The Worst Fears Are Very Close To Becoming RealityBut why do we fear it? Why is Donaldson calling finishing the season against the Yankees -- with a possible win-or-go-home-for-the-winter scenario -- our "worst fear"? It's a key question he never answers.
It's going to come down to those last three games against the Yankees. You know it is. And in your constantly faithful but secretly palpitating heart of hearts, you fear that it is.
Intellectually, you understand that's the way it's going to be ... Emotionally, you wish, and hope, and pray, that the Sox already have wrapped it up before then. But you know that's about as likely as George Steinbrenner deciding to trim his payroll below $100 million in 2006. ...
If the Sox can't hold off the resilient Yankees, it's entirely possible that they won't even make the playoffs. ... It's going to come down to that final series. You hope it doesn't, but you know it is.
Naturally, I want the Sox to clinch the East as soon as possible. I'd be glad if they had that little "x" by their name in the standings in July. But just putting the division title on ice ASAP isn't really what Donaldson is hinting at.
It sounds like Donaldson is recycling the "Yankees always win the big games against the Sox when it counts" silliness. Would Donaldson be writing a similar column if the division lead was down to one game when Boston finished the year hosting Tampa and the Yankees played in Toronto? I don't think so.
The only reason to "fear" the season-ending series is because you still buy into the canard of Pinstriped Mystique. That's what Donaldson would have to write if he had decided to answer the "Why?" question. It's obvious why he sidestepped it.