Boston Red Sox

So, it's playoff time. Whether you're a baseball fan or not you can't help but get tied up in the excitement of it if your home team is part of this!

The Teams:
Arizona Diamond Backs
The Arizona Diamondbacks' 2007 season has started with the Diamondbacks attempting to win the NL West Division. The Arizona Diamondbacks' biggest move in the offseason was when, on January 9, 2007, they got their 2001 World Series co-MVP back, pitcher Randy Johnson after making a blockbuster deal with the New York Yankees, sending to New York relief pitcher Luis Vizcaino and three other prospects. However, Johnson suffered from injuries and underwent season-ending surgery in early August. Despite Johnson's absence and the fact they have fewer runs scored (712) to runs allowed (732), the Diamondbacks were able to win the National League West title.

Boston Red Sox
On September 1, 2007, the day rosters expanded, the Red Sox needed a spot starter to take the place of Julián Tavárez who was moved up one day to fill in for ailing Tim Wakefield. Clay Buchholz was given the ball for just his second Major League start for the Saturday night match-up against the Baltimore Orioles. With the aid of captain Jason Varitek calling the pitches, a Web Gem-worthy defensive play at second base by fellow rookie Dustin Pedroia, and ten runs from the Red Sox offense, Buchholz threw a no-hitter tying him with Wilson Alvarez for the second quickest no-hitter by a MLB pitcher. He is the first Red Sox rookie and 17th Red Sox pitcher to throw a no-hitter.

The Red Sox became the first team to clinch a playoff spot for the 2007 season on September 22 with a come from behind defeat of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays . The Red Sox became the 2007 AL East Champions on Septermber 28 after a win against the Minnesota Twins and the loss of the New York Yankees against the Baltimore Orioles. This was their first AL East Championship since 1995.

Cleveland Indians
The Tribe will face the wild card winning New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. Game one will have Sabathia matched up against New York's Chien-Ming Wang. The starters for game two are Fausto Carmona and Andy Pettitte.

The Cleveland Indians have won game 1 of the ALDS with a final score of 12-3. The Indians had 4 home runs to set the club record for home runs in a post season game. The home runs were hit by Asdrubal Cabrera, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, and Ryan Garko. The Indians lead the ALDS 1-0 following the win of game 1.

Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies' 2007 season started off with the Colorado Rockies trying to improve on their 2006 record and win the National League West. They finished with a franchise record of 90 wins in 163 games and earned a playoff berth as the National League Wild Card team.

They started the series with the Philadelphia Phillies on October 3rd, 2007 at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies are another come from behind team who won the NL East division after a monumental collapse by the New York Mets who had all but won the division in early September. The Phillies have one of the most potent offenses backed by NL MVP canidates Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley.

Los Angeles (AKA Anaheim) Angels
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's 2007 season started with the team trying to reclaim the AL West division title, which they missed out on in 2006, for the first time since the 2003 season. The Los Angeles Angels took the division championship back from their rival, the Oakland Athletics. They won the division title on Sunday, September 23 by defeating the visiting Seattle Mariners 7 - 4 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. John Lackey got the win and Francisco Rodriguez got the save on that game.

New York Yankees
The New York Yankees' 2007 season is the Yankees' 105th in New York and their 107th overall dating back to their origins in Baltimore. The season started with the Yankees trying to win the AL East championship, a title they had won every season since after the 1997 season, but ultimately they came in second place to the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees instead won the American League wild card, beating out their two main competitors, the Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers. They have not missed the playoffs since the 1994 strike-shortened season.

Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies' 2007 season continues, as the Phillies won a division title for the first time since 1993 and are headed to the playoffs.

The Phillies began the 2007 season with an MLB-record 9,955 losses in their franchise's history. On July 15, they lost their 10,000th game to the St. Louis Cardinals , becoming the first professional sports team in modern history to achieve that milestone. The Phillies rallied in the closing days of the season, winning their final game against the Nationals. This win and the New York Mets loss to the Florida Marlins gave them the NL East title.

So it's official, the Red Sox won the World Series, their 2nd in less than 5 years after many years of a drought.

It was impressive to see that Jon Lester (who battled and won his battle against cancer) received the Tony Conigliaro Award.  For those who may not know, the award is named for the promising Red Sox player whose career was derailed when he was hit in the face by a pitch in 1967.  I was only a young girl then but remember the horrible thunk and him going down - it's almost like it was personal even then.

It was also great to see the Sox re-sign Kurt Schilling, but what's the deal with Mike Lowell. I'll grant you that he's getting up there in age, but give me a break, he's not that old.  The team members obviously support the signing, but there seems to be a hiccup in the length of the contract. Come on guys wake up, you've got a lot of young blood on the team and Lowell can bring some leadership to the team to complement what's already going on.  Sign him already!