sign in sign up
<<
Home , Dustin Pedroia, Grady Sizemore, Julio Lugo, Mike Lowell, Nomar Garciaparra, Troy Tulowitzki

COWBOYS ARSENAL may have a Tank when Dallas meets Pats C5

SECTION C SPORTS CAPSULE C2 HIGH SCHOOLS C3 SPORTS C4 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2007 A MERICAN L EAGUE C HAMPIONSHIP S ERIES Patriots RED SOX VS. INDIANS ■ FRIDAY AT , TIME TBA down on Bouncing back big win By DAVID BROWN Standard-Times staff writer FOXBORO — The New England Patri- ots won by 17 points, and it wasn’t good JON COUTURE enough. Linebacker Adalius Thomas, who has made it his personal mission to preach humility in the Patriots’ locker room, said the 34-17 win over the Browns on Sunday Pedroia ends left the team with a bad taste. One that can only be chased with his favorite dessert slow ALDS on — humble pie. “We picked a lot of humble berries today, so we’re going to have a nice dose of hum- high note ble pie,” Thomas said. “The ice cream will probably be out in the stores, because we’ll ANAHEIM, Calif. — It was be serving ice cream with this one.” a single hit among five that Thomas wasn’t the only player dissatis- inning, -scoring mostly fied with the convincing win. After his best because of ’s speed individual effort of the year, wide receiver and a bad throw. An 83 mph Donte Stallworth said the team could have breaking ball over the meat of the plate, drilled down the See PATS C5 right-field line exactly the way you’d expect a major-league caliber hitter to do it. ’s seven-run rally in the eighth on Sunday was the other shoe dropping — few 2-0 games ever felt so over for the majority, though L.A.’s brief surge in the seventh sparked the same sort of temporary doubt Vlad Guerrero’s did in 2004. But that it happened, and that it was sparked by , offers a glimmer of hope from one of the Division Series’ few darker points for the Red Sox. “Petey’s the type of guy, everyone puts so much pressure on him,” said. “It was a big hit. It kinda started a huge rally for us. We were able to pour it on after that.” WINSLOW TOWNSON/The To look at his production Patriots receiver Benjamin Watson is in the three games, there’s mobbed by teammates and fans after certainly reason to think he may have done just that. his second touchdown catch during the Pedroia, a .355 hitter in nine fourth quarter of New England’s 34-17 regular-season games against win over the Browns on Sunday. Watson the Angels, went just 2-for-13 had 107 receiving yards in the game, the in the Division Series. Both hits first 100-yard performance of his career. were doubles: Sunday’s, plus his fifth-inning shot in Game 2 that helped tie the game via Mike Lowell’s sac fly. In a short series, though, Browns .154 runs happen. It’s how it happened that makes it more notable. Some of Pedroia’s most ELISE AMENDOLA/The Associated Press Red Sox , left, and Dustin Pedroia share a laugh prior to Game 1 notable at-bats this season guard calls were his long battles with of the Division Series. Pedroia had only two hits in the series, but the second came in his Vrabel dirty last at-bat. See PEDROIA C4

By TOM WITHERS Associated Press writer BEREA, Ohio — The New England Patri- Indians finish off ots are unbeaten, not unblemished. At least one of them is dirty to Browns guard Eric Steinbach. Irritated over what he thought was a Yanks, will face Sox cheap shot in the closing seconds of Sun- day’s 34-17 loss, Steinbach called Patri- ots linebacker Mike Vrabel “classless” on By RONALD BLUM ALDS GAME 4: Associated Press writer Monday and hopes the NFL fines one of INDIANS 6, YANKEES 4 New England’s top players. NEW YORK — Once Steinbach felt Vrabel purposely dived at hit a leadoff , the Cleveland the knees of rookie tackle Joe Thomas’ legs Indians were headed to the AL cham- a three-run lead in Game 3, chased with 11 seconds remaining on a play that pionship series while the New York Yan- Chien-Ming Wang in the second and was stopped when Browns kees were braced for a showdown with burst ahead 4-0. Byrd kept wiggling Derek Anderson spiked the ball. their boss. out of trouble, and Victor Martinez’s “It was uncalled for,” Steinbach said. Paul Byrd and the Indians bullpen two-run single made it 6-1 in the fourth The Patriots were leading by 17 when closed out New York 6-4 in Game 4 against reliever Mike Mussina. Anderson took the snap and fired the ball Monday night, completing another A day after averting a sweep, New York into the ground. Most players stopped first-round debacle for the Yankees that put runners on in each of the first seven immediately, but as Thomas backpedalled, might cost manager his job. innings. But when it counted, its high- Vrabel, who may not have heard the whis- The Yankees came in streaking, over- octane offense fell flat once again, with coming a 21-29 start to win the AL wild late homers by Rodriguez and Bobby See VRABEL C5 card. But they were done in by poor Abreu not enough. KATHY WILLENS/The Associated Press pitching, an insect invasion and the lat- Cleveland moves on to its first ALCS GETTING THEIR KICKS Yankees , left, sits on the bench with est October vanishing act by Alex Rodri- since 1998, opening Friday night at Bos- bench coach during Game 4 of the ALDS. guez, whose bat was quiet until a solo ton. The Indians were only 2-5 against home run in the seventh inning. The Yankees fell to the Indians 6-4 and lost the series in the Red Sox this season, but will have The pesky Indians, who wasted four games. See INDIANS C4 Tulowitzki is Rockies’ signature player By ARNIE STAPLETON my locker,” Tulowitzki said. It wasn’t his tricky last Associated Press writer “But when it’s a player that I name, either. DENVER — Troy Tulowit- really; respect, I usually get a “He put ‘Tony,’” Tulowitzki zki could be collecting some bat.” said. “And he felt really bad serious hardware soon: the So, Derek Jeter’s signed bat about that. So, every time I NL Rookie of the Year award, is hanging on the wall of his see him, he says sorry and a Gold Glove, maybe even a loft in downtown Denver next sends more bats over all the ring. to ’s. time. It’s kind of funny, but Yet, when the Colorado Actually, Tulowitzki had I think it’s gotten us a little Rookies’ 21-year-old star to get Garciaparra to send a closer.” DAVID W. OLIVEIRA/Standard-TImes special shortstop meets fellow major replacement bat because the Clutch hits and sparkling New Bedford’s Alyssa Roach dribbles leaguers, he’s just like any Dodgers infielder defense quickly made Tulow- past Carissa Kennedy of Bishop Stang other wide-eyed youngster misspelled his name when itzki a household name this coming face-to-face with a Tulowitzki sought out his season. during the Spartans 3-2 victory on DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/The Associated Press Monday. For complete results, see High childhood hero: he wants an signature after reaching the He turned the 11th unas- autograph. majors last season after just sisted play in major Rockies shortstop likes to School Roundup, C4. “I probably have 20 or 30 in 126 games in the minors. See TULOWITZKI C4 collect autographs from other players.