Happy Sunday

Last week was like taking candy from a baby. I went 11-5, with my best surprise picks being Buffalo and San Francisco, two of the great teams from the '80s and '90s who have fallen on hard times. That makes the season record 19-13 so far. This week's slate has a number of great games on the board, including a revenge match in Pittsburgh with the Steelers taking on the Bengals and Carson Palmer; the Bears and Vikings in Minnesota, where we'll find out if the Bears are as good as they seem; in Indianapolis, where the juggernaut Colts run into the smashmouth Jaguars; and finally, in Seattle, where the Seahawks and their crazed fans try to make life as miserable as possible for the New York Football Giants. Best of all, our Patriots play tonight against Denver, meaning we get the feeds for the Cincy-Pittsburgh battle, the Bears-Vikings, and the Seahwaks-Giants. Not a bad day of NFL watching at all.

On to the picks. Again, these are made against the spread published in my local rag.

Carolina (-3) @ Tampa Bay: The Panthers - the trendy pre-season Super Bowl pick - have stumbled out of the blocks and are winless entering this game against the Bucs. Is it because they haven't had All-World WR Steve Smith? Is it the loss of their middle linebacker Dan Morgan? Whatever it is, Carolina isn't as bad as their record suggests. They'll make Chris Simms look like Tony Eason today.

Chicago (-3.5) @ Minnesota: The whole world wants to know if the Bears are as good on offense as they are on defense, and today will give a good indication. Is Rex Grossman for real? Who is Bernard Berrian? How are they doing this? They've beaten up on bad teams in the first two weeks (Green Bay and Detroit), and the Vikings would appear to be a stiffer test, especially in the Metrodome. I may regret this, but I'm going with the Vikings to pull off an upset today.

@Pittsburgh (1.5) vs. Cincinnati: Should be a great game, with the Steelers coming off an absolutely dreadful performance last Monday night against the Jaguars, and the Bengals coming in with revenge on their minds. Cincy had legitimate playoff hopes last year until that big oaf Kimo von Oehlenwhatever rolled on Palmer's leg. The Steelers will be loaded for bear, but I'm going with the Bengals in this one. Too much firepower. Plus, Carson's on my roto team so I have to root for him.

@Detroit (-7) vs. Green Bay: A snoozer. Green Bay comes into Motown a wounded team, having lost to (gasp) New Orleans last week on the frozen tundra. Detroit, meanwhile, under offensive whiz Mike Martz, has scored a grand total of 13 points through two weeks. Take the under and the Lions to cover. Roy Williams said so.

@Indianapolis (-7) vs. Jacksonville: All sorts of intriguing angles here. Indy is missing Adam Vinatieri today, who is out of action for the first time in his illustrious NFL career with a groin problem. Those damn groins. Peyton has been Peyton, but the Jags have a better secondary than most people think. If the Jaguars want to be taken seriously this is a good place to start, but I just don't think Indy will lose at home. I'm going with the Colts laying the points.

@Buffalo (-5.5) vs. NY Jets: The Jets showed me something last week in their comeback against the Pats, but they're too one dimensional. They're entering week 3, and they still don't know who their starting running back is. Curtis Martin, where are you? Buffalo rides to victory on the back of their stout defense and hometown crowd.

@Miami (-10.5) vs. Tennessee: If the Dolphins don't win this one... but they will, even with Daunte Culpepper calling the shots. The question is will they cover the 10 and a half? I don't even remember the Titans anymore. Who plays for them? McNair? Eddie George? Or was that back in like 1998? What the hell - take the Titans and the points.

Washington (-4) @ Houston: Like the Dolphins, this is a must-win game for Joe Gibbs and the 'Skins. The Texans are one of those bad but competitive bad teams, but go with Washington in this one.

Baltimore (-6.5) @ Cleveland: Will Art Modell be at this game? The team he stole away to Baltimore takes on the city he abandoned. The Ravens have looked impressive so far, but still not sure how much improved the offense is. Then again, you don't really need an offense when your D is pitching shutout ball. Ravens win this one, 21-7.

@Seattle (-3.5) vs. NY Giants: This one has all the makings of a letdown game for the Jints. They won an emotional game against a division rival last week, and they're going into the worst (best?) noise den in the league. The Seahawks also may get a boost from Deion Branch today, which they may need with a hurting Shaun Alexander. On the flip side, young Eli continues to gain confidence. I'll go with a mild upset here and take the Giants.

Philly (-6) at San Francisco: This one could be interesting. The Eagles are banged up on both sides of the ball, but McNabb has been pretty impressive through the first two weeks. The Niners counter with their big three of QB Alex Smith, WR Antonio Bryant and RB Frank Gore. The Eagles find a way to win, and cover, but it won't be a walk in the park.

@Arizona (-4.5) vs. St. Louis: Kurt Warner goes against his old team, which bears zero resemblance to his old team. The Rams have some skill players, no doubt - with Marc Bulger, Torry Holt and Steven Jackson. They had a nice win against the Broncos in week one, but then fell to the 49ers last week. Arizona counters with Kurt, the Edge, Larry Fitz and Anquan Boldin. Take the Cardinals in an offensive shootout.

@New England (-7) vs. Denver: Another good one. Denver's gotten the best of the Pats in recent years, and that playoff loss last year still sticks in our collective craw. Win that one, host the Steelers at home in the AFC title game, and we may be looking at a 4th Super Bowl win. But hindsight's 20-20. We lost, although we'll always have that amazing visual of Ben Watson chasing down Champ Bailey and absolutely leveling him. I'm confident in the Pats' D-line and our running back play tonight; not so confident in Brady's throwing accuracy and our secondary. The key to me will be Brady. We know the D-line, Dillon and Maroney will show up, and we know Plummer and Rod Smith will connect a few times tonight. Brady needs to be sharp. Pats take it, but the Broncos cover in what may be a field goal game. Remember, the Pats don't blow anybody out.

Atlanta (-3.5) @ New Orleans: Lots of emotion for this one, with the NFL planning a big night to remember Hurricane Katrina. Two of my favorite bands - U2 and Green Day - are collaborating on what is supposed to be a fantastic song at halftime. And oh yeah, there will be some football played in the Superdome. Mike Vick. Reggie Bush. I think the Falcons will win and cover, but I'm going with my heart for this one and picking the Saints.

Saturday Morning Thoughts

* Everyone's been tiptoeing around the Manny issue, and Gordon Edes today finally takes a stand. I have to say I agree with Gordo. Nobody knows the extent of his knee injury, but it's safe to say that Manny is no warrior.

* The whole Doug Mirabelli-Kevin Towers thing this past week is highly amusing. Why wouldn't Mirabelli love it in Boston? What other town would give him a police escort from the airport to the park? Pretty ridiculous when you think about it.

* Mirabelli falls into that class of guys who act and behave like they're better than they really are. Mirabelli can't hit his way out of a wet paper bag, and yet he's the first one to bitch at an ump after he strikes out. Kevin Youkilis, to me, is a fringe player (more on this in my upcoming Sox post-mortem) and yet there he is last night cussing out the ump for a good 5 minutes after whiffing. He's always got this pained expression on his face, and he didn't do himself any favors when he called Sox fans irrational when the team was in their losing skid. We are irrational, but you have to build up your resume before you can say it. Another actor was Kevin Millar. He'd get a walk, and almost strut his way to first base like he had just done something special. Locker-room presence my ass. The guy shouldn't be starting in the major leagues (as evidenced by his crappy year in Baltimore) and he's the first one to mouth off at anything.

* What Sox fan in their right mind wouldn't give a historic home run ball back to Big Papi? Not to sound corny, but the big man has brought us much joy so it's the least we can do. And when you hear that he'd rather auction the balls off for charity rather than put them on his mantel in Wisconsin (yes, the Dominican slugger lives near Green Bay believe it or not), it's a no-brainer.

* It really blows not having any meaningful baseball games to watch. Makes for a looooong wait for Sundays.

* Nice moment at Fenway this week when Carlton Fisk helped commemorate Jason Varitek's record for most games played as catcher. Two good ones right there.

* New nickname for Johnny Damon surfaced this week, courtesy of a clever WEEI caller. Johnny Cash. Beautiful.

* My AL MVP ballot would look something like this: Johan Santana, David Ortiz, Justin Morneau, Derek Jeter. Santana, his start the other night against the Sox aside, has been unbelievable for the Twins in the second half, especially with Liriano out. As for the argument that a pitcher shouldn't win MVP, bull. It's Most Valuable Player, not Most Valuable Everyday Player. Ortiz finishes second just on the sheer numbers and clutch hits. The Red Sox would be in fourth or fifth place without him. Morneau is incredibly underrated. Check out these numbers: 33 HR, 125 RBI, .323 BA. We just don't know about him because he plays in Fargo-land. And finally, Jeets. Yes, he's a great player. Yes, I respect and admire his abilities, even though he wears pinstripes. But I've said it before and I'll say it again - if he goes down, the Yanks have the depth and money to withstand the loss. And Johnny Cash batting leadoff certainly hasn't hurt Jeter. MVP? No way. Just one man's opinion.

* And last, for all those husbands out there with long 'honey do' lists, remember this - be thankful you don't have Theo's 'to do' list. Man, does he have some work to do. No touring with Pearl Jam this offseason.

Congrats, Big Fella

Bronx Brouhaha

Very telling story in this week's Sports Illustrated about how much not only Yankee fans despise Alex Rodriguez, but also the Yankees themselves. Imagine being lectured by the HGH-ingesting Jason Giambi? A-Rod also gets a few zingers off of his own. Gotta love a little discord in that clubhouse - maybe it will derail this overpaid band of a-holes from winning their first title this decade.

The Sox, the Pats and Recapping the Handicapping

First things first, seeing as how we are a baseball blog. The big news from this past weekend is that the Red Sox were not eliminated from postseason contention, and they didn't allow the Yankees to clinch anything on their home turf. Our boys took three of four in the Bronx with the likes of Kevin Jarvis, Kyle Snyder and Julian Tavarez toeing the rubber, and got key hits from youngsters like David Murphy and Dustin Pedroia. Can't say I watched much of the action -- beautiful weekend plus college and pro football -- but I think the Sox and Tito should be very proud of how they've handled themselves over the past few weeks. They've had every reason in the world to roll over and play dead and they've continued to play hard. Big Papi hit his 49th in New York and the nation now awaits No. 50.

One other baseball note. Did you see what happened in the Red Sox West (Dodgers) game last night against the Padres? Four homers in the 9th inning to tie the game, and then Nomar cranks one in the 10th to win it, off... you guessed it, old friend Rudy Seanez. He's giving up bombs from coast to coast. Alan Embree and Cla Meredith also pitched for San Diego.

Now, onto football... since we're officially a two-sport operation here. I went a gaudy 11-5 in my pro picks this weekend, with Buffalo and San Francisco being my best upset specials. I actually thought this was a pretty easy weekend -- if I had some serious cash to blow, I would have put a lot on San Diego, Cincinnati and Chicago.

As for our Patriots, they looked terrific in the first half against the Jets, and then looked pretty bad in the second, allowing the inferior Jets to actually put a scare in them. Some notes and observations from the game:

- We all know how lucky we are to have Tom Brady as our QB, and I understand that it's going to take him some time to gel with his new receivers, but I didn't like the way he looked and played in the second half. Some of the beat writers mentioned his defeated body language at times, which I definitely noticed. He also continues to underthrow on the long ball, which he supposedly practiced all off-season (with Deion in mind, but that's another story). Just some things I've noticed - he's still the best in the game, and that drive at the end of the game was vintage Brady. He's also got this going for him...

- It was pretty funny seeing the horde of cameras and media types scurrying to mid-field after the game to capture the much-anticipated Belichick-Mangini handshake. Judging from the moment, it does seem like Belichick is pissed at his young protege for some reason. It was a very abrupt shake, 'good game', and that was it - from two guys who have spent an awful lot of time together, both coaching and away from the field. Belichick can be a supreme d-bag - he learned from one of the all-time best in Tuna - but three Lombardi Trophys make you look the other way.

- Of course, we all know how the Patriots are the Kremlin when it comes to injury news, and that all starts with Coach Bill. Did you see toward the end of the game, when Corey Dillon had to come out of the game and the CBS cameras tried to get a shot of him on the bench with the training staff? Some young peon stood up on the bench, shook his head, crossed his arms, and blocked the shot. I guess I understand it, but the pose was so smug and off-putting. Pretty lame.

- The Pats' secondary looked like bullfighters at times - OLE! - but the D-line was absolutely immense. This unit doesn't get a lot of respect, but that's going to change this year.

- Chad Jackson played his first game for the Pats and looked pretty good, catching a TD pass from Brady. Doug Gabriel also played, or was that Bob Marley back from the dead? Surprised someone hasn't yanked those dreads right off his head. Gabriel didn't have an impact, but maybe he just needs a little more quiet time with the playbook.

- Revenge game coming up this Sunday night against Denver. The Broncos are 1-1 but are struggling. They lost to a bad Rams team in Week 1, and barely squeaked by the Trent Green-less Chiefs last Sunday. Jake the Snake and the offense have scored a grand total of 19 points in two games. Doesn't bode well for what is sure to be an amped up Pats squad and a crazed Gillette Stadium crowd.

Pigskin Heaven

Well, we didn't install this feature in time for the first week of NFL action, so let's say we split at 8-8 for recordkeeping purposes. Pro football is by far the most popular sport in America today, and I'm not even going to listen to the rednecks who think NASCAR should be one of the four major sports in our land. Shut up, put your wife-beater t-shirt on, and go shoot some beer cans in your backyard. Football is the sport of choice because it's got it all -- strategy, vicious hits, hot cheerleaders, and of course, gambling -- not necessarily in that order. Has any sport ever been so wedded to the wiseguys in the desert? Boxing, sure, but football reigns supreme in the hearts of America's gamblers, from making actual wagers to participating in office knockout pools. My Dad was in Vegas for the opening week of NFL action, and he said the tables at the Mirage were all filled at 6 a.m. for the 10 a.m. start times. Breakfast and football. When the first game started, he said, the ovation was deafening.

Without further ado, onto the Week 2 picks. The selections are made against the lines published in my local Sunday sports page:

@Baltimore (-12.5) vs. Oakland: Tough call on this one. The Raiders played like they were blind last week against the Chargers, and logic says they won't lay two absolute eggs in a row. You'd think that Aaron Brooks could connect with Randy Moss a couple of times, and Lamont Jordan's no stiff at RB. But then you think about that terrifying Ravens defense - playing at home - and an offense that's been revived with Steve McNair at the helm, and you realize that two eggs is very, very possible. Take the Ravens laying the points.

@Indianapolis (-13.5) vs. Houston: Easy call on this one. Peyton is just happy to have the Manning Bowl over with, and his relief will show with several touchdown passes against the Texans. Houston doesn't know who their starting RB will be from week to week. Go with the Colts.

@Cincinnati (-10) vs. Cleveland: The Bengals' firepower is just too much for the Brownies, who are led by quarterback Charlie Frye. Carson Palmer didn't have to light it up last week, and they still cruised by the Chiefs in Kansas City. Memo to Frye - don't go into a slide with Robert Geathers lurking around. Cincy wins big on their home turf.

@Miami vs. Buffalo (+6.5): Miami wins this game, with Ronnie Brown running like a madman, but Buffalo covers. As a Patriots fan, I think I speak for all my fellow fans when I say that we're very pleased that Daunte Culpepper is the starting QB of the Dolphins.

@Chicago vs. Detroit (+8.5): Similar result here. Bears won't lose to the Lions at Soldier Field, but Detroit will keep it somewhat close. We're still waiting to see Mike Martz' fingerprints on the offense. Take the Lions and the points.

@Minnesota vs. Carolina (+1.5): This could be a pretty entertaining game. The Vikings are riding high after beating a pretty good Redskins team on the road, and Brad Johnson looks like he's in a groove. On the other hand, Panthers coach John Fox won't let his team fall to 0-2 out of the gates. Carolina was the trendy pick to go to the Super Bowl this year, and while the loss of All-World WR Steve Smith hurts, they'll find a way to win this one. Carolina in a tight one.

@Philadelphia vs. NY Giants (+3): All the makings of a great game. Both teams are talented on each side of the ball. The T.O.-less Eagles look refreshed under Donovan McNabb, and the Jints have something to prove after losing to the Colts in the national spotlight last week. Look for the Giants' two-headed RB monster of Barber and Jacobs to make big contributions. Giants take this one by a field goal.

@Atlanta (-5.5) vs. Tampa Bay: Mike Vick versus Chris Simms. 'Nuf said. Falcons and their underrated D win easily.

New Orleans (-2.5) @ Green Bay: Unbelievable how quickly the wheels have fallen off in Cheesehead Land. Who would have thought that the Saints would ever be favored on the frozen tundra? But Drew Brees and Reggie Bush are providing some much-needed entertainment for the hurting Crescent City. Take the Saints.

St. Louis @ San Francisco (+3): Minor upset here. The Niners are better than people think, and QB Alex Smith is a big reason why. With him connecting with Antonio Bryant, and Frank Gore making a name for himself at RB, things are looking up in San Fran. For the hell of it, I'm going with 'em.

@Seattle vs. Arizona (+7): Things are looking up in Arizona, too, thanks to Kurt Warner and Edgerrin James. Seattle's a damn good team, for sure, and Deion Branch will make them better - but the Cards will keep it close. Take the points.

New England (-6) @ NY Jets: The big story line here is the protege (the HC of the NYJ, Eric Mangini) vs. the mentor (BB), but I think it comes down to the two quarterbacks. Chad Pennington looked pretty damn good last week, but I'll take a focused Tom Brady and the Dillon/Maroney 1-2 punch. Should be interesting to see who lines up at WR for the Pats. Doug Gabriel will most likely play, but will we see Chad Jackson? Pats win by 10.

@San Diego (-11.5) vs. Tennesee: The NFL schedule-makers were awfully kind to the Chargers. After annihilating the woeful Raiders last week, they'll lay the hammer on the equally woeful Titans. Give the points.

@Denver (-10.5) vs. Kansas City: A bounceback game for the Broncos if there ever was one. Denver did not look good last week against the Rams, and Mike Shanahan will have his troops revved up for the home opener. Plus, Damon Huard is playing QB in Trent Green's place. Think the Broncos will know where Larry Johnson is on every down?

@Dallas (-6.5) vs. Washington: A week of practices with a very unhappy Bill Parcells has the Cowboys ready to play, Drew Bledsoe notwithstanding. Dallas will ride their much-hyped defense to victory in this one, but Drew's play will make the QB controversy talk heat up. I can't wait for the Tony Romo Era.

Pittsburgh (-3) @ Jacksonville: A pretty attractive Monday Night matchup, and we should see some smashmouth football. Big Ben plays and the Steelers win by 6.

Any thoughts?

Last week's record: 8-8 :)

Rivalry Weekend -- Sort Of...

In the past, this weekend would have been truly glorious for both Red Sox and Patriots fans. The Sox are in the Bronx to play their arch-enemy, and the Pats travel to the swamplands of Jersey on Sunday to take on Eric Mangini and the Jets.

Unfortunately, the Sox-Yankees series has been reduced to a Papi/Jeter MVP debate, and a chance to see what some young'uns can do. All you need to know is that the Sox are throwing Kyle Snyder, Kason Gabbard, and Julian Tavarez at the potent Yankee lineup. Take the over.

On the bright side, we have our Pats, who are moving on after saying goodbye to Deion Branch. Tom Brady even said this week that his mind wasn't totally in the game last week against the Bills because he was thinking about Branch. (One more reason why you gotta love Brady - he can be honest about these things, without throwing management under the bus. Hmmmm - maybe he does have a future as a politician.)

Expect Brady to come out guns a'blazing on Sunday - the only question is who will catch the bullets. Former Raider Doug Gabriel is now in the fold, and should see plenty of time. And we're still wondering when rookie WR Chad Jackson will step foot on the field. We keep hearing about how gifted this kid is, and if he's half as good as people are saying we may have something. But he's gotta get out of the training room.

As for the Jets, of course, the big story line revolves around Bill Belichick protege Eric Mangini trying to outwit his former boss. They're not sure who their RB is -- Derrick Blaylock or Kevan Barlow -- and Chad Pennington looked pretty good last week against a poor Titans team. It will be interesting to see how good or bad the Jets are. Again, something tells me the Pats are going to be pretty fired up for this one after sleepwalking through the first half last week. Fast start, boys.

Today's a huge day for college football, with seven marquee matchups on the board, including Notre Dame-Michigan, Florida-Tennessee, Auburn-LSU, Nebraska-USC, Oregon-Oklahoma, and Miami-Louisville. Best bets: ND, Auburn and USC.

We'll have some pro predictions later today or tomorrow morning.

Switching Gears

For all 10 of you still paying attention, the Sox are in Baltimore tonight for the first of three completely meaningless games, and then they're off to the Apple to face the Yankees over the weekend. Any time you start feeling sorry for yourself over this team's self-immolation, just remember - you could have splurged on tickets to Yankee Stadium this weekend in what you thought would be a sure-fire battle for AL East supremacy. That would really suck. It would also really suck to be Sox TV announcers Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy, who must continue to travel with the team and sound somewhat upbeat. Remy just made mention of the fact that the Baltimore Ravens scored a decisive victory over Tampa Bay last weekend, which must have made Baltimoreans happy.

And it got me to thinking - if the RemDawg, who's all about baseball - can mix baseball with football, so can I. Make no mistake - this blog is powered by baseball. It's our lifeblood, it's what we grew up on, it's what we know best. But we have room here to discuss other topics, and after all, I have to keep my faithful readers (really only one, my buddy Jam) interested throughout the fall and dreary winter. So, starting this weekend, we're going to morph into HardballPigskin Heaven.

We're going to blog about the Patriots, the NFL in general, and college football, and gambling talk (for entertainment purposes only, of course) is very much encouraged. Each Friday morning, I'll make my weekly NFL picks against the spread and I'll give you my top two college football picks. Why the hell not? Everyone else does. The Sports Guy is even taking on his wife this year.

So let's begin the festivities with some quick thoughts on our favorite NFL squad, the dynastic New England Patriots. My Dad's in Vegas right now and I had to ask him what the odds were for the Pats to win the Super Bowl this year. "6 to 1," he said. "Not too bad." We planned to split a small $50 wager - basically, bet $25 for the chance to win $150 if Brady & Co. are hoisting the trophy in Miami in February. The next day, he calls me back and says he made a mistake. "I did it for $100, so you're in for $50." Only problem was that in the interim, the Pats had finally decided to trade their star wideout, Deion Branch, to the Seattle Seahawks. Both parties got what they wanted - the Pats get a first round pick for '07, albeit most likely a later one; the Seahawks get a quality receiver/person, and Branch gets his money. All the Pats' rumpswabs are saying it's the best trade since Varitek and Lowe for Heathcliff "Seat Belt" Slocumb, gushing over the value of a first-round pick. I, however, feel like this team is suddenly not as good as it was last year. Its Super Bowl chances certainly aren't as good as they would have been had Deion signed. Yes, we've got what seems like the best 1-2 RB punch in our lifetimes, but you have to spread it out with receivers and right now the Pats receiving corps is paper thin. Branch and Brady really had something good going, and it stinks to see that washed away. I want my bet back (I think).

Always Remember

All This Negativity Sucks

I think I may be a fair-weather blogger. It was awfully fun to post every day when we were contend-ahs. Now, with all this team has been through, it's a tough slog. A slog blog.

Let's see. Since we last left you, the Sox lost the series finale to Chicago, as the White Sox bats awoke against Kyle Snyder. Thursday was an offday, and then the boys welcomed the Royals into town for three. When last we saw KC, their fans were gleefully brandishing brooms as the Royals swept the free-falling Sox.

Last night's game was a tough one - they battled back from an 8-3 deficit to take a 9-8 lead in the 8th (on a Papi 'beat the shift' single to left, no less) and the crowd was electric. Then Timlin came in for the save (with Papelbon out) and proceeded to blow it -- giving up a walk, hitting a batter, and giving up a double to Joey Gathright that gave the Royals a 10-9 lead and deflated the Friday night Fenway crowd. The beers in the Back Bay didn't taste so great last night.

I wanted to quickly opine on a couple of issues that have been in the news lately: the boobirds at Fenway, and the incredible Red Sox Alumni All-Star team currently barnstorming across MLB.

The booing thing intensified this week when Julian Tavarez walked off the mound to a rousing standing ovation Monday night and he refused to tip his cap. His explanation after the game was that these fans had treated him and his bullpen mates pretty badly all year long (Hello, Rudy), and he wasn't about to forget that in exchange for acknowledging the famously fickle Sox fans. At least he didn't resurrect the BK Kim salute (above). Anyway, Tavarez went on to say that he didn't understand how fans could boo their own players when the team is 5 or 6 games up in first place. "They need to know that we're out there trying to win all the time," he said. "Sometimes, we're going to fail." Again, I agree with Tavarez that players shouldn't be booed strictly on failure. Hitters are successful if they get three hits out of 10 tries. That said, there are times to boo. Boo when Manny chases a liner like he's trying to catch a pigeon, or when he saunters down to first, or doesn't even attempt to break up a double play. Boo when Coco Crisp quadruple-skips the ball into second base like he's skipping stones at the beach. (Note: I once booed Ivan Calderon when he bounced a ball into the infield, and I'll never forget the death stare he gave me. I'm still shaking.) But when a guy goes 3 for 45, or makes a crucial error -- the booing is unnecessary. They feel like shit already. Instead, hit 'em with silence. I still wish the whole place went dead silent during Johnny Damon's first return at-bat.

The second thing concerns the Sox Alumni All-Stars, which got a little harder to take this week after seeing multiple replays of Hanley Ramirez clinching Anibal Sanchez' no-hitter against Arizona. Bob Lobel's "Why can't we get guys like this?" line has never been more appropriate. Freddy Sanchez, Hanley Ramirez, Mike Gonzalez, Anibal Sanchez (hmmmm... keep the guys with z's in their names?), Bronson Arroyo, Josh Bard, Cla Meredith, David Wells, and oh yeah, Johnny Damon -- it's all right here in Rob Bradford's story from earlier this week. It's downright ugly, and it really boils down to the fact that whoever gets the final evaluation call isn't doing their job. I'm not ready to pile onto Jed and Ben for the Beckett/Lowell for Ramirez/A. Sanchez deal. I'm more worried about Ramirez blossoming into a 30/30 guy than I am about Anibal being the next Greg Maddux. In terms of what we got, Mike Lowell has played Gold Glove-caliber D at third - really, the best defense we've seen at third since Wade Boggs - and while Josh Beckett has certainly been a disappointment this year, he's still young, he's still learning, and when he puts it all together he could be scary.

But the other deals are inexcusable. The question is - is anyone doing anything about it? My guess is probably not, not with marshmallow owner John Henry at the helm. Maybe Henry hit the nail on the head during the Theo press conference when he famously said 'maybe I'm not fit to be the owner of the Boston Red Sox.' Maybe you're not, John. Maybe you're not.

Is This Real... Or Is It Memorex?

What in the name of Win Remmerswaal is going on here? The defending champion White Sox had to be licking their chops when they arrived in Boston, what with the tantalizing prospect of facing Julian Tavarez, Kason Gabbard (that's him, to the right there), and Kyle Snyder in succession. On paper, it looked like a slaughter. But they don't play the games on paper now do they?

Lo and behold, Tavarez and Gabbard have thrown gems through the first two games, and Snyder goes for the hat trick tonight. The bad-luck Sox have been infused with some good news lately - the return of several regulars, including Big Papi last night, and the news before last night's game that Jonathan Papelbon is okay, and just suffering from shoulder fatigue (hey - we'll take our good news any way we can get it).

We're in a strange, surreal place right now, us Red Sox fans. We realize the playoffs are a distant hope, but we also know we've got a bunch of games coming up against teams in front of us - and this team is only getting healthier. On the flip side, how can we think positive for this year when the front office (via the David Wells deal) has pretty much waved the white flag? We're still watching the games, mostly to see if Papi can break the Sox' single-season record for home runs, but we're starting to turn our attention to football. In the back of my mind, I wonder if this is what Theo envisioned all along - an off year in 2006 (are we prepared to accept a Yankees' World Series win for our long-term betterment as an organization?), and then full throttle in 2007. I know one thing. I sure wish Theo had been around to put the kibosh on the Beckett/Lowell for Sanchez/Ramirez deal. Have you seen Hanley's numbers?

On a side note, one interesting moment from this series against the White Sox came when Tavarez left the game after pitching so well. The Fenway fans rose to their feet to acknowledge his performance, but the crazy Dominican didn't respond on his way to the dugout. When it happened live, I was thinking - 'the guy's pissed off about how he's been treated this year. He's been a punching bag. Would I tip my cap to this fickle lot?' I've never understood the concept of booing, and apparently Julian doesn't either. I personally think he's right.

Hometown Kid Comes Through

A feel-good game at Fenway tonight, as the Sox pull it out 3-2 in the 10th inning on a walk-off home run from Carlos Pena, the former Northeastern star from Haverhill. Pena launched a rocket about 15 rows up in right field, triggering a much-needed celebration for Sox fans who have been through the wringer over the last couple of weeks. Must have been awfully sweet for Pena, too, who seems like a genuinely nice guy.

The Hits Keep Coming, But Help Is On The Way

Well, well, well... a lot has happened in the last week - some good, some not so good. The Sox ended up getting swept in Oakland, and then they split four with the Blue Jays at Fenway. As things stand today, they are 9 games behind the Yankees for the division (kiss that goodbye) and they're 6 1/2 behind the White Sox for the wild card. They're playing the first of three against the ChiSox tonight so they can make up some ground if they can string a little run together. The game is now in the bottom of the 6th, with goose eggs on the scoreboard. I can't believe I'm about to type these words, but Julian Tavarez is actually pitching a gem. He started tonight in place of David Wells, who was traded off to the San Diego Padres last week for a young catcher. Like I said, a lot has happened.

As we all know by now, rookie lefthander Jon Lester was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma last week, and is scheduled to begin treatment soon. If he battles off the mound like he does on it, he's going to be in good shape. Our thoughts are with him and his family. Of course, Big Papi also had a health scare within the past week, as he was thoroughly checked out at Mass General for the source of an irregular heartbeat. Papi felt strange at least twice, but he has been given the go-ahead to resume playing, which he'll probably do tomorrow. Oh - and considering everything that has gone wrong this year, what's the worst possible thing that could happen next? Against the Blue Jays Friday night, closer extraordinaire Jonathan Papelbon was forced to leave the game with what looked like a painful shoulder injury. All we've heard so far is that it's a strain. He's supposed to have an MRI soon.

Now for some good news. Tonight against the White Sox, we witnessed the return of three regulars to the lineup - Jason Varitek (goodbye, Javy - thanks for coming), Trot Nixon and Alex Gonzalez. Nixon just knocked in the first run of the game. Sox lead the Sox 1-0. Now it's 1-1 thanks to a Jim Thome Monster seat bash, and Julian Tavarez is walking off to a standing ovation. I am not making that last part up.

We're on the Road to Nowhere...

I think that was a Talking Heads song, if memory serves correctly.

Well, the wheels have come off, the engine is cooked, and it looks like this jalopy is heading straight to the junkyard. Our beloved baseball team - plagued by injuries and underperformance all year long - has gone 8-19 in the month of August, including being swept by the pathetic Royals and Mariners. As we wrote eight days ago, it's over -- the rest of the hangers-on have finally admitted as much.

Let's rewind for a moment. We were in a hazy state of denial on the eve of the big Yankees series. We knew we had warts (instead of blisters) and we knew we had some older guys who would more than likely slow down in the second half. We knew deep down that our chief rivals got the better CF in the off-season (do you really believe Johnny Damon won't be productive in the 4th year of his contract? Honestly? I'm predicting he hits 15 HR, knocks in 80 runs, scores 90-100, and steals 15-20 bags.) And we knew that our pitching rotation was a mess. Let's just say Kyle Snyder, Jason Johnson, David Pauley, and Kason Gabbard have all had multiple starts. Oh yeah - we also knew that our cog, Jason Varitek - and the underappreciated Tim Wakefield - would be very hard to replace.

At the same time, we also allowed ourselves to wonder what if? Despite the injuries and the numerous Josh Beckett meltdowns, we were still breathing down the Bombers' necks. Hey, if we got 'Tek back and he settled the pitching staff down, and Wake came back and pitched in between Schilling and Beckett, we might...

To me, that illusion was stopped dead in its tracks two Sundays ago. The Schilling-Mussina matchup Sunday night was the one I thought we had. Schilling's been our money man all year long, but of course the bullpen frittered it away and we lost 8-5.

At that point, though, there was still enough talent taking the field to continue the battle. Maybe the Wild Card. Now, though, the injuries and ailments have simply overwhelmed this team and obliterated any chance of playing when the leaves turn. Manny's hammy. Youk had the flu. Dougie rolled his ankle. Loretta's banged up. Wily Mo's wrist said hello to a high inside fastball. Alex Gonzalez hurt his oblique, whatever that is, the same problem as Trot Nixon. And for the cherry on top, Big Papi had to go to Mass General last weekend to have an irregular heartbeat checked out. He's supposedly fine, but is out of the lineup tonight.

All of which has led to the jury-rigged lineup we see on the field tonight in Oakland. Feast your eyes on this: Crisp CF; Cora SS; Loretta DH; Youkilis LF; Hinske RF; Lowell 3B; (Carlos) Pena 1B; Lopez C; Pedroia 2B -- and Kason Gabbard on the hill. On the radio telecast tonight, Jerry "The Clown" Trupiano informs us that Gabbard's name spelled backward is 'drab bag.' Funny Troop, your name spelled forward is 'douche bag.' Wonder if you two are related.

At this moment, the Sox are losing 5-0 in Oakland in the 4th inning and Drab Bag has been relieved by Nayrb Yeroc, who also goes by Bryan Corey. This is about as pleasant as a paper cut. Oh well - the key going forward is to be good fans and care, but dial back the emotional investment. Don't watch every minute of the soap opera with bated breath, but keep it on in the background and check in every now and then. Kind of like (sadly) our winter sports teams for the last 10 years. Instead, turn your attention fully to the fall/winter sports team, the dynastic New England Patriots. In Belichick we trust.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Okay, we got some catching up to do. After extending their losing streak to six games Tuesday night in the opener against Anaheim, the Sox won nailbiters against the Angels on Wednesday and Thursday, with the latter victory coming against Jered Weaver (left), who's gonna be a good one. It was nice to see a glimpse of the team that - in the immortal words of Dan Duquette - has spent more days in first place than the Yankees, even if that glimpse was a short one. Last night, they suffered the ignominy of getting shut out by the train-wreck Seattle Mariners, who beat the Sox 6-0 behind rookie starter Jake Woods.

So, as of this writing, the Sox remain 5 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the division, and are now 4 1/2 games behind the new AL Wild Card leader, those pesky Minnesota Twins.

Some miscellaneous notes from the last couple of days:

* Manny has been in and out of the lineup, which obviously hasn't helped the offense. Since they lost to the Yanks 8-5 last Sunday night, the Red Sox have scored 11 runs in five games. Manny played LF Thursday against the Angels, but had to come out after he was slow getting to a single (insert wisecrack). Hopefully, he's back in there tonight. The Globe today speculates that when/if he does return, he may have to DH. That would move Big Papi to first, which would not be good for our infield D. (Of course, we're not paying attention to this squad since we officially ruled them out of the race earlier this week, so none of this matters.)

* The oft-maligned Josh Beckett rose to the occasion on Thursday night against Weaver, matching the rookie phenom pitch for pitch. Late in the game, though, he had to come out due to a cut on one of his pitching hand fingers. Not a blister, mind you, but a small cut. Jury is out on whether he'll make his next start. (But we don't care because Beckett sucks, right?)

* At one point during the Angels series, NESN flashed a graphic showing that "Corey" and "Gabbard" were warming up for Boston. It's almost September, we're still trying to make the playoffs, and guys named Corey and Gabbard are the first men up in the pen. Ouch.

* Dustin Pedroia is straight from dirt dog central casting. He's a hardnosed kid, seems pretty steady with the glove, and though the results aren't there, is proving to be a fairly tough out. He's hit a few balls on the screws but right at guys.

* The Sox arrived in Starbucks land wondering if/when the overrated Mike Hargrove would get the ax. You think we've had it bad? The Mariners were 6-16 in August entering last night's game, including an impressive 11-game losing streak.

* As for an injury update, we're hearing that Jason Varitek should be ready to play in a week, and that both Alex Gonzalez and Tim Wakefield are on the upswing. Getting all three back would be huge. It ain't a 5 1/2 game lead with a healthy Varitek and Wakefield, and that's indisputable.

Oh well - we're fired up in these parts for the Patriots/Redskins pre-season game tonight because the starters usually play more in the third game. Looking forward to getting a good look at the best QB in the NFL, Tom Brady, and his new receiving corps, as well as rookie RB Laurence Maroney, who has been excellent so far.

Sox and Mariners tangle again tonight at 10. David Wells tries to keep his groove going; Gil Meche goes for Seattle.

Sox Bow to King Vlad and the Halos

Not that we stayed up to witness the bitter end, but ESPN.com tells us this morning that the Red Sox dropped their sixth straight game to the Angels last night in Anaheim, 4-3. Six straight is the worst skein (good word) for this sorry squad in five years.

On the bright side, we weren't mathematically eliminated last night - at least not according to Grigori Perelman, with whom I have absolutely nothing in common. The Yankees lost on an Adrian Beltre 9th inning walkoff HR, and the White Sox and Twins both lost. We remain 6 1/2 behind the Bombers and 4 out in the wild card chase.

Tonight at the Big A, Jon Lester will try to get through the third inning against Angeles starter Kelvim Escobar.

By the way, there's a little side drama going on with ManRam. He supposedly asked out of the Yanks game on Monday with a hamstring issue, but then pinch-hit late last night. He's being called onto the carpet lately for openly disagreeing with an official scoring call that gave him an error instead of a hit. Very Wade Boggs-like, Manny. Didn't know you even knew there was an official scorer. Ever the playa protector, Tito will say that this shows a whole new level of alertness for Manuel Labor.

I Am Not Making This Up

I wouldn't do that to you. The Red Sox apparently packed their bad karma for the trip to Anaheim. They had the bases loaded with nobody out in the top of the 2nd inning and didn't score one run. The Angels' leadoff hitter the next inning? Home run. It's laughable, I tell you.

Tito's lineup card tonight: Crisp (CF), Loretta (2B), Ortiz (The Hitter), Youk (1B), Pena (RF), Lowell (3B), Mirabelli (C), Kapler (LF), Pedroia (SS). Um, does anything jump out at you? Manny is out with a sore hammy, so Youk's batting cleanup and Gabe (1 for his last 30-plus) Kapler is playing left field. Also, Alex Gonzalez has been put on the DL with an oblique problem, necessitating the call-up of young Mr. Pedroia.

As the Late, Great Ned Martin Would Say: "Mercy!"

Well, the answer to whether the Sox could beat the Yankees JV team was a resounding no. David Wells pitched his ample rear end off today, and was probably pulled a bit early by embattled manager Terry Francona. A couple minutes later, a Keith Foulke wild pitch allowed the Yanks to take the 2-1 lead that they held onto. It's the first five-game series sweep at Fenway for the Yanks in more than 60 years.

It's going to be awfully hard to stay engaged the rest of the way, especially with football coming up. The Sox are flying west as we speak and will take on the Angels starting tomorrow night before moving on to Seattle. It will be interesting to see what happens to NESN's ratings this week. Can't see too many people being eager to stay up past 1 a.m. to watch this rudderless ship.

As for us, we're shutting down for 24 hours to take stock of our senses. It's been one big, ugly blur and I just know I'm going to have visions of Bobby Abreu and Johnny Damon running the bases in my dreams for the next few nights.

Can the Sox Beat the Yanks' JV Squad?

The fifth and final game in this disappointing Yanks-Sox series starts in about five minutes and the big question is: can they win one? If Joe Torre has anything to say about it, the Sox will salvage at least one. Check out this starting lineup for the Bombers:

LF Melky Cabrera
DH Derek Jeter
RF Bobby Abreu
3B Alex Rodriguez
2B Robinson Cano
1B Craig Wilson
CF Bernie Williams
C Sal Fasano
SS Nick Green
SP Cory Lidle

No Damon, no Giambi, no Posada. Imagine Tito's lineup if the Sox had won the first four in this one? Pesky at short, Haselman behind the plate, Nipper starting...

Come on guys. Let's take at least one friggin' game. We may have left you for dead but we're still following along because it's what we do around here. Absolute mental torture and we'd have nothing less. In fact, we pay huge gobs of money just to watch it whenever we can. This is our soap opera, damnit, and any good soap opera (not that I'd know) revolves around the ups and downs of human emotion. Or something like that.

Needless to say, we Sox fans are stuck on the down arrow right now, so in a tiny effort to be positive about this whole debacle - we can take some small solace in the fact that the Sox team that got waylaid by the Yankees in 1978 at least rallied to make it a battle till the bitter Bucky Dent end. Hey, I said 'small.'

The game right now is scoreless in the top of the 5th, as David Wells seems to be in one of his grooves. You go, Boomer. Unfortunately, Cory Lidle is matching him pitch for pitch. Manny has left the game for undisclosed reasons.

Goodnight Irene

Sorry for the trite reference, but the fat lady is officially singing. It is 1:28 A.M. Eastern time, Monday morning, August 21, 2006, and the Red Sox are officially dead. It is over. O-v-a-h.

The Yankees just beat the Sox for the fourth time in a row, 8-5, as the Sox bullpen again imploded in late innings. The lead is now 5 1/2 games, and the Red Sox are done before Labor Day. Why oh why do we do this to ourselves?

Look on the bright side: football season is right around the corner.

Shell-shocked

It has certainly been a season full of peaks and valleys for the Red Sox, but who knew the depths could reach such a low level? Over the past two days, the retooled and humming-on-all-cylinders Yankee lineup has inflicted some serious damage at Fenway - to the tune of 39 runs and 71 hits. Even worse, Johnny Traitor has been on fire - he's 9 for 18 in the three games, with eight RBI, and he's been in the middle of everything.

The Sox this morning are 4 1/2 games behind the Yankees and 4 behind the White Sox for the wild card. The flag flying above Red Sox Nation is tattered and frayed today, and it's just too perfect that John Henry chose last night to do some celebrating with his young GM on his luxury yacht (that's not it, pictured above). The sinking ship analogies will be out in full force.

I'm irritated, disappointed, stunned, and angry and I'm not quite sure where exactly to direct those feelings. If talk radio is a measure, most of the venom is being directed toward Theo and management, who took the "don't just do something, stand there" approach to improving this squad. The injuries to Varitek and Wakefield have hurt, and Josh Beckett deserves a heaping slice of blame pie.

Let us count the problems:

The pitching, or serious lack thereof: the holes in the starting rotation and the bullpen (no lefty reliever!) have been seriously exposed by the Bombers. On the starter side, things are so bad that the guy who started the first game of this big AL East battle for the Sox was immediately designated for assignment after another sorry outing. In the interest of full disclosure, the same fate befell Sir Sidney Ponson after his own sorry outing in Game 2. (Wonder if they shared a cab out of town?)

Of course, the Sox' pitching problems extend well beyond Mr. Johnson's travails. We have a No. 2 guy, a 26-year old flamethrowing former World Series MVP who has remained healthy all season -- sucking the bit. Beckett has been positively dreadful over the last month, and if he doesn't turn it around quickly he will be a major reason why this team doesn't play a meaningful game in October. We then have a No. 3 guy in young lefty Jon Lester, who is essentially learning how to get major league hitters out in the middle of a pennant race. Lester has shown glimpses of his well-documented talent, but lately he's been very average and unable to get through the 5th inning. And for a tough lefty, it's disturbing that he's been so ineffective against lefty hitters. Of course, Lester has been pressed into service as a No. 3 because of the injury to Tim Wakefield, which in my humble opinion, has been just as important a loss as losing the captain. Wake eats up the innings. I suppose we should feel fortunate that the two starters who have done okay recently - Schilling and Wells - are going the next two days.

As for the bullpen, see the references to Mr. Lester above. The young "untouchables" (Delcarmen and Hansen) have struggled while learning on the job; the normally reliable Mike Timlin is cooked; and we went into this crucial series against the New York Friggin' Yankees with Rudy Seanez, Kyle Snyder, Jermaine Van Buren, and Julian Tavarez in the 'pen. I mean, seriously - if that doesn't say it all nothing does. The pen is in such disarray that the Sox decided to designate Seanez (what took you so long?!?) and called up lefty reliever Javier Lopez from Pawtucket to see if he can somehow get fucking Damon, Robinson Cano and Giambi out. Hey, we may not be good right now but we've got more Javier Lopez' on our team than you do.

It's August 20 and we don't know who our leadoff hitter is: For some inexplicable reason, Terry Francona decided to start Gabe Kapler over Coco Crisp yesterday, meaning Kevin Youkilis was your leadoff man yesterday. Kapler is in a 1 for 27 slump, and Coco has been starting to come around. I personally think Youk should hit leadoff every night, but it's now late August and it's telling that we don't know who we're gonna see from night to night.

Our outfield defense blows: Not the reason why we're 4 1/2 games back, but when you see other teams play outfield D, it amplifies just how bad our guys are. Did you see that pea that Melky Cabrera threw home yesterday? He didn't get the guy, but he made the play a lot closer than it should have been. We haven't had an arm like that since Dewey was patrolling right field. Right now, it's a nightly adventure in both corner spots - with Manny in left and Wily Mo in right - and we have a centerfielder in Crisp who may have (gasp!) a worse arm than Johnny Damon. Not exactly shades of Rice, Lynn and Evans.

The Yankees are simply better: YES, it's the best team money can buy but you can't deny the offensive force that this team is. Like the great Soviet Union hockey teams (an apt comparison, eh?), they keep coming at you in waves. The bottom line is that New York improved itself with Bobby Abreu, Cory Lidle, and Craig Wilson, and the Red Sox did squat. Just telling it like it is.

We have to wait all day to see if the carnage continues, and perhaps worse, we have to listen to Joe Morgan "analyze" the game tonight. Curt Schilling goes against Mike Mussina on ESPN. Let's not subject a national TV audience to another rout. Something tells me Schill will have his game face on.

The Calamity Continues...

Not that we're prone to exaggeration (nah), but this could be the crossroads of the season - right here. 5-5 game, Yanks have the bases loaded, 2 outs, 6th inning, 2 and 0 count to A-Fraud. Beckett has walked eight bleeping Yankees today, and he's now looking at a 3 and O count to A-Rod. And he walks in a run with his ninth walk. Nine walks. Nine bases on balls. Nine goddamned free passes to the best lineup in baseball. 6-5, Yanks, with Manny Delcarmen trotting in from the bullpen. Once again, Josh Beckett does not come through. Once again, we'll see him in the postgame interview, composed, just saying he didn't have it today and that's a great lineup over there and all that other bullcrap.

The nice FOX announcer informs us that Beckett's nine walks are a high this year in the majors. The camera shows Beckett on the top step of the dugout, cheering on Delcarmen. I don't know if I admire his ability to forget things, or if I want him to pitch a tantrum on national TV. (Maybe the latter. This team needs a jolt.) I do find it interesting that he's been plastered all over magazines lately even as he continues to suck. I'm cheering for the guy, but come on... when does enough become enough?)

It's now 7-5 Yankees as Delcarmen has continued Beckett's generosity. He's walked in one run, and is in danger of walking in another. Now Posada hits a bases-clearing double and just like that it's 10-5 Yankees. Double-digit runs in three consecutive games, and I'm sure we'll hear soon when was the last time that happened. The Yankees have now scored 36 runs in three games and it's going to get ugly at Fenway... the 2006 version of the Boston Massacre is officially underway.

In fact, I'm ashamed to admit that Tim McDonkey on FOX just compared this series to that famous 1978 Yankee shellacking. He also just described the hushed Fenway crowd as "funereal." Things are getting bad.

A Hub Hangover

Well, that didn't work out too well did it? Yesterday's painful doubleheader sweep by the Yankees yielded 41 runs and 61 hits, with several members of the Red Sox bullpen lying on the field like roadkill in the end. The Sox are now 3 1/2 games behind NY as Josh Beckett prepares to face the Big Ugly in Game 3 in about an hour.

Most logical fans conceded the first game going in, but we figured we'd get a win against Sir Sidney in the night game. Unfortunately, Jon Lester's early-game problems continued and the lefty who can't get lefties out put us in an early hole. To the offense's credit, they battled back from 5-1 and 7-5 deficits to take a 10-7 lead before the bullpen imploded. The Yanks put up seven in a hideous 7th inning, with Timlin and Hansen your primary grenade throwers. Making matters worse, Johnny Traitor was a true All-Star yesterday, both with the bat and the glove. All he did was go 6-for-12 with 2 homers, 7 RBI and 4 runs scored. Like I said, painful.

The one thing easing the pain yesterday was the annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund telethon, which raised close to $3 million.

The best we can hope for now is to win 2 of the remaining 3. Time for Mr. Beckett to step up.

Live Look-In: Sox-Yanks, Game 2

Well they didn't end up stealing the first game today - they got smoked 12-4 - and right now the Sox are trailing 5-1 to the Yankees and The Fat Pugnacious Aruban, Sidney Ponson. Oh the shame. We cannot lose to Sidney Ponson.

The new Yankees lineup keeps coming at you, and it's positively insane to think what they'll be like when/if Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield return. The best team money can buy, hands down. They're also much better with Robinson Cano off the DL. Kid's a good ballplayer.

Now the Sox have something going, baby. Youkilis and Loretta come up with big hits and it's 5-4 all of a sudden. Nine runs scored and we're not out of the second inning yet -- this puppy's going past midnight. I knew I should have taken the over. Big Papi K's for the third out. 5-4 heading to the top of the 3rd.

Johnson Holding His Own Against Wang

Well, at least he was a few seconds ago... (plus I had to write that headline)

Now Kyle Snyder is in the game and the Yankees have a 4-1 lead as we head to the bottom of the 5th at Fenway. Johnson gave up a home run to the traitor, and back to back hits to Jeter and Abreu before being pulled for Snyder. I guess overall we should be pleased that we're still in the game with the recycled combo of Johnson/Snyder against the mighty, brave Bombers.

Manny just hit a true Fenway home run, flicking one around the Pesky Pole in right. Sox are now down 4-2, and Youk just got robbed by A-Fraud to end the inning. What I don't like about A-Rod? Many things, of course, but I especially hate how he styles after he makes a play or even when he makes an out. The guy's played absolutely porous D all year long, he makes a play, and then he prances and struts off the field like he's mother f'in Brooks Robinson. A-Rod is the new Reggie Jackson - the guy we most love to hate. Even Yankee fans can't stand him, which isn't saying much.

Mike Lowell just led off the bottom of the 6th with a walk, and now we'll see if newcomer Eric Hinske can bring him around. Hinske's had a good day, with two doubles in his first two AB's, a run scored, and a nice catch in right. Count's in his favor at 2 and 1 and he rips another one to the right-center gap for his third double! What a debut. Sox have men on second and third with nobody out and Javy Lopez at the dish. Fly ball's all we're asking for brother. And where's the only place you can hit it and not get the runner home? A meek grounder to the pitcher for the first out. Jesus, Javy. Can't let this opportunity go by. Now it's Gonzo's turn, and he smacks one to left-center. The traitor makes a nice diving catch - he's having himself a hell of a day too - but the Sox get the run in. 4-3 Yanks. Coco flies out to end the 6th. Three more innings to see if the Sox can steal this one.

Lookalikes

This could be the greatest lookalike find of all time -- the great Royals submarine reliever Dan Quisenberry and that masquerading, self-promoting fraud, Dr. Phil. Just visually slap a KC hat on Dr. Phil. It's a carbon copy.

Exhale...

As predicted, after a day of gnashing our teeth we're officially back on the bandwagon - at least through the upcoming 5-game Armageddon this weekend against the Yankees at Fenway.

Last night's sweep-averting 6-4 victory over the Tigers was a surprise considering the pitching matchup of 43-year old David Wells against Detroit phenom Justin Verlander. In typical Wellsian fashion, the portly portsider went 6-plus innings, gave up 10 hits and a couple of home runs, and got the key outs when he needed them. By contrast, Verlander struggled with his command all game - he ended up walking 7 - and the Sox took the lead in the 5th on a Big Papi homer into the Sox' bullpen. The Tigers clawed back to take the lead, but Coco Crisp hit a clutch double in the 6th to give the Sox a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Craig Hansen was the bridge to Papelbon, who finally had a clean 1-2-3 inning to seal the deal.

Even better, the Bombers lost to the Orioles last night 3-2, so the lead is 2 as the big, big series gets underway this weekend. Today's an offday for the Red Sox, while the Yanks play the Orioles - and hopefully that one goes 26 innings.

The Sox reportedly have also made some personnel moves. The Herald is reporting that they've finally obtained some left-handed hitting in the form of Blue Jays corner infielder/outfielder Eric Hinske and Carlos Pena, the young slugging first-baseman from Haverhill who began his career with the Tigers, then fell off the radar. He's been in the Yankees' farm system, most recently at AAA Columbus. Not sure what the plan is for both guys, but Hinske may be able to add some lefty pop while Nixon and Varitek are on the DL.

Reality Check?

Another discouraging loss last night, and it's time to start wondering if this team just isn't made for a postseason run. I know we're knee-jerk reactors around here - a couple of wins and we'll be sucked right back in - but the trends are disturbing, and it isn't going to get any easier.

To start with, our two aces - Schilling and Beckett - have been anything but ace-like over the last couple of weeks. Schilling's been okay (he lost a tough one last night to Jeremy Bonderman and the Tigers), but Beckett has been an enigma. He's been able to stay completely healthy this year, but hitters have been teeing off on his flat fastball to disastrous results. The same old story with the bullpen has continued - try as he might, Terry Francona gets into situations where he has to use the twin gas cans - Rudy Seanez and Julian Tavarez - and quite honestly, neither should be on a major league roster. Though hard to quantify, the loss of Jason Varitek hurts big time. If Papi and Manny aren't hitting, we're in trouble. There's absolutely nobody who inspires confidence coming off the bench to pinch-hit. And over the last week or so, Francona has made some truly head-scratching moves, like letting Seanez pitch an extra inning Monday night against Detroit. If you get a clean 1-2-3 inning from Rudy, count your blessings and move on.

Can you tell we lost last night, and are now 3 games behind the Yankees? Even worse, the Yanks came from behind last night to beat the pathetic Orioles and Johnny Damon played a key role, hitting a big home run and a triple. It's getting ugly, and the Nation today is wondering: Will Theo do something - maybe as drastic as what Sports Illustrated suggests ths week (moving Papelbon into the rotation) - or will he continue to stubbornly refer back to his goddamn 'long term plan?' I'm all for development and scouting, but this town won't take kindly to being rubbed out of the race by the Yankees this coming weekend.

Tonight, the Sox try to salvage this series against Detroit - who very much looks for real, by the way - by hoping that David Wells can do what he did last time out. Then the Bombers come to town for the epic 5-game series that everyone's been talking about for the last month. Brace yourself, Red Sox fans. We're going to be seeing plenty of Jason Johnson, Kyle Snyder, Rudy Seanez, and Julian Tavarez against that potent Yankee offense, and honestly, I'm more nervous about Josh Beckett getting whiplash in his start from watching all the screaming line drives. I hate to say it, but unless several things turn around quickly, this team just doesn't have the horses to match up with the Yankees, Tigers and White Sox. Thank God for the Patriots. (Of course, a win tonight and I'll be back to my glass-is-half-full mentality).

Beckettology

So what the hell is up with our supposed young ace, Josh Beckett? Man, has he been downright disappointing since he signed the big $30 million contract last month. Tonight, the Tigers pounced on him early for five runs, and the Sox ended up losing 7-4. The 8th inning was the key frame as Rudy Seanez gave up a couple more runs in the top half, and then third base coach DeMarlo Hale suffered a brain fart in the bottom half waving Manny Ramirez home from second on a sharp single. Manny - not being very, ah, fleet-footed - was out by a country mile. (We'll give DeMarlo a pass, though; as Francona said after the game, 'pretty good when you guys (media) are asking him questions for the first time in mid-August...')

The play was a huge rally-killer, though. Had Manny pulled up at third, it would have been bases loaded, 1 out, 7-4 ballgame, and a hot Wily Mo coming up. All in all, a very frustrating night particularly with the Yankees and White Sox both winning. If this is the best Beckett can give us, we're in deep doo-doo.

Sox are now 2 games behind New York, and 3 games behind Chicago for the wild card. Curt Schilling vs. Jeremy Bonderman tomorrow in Game 2.

Live Look-In: Sox-Orioles

We're in the bottom of the 8th at Fenway on a sunny Sunday - Sox have an 11-7 lead, as Doug Mirabelli just hit a home run to straightaway center. That makes it three straight games with a homer for Mirabelli and I have to say, I love watching his home run trot. I can't even describe it. Youkilis just made the last out in the inning -- Manny's hitting streak is probably over at 27 as we head to the top of the 9th.

Hansen stays in for the 9th to try to seal the deal and the sweep. Yanks have already gone down to the Angels, 5-3, in the Bronx. The Angels have NY's number - for some reason, they're a matchup nightmare for Joe Torre's band of courageous, gutsy warriors. A fan just ran on the field, and though we can't watch on TV, was tackled pretty nicely by a Fenway security guard. Orioles have men on first and second with 1 out, and Francona just brought in Papelbon. Despite his recent troubles, Papelbon's ERA is a ridiculous 0.91.

Pap walks Corey Patterson, and now the Orioles have the bases loaded for... well, wouldn't you know... Kevin Millar. The Cowboy gets a chance to inflict some revenge on his former employers. He likes the fastball, and we know Papelbon likes throwing his. 1-1 count. Millar hits a grounder to short - a surefire double play ball just like old times - and it's booted by Cora. It's now 11-8 with the bases still juiced. Nick Markakis up, who's had a pretty good day. Tough break for the Sox. Full count on Markakis, and Papelbon whiffs him. Huge out! Now he's gotta deal with Brian Roberts. Pap's thrown 20 pitches in the 9th so far. 3-0 count now on Roberts, with Melvin Mora This, Mora That waiting on deck. And Papelbon walks in a run, making it 11-9. A struggle for the young closer right now, who can't seem to find the plate. He goes to another full count on Mora with his 28th pitch of the inning. The announcers just let us know that this is the most pitches Pap has thrown in back-to-back appearances all season long - not a good thing with the Tigers coming to town tomorrow night. Mora keeps fouling 'em off. The fans are standing - they want to go home happy. The sneer from Papelbon, the pitch, and it's a groundball to third - stopped nicely by Mike Lowell with a little pirouette, and he's out at first. Game over. Whew.

Home Sweet Home

What a difference 48 hours and sleeping in your own bed makes. The Sox came home in the wee hours of Friday morning with their tails between their legs, having lost five in a row on the road to the woeful Devil Rays and woeful-er Royals. I still have the sight of Royals fans - Royals fans, for crissakes - with brooms on Thursday night seared into my brain. How they know about this tradition I'm not quite sure.

Thinking about this current homestand, beginning with the Orioles - another AL weak sister - I thought the bats would come alive back in the cozy confines of Fenway, but our pitchers for the first two games worried me -- David Wells on Friday, followed by Jason Johnson today. Not exactly inspiring.

On Friday night, the Sox erupted for 7 runs in the third inning to give Boomer an 8-0 lead. That took some pressure off, and Wells proceeded to throw a typical Wells game -- 7 ip, "scattered" 9 hits, 1 run, 4 k's, 1 walk. If he's able to contribute down the stretch, all of a sudden he turns out to be your trading deadline "acquisition."

Today's game was satisfying because the Sox clawed their way back from a 5-1 deficit, tied it at 7 in the 6th inning, and then won it in the 10th on a walkoff single from somebody other than David Ortiz. This time, the big hit came from Manny, who also extended his hitting streak to 27 games at the same time. Jason Johnson was ineffective - giving up 7 runs over 5 1/3 innings - but the bullpen was fantastic, as Tavarez, Hansen, Timlin and Papelbon shut down the Orioles the rest of the way. Final score: 8-7.

Yankees won again, so Sox keep pace and remain two games out of first. They're two behind the White Sox in the wild card standings, along with the Twins who may fall with Liriano being out.

Jon Lester goes for the sweep tomorrow afternoon against Daniel Cabrera. Last time we saw Cabrera, the Sox had an easy "walk" in the park.

Embarrassing

Okay, I'm back. I've been cowering in the corner of my living room since about 11:00 last night, all coiled up in a shivering, quivering ball of pissed-offness. The unthinkable happened in Kansas City for the second straight evening, as the Sox frittered away a 4-2 lead and lost to the Royals again, 5-4. That's right - the 30-games-below-.500 Royals swept our juggernaut (first time since 1991 in KC) and we're all left to ponder whether this team really was a juggernaut in the first place. Ortiz and Manny have kept them in the race, and everyone else looks just plain old and slow, kind of like pitching coach Dave Wallace when he makes a trip to the mound, or Papi when he makes an out and trudges back to the dugout. All the pundits agreed that the Sox had to go 5-1 on this trip, or at worst, 4-2. They went 1-5, and have now lost five straight. Embarrassing to say the least.

The one bright spot last night was that the Yankees also lost - finally - so the lead stands at 3 games. All the callers to the local sports radio station today will want to bury the Sox, and I'm close to feeling that way too. The other half of me says maybe this serves as the ultimate wake-up call for this floundering squad. They've lost five straight to Tampa and KC, and will take on the Orioles tonight at Fenway in the start of a weekend series. Hopefully, being in the home environment snaps them out of this ugly funk. We find out how this team responds in its darkest hour at 7:05 tonight. Our stopper? The rotund one, David Wells, goes against Adam Loewen. In the meantime, I'm going to nail several mattresses to the walls of my living room, and I'm thinking about installing a punching bag. Better safe than sorry - ya know what I mean?

Wily Mo is a Man

Wily Mo Pena -- Little Papi -- is a freak of nature. He hit one of the farthest home runs ever at Royals Stadium on Tuesday night, and he just tagged a three-run blast to left-center to give the Sox a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the 7th. A huge home run.

Must Game in August?

If there is such a thing, tonight's game against the Royals most definitely qualifies. This short road trip against the AL's have-nots - first the Devil Rays and now the Royals - has been an absolute nightmare. Our boys have lost four in a row, including a gut-punch loss last night when they blew a 4-0 lead and Papelbon gave it up in the 9th. As we sit here at 8:10 p.m. ET waiting to see if Curt Schilling can pick his team up yet again (he's 18-6 with a low 2 ERA in games following a Sox loss), the Red Sox are three games behind the Yankees and four in the loss column. Needless to say, things are ugly here in the Nation. The sound and the fury (as Theo calls it) is rapidly heating up.

Of course, they're not done with 50 games to go, even if they (gulp) get swept tonight by the lowly Royals. But this is as close as you can get to a must-win in early August as I've seen in my 30 years of following this soap opera. We need the ace to give us at least a solid 7. And we need the bats to pounce, and pounce early on Royals starter Runelvys Hernandez. They're calling for periods of rain in Kansas City tonight.

Off-Day Thoughts

* Something tells me we're about to see the first collision of the 'way Theo wants to run the team' and the way 'Larry wanted to run the team.' My best guess on the reasons behind TheoGate are that a) Theo's philosophy of having a long-term plan - and building a championship team with homegrown talent - was not high enough in the organization's overall philosophy; and b) he was sick of all the Hollywood, PR bullshit. Don't get me wrong - this new ownership team has done an awesome job of making the fans more comfortable, and preserving the greatest ballpahk ever - but they go way overboard on the schmaltzy, entertainment stuff. The opening night for "Fever Pitch" comes to mind, the makeovers that some of the players got from the "Queer Eye" TV show, the Red Sox Nation membership card.

Of course, a month or so after Theo left Fenway - in a gorilla suit no less - all the conversations between Henry, Lucchino and Theo that should have taken place actually did take place. Things were ironed out. Theo was able to voice his complaints directly to the owner of the team, and the owner of the team evidently gave Theo his backing on how the team should be run. That's all Theo wanted in the first place, but holy crap, the hurdles he had to jump through to get there. And is it a coincidence that Larry Lucchino -who before TheoGate was so visible that he had his own weekly morning slot on the local sports radio station - has completely gone underground?

The point I'm getting at is this: The recent trading period was the first time Theo has been fully behind the controls, and in the end, the team did nothing. Every trading partner wanted one or more of the young pitchers (Lester, Hansen, Delcarmen, Papelbon) and Theo dug in his heels and resisted making a move that might only yield short-term benefits. Many believe that Theo wouldn't have pulled the trigger on the Beckett/Lowell for Ramirez/Sanchez for the same reasons. Not making a move at the deadline looks bad right now because the Yankees have shot into the AL East lead and the guys they acquired at the deadline are contributing. The Sox are going to have to get lucky, healthy, and/or make some sort of deal to catch them but we've got a lot of baseball left to sort it all out. If the Sox crash and burn, it will be interesting to see if Theo comes into the crosshairs.

* Why did it take WEEI so long to say goodbye to crusty Ted Sarandis and hello to the wacky Mike Adams? Sarandis was such a dink -- cutting callers off, generally being rude and intolerant -- and Adams is on the other extreme. Goofy, fun, affable, can lead a good baseball discussion, and actually lets the callers dictate the program. The Sunday baseball show featuring Adams, Sean McAdam from the Providence Journal, and the Herald's Steve Buckley, is great radio.

* And while we're on the subject of 'EEI, what exactly is their fascination with Steve DeOssie and Larry Johnson? I don't want to hear a 'roided up football player opining on baseball. Just not a good match.

* Since the 2005 All-Star Game, a period comprising 161 games, David Ortiz has hit 60 homers and driven in 161 RBI. I don't want to hear any DH bias during MVP voting time. Papi is the MVP, with Jeter a respectable second.

* Switching sports for a minute - I can do that, I'm the proprietor - it was a nice sight today seeing hard-hitting safety Rodney Harrison on the Patriots practice field. Harrison tore multiple ligaments in his knee after an ugly collision in Pittsburgh last September.

* Just to vent for a moment, my fantasy team sucks. This was the first year we did auction style and I blew my wad early on Johan Santana ($40), David Ortiz ($36) and Miguel Cabrera ($28). All three have been solid, but I think I screwed myself for adding high-quality depth. Let's just say I've got Scott Hatteberg, Pedro Feliz, Casey Blake, Preston Wilson and Josh Barfield in my starting lineup. 'Nuf ced.

* Globe rookie Sox beat writer Amalie Benjamin is doing a nice job in place of Chris Snow, who left to work in some NHL team's front office. Snow was good but he went a little Charlie Pierce on us every now and then - using words that send you to the dictionary. Benjamin has a more casual, free-flowing style that makes for a nice read. Gordon Edes was great during the trading deadline too.

* The Sox have an absolutely brutal month of August ahead of them. After six coming up against KC and Baltimore, they play 11 straight against Detroit, the Yankees and the Angels. Where the rubber hits the road, as they say... and we're going to have to do it without Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield.

* Some impressive candidates on this year's Comeback Player list, including Jim Thome, Nomar Garciaparra, and Curt Schilling.

* Two things about the bullpen scare me, and maybe three. 1) Julian Tavarez; 2) the glaring lack of a lefty specialist; and 3) Mike Timlin. I'm willing to give Timlin some more time, but he's been downright dreadful lately - and oh yeah, he's also on my fantasy squad. Got the Midas touch, don't I?

* Two guys who if they pick up their games in the second half will help the Sox get to the postseason for the fourth straight year: Josh Beckett and Coco Crisp.

* I've been irritated with Yankee fans who think their "injury-depleted" team deserves the Purple Heart for keeping the race tight with the Red Sox. The folks at Fire Joe Morgan have eloquently put my thoughts into words:

"I am the 2006 New York Yankees! Here is my line-up:

CF Johnny Damon. $13 million.
SS Derek Jeter. $19 million.
1B Jason Giambi. $18 million.
DH Gary Sheffield. $13 million.
RF Bobby Abreu. $13 million.
3B Alex Rodriguez. $25 million.
LF Hideki Matsui. $13 million.
C Jorge Posada. $9 million
2B Robinson Cano. $381 thousand.

(Total for starting nine position players: $123 million. More than the Red Sox' 25 man-roster.)

How is this relevant? Well, when you have a lineup of players worth $123 million, and you lose $26 million worth of player, you still have a pretty (expletive) good lineup. The crazy patchwork lineups the Yankees have been trotting out there, full of (I'm not the good) M. Cabreras, A. Guiels, (the wrong) B. Crosbys, and A. Phillipses, are still anchored by the very expensive Misters Jeter, Rodriguez and Giambi, to say nothing of the fairly expensive Senors Damon and Posada. Spare me the what-a-goddamn-hero-Joe-Torre-is routine. The lineup at the beginning of the year was lethal -- a mockery of the game of baseball, in fact. No "winning culture" accounted for its ability to withstand the loss of two of its better hitters -- and not, I might add, its two best."

Couldn't have said it better meself.

Trop Flop

The Red Sox visited their own personal House of Horrors for three games this weekend, and ended up losing 2 of 3 to the no-name Tampa Bay Devil Rays. They even caught a break this time and didn't have to face Scott Kazmir, the Sox killer who's currently on the DL. Mood-wise, this is the lowest Red Sox Nation has been all year long. The Yanks fortified themselves with the Abreu/Lidle trade, and have played well since the All-Star break. The Sox, by contrast, have floundered over the past few weeks, and now find themselves down 2 games in the AL East and out of the wild card picture if the playoffs started today. This is what happens when you give up home runs to guys named Greg Norton, Ben Zobrist, Travis Lee, and Dioner Navarro, and you lose a 6-2 lead. Just plain ugly. This one was the proverbial kick in the gut.

On the bright side, what's the very best thing that could happen to a struggling Red Sox team? How about a three-game set against the Kansas City Royals? That was the prescription the last time we were depressed (after getting pummeled by the A's at Fenway) and hopefully it does the trick this time too. Sox are off today (what's an offday in Kansas City like?) and then face the Royals starting tomorrow night. A sweep is a must, especially with Lester, Beckett, and Schilling going. Yanks are off as well and start a series in Chicago tomorrow night against the White Sox. 'Bout time for Ozzie Guillen's team to start playing some $#%@! baseball. 'Bout time the other Sox did too, or we could be on the outside looking in come October.

One note on the weekend series against Tampa - Big Papi became the first Red Sox hitter to ever hit 40 HRs in three straight seasons. Manny should join him at some point this season.

See-Saw Season for Beckett

Is Josh Beckett having one of the strangest seasons you've ever seen or what? Downright dominant one outing, putrid the next. And the hallmark of all those putrid outings has been his propensity to give up home runs, many of them hit very hard and very far. Not that I know what I'm talking about, but it seems like he's at his best when he's got the curveball working and he can get hitters off balance. Then his 98 mph fastball becomes that much harder to hit. When the curve's not working, hitters just sit on the heat.

The curve wasn't working too well last night and the Indians - who have shown in the past that they like hitting off Mr. Beckett -- pounced on him for six runs in the 6th inning and held on for a 7-6 win. Beckett gave up homers to Aaron Bleeping Boone, Hafner and to "Choo, Cho, whatever his name is" - as he said in his press conference - and he has now given up a total of 31 on the season. In the last month, he's given up three homers in a game three times. He's challenging the single-season mark of 50, set by the greatest pitcher ever from Holland, Bert Blyleven, in 1986. Bert followed that up with 46 more in 1987. Yikes. Live ball era?

Meanwhile, the Yankees are hot, and their new acquistions - Abreu, Lidle, and Craig Wilson - have already made key contributions. The Yanks now lead the division by a game. They're in Baltimore tonight, while the Sox are in Tampa to tangle with the Devil Rays. They've got three in Tampa, then three in Kansas City and they need to win 4 of them.

News item: Sox have agreed in principle with the Orioles on a deal for Javy Lopez. Still not clear who the Sox are giving up, but word has it that Lopez is in Tampa right now, and could be in the lineup tonight. Javy's not the player he was, but not a bad addition under the circumstances.

Comeback Loretta

Poor Fausto Carmona. The guy who sounds like a character from a Bill Shakespeare play was once again the victim of some Sox dramatics last night. Let's set the scene: bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, nobody on. Carmona began by whiffing Wily Mo and Coco, and then the proverbial wheels came off. He plunked Mirabelli and Gonzalez, and then walked Youkilis. Bases loaded (without a hit) for Mark Loretta. Loretta had been watching Carmona's meltdown from the on-deck circle, and knew he was going to get a couple of heaters near the plate - especially with Big Papi looming. Loretta got one he liked and slapped it off the Monster, giving the Sox an incredulous 6-5 comeback win over the Indians.

The fans at the game deserve a little bit of credit here too. There weren't many empty seats when there were 2 outs in the 9th, and the decibel level clearly rattled Mr. Carmona to the point where he couldn't find the plate. Fenway has become one of the greatest home-field advantages in baseball, and it's awfully damn nice to see.

Finale against Cleveland tonight at 7:05 has Josh Beckett going against Jake Westbrook. If the Sox take 3 of the 4 games, Eric Wedge is going to have nightmares. He may be using a new closer this evening.

Ouch

Not a fun day. Jason Varitek - the most indispensable player other than maybe Ortiz and Manny - needs knee surgery for a torn meniscus and is out for 4-6 weeks. It's something he has supposedly been battling since spring training, but he aggravated it running around second base Monday night. This one is truly a tough blow - now we've got 30 games of Dougie Mirabelli coming up. But hey, maybe they'll rally and rise up to the challenge of having to play without Varitek. 'Tek is to us what Jeter is to them.

Oh yeah, there was a game tonight at muggy, humid Fenway. Jason Johnson and the Sox fell behind early, and ended up on the losing end, 6-3, to the Indians and C.C. Sabathia. Funny note from watching the game -- there's an advertisement on the wall behind home plate for Giant Glass. Whenever C.C. moved a certain way, it read GIANT ASS.

Yankees at last check were beating Toronto - if it holds, we're all tied up. Like we expected anything else...

Ho-Hum

Is this guy a freak of nature or what? Big Papi again delivered in the clutch last night, smashing a three-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Indians 9-6. Absolutely incredible. He also hit another home run early in the game, and now has a major league-leading 37 to go along with 105 RBI's.

Papi's blast rescued David Wells, who for all intents and purposes made his rehab start last night against major league hitters. Wells has always been reluctant to do his rehab work in the minors, and last night's lucky winner was Indians OF Casey Blake, who hit two homers off Wells. Boomer's final line: 4 2/3, 8 hits, 8 runs. Manny and Wily Mo also went deep, and Kyle Snyder pitched quite effectively in middle relief. Allow me to give myself a little pat on the back, as I wrote these words a couple days ago: "Snyder has started out well in each of his starts, and then he usually blows up in the 4th or 5th inning. Put 'em in there for a few innings if a starter has a short outing." I know, I'm just plain brilliant.

The dramatic win came with a cost, however, and today we'll know how high that cost is. Jason Varitek pulled up lame after rounding second base, and left the game with what was called a knee sprain. He'll undergo a battery of tests today to see what's wrong. Fingers crossed for the Captain.

The other big news yesterday was the Sox ultimately not making a big move at the trading deadline. Today's Globe reports that they were very close to acquiring a Houston fireballer (no, not that one.)

Tonight's game has C.C. Sabathia going for the Tribe against (gulp) Jason Johnson, who was called up to pitch in place of Snyder. The Yanks and Jays start their series in the Bronx. A.J. Burnett vs. Jaret Wright. The lead is 1. (Boston.com photo)