Game 1 Thoughts

I won't be doing this for every game, but game one of any series is a seminal game in that it has the ability to set the tone for the rest of the games.

If you are a Red Sox fan, you had to like what you saw last night. Not so much that they blew out the Tribe 10-3. And not so much that Beckett was still in form. But the plate discipline and patience were the key, the real reason behind their success.

The Red Sox have had a spotty year of offense - that's the perception, and it's a valid one. I think that they were one of the top teams in runs for the season - at one point they were 2nd or 3rd. But numbers of runs scored is less important than when they are scored. Eight runs in a game is a lot of runs, but if you lose 9-8, it's a moot point.

Of course, in the end, they had enough run support to own a 96-66 record and that's saying a lot, However, they didn't often live up to their offensive potential with Ortiz hurting a lot of the year and Manny having a subManny year. That allowed Mike Lowell and Dustin Pedroia to really shine. Even Lugo and Drew picked it up in September.

To be able to get the offensive machine to life like they did last night was huge. It sparked on all sorts of cylinders up and down the rotation. They worked the pitches, drew a lot of walks and took Sabathia out of his rhythm early, which is no mean feat in itself. If this offense shows up every night, I think the Red Sox are unstoppable with adequate pitching support.

Schilling pitches the next game, Dice-K after that and Wakefield after him. Curt pitched a gem against the Angels, and that's the Curt we hope to see tonight. His control was phenomenal, and he used a myriad of pitches to entice the batters to fail.

Dice-K still remains a question mark. I think Wakefield does too. Tim has been a stalwart of the rotation. Of late, though, he hasn't looked all that good, purportedly from recurring back problems. He does have postseason experience which is a plus, but I can't place a lot of confidence in him yet.

On the other hand, Carmona and Byrd were terrific against the Yankees and should be treated with the utmost respect.

So here we go, off to the races. The Red Sox took game one, and I expected that based on Beckett alone. We'll see how the rest of the series goes. I don't see the Sox steamrolling the Indians, but it could happen.

Or it could go the other way. Tonight may be pivotal.