Having thought it over a little bit later on after I cooled down a little bit...it kind of looked like the Sox hadn't played in 4 days, didnt it? Facing a team with some crazy momentum on their side and adrenaline running through their veins.

 

Those f***ups that the entire team had last night are just things I see happening because of rustiness. Not much more.

 

 

Tonight's game pretty much seems to be a necessity. As Rock pointed out, the last 4 teams to advance to the WS from the AL have lost game 1, it should also be pointed out that in the history of the 7 game ALCS(which dates back to 1985), there has never been a team that has lost the first 2 games at home in either league to advance to the World Series.

 

FWIW, the '96 Yankees were the last team to lose the first 2 games at home in a 7 game series that later went on to series...that was the Jim Leyritz 3-run game-tying homer in the 8th off of Mark Wohlers series, which essentially ended Wohlers career - he put up a solid 3.50 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP the following year, but that was not the Mark Wohlers of 95 and 96 that everyone saw. He pitched in 27 games in '98, busted s*** up, and was never the same ever again.

Hmm, my thoughts on tonight's game can be best summarized by the folowing:

 

LET'S GO WHITE SOX

CLAP, CLAP

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!

Rowand bunting in the 9th was ridiculous. You're putting everything on

AJ. There is absolutely no way Crede can hit K-Rod.Absolutely no way. Rowand had to hit there and be short and quick.

 

Why was AJ stealing? I hope there was a missed sign.

 

What's with Dye bunting? If that's his only way to get on, the Sox better find someone else to bat 3rd.

 

A couple of tough plays that if they are made the game is still tied. The DP ball where Iguchi got nailed and threw it high, and the slow roller to Crede who had no play at home but hesitated toward home anyway and had no shot at Cabrera.

 

Pods unable to execute a bunt was painful especially after Dye's single.

 

Had to have been a missed sign. I don't know if it was AJ or Joe who missed it, but it absolutely had to be a missed sign.

I'm not going to blame the game on the fans, but they definately seemed a lot more quiet last night than the first two games of the ALDS. Instead of willing them to win, they waited for the White Sox to do something before they cheered. Now that's nice for the regular season, but I think the crowd was pretty much dead last night and needed to be like the first 2 playoff games.

 

The other part of the game is blamed on the players. Ozzie even looked pissed because of a lack of execution. I also heard AJ say that when he asked Raines if he missed a hit and run call, Raines said, "I don't know." How the hell does a 1B coach not know the call on the field?? Last night, I think Ozzie was the only one who did his job.