ALCS Game Seven: "Do or Die" for Garza and Lester

I try very hard to be an optimist when it comes to sports, really, but if you take a look at the following facts you'll understand why I wrote off my beloved Red Sox off prior to Game Five of the ALCS.

• Tampa Bay had outscored the Red Sox 22-5 in the first two games at Fenway Park.
• No one, with the exception of Dustin Pedroia, was hitting well for the Sox.
• Every mistake seemed to go the Rays' way.
• Even if the Sox won Game Five, they would still have to win two games at the house of horrors, aka Tropicana Field, where they had only won two of 10 games this year. It also doesn't help their cause when the fans incessantly clang cowbells and blow air horns to cheer on their team and distract the opposition.

Needless to say, I felt that the Rays were a team of destiny and nothing could stop them from getting to the World Series.

Boy, was I wrong.

It looked like my prediction was coming true when Tampa Bay built a five-run lead after three innings. Tired of watching Joe Maddon's boys whip the Sox, I went upstairs to surf the Web.

The effect of my Web-surfing was two-fold. It allowed me to escape the battering of the Sox, and it was a ploy for them to score runs.

There's an old axiom I believe that says that when the Red Sox are losing you should find something else to do during the game, and they'll come back.

It worked like a charm; didn't it?

After I re-loaded MLB.com for the millionth time and saw the game was tied, I ran to my bedroom just in time to see Justin Masterson induce a double-play ball off the bat of Carlos Pena.

Then, when JD Drew got the game-winning hit, my whole outlook changed.

Which brings me to last night.

After sitting through 28 minutes of the God-awful "Steve Harvey Show" because of the TBS power outage and hearing that BJ "Babe" Upton had homered for the thousandth time in the series, I feared the worst.

But if you've watched the Red Sox long enough, you know there's no quit in them.

Despite leaving more people stranded on base than an airport, the Sox got timely hitting from Kevin Youkilis and a way overdue Jason Varitek to hold off those pesky Rays.

Josh Beckett bent, but did not break, and the shutdown work of the bullpen let the Red Sox live to see another day.

Now we have a Game Seven tonight, at the Castle of Catwalks, pitting young and vibrant Matt Garza against Captain Courageous Jon Lester in a winner-takes-all game.

Except for his last start, Lester has been lights-out this entire postseason. You would think after getting banged around by the Rays last Monday he's going to come out throwing.

Matt Garza wasn't dominant but did display an uncanny ability to wiggle his way out of jams in Game Three, a tactic that should serve him well this evening.

From a historic perspective, only four teams have erased 3-1 series deficits since the LCS went to a best-of-seven series in 1985. The Red Sox have done it three times.

However, if the Rays jump on Lester early like they did in Game Three, it should be smooth sailing for them.

Just to be on the safe side, though, the Rays and their fans should say their prayers because history is not on their side.

 Man, I can't wait 'til eight!