Missed Opportunities

The Sox lost a very frustrating ballgame tonight in their series finale against the Blue Jays. The final score was 6-4 but it should have been 10-4 in favor of the good guys -- too many men left on base, too many topspin grounders and strikeouts from J.D. Drew at critical moments. And to be fair, a big strikeout by Kevin Youkilis, who has not had a good second half.

All that said, the bigger picture looks pretty good. Since Clay Buchholz' no-hitter last Saturday, the Sox had won three straight against the Orioles and the Jays, and at this point in the season it's all about winning series. The youngsters - namely Buccholz, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Dustin Pedroia - have injected a huge dose of enthusiasm and excitement, and it's been a lot of fun to watch. Ellsbury looks like the real deal.

As things stand tonight, the Sox have a 6-game cushion on the Yankees, who trounced the Mariners tonight thanks to a couple more bombs from A-Rod. It feels pretty comfortable, but it will be interesting to see how Francona manages down the stretch. He gave the hot-hitting Pedroia the night off tonight, and will most likely keep doing that with players down the stretch.

Looking ahead, it looks like the AL playoff entrants are pretty much set. The Red Sox, white-hot Indians, Angels and wild card Yankees. If that holds true, the Sox would play the Indians in one ALDS and the Yanks would have to tangle with their longtime nemesis.

The magic number is 17 as the Sox prepare to open a 4-game set in Baltimore (aka Boston South).

How's That For A Jolt?

The Sox needed a spark, and tonight Clay Buchholz provided it by becoming the first-ever Red Sox rookie to throw a no-hitter. Buchholz - with Jason Varitek at the steering wheel - befuddled the Orioles all night long with an assortment of sinking fastballs, curves, and change-ups and ended up with a no-no in his second MLB start. Not too shabby.

There were three threatening moments during the game, at least from what I saw. Coco made nice plays on two line drives headed for the left-centerfield gap, and Dustin Pedroia made a sick play behind second base, beating out a sliding Miguel Tejada at first. Other than that, the Orioles had no clue what to do with the baby-faced Texan.

Oh yeah, the score. The Sox' bats also came alive tonight, as they thumped Baltimore 10-0. Good thing Orioles skipper Dave Trembley signed his contract before his team began circling the drain. They've been horrible the last few weeks, beginning with that 30-3 debacle against the Rangers.

The big hit tonight - once again - came from the bat of David Ortiz, who banged an opposite-field double off the wall to clear the bases and make it 4-0. Youk also added a three-run homer later on.

The Yankees also won, 9-6, against the Devil Rays tonight. Fun sidelight to this one: Joe Torre cowardly requested that the umps confiscate a D-Ray player's bat, and Tampa manager Joe Maddon "retaliated" by asking them to confiscate A-Rod's bat. A clever ploy by Maddon to hint that Torre's request was ridiculous. By the way, this was the second game in a row the Yanks didn't have Fat Joba at their disposal. The lords of discpline at the MLB offices evidently agreed that Joba's intentions the other day weren't quite pure.

But screw the Yankees, right Mikey? Today's a day to celebrate a true baseball rarity, filled with the superstitions that we all know and love. I was watching the game up in Maine with my wife, and she asked me what was going on. Knowing I couldn't verbalize the words 'no hitter' for fear of jinxing young Clay, I wrote it out on the computer, and told her not to say it. Good girl that she is, she respected the ways of tradition and we both got to watch something pretty damn cool. One weird thing that only interests me: I've seen the last 2 Red Sox no-hitters in the same house in Maine, sitting in the same spot. Derek Lowe was the last one to do it in April 2002.

The lead stays at 5. Jon Lester takes the mound tomorrow.

Fuel for the Fire

Everyone's going to have an opinion on whether Joba Chamberlain was aiming for Kevin Youkilis' scalp yesterday, so here's mine. Yup. One pitch at 99 that far off the plate - fine. Two pitches? Not fine. The overrated Peter Gammons has been adamant that Joba is innocent but I have to disagree. Watch the replays, Pete. You're just flat wrong.

While the Sox were dead as a doornail in this series, it was still filled with some entertaining side stories. Chamberlain's fist pump in Game 1 and little glare into the Sox dugout. An MLB official checking on Terry Francona's attire in the middle of an inning. The play yesterday where A-Rod tried to tag Youk out instead of going for the easy 5-4-3 double play. Youk sidestepped him, veered into the grass, and the ump at third initially called him safe. Then the crybaby Yankees started beefing with the umps, and sure enough they reversed the call. Tito was rightly enraged and got ejected for his troubles.

A couple of takeaways from this three-gamer. 1) The Yankees' much-maligned pitching isn't all that bad is it? I know our offense takes frequent siestas but you have to give Pettite, Clemens and Wang their due. They were very good. 2) There's a buzz now, which I think this listing Red Sox team desperately needs. Tito said it best in the post-game interviews yesterday, when he was talking about the Chamberlain head-hunting episode: "If that young man was trying to get our attention, he did a very good job." This team needs a fire lit under it - Jacoby Ellsbury, anybody? - and Joba may have inadvertently provided the fuel. And just for the record, so you don't think I'm being a hypocrite - I absolutely cringed every time Pedro threw at a Yankees' head, with the most notable example being Karim Garcia. Pedro was getting knocked around, and he decided to take it out on Karim's head (thankfully, he missed). Clemens does the same thing - a couple weeks ago a Tiger rookie took Fat Boy deep and then took one off the wrist the next time up. It's cowardly bullshit is what it is. And 3) if you look at these teams' best pitchers, Pettite/Wang and Dice-K/Beckett are a wash. The key figures down the stretch could be Roger and Curt Schilling, and it was very encouraging to see Schilling pitch well yesterday (Robby Cano, be damned).

Anyway, Joba's got me all fired up - I can't wait for the next Sox-Yanks series at Fenway.

One side note: was buying a TV last night at my local Best Buy and who's right next to me picking out a sweet Sony? Former Orioles ace/Hall of Famer/3-time Cy Young winner Jim Palmer, who's now a broadcaster for the O's (who are in town this weekend to play the Sox). I left him alone, but later asked the sales kid if he knew who he had just sold a TV to. "No clue," he said. Kids today.

Lumber Slumber

This team is positively maddening, I tellya. Less than a week removed from a thorough shellacking of the White Sox, our boys have gone two days in a row into the 5th inning in NYC without a bleeping hit. They're currently down 1-0 against Wang, with a Cano homer being the difference. Yanks are going for the sweep.

Encouraging thing is how Schilling has pitched thus far. I honestly thought he might get knocked around pretty good today.

And a late-breaking update: Cano has just gone deep for the second time this afternoon. 2-0 Yanks. Boston is burning.

Appointment TV Tonight, Folks

Have things gotten so bad in Gotham that Johnny Damon takes a curtain call after a cheap flyball home run helped his team get to within 7 games of the front-running Red Sox? Evidently so. Granted, it was a big hit and we've certainly been on the happy end of some very big Damon hits, but it seemed a bit out of place to me. Another observation from last night's 5-3 defeat: Joba Chamberlain has electric stuff. First time I've been able to watch him live and he's got an unbelievable fastball and slider. I do think he needs to calm down a tad, though - after his punchout of J.D. Drew (and really, who doesn't punch out J.D. these days?) he gave it almost a D-Lowe fist salute and took a nice, long look at the Red Sox bench. That's bush league shit, and here's hoping the man who was Joba before there was a Joba - Jonathan Papelbon, or JoPa - can return the favor at some point over the next couple days.

Dice-K? He was his usual mysterious self, and you could argue in hindsight that Tito left him in a little long. Why not put Okie or Timlin in there for the 7th? He seems to nibble too much, and when the calls don't go his way, he seems to get a little flustered. He gets into counts where he has to throw his fastball and his heater just isn't overwhelming enough. Also, a couple of injury concerns - both Manny and Bobby Kielty had to leave last night's game with back pain meaning Eric Hinske is most likely our left-fielder tonight, barring a call-up. For some reason, I can see Hinske doing something good tonight.

Speaking of tonight's game, it's a pitching matchup for the ages. Josh Beckett going against his boyhood idol Roger Clemens. Two big, stubborn lugs from the state of Texas, and you know they're both gonna be amped up for this one. Can't wait. Maybe Rog will confuse a broken bat for the ball again. That would be fun.

Let's Put Our Cleats on Their Stinkin' Necks

So everything is now going our way as we enter the long-awaited three-game set in the Bronx starting tomorrow night. The Sox have an 8-game lead - courtesy of the 16-0 drubbing the Tigers laid on the Jankees tonight - and we've got our three guns nicely lined up this week. Dice-K vs. Andy Pettite on Tuesday, a doozy on Wednesday with Josh Beckett against Roger Clemens, and then Schilling vs. Wang on Thursday. While it's nice to have an 8-game lead, I say don't let our foot off the accelerator. I want these guys dead. Dead, I say.

Anyway, a little game we used to play around here that I'm resurrecting today. Lookalikes. Today's "twins" are outgoing White House press secretary Tony Snow and outgoing Cowboys coach Bill Parcells. Okay, maybe minus some pounds.

Breathing Room

Well, the bats have certainly come alive at the right time. The Sox are administering a beatdown in Chicago this weekend, with 45 hits and 35 runs scored in the first three games. It's hard to believe the ChiSox won the World Series in 2005 - they've looked positively pathetic, the bullpen has been horrendous, and Ozzie Guillen constantly looks like a man who's eaten some bad seafood. The Red Sox go for a rare 4-game sweep today with Julian Tavarez opposing Javier Vazquez.

It's the right time for some offense because we need to put a little breathing room between us and the Yanks before we start that three-game series in the Bronx on Tuesday. If the lead was 4, or even down to 3, it would be pins and needles time. The worst it can be now is 5 1/2, and with any luck, it could be up to 7 1/2 which would be very nice. The Yanks have their own issues to worry about. They've slowed down some after that torrid stretch, and if the playoffs started today they'd be making tee times. New York is currently 2 behind Seattle for the AL Wild Card.

So here's hoping the bats continue to wreak some havoc today, we have at least a 6 1/2 game lead going into NYC - with Dice-K, Beckett and Schilling lined up - and we can all sit back and actually enjoy our Labor Day Weekend. Has this summah flown by or what?

Cruise Control

The Sox - the red kind - are leading the other Sox today in Game 1 of a doubleheader in Chicago. Last night's game was postponed due to torrential downpours. I haven't been able to catch much of this game, but it's currently 11-3 in the bottom of the 9th, and Josh Beckett's in line to get his MLB-leading 16th victory. Game 2 is tonight with Curt Schilling taking the ball.

I also just had to share this great cartoon on the whole Michael Vick situation. Classic.

No Dice

When people talk about rookie of the year candidates in the American League, the Red Sox troika of Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima, and Dustin Pedroia is constantly mentioned. I'm here to tell you it would be a runaway vote for Dice-K if only his teammates could, like, score a few runs for the man every now and then.

Last night's finale in Tampa was another frustrating, wasted effort from our prized import. Matsuzaka struck out 8 and gave up 2 runs, but you guessed it, the Sox lost 2-1. And if you're thinking this happens all the time to Dice-K, you'd be absolutely right. This was the 12th time in his last 16 starts that the team scored two runs or fewer. Amazing. Goes to show you that wins are overrated.

Anyway, Dice-K can be faulted for issuing a few too many walks. He also gave up a bomb to the D-Rays promising young outfielder B.J. Upton. Upton was the star of the game, knocking in the winning runs and gunning down David Ortiz at home plate to prevent a tie (and how many times have we seen baserunning gaffes this year?) I don't know what's gotten into Big Papi - the other night he had a triple and he beat out an infield hit, and last night he thinks he's Vince Coleman rounding third. I'm telling you - the lack of fundamentals on this team is going to prove fatal.

My buddy Mike was in the stands last night, so I'm hoping he weighs in with some first-person commentary, maybe even some pictures from the Trop.

The Yankees won last night in Anaheim, so the lead stands at 5. The Sox begin a four-game series tonight in Chicago, and it would be awfully nice to have, say, a 6 or 7 game lead before we play NY next week.

Some news that must be mentioned:

Unlike Dice-K, former Sox Kason Gabbard got a little run support last night from his Ranger teammates. Texas scored a ridiculous 30 runs last night in the first game of a doubleheader against an embarrassed Orioles team. I repeat, 30 runs. No mercy rule in MLB?

Also, I pay tribute today to a true American original, one Mr. Bill Murray. Carl Spackler was evidently in Sweden over the past few days, got liquored up, and decided to take a golf cart for a ride down the main thoroughfare. Oh, to have seen the Swedish police pulling him over... you go, Bill.

Wake's Bitches

Every time Tim Wakefield takes the mound against the Devil Rays, logic says Murphy's Law is bound to kick in and he'll eventually have a bad outing. Last night seemed like a possibility, with Wake going against Sox nemesis, fireballing lefty Scott Kazmir. Shame on us for allowing the thought to enter our minds.

The Sox pounced early - Dustin Pedroia set the tone with a hard lead-off single to left off Kazmir - and Wake continued his incredible mastery over the D-Rays, especially in the climate-controlled confines of Tropicana Field. The Sox cruised to a rocking-chair easy 6-0 win, and combined with a most pleasurable Yankee extra-innings loss last night in Anaheim, the lead this morning stands at 5.

Best of all, they won with Bobby Kielty and Kevin Cash in the lineup, and David Ortiz on the bench. Kielty has shown some good stuff in his first few games - he hits well against lefties and he can run. Cash to his credit, also has filled in admirably. He's light with the stick but runners beware - he threw out 46% of runners attempting to steal on him in the minors. The one disappointment continues to be the enigma that is J.D. Drew. It's pretty bad when you can remember all of Drew's six home runs - four have come on the road, including a 2-homer game in Arizona, and of course, he was a part of the 4-straight homer game against the Yankees. He has been an unmitigated disaster.

But we won't end this on a sour note. The Sox need to sweep Tampa and hope that Kelvim Escobar and John Lackey can handle the Yanks' lineup. Tonight, the boys try to exact a little revenge against Andy Sonnanstine, who beat them soundly at Fenway last week. Jon Lester goes for the good guys, and hopefully can pick up where left off.

We Love Volleyball

I'd be remiss if I didn't let you know that the pro beach volleyball tour is in Boston this week, with both the men and women competing. I'm thinking the women's tournament might just be, um, worth checking out.

Buzz Kill

See that man to your immediate left? He's giving us all nightmares. I'm sorry - I know Eric Gagne is a human being, and he's saying all the right things as he tries to figure out just why the hell he can't get anybody out. But this is officially ridiculous.

The Red Sox fought back from a 4-1 deficit last night to take a 5-4 lead on clutch 8th inning hits by David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez - off Angels' closer extraordinaire Francisco Rodriguez no less - and because Papelbon had pitched in the first game, Tito brought in Gagne to try and finish this one off. And he immediately proceeded to blow another save.

The whole park's buzzing, there's a good chance for a rare doubleheader sweep, millions of dollars have been raised in the annual Jimmy Fund telethon - and Christ, I'm jumping around my house like a little kid because, well, Papi and Manny have been AWOL in the clutch this year and I'm starting to like this come-from-behind shit. And then Gagne takes a big, steaming dump on all of it.

Again, I know he's trying. I know he'll face the media after the game and throw in a few f-bombs. We WANT him to do well. But it's painfully clear that he's NOT doing well - and he's a major liability in the middle of a pennant race.

Checking In...

Couple of quick in-game notes on a slow Friday afternoon...

- J.D. Drew misplayed a first inning flyball into a run, but made up for it in the home half with a triple. Sox have given young Clay a comfortable cushion with a 6-1 lead in the bottom of the 2nd. Papi went deep in the first.

- Wily Mo is officially No Mo. He was traded today to the Washington Nationals for cash and a player to be named. Whenever I think of Wily, I'll remember the moonshot home runs, the dramatic hit against the Orioles in the first game that Gagne blew, and the adventures with the glove.

- The Sox' shortage at catcher could become more visible than they ever hoped it would be. Doug Mirabelli started today's first game, and hurt himself running the bases. They probably won't play Varitek in both games, so may need to call someone up to take Dougie's place. Depending on the severity, this could be interesting. Only in Boston do we get all out of whack over a .220 hitting catcher who plays one day a week. Hey, it's what we do.

Clay's Day

We love baseball around here, in case you hadn't noticed, and one of the very coolest things about being a fan is watching a much-touted pitching phenom make his debut. These are the parts of the game that will remain untainted for eternity, and we must revel in them.

Today at Fenway Park, this very situation will unfold as prized pitcher Clay Buchholz is scheduled to make his first major league start against a very tough Angels team. After all the hype, and the repeated refusals to include him in trades, we finally get to see why. Do yourself a favor and find a TV at 1:05 p.m. The second game of the twinbill has Josh Beckett going for win No. 16 against Ervin Santana. All in all, a damn good day of ball.

Youth Movement

Well things have calmed down since we last talked... sort of.

The Red Sox took 2 of 3 from the lowly Devil Rays this week, but they easily could have lost 2 of 3. After Wake performed his usual surgery on the D-Rays Monday, the Sox had to face nemesis Scott Kazmir on Tuesday. It looked like they were going to lose 1-0 until Joe Maddon pulled a Sam Perlozzo and yanked Kazmir after he had thrown 95 pitches. The eager Sox proceeded to pounce on the likes of Gary Glover and Al Reyes and they ended up with a pulsating 2-1 walk-off win. There haven't been many pulsating wins this year - this was the second time they had come back and won after trailing in the 8th inning. In a rare day game yesterday, Dice-K halted the momentum with an uncharacteristically bad performance. The D-Rays jumped out to a quick 6-zip lead, and to their credit, the Red Sox rallied back to make it 6-5. Manny struck out to end the ballgame with Julio Lugo stranded on second.

This series was in many ways a microcosm of the whole year. Just uneven performances all around -- against a team they should thump every time. Yesterday, the bats were silent for most of the game against Andy Sonnanstine, who toted a sporty 1-8 record into the game. Yes, the Yankees' excruciating loss to the Orioles made it easier to take, but we should be up by 6 games today instead of 5.

The boys are off today before they reacquaint themselves with those pesky Angels this weekend. Tomorrow's a doubleheader day due to a rainout earlier in the season, and Boston.com is reporting that Clay Buchholz will be called up to start the first game, and then Jacoby Ellsbury will be back at Fenway for the second game. Good moves, methinks. We need a little Joba Chamberlain-like jolt, and Ellsbury has been on fire at Pawtucket.

Speaking of the minor league hinterlands, I can't let this post pass without a thought on Jose Offerman. I'm sure you've heard or seen the video by now of Offerman charging the mound (above) in a minor league game with a bat after he was hit in the leg by a pitch. He tried to take a swing at the pitcher, and ended up breaking one of his fingers, and then his backswing caught the unhelmeted catcher on the head. The images on ESPN last night of Jose cuffed and being escorted to a cruiser were surreal. Why, it seems like just yesterday that he was Dan Duquette's OBP dream. Oh, and a fun sidenote - Carl Everett plays for the same team as Offerman. You can't make this stuff up.

Deja Boo

You know, we've tried really, really hard around here to be glass-is-half-full, especially since the delectable events of October 27, 2004. But that mindset is getting harder and harder to keep as the Red Sox keep blowing close games in the late innings. Less than 48 hours after their most horrific loss of the season on Friday night in Baltimore, Terry Francona again brought new toy Eric Gagne into a close game today with the Sox leading, and again the goateed French-Canadian proceeded to provide another le bleun save. Let's get the basics out of the way first, and then we can dig into the ugly particulars. Sox lose 6-3 on a walk-off Kevin Millar homer (just throw some salt in that raw wound), Yanks sweep an absolutely pathetic Indians team. The lead is now 4. Mikey, can I start talking about the pinstripes again?

!@#$%^&*!@$%^&@(*&&^%$#@!~_)#$%!@#$%^&)*&^%&*!!!!!!!!!

I don't even know where to start with this weekend series against the Orioles. They're leading 3-1 late today, Curt Schilling has pitched well, we're looking at Okajima and Papelbon and we'll take 2 of 3 from these guys and then we can feast on the Devil Rays. What does Francona do? He brings in Timlin, and he does fine, and then he goes to Okie, who lets 2 guys get on base. Tito pulls him in favor of Gagne and Miguel Tejeda parks one in the leftfield bleachers to tie it up at 3. It wasn't no cheapie either - this thing was scalded. As most hits have been off Gagne in his short - but very memorable - stint in Boston. Bottom line: we end up wasting two good starts from Dice-K and Schilling, and while Beckett salvages some of the lost weekend, it certainly leaves an empty feeling.

To be sure, the mistakes haven't all had Gagne's name attached to them. There have been continued baserunning gaffes, tons of men left on base in key situations, a glaring lack of power, bad fundamenals (Lugo unable to drop a sac bunt down today), and brain-dead managerial decisions (Tito bringing in Gagne again; not walking Millar with 2nd and 3rd and one out). There have been reports that much of the team is suffering from the flu, and I for one am really hoping that's the case because they were in a fog all weekend long.

Now let's get to Gagne. First, as a human being, I feel bad for the cat. He made a tough decision to come to Boston and be a set-up guy, and he was psyched to be here. Unlike some other wusses in this clubhouse, he stood in front of the throng of reporters after today's game and answered every question. He'll be better and he will contribute. But right now he ain't getting it done, and there's no way in hell he should have been brought into a close game today. Bring him in when it's 7-1 and let him find it. But nooooo... the other thing that's driving me insane is I think Theo went out and got this guy and gave his manager absolutely no inkling how he should use him. All year long, it's been a steady, successful drumbeat of Okajima and Papelbon. Now you've got Timlin coming around, and Manny Delcarmen's throwing gas. They tinkered with a good thing and it's coming back to haunt right now. I, like many, was happy to get Gagne, and I viewed him more as a luxury than a necessity. Many speculated it was a move to keep Gagne away from the Yankees, but really he's been their best trading deadline acquisition - and they don't even have to pay him! They've got to figure out how they're going to use the man, and Gagne must stop grooving fastballs.

Getting back to the glass is half full part for a minute, I guess there are some positives. J.D. Drew seemed to find his stroke in this series, and it will be interesting to see if he can keep it going at Fenway this week. The other big plus is that we play three against the Triple-A Devil Rays starting tomorrow night, even though one of those three is against Scott Kazmir, who may as well be a body double for Erik Bedard. Tough lefty who the Sox can't hit.

But the negatives are hard to turn away from. Big Papi's lack of power. Manny's lack of power. Jon Lester's ineffectiveness. The ups and downs of Tim Wakefield. This team needs a jolt of the future. Bring up Jacoby again and let him play. Also read a little snippet on Boston.com that Clay Bucholz would be called up for the doubleheader against the Angels.

They need to do something because the natives are going to be big-time restless tomorrow (the sound and fury, as Theo calls it.) Channel 4's Bob Lobel will flash the panic button tomorrow at 6. The newspapers will compare this collapse to 1978. We are in a full-fledged race, and our opponent - our blood rival who we thought was dead and buried a month ago - is white hot. We also may have to accept the fact that the Red Sox - despite their MLB-best record - aren't the best team in MLB. In fact, they've been barely average since June 1. From June 1 to now, the Sox are 33-32 versus the Yanks' 44-23. Yikes.

Oh well - game on. I was never quite comfortable with that 14.5 game lead, and in true typical Red Sox fashion, they can never put those bastards away. I don't care what anyone says about wild card - I want our first division flag since 1995. Gut check time.

B-R-U-T-A-L

Okay, maybe another rant will help here. Last night's 6-5 loss to the Orioles in the Red Sox' cradle away from home has to be the most frustrating game of the season. And the lead bombthrower was our big trading deadline acquisition.

Allow me to set the ugly scene. Through 7 innings, we had an old-fashioned pitchers duel, with Dice-K pitching well, and Erik Bedard pitching even better. In the top of the 8th, the Sox finally broke through to tie the game at 1 after Wily Mo Pena capitalized on a horrible non-strike call by the home plate ump. The Sox then erupted for four more runs on hits by Julio Lugo, David Ortiz, and Manny Ramirez to take a (seemingly) comfortable 5-1 lead into the bottom of the 8th.

That's when Eric Gagne was summoned from the pen, and that's when Gagne did what we've all seen since we got him: absolutely nothing. The Orioles sat on his fastball and pretty much did whatever they liked. A big J.D. Drew error also contributed to the meltdown, as the giddy Sox fans at Camden grew increasingly silent. Even our binky, Hideki Okajima, got touched up for a couple of hits. The Orioles tied it up at 5 and then Nick Markakis drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 9th with a sac fly to Coco Crisp in short center. With speedy Brian Roberts on third, the weak-armed Coco had no shot. Game over, in a punch to the gut kind of way.

What is up with Gagne? After the Sox traded Kason Gabbard and two minor leaguers for him, we heard rumblings from some experts in the game that Gagne's stuff wasn't so hot this year, that his numbers weren't a true reflection of how he was pitching. Since he got to Boston, Gagne has faced 19 batters and given up a whopping 9 hits, and he's sporting a spiffy 16.20 ERA. That's Theo on the phone calling the Rangers GM and asking for a mulligan. Meanwhile, Jermaine Dye continues to hit home runs - but we've still got Manny Delcarmen.

I know, hindsight is easy. Maybe Gagne needs a little more time to settle into his new role. And considering the way they've pitched all year long, the bullpen certainly deserves a pass every now and then. But last night just plain sucked. You gotta hold a 4-run lead after you've scratched and clawed your way to get it.

The Yankees continued their torrid pace in Cleveland, knocking around Fausto Carmona, so the lead is down to 5 again.

Josh Beckett vs. Garrett Olson today in Baltimore on the Fox national game of the week. Game time: 4 p.m.

As I Was Saying...

Don't know if I believe in karmic forces, but after I ranted and raved last night, wouldn't you know the boys (they're the boys when they're going good) came back and beat the Angels last night with some inspired play?

Final score from Anaheim was 9-6. It was an entertaining, back-and-forth affair that kept me watching until the final out. The big hit was a Dustin Pedroia home run that just glanced off Garret Anderson's glove in left to put the Sox up for good at 7-6. Gary Matthews probably would have had it. Good relief performances from Timlin, Okajima - who looked especially fresh and nasty - and Papelbon, who got his 26th save.

I must say, these three games - even though we lost two - were fun as hell to watch. The Angels play the game like they have ADHD - throwing down bunts, sending runners on any and all counts, etc. The whole idea seems to be to put as much pressure as possible on the opposition and Mike Scioscia has gotten the results. This series felt like playoff baseball.

The Sox get to enjoy a day off today, and then they hit Camden Yards for a weekend series. Great pitching matchup on deck tomorrow night, with Dice-K going against Erik Bedard.

Singing the Blues

I come before you to rant. It's currently 10:50 on the east coast, it's hot and muggy, and as I'm wont to do, I'm lounging on my new leather couch (free by the way, if the Red Sox win the World Series this year) taking in the series finale between the Sox and the Angels out in Anaheim. And I'm bleeping pissed.

Entering today's games, the Yankees had whittled the Sox lead from a high of 14.5 games down to a meager 5. Granted, it's still the biggest divisional lead in all of baseball, but leave it to us pessimistic Bostonians to make 5 feel like 0.5.

Anyway, here's my main bitch. All year long, all I've read about is the pitching, the pitching, the pitching. Well, in case anyone hasn't noticed we've basically got 2 goddamn pitchers right now that we can count on. Dice-K and Josh Beckett. Hopefully Schilling makes that three. The jury's out on him after his performance the other night, and he needs another game to show that he can be effective down the stretch. Tim Wakefield - God love him - and Jon Lester are not getting the job done. We all know about the Wake roller coaster. Like Manny, we take the good with the bad, and we watch helplessly as opposing base runners have their way on Wake and Doug Mirabelli. When/if the Sox are fortunate enough to get into the postseason, Wake becomes an instant liability. Lester, on the other hand, has come back admirably from his illness but the kid's just not doing the job. I personally have never seen the glimpses of his talent that everyone has raved about. Every time I've seen him pitch, he's been strangely average - with one or two good outings. If someone would have taken Lester and Wily Mo for a good bat, shame on Theo. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but I'm just going on what I've seen.

The other thing that's pissing me off is this team is playing flat, uninspired baseball. Compared to the hyper Angels, they look like zombies. The baserunning mistakes have been frequent and they've been costly. They had another one tonight in the friggin' first inning when Julio Lugo had a brain fart and got picked off first. There just doesn't seem to be any fire, there's been no clutch, come-from-behind wins, Papi and Manny are going through the motions, J.D. Drew shows no signs that he's a living, breathing human being. Contrast that with the Yankees, who, while they lost big to Toronto tonight, have come together as a team and gone 20-7 since the All-Star break. They got into a beanball war with the Blue Jays last night, and Big Fat Rog got ejected for hitting Alex Rios square in the back. Of course, A-Fraud as in the middle of it all. Maybe this vintage photo of Tek giving A-Fraud a mouthful of Rawlings will get this ship turned around.

As I type these words, the Angels just took a 3-0 lead on Lester and the Sox offense shows no signs of getting to Dustin Moseley, whoever he may be. Papi is sitting this one out, as is Coco Crisp. And as I will be very soon. I ain't staying up to watch this crap.

Hey, I always said it was the best day-to-day soap opera ever...

Sox Flying High Into Anaheim

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.

A Crying Sham

This stinks. This really, really, really stinks.

One of the most cherished records in all of sports is about to fall, and the soon-to-be recordholder is being treated, justifiably, as a pariah. The cameras flash and the TV cameras roll because they kind of have to. The commissioner is in attendance because, you know, it's his sport and he kind of has to be there. The fans? Except for the safe house in San Francisco, the tide has been overwhelmingly negative. And finally - and really, most importantly - the previous recordholder, a man who went through an entirely different hell to reach new heights, will be nowhere to be found when #756 clears the fence.

It's gotten sad to the point where the true drama of the moment, whenever it comes, is waiting to see what Bud Selig's reaction will be. Last night, when Barry Bonds smacked an opposite-field home run to tie Hank Aaron's record at 755, the cameras showed a very confused commish. His hands remained jammed into the pockets of his sport coat, and he was expressionless, just surveying the whole scene. Since Bud is a very close friend of Aaron's I wondered if this tepid reaction was sort of an extension of how the Hammer truly feels about this whole disaster. Was Bud a visual proxy for the feelings of his friend?

In a way, the depth of appreciation for what Aaron both went through and did may never be stronger than it is right now - just as his 30-year record is about to be broken. Aaron, as we all know, was a young black man playing his sport is hostile territory -- the segregated South. To read about the death threats, and the terrible abuse his family endured, is heart-breaking. A few weeks ago, SI's excellent baseball writer, Tom Verducci, eloquently captured the turmoil Aaron went through, comparing his moment of celebration over 715 with another more recent "milestone":

"In September 1998, Aaron watched wistfully as Mark McGwire crossed home plate following his record-breaking 62nd home run and hugged his son, Matthew, dressed in a Cardinals uniform as a team batboy. When Aaron hit 715, his daughter, Gaile, a student at Fisk University in Tennessee, had to watch on television while under the protection of FBI agents because of a kidnapping plot against her..."

As we prepare to watch Barry Bonds swat 756, we hate it on a number of levels. We hate it because he's been such an absolute selfish, malcontented dink (even today, when he's battling with the Hall of Fame over what items he will give them)... we hate it because he grew up as the privileged son of a pretty talented major leaguer... we hate it most of all because the mountain of evidence suggests without a doubt that he cheated. Aaron, meanwhile, has never been described as warm and fuzzy, but he has been described by many as classy, dignified, graceful, respectful, and humble. He grew up poor, had to deal with the intense race issues of the day, and he thought he might die as he attempted to break Babe Ruth's record. Aaron is our grandparents - quiet, working hard, steady as she goes, sitting in a rocking chair on the porch and drinking a cool glass of lemonade. Bonds, much as I hate to say it, is in many ways a symbol of our society today. Instant gratification, and do whatever it takes to get there. And do it while you're sitting in your own private leather recliner in the clubhouse, away from your teammates.

So while this national nightmare winds its way to an end, here's something to ponder. As fans, we can simply flip the mental switch and value another statistic over home runs. Think about it -- the home run is like the 350-yard drive in golf. It's impressive, but it doesn't tell you about the guy's whole game. I hereby nominate total bases.

Makes a little sense, doesn't it? And here's the best part. Bonds is #4 on the all-time list for total bases with 5929. Aaron is first with an incredible 6856.

Long live the Hammer.

The Bronx Is Burning

Alright, so let me see if I've got the events of the last few days straight.

The Celtics traded Al Jefferson and a bunch of flostam and jetsam for Kevin Garnett, making them instantly relevant. The Red Sox traded a junk-balling lefty and two career prospects for former closer extraordinaire Eric Gagne, and then took 2 of 3 from the Orioles. The Yankees - desperate for bullpen help, as evidenced by Mariano Rivera's rare public plea - instead traded a reliever and got a utility infielder. And perhaps best of all, Roger Clemens, who turns 45 tomorrow, was booed off the Yankee Stadium mound yesterday after giving up 9 hits to his first 12 batters in an eventual 13-9 loss to the White Sox. Oh, to have heard birdbrain Yankee radio announcers Michael Kay and the orgasmic Suzyn Waldman describe the events.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that life is good in Boston sports-land - bordering on 1986-like good. (That, in case you don't know, was the year the Sox went to the World Series ('nuff said on that), the Patriots played in the Super Bowl ('nuff said on that), the Celtics beat Houston for yet another NBA title (talk all you want), and the Bruins were one series away from getting to the Stanley Cup finals. A pretty impressive feat despite some of the gruesome outcomes.)

Sure, I wish the Sox had gotten Jermaine Dye - and his 2-homer performance yesterday against the Yanks made that non-move smart even more. If the reports are true that Kenny Williams wanted Manny Delcarmen or else, I would have included him without batting an eye. I still think this team needs another bat.

That's one area where the Yankees - currently 8 games back - aren't suffering. They've wreaked havoc on AL pitching staffs the last couple weeks, at one point hitting 13 homers in 2 games (interestingly, none from A-Fraud, who's looking for #500). The guy who's been on absolute fire is Hideki Matsui. I know my Sarasota buddy thinks I'm obsessed with the Bombers, but they're only 3 games out in the wild card race. Imagine if they take the wild card? Guess who their first-round opponent will most likely be...

Anyway, that's getting ahead of ourselves. It goes without saying that the next two weeks will be very telling. The Yankees start a series against the woeful Royals tonight, while the Sox have to (once again) jet out to the Left Coast to take on a hot Seattle team and then tangle with the OrangeCountyDisneylandLosAngeles Angels. This is where the rubber meets the road.

Tonight's probables: Jon Lester, who returns to his home state, for the good guys. Horacio Ramirez for the Mariners.

Comings & Goings

I was all excited last night when I heard on the local sports radio station that the Kevin Garnett deal was pretty much done, and that the Red Sox had a decent to good chance of landing Jermaine Dye and Eric Gagne. Of course, these things change like the New England weather. This morning, it appears that the Garnett trade is, indeed, a done deal with just a few formalities to iron out. Theo's pursuit of Dye still seems to be intact, and in the White Sox' court. And the latest news from Texas is that the Rangers are going to try to keep Gagne.

First, allow me to pontificate on the Celtics. As a kid coming of age and following sports in the 1980s, the Celtics - and the Big Three of Bird, Parish, and McHale - were IT. Much like the Patriots and Sox today, they were appointment TV. You didn't want to miss a game because you might see something truly special. That, sadly, has completely vanished through the 1990s and into today, as the Dave Gavitts, M.L. Carrs, and Rick Pitinos of the world - along with some truly shitty luck - drove our cherished franchise into the ground. Today's Celtics team could be playing a pickup game in my driveway and I could care less. With this move, I care again - and there has to be thousands just like me. I may not pony up the dough for season tickets, but I'm gonna be watching and I'll find my way to the Garden a few times. The naysayers worried about giving up Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, et al, just don't get it. This team has been in rebuilding mode for 10 friggin' years. Except for one totally fluke appearance in the Eastern Conference finals against New Jersey, this team has been irrelevant. The East is wide open, and having Pierce, Ray Allen, and Garnett on the same floor - all of whom are chomping at the bit for a championship - should be something to behold. Danny and Doc just saved their jobs. And a former member of that vaunted Big Three - the man from Hibbing, Minnesota with the crazy inside post moves - gets a big assist. One NBA opinion I respect - the Globe's Jackie MacMullan - agrees.

Okay, got that off my chest. Now onto Dye. It's hard to argue with this move, which the most recent reports indicate would involve us shipping Wily Mo and maybe Delcarmen to the White Sox for Dye, who cranked 44 homers last year and drove in 120. The big question is where's he going to play? Has the team lost faith in J.D. Drew, meaning we may see less of him? Do they know something more about Big Papi's injury that could mean Manny or Dye DH's a lot down the stretch? You have to figure Theo's got a plan, and personally I'm all for downsizing J.D.'s playing time. It's been a long enough sample size. Gagne would have been a very nice add (imagine him and Okie Dokie setting up Papelbon?), but it sounds like it may not happen.

Finally, some current events worth noting. The next couple of days could produce some historic milestones around baseball. We all know about Big Head, but Billerica's own Tommy Glavine is sitting on 299 career wins, and A-Rod is one HR away from 500. And last, it should be one hell of a pitchers' duel tonight at Fenway, as the first-place Red Sox get back into action against the Orioles. Josh Beckett vs. lefty Erik Bedard, who's been on fire lately.

And another trade nugget for your Monday

According to this report from the Globe's Gordon Edes, the Sox are close to acquiring White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye for Wily Mo Pena and a minor league arm (not Bucholz or Lester). Again, yes please.

The only catch? I read somewhere that Dye is concerned about playing time and that the Sox have agreed to play him at least 5 days a week. How that's gonna happen, me not so sure. Pine time for J.D.?

KG? Yes, please...

We interrupt this baseball blog for a moment to tell you that the Celtics could be on the verge of being relevant again. Please, Lord, allow this deal to happen. We have suffered long enough.

They Don't Make 'Em Like This Anymore

Today in Cooperstown, N.Y., the site of the baseball hall of fame, two men will be inducted who are part of a dying breed. Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn played for the Orioles and Padres, respectively, for their entire careers, almost completely unheard of in today's day and age (Craig Biggio excepted).

Besides their loyalty to their franchises, the nice thing about both Ripken and Gwynn is the universal respect they've been accorded by their peers. From all accounts, they were not only great players but good human beings. It would be a travesty if the anti-Ripken/Gwynn - aka Barry Bonds - trumped the HOF celebrations today, so here's hoping the baseball gods exercise some good judgment. (One thing we do know - if Barry does tie Aaron's record today, Bud Selig won't be there. He's got his priorities straight - at least for a day). Here's a good piece on Ripken and Gwynn from SI's Tom Verducci that's worth a read.

As for our local nine, it wasn't easy last night but they eventually dispatched a pesky Devil Rays team in extra innings, 12-6. Closer supreme Jonathan Papelbon gave up a Jonny Gomes homer in the bottom of the 9th to blow the save, but the Sox came through in the top of the 12th with a bases loaded walk and a big double from Kevin Youkilis, whose bat is showing more life lately. The Yankees lost again to the Orioles, meaning the AL East lead has expanded to a much more comfy 9 games.

If you're going to the game at the Trop this afternoon, the letter of the day is "K". Dice-K goes against Scott Kazmir, which means there's gonna be a lot of K's.

Red Sox South

We've always marveled at the "home field" advantage the Red Sox enjoy in cities like Tampa Bay and Baltimore. Those venues have always been popular destinations for members of Red Sox Nation. It has to be great for the Sox, and absolutely deflating for the real home team.

Last night - after taking a very impressive 3 of 4 from a solid Indians club - the Sox opened up a weekend series in Tampa against the Devil Rays, winning 7-1 behind the suddenly resurgent Tim Wakefield and a big homer from Kevin Youkilis, who had been struggling. The chants of "Yooooooook" throughout Tropicana Field came through loud and clear on the telly. Late in the game, when a D-Ray runner was called safe at first on a double-play ball, the crowd booed. The Yankees, meanwhile, split two with the Orioles so the AL East lead stands at 8.

Put simply, the Devil Rays are Wakefield's bitches. The man is an incredible 17-2 against them in his career, and he's been lights out in the dome. When the team bus sees the exit signs above, Wake is smiling. Last night's game also gave a a glimpse into how the Yankees mopped the floor with Tampa last week - their bullpen is positively HORRENDOUS.

The teams go at it again tonight at 7, with Jon Lester making his second comeback start against James Shields.

A few random thoughts and links for your Saturday:

- Can someone tell me why Coco Crisp is pulling a Manny -- a/k/a not talking at all to the media? Is it because we lumped in with Lugo and Drew when he was struggggling? He's had a nice year, but he's not good enough to pull this crap. Would have been nice to hear from Coco on why he paused before crossing the plate in Cleveland the other night, costing the Sox the potential tying run in a tight ballgame.

- I don't have the energy or time to research the last time the Sox played in back to back 1-0 games, but what happened in Cleveland has to be pretty rare. The Sox won the first one and lost the second. Interesting how 1-0 games in soccer suck, but they can be pretty cool in baseball.

- You'd never guess this was Alfonso Soriano's ride. What a clown.

- Couple of new links over to the right worth checking out. Sports by Brooks is a great daily read. The guy knows his sports and he likes putting pictures of hot chicks up. With Leather is another good one.

- Latest on the trade rumor front - looks like the price is too steep for Mark Teixeira, but the Sox are keeping an eye on Ty Wigginton - a classic member of the Reggie Cleveland All-Stars and a moonlighting obstetrician. From his Wikipedia page: "On December 20, 2006, Wigginton was forced to handle the delivery of his son Cannon at home when his wife Angela went into labor unexpectedly. Following the instructions of an operator on 9-1-1, he delivered the baby in a bedroom closet of their North Carolina home and tied off the umbilical cord with one of his shoelaces." I'm not sure what's more mind-numbing. The fact that he thought so clearly during a hectic time, or that he actually named his son Cannon Wigginton. Either way, something tells me he won't be in Boston anytime soon. It's a big-time seller's market right now, with GM's of teams that are out of it asking for a bit too much. May or may not change leading up to the July 31 deadline, but for now it looks like the team on the field is it. Based on the last week, that's feeling okay... for now.

- How'd you like to be commissioner of a major sports league right now? Bud Selig has to deal with the fact that his sport's most cherished record is about to be broken by a habitual cheater. Roger Goodell has to handle the indictment of one of the NFL's marquee stars, the details of which are horrific. And believe it or not, David Stern - the ambassador of calm and steady - may have the worst situation with the whole Tim Donaghy mess. I'm not condoning what Vick's allegedly done, believe me, but Donaghy's crime is far more damaging to the NBA as a sport.

A Triumphant Return

Last night was one of those occasions when the toy department known as the sports world collided with what really matters in life. After almost a year of uncertainty and hard work, Jon Lester - who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma last August - returned to the mound for the Red Sox in storybook fashion. The young lefty threw six solid innings at a good Cleveland Indians team and took home the win, 6-2. It was great to see the Lester family in the stands in Cleveland, cheering and fist-pumping at key moments.

Getting back to the toy department for a minute, the Sox have now reeled off four straight wins against the White Sox and Indians, and have their two aces - Dice-K and Beckett - lined up the next two nights. While the Yankees have been mopping the floor with the pathetic Devil Rays and (last night) the Royals, they haven't been able to penetrate Boston's lead. For us (fingers crossed), things are only going to get better. Curt Schilling was dominant in his first rehab start for Pawtucket and will go at it again Thursday night before team decides when he should return. With Lester up, Julian Tavarez has been moved to the 'pen, which should make the relief corps stronger. They're winning without Big Papi, who hurt his shoulder belly-sliding into second base on the weekend, and he's due to return tonight or tomorrow. And everyone's still wondering what Theo will do at the trading deadline. It seems like we've got a pretty nice surplus of pitching to deal for a quality bat or two.

Good matchup in Cleveland tonight, with Matsuzaka going against C.C. Sabathia.

The Three Musketeers

Crisp and Lugo and Drew, oh my...

The much-maligned threesome came through in a big way last night against the White Sox to help stop a three-game losing skid. Collectively, the trio went 6 for 13 with 4 runs and 8 RBI, including a huge triple by Crisp and (gulp) a grand salami from Lugo that blew it wide open. And it should have been even more because Drew got robbed of a 3-run homer in the first inning on a bad call by the umps. Behind this newfound offense, and continued solid pitching from Josh Beckett, the Red Sox cruised, winning 10-3. With the Yanks losing to Tampa, 14-4, the lead before Saturday's games is 8.

We get a late afternoon FOX game today with Kason Gabbard going against John Danks. Let's see what Gabby does following his complete-game gem last time out.

WWTD??

Long before Lance Armstrong's yellow "Livestrong" bracelets, a popular inspirational bracelet among those of strong faith said simply WWJD - or 'what would Jesus do?' In the congregation known as Red Sox Nation (can't you picture Jackie Chiles saying that?) right now, the bracelet should say WWTD - for what will Theo do?

The Red Sox lost another game at home last night to a crappy team, and lo and behold, now have the New York Yankees breathing down their necks. While the Dollar Store Royals came into town and helped themselves to two of three from the Sox at Fenway, the Yankees have been silently cleaning up - winning 8 of their last 10. This morning, the lead stands at 7, six in the loss column.

Yes, the members of the Nation are worried but I was giving this whole situation some serious thought this morning and here's my take: this "scare" will help this ballclub, Theo will make a shades-of-2004 trading deadline move that improves the team, and - crazy as it sounds - we'll all be able to relax a little more. See, we can't co-exist with a double-digit lead in the AL East. Even though it felt comfortable at times - like maybe when we were 13 or 14 ahead of the Bombers - didn't you always think in the back of your cranium that this wasn't over? I never said to myself this division was ours because NOTHING comes easy to this team. Okay, you can argue that the World Series triumph over the deflated Cardinals was pretty easy, but only in hindsight. It was still typical Red Sox gut-churning baseball. Plus, the Yankees' lineup is just too damn good, and as I've mentioned before now they've got Clemens, Wang, Pettite, Mussina, and Hughes coming back. We knew this was going to turn into a race, and all's I'm saying is that's really the only way we know how to follow this team. The large lead never felt safe to me.

Anyway, we know that this team as currently constituted has some major flaws. Their record is horrible since late May, and the lineup just hasn't clicked on all cylinders all year long. And J.D. Drew is absolutely killing me with the topspin grounders to second and first. Love to see a stat from the Maniacal One on that. As I see it right now, the problems Theo and Co. need to address for the stretch run, in order, are 1) Drew, 2) Tavarez, 3) Wakefield.

Not sure what can be done about ol' J.D. but he has to be ranked as one of the biggest busts in MLB this year. The only thing nice I can say about the guy is that he plays an above-average right field. This team desperately needs a #5 bopper in the lineup, preferably an outfielder. The other flaws - Tavarez and Wakefield - could be resolved internally with Gabbard and Lester, but I don't think we can count on that. As always, it will be very interesting to see what Theo will do. Standing pat definitely will not do.

Battles of the Soxes tonight, as Chicago comes into town for four.

Gabbard Makes a Case to Stay

Certainly can't quibble with the pitching performances the last two days. Josh Beckett lost a tough one yesterday, 2-1, in the weekend series finale against Toronto, and Kason Gabbard is making it look easy tonight against the perenially-bad-but-scrappy Kansas City Royals. We're currently in the 8th inning, Sox are up 4-0 behind homers from Pedroia, Manny, and Papi, and we're wondering if Tito will send Gabbard out to finish it off in the ninth. I predict no.

We're reporting to you, by the way, live from the Cape of Cod - specifically the charming sea captain's town of Brewster (right above the elbow in that aerial shot to the left). On a little vacation with the wife and kids, and managing to get some baseball viewing in between trips for ice cream, fried clams and the beach. I must say - I'm very disappointed so far in summer. It's either been 95 degrees or low 70's, which is too cool to stay in the water for too long. But hell, it's vacation. Work is the furthest thing from my mind. And that's always a good thing.

Manny's up now with 2 down in the home half of the 8th, and he grounds out to third. Lo and behold, Gabbard is coming out for the ninth. One hit or walk and he's likely gone. The Sox' lead by the way, has slipped into single-digits as the Yankees are now 9 games back. Still feels okay, but if it gets down to 5 that's a different story.

Two down now in the Royals' 9th -- Gabbard has the last batter 0-2 and is looking for a rare complete game. The fans are going craaaaaazy. And he gets Mark Teahen swinging. A very tidy ballgame. Could Julian Tavarez be headed for the 'pen in favor of Gabbard?

Tomorrow's National Anthem...

... will have a little extra meaning.

Welcome Back

After the ugly sweep in Detroit, and being subjected to the three-day Barryfest over the break, it was nice to have a game to look forward to last night. It was even nicer to see the Sox swing the bats in beating the Blue Jays, 7-4, at Fenway. And in particular, it was nice to see a certain heavy-hitting duo get involved.

Much attention around here during the All-Star break was paid to the fact that both Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz are wayyyy behind their first-half numbers from 2006. No one's sure why Manny's production has tailed off, and Papi is playing on a trick knee and isn't seeing many juicy fastballs. So last night, it was most comforting to see them go a combined 5 for 9, with 5 RBI's and 3 runs against Jays' ace Roy Halladay.

For us, Tim Wakefield pitched well until the 6th, when his knuckler started to get flat and some pretty good hitters - Matt Stairs and Alex Rios - went back to back with two bombs. As has been the case all year, Okie Dokie and Papelbon came in and snuffed out any potential fires.

The Jays' loss means that the Yankees (7-3 victors over Tampa Bay) have sole possession of second place, 10 games back. Toronto is now 11 back.

One other note - lots of talk the last couple of days about Big Papi's knee. As some of you guys know, I consider myself one of the world's foremost experts on knees. In fact, I think I could probably become an orthopedic surgeon with very little training. The good news for Papi, for the time being, is that he can play with the injury in its current state (sounds medical-ly, doesn't it?). The man banged out three hits last night, had to run the bases a few times, and - to add salt to the wound (there's my doctor-speak creeping in again), fouled a ball off his knee. We may not see the tape-measure home runs, but he's going to be in the middle of things. So don't worry about him. And that's Dr. Kampy's assessment.

Finally we get back to a full slate of games across MLB today. Sox and Jays get going at 7:00. Julian Tavarez vs. Shaun Marcum.

Is the Good Ship Lollipop Starting to Take on Water?

Well, after about five or six cocktails last night, I finally found a TV. Five minutes of watching gave me all I really needed to see - the Sox had runners on base in every inning and just couldn't get it done. In the end, they lost their second straight game to Detroit, 3-2, in 13 innings.

This whole series has had a 'mailing it in' feeling to me. Guys are banged up. The all-star break is coming. To be fair, looking at the pitching matchups, I felt one out of three this weekend would be acceptable. Tavarez and Gabbard started the first two games, and while Tavarez stunk Gabbard gave a performance that is going to help him stick around for a while. Today was the one I thought they'd get, with Matsuzaka going against Nate Robertson. Now we hear that our erstwhile slugger with no pop, Manuel Ramirez, is going to sit this one out today due to what Terry Francona called 'internal turmoil.' Interesting phrase, but we think he means that Manny's got an upset stomach. This news came out three hours before gametime, which is plenty of time to send a clubhouse kid to CVS to get some Pepto-Bismol. The only thing I can take from this - with the facts currently on the table - is that Manny is pulling some of his typical horseshit here. Let's hope not. It will be very interesting to see if Manny finds his way to San Francisco for the all-star game on Tuesday.

From the Outhouse to the Penthouse

Less than 24 hours after a complete dismantling of the horrible Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the Red Sox traveled to Mitt Romney's "home" state last night to play one of the best teams in baseball. The Tigers have it all - great pitching, studs in the lineup, a good bullpen, and Jim Leyland as manager. Not too shabby. This could be a preview of the ALCS. The Tigers probably feel they have some unfinished business after losing to an inferior St. Louis Cardinals team in last year's World Series.

Last night's opener, unfortunately, didn't go our way. It's almost like the Sox conceded this one before it began. At 4:00, when I heard that Ortiz and Youkilis were out of the lineup and that Jeff Bailey (??) had been called up to spot-start at first, I knew it wasn't going to be a fun night. Tavarez got boxed around pretty good (8 runs) and the Sox couldn't solve young lefty Andrew Miller, who looked pretty impressive. Final score was 9-2, with Marcus Thames' grand slam putting the nail in the coffin. In the final analysis, Tito may have left Tavarez in a little too long. He was getting hit very hard in the 2nd inning, and it was pretty clear to me (3 Coronas in) that he just didn't have it.

The call-up of Bailey - and demotion of Jacoby Ellsbury - also was curious. If the Tigers had had a righty going last night, would the lefty-hitting Ellsbury have stuck around? The kid provided a jolt and got on base. The only thing I can think of is that the organization doesn't want him to get too comfortable and content. Francona really played the 'let's not put him in the Hall of Fame' card in describing why the team made the move. Others have surmised that Ellsbury's backing off a fly ball he was chasing with J.D. Drew showed that he has some things to work on.

The lead is now 11 over both Toronto and the Yankees. Tough one tonight - Kason Gabbard goes against Jeremy Bonderman, who might be feeling a little slighted after not being named to the AL all-star team. Never a good thing.

I'll be at a freaking "Lucky 7" wedding tonight, so the first order of business will be to scope out where the TV is.

Just Like Old Times

Alright, I'm excited so I had to jump on and do a little live blogging. Remember how I wondered if the Sox and Devil Rays might rekindle their dislike for each other this week? The history between the two teams is filled with beanball moments. Brian Daubach. Roberto Hernandez. Gerald Williams rushing Pedro in what I believe ended up being a one-hitter. Trot letting the bat slip in the general direction of Ryan Rupe. See, I don't forget.

And while the players and coaching staffs may change over time, neither do they. The Sox right now are throttling the poor D-Rays, 13-2, and we're only in the 4th inning. Josh Beckett just threw a 95-mph fastball that hit Jonny Gomes flush in the elbow and Gomes was not pleased. Can you blame him? That's gotta hurt like hell and he has to run by the guy who just did it and politely take his base? Easy for us to say. Anyway, Gomes had a few words with Beckett on his way down to first so we'll see if this develops into anything (why do I feel like an ambulance chaser?). When NESN cut to commercial, former D-Ray Julio Lugo was talking with Gomes.

Woop... we're in the bottom of the 5th now and Shawn Camp just came in high and tight on Mike Lowell... I'm bad. I'm rooting for a brawl. We're only playing these guys 16 more frickin' times so something's bound to happen at some point.

What the hell is the Devil Ray mascot doing at Fenway? Him (her?) and Wally are raising havoc on top of the third-base dugout...

More later, unless this game puts me to sleep which is very possible.

Go Fourth

Halfway Mark

The Red Sox took home a 7-3 win last night over the Rangers in their 81st game of the season, giving them a healthy 50-31 record. With exactly 81 more to go, the Nation is officially in unchartered territory. A 10-1/2 game lead before July 4th? The Yankees under .500? Manny and Papi still looking for their power groove? Life is indeed good, but how come it feels so shaky?

I'll tell you why - because us Red Sox fans are wired differently. Our DNA contains strands of Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner, Christ even Harry Frazee, the hare-brained owner who only sold off the greatest baseball player that ever lived. Oh, and he sold him to the Yankees. And of course, the epic collapse in 1978 - sealed by Bucky F'ing Dent's pop-up into the left-field screen - reminds us to not be too overconfident. Anything can happen, as evidenced by the scars we bear.

That's been proven during the first half of this weird, wacky season. Ironically, the Sox have the same exact record (50-31) that they had a year ago at the midway point. Back then, that was only good for a 4-1/2 game lead on the Yankees. Today, in the pathetically lame AL East, that same record is good for a comfortable 10-1/2 game lead on Toronto and an 11-game lead on the Yanks. Why the big spread? Number one, again the rapid deterioration of the once-tough AL East. But also pitching, pitching, pitching. The starting five (with a few blemishes, mostly from Wakefield) and the bullpen (Okajima and Papelbon) have been magnificent, and they've served as masking agents for the underperformance of Boston's big boppers, Manny and David Ortiz:

Mid-year 2006: Ortiz 26 HRs, 76 RBI; Manny 23/63
Mid-year 2007: Ortiz 13/49; Manny 11/44

The offensive heroes through the first half have been few, but while Manny and Ortiz try to find their power strokes, both Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis have been pretty steady.

Hopefully Manny, Papi, Drew and Lugo can all contribute more offense in the second half. The easy schedule the rest of the way plays in the Sox' favor. Fifty-eight of the Sox' remaining 81 games are against teams with sub-.500 records, including a whopping 19 meetings against the perpetually woeful Tampa Bay Devil Dogs, and 13 more against the skidding Orioles. Take care of business, beat the teams you're supposed to beat, and we should have our first division... nope, not going to say it. Not yet anyway.

I'm planning to post a fairly comprehensive mid-year report card at some point in the next couple of days, so stay tuned.

As far as last night, it was the rookies who stole the show. Dustin Pedroia got the Sox off on the right foot with an early two-run double, and Jacoby Ellsbury electrified Fenway when he scored from second on a passed ball. This kid can pick 'em up and put 'em down. One of the many luxuries of having a big lead is being able to play the kids every now and then. Eric Hinske also had a huge hit, a bases-loaded triple to the triangle that just eluded Kenny Lofton. Oh, and while the embattled Julio Lugo didn't have a hit, he also didn't commit any stupid baserunning mistakes. Lugo laid down a nice sacrifice bunt, and walked a couple of times. About as good a night as you can have without getting a knock.

Tonight, believe it or not, we face the Devil Rays for the first time all season. Get ready for a steady drumbeat of D-Rays over the next couple months. We're gonna get to know them really well. Maybe there'll even be some Daubachian/Nixonian fireworks between these two "blood" rivals.

Good one on tap for tonight, with K cards at the ready: Dice-K vs. Scott Kazmir.

D.D.D.

That's New York police code for a fatality, which stands for "Definitely Done Dancing." According to today's New York Post, the Yanks are officially D.D.D.

Oh, and Scott Proctor lit his gear on fire the other day.

Other than that, all is well in the Bronx Zoo.

Another Soccer Score

The lumber is slumbering for sure. The Sox lost another 2-1 game to the immortal Kameron Loe and the Rangers today, but as has been the trend lately, the Blue Jays and Yankees also lost so no pain inflicted. Amazing how weak the AL East really is, which makes some of the concerns we have about the Sox a little more amplified - but that's a story for another day.

It's been a weekend so far of lost opportunities and very little scoring. Both teams have left tons of men on base, Kenny Lofton looks like he's running pretty well, and Michael Young - one of the most potent hitters in MLB when he's on - is starting to get his stroke back after a slow start. But as usual - the Rangers will go absolutely nowhere because they don't understand how to build a winning pitching staff. Never have, never will. The Sox will try to split the 4-game series in tomorrow night's finale.

In other important news across MLB, the AL and NL All-Star teams have been chosen. Here are your 2007 members:

AMERICAN LEAGUE - STARTERS
C: Pudge Rodriguez
1B: David Ortiz
2B: Placido Polanco
SS: Derek Jeter
3B: Alex Rodriguez
OF: Ichiro Suzuki
OF: Magglio Ordonez
OF: Vladimir Guerrero

AMERICAN LEAGUE - RESERVES
Pitchers: Josh Beckett, Justin Verlander, C.C. Sabathia, John Lackey, Dan Haren, Johan Santana, Gil Meche, Jonathan Papelbon, J.J. Putz, Francisco Rodriguez
Position players: Justin Morneau, Carlos Guillen, Mike Lowell, Manny Ramirez, Michael Young, Carl Crawford, Alex Rios, Victor Martinez, Jorge Posada, Brian Roberts, Torii Hunter, Grady Sizemore
Fan vote (one will be chosen): Jeremy Bonderman, Hideki Okajima, Kelvim Escobar, Roy Halladay, Pat Neshek

NATIONAL LEAGUE - STARTERS
C: Russell Martin
1B: Prince Fielder
2B: Chase Utley
SS: Jose Reyes
3B: David Wright
OF: Barry Bonds
OF: Carlos Beltran
OF: Ken Griffey, Jr.

NATIONAL LEAGUE - RESERVES
Pitchers: Brad Penny, Ben Sheets, John Smoltz, Cole Hamels, Jake Peavy, Billy Wagner, Francisco Cordero, Jose Valverde, Takashi Saito, Trevor Hoffman, Brian Fuentes
Position players: J.J. Hardy, Alfonso Soriano, Orlando Hudson, Aaron Rowand, Brian McCann, Albert Pujols, Dmitri Young, Derrek Lee, Freddy Sanchez, Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Lee, Matt Holliday
Fan vote (one will be chosen): Chris Young (SD), Brandon Webb, Roy Oswalt, Carlos Zambrano, Tom Gorzellany

Some quick observations:

- The big news, of course, is that Barry Bonds pulled out a starting position on the NL team thanks to late fan balloting. Should be one big love-in at Pac Bell Park. Can't wait.

- New York City has the market cornered on left sides of the infield, huh? Wright and Reyes in Queens, A-Rod and Jeter in the Bronx.

- Interesting that the NL chose to go with six closers while the AL will carry three. Does that mean the best pitchers in the National League are in the bullpen?

- On the fan voting for the final spots, I went with Okajima and Chris Young. Okajima has been incredible this year.

- America loves nicknames. Pudge Rodriguez shouldn't be starting over either Posada or Victor Martinez. And think about this - Joe Mauer stays home.

- Guys that shoulda, woulda, coulda made it -- Orlando Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez, Edgar Renteria (oh how it hurts to type those three names in a row), Kevin Youkilis, Curtis Granderson, Daisuke Matsuzaka

- Will Barry participate in the HR Derby?

- Placido Polanco at second base? Not a very deep position, obviously.

- The one rep from each team rule is stupid

- And last but not least, the excellent broadcaster Dave O'Brien - who's doing Sox games this year - mentioned this little tidbit: that Tony La Russa has made overtures to Mark McGwire to see if Big Mac would consider coming back - ala Sammy Sosa - to do a little image re-buffing.

Lugo Has a Brain Fart

Julio Lugo's hitting woes (0 for his last 31) are well-documented, but now he's in a baserunning slump too? Trailing the Rangers 5-4 last night in the 8th inning, Lugo was brought in to pinch run for Dustin Pedroia, who had just smoked a 2-out double. Kevin Youkilis, who had homered earlier in the game, was at the plate. A single ties it up - and Lugo inexplicably decides to try and steal third. The catcher double pumped, and they still got Lugo, who may have been safe if he had chosen to, um, slide. Bad, bad decision. (Note professional illustration of brain fart, above).

Of course, that's not why the Red Sox lost this one. Cruising along with a 4-0 lead, the wheels came off for Josh Beckett, who all of a sudden lost his command and started getting boxed around. The lack of offense from the big Sox power hitters continues to be a source of concern. One would think that coming home after a long West Coast trip, the cozy confines of Fenway would cure what ails the offense - but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe today with Kameron Loe on the mound for Texas?

One cool side note from this one: the much-heralded Jacoby Ellsbury made his major league debut last night - filling in for the injured Coco - and got his first big-league hit, beating out a slow roller to short. Appropriate.

2:00 game time today.