Just wait ’til next year: 23-year-old Jon Lester hung on into the sixth inning without allowing any runs, despite giving up three walks, by scattering the three hits and notching three strikeouts.

Just wait ’til next year II: In the 9th, with the Sox only one run ahead, 24-year old Jacoby Ellsbury goes back, back, back to the left field wall—leaps!—and comes down with Jamey Carroll’s looooong fly ball. It was the spread-eagle, banging-into-the-wall catch Ellsbury has been trying (and heretofore failing) to make all season long. (Well, ever since his September call up, anyway.) Can I mention that he started the year in Double-A?

Nice guys finish first: Mike Lowell wins the World Series MVP. Justice is done at last. Can we re-sign him now, please?

Scary guys also finish first: Papelbon’s facial expressions only got more terrifying as the postseason progressed. Soon, he will come with a parental advisory label.

Storylines finish last: The Rockies just looked completely overmatched this entire Series. It would have been a great Cinderella story….except some big, hairy-chested dudes from the Hub had to just come along and rain on their parade.

How can you not love this man?: And Jason Varitek, in his postgame interview, with tears gleaming on his cheeks, says in a quavering voice, “Uh, I’m sorry, um, I’m just a little ha-happy right now.” A wooja wooja woooooo!

How can you not hate this man?: A-Rod finds a way to horn his way in. Have you no decency, sir?

That’s just disturbing: Lonestar singing God Bless America. I really liked Lonestar…before I saw them perform. Seriously, what are country singers doing with the Hansen brothers’ hair?

That’s just deeply satisfying, in a spiritual way: Watching David Ortiz stand on a table and try to spray all of his teammates with champagne at once, while hogging not one, not two, but three commemorative World Series Champions hats (one on head, one in each back pocket).

Only 100 days until the Red Sox equipment truck leaves for Fort Myers!

Tonight, the Colorado Rockies will try to forestall what increasingly looks like the inevitable: a fresh round of World Series rings for the Boston nine. How could they do it? Some thoughts:

1. Their Opening Day starter, Aaron Cook, will make his first start since August 10, and he needs to come up huge. The Red Sox offense is on fire right now. Can Cook smother them? Personally, I doubt it. But you know what they say; momentum is that day’s starting pitcher. Cook has a daunting task in front of himself: leave the ball too much over the plate, and these Red Sox will give it a ride. But miss the plate, and these Red Sox are happy to take the walk. He’ll have to find the tiny scrap of middle ground.

2. Their offense needs to wake up. Last night they showed some promising signs and managed to hit the ball hard off the Red Sox bullpen, but they ultimately fell short. They need every hit they can get at this point, and it doesn’t matter whether they’re hitting end-of-the-bat dying quails or tearing the cover off the ball. How can they accomplish this? For one, by taking a page from Boston’s playbook: wear out the opposing pitcher. Despite spending parts of two seasons in the majors, Jon Lester has not yet settled in as the Red Sox organization hoped he would. When they were prospects together, his stuff was considered on par with Jonathan Papelbon’s. But in the big leagues, Lester has struggled with his command. Despite having an 11 and 2 record, he has a career 4.68 ERA and an average walk rate of about 4.4 walks-per-game. He also relies on a huge curveball that may be harder to deploy in that Rocky Mountain altitude. Plus, he’s spent the last month coming out of the bullpen. How many pitches can he really throw tonight? The Rockies showed last night they can hit the Boston bullpen, so if the Rockies hitters relax, face Lester with patience, and chase him early, they have an excellent shot at keeping Boston’s champagne on ice.

3. Speaking of relaxing, that will be the main key for the Rockies in this game. They need to take it one pitch at a time, one at-bat at a time, one inning at a time. The looks on their faces last night were understandable—-and they’ve looked lost this whole Series—-but that’s not the way to win ballgames. They need to remember that, by rights, they don’t even belong here. At the beginning of September, they weren’t even on the radar screen. The Rockies need to have fun out there—they need to play like they have nothing to lose. At this point, the pressure should be all on the Red Sox to close the deal (or at least, that’s what the Rox should tell themselves). And though they haven’t looked like it this Series, if there’s one team that could recreate Boston’s 2004 feat of returning from a 3-0 series deficit, it is this masters-of-the-improbable Colorado ballclub.

Now, what do I think will actually happen tonight? I think the Red Sox will win. I think Jon Lester has been aching to pitch this game ever since he was in Little League. I think this is the game he dreamed of pitching when he was undergoing chemotherapy just 12 short months ago. I think Jon Lester was pissed about moving to the bullpen for the postseason and is burning to show his bosses what a mistake that was. I think Jon Lester is going to come up big tonight.

As advertised, I am live blogging Game 3 of the 2007 Fall Classic. But first, some preliminaries:

1. This new Fox postseason music. What do we make of it, sportsfans? Frankly, I was looking forward to the old music. It was, you know, sporty. But with the new music, I keep thinking someone on The West Wing is receiving a Congressional Medal of Honor.

2. As much as I personally want the Red Sox to win, if Josh Fogg can beguile the Red Sox we will be in for some fabulously awful headlines. What do you think? “Fogg Rolls In.” “Sox Lost in Fogg.” “Boston All Fogged Up.” It would be almost worth it. Almost.

3. Before things get underway, I just want to take a moment and recall the poignancy of the pitching matchup in Game 2. There’s Schilling, doing it with finesse and guile and wisdom and painting the corners. And boy does he look old. And there’s Ubaldo Jimenez, who looks like a terrified teenager, who has nasty stuff and his whole future ahead of him but who’s throwing the ball all over the place. It was almost like the passing of a baton. And Schilling, pulled by his manager, starts walking off the field—the Fenway Faithful rise to their feet, for this man who has given them so much—Schilling bites his lip—and—AND!—Fox cuts to commercial. Thanks, Fox.

And now, the game.

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As some of you may know, the Rockies have had one of their own fall prey to the UFH police. So it’s only fitting that one Todd Helton makes a cameo in this edition of UFH’s Most Wanted alongside the culrpit, Jamey Carroll.

A smooth man with his glove, Carroll’s smoothness went a little to his head, as he is now committing a copycat crime in trying to sport The Stash ala Jason Giambi.  Sure Giambi’s was a horrendous best of nature all in it’s own, but Carroll’s is a very feeble attempt at suave. Enough to prompt fellow teammate (and UFH parter in crime) Todd Helton to mock it in some fashion. Which, of course, is a nice segue way into a very appropriate World Series Write Your Own Caption.

1. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves…this is exactly where the Red Sox were in ALCS Game 1 after Sabathia imploded at Fenway, and that series ended up going to seven games. Let’s not get cocky.

2. Sweet Lord, those Rockies looked ridiculously overmatched last night. They looked like a Triple-A team! They can only hit fastballs! And not even that many of them! It was embarassing. Embarassing!

3. Let there be no doubt: the Red Sox Way (TM) is being pushed at all levels of the organization. We already knew that if Manny Ramirez doesn’t swing at it, it’s not a strike (no matter what the home plate umpire thinks). But when I watched #9 hitter and September call-up Jacoby Ellsbury, who at that point was 0 for 3 and must have been desperate for a hit (after all, everyone else in the lineup had one) stand in against Ryan Speier and take the bases-loaded walk, I realized just how hard the Red Sox organization has been pushing patience at the plate. Let it be known, Colorado: these Red Sox simply refuse to swing if it’s not a strike. Speier was called in to get one out—-just one out!—-and instead ended up walking all three batters he faced, and pushing three runs across the plate. Ouch. Nonetheless, there came a point in the fifth inning—maybe when I realized it was creeping up on 11pm and we were barely through half the game—when I just wanted the Red Sox to start hacking away. Beauty rest, people.

4. An interesting point made on WEEI this morning: Manny never seems to foul the ball off himself. Youkilis does it all the time. David Ortiz has been known to do it. I’ve seen it happen to Mike Lowell. In fact, most hitters foul a ball off of their ankle at least a few times. But I have never seen Manny Ramirez do it. Why? The consensus on the radio was that he just doesn’t swing at the low, out-of-the-strike-zone pitches that are prone to such activity.

5. Post-2004, Red Sox Nation is capable of magnanimity, even pity. We felt bad when we watched Victor Martinez weep into his sleeve after Game 7 of the ALCS. (Not as bad as if the Red Sox had lost, but, you know, a little bit bad.) And we feel sorry for the Rockies this morning. (You know, in a gloating kind of way.)

6. Given that tonight’s game could be very different, I am going to do two things today. Yes, I will read as much about last night’s blowout as possible, reveling in every word. But first, I need to make some more coffee.

Alright people, it’s upon us. I think this is one of the most anticipated Fall Classics in quite some time. But let’s take that with a grain of salt, FOX hasn’t been necessarily killing them with the ratings (boy, isn’t Selig glad the Sawks made it this year); but if we take into account the pure baseball aspect of the Series, we have to agree that the Rockies and the Red Sox have written two very interesting subplots.

Of course, there’s the Rox’ unprecedented run of 21 wins in 22 games to end the season and into the post-season. And then there’s the storied Red Sox, with the powerful line-up, the veteran leadership, the experience, the over-priced, over-hyped Japanese import. But I digress.

Well the only bad thing that comes to mind about this year (as in previous years) is the fact that we have to watch it on FOX - and listen to her. And him. I guess life is just full sour apples.

Live-blog thread after the jump.

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“There’s a much different feeling when he takes the mound than any other guy. I admire it. I don’t know how to explain it. But I’m really glad he’s on my team.” —Josh Beckett’s longtime third baseman (and bodyguard) Mike Lowell.

“When you say stuff to Kenny, he’s going to say stuff back.” —Kenny Lofton on his fifth inning, benches-clearing shouting match with Sox ace Josh Beckett.

“I don’t get paid to make those [expletive] decisions. She’s a friend of mine, so it doesn’t bother me at all. Thanks for flying one of my friends to the game so that she could watch it for free.” —Josh Beckett on the Indians having ex-girlfriend Danielle Peck sing the national anthem.

“When we get the little guys on base, it’s a totally different situation.” —Big Papi, who, since he was talking about Pedroia (generously listed at 5′9″) and Lugo (generously listed at 175 lbs), we can only assume is being extremely literal.

“I’m trying to take this tie to Colorado.” —Manny being Manny, in the clubhouse after the game, in a garish purple tie.

1. I wasn’t one of the folks itching for Beckett to start that game, and I felt vindicated by Wakefield’s no-hit performance through 4.2 innings. Even after Peralta doubled with 2 down in the fourth, Wakefield got Lofton to ground out and end the inning. I even thought Francona pulled Wakefield out at the right time; with Peralta coming up again, two men on, and three runs already in. You don’t want to yank Wakefield earlier, because how many times have we seen Tim Wakefield throw a couple of wild knuckleballs (hey, it’s a wild and crazy pitch!) and then get out of the jam? And he’d already amassed seven strikeouts! If the Sox are up in the series, maybe you let Wakefield work through that inning. But with the Sox trailing and an off day today, you pull him.

2. There must be the evil demons plaguing that infield. The night before, it was Ortiz running into a batted ball. Last night, it was when Tim Wakefield got his glove on an Asdrubal Cabrera comebacker in the fifth, only to deflect it uselessly into the ground. The ball appeared headed straight for Pedroia, and if Wake hadn’t touched it at all, Dustin could easily have turned it into a 4-6-3 double play to be out of the inning with only one run scored. If Wakefield had either held onto it or only nicked it a bit, we at least would have gotten the second out of the inning (and Travis Hafner struck out in the next at-bat). But instead, it was the worst of all possible worlds. Still don’t believe in the demons? Cabrera only hit that ball because the normally-sure-handed Youkilis couldn’t hang on to his earlier foul pop.

3. Manny Delcarmen? Really? After the Indians smacked him around in Game 2? So last night he comes in with two out and two on, and the first thing he does is give up a three-run blast to Peralta. Then it’s single, stolen base, single, walk before he can finally strike out Kelly Shoppach. I mean, you’ve got Mike Timlin in the bullpen. He’s as old as the hills, he has icewater in his veins, and he’s used to pitching in the playoffs. You need ONE OUT. I know he worked the night before, but on the other hand, he was perfect the night before–two K’s in an inning and a third, no hits no runs no walks no nothing. Is it really just too obvious to go with what works?

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My fellow UmpBumpers and I have long been e-mocking Dane Cook’s insufferable TBS ads amongst ourselves. Why, only last night I emailed Nick in a state of glee when I had the delightful experience of watching one of them get cut off right before the final “OcTOBer!” Then, Alejandro emailed the group suggesting a drinking game keyed to them, whereupon I wondered aloud if every time he simply states the name of the team in oddly emphasized, melodramatic fashion (the Cleveland. INdians!) one should stab oneself in the eye with one of those red, plastic cocktail swords.

But then I saw this, and I realized that it would be much more fun to simply watch it, over and over again, with both eyes in full functioning condition:

This post will serve as the preview to the NLCS; I’ll live blog the thing after the jump.

So when Kaz matsui hit that Grand Slam in game 2 of the NLDS, I could only think of this:

When Donald Trump appeared on a sponsored segment of ESPN’s ”SportsCenter” on June 30, Matsui was hitting .254, appearing anemic at the plate, committing errors at a rapid rate. He was the easiest target imaginable.

The host, Dan Patrick, asked Trump to name the athlete or manager he would most like to fire. Trump stalled for a moment, tried to give a diplomatic answer, then could not help but fire away. ”I would certainly say Kaz Matsui of the Mets has been a bust,” he said. ”There’s no doubt about that.”

I bet Matsui has a clipping of this article in his locker. I would. It goes to show that Trump is just a dick, and he doesn’t know baseball any better than he knows how to run a company with profits with out declaring for bankruptcy (sue me Donald!).

But really, It makes for great baseball blogging to see Matsui come through for one the biggest surprises this off season.

Incidentally, the Dimondbacks capitalized on the amazing pool of talent they have, and they surprised many by reaching the NLCS. In fact, back before the season started, my fellow umpbumpers and I engaged in a little game called “Hot Off-season Action,” where we all scrutinized each team’s off-season moves with an eye on 2007.

One of the teams I wrote about was the D-backs. But before I go dig the Umpbump archives (with our newly-redesigned search function - give it a try!) to find out what I really wrote, I will go out on a limb and say I envisioned the young Rattlesnakers making it this far.

<opens a new tab, goes to the site, searches for “hot offseason action: dimobbacks,” returns>

OK. I was cautious. I praised the team for allowing their young and talented ball-players to develop while trading away costly veterans:

Gone is cult-hero Luis Gonzalez to make room for two promising outfielders, Chris Young and Carlos Quentin. With Quentin’s flashy leather, he’ll take over center field, while local spaz Eric Byrnes shifts to left field.

Out is Craig Counsell at short in favor of Stephen Drew.

But I shied away from making a bold prediction:

Yes, they’re young; yes, they have the O-Dog at second and a promising shortstop, not to mention, promising outfielders, but these D’backs are one or two full seasons away from truly measuring up and contending for the NL West crown as previous generations of Snakes did.

All in all, I have to say I feel good about my pre-season write-up. The Dimondbacks are a good team and they deserve to be in the NLCS.

On to the live blog!

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