HISTORY LESSON: St. Louis has been good for Boston teams. The three other major sports teams all ended long championship droughts against St. Louis teams. The Celtics, who started play in 1946, went 11 years before winning the first of their record 16 NBA titles by beating the St. Louis Hawks in 1957. The Bruins won their first title since the 1940-41 season by beating the St. Louis Blues in the 1969-70 Stanley Cup. And the Patriots, who began play in 1960, won their first league championship after the 2001 season by beating the Rams in the Super Bowl.
WELL-DIGESTED: Since being down 0-3 to the Yankees in the ALCS, the Red Sox have won with stunning, um, regularity: seven straight postseason games going into Wednesday.
GM Theo Epstein revealed the secret: Metamucil.
Before each game, manager Terry Francona takes a swig of the fiber laxative because of a bad stomach. Before Game 4 of the ALCS, Epstein decided to join him.
"It seems like something for a 70-year-old woman, but I said, "Screw it, maybe it will change our luck,' " Epstein recalled. "Now I've had it for seven straight games, and I've paid the price. It usually hits me around the eighth inning, when the other team has runners in scoring position. That will be the best part about the season being over: returning to normalcy."
IT'S A TRADITIONAL RED: The actor re-enactors at the Plimoth Plantation living history museum in Plymouth, Mass., are showing their support for the Red Sox in a subtle way: by wearing red socks as part of their costumes.
The re-enactors are required to stay in character as they portray life in the 17th century when the Mayflower landed. So the red socks, actually wool stockings, represent their "simple, yet silent way" of showing their confidence in the team.
"We believe, just as the Pilgrims believed some things are predestined; this is the year for a Red Sox World Series championship!" said John Kemp, associate director of colonial interpretation at the Plantation.
OVER THE MOON: The total lunar eclipse Wednesday night was the first to occur during a World Series game, remembering they have played night games for only 33 years.
The significance in that it was supposed to provide a view of a blood red moon was open to interpretation.
Why?
In 1985, there was a total lunar eclipse the day after the Royals beat the Cardinals in the seventh game of the Series.
In 1986, there was a total eclipse the day before the start of the Series where the Red Sox lost to the Mets.
CEREMONIALLY SPEAKING: Cardinals Hall of Famers Lou Brock and Red Schoendienst handled the first pitch, country singer Gretchen Wilson sang the national anthem and former Creed lead singer Scott Stapp handled God Bless America.
