Josh Beckett looks to reclaim his spot in October lore tonight. (SawxBlog Illustration)
Although the Boston Red Sox play ball this October as the reigning World Series Champions, I often find my memory being flashed back with comparisons from 2004 instead of 2007. That being said, this 2008 squad still has a whole lot of ball and luck left to have 2008 have the same ring as the previous two seasons. From the fan perspective, with the level of nerves and improbability that we're feeling, it becomes hard not to recognize the two different years synergy.
The latest parallel between 2004 & 2008 is laying just under four hours away on this Saturday afternoon. We have our embattled and injured ace about to take the mound, it's yet again on our opposing rivals (yes, the Rays are at rival status now) field, and it's after an unbelievable emotional Fenway walk-off victory. This time instead of Curt Schilling taking the mound we have Josh Beckett. And instead of the forever there Yankees it's the how'd they get there Rays. No matter each rival teams traditions or past, they both hold one thing in common, they're both damned good baseball teams. They both may even be better then the Red Sox in these respective years, but for whatever reason, I can't stop hoping that the results will be the same.
Rooting for the Red Sox the past few Octobers is kind of like believing in magic. The odds, plots, and storylines would make a horrible movie script because the extremes faced wouldn't be believable, yet the Sox have been making it a common occurrence during this familiar autumn bite. I have no reason to hope for Beckett to have a good game tonight. He's been nothing but bad this postseason and he's obviously hurt. What draws me back in is the man's pride. I just have a hard time believing he'd allow himself to let the Red Sox lose in a situation such as this. A win tonight could help further cement his incredible postseason reputation along with adding another chapter to what's becoming a Hall of Fame resume for him.
I believe in Beckett, it's as simple as that, and I know his team and fan base do too, and that just may be enough. One game at a time, and that game's tonight, lets Go Sox!
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