Thanks to the '04 playoffs, which seem even more ridiculous with time, I'm merely annoyed today, rather than apoplectic.

Ever since Youkilis's hard liner that was caught in the bottom of the 9th of game 2, the Indians have done all the little things right, and the Red Sox have not. This series could be 3-1 the other way with only 2-3 changes (Youk's hit drops, Youk holds onto the pop foul last night, etc.).

But, of course, that is not the case.

If you figure the Sox and Indians are pretty evenly matched, coin flipping says the Red Sox have a 12.5% of coming back. Because Beckett is a stud, Schilling may well have another great game in him, and they've done this before, I give them up to a 20% chance, but that's it.

And if the Indians advance, I hope they beat the stuffing out of the upstarts; they haven't suffered long enough in Colorado yet.

Who better to smite Chief Wahoo's team that an authentic Native American (and the Navajo's answer to Ichiro at that)?

Here's an interesting article worth reading on the topic, showing sensitivity on Cleveland's side, and diplomacy by Ellsbury:

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2007/10/12/theyve_had_some_chief_concerns/

A snippet:

"Not too many things offend me," Ellsbury said in the Sox clubhouse yesterday morning. "I'm not offended. You can look at it two different ways. You can look at it that it's offensive or you can look at it that they are representing Native Americans. Usually I'll try to take the positive out of it."

That's generous of him, especially since a member of the Cleveland organization asked him about the logo when the team was thinking of drafting the Oregon State product in the first round two years ago.

"They asked me if I would be offended or anything like that if they had taken me," said the quiet Ellsbury, a member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes. "I said it was fine, but I thought that was nice on their part."

As much as I'd like to see Coco become the 2007 version of Mark Bellhorn (Sox fans were calling for his head before he hit HRs in ALCS Game 6, 7, and WS Game 1, 2 of them game-winners), I don't see it happening. Coco has never looked happy or comfortable as a Sock, except perhaps in the field. But Ellsbury can catch, too. And hit (lefties, too, even though Tim was [for once] technically correct).

Uncle_DirtNap,

One of these weeks, King is going to be right, and then he can carry on about how he was one of the few people to correctly predict the Pat's 1st loss.

When predicting something that you can't really predict, it's better to be spectacularly wrong than middle-of-the-pack wrong.

Because on occasion you will be spectacularly correct.

... they are just responding to market signals for equipment. As far as I know, they aren't financing the mines or anything.

CAT, Deere, Komatsu et al. would do just fine supporting renewable energy construction. Those wind turbines don't install themselves. In fact, John Deere is actively in wind power: http://www.deere.com/en_US/jdc/product_financing/wind_energy/about/index.html

Same with biofuels (are they evil or good today? I lost track). Tractors running on biodiesel, baby. Deere currently puts a token amount of biodiesel in machines at the factory: http://www.deere.com/en_US/newsroom/2005/releases/farmersandranchers/050201_biodiesel.html

Cat doesn't strike me as a particularly green company (though they have a sustainability report, huzzah), but I have a hard time blaming them. They're just an enabler, and if they didn't supply the trucks, someone else would.

They have a full-life lifecycle calculator online: http://www.volvo.com/trucks/global/en-gb/aboutus/environmental_care/Environmental_Product_Declaration/epd_calculator.htm

They have also committed to low/zero carbon factories:

http://www.volvo.com/trucks/global/en-gb/aboutus/environmental_care/co2freeproduction/

Not bad, in my book.

I have an idea:

I'll volunteer to cover the cost difference between the cost of a new Chinese coal plant and a new Chinese wind turbine with equivalent output (not capacity, output). In exchange, I get to say that I have, what's a good word... offset some of my own emissions (which are not cost-effective to reduce much further than I already have thru conservation, etc.). Which I have, because I've displaced new coal-fired output with wind output.

Pretty sweet- Net CO2 emissions rise much less than they otherwise would have (before they go down they have to first go up less), it doesn't cost me much, and the Chinese people get their juice. And polar bears get to hang onto their ice for a couple more years.

Companies like 3Phases offer precisely these sorts of offsets.

And yet offsets have such a bad name in some quarters, which pisses me off. It's voluntary action and market signals, and it works. Why the bad press?

That's funny; all I ever noticed during the segues was 'Cleveland Rocks'.

It's amazing how our collective propensity to notice perceived slights against our team and our ability to take for granted compliments to our team leave us all thinking that the coverage is biased.

I'm a Sox fan (born and bred, always respectful at others' ballparks), but I was getting embarrassed by the extent to which which Mr. Tim was slavishly adoring Beckett. Sure, it was another amazing performance, but easy big fella.

As for Manny's Manny-ness and Beckett's peevishness, hey, it takes all kinds. Just remember, opposing teams:

1. Manny has given you permission to show him up all you want if you get him out. Or even if you don't. Go nuts.

2. Beckett is like the Soup Nazi. Approach the plate, try to get a hit, proceed directly to the bench. Do not make eye contact. Repeat.