As the troubling event unfurled in the 8th inning of Game 7 of the 2003 American League Division Series at Yankee$ $tadium, no reaction other than anger could be directed at Grady Little. The anger would only increase as the night went on, and the Sox inevitably lost. When I woke up Friday morning there was a real sense of sorrow, and the anger had not dissipated. The morning news coverage was dominated with stories questioning Little's management of the team. During my commute, fellow MBTA passengers spewed venom at the expense of Grady Little. As I walked through the office, bleary- eyed colleagues lamented the outcome and railed against the manager's decision- making. I had been awake for under 2 hours, and all I heard was a lambasting of the Sox skipper. I could not take anymore, and decided I would not be a part of it. Rather than dwell on the pain associated with a loss which is the franchise's worst since the 1986 World Series- if not ever, I decided to applaud their performance and look forward to next year.

I know it's been said and resaid, but before I take the high road, I will throw in my 2 cents. In the 8th inning of Game 7, Grady Little left Pedro Martinez on the mound, even though his pitches were being peppered, he had thrown 100+ high stakes pitches on a night where he had to win back his team and block out the hostile crowd, and the bullpen had performed marvelously throughout the playoffs. There are always two sides to a story, and it can be said that Grady was going with his best player in a key situation, and that the bullpen had burned the Sox too many times to fall into the same trap. However, this game was more taxing on Pedro because of the intense pressure associated with a Game 7, which was only magnified because of the bizarre events of Game 3. Pedro threw a gem, but it was already more than the Sox should have asked for. Pedro's regular season record suffered the most due to the bullpen's struggles, but this was the postseason, and the bullpen had been fanstastic. In 1986, McNamera pulled Clemen$, but he did not have the strength of a Timlin or Embree to follow. Grady asked Pedro if he could go on, and he obviously said he could. It is the manager's job to know when to use the hook, and no player would ever ask to be taken out. Whether or not Grady is ultimately fired or retained will not be based on this one decision, but it should be noted that there were several times where he looked overmatched during the postseason. Epstein and co. are much too smart to have missed things like Adrian Brown pinch hitting for Trot Nixon in Game 1 of the Oakland series.

I am going to miss watching the 2003 Red Sox. During the regular season I was at Fenway 16 times, including 12 Sox wins. The season was intense and emotional, with crushing defeats followed by equally incredible wins. The offense was unrelenting and demoralizing to the oppostion. The bullpen started out as a national joke, eventually improving marginally, but the starting pitching coupled with the record- setting offense pushed them to the Wild Card spot. The playoffs closely mirrored the regular season. Down 2- 0 in a best of 5 to Oakland, the Sox swept the final 3 and headed to the Championship series in New York. I was at Fenway for Game 4 of the Oakland series, a tremendous come- from- behind 5-4 Sox win, in a game they had led for most of the way. The game itself was like the entire season wrapped into one afternoon. At every instance that it seemed hopeless, the pendulum swung and they roared back. After winning Game 1 in New York, they fell behind 3-2, but ended up stretching the series to 7 games, losing in the 11th inning of the 7th game.

Now that the season is over, I will get a lot more sleep, and I will probably retain most of my hair. That said, as maddening as they could be, what a great ride it was. Thank you to the 2003 Red Sox for the most fun I have had as a baseball fan. It was an impressive run, and it was an awesome thing to be that entertained this late in the year. As bummed as Red Sox nation is, you have to feel for the players. To come so close and work so hard only to finish without a championship must be heartbreaking. Actually, they have millions of dollars and six months of vacation to recuperate. If the pain will be fleeting with the players, and we take the high road, only Fox is left to complain. They are stuck showing a Marlins- Yankee$ World Series that should trail only a 1-800-COLLECT commercial in terms of people not watching.