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.

Another Manny Comes Through

With Brendan Donnelly hurting and Mike Timlin struggling, wouldn't it be a huge lift if Manny Delcarmen became that 7th inning guy? He came through in a big way in last night's 2-1 win over the Rangers, striking out 600 Club member Sammy Sosa with the bases juiced (no pun intended) in the... 7th inning. Strange game overall - the winning run came during a tag-out play where Youkilis crossed the plate before the out was made. Some dramatics in the 9th when Papelbon thought he beat Kenny Lofton (the fossil had 4 SB's last night) to the bag at first, but was overruled by the ump. Pap got right up in his grill and was thisclose to being tossed, but his teammates got him out of the way. Compared to the David Ortiz situation a couple weeks ago, the ump showed good restraint this time. Coco sat this one out to rest his ailing thumb and Julio Lugo (if you hadn't heard, 0 for his last 31 AB's) was on the pine. Wake seems to be re-discovering his groove. He got the win.

As far as the current standings, we're 10 1/2 up on Toronto - which lost last night - and 11 up on the Yankees, who also won 2-1. Life is good as we approach the 4th of July, which also happens to be George Steinbrenner's 77th birthday.

Oh, the pictures above... So I'm watching the NBA draft this week just for pure entertainment purposes (and to see what the beleaguered Celtics do) and Joakim Noah gets picked 9th by the Bulls. He stands up from his table, and I'm thinking it's the 7-foot version of Carrot Top right before my eyes. Bushy hair all over the place. A seersucker suit with a bow tie (I read a story last night where he was so concerned about getting a stain on his suit that he had three different people hold his coat during dinner). The guy looked like an absolute clown. But you know something? His schtick is going to make him much more money than his stoned tennis pro dad (Yannick, above) ever made. And did I mention that Joakim's mom is a former Swedish supermodel? Thank you, Joakim, for giving me a laugh as I tried to understand what the Celtics had just done. The #5 pick (Jeff Green), Wally Sczerbiak, and Delonte West to the Sonics for Ray Allen? Not being an avid NBA follower, I'm still trying to digest this one. I guess my feeling is it's a good move if they can make another significant move and get a big defender. And that's all the basketball we'll be talking here for a while...

Rare Saturday night home game tonight for the boys. Josh Beckett vs. Robinson Tejada.

Sleepless in Seattle

Sorry for the obvious headline, but the Sox have hit a little stumbling block in Seattle the last couple nights. Not that I was awake to see it for myself. I think I nodded off in the 6th inning Monday night, and then in the 4th last night. Brutal.

Anyway, for some strange reason the Mariners have the Sox' number in Seattle. I think I heard the boys are winless in their last eight or nine games there. Last night was almost an expected loss with Kason Gabbard called up to pitch opposite Felix Hernandez. King Felix wasn't quite as good as his April gem against us at Fenway, but neither was Gabbard. In the end, the Sox scratched and clawed their way back into this one, but ultimately ended up losing 8-7. One would think that today they right the ship, with Dice-K going against a no-name. Afternoon game today, starting at 4:30.

The Yankees, meanwhile, have fallen from 2nd to 3rd place behind the Blue Jays. The Spanks lost on a walk-off walk last night in Baltimore, and they actually used Fat Roger in a middle relief spot last week. The wheels, if they're not already off, are extremely loose.

Assorted tidbits:

- Dreams can come true. WEEI's Gerry Callahan has lost his voice.

- My sleepers in the NL at this point: Milwaukee and Colorado. You heard it here first.

- Sad to hear about Rod Beck's premature passing. Stories have come out in the last couple of days of how he parked his RV next to the stadium when he was playing in the minors and would invite people in for a beer. Pretty cool.

- Ways not to win your roto league #42: Trade Alex Rodriguez for Carl Crawford. Hey, I was way behind in steals and I hate A-Rod. What a stupid-ass trade. Guess who's in last place?

- Dave Roberts' recent homecoming got me to thinking - which key members from '04 haven't been given their proper due for their heroics? Billy Mueller comes to mind immediately. He was just named hitting coach for the Dodgers. And speaking of the Dodgers, I could be wrong, but I don't think Nomar has come back since leaving. Even though he wasn't part of the playoff run, he'd have to get a huge ovation. And Derek Lowe, who did nothing but win clutch games and get drunk at night. Can you think of any others?

That's all I've got for you today. Stay cool - it's a hot one out there.

Take the Under

I now have a new fantasy baseball strategy going into next year - draft every San Diego Padres pitcher. Holy crap, is Petco Park spacious or what?

The Sox wrap up their three-game set in San Diego this afternoon, and going in you knew it was going to be all about the pitching. So far, so true. On Friday night, two of the best surgeons went at it with Dice-K outdueling Greg Maddux and the Sox winning 2-1. Maddux, after all these years, is still getting it done. A first-ballot HOFer. (As an aside, both teams wore their retro-80's uniforms - the Padres with that hideous brown, yellow and orange combo and the Sox with those penitentiary-like grays with "BOSTON" in blue across the chest. All I kept thinking of was the 1986 World Series - thanks for the memories, MLB.) Last night, I didn't feel good about the Wake vs. Chris Young matchup and for good reason. Young is one of the more underrated pitchers in baseball, and he dominated last night as the Padres won 6-0. Today, though, is about as good as it gets. If Cy Young voting was held today, these two would probably both win. Josh Beckett vs. Jake Peavy. Appointment TV. If you're stupid enough to wager on baseball, go with the under in these games.

It would be a nice win today to keep this road trip on the positive side. They took 2 of 3 from the Braves, could take 2 of 3 from a very good Padres team, and then they go into Seattle tomorrow. A 6-3 record on this trip would be all we could ask for. The Yanks, meanwhile, got swept away out in Colorado (another team that could be for real), and have split their first two games with the Giants this weekend. The lead currently stands at 10 1/2.

While the Nation is no doubt happy as we head into summer, the one major cause for concern at this moment is our shortstop. After last night's 0-fer, Julio Lugo is 0 for his last 23, he's batting a buck-ninety-six and his OBP is a sucky .258. I know you'll hate me for doing this, but here's a quick capsule look at what could have been:

Hanley Ramirez: .322 BA/.381 OBP/10 HR/25 RBI/22 SB/62 R/14 E
Edgar Renteria: .329 BA/.390 OBP/10 HR/36 RBI/5 SB/47 R/6 E
Orlando Cabrera: .334 BA/.372 OBP/4 HR/44 RBI/8 SB/50 R/4 E
Alex Gonzalez: .263 BA/.302 OBP/12 HR/35 RBI/0 SB/36 R/13 E
Julio Lugo: .196 BA/.258 OBP/4 HR/34 RBI/19 SB/32 R/9 E

I mean, how disheartening is that? Theo's mismanagement of the most important position on the field just absolutely boggles my mind. I know there are tons of variables involved here - we got Lowell and Beckett in the Ramirez trade, and Renteria and Gonzalez are playing in the weak-sister National League. I've heard rumors that Cabrera was diddling around with a teammate's lady, and was sent out for character reasons. But still. That's a friggin' SS all-star team, and some of them are still on our payroll.

Okay, how can I bring the mood back up? It's a gorgeous Sunday afternooon here in Boston (San Diego weather, in fact), and we're 10 1/2 games up on the sputtering Yankees. That feels a little better.

Buddy Carlyle = Batting Practice Machine

The Sox are currently in Atlanta, trying to win the rubber game in a three-game set against the Braves. Things look good, as they should when your lineup is going against a guy named Buddy Carlyle. It's the top of the 4th and the Sox have a comfortable 7-0 lead on the heels of home runs from J.D. Drew (leading off the game), David Ortiz, and Coco Crisp. Coco, by the way, made one of the best catches I've ever seen last night going full bore to prevent a sure double. Very similar to his catch on David Wright last year at Fenway - that one saved the game and was a 9.5 on the rating scale. Last night's was a 10.

But I digress. It's been an eventful three days in Georgia. Curt Schilling started the opener and got throttled, barely registering 90 mph on his fastball and not striking a guy out for the first time in 348 starts. Pretty amazing. After the game, Schilling flew home to have his shoulder checked out and the results came back structurally clean. He's still going on the 15-day DL for some R&R. Hey, the guy's 40 and all. Last night Josh Beckett dominated the Braves and Tim Hudson, winning 4-0 on a rainy night. The only negative so far tonight? J.D. Drew - who seems to be finding his hitting stride - had to leave after the 2nd inning due to quad tightness. Hopefully not a big deal, and with tomorrow's day off, he should be fine for San Diego.

If things stay the way they are, they'll have a 9 1/2 game lead on the Yanks who are in Colorado later tonight.

A couple of things I came across this week:

- Well, the Bruins haven't formally announced that they have a new coach, but that hasn't stopped Wikipedia... check out the right-hand column on the Bruins page.

- Must-see video here. A dead-on impersonation of our beloved skipper. Love the gum sacrifice.

- If Barry Bonds did 'roids, so did Bobby Cox (above).

Father's Day Sweep

The Sox are pretty good on holiday Sundays. Remember the improbable Mother's Day comeback against the Orioles? This time they took the lumber to the visiting San Francisco Giants on Father's Day, and in the process enjoyed their first series sweep in what seems like forever (May 25-27).

On paper, I was a little worried about the pitching matchup -- Morris for the Giants, Wake for us. Morris has gotten off to a nice start, showing glimpses of some of the stuff he had when he was with St. Louis. Wake, as usual, has been wildly unpredictable.

The Sox jumped on Morris in the first inning, spurred on by a leadoff J.D. Drew double. The switch to the top of the order seemed to wake him up a little this weekend. They put up 2 runs in the first, the Giants tied it in the 3rd, and then the Sox pulled away with 5 runs in the bottom of the third. The Giants closed the gap to 8-5 at one point, but it ended as a 9-5 win. Bonds hit a home run, as did Manny. Youk also got back into the hitting groove with a couple of knocks.

Looks like the lead over the Yanks will stay at 8 1/2 games. They're currently rolling over the Mets, 5-0, and Chien Ming Wang is looking strong. The Sox next head off to Atlanta for three (Schilling vs. James Monday; Beckett vs. Hudson Tuesday; and Tavarez vs. someone named Buddy Carlyle Wednesday.) After that, it's another long trip out West to play 3 games each against San Diego and Seattle. The Yanks are also heading out West to play Colorado and the Giants. At least there's a day off after the Braves' series so the boys can get some sleep for the long flight.

Happy Dad's day to all... one little moment from today I wanted to share. About 2 minutes after the Sox game ended today, my 17-month old came out of the toy room with a broom in her hands and started sweeping the floor. Perfect.

Now That's More Like It

Finally, a Sox win and a Yankee loss to calm the jangled nerves of Red Sox fans. The lead this morning is back up to 8 1/2, and I can't remember doing this much scoreboard watching so early in the season.

Last night it was the Dustin and Drew show, with the scrappy little 2B contributing five hits and five RBI and J.D. pitching in with a 3 for 4 night, and three ribbies. After a tough first inning, Julian Tavarez settled in and pitched well.

It was certainly an action-packed start to the game. Dave Roberts led off for the Giants and promptly received a hearty ovation. His historic steal on Jeter and the Yanks in Game 4 of the '04 ALCS will never be forgotten. As Chad over at Touching All the Bases wrote in his live blog last night, without that steal we're probably looking at 89 years of failure. Dave Roberts should actually move to Boston, because he'll never pay for anything in this town as long as he lives.

After that, of course, it was Barry Bonds' turn to be "serenaded" and the fans didn't disappoint. Asterisk signs were everywhere, and the boos were loud, clear, and prolonged. He almost hit a homer in his first at-bat, pushing a ball just to the right of the Pesky Pole off Tavarez, who willed the ball foul with some body language that would have made Carlton Fisk proud.

The fireworks continued in the home half of the first. Big Papi was called out on strikes and as is his custom, saw fit to "question" the home plate umpire on the call. On his way back to the dugout, he threw down his helmet and bat and got tossed. Kneejerk reaction by the ump, in my opinion, but Papi's probably built up a reputation around the league. So before we even get out of the first inning, we've lost our best hitter.

But, alas (love using the word 'alas' whenever I can), our best hitters tonight were Pedroia and Drew, both of whom had an easy time handling Barry Zito's soft serves and the Sox coasted to an easy 10-2 victory.

Good pitching matchup today with Giants ace Matt Cain going against Dice-K. 4 p.m. start time, I believe on Fox.

Some assorted tidbits:

- Bob Ryan this morning writes about the media's interaction with Bonds yesterday, and reports that Barry actually tape-records his conversations with the press so that he 'has his own records.' I'm sure it's a direct order from his battery of lawyers.

- Saw this bit of news recently... if he plays that goddamn Chevy ad song on such hallowed ground as the Esplanade on the 4th of July, I'll vomit. I know - get ready to vomit. I'll never buy a Chevy, I'll tell you that much.

- Was watching the game with a buddy last night and we decided to put the Hardball Heaven Research Team (aka baseball-reference.com) into action. We wanted to know how many different guys have played 2B or SS for the Sox since Theo became GM in 2003. The magic number? 20. Everyone from Damian Jackson to Cesar Crespo to Mark Bellhorn to Pokey Reese. It has truly been a revolving door. Oh, how I miss the days of Burleson and Doyle.