Home of the brave

The Indians have been inching closer to their first World Series appearance in 10 years by disposing of the Yankees, and bringing the Red Sox to the brink. Game 5 of the ALCS will take place at Jakob's Field tonight, but the games behind the game have already begun. To sing the national anthem will be country music star, Indians fan, and Ohio native Danielle Peck; coincidentally the most current ex-girlfriend of one Joshua Beckett. The Indians of course, insist that this is pure coincidence, and although no one believes them, they applaud the lengths to get the real home field advantage.

"She's from Ohio. Her entire family are Indians fans. We did not know anything about her connections to Beckett. The next day, we find out the rest of the story," said DiBiasio of Peck. "How are we supposed to know who Josh Beckett dates?"

Let this not overshadow in actuality a game that may be as compelling as we may see this post-season, which as a side note has not been viewer friendly. On one side we have the Indians, a team in a city that hasn't seen a World Series Championship since 1948. On the other side , the newly remodeled and currently curseless Boston Red Sox (unless The Curse of the Trotino comes into fruition). This is also the rematch of a Cy Young (dud) battle that was waged in Game 1, where Boston's best player this entire season threw another gem of a ballgame; while C.C. Sabathia managed to falter once again when the bright lights are on.

If this goes the way of the Indians, it will be a huge step to usher in an era of exciting young baseball in Cleveland. This team is built for the long haul, and we'd be looking at another four-to-five year stretch like we saw in the mid 90s. But even if Cleveland doesn't pull it out tonight, conventional wisdom has to believe they're still in good shape being up 3-2 for the rest of the series; they've beaten up every pitcher the Red Sox have except for the aforementioned Josh Beckett. It leaves them with another ace (Fausto Carmona), and ALCS game 3 winner Jake Westbrook, while Boston is left with Curt Schilling and possibly Japanese import and let down Daisuke Matsuzaka. Beyond the physical evidence and into the extraordinary, Boston has the edge, once coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series - and that's surely still fresh in their minds.

We'll see you at 8:21. This is of course after the Indians trot out their secret weapon in Peck, but just in time to see if it'll affect Josh Beckett.

Indians say choice for Game 5 singer 'coincidence' [ESPN.com]
Photo: Knoxnews