October 27, 2004 [LINK]
Thanks to Pedro and Manny both living up to their high expectations at just the right moment (and Jeff Suppan making a colossal base-running goof), the Red Sox edged closer to what will be regarded the history-making triumph of our time. The fat lady is not yet singing, but the ghost of Babe Ruth seems to be sleeping. (Good SNL skit on that, but I missed Ashlee Simpson's lip-sync gaffe.) The Red Sox must have set some kind of record in errors in the first two games, but their batting made up for it. A 4-0 sweep would cut into FOX's ad revenues [Fans! It's game time, time to grab a cold, fresh Budweiser!] so let's see if they can contrive some way to stretch this series out another game or two. As we all know, coming back from an 0-3 deficit is almost unheard of...
Four letters to the editor in the Washington Post on Tuesday made some good points about the developmental effects of the proposed new ballpark, and some bad ones. To succeed, stadiums must be close to downtown, which is why the option of keeping the team in RFK indefinitely is simply not plausible. That's also why FedEx Field is such a sterile, unhappy home for the Redskins. As for the complaint that a homeless shelter near the new site may get shut down, that needs to be compensated in some way. Insisting on private funding for the new stadium is a nice thought, and the Giants' SBC Park is a noble example, but MLB's terms for relocating the Expos were very explicit on that point. They're a monopoly, and -- as long as Congress lets them run free -- they make the rules.