2008 Woodie Awards
Can Red Sox create perfect ending?
Kristen Brown
Issue date: 10/31/04 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 2 next >
October is always an exciting time in New England. Signs of fall are all around as the air begins to change and the treetops go from green to a vibrant mix of red, orange and gold. But this October, New England has a certain spark that has not been seen since 1986 - the last time the Boston Red Sox made it to the World Series.
It seems like you can't go anywhere without seeing the names Ramirez or Ortiz scrolled across someone's back. Red Sox Nation is out in full force, ready to watch their team break the curse.
Could this finally be the year that the Sox bring the long-awaited World Series back home to Boston? In the most dramatic comeback in baseball history, the Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 series deficit to defeat their archrival, the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. The only thing that would top that would be a World Series win, which many Boston fans believe they will finally see. But first the Red Sox must face the daunting task ahead of them - the St. Louis Cardinals.
Like the Red Sox, the Cardinals have not been to the World Series since the late 80s, when they fell to the Minnesota Twins in seven games during the 1987 fall classic. But after a spectacular 105-win season, Tony LaRussa's team is looking for their first championship since 1982.
First baseman, Albert Pujols, will lead the Cardinals to the Series. After ending the 2004 season with 46 homeruns, good for second best in the league, Pujols has batted an impressive .500 in the playoffs, including four homers. He typically bats third in a line-up stacked with heavy hitters such as Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds.
Facing the team favored by many to win the World Series at the beginning of the playoffs seems almost fitting for the 2004 Red Sox-a team that seems to thrive in the face of adversity. Defeating the regular season's top team after the comeback defeat of the "Evil Empire," it's hard to imagine a better script for the Sox to finally break the curse that has haunted them for the past 86 years.
It seems like you can't go anywhere without seeing the names Ramirez or Ortiz scrolled across someone's back. Red Sox Nation is out in full force, ready to watch their team break the curse.
Could this finally be the year that the Sox bring the long-awaited World Series back home to Boston? In the most dramatic comeback in baseball history, the Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 series deficit to defeat their archrival, the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. The only thing that would top that would be a World Series win, which many Boston fans believe they will finally see. But first the Red Sox must face the daunting task ahead of them - the St. Louis Cardinals.
Like the Red Sox, the Cardinals have not been to the World Series since the late 80s, when they fell to the Minnesota Twins in seven games during the 1987 fall classic. But after a spectacular 105-win season, Tony LaRussa's team is looking for their first championship since 1982.
First baseman, Albert Pujols, will lead the Cardinals to the Series. After ending the 2004 season with 46 homeruns, good for second best in the league, Pujols has batted an impressive .500 in the playoffs, including four homers. He typically bats third in a line-up stacked with heavy hitters such as Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds.
Facing the team favored by many to win the World Series at the beginning of the playoffs seems almost fitting for the 2004 Red Sox-a team that seems to thrive in the face of adversity. Defeating the regular season's top team after the comeback defeat of the "Evil Empire," it's hard to imagine a better script for the Sox to finally break the curse that has haunted them for the past 86 years.