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September 29, 2007
By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer
BOSTON _ The Boston Red Sox were partying like it was 1995.
It’s been 12 years since the club won the A.L. East Division title, and after the Sox officially clinched it last night, the players in the clubhouse begin to celebrate in hopes of another ending like 2004.
Manager Terry Francona was sitting in a leather recliner, smoking a cigar and truly, for once this season, he was actually enjoying the moment. Right then, one of the team’s batting practice pitchers, Matt Noone, approached him and Francona said: “You better get used to this.”
Red Sox GM Theo Epstein stood against the back wall of the clubhouse by himself, drinking a beer and smiling at what he his team has accomplished.
“Our players really wanted this,” he said. “We felt like we were the best team in the division, and it was good to go out and get it. I’m happy for our fans, because they deserve this too, they waited a long time.”
Closer and crazy man Jonathan Papelbon stood on a table wearing nothing but goggles, a T-shirt and a jock strap, spraying champagne all over the joint.
“This is awesome,” screamed Papelbon. “What we’ve got here in this clubhouse is unbelievable. God, it pays off when you work hard. This is where we wanted to do this.”
Red Sox utility man Eric Hinske was one of the first players to leave the clubhouse and join the celebration in the stands. The thousands of fans were remained went crazy, so he immediately ran back into the clubhouse and said to rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia: “You have to get out there. We’re like rock stars.”
Pedroia ran back into the clubhouse to grab a fresh bottle of champagne and started spraying it when he reached the field. Red Sox ace Curt Schilling, a three-time World Series veteran, stood on the top step of the dugout throwing cans of beer into the stands.
“It’s game time,” he said. “It’s October and that’s when great players play great, and hopefully we have a couple of those guys in this clubhouse.”
The always intense Kevin Youkilis had left the park to join his family at a local establishment, but when the Orioles tied the Yankees in the ninth inning to force extra innings before winning it in 10, Youk quickly made his way back to the clubhouse to be with his teammates and the fans.
“Let’s do this every year,” he said to owner John Henry.
“We knew if we played our kind of baseball all year we would end up here,” said Epstein.
Bring on the Angels.
Posted by Joe McDonald 
at 12:23 AM | Permalink
ruok2lose | September 29, 2007 1:09 PM link
SO EXCITED THAT WE CLINCHED THE DIVISION LAST NIGHT!!! ON MY WAY TO WORK THIS MORNING, MY MATSUZAKI SHIRT I'M WEARING WAS NOT APPRECIATED. I MISS BOSTON AND HOPE THE SOX GO ALL THE WAY.