Boston Swagger: Lost and Found?

You know you've had an interesting series when Mike Timlin is the only pitcher to come out with a win and you've made Mariano Rivera blow two save opportunities, yet he has a record of 1-1. The first two games this week against New York left Boston fans everywhere wondering "Where is our offense?" "What's the deal with Wells?" and "Why did we replace Cabrera with Renteria?" The first two games alone left Sox fans with little to be proud of. Sure, they knocked Mariano Rivera up for a blown save in game two — but did it matter? Not so long as Jeter's heroic antics were still at play, not to mention Matsui's continued domination.

Combined, however, the series left much more hope for the Sox. After all, Boston did cause the "unstoppable" Mariano Rivera to blow two saves. Knocking Rivera for 5 runs in the ninth during Wednesday's game allowed Sox fans to let out a sigh of relief because not only did Boston pull one out, they continued to dominate Rivera. While I doubt he will ever be the closer he was, we all must keep in mind Mariano isn't going to blow every save, but will settle down. So, does this take away from the hope given to Sox fans from this series? No — because the ninth inning did a lot more for the Red Sox. It was a momentum swing for the offense and also gave the players back that "Boston Swagger" which was missing in most of the players during the first two games. That is, in the ninth inning the Dirtdogs returned doing what needed to get done to win. This was a step away from the first two games where much of Sox nation felt they were watching a Yankee team as few of the players seemed to "fit."

It is only the first series and it will take time for the new guys to find this comfort level that others like Millar, Otriz, Bellhorn, and Mueller have achieved. The biggest thing the Red Sox led the majors with last year was character and after a few more settling wins the Red Sox will be right back up there.


This article was also published on YankeesSuck.Com