Six Things About Game 6

Quick and dirty on Cleveland/Boston Game 6:

1. Why does FOX continue make a player read his team's lineup? Julio Lugo looked like he was on a hostage video. He actually wound up reading his own name off the cue card!

2. This rooting for Boston thing, particularly with 38 Pitches.com on the mound, is for the birds. Schilling's caused my team so much pain that I keep forgetting that I'm supposed to want him to win, here. I catch myself hoping for the fly ball that hooked down around the foul pole to be called fair; for Kenny Lofton to make the catch on Pedroia's double; or for Schilling's ankle to start bleeding again.

3. What's really gotten Cleveland to this point is glovework, so it was surprising that some of their players, particularly Peralta, looked like they were playing tight on defense. For Jake Westbrook's sake, they'd better shake it off--he needs all the leather he can get behind him to be effective.

4. I'm happy at least that the big hit of the game goes to the most loathed (in Boston) Sox player of the Ortiz era, J.D. Drew. If Boston has to win, at least their good memories can be contaminated with achievements by a guy they don't like.

5. On the other hand, you can see why some people don't like Drew, even when he hits. When he got his third hit of the night, Drew didn't seem happy or fired up. He looked worried he might have forgotten to set TiVO to record Iron Chef America. It's a little unsettling.

6. Seems like Boston beat Carmona twice in this series using exactly the same approach the Indians used to beat up Chien Ming Wang in the ALDS--take lots of pitches early so the ump can see that the power sinker is missing the strike zone low, force him to throw up in the zone and over the plate just to get a strike. Then bask in the announcers repeatedly saying "...a bad night for the nineteen-game winner..."