For New York Sportswriters, Old Habits Die Hard

Tyler Kepner, New York Times:

In Game 3 of this World Series on Saturday, the Red Sox revived some of the uncomfortable moments of their past. Fielding misplays and managerial mistakes once haunted the franchise, and the championships of 2004 and 2007 have not immunized the modern Red Sox from repeating the sins of their ancestors.

Credit the Red Sox for coming back twice on Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals. But the 5-4 loss ensures that if the Red Sox win this World Series, they will not do it here again. And if they lose, this game will linger until the moment they win their next championship. ...

The mistake was Saltalamacchia's, but Middlebrooks was charged with the error, making this the first World Series game to end on an error since, yes, the Bill Buckner game against the Mets in 1986.

That game was a potential World Series clincher for Boston, but it extended a Red Sox championship drought that had lasted generations. This loss was far different — Boston never had a lead on Saturday, for one thing — but the echoes were unsettling.

I half-expected to see the byline of The Ever-Bitter Murray Chass on this bit of silliness.