Red Sox fans didn’t get the opportunity to give Paul Byrd the bird (whether he would have deserved it or not is a debate for another time), but otherwise they enjoyed a perfect night. Boston completed their comeback against the Indians, taking the series decider 11-2 and booking their place in the World Series.
I’ll be posting a full World Series preview before the opening game on Wednesday, but it’s worth taking a moment to acknowledge the efforts of the Cleveland Indians. Losing in the Championship Series is a lot like losing in the semi-final of the F.A. Cup: the disappointment of not winning the competition is exacerbated by missing out on the big end-of-season occasion. Of course no one likes to lose in the World Series, but at least you can say you played in it. While the Indians will be proud to raise their AL Central pennant next April, thoughts of what might have been will no doubt enter their heads. So near yet so far. It’s a tough end to what’s been an excellent season for the Tribe.
The challenge for Eric Wedge and his staff will be to make sure that they build on their success next year. After winning ninety-three games in 2005, the Indians went backwards in 2006, finishing eighteen games behind the first-placed Tigers. The AL Central is an extremely competitive division and Cleveland will know that if they rest on their laurels, they will quickly fall behind again. Step one would be to try and ink C.C. Sabathia to a multi-year extension: the Indians’ ace will be a free agent at the end of next season otherwise. That’s going to take a lot of money though and it remains to be seen whether Cleveland’s owners will be prepared to make the investment.
If they can keep their core players together for the next four or five years, the Indians will have a great chance of getting back to the ALCS and taking the extra two steps to glory. If not, they may live to regret not taking advantage of their opportunity this year. Hopefully for fans of the Indians, 2007 will be a beginning for their team rather than an end.
