the way."

THERE HE IS AGAIN: Don Zimmer was with us when the Sox were one of baseball's best teams in the 1970s. He was against us when we were battling one of baseball's best teams in the 1990s and early 2000s. And now he's back, once more on the other side of the aisle in this year's ALCS. (Boston Globe)

FAMILIAR FEEL: Joe Maddon and the Rays say they expect their ALCS games against the Red Sox to resemble their regular-season matchups. (St. Petersburg Times)

MYTH ONE: The Rays are proving that lack of postseason experience is no barrier to success. (foxsports.com)

WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO DO . . . The Rays are trying to decide whether to go with an 11th pitcher, or a 15th position player, on their ALCS roster. (St. Petersburg Times)

ONE UP ON CHAD: SI.com's Ben Reiter says there are similarities between B.J. Upton and Chad Johnson (sorry, Chad, sue me; I ain't calling you Chad Ocho Cinco), but there's one big difference: Upton has led his team to a playoff triumph.

PARTY TIME: Big League Stew quotes a "Chicago media vet" as saying the Rays' celebration after beating the White Sox in the ALDS was more intense than the White Sox' partying after they won the World Series in 2005.

GAS MAN: Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan says the unapologetic and hard-throwing Grant Balfour "epitomizes [more than anyone else] the Tampa Bay Rays."

NO ORDINARY JOE: SI.com's Jon Heyman says we shouldn't forget to credit Joe Torre for the Dodgers' success.

THE DON OF L.A.: Ditto Don Mattingly. (Los Angeles Times)

PICKING UP THE MANTLE: With the Cubs gone, it looks like the lovable-loser crown for this year's postseason falls to the Phillies. (foxsports.com)

MANNY WATCHERS: The Phils say they have a plan to deal with Manny Ramirez. (Philadelphia Daily News)

MEANWHILE . . . Deadspin notes a shrine to the 2008 Cubs has sprung up outside Wrigley Field.

HANDICAPPING THE FIELDS: FoxSports.com's Dayn Perry examines all the potential remaining postseason matchups.

STILL A SUCCESS: Of all the teams that don't win the World Series this year, Big League Stew says the Brewers are the ones that can be called a 'winner' despite not taking the big prize.

THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG: The Angels' body isn't even cold yet, and the New York Post's Joel Sherman is out with a column touting Mark Teixeira and the Yankees as a perfect fit. The warning note: Sherman quotes one of Teixeira's ex-teammates as saying he "is not a player who will make anyone else on the team better. The numbers indicate an elite player, but if you watch him every day you will realize he is a very good player, not elite."

OPENING YEAR JITTERS: Peter Abraham, writing on the LoHud Yankees Blog, goes into the problems Joe Girardi (right, AP Photo) had during his first season as Yankee manager, most of which revolve around the question "whether he can lead a group of people"; early reviews are mixed. Peter says Girardi "is no dope . . .[and] can figure this stuff out." And if he doesn't, Abraham adds, the Yankees will fire him.

DOCTOR, DOCTOR, GIVE ME THE NEWS: Worried about a drop in his velocity in the last month, the Cubs are sending Rich Harden to a shoulder specialist before they decide whether or not to exercise the $7 million option on his contract. (Chicago Tribune)

WHO NEEDS BASEBALL? Barry Bonds says he's "enjoying himself immensely" in his forced retirement. (San Francisco Chronicle)

POLICE REPORT: Mets reliever Ambiorix Burgos has turned himself in a week after authorities say he was involved in a hit-and-run accident in the Dominican Republic that killed two women. (AP via SI.com)

HERE AND THERE: Mariano Rivera had shoulder surgery and the Yankees hope he'll be ready for the start of next season (New York Daily News) . . . The Rockies have declined their contract option on Matt Herges (Denver Post) . . . The Yankees have decided against a final ceremony at Yankee Stadium, meaning the Sept. 21 game against the Orioles was the last event there (New York Daily News) . . . The Indians' Travis Hafner may need shoulder surgery (cleveland.com) . . . Next spring's World Baseball Classic will be televised on ESPN and the new MLB Network. (espn.com)

OLD FRIENDS: The Reds have "mild" interest in Josh Bard (Cincinnati Enquirer) . . . The expected asking price for Manny Ramirez: Five years, $85 million. (Rocky Mountain News)

AND FINALLY . . . For all the controversy that went down over the last two months, Manny says he's still rooting for the Red Sox. (mlb.com)

-- ART MARTONE