Time Out for Sports Talk: Has it Really Been Ten Years Already?
Todd: In Friday’s column, I was remiss in not mentioning that it was a prominent sports anniversary. Ten years ago Friday night, one of the greatest comebacks in postseason history commenced at Fenway Park, thanks in large part to Dave Roberts stealing a base and Mariano Rivera being a mere mortal instead of what he was for most of his career.
I can still remember how that weekend went down for me a decade ago. Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS was played on a Saturday night, and I was preparing for a football tailgate the next morning at Gillette Stadium where my friend (and TOST show co-host) Howie and I were meeting some other guys to watch the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks.
At first I was intently watching Game 3 of Sox-Yanks and ignoring my tailgate prep. But as the night wore on and the Yankees’ lead grew larger and larger (to the tune of a 19-8 evisceration), the game merely became background noise and I was started making stuff for Sunday. I even recall sitting in the stadium parking lot the next morning discussing the Sox season for what I figured was the last time as they were staring at a three games to none deficit. I believe my exact words were, ‘The Sox are finished, but at least we still have the Patriots.’
At least I was accurate about the second part of my statement, as the Pats would beat the Seahawks that afternoon and go on to win their second straight Lombardi and third trophy in four years.
I recall getting home from the Pats game around 8 pm that night and figured I might as well watch the last game of the Red Sox season. But wouldn’t you know, Game 4 ran so long and so late that I fell asleep, missing the heroics of Roberts and Bill Mueller. Then I woke up around 1 am with the TV still on and at first wondered to myself why Fox was showing a full game replay before quickly realizing the game was live and in the twelfth inning.
A couple minutes later Big Papi went deep, the Sox walked off with an exciting win and I thought to myself that at least they wouldn’t be swept as I shut of the TV, rolled over and went back to sleep.
Little did I know that would be the last satisfactory sleep I experienced over the next 72 hours, as I immersed myself in four days of baseball-viewing like none I had never experienced before, nor have since. It culminated ten years ago tonight at Yankee Stadium (previous version) with a surreal Game 7 where early home runs from Ortiz and Johnny Damon (grand slam) led to 10-3 blowout win that exorcised nearly every demon from my Sox-rooting existence.
It would be another seven days before the final demon was defeated and the Sox had won the first championship in our lifetimes, but I’ll save that anecdote for next week.
In the more recent past, it was only one year ago this weekend that Shane Victorino’s grand slam let us Sox fans know that every little thing was going to be all right, as Boston beat Detroit to clinch the American League pennant and eventually win their third title in ten years, a turn of phrase I feel I could type as many times as Bart Simpson writes his iterations on the chalkboard and still not get sick of it.
Some other quick Monday thoughts on NFL Week 7: which Chicago Bears team shows up at Gillette next Sunday, the one embarrassed at home by the Dolphins, or a club that takes those postgame locker room flare-ups and uses yesterday’s loss as a galvanizing moment that leads to an inspired effort against the Pats? I believe it’s a coin flip either way.
Speaking of coin flips, I’m thinking of using that method to try and predict these NFL games. Seriously, who expected Jacksonville to finally win a game? Or the Chargers to stumble at home to the Chiefs?
Even the defending Super Bowl champ Seahawks fell short against the previously 1-4 Rams, although I need to mention more than just the outcome of that game. Gotta give it to St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher for having the massive cajones to not only successfully execute a fake punt return (how exactly did the Seahawks fall for that?) but then to call a fake punt late in the fourth quarter with a two-point lead and facing a 4th-and-3 deep from deep in their own end. As Pats fans still remember that 4th-and-2 play versus Peyton Manning’s Colts a few years back, those plays don’t usually work out.
Back on Friday with a Pats/Bears preview, our weekly picks and whatever else is happening in the wide world of sports.
Our next LIVE show is coming up on Monday night, October 27 from 8-9pm. You can post your questions via Twitter using the hashtag #TOSToct27 or call in at 
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