Hardball Heaven

Very gratifying to see the boys take 2 of 3 from a good Mariners team in their sandbox. After Friday night's loss, the Sox had suffered 9 consecutive defeats at Safeco Field. Thanks to the right arms of Daisuke Matsuzaka and Josh Beckett, that's now a 2-game winning streak.

Some assorted thoughts from this weekend's series:

- One of the great things I've noticed this year about Dice-K is his composure. He can be cruising along, pitching a 3-hit shutout, and then give up a home run on a mistake. But he gets right back into his mode as if nothing happened. Can't teach that. Funny how no one's talking about the ransom we paid to get him anymore.

- Coco Crisp almost got waylaid by the Mariners' idiotic mascot yesterday. The Moose was scooting around on an ATV in between innings, and passed by the Sox' dugout just as some of the players were trotting out to their positions. The ATV nipped Coco, who had to do some fancy calisthenics to get out of the way. Very, very fortunate that he didn't get hurt. Terry Francona was quoted in the Globe today, saying: "I've got all sorts of (expletive) things to worry about. Right-handers, left-handers. The last (expletive) thing I need to worry about is a (expletive) mascot." Couldn't have (expletive) said it any better myself.

- Man, when Josh Beckett is on he's on. When he's mixing pitches well, his heater is overwhelming. This series also showed why Varitek is so valuable beyond what he brings stat-wise. There were several times where he almost stood up behind home plate, knowing that the batter would swing (and most likely miss) an eyeball-level fastball. That's advance scouting and good preparation.

- When Jerry Remy is analyzing and not shilling on the airwaves, it can be a treat. On Saturday night, he brought up the fact that Big Papi has changed his batting stance considerably, standing up taller instead of crouching. On Sunday, they showed before and after images, and the difference was clear. The adjustment seems to be working, as Papi is starting to generate more power.

- Nice to see an engaged Manny as we enter the dog days of August. He seems energized on the basepaths and in left field, and hell, even in the dugout. His bullfighter skit with Wily Mo and Lugo yesterday was priceless. And oh yeah, he's also starting to hit the ball with authority.

- And last but by no means least, tonight's game in Anaheim is significant for the man who will toe the rubber for us. Curt Schilling returns to action for the first time in over a month, and the Nation is looking forward to seeing the rejuvenated blogger on the mound. What would you take for an outing? I'll take a solid 6, no more than 2 runs, low pitch count, and maybe a half-dozen K's. Talk about high-impact trading deadline acquisitions.