Swept

It's only fitting that the series ended with a 1-0 game in which the Astros once again couldn't manufacture a run to save their lives. It's also appropriate that the winning run for the Sox came from an unlikely source (Harris tonight, Blum last night and Podsednik before that), and that Lidge was the one to give it up.

The saddest part is that years from now, this series will likely only be remembered as a sweep - and many will assume that the Astros weren't even competitive. But the truth is they were four great games, each of which could have easily gone the Astros' way.

Perhaps equally depressing is the thought of no baseball until April - another reminder of the shortened, rainy days that lay ahead between now and then.

But for those that say this was the Astros' last chance of a championship - not so fast. True, Clemens and Bagwell may not be back. But the true core of the team is a bunch of hungry, young guys like Berkman, Burke, Lane, Ensberg, Oswalt and Lidge who have the potential to be very good for some time. So while the Astros first trip to a the Series may have been a short one that was long overdue, I expect we'll be back soon.