Thursday, October 14, 1999 Older Editions

Got your Sox on?

By Rebecca Lipchitz

The consensus among Andover baseball fans is that the Red Sox have a 50/50 chance to beat the Yankees for the American League pennant this year.

The town was buzzing Tuesday morning after the Sox win against the Cleveland Indians, taking the best-of-five-game division series in dramatic fashion.

Devoted Sox fans say they're excited, and that this year has been different from all the others, while even fair-weather fans jump on board.

Indeed, fans have so far been riding the classic Sox roller coaster. The Boston team only made it into the playoffs as the wild card contender. Then they lost the first two games -- the second an 11-1 rout. But then they took three in a row.

Game three was a convincing 9-3, then they routed the Tribe 23-7 in game four at home. The final in Cleveland Monday night, ended 12-8, with a stellar performance by injured pitcher Pedro Martinez, who entered the tie game (8-8) in the fourth inning and pitched six hitless innings.

"Everybody in here is dragging because they stayed up to watch the game," says avid fan Debbie Ryan, intake coordinator at the Andover Senior Center.

Ryan managed to buy two tickets to last Saturday's game, the first of the three wins that brought the Red Sox back from the brink of elimination.

"I've never had so much fun in my life," Ryan says, despite the fact that she paid $50, twice the face value, for her bleacher seat. She has grandstand-seat tickets to this Saturday's playoff game against the Yankees.

Andover's Larry Cancro may have better seats. He is vice president of sales and marketing for the Boston Red Sox, and for this series, will be traveling with the team.

"It's really exhausting -- a lot of 20 hour days -- but worth every second of it," he says.

At least this year, the Sox have made his job easy.

"If this ballpark could seat 200,000 people, we could sell all the tickets. There were hundreds of people in line (Tuesday), but we sold everything two weeks ago," he says.

Tickets for the American League Championship series sold out Oct. 2, the day they went on sale. The Red Sox will play the New York Yankees at Fenway Park for games three and four of the series, Saturday and Sunday, and if necessary, Monday. Games one and two on Wednesday and Thursday, and games six and seven are scheduled for Yankee Stadium.

"I think it's going to be a semi-holiday around here if it comes to that," says Andover Bank President Gerry Mulligan.

Mulligan says banker's hours don't usually interfere with the broadcast of Red Sox games, but he keeps a radio by his desk just in case.

Mulligan has been a fan since birth, as the son of former Red Sox pitcher Joe Mulligan, a right-hander who played from 1934 until he went to war. Joe Mulligan earned a record of 2-1 under manager Joe Cronin, and befriended many ballplayers and coaches including Mayo Smith, manager of the Detroit Tigers, whom Gerry remembers visiting their home.

Joe Mulligan grew up in Weymouth and played baseball for St. John's Prep and Holy Cross before playing for the Red Sox. The late pitcher raised Gerry and his siblings in West Roxbury, and was known as the Red Sox last home-grown pitcher until they acquired Bill Monboquette of Medford in 1958, Mulligan says.

Another life-long fan, Peg Massaro, talked about Monday's game before the AARP meeting the Senior Center Tuesday afternoon.

"It was just wonderful," she says of the victory in game five. Massaro says she would have watched regardless of the post-season drama surrounding the game. She credits Boston manager Jimy Williams for the successful season.

"I think the manager had a lot to do with it, because of the way he treats his players," she says. While Pedro Martinez' pitching is undeniably exceptional, Massaro says that Nomar Garciaparra's presence makes a difference.

"He plays almost every day. I think he's an inspiration to other players," she says. Monday's game was fun she says, because it included everything a baseball game should. "I'm glad it wasn't just a pitchers duel. That can be boring," she says. Her favorite part of the game Monday was Troy O'Leary's two home runs, one a grand slam, both after Cleveland walked Garciaparra.

"This team is like the Celtics were. Before, (the Red Sox) had one star, but now they work well as a team," she says.

Massaro, a long-time Andover resident, grew up listening to the Red Sox on the radio since her mother, who had lost her eyesight, was an avid fan.

She also remembers following Boston Braves games with Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain. Today she often travels to Florida, and will catch the Florida Marlins or the Indians in the off-season. She also enjoys Lowell Spinners games at LeLacheur Park.

Lorraine Enos, sales and service representative for Andover Bank, says she wouldn't have missed Monday's game, and doesn't plan to miss any future games this year.

"Of course were going to have to watch, especially this weekend. Everything is going to stop," she says.

Enos says that in both instances where Nomar was intentionally walked, she knew O'Leary was going to come through.

"But I wouldn't say it out loud. I only said it to myself," she says.

Of speculation and superstition

Given the delicate balance of energy in the universe that causes the Red Sox to pull ahead or blow a lead at any given moment, many fans have rituals to favor their team.

Massaro says she hopes this is the year the Red Sox could go all the way, but won't speculate.

"There seems to be more spirit and more life in these players (than in past Red Sox teams)," she says.

Mulligan agrees that it was heart that brought the Sox past the Indians, but says the upcoming series may not be a breeze for the Sox, since the Yankees are a bit more rested and have suffered fewer injuries than Boston.

"The Yankees played steadily all season. It will be an interesting match-up between the even-handed professionals and the more emotional underdogs," he says.

Cancro says that to work in baseball is synonymous with being superstitious. Some of his rituals are day-to-day, some are long-term, but Cancro says he will never speculate.

"I have little superstitions I develop sometimes, like wearing certain clothes, driving to the park a certain way, or listening to a certain radio station," he says.

But no matter the outcome, this fall's playoff season is historic for New England, Cancro says.

"Obviously, this is the greatest rivalry in all of sports," says Cancro of the upcoming pennant race between the Yankees and the Sox.

If Boston were to advance to the World Series, they would face the National League pennant winner, either the Atlanta Braves, a team that originated in Boston, or New York Mets to whom the Red Sox lost the World Series in 1986.

"If it ever works out perfectly, this could be one of the greatest months ever in New England. Nationally the attention would be remarkable," he says.

There is no shortage of enthusiasm in Andover, Cancro says.

He heard people talking about the Red Sox in Andover all day, all over town, but it doesn't just happen when they're winning, he says.

Still, winning seems to help. Andover's Gus Lohrey describes himself as a fair-weather fan, but was decked out Tuesday in a Red Sox shirt, red socks, and a Red Sox hat embellished with a gold ribbon.

"I couldn't sleep until 2 a.m. last night (after the Red Sox won the division championship.) Now were gonna get all riled up. This could be something," he says of the upcoming series.

Cancro says the last notable display of celebration was after the 1986 victory in the pennant race, in which neighbors decorated the trees in his yard with red socks.

"Andover is a great baseball town. That's why I love it," he says. The first game of the American League Championship Series was scheduled for Wednesday night at 8 p.m. after Townsman press time.