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Jimcs50
10-26-2004, 09:23 AM
Loose Sox travel well: Comfortable in new St. Louis environs
By Jeff Horrigan
Tuesday, October 26, 2004

ST. LOUIS - With their eyes set squarely on the prize, there was no indication from the Red Sox [stats, schedule] yesterday that they were leading the 100th World Series, 2-0, needing only two more victories to end nearly a century of misery for New England baseball fans.

As was the case in spring training and during the regular season, Terry Francona's subdued, all-business workout at Busch Stadium was preceded and followed by the same off-beat levity and total disregard of any sense of pressure.

``We know we need to have four wins to be a champion, but we're still going out there and having fun,'' left fielder Manny Ramirez [stats, news] said. ``That's why we're the `Idiots.' ''

Closer Keith Foulke [stats, news] said nothing has changed about his teammates other than their new venue.

``It's no different here today than it was four months ago,'' he said. ``We don't get too high or too low. We joke and we have fun with each other, which keeps us loose, but we also have confidence and know that we have a job to do.''

The self-proclaimed idiots didn't exactly play a thinking man's brand of baseball in the first two games of the series, but they still enter Game 3 of the best-of-seven series with a commanding lead. The Sox made four errors in each of the games at Fenway Park and left 21 runners on base, but still managed to come away with a pair of victories.

Pedro Martinez [stats, news] will attempt to move them to within a win of their first title since 1918 when he squares off against former Boston hurler Jeff Suppan (8:30, Ch. 25).

``At this point in the season, it's all about W's,'' said third baseman Bill Mueller [stats, news], who tied a World Series record by committing three errors Sunday night. ``It's not how you did it, just that you got it done.''

Tonight's game, which is threatened by thunderstorms, is crucial for the Sox. If they win again, they'll need to take only one of four possible games remaining to wrap up the championship. But if they lose, the Cardinals will have stemmed the Sox' momentum, while climbing to within a win of evening the series.

``This is the most important game of the series,'' center fielder Johnny Damon [stats, news] said. ``This is a must-win for us. We've got to play better, field the ball better, run the bases better and do all of the little things.''

Despite the sloppiness, the key in the series for the Sox has been their offensive dominance. The Sox have hit .304 as a team so far in the series, compared to .239 for the Cardinals. St. Louis is just 4-for-21 with runners in scoring position (compared to 9-for-25 for Boston), with sluggers Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds going a combined 0-for-9 with a sacrifice fly.

Cardinals pitchers have thrown a total of 356 pitches and have only managed 18 swings and misses. Their starters have recorded only 30 outs in the series so far, while relievers have notched 38.

History isn't on the side of the Sox jumping ahead 3-0. Of the 48 previous teams that have won the first two games of the World Series, only 20 have also won Game 3. Only five of the last 19 teams to have gone up 2-0 have won Game 3, but each of those five have gone on to sweep the series. It should be noted, however, that the Cardinals have lost all three World Series appearances when falling behind 2-0.

``We're not getting caught up in what's ahead of us or what's behind us,'' Francona said. ``All we try to do is win one game at a time, just like we did when we were down 0-3 (to the New York Yankees [stats, schedule] in the American League Championship Series).''

The Cardinals are relying on the positive energy of Busch Stadium to jump-start them. They are 6-0 at home in this postseason, including 3-0 in games started by Suppan. St. Louis has averaged 7.2 runs at home during the first two rounds, compared to 3.4 on the road.

Jimcs50
10-26-2004, 02:28 PM
I hate loose socks, btw.

:)

tlongII
10-26-2004, 02:43 PM
I hate loose socks, btw.

:)

Maybe, but you love loose women.

Jimcs50
10-26-2004, 02:46 PM
says you.....

:)