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Photo: Red Sox Nation decks itself out

Journal photo / Kathy Borchers
Red Sox player shirts line the wall behind the cash registers at Modell's Sporting Goods this afternoon in Warwick, where they said they'd been busy all day selling team gear after the team won the ALCS last night.

At Dick's Sporting Goods in Warwick, Tom Mullins, of Warwick, had waited at the front door from 5:40 a.m. until “locker room” hats -- the style worn by the Red Sox during their locker room celebration last night -- arrived at 5:45 tonight. “Every time they win, I make sure I’m down here the next morning. When they celebrate on the field, I celebrate the next morning," he said.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 7:26 PM | Permalink

Jonathan Papelbon's Riverdance redux / Photo, video

Journal photo/ Bob Breidenbach
Red Sox' pitcher Jonathan Papelbon celebrates last night's Game 7 win in the ALCS with his unique version of an Irish step dance, a talent he first demonstrated after the Red Sox beat the Angels in the division series.

Of course, what would such a performance be without being uploaded to YouTube. Here's one videographer's version of the jig.

Gallery: See more Journal photos of the Sox' celebration after the game last night.

Posted by Jack Perry  at 7:15 PM | Permalink | Comments 5

POSTGAME: Sox fans salute Indians

BY ART MARTONE
Journal Sports Editor

BOSTON -- As the Indians' players made their way from their clubhouse to the team bus, which was parked in right field, they found themselves being honored by an unlikely group of people.

Red Sox fans who had stayed behind at Fenway Park for the post-clinching celebration stood to the sides and created an alley for the players to walk through. And as they passed, the fans applauded, making comments like, ''Good series,'' and ''Good luck next year.''

Ex-Sox right fielder Trot Nixon was the first to pass, and he seemed surprised by the ovation. The other Cleveland players passed stoically, but Travis Hafner had a smile on his face.

It all occured at around 1 a.m.

And at 1:04 a.m., with the field finally clear of Red Sox players but the lights still on and the grounds crew beginning its work, the Fenway Park organist began playing ''The Impossible Dream.''

Posted by Art Martone  at 1:42 AM | Permalink | Comments 13

POSTGAME: Dice-K swarmed

BOSTON - The scene said an awful lot about how close the players are on this Red Sox team.

With the clubhouse packed with wives, children, boosters, club front office personnel and media, the players savored the moment and began popping champagne bottles at every turn. Two wide-eyed pitchers, Japanese pals Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima, bounced off one group of people after another.

But then Matsuzaka hit a wall. Veterans Curt Schilling and Mike Timlin made sure to surround the winning pitcher in the pennant-clinching game and drench him with a twin-engine shower of champagne. Dice-K laughed and smiled and shot his arms into the air in celebration.

Posted by Kevin  at 1:19 AM | Permalink

POSTGAME: Wake tips cap to old friend Millar

By KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON – Tim Wakefield actually felt that having old friend/cheerleader Kevin Millar at Fenway Park Sunday night helped spur the Red Sox to the World Series.

Millar was an emotional leader in 2004 when the Sox won the world championship and he was invited back to town Sunday to throw out the first pitch of Game Seven of the ALCS. After the Red Sox pulled away for a convincing 11-2 win over the Indians, Wakefield made sure to give a shout out to his former teammate when asked about the feeling around this team and the `04 club.

''It’s very similar, very similar,” said Wakefield. ''We don’t have Millar here to keep everything loose but to be honest I think we learned a lot from him about being loose. It helped once we got down 3-1 in this series.”

Wakefield was the controversial starter in Game Four of this series. He threw the ball very well for four innings bit got knocked around and chased from the game in the fifth. He says he never worried once the Sox fell down 3-1 in the series because Josh Beckett was the scheduled starter in Game Five.

''We had the right guy on the mound in Game Five. That was big,” he said. ''As long as we won a Game Five to get it back to Boston I felt good. I knew we’d be all right.”

With two World Series appearances in four seasons, the Red Sox are now clearly the model franchise in the American League. Wakefield said the team’s ownership and front office should see plenty of credit for the achievement.

''Ever since Mr. (John) Henry took over, they’ve just done tings right,” he said. ''The right manager, the right way to treat people and the right players. Just doing all the right things. The chemistry is huge and I think they understood that. It’s a big philosophy in the front office. From the coaching staff to the manager to the players, it’s a perfect fit. You can’t say anything negative about the whole situation.”

Posted by Kevin  at 1:16 AM | Permalink

POSTGAME: Beckett earns ALCS MVP

By JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Curt Schilling fought his way through a crowded clubhouse to find Josh Beckett.

The pair of Red Sox aces found each other near the door in the midst of champagne and beer. They embraced, and for once the always-confident Beckett appeared humble, asking the veteran why he won the Most Valuable Player Award for the ALCS.

''Because you are the MVP,” Schilling told him. ''In the postseason [the voters] actually get it right.''

Beckett pitched a complete-game four-hitter in Game One of the ALDS against the Angels, then tossed six solid innings in Game One of the ALCS against the Indians when he surrendered two runs on four hits. In was lights out again in Game Five of this series, working eight strong innings, allowing just one run on five hits.

The right-hander finished the ALCS with a 2-0 record and a 1.93 ERA to become the third Red Sox player in LCS history to win the honors, joining David Ortiz (2004) and Marty Barrett (1986).

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 1:09 AM | Permalink

POSTGAME: Matsuzaka gets win in second chance

By STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- After losing Game Three in Cleveland, Daisuke Matsuzaka was distaught, knocked out after only 4 2/3 innings.

But his teammates kept telling the right-hander that they would give him a chance to redeem himself. That opportunity came Sunday night, in the deciding game of the ALCS because the Sox had captured Games Five and Six in forcing a winner-take-all contest at Fenway Park.

And while Matsuzaka wasn't dominant, he turned in five solid innings, leaving with a 3-2 lead as manager Terry Francona turned to his bullpen duo of Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon, who held Cleveland in check in what ballooned to an 11-2 win.

''The team kept telling me to get ready to pitch Game Seven,'' said Dice-K through translator Masa Hoshino. ''I think everybody on this team worked very well together to bring us into Game Seven. I just wanted to respond as best I could to my teammates today.

''I felt very lucky that this start came along and belonged to me, but I also felt that with the momentum we had going into the game, there was no way we were going to lose," said Matsuzaka, who won the title game for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic last year, prompting the Sox to shell out $103 million in posting fees and salary to bring him to the Red Sox.

He was happy enough that he was able to turn a lead over to the bullpen, though he was by no means totally satisfied with his performance.

''My velocity itself was okay, even in my last start. But today I wanted to get ahead in the count and even if I missed a few spots, I wanted to throw with a lot of power. I think I was able to do that,'' said Matsuzaka, who gave up six hits, fanned three and didn't walk a batter.

''Once I was in the game I tried not to worry about all the small things. I wanted to go out there and swing my arm hard and put my heart into it, and I wanted to display that to everybody that was watching,'' he said.

That audience included fans in Japan, where the game was broadcast live, starting at around 9:30 a.m., Monday, local time in Japan.

Now he is looking forward to pitching in the World Series in his rookie season in the big leagues.

''I think the first repsonse (to his outing Sunday night) is the team winning, and in that sense, I'm very happy," he said. ''But there is more to play and I'm not 100 percent satisfied with my own pitching today. I want to address some of those things in my next outing. The world's biggest stage is still waiting for us, and I'd like to see what I can do."

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 1:09 AM | Permalink

POSTGAME: Taking it all in

By JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- He played two games, and the Boston Red Sox won both of them.

Coincidence? Probably not.

Every time this season the Red Sox summoned the duties of Jacoby Ellsbury, he shined. Not just on one occasion, he performed at a major-league level every time he stepped onto the field. Because of his success during the regular season, and with the struggles of Coco Crisp in the postseason, Red Sox management decided it was time for a change.

Ellsbury made things happen in Boston’s Game Six victory, and again in Game Seven to help the club to its second World Series appearance in four years.

He’s a rookie, but there he was standing in the middle of the clubhouse celebration, getting drenched with champagne and beers. He’s part of the team now. A big part.

''Words can’t explain this,” he said. ''This is awesome. To come like this is awesome. We stayed relaxed and had confidence. This is awesome. We’re tight and we never had our backs to the wall. The veterans and everybody, we all had confidence in ourselves. We stayed true to ourselves.''

Someone asked Ellsbury if the champagne tasted sweeter at Fenway, a veiled remark to Ryan Garko.

''It does,'' said Ellsbury. ''It definitely tastes sweeter at home.''

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 1:04 AM | Permalink

POSTGAME: Coco's knee is fine. And happy.

By KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Coco Crisp may have felt the last out of Sunday night’s pennant-winning game more than any other Red Sox.

With the 11-2 win over the Indians assured, Casey Blake drove a Jonathan Papelbon pitch deep towards the triangle in center field. Crisp ran hard to his left and made a running catch that left him sliding into the bullpen wall. As Fenway Park erupted, Crisp stayed on his knees, shook off the pain and began celebrating.

''I was really shook up, but my knee caught the padding out there. I’m OK,'' Crisp said as champagne flowed in the Boston clubhouse. ''I was feeling a little pain but it feels nice now.''

Crisp, who was benched in favor of rookie Jacoby Ellsbury in Games Six and Seven, is bound to be back in the starting lineup sometime early in the World Series, but just when will be one of Terry Francona’s toughest decisions. Crisp finished the ALCS hitting just .143.

Crisp’s defense is a major reason why the Red Sox captured their second A.L. title in four seasons.

''We try to prepare all season for this moment,'' he said. ''This was the first time all season we had our backs against the wall and we were resilient and we got the job done. We proved we can be the best team in baseball. Now we have one more step to go.''

Posted by Kevin  at 12:59 AM to McNamara | Permalink

POSTGAME -- Mike Lowell comments

-- On starting the key double play, when the Indians had runners at first and third with one out in the seventh, trailing by only a run, at 3-2.

"The ground ball (hit by Casey Blake) had a lot of topsin on it. I just wanted to make sure I caught it. It wasn't the greatest feed (to second baseman Dustin Pedroia), but because he's 4-foot-8 he was able to turn that one easily," said Lowell with a chuckle.

-- On Daisuke Matsuzaka's performance -- two earned runs in five innings.

"He was very relaxed and comfortable going through the first three innings. He was pitching well. If this had been the regular season I'm sure he would have gone seven innings, but we had the luxury of a good bullpen in a game where there was no tomorrow," said Lowell.

-- On being able to overcome the Indians' 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

"I think we did a good job of not looking ahead to win three games. We took a good approach into Game Five, that we had to win that game. We couldn't be thinking about facing (Fausto) Carmona in Game Six when we were facing (C.C.) in Game Five. Then after (winning) Game Five, we worried about winning Game Six. That's the approach we took," he said.

-- On the series in general.

"I think it was a great series. Their bullpen was lights out the first five games. We had some good pitching. I thought there was a lot of excitement and a lot of drama. Fans on both ends got their money's worth," said Lowell.

-- On hitting in Coors Field, the high-altitude home of the Colorado Rockies, the Sox' opponent in the World Series.

"Everyone thinks you hit a popup to shortstop and it goes out. But that's not the way it is. It's just that it's a big field and there's a lot of room for hits," said Lowell.

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 12:58 AM | Permalink

POSTGAME: Pedroia the Destroy-a

By JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- The toss of the bat told the entire story.

Red Sox rookie Dustin Pedroia put bat to ball in the seventh inning, and as soon as he did he immediately tossed the bat end-over-end. He knew he had just hit a two-run homer into the Monster seats to break open a 3-2 game. That homer put Boston in front 5-2, and the Sox added six more in the eighth -- three riding home on a bases-loaded double by Pedroia -- as they coasted to an 11-2 victory and the American League pennant.

''I was excited,'' he said with a bit of a sinister laugh. ''I hit it real well and I was just worried because the wind was pushing it towards center, and I was thinking, ‘Oh, no,’ because I didn’t want it to hit off the top of the wall. I was just trying to get the run in and put a good swing on the ball.''

As he rounded first base and knew it was gone, Pedroia unleashed one of his vintage vocal fist-pumps because he just ignited a team. He had ignited a city. He had ignited a Nation.

''I really don’t think too much,'' he said when asked what he was thinking about running the bases. ''I just try to play the game, have fun and go on from there. This year has been such a grind. It’s my first full year of playing and the veteran guys have taken care of me and shown me how to do things. It’s been unbelievable.''

When Pedroia was struggling in the first half of the month, he knew he would finish the season strong. There was a time when David Ortiz pulled him into the batting cage, not only to work on hitting, but just to talk about the game in general. The hour-long talked worked.

''I’ve been through a lot,'' said Pedroia. ''Everyone has been through a lot. That’s why we’re a team. This is special. It’s a special time right now.''

Mike Lowell has been in this game for a long time, and he and the rest of the older players on the club quickly realized how special this Pedroia was . . . and is.

''You get contributions from guys you don’t always expect,'' said Lowell. ''I’m not saying we didn’t expect him to do well, but he’s gone beyond the call of duty and today he had two huge hits. We are very proud of him.''

When things weren’t going so well for Pedroia at the start of the season, manager Terry Francona fielded a ton of questions why he continued to stick with the pint-sized infielder. Francona kept preaching patient, and it paid off just like the organization knew it would.

“That’s why we don’t run away from guys,” said the manager. “He’s a winning player. Again, that doesn’t assure that you’re always going to get hits, but he still knows how to play the game, and his hits were welcome and they were clutch.”

Pedroia finished Game Seven 3-for-5, including five RBI and three runs scored.

Up next: The World Series.

''I’m tired, man,'' he said. ''We’ve been locked in for so long and you don’t real get a chance to sit back and enjoy it. Everything happens so fast and you work so hard for this opportunity, this is just a great night for us.''

From the time the Red Sox drafted him in 2004 -- the same year the Red Sox won their first World Championship in 86 years -- Pedroia was always considered an underdog in some peoples’ mind. Not in his own. Not in the minds of Red Sox management. And even though he started the season slow, he finished strong and proved why he’s one of the best young players in the majors.

''I don’t think about it,'' he said of the slow start. ''If you start slow that just means you have to finish strong. I just go out there and play the game hard, and play the game it is supposed to be played.''

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 12:48 AM | Permalink

POSTGAME: Eric Wedge's reaction

BY BILL REYNOLDS
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Before the game Indians' manager Eric Wedge was well aware of the significance of a seventh game against the Red Sox.

''We have a chance to win a pennant tonight,'' he said, ''and there's almost a sense of peace about that. One way or the other it will end. And when you talk about Game Seven, that says it all.''

But it wasn't to be for the Indians' manager.

''Any time you go a seventh game in a series like this, you know it's going to go back and forth,'' he said. ''We won three in a row, then they won three in a row. We talked about it even prior to today's game because obviously the score was much closer than it edned up being.

''You knew that whoever took advantage of opportunities, or if mistakes were made, that was probably going to be the difference, and I think it probably was today.''

That being said, Wedge was obviously disappointed, especially after having been up 3-1 with the fifth game in Cleveland.

''I'm disappointed we weren't able to finish it off,'' he said. ''But I'm proud as I could be of our players. I've told them it's been my honor and privilege to manage this baseball team.

''The respect that they show for the game, what it means to be a great teammate, and how they play the game means more to me and to us as the Indians' organization than anything. We fell short, but I think we learned a great deal in this postseason.''

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 12:39 AM | Permalink

POSTGAME: Francona's prize -- managing the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium

BY ART MARTONE
Journal Sports Editor

When Terry Francona got to the podium in the interview room, he was reminded that, by virtue of winning the 2007 American League pennant, he'll be managing the 2008 All-Star Game.

At Yankee Stadium.

The All-Star Game will be held at the Yankees' home next season, the final year the Yanks will play there. (They'll move into their new stadium in 2009.) Francona's earning the All-Star managing job is somewhat fitting, since then-Yankee manager Joe Torre was the A.L. manager when the All-Star Game was last held at Fenway Park, in 1999.

Posted by Art Martone  at 12:25 AM | Permalink

POSTGAME: Celebration begins

BOSTON -- It took until 12:17 p.m., but the fans at Fenway Park who waited around after the Sox had clinched the American League pennant -- about half the 37,000-plus who attended Game Seven -- got what they were waiting for.

David Ortiz, American League championship trophy in tow, came back onto the field, placed the trophy near the pitching mound and saluted the patrons. The fans roared.

Soon the entire team, wearing the red T-shirts commemorating the A.L. championship, where on the field with Ortiz. And Jonathan Papelbon, as he'd done when the Sox clinched the A.L. East, did his Irish dance to the tune ''I'm Shipping Up To Boston'' by the Dropkick Murphys.

Posted by Art Martone  at 12:15 AM | Permalink