The Patriots, to a man, have guzzled down the potion their leader has concocted for them, and have followed that mantra as religiously as any professional team in recent memory.
Last night, after the Red Sox withstood a strong outing from Bartolo Colon, then battered a vaunted Angels bullpen for an 8-3 victory, the players declared they don't need any help in keeping their focus where it should be.
"It's not over," insisted catcher Jason Varitek, whose two-run homer tied it in the sixth. "We've got to go out there and be ready to play baseball."
You have to realize your local nine speaks from experience. About this time last season, they limped home from Oakland with a 2-0 deficit in tow. Local pundits lamented the impending demise of the team while the Red Sox caught fire, took care of business at home, then put themselves in a position to have a Game 5 decide their fate.
Whenever that happens, anything can happen, and it did. Boston advanced to the ALCS with an improbable, stunning extra-innings victory over Oakland and its ace closer, Keith Foulke.
Funny how things work. Foulke now wears the uniform of the Red Sox, and knocked down the Angels last night in the ninth. He, more than anyone, understands how important it is to close the deal.
"I've been there before, on this side," Foulke said. "You can't rest on that. It's no walk in the park. You just have to go out there and go hard."
Since this series started, the Red Sox have harped on minimizing mistakes, therefore minimizing giving a potent lineup like the Angels a second chance. Last night, aside from a fly ball that landed between Manny Ramirez and Orlando Cabrera when they both pulled up and thought the other had called for it, the miscues were sparse, and ultimately harmless. Cabrera's foul bunt on an 0-and-2 count could have been costly on a different night. Boston must expect that night is just around the corner.
That, says Trot Nixon, who banged home a critical insurance run in the ninth, is what the Red Sox must guard against most of all.
