WORLD SERIES (GAME 4) LIVE THREAD: BOSTON/ST.LOUIS

[Gucho]

By Steve Keating ST LOUIS (Reuters) - Boston Red Sox fans awoke on Wednesday with their impossible dream on the brink of becoming a reality.

The Red Sox will step onto Busch Stadium field tonight under a lunar eclipse needing one more victory over the St Louis cardinals to clinch their first World Series title since 1918 and put to rest forever the "Curse of the Bambino."

[rightinthemiddle]

Anybody know how many times the Cardinals won 4 in a row this season? Anyone, anyone?

It was a bunch.

I have tix to Game 5...when the Cardinals are on their game, they can't be beat.

Don't gloat too soon, Sox fans...I heard a some Democratic strategist on TV say a Red Sox win would give a bump to Kerry.

W threw out the first pitch as Busch Stadium this year to a HUGE standing ovation. He threw a strike, of course. Kerry threw out a pitch in a Yankees/Sox game...he was booed in his own home town and he couldn't get it to the plate.

Missouri is BUSH country! Home of Cardinal Nation (existed long before Sox Nation).

[rightinthemiddle]

Why is it the Red Sox fans at Fenway all "look" like Democrats? Anybody else notice?



Probably cuz they ARE Democrats...including Ben Aff-lick. James Taylor singing at Fenway? Figures....hates W. We get Amy Grant to sing God Bless America...she's a Pubbie.

[bikepacker67]

I heard a some Democratic strategist on TV say a Red Sox win would give a bump to Kerry.

W threw out the first pitch as Busch Stadium this year to a HUGE standing ovation. He threw a strike, of course. Kerry threw out a pitch in a Yankees/Sox game...he was booed in his own home town and he couldn't get it to the plate.

Can you Yankee/Card fans PULLLEASE stop equating JF'nK with the Bosox?

He is NOT a fan. He's a FRAUD.

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

Don't gloat too soon, Sox fans...I heard a some Democratic strategist on TV say a Red Sox win would give a bump to Kerry.

And a Yankee win would have been a boost for Hitlery, while a Cards win would have helped Dickie Gephardt. Spare me the faux sportsfan bilious garbage. It reeks not only of the stench of bullsh*t, but desperation.

[OrioleFan]

For the last 5 years I have been relabeling a pint of scotch "Curse of the Bambino Scotch" with a label on the back of the bottle memorializing some Red Sox postseason failure. I give these to a Red Sox fan friend of mine at the company Christmas party. I guess he now needs to return the favors starting this year.

[freebilly]

I always like Billy Bucks. He played 22 years in the majors and though he didn't put up HOF numbers he was a very good ballplayer over the course of his career.

To focus on one error made in any game over a 22 year career does him (and all of baseball) a huge injustice.

[Reaganesque]

In 1986, I gave up on the Sox ever winning the World Series saying "I'll believe it when I see it." Well, I'm still not 100% convinced but boy, would I love to be proven wrong!! Fact is, in the last few games they have done things that no team has ever done. They look like champions. They sound like champions. Look, I have done my best not to get my hopes up too high and anything can happen, especially to the Sox, but, I can't help it: GO SOX!!!

[bikepacker67]

For the last 5 years I have been relabeling a pint of scotch "Curse of the Bambino Scotch" with a label on the back of the bottle memorializing some Red Sox postseason failure. I give these to a Red Sox fan friend of mine at the company Christmas party. I guess he now needs to return the favors starting this year.

As an Oriole fan, I'd think you'd have a healthy hatred for the Yanquis. Afterall, they've OWNED Baltimore the last few years.

[Defiant]

I was just teasing. But I still think you should get the game 5 thread up, too. It will be needed.

[RonF]

The question was, what are the odds on two teams doing it. All else being equal then, the odds are 1:16 * 1:16, or 1:256.

[RonF]

They've got pitching, hitting AND defense (Games 1 and 2 notwithstanding). They've never had all 3 in my lifetime (my first game, when I was 10, was in 1963).

[RonF]

Wait; it's even worse. For two teams to go 0 and 3 and then win, first you have to lose the first 3, and then win the next 3. There's only one possible combination of that in 7 games, so the odds on it happening ONCE (on pure random statistics, not taking into account pitching, hitting, defense, eclipses, etc.) is 2⁷. The odds on it happening in consecutive series is 2⁷ * 2⁷ = 2¹⁴, or 1 in 16384.

[RonF]

Wait; it's even worse. For two teams to go 0 and 3 and then win, first you have to lose the first 3, and then win the next 3. There's only one possible combination of that in 7 games, so the odds on it happening ONCE (on pure random statistics, not taking into account pitching, hitting, defense, eclipses, etc.) is 2⁷. The odds on it happening in consecutive series is 2⁷ * 2⁷ = 2¹⁴, or 1 in 16384.

[xm177e2]

The odds on it happening in consecutive series is 2⁷ * 2⁷ = 2¹⁴, or 1 in 16384.

The thing is, games don't go 50/50. There are psychological factors, injured players, etc.

I wouldn't BET on it happening (at least, not without 1,000-to-1 odds; for that I'd put up 10 bucks). But you can't just use statistics to show that the Cards have a 1 in 16k chance of winning.

For one thing, if the games really do go 50/50, then the Cards have a 1 in 16 (1 in 2⁴) chance of winning the series, not 1 in 16k. What happens in the past does not affect the chance of something happening in the future, if it's perfectly random.

[Michael.SF.]

Your thoughts parallel mine. The Sox have been too close too many times.But when a team commits 8 errors in two games and wins it must be...............

DESTINY

[IonInsights]

Buckner is making good money selling framed, autographed pictures of the ball going between his legs.

[Gucho]

photo autographed by Bill Buckner & Mookie Wilson (Famous photo of 1986 World Series Game 6 error by Buckner giving Mets crucial win over Red Sox)

[pcgTheDestroyer]

Wait; it's even worse. For two teams to go 0 and 3 and then win, first you have to lose the first 3, and then win the next 3. There's only one possible combination of that in 7 games, so the odds on it happening ONCE (on pure random statistics, not taking into account pitching, hitting, defense, eclipses, etc.) is 2⁷. The odds on it happening in consecutive series is 2⁷ * 2⁷ = 2¹⁴, or 1 in 16384.

Right you are; I was answering based on where we are at *right now*, given that the majority of those 16384 combinations have already passed. :-)

[Zuben Elgenubi]

Your post #88: " As an Oriole fan, I'd think you'd have a healthy hatred for the Yanquis. Afterall, they've OWNED Baltimore the last few years."

Let's not forget the original charter of the Yankees was the Baltimore Orioles! They moved to NYC in 1901 and became the NY Highlanders for one season before they changed their name, once again, to the NY Yankees.

[cloud8]

-Wife saw on tv that when we win, a suggested parade route will follow that of the Marathon.

-When Lowe is good, he's very good.

-Tonight's the night....oh, yeah!