Terry Francona & the Cleveland Indians

Canh you script it any better? Terry Francona, in his rookie season as manager of the Boston Red Sox, breaks an 86 year curse in 2004 to lead the team to its 1st World Series championship in the modern era. Now in his rookie season as manager of the Cleveland Indians, the team that his dad played for & the team that he roamed around in the clubhouse as a kid, the Indians finish with 91 wins & await the winner of the Rangers & Rays play-in game tonight. If the Indians were to win on Wednesday, Francona would be heading back to Boston to face his old team in the ALDS. Don't you think TV & radio media are hoping that happens? I read Francona's book on his Boston years & I guess I never knew the seriousness of his health issues. You have to cheer for a guy whose playing days were cut short & who has paid his dues with managing in the minors & coaching in the majors before getting his first big break in Philly which didn't go so well. I think a lot of people in New England are cheering for the Indians. If Cleveland comes to Boston, you can expect Francona to be well received by the fan base. Then, we will want to kick the crap out of the Indians in three straight wins & have the Sox move on.

Nice Win by Pats 30-23

It wasn't pretty in the end, but none of the Pats 4 wins have been pretty this year. Both Tom Brady & Aqib Talib had huge games on each side of the ball last night as the Pats defeat an Atlanta team on the road 30-23. Speaking of not pretty, the Atlanta Falcons shot themselves in the foot with an early decision to pass up a sure field goal & poor decision late to try a 2nd on-side kick. Kembrell Thomkins looked good on several catches more than he looked bad on dropped balls. LeGarrett Blount rumbled for a big rushing TD, 1st rushing TD of the year for the team. And Talib got the better of Roddie White & Julio Jones more than they got him. His deflection on the last Falcons offensive play of the game on 4th down saved the win for the Pats. A Brady-Wendell fumble on a snap under center & a botched on-side catch hurt the Pats late in the 4th. But the Talib deflection with time running out preserved a hard fought win in hostile territory. Overall, you have to say the Pats are improving. A big concern was Vince Wilfork leaving this game with an injury & not returning. Let's see who's active next week!

Here Come the Playoffs!

Monday - Tampa Bay Rays at Texas Rangers. Wednesday - Winner of Monday's game at Cleveland Indians. Friday - Winner of Wednesday's game at Boston Red Sox. Sprinkle in the NL wild card game on Tuesday as well. The Red Sox couldn't have asked for a better ending to the wild card race as they will play the survivor of one, possibly two, games before their opponent reaches Beantown. The biggest decision left for John Farrell's staff is who makes the playoff roster. Let's start with Lester, Lackey, Buccholz. Add in Ortiz, Napoli, Pedroia, Drew, Middlebrooks, Nava, Gomes, Ellsbury, Victorino, Saltie & Ross. That's 14. Carp, Bogaerts & Berry for bench players. That's 17. Uehara, Dempster, Tazawa, Breslow & Workman in the bullpen. That's 22. Either Morales, Doubront or Thornton as the 2nd lefty out of the pen That's 23. Bubble guys would be Jackie Bradley, Jr., Brock Holt, John McDonald, Allen Webster, Rubby de la Rosa, Brandon Snyder & Ryan Lavarnway along with adding another lefty pitcher. It may depend upon the opponent as to the last piece or two, but my choices would be to take Franklin Morales as the additional lefty, JBJ for defense late in games & Brock Holt in case of injury to Pedroia. We'll see how John Farrell tinkers with the first 3 out of 5 series. 4 days off will help the pitching staff, but the hitters will be at a disadvantage on their timing. Let's hope Lester is "on" in game 1 to give the hitters a chance to adjust.

It's Over!

97 wins. 1st place in the AL East. Best record in the American League. Home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Best record in all of baseball. Let's see what Felger, Mazz, Shaughnessy, et. al. can find to bitch about now! In the Oakland loss to Seattle the Red Sox knew early during their game in Baltimore that they had jumped through their last hoop for best record. No Ellsbury, Ortiz or Saltie in the lineup. Jon Lester was taken out early. And still the Sox almost beat the O's, but they end up losing 6-5. It has been one hell of year which was labeled as a "bridge" year by many. The more you stick around baseball, the more you know how little you know. The pre-season favorite Toronto Blue Jays finish last. The Red Sox go from worst in 2012 to 1st in 2013. This team has had it all -- injuries, question marks, guys sent up & down, position battles, different closers, new manager, new coaching staff, trade deadline deals -- and through it all they never had a month under .500. That consistency & depth of talent resulted in 97 wins to date. We have a lot to be proud of. Hats off to the 2013 turnaround team! Congrats to one & all for making baseball in Boston fun to watch again.

Wild Card Getting Tighter

Tampa Bay lost. Cleveland won. Texas won. With 2 games left to the season the Rays & Indians are tied with identical records of 90-70. The Rangers are 1 back with a record of 89-71. Should the Rangers win today & the Rays & Indians lose, there would be a 3-way tie going into game 162. If all 3 teams end up tied, then there are play-in games before the wild card game, all to the benefit of the Red Sox if the Sox clinch best record. What a weekend!

Sox Win 97th Game

12-3. An unusual sight at Camden Yards to see the Red Sox blow out the home team O's. Baltimore has given the Red Sox fits this year, but the Sox bats responded early & often in this game. Dana Nava hit a 3-run homer in the 1st to stake Clay Buccholz to a 5-0 lead before taking the mound. Buck navigated through 7 innings against a dangerous lineup, given up 3 runs all by way of HR's to Jones & Davis. I'm with Lou Merloni on his assessment that Clay is not pitching as well as the numbers would indicate. His velocity was 89-90 last night & he still has trouble locating his pitches. But even an 80% effective Clay Buccholz can help your rotation in the playoffs. For my money it would be Lester & Lackey at home to start the playoffs & Buck pitching game 3 on the road. Ortiz & Gomes also added homers last night. Good to see Ortiz go to left for his 30th dinger of the year. The big man has been a model of consistency all year as he finishes his 7th season of 30/100 with the Red Sox. Quite a milestone. The Oakland A's won in Seattle, so the Sox magic number is down to 1 for best record with 2 games left. Jon Lester goes tonight for his 16th win. Wouldn't it be sweet revenge for the Sox to clinch best record on the field that they lost on in 2011 to miss the playoffs & get a manager fired.

New Podcast

Hey viewers, take a listen to our latest podcast. Feel free to make any comments, good or bad, by clicking on the "comments" button at the end of this article. We appreciate your feedback. Go Sox!

Bud Selig to Retire After 2014 Season

Mercy! It's finally happening. Bud Selig will retire after next season. The man who once called a tie in an all-star game when all pitchers were used up to change this exhibition to "now it counts." The guy who took forever to clean up baseball's black stain on the game via steroids with a "we can police ourselves" policy. Bud has been more ineffectual than effective in his last several years. At 79 he should have retired long ago. But at least it's happening sooner than later. Yes, he did bring wild cards into play & instant replay. But the last straw was his handling or not handling of the A-Roid situation this year by not invoking the power of his office to suspend Rodriguez & instead letting him play through the year. What a travesty it would have been to all the clean players in this sport if A-Roid had led the Yankees into a post-season berth. Goodbye, Bud. Thanks, but don't let the door hit you on the way out! Maybe now we can get a Roger Goddell type who can market this game to a younger demographic & include women like the NFL campaign is targeting this year. It's a chance for baseball to find its rightful place in sports again.

Last Chance for A's

Boston's magic number is 2 - any combination of 2 wins by the Sox or 2 losses by the A's gives the Sox home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Oakland plays their final series in Seattle where the A's are just 6-10 so far this year. Similarly, the Red Sox go to hostile territory in Baltimore where they are just 7-9 against the O's. In addition, Oakland has only a 1 game advantage over Detroit to see which team would have home field advantage in an A's-Tigers opening round series. Taking nothing for granted, the Sox are sending their top 3 hurlers in this series -- Clay Buccholz tonight, John Lackey on Saturday & Jon Lester on Sunday. For both teams it comes down to this weekend. Same for the wild card race between Tampa, Cleveland & Texas. Enjoy games 160, 161 & 162!

NL Set, AL Still Open

We know the 5 teams from the NL who are playoff bound. LA Dodgers win the west. Atlanta Braves win the east. St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds & Pittsburgh Pirates make it from the central - one winning the pennant & the other 2 being the wild cards. That part of the NL is still up in the air & will be decided this weekend. In the AL Oakland A's win the west for the 2nd straight year. Detroit Tigers win the central for a 2nd year. Your Boston Red Sox win the east. Open still are 2 wild card spots for 3 remaining teams - Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians & Texas Rangers. New York, Baltimore & Kansas City have all been eliminated from wild card contention. Sentimental favorites in the playoffs would be the Pittsburgh Pirates who ended a 20+ year drought of losing records & no post-season. If Cleveland gets in, the Indians would also be sentimental favorites with Terry Francona. The Tribe has not competed in the post-season since 2007n when Franconia & the Sox went all the way. It's all about getting in & then, as we have seen, anything can happen. Go Sox!

Yankees Eliminated from Playoffs

The New York Yankees will miss the playoffs in 2013. After Sunday there will be no more Mariano Rivera. There will be no Andy Pettitte. And there will be no A-Roid for at least a year & maybe never again as he serves his steroid suspension. Besides the injuries to Jeter & Teixeira the black cloud hanging over New York in the second half was Rodriguez. Do you think any player in the Yankee dugout wanted A-Roid there? I doubt it. All other players caught in the steroid scandal served their suspensions during the year. Allowing a cheater like A-Roid to continue playing & effecting the outcome of playoff races is & was a travesty by Bud Selig. What if the Yankees would have gotten into the post-season? In 2014 the Yankees will be dealing with an injured & old Derek Jeter returning. They have CC Sabathia showing signs of breaking down & not being the dominant pitcher of the past. Teixeira is coming back from a major injury. They will need to deal with Robinson Cano as a free agent. The future is not looking bright in the Bronx.

Sox Crush Rockies 15-5

On a night where the A's lost to the Angels the Red Sox gained ground for the overall best record by winning their 96th game of the season. The Sox offense bashed 3 HR's with multiple runners on base to account for 10 of their 15 runs. Shane Victorino recaptured the lead for the visitors with a 3-run shot. Later Will Middlebrooks hit an opposite field 3-run homer, only to be followed up by him hitting a grand slam down the LF line. 7 RBI for Middlebrooks. Great time for Middlebrooks to get his power swing back. And Jacoby Ellsbury made his return to the lineup in seamless fashion - just as if he never missed a game. The addition of Ellsbury makes the Sox a much more dangerous team for the playoffs. And, for good measure, David Ortiz reached the 100 RBI plateau again with a 2-run double. This is the kind of win that gets the team ready for a tough weekend in Baltimore. The magic number is 2, but the O's have had the Sox number this year.

Guest Article - "Nicknames"

One of my favorite things about sports, especially baseball, is using nicknames to identify players. Here are some of my favorite Red Sox nicknames. Dick Radatz "the Monster." As the story goes, the 6'5" 250 pounder with a side arm delivery would thrust his arms in the air after successfully saving a game. It appears that Mantle came into the dugout after striking out against Radatz grumbling about a monster. A nickname was born. Don Zimmer "the Gerbil." Given to him by Bill Lee for his big cheeks & stump of a body. Dick Stuart "Dr. Strangeglove." One of the worst fielding first basemen. He could not field a basketball. He did hit 60 home runs while in the minors. George Scott "the Boomer." This describes his swing for the fences technique. Roger Clemens "the Rocket." He had a rocket fastball. Will McDonough, the former Boston Globe writer, had one of the best nicknames for Roger "The Texas Con Man." Steve Lyons "Psycho." Steve dropped his pants in the middle of a game at Tiger Stadium to brush dirt off of his ass. Bill Lee "the Spaceman." A USC graduate known to philosophize about anything & everything, generally making no sense at all. Also a member of the Order of Buffalo Heads with Jim Willoby & Bernie Carbo. Rick Burleson "the Rooster." He looked like a rooster moving his head up & down in anger, cursing and generally intense. Great SS. John Wasdin "Way Back." He often gave up home runs. More to come... (Author - Mike Gaffney)

Red Sox, A's Both Lose

It's down to watching one team, other than the Boston Red Sox, for New England fans - the Oakland A's. Oakland & Boston are fighting it out for the best record in the American League. The Red Sox never got their offense going last night against a young arm from the Rockies. John Lackey gave up 3 solo shots. The Red Sox young arms Britton & Workman came in from the bullpen & they were rusty & ineffective from no work. Sox lose 8-3 after making some noise late in the 9th with a 2-run homer by Saltie. In California the A's lost to the Angels 3-0. The Red Sox have 95 wins, the A's 94. If either team can win 3 out of their remaining 4, that may be enough to finish 1st. The Sox go to Baltimore for 3, an O's team they can't seem to figure out, after 1 more in Colorado. The A's go to Seattle for 3 after 1 more in Anaheim. It may go all the way to game 162 to find a best record winner.

Several Teams Still Alive in AL

The amazin' Oakland A's won again last night to pull within 1 game of Boston for the best record in the AL. The A's are 8-2 in their last 10 games. Both Boston & Oakland have 5 games remaining. The Red Sox have 2 against Colorado & 3 against Baltimore. Oakland has 2 left with the Angels & 3 against the Mariners. The best record in the AL may go right down to the wire on Sunday. The AL wild card is still very interested as well. Tampa Bay & Cleveland hold the 1st 2 spots as we start the last week of the season. Texas is 1 back, KC is 3 back, New York is 4 back & Baltimore is 5 back. All 4 of these chasing teams have 6 games left. New York & Tampa Bay start a huge 3 game series tonight. The wild card will most definitely go down to Sunday & there is a possibility of a tie, creating an additional play-in game before the wild card game. It should be an exciting last week to the regular season.

Guest Article - "YAZ"

Yesterday Yaz got a statue of himself at Fenway Park. I loved Yaz as a player. He was probably the best left-fielder I have ever seen. I think Billy Rohr would agree. I remember an opening day game some years ago with the Indians in which the leadoff hitter tried to stretch a single into a double after hitting the ball to left field. Needless to say, he got thrown out by Yaz. The announcer said "welcome to Fenway park - no one can play the wall like Yaz." Then there was 1967 - need I say more. He carried the club on his back all season and almost got there. It took until last year for someone else to win the triple crown. I think that was 45 years later. I watched Yaz run around Fenway that October day in 1983. I decided on that day that I would go to his induction ceremony in Cooperstown with my 12 year old daughter. We packed our bags and drove up there on a nice July day. There were so many great players from the past like Duke Snyder, Enos Slaughter and Sandy Koufax. It was truly a fan's dream. As I have said before, we are very blessed being a sports fan in New England. Where else could you see Yaz, Teddy Ballgame, Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Marvin Hagler, Tom Brady, Bobby Orr, Terry O'Reilly, etc. It can't get much better than that!!!!! (Author - Mike Gaffney)

Ortiz Nearing 30 / 100 Mark

David Ortiz has been the model of consistency this year. His offense has never slumped, save for a brief 0-22 slump in August. Even that is pretty minor when you look at 400 to 500 at bats per season. With his home run yesterday Big Papi enters this last week of the 2013 regular season with 29 homers & 98 RBI. He should reach the magical stats of 30 & 100 by week's end. And the team may need it as the amazin' Oakland A's are just 1 game behind the Red Sox in the loss column for the best record in the AL. The A's have 6 games left while the Red Sox only have 5. A lot of people, including some family & friends that I know, were not happy when the Sox gave Ortiz a 2-year deal. I must say that I too was skeptical when he started the year on the DL. But Big Papi has proven everyone wrong. He has been durable. He has been productive. The Sox would not be in 1st place without David Ortiz anchoring the middle of the lineup. Just look at the intentional walks that he continues to draw. Nice year #34, but let's finish it with 30 & 100. I like round numbers.

Good Day for Home Teams

The Red Sox win their final home game of the season at Fenway with a 5-2 win over the Blue Jays. JBJ powered up with a 3-run blast & David Ortiz hit his 29th HR of the year. The Patriots go to 3-0 as they defeat the Bucs 23-3 at Gillette. The Pats show a lot of improvement in the 10 days since the Jets win. Brady & his rookies are coming along. All in all, a good Sunday in New England.

Buccholz OK

Clay Buccholz is out to prove that he is ready to pitch in the ALDS. Last night he extended his pitch count & you could see that his pitches, especially his breaking balls, were more crisp. But the control factor is still a work in progress. Buck has the stuff, no question. His ERA from earlier this year shows that he can be dominant on the mound. It's obvious, however, that the process of shaking off 3 months of inactivity is not easy to do. His next & last regular season start against Baltimore, a playoff contender, should show where he is on the readiness meter. Lester & Lackey have to be considered your #1 & #2 starters for the post-season. Buck is trying to beat out Jake Peavy for the #3 slot. I don't think it's a given with John Farrell that Buck is a lock for the #3 spot. Farrell's history this year is that he starts & plays the guys that he thinks give him the best chance to win. (Remember the Middlebrooks situation.) Look for more pressure on Clay Buccholz to perform well when he makes his final start in Baltimore next weekend. That game will determine his role in the playoffs.

Toronto - A Squandered Year

Nick Cafardo picks the Blue Jays to finish in 1st place just about every year. This year he had a lot of company with other media types also giving the Blue Jays the AL East crown in spring training. From spring training to now the Jays have gone from 1st to worst, finishing in the cellar of the East once again. Just look at their signings. Reyes & Dickey are overpriced & have been mediocre. Don't forget that Reyes took himself out of his last game with the Mets a few years ago so he could win the batting title. There's a team player for you! New, old manager John Gibbons shows no sign of being any better than the same guy that was fired by the Jays for fighting with players in the dugout. Injuries to Encarnacion & Bautista have taken away their power threat. But the Jays still have pitching issues & they have trouble fielding the ball. They can still win a few games, like last night, when it doesn't mean anything - other than getting your stats up for next year. Talk about bad player signings & a bad manager signing! The Toronto Blue Jays will finish this season as the only team in the East not above .500. It's next year - again -for the Jays & Nick Cafardo.

Pats Have A Tough One With Tampa Bay

Who can Tom Brady throw to? It looks like it's up to Edelman & the rookies to step up this week. Or maybe the spotlight moves to the Pats defense to see if they can contain the Bucs running & passing game. We can't expect the offense to put up more than 20 points with their depleted ranks. So this one looks like a 23-20 or 20-17 kind of low scoring game that may revolve around turnovers. I'm thinking that the team that wins the battle of turnovers wins the this game. It's a toss up.

Teams That Went Bust This Year

Big payrolls don't equal wins. There are a number of teams that did not perform up to par in 2013. Fans of the following clubs have had a tough year. Houston Astros - 40 games behind. Miami Marlins - 35 games behind. Chicago White Sox - 29 games behind. Chicago Cubs - 26 games behind. Seattle Mariners - 24 games behind. Minnesota Twins - 24 games behind. Toronto Blue Jays - 23 games behind. NY Mets - 22 games behind. Milwaukee Brewers - 21 games behind. Philadelphia Phillies - 20 games behind. San Francisco Giants - 17 games behind. LA Angels - 15 games behind. Many of these teams were not expected to contend, like the Astros & Marlins. But teams like the Blue Jays, Phillies, Giants & Angels all fell way short of expectations. How about both Chicago teams finishing in last? We have a lot to be thankful for in New England.

Worst to First!!

It's official. The Boston Red Sox are the division winners of the AL East for 2013. A 6-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays last night clinched the top spot for the first time since 2007. There were many appropriate endings for this incredible story. It shouldn't go unnoticed that the Sox clinched against the team that was picked to win the East. A little irony there. Jon Lester was on the mound, proving that he is your #1 starter in the playoffs. Mike Carp delivers a big 2-run single as he has done many times throughout the year. John Farrell puts Jonny Gomes in LF in the 7th to recognize his contributions throughout the year. Farrell inserts Shane Victorino into CF in the 9th for the same reason. Junichi Tazawa, a kid who was excellent most of the year, got to start the 8th as he has done throughout the year. And Koji comes on for a 5-out save, striking out the final batter. It was a perfect finish to cap a worst-to-first season. We had the idiots of 2004. We had the business-like approach in 2007. And this year we have the beards who are somewhere in-between. It's my opinion that this team has revived baseball in Boston after a horrendous 2012. They also gave Boston fans a much-needed distraction after the marathon bombings. Well done to all the players, coaches, manager & front office. If the Sox don't win another game, I think it's been a winning season, in fact a great season, that fans can be proud of. But now that we're in, we might as well win it all, right?

Best Record in AL On the Line

Boston - 93 wins. Oakland - 90 wins. Detroit - 89 wins. For home field advantage throughout the AL playoffs the Sox need to keep playing hard. With 8 games left a 4-4 record resulting in a 97-win season would probably clinch the best record. While Farrell will be resting players & tweaking his pitching staff the Red Sox know what is at stake over the final 3 series of the year. Detroit went to the World Series last year & the Tigers were expected to win the AL Central this year. Oakland was a nice story last year, edging out the Rangers on the last day of the season for the AL West crown, but no one expected the A's to repeat again with heavyweights like the Rangers & Angels in their division. Boston is a team that the "experts" picked to finish 4th or 5th & here they are with as many wins as losses last season. I hope that Lester continues his dominance of the Jays tonight & the Sox get 1st place sealed up. Then it will all about the best record over the final 7 games.

Unclassy Dodgers

Was it necessary for the Dodger team to emerge from the clubhouse after slugging down champagne to take a dip in the Arizona D-Backs pool in center field? That seems to be overdoing the celebration for me, particularly at a visitor's park & not on your home turf. But that's La-La-land for you. Let's see what happens in the NLDS. Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Atlanta or Cincinnati will be no easy opponents for the men in blue. Don't forget that the bulk of Dodger players have never been in the playoffs or have not fared well in the past. I love to see a first round exit.

October Baseball in Boston

John Lackey pitches a complete game win over the Baltimore Orioles 3-1. The win guarantees the Sox at least a wild card spot. One more win over the next 8 games will result in an AL East championship. Yes, Stephen Drew did have a big 2-run homer. But I thought that Lackey setting down the O's 1-2-3 in the 1st & Dustin Pedroia starting the bottom of the 1st with a ground rule double set the tone for the night. Chris Tillman was not as sharp as in previous starts & the Sox drove his pitch count way up in the 1st 2 innings. It was another close, gring it out until the end game versus Baltimore. This time we had the better pitcher. Jon Lester has a chance to clinch the AL East tonight with a win over Toronto. And, by the way, the Yankees lost to fall further behind the 3 teams ahead of them for the final wild card. It was a good night to sleep.

Baltimore Is Kryptonite to Boston

There is always one team that gives you trouble every year. This year it's the Orioles for the Red Sox. For the past 2 nights the O's have done to the Red Sox what the Red Sox have done to other teams - come back late in games. Last night the O's score 2 off of Frank Morales to win 5-3 in 12 innings. Plenty, plenty of chances for the Red Sox to win, but they could not get a big hit when needed. Laz Diaz - horrible on balls & strikes. Even I could strike out a few batters if Laz gives me 2 inches on both sides of the plate. Ortiz complains a lot, but he was justified on a ball clearly out of the zone that was called a strike. Laz is right up there with Angel Hernandez in my book. Anyways, Lackey & Tillman go at it tonight in the finale. Maybe we can squeak out 1 win. But it just seems like we can't beat the O's.

Saltie Will Earn a Big Contract

Jarrod Saltalamacchia will earn some "big iron" as he enters free agency next year. The Sox catcher has been the mainstay behind the plate this year. After being out for a few days with a sore back Saltie had a strong return, even throwing out multiple runners in Tampa. While his home runs are down this year, his average is up. If you are like me, I think Saltie has grown on me over the year. If you look at other catchers in the league, he measures up pretty well. And I do feel a drop at that position when Ross & Lavarnway step in, particularly on offense. Unless the Sox take a chance on Cristian Vazquez in double-A, Saltie may end up with the Sox new standard of 3 years, $10-$13 million per year. That would give Vazquez & Lavarnway time to mature. Ross is signed for 1 more year as well. Question is: would some other team give him more years & lure him away from the Sox?

O's Beat Sox 3-2

Baltimore won on a night that the Yankees & Rays both lost, thus keeping the Birds 2 games behind Texas & Tampa in the wild card. The O's still need to overtake the Cleveland Indians who sit 0.5 games behind the wild card leaders. Anyone but New York, right? Koji Uehara's hitless & scoreless streak ended when a Danny Valencia fly to center was unable to be caught by Shane Victorino. A sac fly by Matt Weiters gave the O's a 3-2 lead that Jim Johnson would hold in the 9th. I like the fact that John Farrell let Xander Bogaerts hit in the 9th with 2 outs & a runner at 2nd. Giving Bogaerts, JBJ, Britton, Workman & others more experience in pressure situations will only help them get accustom to it for the playoffs. The loss by Tampa reduces the Sox magic number to 3 to makes the playoffs & 4 for the division. I hope they get both on this last home stand of the year.

6 Teams, Only 2 Wild Cards

Texas & Tampa Bay begin a big series tonight in St. Pete. Both teams start this week as leaders in the AL wild card race. Hot on the heels of the Rangers & Rays are the Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees & Kansas City Royals. It's going to be a wild ride until the end of the season. Terry Francona's Indians & the stinkin' Yankees have easier schedules remaining. Baltimore has a more difficult road with 6 left against the Red Sox & 3 with the Rays. And don't count out a final push by the KC Royals with their pitching staff led by James Shields. Don't count out a tie for the wild cards & then it will really get confusing with elimination games to play another elimination game. It's good to be the Red Sox who will have 5 days off before playing the eventual AL wild card winner.

Sox Sweep Away Yankees 9-2

It couldn't have gone any better for the Red Sox this weekend. They sweep the faltering New York Yankees to move the pinstripers further down in the AL wild card race. Clay Buchholz was not sharp, but he limited the damage to 1 run over 6 innings & he extended his pitch count up to around 90. At least Buck is talking about his pitching now & not his sore neck & shoulder. He has time to make 2 more starts & impress the coaching staff that he is playoff ready. Daniel Nava went 4-5 & Mike Napoli hit a long HR to center. The Sox magic number is 4, so it would be great to clinch the AL East title on the remainder of this homestand with the O's & Jays. The Red Sox have 6 games remaining with the O's, their toughest AL East opponent this year. The results of those 6 head-to-head battles will determine if the O's earn a wild card spot. The Sox can certainly play spoilers to the team that knocked them out of the playoffs in game 162 of 2011. Ryan Dempster gets the start on Tuesday.

9/11 This Past Week

I'm going off script here, but I have a few personal thoughts about 2 things that happened this past week that seemed so wrong during a week that commemorated the worst lost of life on American soil. First, Charlie Rose interviews Bashir al-Assad to have him tell us that he will rain hellfire on American embassies if the US interferes with the Syrian civil war. Really, Charlie. Do you think that your interview airing tonight on 60 Minutes is appropriate? Why do we need to interview a dictator accused of gassing his own people, including women & children? It blows my mind what so-called journalists will do to get ratings & sell ad time. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised by anything these days. Second, the NY Times publishes an op ed from Vladimir Putin that says the US isn't so great. Why should we care what Putin says? Better yet, why should the NY Times publish his article? Again, follow the money. Greed comes in all forms & we see it every day. Corporations that have worldwide interests force us into situations to protect their foreign assets. I thought that these 2 items were very inappropriate given the reminder of 9/11 that family members of loved ones killed in 2001 still have to bear every anniversary.

Mariano Day Today

Mariano Rivera makes his last appearance at Fenway Park tonight. The Sox will honor Mo in a pre-game ceremony. Well-deserved for an opposition player on the hated Yankees. While Mo has been dominate in his career the Red Sox are the one team that has gotten to him more than any other. Mo has more blown saves this year against the Sox. Historically, 2004 will never be forgotten when Bill Muellar singled up the middle right past Mo to drive in Dave Roberts. That one hit after "the steal" put forces in motion that led to the biggest collapse ever by any Yankees team in history & it also led to the 1st World Series win by the Red Sox in 86 years. But Mo was also part of many World Series wins for the Yankees. Rivera is a classy guy, as evidenced in his 2005 return to Fenway when he smiled & waved to Red Sox fans. There will never be another closer like Mo.

Another Win Over Yankees 5-1

Jon Lester - huge day. 8 innings of 1-run ball. The Sox offense ground out at-bats to wear down CC & the Yankees as Victorino, Gomes & co. came up with timely hits when needed. But the story line of the day belongs to Jon Lester & he deserves it. Even after the game Lester had this tough guy feel to his words. "Either they were going to get me, or I was going to get them." Sounds like fighting words to me. I guess Lester won the battle. The Yankees have now lost 5 out of 6 to the Red Sox & losing this series has moved them behind Tampa by 3 games in the wild card hunt. Don't look now, but the Cleveland Indians have skipped ahead of New York & Baltimore. Francona's boys are only 1.5 games behind the Rays & the Indians have a pretty easy schedule down the stretch while the AL East dukes it out with each other. Back to Boston. This Red Sox team is special. Perhaps it was the impact of the Boston bombings. Perhaps it was the pre-season reporters who picked this team to finish last. Whatever "it" is, there are 25 motivated guys in the dugout every day. Red Sox Nation, you have a team to be proud of again.

Red Sox Beat Yankees 8-4

It's always a great evening when the Red Sox beat up on the Yankees. A-Roid did nothing at the plate & looked like Charlie Brown in the field. At least this was one game that this cheater didn't influence. For the Red Sox this was just another game where the Yankees make a comeback, only to have the better team pull away in the end. Close Yankee fans, but no cigar. Saltie breaks up a 4-4 tie in the 7th with a grand slam to put the Sox ahead for good 8-4. Grand slams seem to be a "thing" in September as Sox hitters have launched 4 grannies this month. Lackey wasn't too pleased about coming out in the 7th, but he had grooved too many pitches. I can't stand Cano, but he was the toughest out in the Yankees lineup. Of course Cano is playing for his next contract which the Yankees management have already said will not be an A-Rod deal. Maybe he will end up in Philly or Seattle. Jon Lester, a pitcher on the up-side, will go against CC Sabathia, a guy who has maybe logged too many innings & is no longer elite. Another win by the Red Sox will leave the Yankees looking further up in the wild card race at Tampa, Cleveland & Baltimore who are ahead of them as time starts to run out in the season.

14 Games Left

Nothing is for certain until the math tells you it is so. But an 8 1/2 game lead with 14 left looks pretty darn good in my book. The Sox have taken care of business in September thus far by posting an 8-3 record. There are 9 home games left against the Yankees, O's & the lowly Blue Jays. Then the Sox finish out the season on the road with 5 games against Colorado & Baltimore. If the Sox go .500 & win 7 of their last 14, they will finish the season with 96 wins. Who would have thought it! There is definitely a good vibe around this team. With Tampa still having 7 games left against the Yankees & O's it is doubtful that they could string enough wins together to catch the Red Sox. Same with the Yankees & O's as I expect head-to-head competition to keep everyone around .500 for the next 2 weeks. Maybe Francona's Indians sneak into the wild card as the AL East beats up on each other.

Pats 13, Jets 10

It can't get any uglier. This was a game of which team wanted to lose, not win, the most. Drop after drop. Tons of 3 & outs by both teams. Yet the Pats prevailed in the end on a 3rd INT thrown by Gino Smith. Edelman was the only offense. Not much else to say, other than a win is a win. 2-0 in the division is still 2-0.

Sox Lose Finale 4-3

The Red Sox came into Tampa with a 7 1/2 game lead & they leave with an 8 1/2 game lead - all while knocking off 3 more games on the schedule. That's the big picture. Unfortunately, Sox lose 4-3 as it was the Rays turn to come back last night. Wil Myer hit a chalk line double in the 8th to plate the go-ahead run. John Farrell rested Shane Victorino all game & Will Middlebrooks at the start to give Jackie Bradley Jr. & Xander Bogaerts some playing time. Farrell also rested key bullpen members & let the kids Drake Britton & Rubby de la Rosa pitch the 6th through 8th. Playing experience in tight games by these 4 kids will help them should they get drafted for duty in the playoffs. Now the Yankees invade Fenway for 3 this weekend. The Yankees, O's & Indians are fighting the Rays for the final wild card spot.

Carp to the Rescue

Bases are loaded in the top of the 10th. It's a 3-3 tie. Your team is dying for a win. The Red Sox pinch hit a lefty, Mike Carp. You have a lefty in the bullpen, but you let righty Roberto Hernandez pitch to Carp after walking Napoli on 4 pitches to load the bases. What are you thinking, Joe Maddon? No managerial genius shown by Maddon last night as Mike Carp promptly hits the 1st pitch he sees over the CF wall in dead central for a grand salami. Sox win 7-3 to take the series & push the Rays further into peril of losing their wild card spot. Don't desperate times call for desperate measures? Was Maddon thinking about who was going to pitch the 11th? If so, he got too far ahead of himself. Once again, the Red Sox step up & meet the challenge of distancing themselves from the rest of the AL East. At this rate the Sox may win the East by 10 or more games & finish with the best record in the AL for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Dumb non-move, Joe. I'm sure that Maddon will be thinking about this game in the off season, especially if the Rays miss the playoffs by one game.

Derek Lowe in the Booth

It was surprising to see Derek Lowe in the broadcast booth with Don Orsillo last night. He was joined by Pedro Martinez for awhile & the 2 former pitchers from the 2004 championship team shared some fun stories. Lowe's personality was such that he liked to party at times more than pitch, but he had a long 17 year career in the majors & made a ton of iron. His 2004 post-season did catapult him to big, multi-year contracts as a free agent with the Dodgers & then the Braves before ending his career with stints in Cleveland, New York & Texas. You could tell that Lowe still was not pleased with Tito's decision to send him into the bullpen for the 2004 playoffs. At one point Lowe said his job during the playoffs was to bring gum to the field. Little bitter there Derek? Bring back Eck, soon, please.

Red Sox Earn Another Big Win 2-0

It was playoff caliber baseball last night. David Price was the David Price of old & he was very good. The Sox could only muster 4 hits, but they did make the most of their limited opportunities by scoring 2 runs, one of them of the manufactured variety after a hit, bunt & sac fly. The guy in the middle of it - Jonny Gomes of course. Mike Napoli double & scored on Gomes' single. Very importantly, Gomes took 2nd on the throw home. Nava bunts Gomes to 3rd. Gomes scores on a Saltie sacrifice fly. In the field Clay Buchholz showed no rust & picked up his 10th win of the season with 5 shutout innings against a very desperate team. Things couldn't have gone any better for the Sox in game 1 of an AL East series, a series that is more important to the Rays who have lost 12 of 16. A sweep by the Sox will lock up 1st place & leave Tampa fighting the O's, Yankees & Indians for a wild card spot. Tonight's pitching match-up favors Cobb over Dempster, but the Sox are on a roll. You have to believe that something special is happening this year.

Yankees Lose Again

Baltimore beat New York last night 4-2. The Yankees are 10 1/2 games behind the Red Sox with 18 left to play. They have lost 4 out of their last 5. CC Sabathia took the loss & is pitching like a #3 starter instead of an ace. Derek Jeter is day-to-day. Mo Rivera is blowing saves down the stretch. Andy Pettitte is looking old. And then there is A-Roid who is playing to get his check. The Yankees have 18 games left, including 3 in Boston, to try & overtake Tampa Bay, Baltimore & Cleveland for the final wild card spot. It's not going to happen.

Buck Is Back

Clay Buchholz makes his return to the mound on Tuesday night in Tampa as the Sox start a 3-game series at the Trop. If Buck can be as effective as his 9-0 record with sub-2.00 ERA stuff before his injury, Sox fans are in for quite an addition to the starting pitching. It's not realistic to think that Buck will be that sharp in his first few starts, but he should make 4 starts before the end of the regular season &, hopefully, Buck makes strides forward in each one. Better pitching means the Sox have to score fewer runs to win games. And with Jacoby Ellsbury out & Shane Victorino dinged up Buck will be a welcomed addition.

Ellsbury Has Fracture

Jacoby Ellsbury has a foot fracture that should heal in 1 to 2 weeks. That puts Ells back in play by September 23rd the latest & it will give him time to get his playing legs back under him before the playoffs start. Outfielders Shane Victorino, Jonny Gomes, Daniel Nava, Jackie Bradley, Jr. & Quentin Berry will hold the fort until Ells makes it back into the lineup. A hallmark of the 2013 Red Sox is the depth of their lineup & this team will continue to win without Jacoby for a short period of time.

Pats Luck Out 23-21

Terrible. Ugly. Awful at times. All of these words are accurate to describe the Patriots effort in Buffalo today. But you can also add "win" to the vocabulary. A win is a win is a win. If you are going to stink & turn the ball over several times, at least come out of it with a win. And the Pats did enough in the 4th quarter to squeak out a 23-21 win over a determined & youthful Buffalo Bills team. Buffalo comes out of this game feeling that they could have won if they clean up their penalties & turnovers. New England comes out of this game thinking we have so much work to do because a repeat of today's effort will result in a loss 99 out of 100 times. Ridley remains a fumble machine. Vereen took over & did much better. Amendola & Edelmann did yeoman work to keep the Pats in position to win, particularly on the final drive. And Brady was the glue to keep the offense moving forward at the end. This was a win with reservations about future performance. Short week to get ready for the Jets on Thursday.

Sox Lose Finale 4-3

Mariano blows a save, but he gets a win on a wild pitch. Lucky, lucky! Two blown saves for Rivera this weekend, so the Red Sox continue to be a thorn in his side. Here's a few thoughts for you. Brandon Workman is being groomed for important work during the late innings for the rest of this season & into the playoffs. The drop-off in effectiveness by Tazawa has necessitated finding another strong arm for Farrell to use in the late innings & Workman will learn from every appearance. You learn more from a loss than from a win. Jon Lester got done in by 3 bloop hits in a row. Luck goes to the Yankees today. Lester still looks dominant & he could be the #1 starter in the playoffs. A-Roid did influence the outcome of this game, so his presence is effecting the playoff picture. I sound like a broken record, but he should not be playing. Bud Selig, can you hear me now? Big home run by Will Middlebrooks off of Rivera which should keep his confidence high. No Ellsbury, no Victorino, no Napoli today & we still almost one. Mike Carp continues to produce in a limited role & JBJ looks much more comfortable at the plate. We missed the sweep, but winning 3 of 4 reduces the Yankees chances of making the playoffs. I can live with 3 out of 4.

Pats Versus Bills Today

Football season is in high gear today as Sunday of week 1 has the Patriots taking on the Bills in Orchard Park. What are the expectations for the Pats this year? Super Bowl of course! But the number of offensive players, mostly targets of Tom Brady, not there any longer makes you wonder if the offense can put up enough points in the early season while the defense tries to stop the other team. Typically, the Pats offense has led to wins in past years as the defense suffered in the secondary, always gives up big chunks of yards. I would not be so quick to think that the Pats will roll over Buffalo. I think they will win, but it will be closer than people expect. My pick is 21-14 Pats.

Ellsbury Getting 2nd Opinion on Foot

Jacoby Ellsbury needs to play if he is to get the big contract next year. Ells did play after fouling a ball off his right foot in the Detroit series & he played well. But swelling is hampering his ability to get out there this weekend. Hopefully, it's not a break & the Sox can let him rest, thanks to a big lead in the division. It's a no brainer that the Red Sox lineup is better & more dangerous with Jacoby in it. Chances are it is not a break or he wouldn't have been able to play on it at all - like Dustin Pedroia a few years ago. If he misses the Tampa series, it's not the end of the world. We need Jake for the playoffs. JBJ can fill-in for awhile, especially with the bats catching fire in September.

Bombs Away, Then Hold On

Red Sox beat the stinkin' Yankees again in New York 13-9. Over the 1st 3 games the Sox have been like Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown. Every time the Yankees / Charlie Brown get close, Lucy pulls the ball away. You know what happens after that - the Yankees & Charlie Brown fall on their butt. I give the Yankees credit for coming back from a 12-3 deficit, but the Red Sox are just the better team offensively this weekend. Close, but no cigar Charlie Brown. Napoli's 2 homers were very nice, Xander Bogaerts 400+ foot blast was nice to see on his mom's birthday, but I thought that Jonny Gomes' 3-run blast early to make the score 5-1 was the biggest blow. That put the game out of reach for the Yankees early. Nice to see John Lackey win without his best stuff. I wouldn't want to be a pitcher in this series as these 2 teams have combined to score 58 runs in 3 games, 19 average runs per game. One more today & we complete the New York Massacre of 2013. We are the better team, period.

No Playoffs for Yankees

Sometimes the right thing happens. Truth, justice & the American Way as Superman would say. Since Bud Selig had no guts to impose a ban on A-Roid & he continues to play, the Red Sox are doing the next best thing for baseball & baseball fans everywhere - knocking the Yankees out of playoff contention this week. Wouldn't it be sick to have A-Roid & the Yankees in the playoffs with that cheater playing? It's great to hear Yankee fans booing A-Roid (& Joba too!). I'm surprised that he hasn't been hit more by opposing pitchers. He is such a fraud & so detrimental to the game as a constant symbol of dirty, cheating players. I can't imagine that there is a lot of harmony in that Yankees clubhouse since A-Roid ratted out one of his own teammates. Just keep losing, Yankees. Just keep losing. I'm sure there will be no tears when A-Roid is suspended for all of 2014.

Joe West - Time to Retire

Isn't it time for Joe West to retire as an MLB umpire? The guy is totally out of shape. He looked disinterested, particularly during Red Sox & Yankees games. His strike zone at home is unpredictable. And he blows calls on the bases with apparent ease. For a game that gives him his living West is not a good ambassador for baseball. Take your pension, Joe, & go home. It's time.

Yankees Fall Again 12-8

Mike Napoli & Shane Victorino are on fire at the plate. A grand slam for Napoli to tie the game & a 2-run homer for Victorino to put the Sox ahead to stay for a 12-8 victory. Felix Doubront was just awful & he should find a mysterious DL injury, like tired arm, to get some rest for 2 weeks. Doubront seems to break down in the 2nd half of each season. Maybe he should come into spring training in shape for once. But even a bad start couldn't keep the Boston bats from catching fire. Now the question is can these same bats score runs today for John Lackey. Lackey would be my #1 starter in the playoffs since he is use to getting little or no support & pitching in tight ballgames. Another loss by the Rays in Seattle increases the Sox lead to 7 1/2 games with 19 to go. It's looking good, but don't cash the check to the AL East crown until the math says it's so. We know better. P.S. Nice to see the Sox score off of Joba the Hut again last night too. Yankees fans have that look on their faces again like 2004.

Sox Win, Rays Lose

The Red Sox win in extras 9-8 over the Yankees while the Rays & David Price lose to the Angels 6-2. Baltimore wins & moves within 1/2 game of the Yankees for 3rd place. The Rays fall to 6 1/2 back of the Red Sox as they start their final west coast series this weekend in Seattle. Tampa holds onto a 2 1/2 game lead in the 2nd wild card over the Yankees. As Eck said last night, the Red Sox can play spoilers to the Rays, Yankees & O's since they have several games remaining against their AL East foes. The Sox will have a say in who gets the last wild card as the A's or Rangers look like a favorite for the 1st wild card. Nothing is for sure until the math tells you that it's over, but this Red Sox team seems too deep to go into any prolonged slump over the remaining 20 games. They haven't all year. I look for the Sox to finish strong.

What A Win!!

I couldn't sleep last night after the newest & instant Red Sox-Yankees classic tug-of-war over which team would win on Thursday night. The Sox did win 9-8 in 10 innings in a game that was good, bad & ugly. Here's my multiple thoughts. Jake Peavy was solid through the first 6 innings, giving up just 2 runs. Farrell should not have let him go back out for the 7th, no matter how much Peavy wanted to. Inmates don't run the jail. Will Middlebrooks hit a towering homer into the 2nd deck off of Nova who could only last 4 innings. Middlebrooks has become Mike Napoli Jr. lately between his HR's & strike outs. Matt Thornton was terrible in relief & his performances have been less than advertised since coming to the Sox. I would use Frank Morales more in the close games & use Thornton in 20-4 games. Junichi Tazawa can't pitch a clean inning anymore. Maybe he's just tired. Too many hits last night with 0-2 counts. Whatever happen to pitchers throwing the high hard one up & in tight on 0-2 to move the batter off the plate. The Sox coaches overthought the shift on Soriano as he hit a harmless ground ball where Pedroia should have been playing. The RBI single by Lavarnway in the 7th to score the 7th run proved to be a big run as the night unfolded. At the time the Sox took a 7-2 lead. Give the Yankees credit for not quitting & coming back with 6 runs in the 7th to take the lead 8-7. In the 9th Mariano comes on & gets the first 2 outs with ease. Mike Napoli draws a big walk & Quentin Berry pinch runs. Berry steals 2nd on the first pitch & takes 3rd when the throw gets away. Stephen Drew comes up with a huge single to tie the game. Blown save for Rivera. Bottom of the 9th Alfonso Soriano does his best base running impression of Yasiel Puig & gets tagged out in a rundown between 2nd & 3rd for no reason. Soriano wears the dunce cap of the game. Breslow then strikes out Granderson to end the 9th & seends the game into extras. In the 10th Ellsbury singles off Joba the Hut who looks like he weighs 400 pounds. Ells then steals 2nd. Victorino, who homered earlier, gets a favorable check swing call from fatso Joe West who was probably thinking about his dinner reservation. Next pitch Victorino singles & Ellsbury scores the game-winning run. Uehara comes in & pitches a 1-2-3 10th for the save. What a game!

Jerry Remy Out for Season

The very popular Rem Dawg is dealing with a parent's nightmare. As a result, NESN has indicated that Jerry will not return to the broadcast booth this year. Jared Remy is standing trial for murdering his girlfriend, mother of Jerry's granddaughter. Sometimes being a public figure is not a good thing & this is one of those times. How do you recover from something like that? Life will never be the same for the Remy family. And the court system is backed up, so I assume the trial will linger well into the next baseball season. I wonder if Jerry will ever be back with his partner Don Orsillo. Just when he was getting over his depression & treatment for cancer something like this happens. One interview on NESN last night had a fan say "God bless Jerry!" I guess that's about all we can say to the Remys & to the victim's family members.

3 Teams for 2 Wild Cards

It's coming down the stretch between Oakland / Texas, Tampa Bay & New York for the 2 AL Wild Cards. Either Oakland or Texas will win the AL West. The other team is in position for the 1st wild card. That leaves Tampa Bay or New York for the remaining wild card with Tampa Bay in the lead as of today. Baltimore has faded recently, but they are not out of it yet. I say anyone but the Yankees as they continue to play that cheater A-Roid & let him influence the outcome of the season. What a joke, Bud Selig! Where are your nuts! Bud should have used his power to keep A-Roid off the field until his hearing was held. I bet we would have seen an expedited hearing then. Why is it taking so long, Bud? Selig will have a lot of explaining to do if the Yankees make it to the playoffs.

Sox Pound Tigers 20-4

You might say that the Red Sox beat the Tigers into submission with a 20-4 blowout win to take this hyped series 2 games to 1. David Ortiz collected a double & 2 homers on the evening with hits 1,999, 2,000 & 2,001 for his career. Ellsbury, Nava, Carp, Drew, Middlebrooks & Napoli also homered during the content. Will Middlebrooks' grand slam in the 6th opened the floodgates. Ryan Dempster threw 6 innings of 4-run ball to notch his 2nd win since returning from suspension. At the start of this series you would have bet the the Tigers, not the Red Sox, were the ones who had the capability of scoring 20 runs. This series shows what a different team the Tigers are without a healthy Miguel Cabrera. And it also shows the depth of the Red Sox lineup. On any given night, like the #9 batter Middlebrooks on Tuesday night, anyone in that lineup can produce a big hit & be the hero. Now onto Gotham for 4 more big games. It will be fun to see how Peavy reacts to the big stage.

Schedule Doesn't Get Easier

With all the hype about this Detroit series being a possible preview of the ALCS the Red Sox need to re-focus for the next 10 games as the Boston nine takes on the stinkin' Yankees 7 times & the Rays 3 times. A 4-game series starts in New York on Thursday through the weekend. After an off-day on Monday the Sox travel to Tampa for their final 3 meetings against the Rays in St. Pete. Then the Sox are back home at Fenway to take on the Yankees for the final 3 times this year. 5-5 will keep the other AL East teams at bay, unless Baltimore goes on a 10-game win streak. The Sox lead in the AL East as of today is still at 5 1/2 games as the Rays finally won last night. As important as last night's win over the Tigers was, each & every game down the stretch has that same importance in September.

Big Win

Red Sox 2, Tigers 1. Jon Lester closes the door on Cabrera & Co. with 1 run over 7 innings. Will Middlebrooks hits a timely single to drive in 2 runs after a ground rule double by Stephen Drew. Drew's hit was probably the hardest ball hit off of Scherzer all night. 3 Red Sox pitchers get 1 out each in the 8th. And Koji does his thing, a 1-2-3 9th. This was playoff baseball, low-scoring where one hit or one mistake is the difference between a win & a loss. It was nice to see that baseball luck was with the Red Sox last night when Middlebrooks' ground ball found a hole up the middle. I must say that I enjoyed seeing Iglesias strikeout several times, although he did drive in the lone Tiger run. A 3-pitch K of Iglesias to end the game was a perfect ending to me. Regardless of tonight's outcome, both teams have shown that they are ready for each other should they meet again in October. Look for more of a hitter's game tonight as Dempster goes against Porcello for the series win.

Stop the Iglesias Second-Guessing!

Yes, Jose Iglesias is a gifted fielder. He is also a 1 for 4, .250 hitter at best, on a team that has more than enough offense to accommodate his slight bat. 100 out of 100 times I would make the same trade of Iglesias for Jake Peavy. Stop the reporters who poo-poo this trade & say Iglesias is & was the best thing in a Red Sox uniform since popcorn & ice cream. The trade is a win-win for both teams. Iglesias gets to play short everyday for the Tigers & throw in a hit whenever he can - no pressure on him to produce offensively. Peavy gets to take Buchholz' spot in the rotation to bolster the Red Sox starting staff for a playoff run. He is also going deep into games & saving the bullpen. So stop the nonsense!

Rays Lose 5th Straight

One announcer, I think it was Eck, said that every major league team, except the Red Sox, has had extended losing streaks over the course of this season. The once hot Rays in July have now lost 5 in a row & they remain 5 1/2 back of the Red Sox entering tonight's action. The Rays lost 11-2 to the Angels last night on what has been a disastrous west coast swing so far. Baltimore & New York both won, so they inch a little closer to the Rays in the wild card standings. The Red Sox have lost 3 in a row, maybe 4, this year but that's it. The strength & depth of the Sox roster has really helped them overcome major dips in the standings. Tampa's offense has gone cold & they just can't score runs these days.

Wasted Opportunities in 3-0 Loss to Tigers

You can learn more in a loss sometimes than you can in a win. First, if the Sox make the playoffs, I would start John Lackey. Lackey is very use to pitching in tight ballgames 0-0, 1-0, 2-0 & playoff games are usually low scoring. Once again John Lackey gets zero runs of support in a 3-0 loss today. Second, you can't leave RISP when you have the opposing starter on the ropes early in the game. The Red Sox couldn't deliver a key hit when needed today - early or late. Three, if you are going to bunt runners over from 1st & 2nd, get the ball to the 3rd baseman. Saltie had a nice idea, but didn't execute the bunt properly & got the lead runner forced out at 3rd. And lastly, it was nice to see the Red Sox not give up, even up to the last out. A blast by Saltie or Drew could have made it a 3-2 game. John Lackey's luck has to change. If Jacoby Ellsbury makes up 5 more inches on the triple by Dirks in the 7th, we might still be playing. A game of inches as the saying goes. Let's see if Jon Lester can be "ace" like & come up big for the Sox in game 2.

ALCS Match-Up?

For a 3-game series in early September the media is hyping this short series against the Tigers as a preview of the AL Championship Series to come in October. The Sox will miss Verlander & the Tigers will miss Peavy. Other than that, it's Lackey, Lester, Dempster versus Fister, Scherzer & Porcello. It should be a good series, especially since the Red Sox have a cushion of 5 1/2 games over the Tampa Bay Rays & they can play a little looser, not be so uptight about the standings. Detroit is in the same position with a comfortable lead in the AL Central over Terry Francona's Indians. With David Ortiz & Mike Napoli coming back to life offensively, it will be interesting to see how they fare as compared to Cabrera & Fielder. Nothing get settled over the next 3 days, but both teams want to play well against each other. Finally, Jose Iglesias makes his return to Fenway in a Tigers uniform.

Ugly Win, But Sox Sweep

Blowing a 5-0 lead is never good. Felix Doubront had an ugly 4th inning of 70 pitches. But the Red Sox prevailed 7-6 in the end. Thank you, Koji! Not that every win isn't important, but getting this 3rd win today over the White Sox for a sweep takes a little bit of pressure off of the Detroit series. Bad news - Victorino was visibly limping & is listed day-to-day with a hip problem. Ellsbury was also removed for an unknown reason & his status is unknown. We can't afford the loss of either guy right now.

Tebow Gone

Tim Tebow was cut by the Patriots. Nice kid whose football talent fell short of his positive personality & positive character. After the Hernandez situation it would have been nice to have a kid like Tebow in the locker room to be a more positive role model for players with too much money & too little common sense. But the most talented 53 guys make the roster & Tebow was not one of them.

Morneau & Young Moved

Justin Morneau is now a Pirate. Michael Young is now a Dodger. Both players became expendable due to their high contracts & neither the Twins nor the Phillies saw a need to keep these players for next year. Morneau will definitely help a Puirates team with needed offense as they struggle to keep their playoff hopes alive in September. Young joins a collection of has-been's in LA where money is no object. However, Young will add a veteran presence for a playoff run. Neither guy would have ever made it to Boston & both veterans now get one more chance to play meaningful baseball in September. Good for them.

Sox Pick-Up McDonald

Native New Englander & well-traveled utility man John McDonald is now a member of the Boston Red Sox. McDonald gives this team a veteran presence should something happen to any infielder, most importantly Dustin Pedroia. McDonald can play all infield positions except 1B & he would be a very good glove to spell any of the regulars for a break down the stretch. I remember McDonald being a pain in the Red Sox side when he played for Toronto. Look at McDonald as an insurance policy.

Sox Win Again, Rays Lose Again

Jake Peavy made another quality start to lead the Sox to a 7-2 victory over his former teammates, the Chicago White Sox. In the meantime, the non-offensive Tampa Bay Rays lost again to the A's 2-1. As of today, September 1st, the Red Sox lead in the AL East stands at 4 1/2 games. Jacoby Ellsbury led the Sox offense with 3 hits, the X man contributed 2 which included an RBI & Shane Victorino added a few more hits to close out a great August campaign. Other than the stinkin' cheatin' New York Yankees, who overtook the O's yesterday for 3rd place with a win, no one is hotter than the Red Sox right now. Boston & New York close out August with 16 wins. With 7 left against the Yankees & 6 more against the O's the Red Sox can use every win against other teams before facing the AL East again. A sweep of the White Sox before the Detroit series would be a good thing.