I think I’ve reached the point where I enjoy seeing the Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians even more than seeing them beat the Yankees. They just seemed so smug when they had the upper hand in the 2007 ALCS — not to mention, y’know, that Garko comment — that I derived actual physical pleasure from watching us outscore them 30-5 over the last three games of the series. That wasn’t just a defeat, it was an all-out pantsing on national television, featuring everything short of David Ortiz actually hitting Fausto Carmona in the bangers with a coconut.

Tonight’s win was especially cool, as it provided instant redemption for Wakey, who lost game four of the ALCS against Byrd, and featured the Jed Lowrie debut (a two-run single) and an off-the-bench-and-into-our-hearts homer from The Cap’n, who’s acquitting himself quite nicely at the plate after starting the season like a guy encased in carbonite, not to mention more great work from Okajima and a stellar, chew-on-this-Indian-fans snag of a ball in the seats by Jacoby Ellsbury to end the game.

All-in-all, a stellar game. The kind that shakes off any last vestiges of winter and gets me all hot and bothered for summer nights with Remy, DO, cheap beer and underage prostitutes. Hey, that’s just me, people.

Think they’re happy to see us leaving Cleveland? You bet your arse!