.. but there are only a couple. I'm relieved; we're not all a-holes, and although overhyped they are a great team. How can you not love guys like Dustin Pedroia (he's my size, so he's my hero)?

It is very weird to be a Red Sox fan right now. We are used to feeling like Cleveland fans do today. As Dan Wetzel noted in his article, the Red Sox have become the Yankees, not (obviously) in the decades-of-dominance sense, but in the neighborhood bully sense.

Beating the Yankees in 2004 was like smiting the devil himself, and rolling through the Cards that year was just fulfilling the mission. You could not design a more fulfilling World Series run.

But as a bleeding-heart, long-suffering Red Sox fans, I feel badly for Cleveland fans. I really do. They had a great team and were really starting to roll when the wheels fell off (to extend a bad analogy, Beckett took the lug nuts).

Don't get me wrong, I am psyched for the Sox and have no such feelings for the Rockies fans (they haven't suffered long enough). But after both Sox teams ended decades of misery, I was hoping to see the Indians, Cubs, et al. have their turn.

Maybe next year.

I seem to remember that the Cardinals looked pretty "rusty" for Games 2-4 of the 2004 World Series, despite having a 7 game NLCS. Good pitching (Schilling, Martinez [not at his very best, but still good], and Lowe were all at the top of their games) tends to do that.

I can't claim that the long layoff didn't hurt the Rockies, but give credit where credit is due- Beckett can shut down anyone right now; Schilling is doing the postseason Schilling thing, and Papelbon and "that Japanese guy" are simply very, very good. Okajima was extraordinary this year until he got tired late in the season. He was only a little better than that for a little longer last night. Papelbon's line of 4 outs, 2 Ks, and 1 hit isn't exactly extraordinary for him.

The only evidence that supports the rust theory is Colorado's so-so fielding (though some of their problems were due to Fenway unfamiliarity) and their inability to hit the resident arsonist, Eric Gagne (though even he showed signs of decency against the Indians in Game 6).

BTW: Red Sox haters, we Sox fans are trying to figure out how to transition from lovable losers to dignified winners (rather than entitled Massholes). It's a work in progress; please check back later.

BTW II: This series is so not over. If anyone knows that, it's Red Sox fans (think: 1986). Though Colorado is going to have to figure out how to beat Beckett (hard) and/or win 2 in Fenway (also hard). But stranger things have happened. Countering that, expectations for Sox fans and players are much different in the post-04 world. I was actually fairly optimistic that the Sox would come from behind last night. I would have not have felt that way in '03. I have to imagine that the players have more confidence as well, and confidence is a valuable thing in baseball.

... clearly screwed up Jon Lester and Bobby Kielty ...

Having said that, the long layoff for the Rockies probably did hurt them a bit. And to the extent that this argument supports un-extending the playoff schedule, I'm all for it.

Memo to the Rockies: It's best to pace your domination. Sweeping the 1st round is good, but be sure to lose 3 games during the LCS and get in some sort of hole. It's risky, but it builds character, keeps you sharp, etc. Then turn the dial back to "don't lose" and don't look back.

These *are* the good old days for Boston sports fans.

... and then said this:

but they're unavoidable -- Hulu's player pauses the ads when you click to another window, so you can't do e-mail or browse the Web while the ad is playing

That registers as a hassle in my book!

Look, I understand that they need people to see the ads so the site makes money. I get it. But forcing ads on me is about as appealing as having my DVD player tell me I can't do something not b/c of technical limitations but just because the DVD publisher, you know, wanted it that way.

This is what Google generally understands- in my opinion, Google prints money because they found a method of delivering advertising that a) gets noticed and b) does so without unduly pissing off the viewer. Gmail is perhaps the best example of this; I wouldn't turn off Gmail ads if I could because I have actually found a lot of useful sites via the ads on the right-hand side. These ads are easy for me to ignore if I'm in a hurry or focused on the task at hand, but are easy to scan if I am so inclined.

I'll wihthold judgment on Hulu (I did so love the A-Team as a kid). I hope that the advertising is so short, and so good (that's another tip- if you make clever enough ads, people will want to watch them) that it won't drive people bananas.

Don't get me wrong; I think Huckabee's a lunatic, but I thought this ad was pretty good.

Huckabee talks a good game- I thought he did well on the Daily Show awhile back (or was it Colbert Report?), but I've heard some wacky stuff about him from family in Arkansas...