Search for the summit

So, you thought the Red Sox started to feel the downhill breeze?

Think again.

The short coast down a stretch of wins was halted at Yankee stadium last weekend. It's time to start making the journey uphill again.

The Sox are behind their good friends over in the Bronx. Sound familiar?.

By the looks of it, it could be another season of missed opportunity. Once again they are left thanking Bud Selig for his gift (aka the wild card).

It's another season of being second best to the likes of Mr. Steinbrenner.

Is it really all that bad?

Sure, one gets tired of always finishing behind the leader, but what's so bad with the silver medal? Is there an appreciation for having a good season, rather than a great one?

Oh wait, it's Boston we're talking about.

In the Red Sox quest for their first World Series title since 1918, being second best has become cliche. It leaves players and fans alike wondering how it tastes to be the frosting on the cake.

Wouldn't it be sweet?

But what does one expect with having the second largest payroll in the league.

Well, for starters, the Sox are second in the league in pay to those loveable Yankees. It's not even a close second for Boston, as they stand at roughly a $60 million dollar difference.

That's $60 million dollars that 15 teams in the majors account for as they're entire payroll. George Steinbrenner must really love his jewelry.

Does that make the players "the second best" in the league?

The way the Red Sox have been playing, that depends on what day one is talking about. Most would argue that if they brought their "A" game everyday, they could certainly win it all. But, when the "B" and "C" game shows up to the ballpark, the level of invisibility is worn off.

Going into the season, no one wanted to face this rotation.

Two future Hall of Famer's (Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez), a former Cy Young candidate (Derek Lowe), and let's not forget about a guy with a pitch that leaves David Copperfield asking how he does it (Tim Wakefield).

The hammer dropped with the signing of former Oakland Athletic Keith Foulke to solidify a closer role that had been lost during the Grady Little era. It was time to get in line for World Series tickets before they sold out.

To be on the safe side, start selling those tickets on Ebay.

What was once a sure thing is now a mystery.

The Red Sox find themselves in a similar position from last year, and the year before, and the year before that. Starting to see the trend? It's kind of like the circle of life, but in terms of baseball.

No matter where the Red Sox start out, they seem to end up in the same place year after year.

Now comes talk about "The Curse." If it doesn't exist, then how come it has yet to be broken?

And let's be frank here, it has been 86 years since Boston celebrated a championship. Sure, there have been plenty of division titles won, and a few American League championships, but no World Series titles on the resume in quite a while.

It has become a standard that the Red Sox falter at some point in the playoffs. Every fan can expect to see the Sox tumble during the weeks of October.

Are the players just overly excited about what costume they are going to wear on Halloween? Do David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez have a sweet tooth that can only be satisfied by going door to door? (One can only imagine Ortiz and Manny in their Batman and Robin costumes.)

The Sox need a Mr. October -- a Reggie Jackson, a Derek Jeter, a George Brett -- a clutch performer. But, the word clutch seems to disappear come the postseason.

They had Carlton Fisk, with his famous game winning home run that he directed fair with the swaying of his arms, but on the other hand, they have had more players that have fallen under the pressure.

Nomar Garciaparra had his playoff droughts, Bob Stanley had his inaccuracy at the mound, and who can forget Bill Buckner.

Making it into October is great, that is, if you're not the Red Sox. For this team, the postseason is expected.

For a team like the Yankees, though, not only is the postseason expected, but so is a World Series championship.

The Sox are not at that level of demand, not yet anyways.

First, for all those who are savvy in economics, there has to be a supply.

Welcome back to high school economics class. Today Steinbrenner and his Yankees will be teaching the law of supply and demand. The Sox might want to take down a few notes.

It seems like a difficult pressure to deal with, but the Yankees seem to manage with the demands of their employer.

Either way, the players and fans know that they go into the postseason as the team to beat. Year after year they have proved that October is their favorite time of year, and it isn't because of the fall foliage.

The Yankees have conditioned themselves to sustain under any pressure in the postseason. It may not always guarantee a victory -- in fact, in the past few years, they haven't won -- but, the idea of winning it all is never in doubt.

So, in the last weeks of September, the Red Sox find themselves in a hike to catch the Yankees. The trek might look like a climb up Mount Everest, but don't be fooled becuase it is not nearly impossible.

All the Sox need are a couple of Sherpa's to guide them through their journey into October.