The Boston Red Sox Are 2009 American League Wild Card Champions...A Must Jeff Jacobs Read

It took a little help from their Texas Rangers friends but the Boston Red Sox are the official American League Wild Card Champions and will play in the postseason despite losing to the Toronto Blue Jays by a score of 8-7. A furious five run eighth inning Boston comeback made the game as close as it could get but the Sox fell short and lost their fifth contest in a row. They will open play next week against the California Anaheim Los Angeles Angels on the left coast.

Clay Buchholz was floured and battered, shaked and baked for seven runs on eight hits, giving up five (!!) home runs to the Blue Jays. He ended up sticking around for only five full innings and was followed by Ramirez, Saito, Wagner and Papelbon. Saito was the only one of that quartet to surrender a run. That plated runner was the deciding tally but thanks to the Rangers, who cares? I know that this team will regroup and resume their winning ways...soon.

After the game finished, many players awaited the end of the Angels-Rangers game in the clubhouse, for their fate was in that game's outcome. A celebration was nearing and everyone knew it. At night's (or morning's) end, nobody was disappointed. Here's Dustin "Pedey" Pedroia...

“Anytime you make the playoffs, it’s a great accomplishment,” Pedroia said. “It doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you’re in. Now we just have to go out there, play well and win a championship.”

Leftfielder supreme and probable free agent Jason Bay had this to say about October play...

“It’s a little different waiting around for another game to end but at the same time, anytime you get to the playoffs, ultimately that’s where you want to be,” outfielder Jason Bay said. “I don’t see how this would ever get old. I was on a team where this would have been a luxury, going to the playoffs,” said Bay, the former Pittsburgh Pirate. “You construct a team, you put it a certain way, a lot of things still have to go right. Four teams from each league get to go to the playoffs. That says a lot about our team that we really care about where we’re going,” he said. “Most of the team is here, 99 percent. It says a lot about the character of this team.”

They care, you care, I care. That's the beauty of Red Sox Nation and Boston Red Sox baseball. That's all I can say, right from my heart.

OK, this is important. I hope you can click on this post's title for a column penned by the Hartford Courant's very own Jeff Jacobs. I've said it before and I'll say it again...RIGHT NOW. He's one of the finest sports columnists I have ever read. His piece today brought a copious amount of tears to my eyes. Does it have anything to do with the Boston Red Sox? Hell no. But read it you must and feel your heartstrings pulling at your soul. Thanks Jeff. Simply click on the title of this post and as always, BE WELL. Thanks.