Big Wave,
I think the entire momentum has been sucked out of the Red Sox. Yankees came into this series as the underdog and are gaining confidence after beating both Schilling and Martinez. All the pressure is on the Red Sox to win a game now right away in Boston but I like the fact that Yankees are now loose knowing that this series is going back to NY no matter what the Sox do. Unless there is a major momentum switch that can only be created by a brawl or walkoff hit or big hit, this series is never going back to NY. Red Sox imo will lose Game 3, win Game 4, and lose Game 5. I would not be surprised if they are swept at this point. It cracks me up that the Yanks have been underdogs in this series from the start in both series and first two games in Yankee Stadium. Now with the Sox desperate for victory they are still favorites but at the lowest number since series began and let alone at home. All the value is still with the Yankees.
In regards to Cards/Astros, I have been telling everybody all year the Cards are on a mission and it came down from the top in LaRussa. This was the ly Tony and Walt Jocketty are under contract in STL (obviously they will be resigned now) and they had a ton to prove. Tony was taking a lot of heat in STL for playoff failures and overall failure to get Cards back to WS. They were even calling and rumors started that Herzog would take over at the end of the season and he even said he would be open to the idea. This has only motivated a still very underrated man and this team has been completely focused the whole year. Throw in prognostications at the beginning of the year for a very veteran team and you have the blueprint for what happened this year. In regards to this series, the key game to the whole series is tonight! If Cards win this game which I know they will, this series is over. Houston may win 1 or 2 in Astro Country but they will not win or clinch in STL. You can take that to the bank. Cards know the importance of what tonights game means as last two times Cards were in NLCS, they had home field and lost both of the first two games at home and the series never made it back to STL. Past mistakes learned. Best of luck.