Mea Culpa Joshua...

I hold my hand up.

I was one of the doubters.

When you had blister problems, yet again, in 2006, all while Lowell was struggling and the players who'd gone the other way, Photo from ESPN.com
Ramirez and Sanches fared...well, how should I put this...extremely well.

Hanley's Rookie of the Year season in a position the Red Sox have struggled to fill, sacrificing offense for a string of defensive wizards, all while Sanchez does what - a friggin perfect game??

But oh, what a difference a year makes. Lowell's probably the most underrated player in the league, a clear MVP lock if it wasn't for that guy in NY, while you have taken over from your idol to become the undisputed ace of the Red Sox rotation. Most wins in the AL, and a clear Cy Young favourite.

Joshua, I doubt no more. A nation now can comfortably rely upon you to bring your A-game every time you take the ball. Mea Culpa.

So, in one of the most anticipated duels of recent playoff history, a young 20 game winner against another young 19 game winner; Beckett v Sabathia, power-pitching galore, both being able to reach the upper echelons on the radar gun, while still displaying amazing control.

Midnight in the UK, sit down to watch a 1-0 Red Sox win...or so I thought....

Pitchers IP H R ER BB SO HR PC-ST ERA
J Beckett (W, 1-0) 6.0 4 2 2 0 7 1 80-53 3.00
C Sabathia (L, 0-1) 4.1 7 8 8 5 3 0 85-44 16.62

16.62 CC? Ouch! Then again, it can't be fun to face the Red Sox lineup right now, but no team will win if they allow the opposition's 2 through 5 batters to go 7-for-11 with 7 walks and 6 RBI.

Indians never got Manny or Big Papi out. Yes out, as in they reached base on every at bat...not a good recipy.

What has happened to CC? 19-7 in regular season, 0-2 in the post season....pressure too much, or simply a possibly too large body having 220+ innings catching up with it?

The one thing we knew about Beckett from his 2003 heroics with the Marlins was that as long as we got him to the playoffs, he'd have the mental makeup to perform there. Now we know we can rely on him to get us there too.

Tonight can see the Red Sox take a strangle hold on the series if Schilling continues against an admittely red hot Fausto....

....I love baseball in the autumn...

(Who needs sleep...)