A baseball is held together by 108 stitches. Organs in the human body begin to shut down at 108 degrees Fahrenheit.
Will 108 wins bind the Red Sox to greatness or lead to October malfunction? Will 108 be remembered in Boston as milestone or millstone?
The 1998 Yankees are the best team I have seen, a tough, championship club. And that group felt the onus of validating 114 regular-season wins, carrying around the burden like an extra opponent that October. I always felt the 1999 Yankees won “only” 98 games because they did not want to endure the unseen opponent again.