Magicgames II » They just catch you

BOSTON -- The old ballpark was packed for a celebration nearly a century in the making. Players danced around the infield with their families. Fans remained in the stands, savoring a long-awaited moment generations of New Englanders had never been able to witness. Turmoil to triumph. Worst to first. A clincher at Fenway Park. David Ortiz and the Boston Red Sox, baseballs bearded wonders, capped their remarkable turnaround by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 in Game 6 on Wednesday night to win their third World Series championship in 10 seasons. When it was over, Ortiz took a microphone on the field and addressed the city, just as he did a week after the marathon bombings last April. "This is for you, Boston. You guys deserve it," the Series MVP said. "Weve been through a lot this year and this is for all of you and all those families who struggled." And the Red Sox didnt even have to fly the trophy home. For the first time since Babe Ruths team back in 1918, Boston won the title at Fenway. The 101-year-old stadium, oldest in the majors, was packed with 38,447 singing, shouting fans anticipating a party building for more than nine decades. "Maybe they wont have to go another 95 years," said John Farrell, a champion in his first season as Bostons manager. Shane Victorino, symbolic of these resilient Sox, returned from a stiff back and got Boston rolling with a three-run double off the Green Monster against rookie sensation Michael Wacha. Pumped with emotion, Victorino pounded his chest with both fists three times. John Lackey became the first pitcher to start and win a Series clincher for two different teams, allowing one run over 6 2-3 innings 11 years after his Game 7 victory as an Angels rookie in 2002. With fans roaring on every pitch and cameras flashing, Koji Uehara struck out Matt Carpenter for the final out. The Japanese pitcher jumped into the arms of catcher David Ross while Red Sox players rushed from the dugout and bullpen as the Boston theme "Dirty Water" played on the public-address system. There wasnt the "Cowboy Up!" comeback charm of "The Idiots" from 2004, who swept St. Louis to end an 86-year title drought. There wasnt that cool efficiency of the 2007 team that swept Colorado. This time, they were Boston Strong -- playing for a city shaken by tragedy. "Weve dealt with a lot," Dustin Pedroia said. "But our team came together." After a late-season collapse in 2011, the embarrassing revelations of a chicken-and-beer clubhouse culture that contributed to the ouster of manager Terry Francona, and the daily tumult of Bobby Valentines one-year flop, these Red Sox grew on fans. Just like the long whiskers on the players faces, starting with Gomes scruffy spring training beard. "As soon as we went to Fort Myers, the movies already been written," Gomes said. "All we had to do was press play, and this is what happened." The only player remaining from the 2004 champs, Ortiz had himself a Ruthian World Series. He batted .688 (11 for 16) with two homers, six RBIs and eight walks -- including four in the finale -- for a .760 on-base percentage in 25 plate appearances, the second-highest in Series history. "We have a lot of players with heart. We probably dont have the talent that we had in 07 and 04, but we have guys that are capable (of staying) focused and do the little things," Ortiz said. Even slumping Stephen Drew delivered a big hit in Game 6, sending Wachas first pitch of the fourth into the right-centre bullpen for a 4-0 lead. By the time the inning was over, RBI singles by Mike Napoli and Victorino had made it 6-0, and the Red Sox were on their way. "Hey, I missed two games. Its time to shine," Victorino said. All over New England, from Connecticuts Housatonic River up to the Aroostook in Maine, Bostons eighth championship can be remembered for the beard-yanking bonding. Fans bid up the average ticket price to over $1,000 on the resale market and some prime locations went for more than $10,000 each. Nearly all the Red Sox rooters stood in place for 30 minutes after the final out to view the presentation of the trophy and MVP award. A few thousand remained when a beaming Ortiz came back on the field with his son 75 minutes after the final out. "It was an awesome atmosphere here," Lackey said. The win capped an emotional season for the Red Sox, one heavy with the memory of the events that unfolded on Patriots Day, when three people were killed and more than 260 wounded in bombing attacks at the Boston Marathon. The Red Sox wore "Boston Strong" logos on their left sleeves, erected a large emblem on the Green Monster and moved the logo into the centre-field grass as a constant reminder. "Theres I think a civil responsibility that we have wearing this uniform, particularly here in Boston," Farrell said. "And it became a connection initially, the way our guys reached out to individuals or to hospital visits. And it continued to build throughout the course of the season. I think our fans, they got to a point where they appreciated the way we played the game, how they cared for one another. And in return they gave these guys an incredible amount of energy to thrive on in this ballpark." Red, white and blue fireworks fired over the ballpark as Commissioner Bud Selig presented the World Series trophy to Red Sox owners John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino, leaving a haze over the field. "When the fireworks went off at the presentation of the trophy out there, when the ballpark was filled with smoke, it was completely surreal," Farrell said. "To be in this position, given where weve come from, reflecting back a year ago at this time, theres been a lot thats happened in 13 months." Players then put on goggles for a champagne celebration in the cramped clubhouse. "They just found ways to win," Henry said. "At some point you have to think theres something special happening here." Among the players blamed for the indifferent culture at the end of the Francona years, Lackey took the mound two days shy of the second anniversary of his elbow surgery and got his first Series win since the 2002 clincher. He pitched shutout ball into the seventh, when Carlos Beltrans RBI single ended the Cardinals slump with runners in scoring position at 0 for 14. Junichi Tazawa came in with the bases loaded and retired Allen Craig on an inning-ending grounder to first. Brandon Workman followed in the eighth and Uehara finished. St. Louis had been seeking its second title in three seasons, but the Cardinals sputtered after arriving in Boston late Tuesday following a seven-hour flight delay caused by mechanical problems. Symbolic of the teams struggles, reliever Trevor Rosenthal tripped while throwing a pitch to Ortiz in the eighth, balking Pedroia to second. "They were some frustrated guys in there, but overall you cant ask us to go about any better than how our guys did," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "Not too many people expected us to do what we did." Wacha entered 4-0 with a 1.00 ERA in his post-season career but gave up six runs, five hits and four walks in 3 2-3 innings, the shortest start of the 22-year-olds big league career. "I just made too many mistakes," he said. "It doesnt matter how hard youre throwing if you cant locate it." Boston was a 30-1 underdog to win the World Series last winter but joined the 1991 Minnesota Twins as the only teams to win titles one season after finishing in last place. Now, the Red Sox will raise another championship flag before their home opener next season April 4 against Milwaukee. Boston hit just .211, the lowest average for a Series champion in 39 years and 13 points lower than the Cardinals. But after falling behind 2-1 in the Series on the first-game ending obstruction call in post-season history, the Red Sox tied it the following night on the first-game ending pickoff in post-season play. That sparked the Red Sox to three straight wins and another title. "When we started rolling," Ortiz said, "nobody ever stopped the train." NOTES: Boston also won the Series at Fenway Park in 1912. The Red Sox won the first World Series in 1903 at the Huntington Avenue Grounds and in 1916 at Braves Field. ... 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Howard hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night.FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Quick.Who are all the tight ends on the Buffalo Bills?In his first week with the Patriots in 2009, Rob Ninkovich was stumped when Bill Belichick surprised him with that question.Afterward, he came up to me and he said, You should also know their shoe size, the defensive end said. So from then on I made sure I knew every single tight end. Couldnt find the shoe size, but I was trying.His coachs pop quizzes — in team meetings, passing players in the hallway or anywhere they meet — can be a source of fear.And that makes them study and so theyll be better prepared for the next game.I think that puts us all on edge, special teams captain Matthew Slater said. Its not about embarrassing a guy. Its not about putting a guy on the spot. Its about us being prepared and being ready to go on Sunday.They better have the answers for the final test on Feb. 1 in the Super Bowl against the defending champion Seattle Seahawks in Glendale, Arizona.Professor Belichick questions both veteran stars and young backups. Sometimes hell ask one player if anothers answer is correct.Hearts pounding, palms are sweating, running back Shane Vereen said of younger players reactions.What might an opposing defence do against a certain formation at a particular spot on the field?What about that new play coaches added the previous day?Weve all gotten caught, safety Devin McCourty said. Some of the questions he asks you, you dont even think about it. I mean it usually results in us being very prepared at the end of the week.Belichick might be an odd choice to go all Alex Trebek on his players.The coach with all the questions is known for giving non-answers to reporters.Were on to Cincinnati, he said repeatedly after being asked about the teams problems following a 41-14 loss to Kansas City one week before playing the Bengals.On Thursday, he said, I dont have an explanation for the Patriots use of underinflated balls in last Sunday nights 45-7 AFC championship game win over Indianapolis.ddddddddddddBut his players, like school children crouching in their seats hoping not to be called on, know Belichicks surprise quizzes can keep them from being surprised in games.He actually did catch me in the hallway when I was a rookie and he asked me a question a couple of years ago about a play, third-year linebacker Donta Hightower said. Apparently it was a big play by a big player and I didnt get it. Its kind of frowned upon by all the other guys, so I learned my lesson then.For all his obsession with preparation, Belichick knows there are limits. He recently paraphrased former President and five-star general Dwight D. Eisenhower while meeting with reporters.Preparation is everything until the battle starts, and then it doesnt mean anything, Belichick said. Then you react to what happens in the game. In his case, what happens in the battle.So if the Patriots have never seen the opponents first five plays, they fall back on fundamentals such as tackling, covering a receiver or filling a gap, McCourty said.That will never steer you wrong, he said. Its not the same as a battle. Those guys lives are at stake.The Patriots are preparing for their sixth Super Bowl in 14 years, all under Belichick. Theyve won three of them.Bill knows everything about a team, from personnel to the coaching staff, the players, everything, McCourty said. By the end of the week, we usually know it, too.Now they have more than a week to study, practice, and, perhaps, try to avoid Belichicks questions.They havent been strange. They just catch you off guard, wide receiver Brandon LaFell said. Its usually, What did we put in the game plan overnight on Tuesday, just to see if you looked at the game plan.And what if you dont answer correctly?Youve got to, LaFell said, or youll have those questions every day.___NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '