NY Post:  "Yankees Inspired Sox Run"

[BullWriter]

http://www.nypost.com/sports/31088.htm

Yankees Inspired Sox Run

by Kevin Kernan

October 26, 2004

ST. LOUIS  The Yankees wanted to build a championship team this year. They did. In Boston.

The Red Sox have become baseball's version of the Patriots, the NFL winning machine that churned through the Jets on Sunday for their 21st consecutive victory.

These Red Sox have become a postseason machine, and just like the Patriots it's not always pretty, but the job gets done. The Red Sox have won six straight postseason games  four against the Yankees and the first two games of the World Series against the Cardinals.

That's six straight wins in the toughest part of the year to win. Six straight wins against two teams that led their respective leagues in victories and won a combined 206 games.

And it all goes back to the Yankees taking a 3-0 lead on the Red Sox in the ALCS, which got Boston's attention. From that point on, this band of goofballs decided to get serious and now, if Pedro Martinez can beat ex-Red Sox Jeff Suppan tonight at Busch Stadium, Boston will be one victory away from winning its first World Series since 1918.

"We're so focused," Kevin Millar explained. "That last series really locked us in being down, 0-3."

In other words, thank you Yankees.

The Red Sox know how quickly the worm can turn in the postseason. They went from the outhouse to the penthouse overnight because the Yankees lost their pitch-to-pitch focus and killer instinct.

The Red Sox haven't.

"We know this series is not over," Millar said. "We know we're not going to get too giddy. We know we have to stay focused and go into their place where they play well at home. They won the most games in the Major Leagues. We know this is going to be a tough series, even at 2-0."

This is not just a case of Millar saying the right things. You can see it in the eyes of the Red Sox that they want to finish the job. There are no thoughts like, "Let's win one of three in St. Louis, so we can come home and finish the job in front of our fans."

Reliever Curtis Leskanic is one of the more cut-to-the-chase Red Sox.

"I just want to get this over with. Without a doubt that Yankee experience helped us; we learned a lot from that series," he explained. "If we're up 2-nothing, 3-nothing, that doesn't mean it's over. We still have to win four games in this series.

"We're getting timely hitting, great pitches when we need them and that's just what good ballclubs do."

That's what the Derek Jeter, Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius Yankees did. These Red Sox have stolen a page from Joe Torre's book. It's not just superstars. It's about tough guys getting tough hits and tough outs.

"There's 25 guys on this team," Leskanic said, "and every one of them has a different personality, but I think Yogi Berra said it before: We've got nine individuals who play as one. This team really does. We pick each other up."

Now you know the Red Sox really have it going when they start quoting Yogi. It doesn't hurt either that the Red Sox have had 38 baserunners in 16 innings of at-bats against the horrible St. Louis pitching.

"This is basically a football team with a baseball uniform on," Leskanic added. "These guys really aren't afraid to fail. If you get us this inning, we're going to get you next inning. If you get us this game, we're going to get you next game. We're just a relentless bunch of guys. We're going to keep coming after you.

"It's just an awesome mentality," Leskanic added.

Sure is, the same kind of dirt dog mentality that once made the Yankees champions.