Head games

No beating around the bush today. We all know last night was a big win for the Sox, and the momentum has jumped completely to their side heading forward in the short series.

Here are some quick thoughts about last night's Game 1 thriller.

It was over when...
Vlad Guerrero tried to go from first to third on a bloop single and was thrown out by about 20 feet. Great play by Youkilis to come up throwing. Bad play by Vladdy being too aggressive. It sucked the wind out of the Angels sails and killed their last rally chance before it got started.

"Not here to talk about the past"
I don't like to put much stock into history when it comes to a series, which is why I picked the Angels to win in four. But with so many players left over from '04 and '07, it must be hard for Halos to ignore the past. Heading into last night the Angels had the better team on paper, they weren't facing Beckett, Lackey had shown he could beat the Sox with a near no-hitter this season and they were at home as a 100-win team. They should have won, but they found a way to lose ... again. There has to be the feeling of "here we go again" running through that clubhouse today.

Quote of the night
From loyal reader Phil DeGuglielmo: "Poor Lowell looks like an old softball vet fighting through pain."

It's true. Lowell looks like a shell of himself out there, and it's sad to see. But it's also inspiring to see him gut it out, and if he can give the Sox anything, they will be grateful.

But the player who really looks pathetic out there is Vlad Guerrero. Not to keep harping on that first-to-third play, but wasn't Guerrero one of the best baserunners in the game just a few years ago. I've never seen someone get so old so fast. The man that was once a lock to steal 30 bases now looks like a 60-year-old who should probably have a walker on the basepaths. Supposedly he's only 32, but that's in Dominican years.

Bay State
Jason Bay made Theo Epstein look like a genius last night. Every day that trade looks better, even though Manny continues to rake in L.A. (including a ridiculous home run from his shoetops last night). Not only has Bay fit in seemlessly in Boston, Craig Hansen put up a 7.47 ERA before being sent to the minors and Brandon Moss hit a robust .222 in Pittsburgh. Sorry Theo, how dare I doubt you?

Mr. dew knee nuh
OK so that's just the phonetic spelling, and it's in Cherokee (Jacoby Ellsbury is of Navajo decent), but it's harder than it looks to find some of this stuff online. Please comment if you know how to say Mr. October in the Navajo language.

The point is, Ellsbury finds a way to make amazing things happen in October. He made a name for himself by having one of the best World Series by a rookie in history last year. Now, after a solid (although not meeting the ridiculous expectations set for him) full rookie season, Ellsbury has turned it up again on the big stage. Last night, he got on base every time he was up, made a huge diving catch and stole two bases. He finds so many ways to change a game, and this is his time to shine.

Josh who?
Well, I still missed Josh Beckett last night, but not for long. Jon Lester is starting to show that he too can pitch well under pressure. After being the real Red Sox ace all year (sorry Dice-K, you gotta go more than 5 per start to earn that title), Lester shut down the door with a 7-inning performance without allowing an earned run. He was dominant, he was exciting, he was everything Beckett has been in the past.

In his short postseason career, Lester has now pitched 16.1 innings, started two games, won two games and allowed just two earned runs. If you're keeping score at home (or at work), that's a 2-0 record with a 1.10 ERA. If Beckett can pitch half as well as Lester in game three, this series shouldn't make it back to Anaheim.