Tonight, Satan reared his ugly head. He came to the big stadium in the Bronx with his foam "#1" hand ready to go. He ordered several hot dogs as he sat in the first row. He fired up the grill for the Yankees. With his embodiment on the mound, he cruised easily along for 7 innings, escorting his minions--the Boston Red Sox--to what he felt was the promised land. He revelled in the shaved heads of his brood. He chuckled and repeated "Cowboy up" at the top of his lungs. He grinned a toothy grin as the outs ticked away, and the Yankees appeared closer and closer to death. He forgot about one thing: The pinstipes beat the King of Darkness every time.
The odds were against the Yankees, "the curse" not withstanding. How could they beat the Dominican Devil Pedro Martinez twice? How could they come back from a 4 run, and then a 3 run deficit? Remember what was said on this site yesterday evening:
"To win this game, Clemens will have to pitch to perfection. The Yankee lineup will have to be patient. Giambi will have to take his thumb out of his ass and put the bat on the ball. Aaron Boone, while probably NOT in the lineup, will have to contribute late in the game. The pile of dog feces that is the Yankee bullpen will have to actually learn to pitch overnight. And lastly, Mariano Rivera will have to be the savior again."
Go through the checklist: Clemens did NOT pitch well. However, the lineup WAS patient. Giambi put his bat on the ball and kept the Yankees in the game. The bullpen, including two starters, shut the Red Sox down. Aaron Boone came through in a BIG way late in the game. And lastly, Mariano Rivera was indeed the savior--an honor he shares with Mike Mussina on this night.
Am I psychic? No. I was not confident going into this game. I even made a point to mentiont that ALL of the above would have to happen for the Yankees to win. I had no idea it would all indeed come true.
In the end, the Yankees overcame season-crippling injuries, a roulette wheel of a bullpen, two 40 year old starters, and two starts against Mr. Beelzebub himself. I said yesterday that I don't believe in curses...
...I never said I didn't believe in Mystique.
Cowboy up your ass, Satan.
