David Ortiz (”Big Papi“) at the plate. (As if the “at the plate” part wasn’t obvious)

Jonathan Papelbon’s “Hey, let’s have tea some time!” look. Or maybe a beer?

Jason Varitek greeting fans after the win: He was a nice guy and shook hands with just about everyone in the front row around the field.

Kevin Youkilis in champagne-ready goggles.

Casualties of the on-field celebration.

Post from: EveryJoe

PHOTOS: When the Red Sox Clinched the Playoffs, We Were There!

Crisp got tossed, as did Rays pitcher James Shields and outfielder Jonny Gomes.

Check out the fight as well as the 5th inning WTF?-scuffle between Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youlikis in the dugout.

Post from: EveryJoe

VIDEO: Coco Crisp and the Sox-Rays Brawl

That being said, there were at least three signs that the Sports Deities favored the Sox last night.

1. Eric Gagne had a 1-2-3 ninth inning, giving up no runs and no hits. Seriously. You might think I’m joking, but I swear on a stack of bibles as high as the Green Monster, it’s true.

2. Sox Manager Terry Francona sat still. That is, when the camera panned to him in the dugout, we didn’t see the usual rocking back and forth a la Dustin Hoffman’s title character in Rain Main when he’s about to miss an episode of Judge Wapner. (Kudos to The Bee for pointing out the skipper’s quirk. Quirks=potential blog foddah!)

3. Not all-that-fair-and-balanced FOX pricked a hole in the Sox victory balloon—but they didn’t flinch. After putting up with 7 straight games of rah-rah Cleveland, Boston fans were not exactly stunned by the broadcasters’ pro-Rockies bias. Even less of a surprise was the post-win interview with Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis, in which FOX Sports helpfully pointed out that “history isn’t on the side” of teams who rout in Game 1. 

To which Youk replied, “History? Kiss my cleats! Listen, pal, I’ve been to Cooperstown, I know all about history. We MAKE history! Check your stats–this was the most lopsided Game 1 evah, more than any othah in the history of the World Series.”

*Sigh* Sorry, that was us indulging in a fantasy. Youk said no such thing. (Plus, he’s from Ohio, so he doesn’t have a Boston accent). He merely placed a big ol’ scoop of Ben & Jerry’s vanilla on his plate and talked about how the Sox were swinging the bats well, how they need to keep the momentum going, and so on.

We understand the need for professional athletes to be snark-free. We’re just glad we don’t have to be!  

Post from: EveryJoe

Three Signs That the Planets Aligned for Boston