Just some random thoughts to do with the game (or maybe not) to get out the nervousness in the pit of my belly (or is it just the lousy food I had an hour ago weighing on me?) as Game Six looms in a matter of 36 minutes (perhaps it looms, period, by the time I finish this column).
According to ESPN Radio this morning, the Yankees are allegedly planning to bunt, over and over again, in an effort to make the hobbled Curt Schilling field balls on wet grass, and cover first.
Pretty dirty and underhanded, but you know, the object of the game is … to win it. You have to do the best you can to get that win. The Yankees had no plans on returning to New York to play a game, and now they have to. They sure don’t want it to reach Game 7, because you then have Kevin Brown (against Tim Wakefield per the Boston Dirt Dogs) and we would have the upper hand there (on paper, at least … and paper means nothing). They have to win today against Schilling. Because then the momentum completely shifts to us. Paper and momentum are fickle beings, but it’s at least nice to have them on our side!
Now … how to avoid getting hurt by this? I’m thinking … have the team tell (hopefully, already told) Schilling to not worry about the bunts. Have Millar and Mueller ready to cheat in, with Varitek chomping at the bit and Bellhorn ready to cover first. Have them get the outs. If there’s a runner on second, have the shortstop cover third. If there is a runner on first, then react to where the ball goes. That could be a play Schilling could get involved on.
