Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader doffs his bejeweled floppy hat to the Boston Red Sox. Certainly this is one of the greatest (if not the greatest) comeback in baseball history. Every game hard faught. Every player giving their all. Every decision a nailbiter. It is absolutely amazing to behold.
As many minions know, your Maximum Leader is a National League man. He prefers the style of play in the NL. He prefers the speed of play in the NL. He prefers that in order to bat you have to play the field.
Normally, when this time of year comes around; that is to say World Series time. Your Maximum Leader, if not rooting for his (choker) Braves, roots for the NL team. This year, your Maximum Leader is falling in with all those starry-eyed romantics and long-suffering New Englanders and will pull for the Red Sox.
Now, your Maximum Leader has long experience with the Red Sox, and their fans. His college roommate was a Sox fan. Mrs. Villain’s family hails from New England and are (mostly) Sox fans. Your Maximum Leader’s esteemed brother-in-law was born in Boston and is a life-long fan. (Your Maximum Leader’s esteemed brother-inlaw also took your Maximum Leader to baseball games at Fenway Park (including one during the ALCS last year)). So, it is from a position of some experience from which he speaks…
Beating the Yankees is a wonderful thing. Winning the AL Pennant is a great accomplishment that speaks to the never-say-die spirit of the team. Be warned! There are still 4 more victories needed to exorcize the demons that have haunted the team since the early years of the last century. The Sox can still screw it up. To make a metaphor that my beloved Sadie can appreciate. It is possible that the Sox have prematurely ejaculated their karmic load by beating the Yankees.
The NL is going to send a formidable team to play the Sox. The Cardinals were the best team in baseball over the regular season. They have an offensive corps that easily matches (bat-for-bat) the Red Sox. The Card’s pitching might not be quite up to the level that the Sox have. But the Card’s have shown they can step up and win.
If it is the Astros representing the NL, you have a great storyline. Roger Clemens coming back to the town where he spent the best years of his career to battle for the crown that eluded him during his time there. The Astros have a good lineup of batters as well. And they have been playing for their lives.
It is something of a tragedy that the NL series has been given rather short shrift by the sporting media. Indeed your Maximum Leader wonders if the World Series will be something of an anti-climax compared to the hype of the ALCS. Or he wonders if the attention given to the ALCS will give extra motivation to the NL team. That coupled with the hex that seems to settle on the Sox when they come close to the crown may give extra motivation to the NL team to win.
Regardless of how it turns out, it will be great baseball. Your Maximum Leader hopes that it will be a series worthy of the play we have seen thus far.
Carry on.
