So while both teams have essentially wrapped up their places in the playoffs (the Red Sox's magic number is 3), the Yankees officially won the AL East for the first time since 2006. For some reason, that fact surprises me. For all the money George Steinbrenner has spent into building his team, I can't believe the Yanks didn't finish on top of the division more often the last few years. That's not even a cheap shot at the man, he loves his team and wants them to win.. I can respect that.
Unfortunately, a mix of school and Iowa football among other things have left me ample time to actually pay attention to this weekend's series. But as a Red Sox fan, I still hate the Yankees. I hate seeing them celebrate and I hate even more that it came at the hands of my beloved BoSox getting swept. The Red Sox were beaten and battered this weekend and what do they have to show for it?
While the Yankees celebrated, the Red Sox shrugged. Players in every corner of the visiting clubhouse uniformly shared a three-point mantra: The Yankees won. Good for them. Wait for the playoffs.-- The Boston Globe
"I think they have the best team in the American League East," closer Jonathan Papelbon said. "Sure. Facts are facts. I think there's a little sense of pride in trying to win the division every year. But realistically, the point is getting in and getting hot."
"As of right now, obviously they're the better team," leftfielder Jason Bay said. "Once the postseason starts, everything else is kind of thrown out the window."
Didn’t it sting just a little watching the Yankees celebrate?
"I don't care," Kevin Youkilis said. "I want to get into the playoffs. Once we get there, it's a whole other game."
Uhhh, okay. What the hell is that? Does this team even WANT to make the playoffs? Perhaps winning two World Series championships in a six year span may be tiring but I just can't comprehend how a team could seem to care less that their biggest rivals just clinched the division title (at their expense no less).
I don't know about anyone else but I'm having some serious concerns with how the Red Sox are going to fare this postseason. I'm almost positive the road to the World Series will go through Yankees and I'm not sure Boston can handle that. Optimistic? Not quite. Honest? You betchya. I guess lately I've been getting the vibe the Sox don't even believe in themselves. After starting the season 8-0 against the Yankees, things evened up fast as both teams split the 18-game series, 9-9 by winning nine of the last 11.
Who knows, maybe if/when they finally clinch the AL wild card, they'll show some passion they've been seriously missing the last couple of months.
Photo from www.bostondirtdogs.com
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