Red Sox Nation Celebrates AL East Championship!

Ron Sen: Stepping Into Liquid

We share finite space and time in an infinite universe. And in that space, we struggle together on a hostile planet to share moments of joy and sadness, achievement and loss, hope and despair. Amidst that vastness, our lives become united in our shared experience called Red Sox Nation.

Red Sox Nation has never represented membership cards, Sox Appeal, or even the media frenzy surrounding tonight's celebration of an American League East championship. People drive a little more courteously, smile more easily, and food even tastes better when our boys win. We suffer the defeats less well, although the World Series of 2004 vanquished memories of Loserville. The 'panic button' never came out this year, and as close as the competition came, I always had the same assurance for coworkers and patients, "the Yankee fans experience what we formerly owned", the anticipation of something that would not happen, the corruption of broken dreams. Mariano Rivera, Sox nemesis incarnate, failing in the clutch, and the lowly Orioles dismissing the mighty Bombers.

Tonight the Sox from grizzled veterans like Schilling and Timlin, basking in the dwindling sunshine of lengthy careers, celebrate anew with rookies Pedroia, Ellsbury, Moss, and even Matsuzaka and Okajima. What benefit victory? A chance to rest for Ortiz and aching knees, for Youkilis and a sore hand, and for those like Lowell and Varitek who suffered the marathon to get to the postseason.

The doubting among us will say they've done nothing yet, that tonight's events only serve as a prelude to uncertainty and more sore shoulders, balky knees, and strawberries. But those who follow this team season in and season out, night and day, remind them that is simply why we watch, to find out how it ends. Tonight the Sox stepped into liquid, champagne. -- Ron Sen, Boston Dirt Dogs contributor and founder of Red Sox Reality Check

Sox celebrate in style at fenway after Baltimore defeat Yanks with a huge come from behind rally in the 9th! Some "wild and crazy guys" on this Sox team!

Have a drink Red Sox Nation - the long season has brought its first big pay-off. The AL East Championship! Drink hearty me buckoooos!!

Fans who hung out at Fenway last night got the chance to celebrate with their heroes. All the booze hounds who left missed out.

The caps and jerseys are printed and we can wear them with pride. The Sox ARE AL East Champs for 2007!


BOSTON -- Call it a most spontaneous form of elation. Who could have expected it to end like this?

The Red Sox clinched their first American League East title in 12 years in thrilling, long-distance fashion late Friday night. More than an hour after they had downed the Twins, 5-2, to reduce their magic number to one, the Yankees put it at zero by squandering a three-run lead in the ninth and losing to the Orioles in 10 innings on a bases-loaded, two-out bunt single by Melvin Mora.

After taking first place in the division on April 18, the Red Sox never let it go, winning their first division title since 1995.

The AL Division Series are now set, with the Angels to play at the Red Sox and the Yankees at Indians. Since the Yankees cannot play the East champion Red Sox in the first round, it came down to the Indians and Angels to see who would play the Wild Card Yankees. With the Indians up two games, and holding the tie-breaker on the Angels with two to play, the Indians clinched the berth vs. New York.

What remains to be determined is which AL team will finish with the best overall record and the right to select the series of its choice -- the eight-day series starting on Wednesday or the seven-day series starting on Thursday. That also is down to the Indians and Red Sox due to their tiebreaker wins over the Angels. Boston holds the tie-breaker vs. the Indians, so if those two finish tied, the Red Sox win the honor.