ALDS Game 4 Twitters

After losing a close game they had no business being in, the Sox storm back to win a game that had no business being this close.  There is so much to talk about here:  the fact that Jay Bay is the unofficial ALDS MVP going 7-17 with two doubles, two homers and 5 RBIs.  The fact that youngsters like Tacoby and Jed Lowrie are playing solid October baseball.  The fact that the Sox advance to the ALCS to play hated division rivals the Tampa Bay Devil "Regress to the ALCS" Rays.

But I want to talk about something else (and I warn you, its a bit of a rant).  Here goes:

Mike Scioscia - you suck.  You suck because you are constantly complaining to the umpires about ball and strikes.  You suck because you went Chad Johnson on us and guaranteed a victory in game four.  But you especially suck for calling a squeeze play with one out and a runner on third in the ninth inning of a deciding postseason baseball game.  

Why in the world you asked Erick Aybar to attempt a squeeze is beyond me.  It was a bonehead call.  Its a strategic decision of such Herculean stupidity it makes Pearl Harbor and Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union look like strokes of genius.  

I have seen the arguments for the squeeze.  Aybar has had nine bunt singles this season.  Squeeze plays succeed eighty five percent of the time.  If it works, you have a decent probability of winning the game. 

But there was simply no reason to make that call in this situation.  Its true that Aybar is not a sacrifice fly type hitter, but why not go to your bench?  It is true that you can expect a decent pitch to bunt with a 2-0 count, but you also have a good chance to draw a walk and bring up the top of your order with two on and only one out.  More importantly, everyone has touted your bullpen as the superior group of arms.  Why force the issue when extra innings favors your side? 

Perhaps you bought into your own myth about how you were a "small ball team" that likes to "manufacture runs,"  despite the fact that you were sixth in the AL in sacrifice hits, sixth in sacrifice flies and had only nine more steals than the Sox.  Perhaps you sold yourself on the idea that if this crazy plan worked, you would be hailed as a risk-taking genius by the sycophantic myrmidons at TBS and not the lead-headed manager that is 5-15 in postseason baseball.  

The worst part of all of this is after Willits was tagged out, rather than accept your Dusty Bakerian ineptitude, you charged up from the dugout to whine and complain.  Much like the entire Angels team after this series.  Congratulations Mike Scioscia - you have managed to turn the Angels into "the Atlanta Braves for a new generation."