|
Perhaps my favorite Red Sox memory is Game 6 against the Yanks in '04. I was flying home from Bandon Dunes in Oregon. I was distraught that I would be missing the game, but the pilot came to the rescue of me and the other desperate Red sox fans on board. Somehow, he kept finding radio stations that we could listen to the game on with our little headphone thingies.
We landed in the top of the 9th inning with the Sox leading 4-2 and had to deplane. All the bars at Boston’s Logan Airport were closed, but in the luggage recovery room there was a little 13" black and white TV with rabbit ears tuned into the game. About 40 very serious and anxious Red Sox fans crowded into that little room to watch the bottom of the 9th and see if the Red Sox could hold a two-run lead.
When former Red Sox benchwarmer Tony Clarke came up as the winning run with two outs and two on, I actually began to pray. My wife asked what I was doing. I told her that I just so badly wanted them to win just once that I was praying. She told me I was white as a ghost. When there were two strikes, announcer Jack Buck reminded us we were one strike away from forcing a Game 7. 40 people simultaneously groaned. Then Clarke struck out and we celebrated.
2003 was different. When the Sox lost because their manager had poor game management skills, it was deserved. Every observer of the organization knew Grady Little would be an incredible liability at crunch time. This was a weakness the organization tolerated, and every observer knew it could kill them. When his poor game management cost them Game 7 against the Yankees, it was almost poetic justice. I was distraught after Game 7 in '03, but it was nothing like the pain of '86 when the ball went through Buckner’s legs. That just wasn’t fair. The same thing would have held if Clarke’s anemic bat had somehow produced a three run homer; it just wouldn’t have been fair.
The Chargers organization tolerates juvenile things like the Lights Out dance. That bleeds over into narcissistic things like personal fouls. The lack of discipline manifests itself in a ton of mental errors. Having watched the game again two nights ago on the NFL Network (arguably the greatest human advance since the wheel), I was surprised at the incredible amount of stupid mistakes the Charger made that have been overlooked because there were so many other more glaring ones. For instance, the Patriots had the ball at the Charger 13 yard line with 14 seconds left in the first half. They would have one crack at the end zone before settling for the field goal. The Chargers promptly jumped offsides, which moved the ball up to the 8 and about doubled the chance of the Patriots getting a touchdown. Which they did.
The Chargers organization also tolerates a coach who does stupid things like going for it on 4th and 11 in the 1st quarter when it matters most. A challenge for the stats gurus out there - find out the last time an NFL team went for it on 4th and more than 10 in the first quarter in any NFL game, regular season or post-season. If the Chargers had been able to overcome these weaknesses and win a championship, it would have been a minor miracle.
These guys are the reincarnation of the Any Given Sunday Pats of the 1970's who were the most talented team in the league for five straight years and yet still never managed to win a playoff game. I know how those teams broke my young heart, so in spite of all the fun I’ve had with Chargers fans this week, I feel your pain.
Now, the time has come for us all to focus on the real enemy of everyone who loves football – Peyton Manning. The crazy kids at the super blog Kissing Suzy Kolber have posted a hilarious video of Peyton which reminds everyone of the moral necessity of Peyton Manning being defeated. Follow the link and scroll to the bottom of the post.
(For those of you who have never read the Kissing Suzy Kolber blog, a strong content warning is in order, especially if you read the comments.)
Lastly, for those of you who think my football writing has been useless, here’s one factoid that everyone will find interesting. The Boston Herald took one of those online polls earlier in the week asking who would win on Sunday, the Patriots or Colts. 88% of respondents went with the Pats. The Indianapolis Star is running a similar poll. 66% or respondents choose the Pats.
What do these poll results mean? Discuss amongst yourselves.
Comments? Critiques? Contact me at Soxblog@aol.com.
|