Ok. I've calmed down. This morning I was a zombie on the outside, and in a heartbroken rage on the inside. But I've had all morning to work on what I learned in the 12 Step Program called "How To be a Red Sox Fan" and I feel remarkably better.

Sure, we may have lost our ace last night. The guy who made it his mission to lead an entire Nation to the promised land. The guy who talked the talk and, on most occassions, walked the walk, is now out with a bum ankle and may not pitch again in the post season. And sure, our bullpen didn't hold the line when we needed them to. Where is the Mike Timlin of 2003, who approaches the mound with balls of steel and sits batters down one by one? Where is the Tim Wakefield that throws a wicked knuckleball that leaves opponents bufuddled and crying in the dugout? And yes, our manager made a few questionable calls last night, starting with allowing an injured pitcher to take the mound, and ending with his patented slow hook and mismanaged bullpen. And sure, the strike zone was as elusive as Waldo last night, but that's neithere here nor there. And yes, our leadoff hitter, the 9th toughest player to strike out in the league, struck out every time he stepped up to the plate last night. You'd also be correct if you pointed out that our outfielders didn't perform at their highest level last night, often playing too shallow and misplaying balls.

All of this is true. The Sox are down 1-0 to the Yankees, yes, but things could be worse. The Sox did, after all, stage a comeback that was thisclose to being enough. They forced the Yankees to use their shaky bullpen, including a Mariano Rivera that had just spent ten hours on a plane. They showed the Yankees that they, too, will never die.

Yes, we're still in this thing. Oh, and one more reason to look on the bright side...

No matter how down we all are right now, it's nothing compared to how we felt one year ago this morning.

This time, there is still baseball to be played.

go sox.