LaRUSSA STAYS with Cardinals C5 BRUINS HAMMERED by Habs in Montreal C6 SECTION C NBA C2 HIGH SCHOOLS C3 SPORTS NHL/NFL C6 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2007 W ORLD S ERIES ■ R ED S OX VS . R OCKIES GAME 1 ■ WEDNEDAY, 8:35 ■ FENWAY PARK ■ FOX IT’S ALL GOOD Never better for Boston JON COUTURE Inside the Red Sox sports fans By JOSH EGERMAN Standard-Times sports editor Papelbon The Red Sox will take off for the Mile High City in the early hours of Friday morning, but the Boston sports scene is takes to already on top of the world. From Lansdowne Street to Chestnut Hill and from Cause- way Street to Foxboro, talk of playoff championships is more than idle dreaming. The run — or runs — to glory pressure start Wednesday night, when the Red Sox host the Colorado BOSTON — Clearly, these Rockies in Game 1 of the World Red Sox are not the “Idiots” Series. It may not stop until of 2004, a group manager June, when the Celtics hope to Terry Francona calls the be playing for an NBA champi- most boisterous in baseball onship. history. Yet there stood closer In between, there could be Jonathan Papelbon on the stops in New Orleans, site of pitcher’s mound Sunday night, college football’s BCS National channeling Boston’s baseball Championship Game, and ancestors. Glendale, Ariz., site of Super Nearly an hour after he Bowl XLII. recorded the first six-out Really, for New England save of his career on only 16 sports fans, can it get better pitches, he had a stogie in his than this? mouth and a spilling can of It’s reminiscent of 1986, Bud Light in his raised right but this could be much more. hand. Twenty-one years ago, three The recipient of the of Boston’s pro sports teams shower? The William Harridge played for championships, but Trophy, awarded for the AL ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS only one actually won. Twenty- championship he helped wrest Dustin Pedroia, above, and the Red Sox may be at the center of the Boston sports community for the moment, but, below from one years ago, Boston College from the Cleveland Indians. left, Matt Ryan and Boston College, the Celtics and their new “Big Three” of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, and Tom wasn’t a factor in the national “Oh my God, you could see it Brady and the Patriots also have championship aspirations. championship race. when he first came in,” fellow And just like the New Eng- reliever Javier Lopez said. land sports fan has taken notice And you needed to. of this perfect storm of sports Papelbon’s role this postseason success, so have the New Eng- was critical, but not center- land sports figures. They know stage entering Sunday night. the here and now is a special He’d kept Game 2 of the place and time. Anaheim series tied, but that “Well, let me start by con- ended up a sweep. He’d done gratulating the Red Sox on win- the same in Game 2 with the ning the American League and Indians, but that became a getting into the World Series,” blowout loss. His inning in Pats coach Bill Belichick said as Game 5, with it 7-1, was mop- he opened his Monday morn- up work to take the edge off. ing press conference. “This will Sunday, though, was continue to make (it) an excit- exactly what the Southerner ing week.” was looking for when he See BOSTON C5 implored “strap the saddle on” before these playoffs began. Boston’s freshly earned 5-2 lead suddenly slipped from Red Sox vs. Rockies insurmountable, with a pair of Wednesday: Rockies (Francis singles putting two on, none 17-9) at Boston (Beckett Fired-up Youkilis on fire in ALCS out and Travis Hafner up . 20-7), 8:35 With a pair if swimming goggles strapped “When I came in in the Thursday: at Boston, 8:29 eighth,” Papelbon said Sunday ‘Garko’ comments around his shiny dome, Youkilis para- night, “I knew that situation Saturday: at Colorado, TBA phrased a famous Will Farrell line from the was going to be the difference Sunday: at Colorado, TBA movie “Old School” shouting, “When it hits get under Youk’s skin your lips, it just tastes better at home.” in the ballgame.” x-Monday: at Colorado He didn’t disappoint. Youkilis wasn’t commenting as much Hafner, for all his struggles x-Wednesday, Oct. 31: By DAVID BROWN on champagne as he was on Garko. The against the Red Sox, hit at Boston, TBA Standard-Times staff writer Red Sox first baseman said that a state- BOSTON — Kevin Youkilis and Ryan ment Garko made after Game 5 helped .289 against fastballs this x-Thursday, Nov. 1: Garko were never considered experts on motivate Boston’s comeback. postseason. Even hotter (.293) at Boston, TBA against changeups from right- fine wine. “You know, it’s great, we love that,” handers, though, Papelbon’s x-if necessary But after the Indians first baseman Youkilis said. “Give us motivation. Wake task was clear. insisted that champagne would taste just up a sleeping giant. And that’s what hap- A 96-mph fastball for a More coverage as good on the road as it did at Cleveland’s pened. We got woken up and we used it.” swinging strike one. Jacobs Field, Youkilis took exception. The bubbly hub-bub brewed out of a A 97-mph fastball fouled off ■ Learn about the Sox’ foe in “The champagne tastes better at home!” clever and duplicitous motivational tool for strike two. Rockies 101. C4 Youkilis shouted as he sprayed one of four manufactured somewhere in the Red Sox A 98-mph fastball for a dozen Korbel bottles that littered the Red organization before Game 6 of the series. ■ The Red Sox take it easy a Sox clubhouse while Boston celebrated According to report from Fox’s Chris swinging strike three. day after a wild celebration. C4 “He just has that presence its 11th American League pennant after a Myers during Game 6, this quote, attrib- CHARLES KRUPA/The Associated Press on the mound that you’re not ■ The Rockies relish their Game 7 ALCS victory over the Indians on uted to Garko, was posted in the Red Sox Kevin Youkilis hit .500 with three home See COUTURE C4 underdog role. C5 Sunday night. See YOUKILIS C4 runs in the ALCS. Goals not met Brady’s play just in border war out of this world By MICK COLAGEO NEW BEDFORD 0, By RAY MCNULTY into the conversation. Standard-Times staff writer Scripps Howard columnist Besides, it’s entirely possi- NEW BEDFORD — Mon- DARTMOUTH 0 MIAMI — Nobody has done ble that Brady’s best years are day’s scoreless tie felt a lot bet- it better. ahead of him. ter for 4-5-5 Dartmouth than Dartmouth co-captain Alyssa Not Joe Montana. But know this: Nobody it did for 13-0-3 New Bedford, Arruda. “Everyone showed up Not Dan Marino. has played the position bet- and fact the Whalers outscored ready to play, everyone tried Not John Elway. ter than Brady has played it the Indians by only a goal in their hardest.” Not even Peyton Manning, through the first seven games their season series sends a For the Whalers, the tie is a his only real rival in today’s of this season. message to both teams. warning sign not to become, NFL. Nobody has been more pre- For the Indians, several as co-captain Jamie Dias cau- That doesn’t mean we can cise. Nobody has been more missed opportunities to score tioned, “big-headed. ... We bestow upon Tom Brady the efficient. Nobody has been an upset in Monday’s non- don’t want to be that.” title of king of quarterbacks, more effective. league game means they had Dias, a fullback, credited or the greatest of all time, or Not ever. a real chance to pin a first loss Dartmouth for an excellent the best there ever was. “Tom’s played pretty good on New Bedford. effort but indicated she and It’s still too soon for that, football for us,” Patriots coach “We were hoping, everyone the other leaders on her unde- ANDREW T. GALLAGHER/Standard-Times special even though Brady — in Bill Belichick said Sunday, fought hard so we got what feated team have their finger Dartmouth’s Caisie Cadorette and New Bedford’s Bethie only his eighth NFL season after Brady threw a team- we wanted out of it,” said See SCORELESS C3 Lavasseur reverse direction to get to the ball. — already has played his way See BRADY C6.