Much was made of the Rockies extended layoff heading into the World Series. I don’t want to hear any excuses. They shrugged it off, as most professional athletes would. It turns out playing with yourself for a while isn’t the best way to prepare for a big date.

If you told me that Beckett would strike out the side in the first, and Pedroia would follow with a lead off home run, I wouldn’t have been surprised. The Sox continued right where they left off, an unstoppable offensive force. The final cog was the two out RBI (J Drew 2, D Ortiz 2, J Varitek 2, K Youkilis, M Ramirez, J Lugo, J Ellsbury, D Pedroia.) My only note from the first few innings preparing for this post: “Sox look awesome.”

I’m sick of the Tulowitzki vs. Braun NY ROY debate. Braun hit 34 bombs in 451 ABs, while Tulowitzki hit 24 in 609 ABs. Braun carried his team offensively during Prince Fielder’s cold June/July/August. Yeah, Tulowitzki has a cannon, but the impact Braun had on his team was greater. This is a nice problem to have. Two (maybe three) over-qualified candidates is better than the “Ah, I guess we’ll give it to Carlos Febles” years.

Not only did the Red Sox come away with a win, they prevailed in the battle of bullpen management. While Clint Hurdle ran through Matt Herges, Jeremy Affeldt, and LaTroy Hawkins late in the game; Tito gave the ball to Timlin and Gagne and said “Do your worst.”

The Curious Case of Curt Schilling

Hallelujah! The second coming of Bono, Curt Schilling himself, is starting game two for the Red Sox. He’s been there when it counts, especially for his 2008 contract. When he tosses a perfect game tonight, I’ll happily partake in whatever he’s offering, but until then I’ll maintain my irrational dislike. Amen.

Let’s talk about perception. In this case, how we perceive Curt Schilling, and how he wants us to. Some see him as a over-exposed attention whore, and some as an old school ambassador for hard nosed baseball. Clearly, there is a great divide in Red Sox Nation. If you’re new to Dewey’s House, or I haven’t made it clear, I subscribe to the drama queen school of thought. If you’re drinkin’ the Schill-ade and like his vocal moral stance, you may want to shield your eyes. That’s it, I’m through apologizing.

He goes to extreme lengths for us to notice him. We have heard his tireless campaigning for support: he conducts frequent interviews on WEEI while driving, showering, and shopping for pleated slacks. Between blogging and pitching he finds the time to post on a certain message board, of which I am not popular enough to belong. He has delivered babies and scored touchdowns. He is everywhere, all the time.

His motivation for this unprecedented exposure is currently unknown, but it’s not accidental. The attention strokes his ego, but does he realize the damage it has done? Why take the chance? What does he want us to believe? Why make such an effort to fit in? My contention is simple. His straightforward “honesty,” constant reminders of charitable work, political leanings and sock-stigmata point to one thing: he wants to be our Savior. He wants to be all things to all of Red Sox Nation. A bastion of morality, a hero on the field, and our buddy from a message board. It isn’t enough for us to simply like him, we must adore him, worship him. Curt Schilling is campaigning to be Jesus.

It’s possible that this is unconscious, and I don’t particularly care that he’s got a schoolboy crush on me and every fan. I like the amount of information he supplies us, but its the way he supplies it that irks me. As if we owe him something for his effort.

I’m thankful he’s here, because he’s the most interesting character on this team. I really just want to ask him one question: What is your agenda, Curt? I’m sure the answer would be “I don’t have an agenda, I’m just here to win a championship.” Which annoys the hell out of me. As soon as the questions get tough, he reverts to sports-speak cliches. Just Curt being curt.

Ugueth’s Long Lost Cousin

The twenty-three year old Ubaldo Jimenez represents the second installment of the Colorado Young Starter Transition (CYST). He stepped in midseason and solidified the rotation after an underwhelming AAA campaign. If a 5.85 ERA and 1.67 WHIP in 19 AAA starts is any indication of his talent, Ubaldo had better make sure his neck is stretched out before Thursday’s contest. At the time of his call-up, the Rockies were looking up at four teams in the NL West, a game under .500, so they had the luxury of easing him in. As it happened, there was nothing to be tentative about. His consistency was unexpected and a major reason for their resurgence. Excuse me while I indulge in some cherry-picking, but in 14 of 17 starts he allowed three runs or less. He’s a fastball-curve guy, topping out in the high 90s. The Red Sox need to lay off the high heat and make him throw his curve for strikes.

Winning game one is important. Going to Colorado up 2-0 would be awesome. The DH disadvantage shouldn’t be overlooked, the way Youkilis is swinging the bat I can’t make a case for him sitting. I’ve gone from being staunchly “Ortiz at first no matter what” to “infield defense is important” after imagining Manny chasing balls into the gaps in Coors. The look on Ortiz’s face rounding second base in the fourth inning was agony. The outfield defense will be challenged enough. There is no room for error on the infield.