Sox score 19 to Braves 20 and take 2 of 3, and other thoughts...

Game one - 13-3 Sox
Game two - 14-0 Braves
Game Three- 6-3 Sox

Just goes to show you, it's not how many you score in a series, it's when you score them.

Last Call?
Tonight could be the start of the Yankees last real chance to get going - but to do that, it will take a sweep of the Red Sox in the Bronx. The way the Yankees are playing right now, I would say at best that the Yanks will gain one game over the course of the next three. At worst...well, they walk away another three games down.

It might still be early in the season, but if they don't get going before Clemens makes his re-entry to the Bronx, then The Rocket's return will be less NASA re-entry and more of a backyard bottle rocket.

Stupid is as stupid does...
Since NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell brought the hammer down on Pacman Jones and Bengals wideout Chris Henry (who might have more trouble coming his way), the following boneheads have been in the news for all the wrong reasons - Falcons QB Michael Vick (links to dogfighting), Jets kick returner Justin Miller (assault), troubled Bengals linebacker AJ Nicholson (domestic assault, released by Bengals), Jaguars cornerback Ahmad Carroll (drugs and weapons).

Two of the players, as noted, were released, the others face potential suspensions. It begs a question - What percentage of the players in the NFL, particularly the...bad decision makers...fail to make the connection between stupid behavior and the loss of their paycheck? I guess we're on the verge of finding out.

And on a vaguely related subject - Clinton Portis, you need to just keep your mouth shut. Vick possibly being involved in illegal activities isn't The Man bringing him down, it's Vick potentially making really boneheaded decisions that could get him sent to jail.

Just because you know places in Mississippi where you can go to enjoy a dogfight, it doesn't make it either right or legal.

Musical chairs...
The annual MLB salary dump is looming and the rumors are just beginning to fly about what team will attempt to trade away their big contacts in an effort to build for the future. The important questions for Sox fans really are who is selling and what are the Sox buying? Pitching or hitting? It all really depends on Theo Epstein's plans for the stretch run and for next year.

If the assumption is that the Sox and Curt Schilling are parting ways at the end of the year, it is feasible that the Boston could look to replace the ace from within their own system. The brain trust has seen both Jon Lester and Kason Gabbard experience big-league success, and in a division with the Yankees, the fact that the two are lefties makes them major commodities.

The rumor right now, however, is that the Sox are interested in pursuing 26-year old Oakland pitcher Rich Harden. If the Sox get him, what does that do for Lester's rehab schedule? Does he spend more time in the minors? Does he become the bait to land the more established Harden?

If the trade happens, next year's rotation could look like this -
Beckett
Matsuzaka
Wakefield
Harden
Lester

If the trade doesn't happen, don't be surprised to see Gabbard and Lester in the rotation.

Think before you speak...
The other day I heard an athlete, who shall remain nameless, say, "when you play basketball, you play to win."

Well, I guess that explains why I couldn't get the college scouts to watch me when I played high school football...they didn't come because I wasn't playing basketball on the gridiron, and thus, wasn't playing to win. Oy.

In footy news...
Metro season has started. For those of you unfamiliar, Metro leagues are kind of like teams set up within a team. The Baltimore/Washington Eagles has three Metro Teams - The Baltimore Bohemians (the team I play for), Washington, and Northern Virginia. When we play Philadelphia, New York, etc., members from each of the Metro teams play.

The Metro leagues allow us to work on our skills in a competitive game environment.

This past weekend marked the second week of metro season, and the first game for Bohs.

Final score -
Baltimore 14.9-93
Washington DC 4.4-28

I will post more of a game summary and Metro standings later in the week.