What can you say: And what can you do in the face of greatness! I'm not one to gloat, but having just watched one of the greatest post-season baseball games ever with a Red Sox fan laughing for seven innings, I'm feeling pretty good.

Right now Sox fans are hanging their heads, asking why, oh why, does this keep happening. Just like Cubs fans felt last night. Are we really cursed? My answer: well, yeah.

All right, there's really no such thing as a curse, it's not just luck, and it's not money. But it's really hard for a team to shed the negative feeling that comes with coming up short over and over again. And winning breeds winning when you play for a dynasty. When the Yankees get down, they believe they'll come back. When the Sox get down, they have to feel just a little like the planets are lined up wrong. How can you not?

There was no real key to tonight's win that I can identify. Giambi's homers? That's what he's supposed to do. Boone's game winner? Good management to bring him in midway through the season (although I was cursing Torre's decision to leave him out of the starting lineup in favor of Enrique Wilson, who's error partially caused the game to go to extra innings). Maybe Torre's decision to leave Mariano Rivera in for a third inning when he usually is good for only two, was the most important call of the night. And maybe it's those calls that make the difference in the end.

I'm not going to criticize Grady Little, who did a great job getting his team to the ALCS, but I think the the only real way the Yankees outplayed the Sox was in the management department. Pedro outpitched Clemens so bad I was seeing spots after four innings. The Sox bats were certainly on, getting eleven hits to match the Yanks. But Torre made gutsy calls every time he needed to. Three of the Yankees starting pitchers threw tonight, Clemens, Mussina, and Wells. The bullpen had looked shaky and Joe knew it was now or never. On the other side, Little negelected to take Pedro out, giving his pitcher the option. Pedro gave up the lead, and you know Little was kicking himself. After all, Pedro's not known for going deep in games, being injury prone as he is. Tough call, but do you really let the pitcher, even a stud like Pedro, make it? Then, after Alan Embree was pulled after facing one batter, Mike Timlin was brought in to intentionally walk Ruben Sierra. The Sox escaped the inning, but it just seems odd to bring a guy out of the bullpen, all fired up, and make him throw four balls inentionally. Maybe it worked out, or maybe he could have used his pitchers a little differently and not had to go to Tim Wakefield so soon.

It was a thrilling series and a thrilling game, so it's tough to pinpoint key moments. Both teams played their hearts out, one moves on, as always. No point in nitpicking, I guess. I'll just be glad we came out on the upside of this one, a game that had me pacing a little more than I would've liked.