2007 World Series Game 1

Let the games begin!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, welcome to another World Series starring your Boston Red Sox.

Over the course of the World Series I will be posting different articles and other blog posts on the 2007 World Series along with my thoughts and recaps of the games.

I am trying to find a Rockies fan to post on here as well to bring the view of the Colorado area and its fans as it's a great story for the Rox to be here in the World Series.

Lets get started with some articles from the New Hampshire Union Leader.

We start with a piece by Alex Speier on the forthcoming Rookie of the Year Dustin Pedroia. The article talks about Pedroia's drive for success that included him giving back a scholarship at Arizona State so the team could sign a player he felt would help the team get to the College World Series.

"We got a transfer in, and we didn't have any scholarship money left," Pedroia recalled. "I gave (a scholarship) back so he could come. I wanted to win. We didn't go to the World Series, but we definitely gave it a good try.

"You play to win a championship at whatever level you play at. You work so hard every year to try to do that. If you don't do it, you think it's a failure."

Though Arizona State did not advance to Omaha during Pedroia's three years, the team got over the hump in 2005, the year after he left. When they did, the former player was not forgotten.

In her piece today, Michelle Trujillo of the Associated Press asks if Boston fans are having to much fun with the Red Sox, Patriots and Boston College having great seasons, not to mention that whole Boston Celtics thing.

It hasn't been this much fun to be a sports fan in this area since 1986, when the Celtics, the Red Sox and the Patriots all played in championship games.

"Twenty years later, the stars are aligning once again," said Hutchinson, a Boston University employee from Hancock, N.H. "It's all coming back and it's all going on here."

Fans hardly know what to do with all the joy.

The crowd started chanting "Let's go Red Sox" during the Patriots' 49-28 blowout - in Miami.

Howard Ulman of the Associated Press talks about the Sox focus turning to the Rox.

"The mentality is always the same, every day. You play nine innings or whatever it takes," manager Terry Francona said. "I don't think we try to complicate things. That wouldn't be very intelligent. Sometimes this game is really difficult to play. Sometimes you need to simplify it."

There is one difference Francona would love to see: a better performance than the Red Sox had when they lost two of three games to Colorado at Fenway in June. The Rockies won the rubber game behind Francis, 7-1, and handed Beckett his first loss of the season after nine wins.

Overall, the Rockies outscored Boston, 20-5, in the series.

I will get back with the stories of Tuesday from the Herald, Globe and others along with what the blogosphere has to say about the series later today.