Fenway Bound

Which Scoreboard Are YOU Watching?

There's no doubt in my mind that Sox fans are torn between reeling in the Rays and holding off the White Sox/Twins in the wild card chase. But yesterday's loss, paired with the Guppies unlikely win in Chi-town, makes me think the AL East is just about over.

Frankly speaking, the Guppies, and they'll stay that until they win something in October, are defying all the conventional wisdom, beating good teams like California/LA/Anahiem and the Ozzies.

Not that the Sox have folded the tent. We haven't. We've hit well, we've dealt with injuries as best we can, and we've gone 3-2 so far this trip.

But realistically, we need to go 6-3 on this trip -- that's three out of the next four -- in order to have any kind of a chance at the East.

So my question is this: Do we root for the Gupies to finish off the White Sox? Do we root for California/LA/Anahiem to finish off the Twins? Do we hope that the AL Central folds? Or do we just go out and take care of business?

We've got Chicago on our radar screen later this week. We've got them at home. There's no better chance to put them away, but we can't overlook the Hankees either. In short, Sox fans need to forget about watching other scoreboards and pay attention to their own.

Resist the urge to turn on the XM and flip between White Sox and Twins broadcasts. Forget about the DirecTV. Forget about ESPN, Fox Sports or all that other online stuff until your Sox are done playing for the night. Don't even peek...

In the end, it's our choice whether we go to the playoffs or not. Do the Sox need help? Yes! But they also need self help. And a win against the Jays today would be a nice start.

Time to Fish (Rays) or Cut Bait

This weekend's abysmal showing against the Blue Jays comes at the worst possible time for Francona's boys.

Boston just finished their worst homestand of the season, giving up 40 runs in 5 games. You do the math: that's 10 a game not counting the shutout against Texas.

Secondly, we're a horrible road team. Hoooorible! 28-35, .267 batting average -- 28 points lower than at home -- and 75 fewer runs scored in basically an equal number of home and away starts.

Thirdly, we're going up against one of the AL's hottest hitting clubs in the Os, then we're going to face off against the one-two-three tandem of Halladay, Marcum and Burnett in Toronto, and then we're headed to the rotten apple for a trifecta.

Having said all that, we are the World champs. We need to fish -- and by that I mean win, win, win while the Devil Guppies struggle to keep it together -- or cut bait.

I know we're playing them and the Yanks in September, but September's a couple of weeks away yet. If we don't go at least 6-3 this trip we may as well forget about the East, and there's a very real possibility that the wild card won't be there for the taking either.

Not saying we can't or won't start winning on the road, but this trip is the season. It's our last chance to control our own destiny -- and we'd better come out with a net gain of two to four games in either/both races. That means 6-3 fellas, 6-3.

Yankees Celebrate 13 Inning Win At Burger King!

On a more sombre note, Yankee fans are giddy with excitement after it took their Bronze (Medal) Bombers thirteen innings to beat the Kansas City Royals Burger Kings 3-2.

I fully predict that by the end of the season A-Rod will be impersonating that Swedish wrestler who, angry about winning a Bronze medal this past week, threw it on the mat and stormed out of the Olympics. Yankee fans, that's what you've got to look forward to this off season!

How was that Whopper, A-Rod? Did you get a Happy Meal with it? Cano, did you pick up an extra for Melky, I don't think they have a burger joint in Columbus, do they?

Rangers Net Rays 3-0

Sox loss aside, it's al(most) good!

Remember the Texas Rangers? The misfit gumshoes that gave up 37 runs in 27 innings at Fenway last week? What would you say if I told you they hooked, baited and had a good ol' fashioned fish fry with the Tampa Bay Rays last night.

You'd laugh, right?

Or you'd tell me the score was 14-10 or something like that.

Wrong! How does a 3-0 shutout by Matt Harrison sit? Well, it seems the Texas Rangers "got pitching" and decided to show up. Either that or the wistful fishes are realizing that they're shark bait.

Benching B.J. Upton for dogging it. Crawford, Percival, and Eva(n) Longoria may spell the end for the Devil Guppies. Wait, does that warrant a $1 fine too? 

The Night the Bats Went Silent

With last night's 4-1 loss, I guess it's safe to assume our trip to the arcade has come to an abrupt end.

Despite the fact that Sox hitters scorched the ball last night, particularly early on, and despite the fact that Doc Halliday gave up a gopher to Dustin Pedroia in the ninth, the Boston Red Sox pinball machine offense just couldn't get over the hump.

Paul Byrd -- I'm impressed. He gave up a couple atom balls, one right out of the gate, but he seems a sollid pitcher who can, at the very least, eat up some innings for us. That's critical at this stage of the season.

Look at it. You know you're not going to get any runs off Halliday, but Byrd isn't going to face Halliday every fifth night. And, if he keeps them in the game, gives up two, three runs, he'll get his share of wins.

Skid Row Joe's Woes Continue

Remember back a couple three weeks when the Yanks made all those high profile trades. They brought in Reggie "See ya later" Sexton, Xavier Nady, and Damaso Marte, and let's not forget an aging Pudge Rodriguez.

And since they left Boston July 27 -- two days after the Marte/Nady pickups -- they've gone 6-13, adding a hard fought 4-3 loss to Kansas City to their inspiring repetoire.

Let's give Mo Rivera a pat on the back for this one though. Coughing up the go ahead run on a wild pitch, I say we retire #42...no, wait, MLB already did that...

All kiddin' aside, you gotta wonder what's going through "Skid Row" Joe Girardi's mind at this point. I mean, the guy's probably home dreaming about what life would be like if he could trade places with Joe Torre for the stretch run, 'cause right about now, Manny being Manny is a heckuva lot better -- as long as it's anywhere but Boston -- than Mo bein' Mo!