Red Sox, Game 2 - Win

The Sox won their second match in the World Series to go 2 games to 0 up with three to go. Now the location moves to Denver and Colorado's home ground.

Fingers crossed that the Sox hold their nerve and win the one remaining match to secure overall victory.

Red Sox, Game 1 - Win

First game of the season and Sox thrash what appears to be a woefully unprepared. Josh Beckett ripped the heart out of the Colorado offense while Dustin Pedroia kicked it off for the Sox with a homer in the first innings.

See, I sound like a life-long fan now! Anyway, good luck to the Soxs for tonight.

The Sox Go Marching On

My first season supporting the Boston Red Sox is turning out to be a bit of a success and is providing some lift to a bit of a deflated supporter of English sport.

After England rugby and Lewis Hamilton came second in their respective competitions, it was a moment of cheer when I read that the Sox have made it through to meet Colorado in the World Series.

Well done and good luck.

A Game Too Far - England Lose

After yet another bruising encounter, England's men of Oak just couldn't do it one more time and beat South Africa to retain the Webb Ellis Trophy - the World Cup.

Mind you, they really gave it a go and Did not allow South Africa to get out of sight. The final score of 15 - 6 accurately, in my opinion, the difference between the two teams.When it really mattered, England were just lacking in some key areas, and South Africa made us pay for a couple of early mistakes.

But what disappointment. The disallowed try, the drop-goals that didn't go over - so many if only's, but one thing is certain, those men can hold their heads up high with pride, both at what they have achieved during the World Cup, but more importantly, with the manner of the way they turned their campaign around. After the defeat to South Africa in the group matches, when South Africa scored 36 unanswered points against them, The England team dug deep and came out fighting. Whatever their obvious deficiencies (lack of ability to score trys) they more than made up for it in heart and determination.

Never pretty, it was so ugly it was beautiful!

Well done South Africa, you played well and deserved to win. England, I am proud of you.


Finally, the Boston Red Sox have pulled it around and thrashed Cleveland in the penultimate game of the play-offs. One game to go and it's even stevens. Why can't I support a team that is predictable?

Game 5 - Win

Last night the Boston Red Sox came back strongly against the Cleveland Indians to win 7 to 1.

This brings the series score to 3 - 2 in Cleveland's favour with 2 matches left to play.

Nail-biting stuff all this sport!

D-Day Minus 2

Two days to go before England's World Cup final against South Africa, and Brian Ashton has only made one change to the side that crushed France's dreams last Saturday.

Mark Cueto has been drafted in to take the place of Josh Lewsey who pulled a hamstring in last week's match.

Mark, who has been an England 'nearly' man, now has the chance to shine and show his true worth.

I have to admit that the tension is now getting to me. England have gone from zero's to hero's in less than 5 weeks, and have a chance to make history by being the first team to successfully defend the World Cup - wouldn't that just make the Aussies sick!

This weekend is going to be a sporting weekend supreme, and by the end of it, England rugby could be World Champions, and Englishman Lewis Hamilton could well be the Formulae 1 World Champion. Not to forget that the England Cricket team are actually performing quite well out in Sri Lanka, the only team to be letting the side down is the football team - nothing new there!

Game 4 - Lost

This is not looking good.

The Sox went down again, to Cleveland which means they now have to win their remaining games.

Haven't lost hope yet, but from my limited knowledge, it does look tough.

Game 3 - Lost

Oh dear,

Looks like they are going to put us through the wringer! Boston lost again, last night leaving them down 2 games to 1. Now's the time to get their heads together and get out there and make it happen.

I do not want my first year of supporting the Red Sox to end in failure and defeat! I wonder what colour socks the Yankees wear?

Game 2 - Lost

The Red Sox had a stumble on their way to glory when they went down to Cleveland on Saturday, 13 - 6.

However, the record speaks for itself, the Sox have won 9 out of the last 12 matches against Cleveland so the omens are positive.

With England doing the unexpected in Paris, who knows what the mighty Sox will do. We have to remain positive to the bitter end.

Thanks Jen for the explanations, and I didn't realise there were rule differences between to 2 divisions. Mind you, the deeper I get into this the more confusing it gets (a bit like the offside rule in Rugby!).

Anyway, good luck for tonight and hopefully the result will go the right way.

We're In The Final!

Not bad for a bunch of losers!

England rugby team, 80/1 outsiders just 6 weeks ago, have an opportunity to defend the trophy in the final of the Rugby World Cup. After a tense, and at time, pretty ugly match, they prevailed against the hosts and, after last week's win against New Zealand, favourites - France.

From the moment England were the grateful recipients of a big slice of luck, and hesitancy in the French defense to score a try in 80 seconds, to the Johnny Wilkinson (who else) drop goal in the dying moments that finally broke French hearts, England battled and defended to the point of insanity.

England's defensive line is totally unrecognisable to the team that went down by over 30 points to South Africa just 4 short weeks ago. What England lacked in endeavour and opportunity, it made up with heart, soul, guts and sheer bloody mindness.

The players left the Parc de France as heroes and now have the opportunity to be the first team to successfully defend the World Cup trophy in the history of the competition.

Roll on next Saturday - can't wait.

Game 1 - Won

It is in this blog I finally demonstrate my appalling lack of knowlede of the American version of Rounders - Major League Baseball, but in consideration of my blog friend Jen, I have been following, and in more recent days starting to properly support, the Boston Red Sox in their bid for World Series glory.

Last night they played their first game in the ALCS (whatever that is) Championship against the Cleveland Indians and won 10 - 3, which seems pretty comprehensive to me.

My understanding is that if they win 3 out of 5 games, then they will be in the World Series against the winners of the NLCS (whatever that is). The World Series is a best of 9 matches to win the overall championship.

Apparently, the New York Yankees sank without trace this year, which, according to my friend Jen is a GOOD THING - and who am I to disagree?

Just one question - why is it called the "World Series" when only teams from the Major Baseball League can take part? Seems a bit dismissive of the rest of the world.

We Were Supposed To Lose

Australia 10 - 12 England

What the hell happened? Where was the runaway Australia victory? Where was the revenge for what happened four years ago when a Johnny Wilkinson drop-goal destroyed the hopes, dreams and self-image of a nation?

England had been given no chance in this quarter-final match. If one believed the newspaper reports, all Australia had to do was to turn up and victory was assured. No-one gave England a chance, including this writer - except the 30 players from whom the team would be picked.

They were magnificent, bold, courageous and determined. Defense was resolute, and with the kicking of a resurgent Johnny Wilkinson, slowly, but surely, we kept pace with the Australian score, before taking the lead with about 30 minutes (or a life-time) to go!

Here is the Observer's report, the Sunday Times report, The Sunday Independent report - I could go on, but reading those, you get the drift. It was magnificent, and I still can't quite believe it.

But that wasn't the end to the surprises, France beat the mighty, and firm favourites, New Zealand by 20 points to 18 which will mean an England/France semi-final next weekend. It should be a great one and I can't wait.

God Bless American Business

With all the troubles going on in the world, it is good to know that the Recording Industry Association of America was able to get its pound of flesh from a Minnesota woman who shared 24 songs she had down loaded. Personally, I felt that the $222,000 (yes TWO-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS) was a bit lenient, baring in mind the difficulties the recording industry is facing!

The recording industry on Thursday won the largest judgment so far against consumers who illegally download music over the Internet when a federal jury ordered a 30-year-old Minnesota woman to pay $222,000 for copyright infringement.

The victory could embolden (a nice George Bush expression) the industry in its four-year legal campaign against piracy at a time when illegal sharing of music online is exploding and dramatically reducing music sales.

The decision by the jury in a federal district court in Duluth, Minn., against Jammie Thomas, an Indian reservation employee, is the first case of its type to come to trial. The verdict could convince others accused of pirating music to settle their cases.

Goodness knows how this poor women is going to pay it, but I suppose she now knows what path the rest of her life is going to take.

Of course, it does raise a question on how did the RIAA know she had downloaded and shared the files. Surely they weren't spying illegally on her aka the White House?

The Troops Come Home (Well Some Of Them)

One has to be cynical about the timing, but the decision is welcome enough. In an attempt to clearly take the spotlight away from the Conservative Party Conference, Prime Minister Gordon Brown flew to Iraq to 'meet the troops'.

He confirmed that the troop level will be reduced by 1,000 by the end of the year and the Basra province be handed over to full Iraqi control within 2 months. This will reduce our troops in the area to 4,500.

Of course, the Conservatives branded the announcement as 'cynical', which of course it is, but I would prefer to have seen a complete timetable for total withdraw, and not just a 'token' in an attempt to spoil the Tory conference.