As many predicted, and as some of us feared, the Red Sox made short work of the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 World Series. Despite a few promising Rockies rallies, the outcome was never really in doubt. It’s a shame for us neutrals who wanted to see a competitive series, but it’s hard to blame the Rockies. They were simply outplayed by a better team.

Boston always seemed to be one step ahead of their opponents throughout the contest. The first inning of game four was typical of how the series played out. When Jacoby Ellsbury (surely a heavy favourite for the ’08 AL Rookie of the Year award) started the game with a lead-off double, there was little doubt that his team mates would drive him home. Sure enough, Pedroia moved him to third on a groundout before Big Papi David Ortiz poked a single into right field to put his side up 1-0. It was simple baseball; getting the little things right and making the most of your opportunities. Compare this to the Rockies in the bottom of the fifth inning, when they failed to capitalize on pitcher Aaron Cook’s bunt single. There was a depressing inevitability about it. You didn’t believe they would make the most of the chance and perhaps they didn’t believe it either. It’s amazing how a team can lose their confidence so quickly after playing with such assurance just two weeks ago. Once again, the credit has to go to the Red Sox for putting them in that position.

The solid play of the Boston team was backed-up by some effective management by Terry Francona. Managers can often be on a hiding to nothing. Every fan loves to second-guess the man in the hot seat, not least because the armchair manager is never made to look wrong. If Bobby Kielty comes off the bench cold and strikes out in the eighth inning, Francona looks a mug. As it is, the red-headed lefty masher launched the first pitch he saw into the left-field seats, scoring what turned out to be the game-winning run. Francona also lifted both Ortiz and Manny Ramirez from the game when Boston were ahead, primarily to strengthen the defence. If the Rockies had staged a comeback, Francona would have been left sitting next to his two best hitters in the dugout while needing some runs. As it turned out, a potential Rockies rally was cut short in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a great catch on the warning track by Ellsbury who had taken over from Manny in left field (and it’s unlikely that Ramirez would have made that play if he had still been in there). In both cases, some good fortune is undoubtedly involved. But you make your own luck and Francona did this by matching the best-suited players to the situations involved.

We will never know quite how much the eight-day lay-off affected the Rockies, but the odds were always stacked against them. Rick Sutcliffe made a good point about the talent disparity between the two sides. Give the Red Sox’s Front Office the chance to swap for any of the Rockies’ starting players and Troy Tulowitzki would be the only guy they would want. At every other position on the diamond, the Red Sox had the better player (and Julio Lugo didn’t exactly have a bad World Series either).

Sutcliffe also made the claim that the Rockies were “playing scared”. I’m not sure I would go along with that, but it’s certainly true that they were pressing too hard in crucial moments. This is far from a great criticism of Colorado though. Virtually none of their players had any post-season experience coming into October and, due to the aforementioned talent disparity, they knew they had to play above themselves to beat the Red Sox. Mix that together with their obvious desperation to win and their behaviour was understandable. If the Rockies’ main crime was that they were “trying too hard”, you cannot be too harsh on them. Losing in a World series is a crushing blow, but no one should lose sight of what an astonishingly successful season they have had overall. Regardless of the 4-0 defeat, Rockies fans should be very proud of their team and I’m sure they are.

A sweep in the World Series always makes for a bit of an anti-climax, but the Red Sox are worthy winners and, with the Yankees’ “Evil Empire” seemingly falling apart, you would not bet against them retaining their title in 2008.

That would certainly go down well with two guys on Five’s coverage last night. The home of North American sports on British terrestrial TV showed sixty-plus MLB games over the course of the season, all presented with the infectious enthusiasm that British baseball fans have come to know and love over the last eleven years. Phil Jupitus was a welcome addition to the panel last night and alongside his fellow Red Sox fan Josh and honorary Rockies fan Jonny, they made the final show of the year a treat to watch. Here’s to more of the same in 2008.

Denver will be the host for this Monday’s instalment of North American sport on Five. Sadly for baseball fans, it looks like the venue will be Invesco Field rather than Coors. The World Series could still go to game five, but Boston’s 10-5 victory in game three last night has made a 4-0 sweep a very real possibility. The Rockies have to win tonight to avoid this fate and the first three games of the series give little reason to suggest they will.

When the Red Sox won the opener 13-1, there was a sense that they had caught Colorado cold. The Rockies simply didn’t turn up and Boston despatched them without breaking a sweat. The same couldn’t be said about game three and that’s why it was such a back-breaking victory. Powered along by the magnificent Coors Field crowd, the Rockies fought back from a disastrous third inning during which they conceded six runs. They knocked Matsuzaka out after 5.1 innings and Matt Hollidays’ three-run blast in the bottom of the seventh gave Boston a scare for the first time in the series. Yet all their efforts counted for nothing. Every time they landed a big punch, their opponent took it on the chin and punched back even harder.

We’ve all seen over the past two months how dangerous the Rockies are when they get on a roll and the Red Sox used their superior talent to cut short any rallies before they could change the course of the game. The first example occurred in the bottom of the fifth. With one out and two men on, Julio Lugo and Mike Lowell combined brilliantly on the right side of the infield to turn what looked to be a certain run-scoring single by Matsui into an out at third base. Dice-K then got Tulowitzki to pop out to end the inning, still with a zero next to Colorado’s name on the scoreboard.

The Rockies were able to score two runs in the sixth, yet the inning left them pondering missed opportunities again. Ryan Spilborghs looked to have closed the Red Sox lead to one with a three-run homer, only for the ball to land harmlessly in Jacoby Ellsbury’s glove near the top of the centre-field fence. Jeff Baker was the next man up and he drilled a line drive that would have scored two runs had Julio Lugo not acrobatically leapt up and stabbed it to end the inning. The feeling of deflation was palpable among both the fans and the Rockies’ players.

Even Holliday’s shot in the following inning proved to be a false dawn. Having made the score 5-6, the Rockies’ gameplan was simple: hold the Red Sox scoreless in the top of the eighth and then continue the assault. In typical fashion, Boston ripped the momentum back in their favour by plating three runs before adding another in the top of the ninth. Staring up at the scoreboard after the game, the Rockies knew that if just one or two plays had gone their way, the result might have been different. It wasn’t bad luck that cost them though. The game-changing plays went Boston’s way because they were the better team on the day. That’s a realisation many teams have had to accept this season.

The story of game three was one of the Boston bully boys demonstrating their dominance on both the National League champions and the rest of the Majors. Oakland’s GM Billy Beane once memorably stated that the play-offs are a crapshoot as the outcome seven-game series might not truly reflect the ability of the two teams involved. While this opinion may have some merit (e.g. even the Royals could win four games out of seven against the Red Sox if things go their way), the 2007 postseason is not going to produce a surprise World Champion. The Red Sox have been the best team in baseball this year and they are intent on winning the trophy to underline the point.

The old sports adage of taking one game at a time has never been more relevant than it is right now for the Rockies. Thinking about winning four straight games against this Boston side won’t do much for your confidence. Even one game looks like a big ask at the moment, but the Rockies now have no second chances.

Game three may have had a familiar ending, but it was a dramatic game nonetheless and hopefully game four can continue in that vein. The storyline is already set, with two starting pitchers making their World Series debuts after battling through serious illnesses in the recent past. Coverage starts at 00.10 on Five, with first pitch an hour earlier than yesterday due to the clocks going back. Phil Jupitus will be joining Jonny and Josh in the studio, no doubt hoping that his Red Sox can finish off the series in style.

The parade through the streets of Boston is probably being planned already. They’re 2-0 up in the World Series and have comprehensively outplayed the Rockies so far. It seems difficult to imagine that the Red Sox will fail to win two out of the possible five remaining games and the smart money would suggest that the series will not make it past Monday at the latest.

Great news for Boston, not so good for Colorado or for neutral baseball fans. We want an extended series, a Rockies fightback full of twists and turns, even if the Red Sox take the title in the end. Is that a forlorn hope?

Possibly yes, but let’s see if we can convince ourselves otherwise!

The Red Sox have had a perfect start and therefore it’s easy to state that the Rockies couldn’t have had a worse one. But that wouldn’t be completely true. If we strip the situation back to its bare bones we see that the Rockies have simply lost two games in Boston against a very good Red Sox team. As they were the first two games of the World Series, that is a bit more significant than usual (to say the least). Still, it’s not time to press the panic button just yet. Had the Rockies lost the first two games in Colorado, we could safely say that they were finished. Combine the Red Sox’s home form with the crushing blow of dropping the opening two games at Coors Field and there would have been no way back.

As it is, the Rockies have returned to Colorado down but not out and with a chance of getting themselves back into the series. Just as the Red Sox are fearsome at Fenway, Colorado are deadly in Denver. And the home comforts don’t end at being able to sit in your normal seat in the clubhouse. Switching to the National League ballpark means switching to National League rules.

When you’ve lost two games in the manner that the Rockies have done, there are two ways to turn things around: 1) improve your own performance, and 2) hope your opponents don’t continue to play so well. The first factor is the one you have to concentrate on as it’s the factor that you have the most control over. Factor two is heading down the route of desperation, yet in this case there is genuine reason for the Rockies to expect their opponents to be a slightly lesser force under National League rules.

With the Red Sox having to make a space in the batting lineup for the pitcher, the reports coming out of the Red Sox camp suggest that Kevin Youkilis will be the odd man out for game three at least (probably for game four as well). Taking Youkilis, who has arguably been their hottest hitter, out of the number two spot and replacing him with Lugo or Ellsbury WILL make the top of the Red Sox’s batting lineup weaker. At the same time, the Red Sox defence WILL be weaker with David Ortiz manning first base (particularly with his dodgy knee).

So, here’s the plan for Colorado. Make the most of your home field advantage tonight. Get your first win in the books, snap the Red Sox’s momentum and head into game four with your confidence high and with Terry Francona having to deal with the inevitable questioning of his decision to drop Youkilis. Take game four, partly with the help of the above, and suddenly the tables are turned. The series is tied, the Rockies are on a charge and the murmurs of a Boston “choke” will begin.

Easy to write, not so simple in practice. It illustrates the point that the Rockies can get back into this series though. One thing is for certain: the Rockies have to win game three tonight to give themselves a chance. The stakes couldn’t be higher, so expect a tense, thrilling game. Coverage starts at 12.55 on Five (be mindful of the clocks going back though).

Josh Chetwynd was right: losing a close game is more demoralising than losing by twelve runs. The Rockies head back home down 2-0 in the series knowing full well that they had opportunities to earn a split at Fenway. That one game difference counts for a lot. 1-1 and the Rockies have a great chance of retaining the World Series for the National League. At 0-2 down, they’ve given themselves a mountain to climb.

MLB.com reveals just how big a task they are facing. They report that of the last fifty teams to be in this position, only eleven have been able to fight back and win the title. Eleven’s more hopeful than none and it shows that it can be done, but the Red Sox are a formidable opponent and it’s hard to see them capitulating after building up such a commanding lead.

A day after their pitching was hit all over the place, the Rockies’ hurlers did a great job in holding the Boston batting line-up to just two runs in game two. The bullpen pitched 3.1 scoreless innings after Ubaldo Jimenez gave them the start that the probably expected. He pitched well, but his recent form suggested that he would give up free bases and wouldn’t make it past six innings. As it was, he lasted just 4.2 innings while handing out five walks and a hit-by-pitch. Jimenez has struggled with his command since being called up to the Majors and the Red Sox were not going to help him out by swinging at too many pitches outside the strikezone.

The Rockies’ lineup was more generous though. When your pitchers give up thirteen runs, as they did in game one, the hitters can be absolved of some of the blame for the resulting loss. When you only need three runs to win a game and you come up short, the hitters will be placed under the microscope. Two situations in particular summed up the Rockies’ night and both of them involved Matt Holliday occupying first base. The most obvious of the two occurred in the eighth, when Holliday made the fateful error of being picked-off at first with Todd Helton standing in the batter’s box. It’s a silly error to commit at any point, but when it ends the inning it seems to hurt that little bit more. However, the fact that Holliday was in a position to make that error was testament to the great night he had at the plate. Holliday went 4 for 4, including a lead-off single in the top of the fourth and it was the hitters who followed him in that inning who probably did the most damage to the Rockies’ chances.

Todd Helton stepped up and hit the first pitch he saw to Jacoby Ellsbury for out number one. Garrett Atkins followed Helton to the plate and hacked the first pitch to Manny Ramirez for the second out. Then Brad Hawpe, with “third time lucky” flicking through his head, swung at Schilling’s first offering and popped out to Julio Lugo.

It gave Schilling a nine-pitch inning, especially welcome after a six-pitch battle with Holliday to start the frame. But more importantly it put the pressure back on the Rockies’ young starter.

After coasting through the first two innings, during which he threw just nineteen pitches combined, Jimenez laboured through the bottom of the third. He threw twenty-five pitches in this frame and would have been breathing a sigh of relief when he returned to the dugout after David Ortiz just missed hitting a three-run homer down near Pesky’s pole. Had the Rockies been able to capitalize on Holliday’s lead-off single in the top of the fourth, the momentum of the game would have swung their way. The Helton-Atkins-Hawpe three-pitch giveaway not only kept their lead down to one, it also sent Jimenez back to the mound without having much of a chance to regain his composure. He struggled again in the bottom of the fourth, giving up the tying run, and the Red Sox never looked back. Yes this is talking with hindsight, but if the Rockies’ 4, 5 and 6 hitters had shown a bit more patience at the plate in the fourth, the rest of the game might have been completely different.

Let’s give credit to Boston though. Curt Schilling might not have his fastball of old, but he knows how to pitch in big games. Thanks to Josh Beckett’s masterful performance in game one, Schilling was able to give his all for 5.1 innings knowing that he had Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon rested and ready in the bullpen. Had Wednesday’s contest been a closer affair, one or both of them may have been used that night. Due to the size of their advantage, Red Sox manager Terry Francona was able to get by with Timlin and Gagne, holding back his top two arms for a more pressurised situation. With just a one run lead to defend, Okajima and Papelbon pitched brilliantly to shut down the Colorado offense over 3.2 innings. It was a fitting way to end the opening stand at Fenway: Boston’s 2-0 series lead is fully deserved and the Rockies will have to hope that a change of scenery will lead to a dramatic change in fortune.

Otherwise, a sweep is on the cards.

Thankfully the predicted heavy rain didn’t show up last night. Unfortunately, neither did the Rockies.

The main stat doing the rounds before, during and after the game centred on the importance of winning the first contest. Nine of the last ten game-one winners have gone on to win the World Series and none of them beat their opponents quite so comprehensively as the Red Sox beat the Rockies. Boston went into the game as heavy favourites and they more than lived up to that billing. Game one really couldn’t have gone much worse for Colorado or much better for Boston.

The other main pre-game talking point was the Rockies’ extended break heading into their first World Series. Fears that they would be undercooked appeared to be well founded, with the pitchers being belted for nine extra base hits and the batting lineup mustering only six hits. Whether the break was the cause of this display is a debatable point: Josh Beckett would have been tough to beat regardless on that form and the Red Sox boast a formidable group of hitters.

On Five’s coverage, Josh Chetwynd argued that a blow-out loss is actually less demoralising than a narrow defeat. Just write it off as a bad day and start again with the hope that you’ve saved up some hits for the next game. That’s the line the Rockies are taking by all accounts and there’s really no other way to approach it. Yes, they got pummelled, but it still only counts as one loss. Losing the first game might be a bad omen, but it’s far from a death sentence. Even losing tonight wouldn’t necessarily finish them, although they won’t want to put that to the test.

What chance do they have of turning things around? Well, facing the 2007 version of Curt Schilling is not the same as facing Beckett, so there’s grounds for optimism there. No one, possibly not even Curt himself, can predict which Schilling will turn up on the mound tonight. The same could be said for Ubaldo Jimenez though. The rookie has been wild (eight walks in 11.1 innings) but effective (1.59 ERA) in his two post-season starts so far. The normal World Series debut nerves shouldn’t bother him too much. He’s been facing firsts ever since getting his call-up in July and he hasn’t seemed fazed by any of them yet. The one concern (to add to the list) for the Rockies is that he hasn’t made it through seven innings once in his last nine starts. They need a strong start from Jimenez to give them a chance; if the bullpen is needed early again they may well be in trouble.

As for the Red Sox, they will be looking to carry on where they left off, simple as that. Things went so well for them that even Eric Gagne was able to throw an uneventful three up, three down ninth inning. This means that if Schilling only lasts five innings, they’ve got plenty of top pitchers ready in relief. Rick Sutcliffe compared Jonathon Papelbon’s arm to a savings account on commentary last night, a metaphor that kind of worked. Amid the references to “withdrawals” and “deposits”, Sutcliffe was effectively saying that Papelbon needs a rest now and then to perform at his best. He got that rest last night and will be ready for action in game two. It won’t get any easier for the Rockies, that’s for sure.

Finally, I wasn’t overly impressed with the rendition of the national anthem if I’m being honest. A World Series isn’t the time or place for an orchestral version if you ask me. You want someone belting the words out, not someone waving a small stick (regardless of how many awards John Williams has received over the years). Johnny’s 8 out of 10 score was ridiculously generous; Josh’s 6 was about right. Ashanti’s “God Bless America” during the seventh inning stretch was your typical diva effort: lots of overly dramatic wailing, desperately trying to sound like emotion. Not terrible, but nothing to shout about either. Johnny seemed to be extremely excited at the prospect of James Taylor performing the anthem tonight though. I seem to remember him doing a good job in 2004, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, so expect a nine from Johnny and a 7 from Josh.

Predicting the outcome of game two is less easy. It’s hard to bet against the Red Sox after the manner of their victory yesterday, yet sometimes a heavy loss can spark a team to life. The Rockies hitters will fancy their chances against Schilling (particularly compared to Beckett) and if they can give their pitchers some run support, they may be in with a chance. My head says the Red Sox will win by three runs, my heart says the Rockies will show some ‘bouncebackability’ and take the series back to Colorado tied 1-1.

“The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain”

The rain in Boston is mainly a pain in the rear end.

Game one of the World Series, everyone cannot wait for it to start, and the clouds decide to circle around Fenway. Optimistic reports suggest constant drizzle will make way for a heavy downpour just as the stadium lights are switched off. Others cast severe doubt on whether the game will go nine innings. Either way, it’s probably going to be a long night.

The rain doesn’t bode well for anybody, least of all for the Boston Pops. The world famous (admittedly, not in my house) orchestra are scheduled to perform the National Anthem before the game. That should make for an interesting “marks-out-of-ten” competition on Five! Normally the anthem is performed by the likes of Billy Ray Cyrus (singing his achy breaky heart out, of course), so this should be a bit different. Let’s hope the rain doesn’t drown them out.

Mere hours before the first pitch of the 2007 World Series, every baseball fan cannot help but feel giddy with excitement. Memories of previous contests come flooding back, not just of in-game incidents, but the obligatory pre-game rituals. The ceremonial first pitch. The starting players jogging onto the field one-by-one, with cheers ringing out for the home town heroes and jeers filling the air for the opposing players. The National Anthem, brought to a climax by the perfectly-timed U.S. Air Force flyover. And for British fans, that wonderful moment when the opening credits fade away and the camera zooms in on Johnny and Josh, resplendent in tuxedoes. It can only mean one thing: the World Series is upon us again.

Throw two teams of scrubs out there and we would still all be counting down the minutes. As it is, our excitement is fully merited. This is a series between two teams playing great baseball. It’s also a series between two very different organizations.

The History – The Boston Red Sox are one of the most storied franchises in North American sports. Formed in 1901 as the Boston Americans, they became the Red Sox in 1908 and have made it to the Fall Classic ten times prior to this year’s success (winning on six occasions). The Colorado Rockies are mere pups in comparison, an expansion team from 1993 who have only made the post-season once before (a short stay in 1995 when they lost 3-1 in the divisional series to the eventual World Series winning Braves).

The Brand – While the Boston “B” may not be quite as ubiquitous as the interlocking NY, millions of non-baseball fans around the world have heard of the Boston Red Sox. Mention their name and your average Brit will a) tell you that they are a baseball team and b) make a smart arse comment about the Yanks not being able to spell “socks” properly. The Colorado Rockies? Few outside the States would know they are a sports team. Most would probably think it’s the name of a National Park , like the Grand Canyon or Jellystone Park.

The Media – From the Boston Globe to ESPN, the Red Sox are media darlings. Whether it’s devastating losses, breathtaking victories, blockbuster signings or the age-old rivalry with the Bronx Bombers, everyone will be writing or talking about it. The Rockies barely register on the media radar outside their home state.

The Fans – When Fever Pitch was “Americanized” on the Silver Screen, it was the Red Sox who replaced Arsenal as the subject of the main character’s obsession, such is the reputation of the Red Sox Nation. Many famous names proudly display their allegiance to the Red Sox, from writer Stephen King to British comedian Phil Jupitus. The allure of the Rockies is less wide-reaching. They don’t have a fancy collective name to grace T-shirts and bumper stickers and as for a list of famous fans, answers on a postcard please.

The Ballparks – The two sets of supporters make a regular pilgrimage to two very different ballparks. Fenway Park is a living monument to baseball history. Intimate and awe-inspiring, it has hosted the greats of the game since 1912, with the thirty-seven feet high Green Monster casting an imposing shadow in left field. Coors Field is a spacious ballpark in a picturesque setting and has the unique quality of being based a mile above sea level. However, at just twelve years old, it (so far) lacks the memories that make a stadium special. Still, it gets a bonus point for being named after a beer company.

The players – Many of the players who call Fenway their home are the superstars of their era. From Big Papi to Manny, Curt “bloody sock” Schilling to Dice-K, the team is full of instantly recognisable characters earning millions of dollars. The Rockies’ roster could walk down most high streets without turning any heads never mind causing a commotion. That’s not to say they don’t have players with star-level talent, just that their efforts go relatively unnoticed because Colorado is not a “big media market”.

It sounds like David versus Goliath, but then again all of this is just window-dressing. History, fans, star names: they count for nothing when the umpire shouts “Play ball”. And when it comes to the action on the diamond, the Rockies may just have the advantage. No team has ever entered the World Series in such stunning form: the Rockies have won 21 of their last 22 games. The only worry is that the red-hot Rockies might have cooled down during their eight-day period of inactivity. Will the battle-hardened Red Sox have an advantage? Recent history is inconclusive on how the manner of reaching the World Series effects performance once you get there:

2005: The White Sox defeated the Angels 4-1 in the ALCS while the Astros beat the Cardinals in six games to win the NLCS. Chicago took the World Series 4-0

2006: The Tigers swept the A’s in the ALCS while the Cardinals edged the Mets in a seven game thriller. St Louis took the World Series 4-1.

Throw form out of the window then and what are you left with? The Red Sox are where they believe they belong; the Rockies are where they’ve never been before. The Red Sox Nation expects to win; Rockies fans are worried that they might wake up and find out it’s all been a dream. It is a fascinating contrast, a compelling mix which has proved to be a winning formula in the recent past.

After the initial burst of anticipation, the last three World Series have all been somewhat of an anti-climax for everyone but the winners. The last time we had a great contest was 2003 when the all-conquering New York Yankees lost 2-4 to the minnows of the Florida Marlins. A powerhouse from the AL East against a recent expansion team who made the post-season via the NL wild card; those ingredients produced a feast last time and we can only hope that history repeats itself. Red Sox fans won’t relish playing the role of the Yankees, but the Rockies will gladly benefit from some of that Marlins magic.

Most, if not all, predictions have the Red Sox walking home with the trophy in five games or less. They certainly deserve to be favourites, but the Rockies are more than capable of causing an upset. If 2003 is a reliable indicator, it’s going to be well worth watching.