Dragnet Fensational: Rockies at Sox

You know the scene from Field of Dreams where Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) finally brings Terence Mann (James Earl Jones) to his corn field, and and Mann turns to him and says: So, this is what heaven is like? The Sox are four wins away from feeling that euphoria. Again. For the second time in four years.

Your Game 1 starters ladies and gentlemen. Let the soul patch attest to which one thinks he’s a bad dude.

Granted, those four wins aren’t going to be easy. But is there a better way to start at them than pitching ace Josh Beckett on full rest? We can’t think of one. Sure, Rockies first baseman/sentimental “he deserves to finally be here” candidate Todd Helton hits .333 against Beckett across his career. Then again, Helton has never tried to hit him in October, and as Sox fans are rapidly learning - and Florida fans (are there really any Florida fans? We’re not sure) already know, hitting Beckett in October can be a lot harder than hitting him in June.

While most of the attention has fallen on Beckett, the absence of longtime playoff presence Tim Wakefield and Colorado’s extended layoff, there’s legitimate reason to ponder the drastic affect a Game 1 loss could have on Boston’s World Series chances. Make no mistake, like all series, Game 1 is the most important contest in terms of setting a tone for a longer stretch. Then, when you consider Beckett’s status in comparison to all of the other starters in the series, for both teams for that matter, it amplifies the game that much more.

Naturally, a loss isn’t necessarily the end of the world, so long as Curt Schilling comes out and takes care of business in Game 2. But as the ALCS showed, that’s not as certain as it was in 2004 and before, so a big game and win from Beckett would go a long ways toward securing some modicum of security heading back to the mountains, where all sorts of craziness could set in.

What does that mean? Well, for starters, it means that all Sox fans need to be hoping to see Beckett cruising along early tonight, then see Hideki Okajima and, later, Jonathan Papelbon warming in the pen. It also means that the Boston lineup has to be patient with Jeff Francis, working him for long counts and eventually making contact.

Finally, it means that, regardless of weather, the Boston defense has to be more reliable than it was in the Cleveland series, where both Julio Lugo and Kevin Youkilis - in a complete aberration from tradition - had costly errors. After all, Colorado has the best defense in baseball … ever (at least statistically).

How it’ll all turn out, who knows. But it sure feels exciting to start off with, doesn’t it?

– Cameron Smith