Will the Boston Red Sox claim their third World Series championship in five years or will they fall short?

The Red Sox open their best-of-five American League series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim tonight and shoppers and workers at the Bangor Mall have mixed opinions about how far they’ll go.

Most feel they’ve had a commendable season, winning 95 games to claim the wild-card berth despite dealing with injuries to key personnel such as power-hitting designated hitter David Ortiz, right fielder J.D. Drew, third baseman Mike Lowell, shortstop Julio Lugo, and pitchers Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett.

They also traded away malcontent slugger Manny Ramirez, who had become a distraction in the clubhouse and was sent to the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

“They’ve met expectations. They’ve dealt with a lot of adversity and they’ll be a better team for it next year,” said Norris Wessel of Blue Hill. “I think they’ll beat the Angels but I’m worried about the next round. It depends what happens with Beckett and how he looks in his first game. They’ll need him to get further [in the playoffs].”

Beckett has a strained oblique muscle and won’t pitch until Game 3 in Boston.

“They’ll go as far as the pitchers can take them,” said Chris Kenney of Portland. “I think they’ll at least make it to the World Series. Then it will depend on who they play in the Series. If they play L.A., Manny could kill them.”

Kenney really likes this Red Sox team.

“They have a lot of grit. It almost feels like the idiots from back in ’04,” he added, referring to the self-appointed nickname of the 2004 team that won Boston’s first World Series in 86 years.

“I think they’ll win it all,” said Patrick Murphy of Orrington. “They probably have the best three-man starting rotation in baseball [Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jon Lester]; [Jonathan] Papelbon is an unbelievable closer and you can’t stop David Ortiz in October.

“They’ve exceeded expectations. The only player who has underperformed is [pitcher] Tim Wakefield,” Murphy said.

Joseph Howe of Corinth, Ben Michaud of Bangor, Kaley Aucoin of Orono, and Lisa Cromwell and RoseAnna Stewart, both of Dexter, agreed with Murphy.

“They have previous World Series experience and they’re on fire right now,” said Howe, who also thinks the Red Sox are due to turn the tables on the Angels, who went 8-1 against them during the season, and the Tampa Bay Rays if they meet in the AL championship series.

Michaud said the Red Sox would win the World Series “because they got rid of Manny.”

Aucoin said the Red Sox would triumph “because they’re the best and I have faith in them.”

Cromwell said “They’re going to go all the way because the curse is broken so anything is possible. They’ve had injuries but it’s more about heart and soul and they have it.”

Stewart said the fact that the Red Sox have won it twice in four years would be the deciding factor behind another title this year.

Dick Perkins of Holden, Jeff Harris of Winterport and Mike Hannigan of Houlton don’t feel the Sox will capture the World Series, while Travis Currier of Plymouth, Daniel Meservey of Corinth and Alyssa Collamore of Hampden are undecided.

“This is about it. I don’t think they’ll go any further,” said Perkins. “They don’t have the talent they had last year.”

Harris said they “won’t go as far as we hoped. Hopefully, they’ll get to the ALCS. But the Angels are the team to beat right now. It’s hard telling.”

Harris likes that the Sox got rid of Ramirez and obtained Jason Bay from Pittsburgh.

“Now it’s a team. Bay has fit right in,” said Harris.

Hannigan said the Red Sox would get past the Angels. However, they don’t have enough to win it all.

“But I’m a Yankees fan,” admitted Hannigan.

Currier feels the Red Sox will have some success in the playoffs but he’s not sure they have enough to win it all.

“I think they’re going to surprise a lot of people because the players they’ve brought in [have been valuable],” Currier said. “I hope they go all the way but I’m not sure they’re going to win the World Series.”

Meservey said, “They’ll go most of the way but I don’t know about all of it. I think they’ll lose the [World] Series. Probably to the [Chicago] Cubbies. And I miss Manny. He was my favorite. Rest in peace, Manny.”

Collamore hopes they win it but hasn’t really followed the team.

“I’m not a very good Red Sox fan. I guess I’m kind of a poser,” she said, chuckling.

So who are their favorite Red Sox players?

Beckett, Ortiz, Lowell, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jason Varitek, Papelbon and speedster Jacoby Ellsbury were all mentioned.

Ellsbury, Pedroia and Youkilis received the most support.

“Ellsbury has brought a lot of inspiration to the team,” Currier said.

“Pedroia is a hardworking, no-nonsense kind of guy. Everybody can relate to him,” said Wessel.

“Pedroia is an insane player defensively and his bat has been on fire all year,” said Howe. “Youkilis is Youkilis and Lowell has been a go-to guy.”

“You can’t go wrong with Pedroia and Youkilis,” said Murphy.

Cromwell said her favorite was manager Terry Francona.

“He’s the brains behind it all,” said Cromwell.

lmahoney@bangordailynews.net

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