Winning To Stay Alive....Time For Randy To Be Randy

It was painful last night. But not unexpected.

It's not a copout for me to write that this was a must-win game for the infidels last night. Their most accomplished big-game pitcher(outside of a healthy Schilling) on the mound against a rookie. They had win this game. As good as Wakefield has been you never know what a knuckleball is going to do. And who knows what they'll get out of Schilling on Saturday. Granted, we have no idea what Mussina will do orwe'll get out of Randy, with all hands on deck, I like my chances against them on Sunday believe it or not.

Time for Randy to be Randy. This is how he cements his legacy is as one of the big-name pitchers of all time and arguably the greatest lefty post World War II. By winning today. Randy, like Pedro, seemed to resent all the attention that loud-mouth Schilling would attractto himself.

If you look at his career stats he's not going to sniff anywhere near the Hall like Pedro and Unit. Wells and Mussina both have more career wins. Yet he gets all this press as the big-game pitcher of his time. It's kind of like Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. Seaver was clearly the better pitcher. Yet, Koos was a better big-game pitcher. Unit can overcome all of that with a win today.

Yes, it only gets the Bombers a game ahead with one to play. But it guarantees that Boston can't finish it off on Sunday even if Schilling pulls a Bob Gibson. It guarantees that this high drama finsihes at the Stadium, with someone other than Schilling deciding it. It means that Randy can possibly come on in relief and be the savior like he was for the D-Backs in 2001.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not playing for Monday. Nothing would me happier than win today and stick it to Doughboy tomorrow. And I think that can happen. But I want to win this thing....period...and how we do it is irrelevant. The point is, winning today puts us back in drivers seat. Enables us to control our destiny. Regardless of what happens tomorrow. Losing today. Well, I'm going to leave that one alone right now.

By the way, in case you were watching, huge win for the Chi-Sox last night. It puts the Tribe a game back of us and the Sox. I thought it rather strange that all these Indians fans were coming up to me saying that they were rooting for the Yanks. Until I realized why. Sorry, infidels...it's going to be a pleasure rooting against you this weekend. Go Sox!!! Chi-Sox that is.

Wow, never that I'd say that. Eww....