Who's your Daddy now?

As Pedro Martinez took the mound in the seventh innings of the decisive game seven of the ALCS, New York Yankee fans were desperately hopeful that somehow, the Red Sox would contrive to throw their 7 run advantage and perpetuate the myth of the curse (although, technically the curse has still not been exorcised - not yet with the World Series still to be played). Terry Francona's descision to put Pedro on in place of Derek Lowe who redeemed himself with six superb innings, was, perhaps the ghost of the Babe playing its dirty little tricks on the Sox. It was not to be. How the tables turned from game 3 to game 7 is now part of baseball and sport folklore. At every step of the way from game 4 onwards, Boston found a man for each moment - David Ortiz, Curt Schilling, Mark Bellhorn, Derek Low and Johnny Damon all doing the star turn when it was needed most. But the biggest heroes were probably the bullpen of Keith Foulke, Alan Embree, Mike Myers, Mike Timlin. Even Tim Wakefield and Bronson Arroyo were pressed into relief pitching and did more than what was asked of them. As for NY, they're probably still in a trance - but they can take heart from the fact that it took the greatest come back in baseball to beat them. - NK