Hardball Heaven

The wind - unlike the fans - was howling last night at Fenway, where the Sox offense came alive and Curt Schilling pitched a gem to beat the Yankees in the first of three. Papi (it's almost like you don't even need to type this anymore - it's just assumed) had a big night, Manny mashed one out to center, and even Alex Cora played a solid game, going for 3 for 4 and playing a nice shortstop. Sox had a commanding 9-1 lead going into the ninth, which allowed Foulke to get away with this line in mop-up duty - 1 ip, 5 h, 4 r, 2 hr. Things got so ugly that Francona had to warm up Papelbon before Foulke got the last out. Final: Sox 9, Spanks 5.

Watching the game early on, the fans seemed a little out of it. Damon got a smattering of boos when he led off, but other than that it sounded like a pretty tranquil night at Fenway. The big lead probably didn't help matters.

Yanks had a starting outfield of Terence Long in left, Bernie Williams in center, and Melky Cabrera in right. A far cry from the anticipated Matsui, Damon and Sheffield. Damon DH'd last night and knocked in the first NY run.

Idle note - the Yanks now have a Small, a Long, a Wang, and a Unit on their roster.