A Very Special Breakfast Yankee Elimination Party!

(screengrabs courtesy of NESN)

Ahhhhhhhhhh. There it is. Soak it all in, Boston. The playoffs for the 5th time in 6th years. And better yet, it was a game sure to get fans pumped for the playoffs. First off, the Sox were going up against truly one of the best pitchers in the AL. There aren't too many Brian Bannisters or Radhames Lizs in the playoffs. So getting a win against a quality starter is always a great building block for the postseason. Second, the timely bats. Pedroia, Youk and Bay hit it at the right time like a chick on the rhythm method. And to top the whole playoff-feel off, Tito managed the Manny Delcarmen Band like he was in mid-playoff form. Face it, this is who we're going into battle with - so when Francona can balance out MDC, Okajima, Masterson, Lopez, and Papelbon into 3 innings of scoreless ball, well...you gotta feel good about it. Let the Rays have the division. I'm just ready to get all claustrophobic-at-a-sports-bar-in-October and shit.

So as I watched some of the post-game interviews during the celebration last night, I noticed a common question being asked: "What was your most memorable moment of this season?" And the common answer was, "This!" (or "Deez!" from Ortiz). For me, um, not so much. Here are some other moments I think were more memorable:


August 1 - Jason Bay's first game. As we all mourned the loss of Manny, we all at the same time wondered how the new Canadian Not Manny (hat tip: APNDR) would serve as a replacement. His first start was complete with a triple, a diving catch, and scoring the winning run on a walk-off, and the pessimistic rejoiced. I mean, the only way Manny ever tripled was on those rare situations where two outfielders broke both of their legs on the same play. And Bay has some wheels - probably from foot-racing moose in his youth.

August 12 - Truly the wildest game of the year. Sox blow a 10-run lead vs. Josh Hamilton and the coke-heads, only to have Youkilis crank a go-ahead homer in the bottom of the 8th to give the Sox a 19-17 win. I loved Don Orsillo's play-by-play call: "You kiddin' me?" Also, some dude hit two 3-run homers in the same inning...

June 5 - Coco Crisp is an angry black man. He charges James Shields and gets his Matrix on in one of the best brawls I had seen in a while. I was actually watching this one at a bar, and the reaction from the patrons when they aired the replay was just priceless. And if the haymakers and braids flying wasn't enough, bonus fight! Youk and Manny went at it in the dugout and had to be separated. Awesome.

May 31 - Manny blasts #500. Exactly two months before he got traded, Manny cranked one way out of Camden Yards for his 500th of the year his career. I was at a bar for this one too (alcoholic), and the place went nuts. I then texted everyone in my phone "500!" Dorky? Yes. Drunk? A little. Combine this with Manny's high-fiving fan moment and you can at least take some positive Manny moments from this season - both of them taking place in Baltimore, strangely enough.

May 19 - Jon Lester pitches a no-hitter. Obviously this is probably everyone's favorite memory of the season - the story of Lester as the backdrop, the emergence of him as a stud pitcher on this staff, etc. etc. I won't tell you the story I'm sure you've heard a million times before. Instead, I'll end with a video!

FMRA requested I put up a Nine Inch Nails video. Which I misunderstood, because as soon as I heard "can I see a nine inch" my pants were around my ankles. Enjoy!