Keep the Measure

At the hole where he went in
Red-Eye called to Wrinkle-Skin.
Hear what little Red-Eye saith:
“Nag, come up and dance with death!”

Eye to eye and head to head,
(Keep the measure, Nag.)
This shall end when one is dead;
(At thy pleasure, Nag.)

Turn for turn and twist for twist—
(Run and hide thee, Nag.)
Hah! The hooded Death has missed!
(Woe betide thee, Nag !)

Last night the Red Sox took the second of three from the Angels, 12-7, overcoming Arroyo's ritual suicide on the mound in the third inning. The bullpen did yeomen service in holding off the ever-pressing Angels, and Red Sox Nation is rooting for a clean sweep.

I'd be stretching the truth more than a little if I said I wasn't hoping for a sweep as well, but I'm also adhering to Treebeard's advice: don't be hasty. Just a week or so ago, Mike the Cook and I were feverishly looking over the schedule for the then-upcoming homestand, wondering about the likelihood of the Sox sweeping all four with Detroit, and agreeing that two-of-three from Anaheim and Texas would be a damn fine thing.

And lo! the Red Sox swept the Tigers and have taken the first two from the Angels, all adding up to eight wins in a row. The Baseball Jesus - he is good. I couldn't ask for more, and so I won't. Sweeping Anaheim would be fan-fucking-tastic, but I won't feel cheated if they don't. Frankly, win or lose tonight, I'll be happy to the last of the Angels. They scare me; that team is like one of those zombie fellers that keep trying to eat your brain until you finally manage to put the umpteenth shot square in his zombie noggin. The Angels never stop pressing and only a twenty run lead would make me feel at ease in a game against them. Much better to face the still-dangerous-but-fading Texas Rangers, who have lost their three and six of their last ten.

Kipling's little chapter header from Rikki Tikki Tavi has become my mantra: keep the measure. I'm lovin' this win streak, like Edward I intend to enjoy every single moment. But I know it has to end sometime. The important thing to for the Red Sox to keep the measure, through every turn and twist, to remain as hard-charging as they've been even if they drop a game.

Keep the measure, because I want this dance to continue into the glorious realm of October baseball.

Keep the measure, because I want the Red Sox to meet the Yankees in the post-season. Because this shall end when one - the championship hopes of a team and it's fans - is dead.