Load up the bus; pack up your belongings, the ALCS is headed back to Boston.
        Josh Beckett made sure of it, by doing what no other Boston pitcher, thus far, has managed to do: silence the  Tribe bats enough to give the offense a chance to wear down an opposing pitcher. The result: a convincing 7-1 beating of the Tribe at Jacobs Field.     

        When Kevin Youkilis deposited C.C. Sabathia’s 4th pitch of the night over the left field wall, to put the Sox up 1-0, it marked only the first time this series Boston scored first.

        The Indians, who seem to have an answer for everything, stormed back in the bottom of the first, and had runners on the corners with nobody out. But like he’s done so many times before, Beckett worked his magic and escaped the threat, surrendering only a run.

    Down three games to one and clinging to dear life, the Sox put their hopes squarely on the 27 year-old pitcher’s shoulders, and wouldn’t you know it, it worked.  This year’s top Cy Young Award candidate had his whole repertoire on display, striking out 11 - tying his post season record. He surrendered just five hits and one walk in eight innings of dazzling work.

     Despite a dark, threatening cloud perched over the Boston dugout, knowing full well only 5 teams have bounced back after being down three games to one, the Sox also knew if they were going down, they were going down with their best at the wheel. After all, the Boston ace is no stranger to high pressure situations. 

            Beckett stunned the Yankees in their own yard in Game 6 of the 2003 World Series, throwing a 5-hit shut out to give the Florida Marlins their second world series championship.

          So the bottom line, good news for Beantown is the series swings back to Fenway on Saturday. The bad news is Josh Beckett won’t be on the mound.

     If Boston hopes to lock horns with the Colorado Rockies in the World Series, they’re going to have to get there without the right hander’s help. It’s now up to Curt Schilling, who was pounded for five runs in game two, to shut down a powerful Tribe lineup. It’s no easy task, but Schilling is used to filling tall orders.

         When he was with Arizona, the battle tested veteran pitched the decisive Game 7 against the New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series , his third start of the series. Though he didn’t win the game, he kept his team within striking distance, enough to allow the D-Backs to get to Mariano Rivera in the ninth in a memorable 3-2 stunner at Bank One Ballpark in Arizona.

     Before Boston broke the game open in the 7th and 8th inning; Beckett and Sabathia were locked in battle like two gladiators. It was just a matter of who was going to melt first in another warm night at Jacob’s Field. C.C., once again, wasn’t able to deliver. He was banged around for four earned runs through six innings, and the final damages could have been much worse had the Sox not stranded 7 runners through the first 5 innings.

 With a day of traveling before Game 6, and surely heaps of media attention to come between now and then, the big questions centers on how welcome Manny Ramirez will be when his plane touches down at Logan Airport.

     Manny was his typical Manny self during his stay in Cleveland, which is to say he was being his usual classless, uninspiring self, telling reporters it really doesn’t matter if the Sox drop the Series to the Tribe, “There’s always next year’’ which was preceded by the all-star’s arrogant home run trot in Game 4. With his arms held high in the air before he even stepped out of the batter’s box – an all too familiar vignette, the slugger had very little to be arrogant about with his team still down by 4 runs.

    Ramirez’s pathetic display of gazing at his towering drive to the right center field fence in Game 5, only to see it ruled not a home run, and never getting past first, almost brought Fox TV broadcaster Tim McCarver popping out his seat, as voiced in disbelief “how is possible for Manny to be standing at first, I ask you?”

    In the meantime, David Ortiz, not exactly Maury Wills, was alert enough to motor all the way from first and cross the plate to put Boston up 2-1. The no-home-run call and Ramirez’s careless base running blunder might be significant on two counts.

    If the Sox are eliminated, Manny’s lack of hustle and cavalier attitude during such an important series might cause Boston fans to demand a divorce from their power hitter, on the grounds of irreconcilable differences

    Manny’s blast might also might bring a fresh round of debate whether instant replay should be introduced into Major League Baseball.

        But I’m not sure if even instant replay would have decisively determined if Ramirez deserved to circle the bases.
            -Bill Lucey
            billlucey@bellsouth.net