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Kull
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El Paso, TX USA
Mar 1999
time: 22:31
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Even if you do believe in curses, it's clear this game doesn't qualify. There were no funny bounces, catastrophic errors, or weird sequence of "seeing-eye" hits. The Red Sox lost this game - lost this series - because their manager is "C" quality at best, and gutless to boot. Strong statement? Read on.
Anyone who's watched the Sox this year knows that Pedro ALWAYS tires in the late innings. His pitch count was over 100 at the start of the 8th inning, and that means the tank was almost empty. He is not the same pitcher he was 4 years ago, and no longer can work out of late inning jams. This information is widely known, so Grady's decision to stick with Pedro was - and no other word fits - purely delusional.
But the comment after the game that "Pedro was better than anyone we had in the bullpen" gives us a glimpse into what was really happening inside the mind of the Sox Skipper. That statement would have been perfectly true if uttered at almost any point in the season, but the fact is that the sequence of Embry-Timlin-Williamson had PROVEN itself effective in EVERY series victory against the Yankees. And they weren't just "getting the job done" either. All three looked overpowering, almost Rivera-like, in the process. So his comment is clearly a flat out lie....but it does provide a clue about the TRUE nature of the manager's thought process at that intense and climactic moment of the ballgame.
Let's be clear. Grady knows all about the history of this team, and in particular is well aware of the grilling MacNamara received after replacing Clemens in the '86 series. The interesting point about that little bit of history is that to this day, both men dispute whether Clemens really asked out of the game. And now suddenly, here's Grady Little, faced with almost the identical quandary. I'd be willing to bet that his thought process went something like this:
"If I replace Pedro and the bullpen blows this game, I'll never be forgiven. But if I go to the mound and PUBLICLY ask Pedro if he can handle it - and he says "Yes" in full view of the whole world - well, at least if he fails they can't put ALL the blame on my shoulders"
How sad. What might be THE mentally-strongest Red Sox team in baseball history was saddled with a nice-guy manager who couldn't handle the same pressure his team thrived under.
Here's one final thought for the curse-believers: If the teams had swapped managers before the series - or even just for this game - do you honestly believe a Grady Little-led Yankees team would be on it's way to the World Series right now?
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Rex Little
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Ming--you work in advertising, right? There's got to be a way to feature Grady Little and that Cubs fan together in a spot. Maybe for life insurance, or one of those Southwest Airline "Wanna get away?" ads.
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18-10-2003 04:54
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