Things the Red Sox do:

1. Get on base at impressively high rates.
2. Hug. Often.
3. Struggle against rookie pitchers. And lefties.
4. Occassionally delay innings by disappearing into the Monster.
5. Make Mariano Rivera look human.
6. Lead the MLB in runs scored, total hits, and OPS.


Things the Red Sox do NOT do:
1. Bunt.
2. Shy away from the spotlight.
3. Keep their mouths shut.
4. Lose to the Devil Rays in the 10th inning with Curt Schilling on the mound.



Do you hear me, Boston Red Sox?

Derrek Lee has got to be the most exciting player in baseball that no one is watching. Despite the fact that he making a serious run at the triple crown, his is still not a household name outside of Chicago, where statues are currently being erected in his honor. After last night's 2-RBI double, Lee tied Carlos Lee for the NL lead in RBI with 77. He already leads the NL in Batting Average (.376) and Homeruns (30). Oh yeah, and he's a former Gold Glove and World Series Champion.

Speaking of exciting, now that the AL East is more of a three-team race as opposed to the traditional Yankees/Red Sox battle, things are much more interesting. Each game is crucial, which means there's lots of good baseball to watch, and track, each night. Last night's Yankees/Rangers game was fantastic as Mike Mussina and Chan Ho Park combined for 13 shut out innings before Park gave up a run in the 8th. The Rangers came back in the bottom of the same inning and took the lead on a Hank Blaylock 2-run homerun. In Minnesota, the Orioles led 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth before giving up two runs, including one on a wild pitch. And in Boston, of course, Curt Schilling recorded his first save since 1992 as the Sox beat the Devil Rays 5-2.

Of course, things look to get even more interesting as this is the time of year when a flurry of trades can be expected to change the face of most of the teams making a playoff run. Yesterday, the Red Sox DFA'd reliever Alan Embree to make room for infielder Tony Graffanino (who the Sox failed to get as a free agent two years ago) and outfielder Adam Hyzdu (who the Sox traded in the offseason). The DFA of Embree may mean a trade is in the very near future, as Embree is still a valuable commodity, despite his struggles this season. His release, though probably very necessary, stings a bit, in part because he has been an integral part of the Sox bullpen for the last few seasons, and even moreso because it was he who stood on the mound as the Sox finished off the Yankees that memorable night in October. Still, change is necessary, and more can certainly be expected in the future as the rumors of potential trades involving Bill Mueller and Kevin Millar remain possibilities.

According to ESPN Insider, Boston's most hated center fielder could find a home in Boston's most hated center field:
The Yankees are interested in Eric Byrnes as a potential center field solution, The New York Times. According to the Rocky Mountain News, the Rockies immediately had inquiries about Byrnes after he was acquired from Oakland. Byrnes and Dustan Mohr are very similar, and the Rockies don't figure to keep both of them, especially if Ryan Spilborghs shows promise in his cameo appearance. Odds are that either Byrnes or Mohr gets dealt.
Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd is not in any hurry to deal Byrnes, the Denver Post reports. "I am not anxious to do anything there," O'Dowd told the newspaper. "I still think I can find a way to make him fit in [next year's budget]."

And the Orioles, one or two pitchers away from making a very serious run at winning the AL East, appear to be close to acquiring A.J. Burnett:
A.J. Burnett expects to be traded soon, the Palm Beach Post reports. A deal, likely with Baltimore, is nearing completion, although a three-way trade between the Marlins, Orioles and Pirates surfaced late Monday.

In a straight-up deal with Baltimore, the Marlins would send Burnett, third baseman Mike Lowell and Triple-A outfielder Eric Reed to the O's for reliever Jorge Julio, outfielder Larry Bigbie and pitching prospect Hayden Penn.

In the three-way deal, the Marlins would acquire pitcher Mark Redman from Pittsburgh -- along with Penn, Julio and Bigbie. In return, the Marlins would send Burnett to Baltimore and Lowell to Pittsburgh. The Pirates then would send first baseman Daryle Ward to Baltimore, and the Orioles also would acquire Reed. The Marlins would be responsible for a large portion of Lowell's contract, which has $21 million remaining through 2007.

Late last night, Jayson Stark nixed the idea of a three-way deal, maintaining that once the Orioles and Marlins figure out what to do with Mike Lowell, the deal will be done. As pointed out yesterday on Fire Brand of the AL, one has to wonder if the Sox aren't attempting to swoop in and, in addition to their offer of Arroyo for Burnett, try to find a place for Lowell at third, with Billy Mueller possibly being shipped to Minnesota for JC Romero.

Stark also mentioned that the Sox suggested to the Phillies that if Burnett found his way to Boston, they'd consider trading him for Wagner. Unless Ryan Howard was to be included in that deal, no thank you.

Billy Wagner has been quoted as saying that he would be disappointed if he wasn't traded if the Phillies were out of the playoff race. Since we still don't know how long Keith Foulke will take to recover from surgery, and we can assume (and hope) that Schilling once again becomes the Sox ace, to that I say, go Nats!

Speaking of the Nationals, they're trying to convince Barry Larkin to come out of retirement to fill in for the struggling Cristian Guzman. Crazy as that is, it's nowhere near as amazing as the fact that the Expos/Nationals are currently leading the NL East, despite the fact that they have allowed 4 more runs than they've scored this season.

Stay tuned...

In honor of last night's ESPY's, here's a recap of my weekend in Boston, award style.


Funniest Anti-Yankee Shirt
Winner: Derek Jeter Drinks Wine Coolers
It's not obscene, it's allowed into Fenway, and it made me giggle for at least 15 minutes.

Most Exciting Moment
Winner: Schilling Coming Out of the Bullpen on Thursday Night
and
Most Annoying Purple-Lipped Party Crasher
Winner: A-Rod
and
Quickest Mood Change
Thursday Night - Top of the Ninth Inning
Our seats for Thursday night's Sox/Yanks game were fantastic: four rows from the field just inside foul territory, ten people over from Pesky's Pole. The weather was perfect, the air smelled like baseball and I was back at Fenway - what could possibly go wrong? The Sox took an early 4-0 lead and I was able to sit back and enjoy my first night of the season at Fenway. And then the Yankees showed up. Bronson Arroyo, still recovering from his CD release party the evening before, looked less than sharp, and before we knew it, the game was tied. Fast forward to the top of the ninth. The clock read 10:05pm, Welcome to the Jungle began to blare out of the staticky Fenway speakers, the bullpen door swung open, and Curt Schilling made his way to the mound for the first time in months - and for the first time ever as a Red Sox reliever. Fenway was electric as the sold out crowd stood on their feet and let Curt know how happy they were to see him. And then A-Rod hit a two-run homerun and just like that, the game was over, the Yankees were a full game closer in the standings, and Schilling had earned the L. Thanks, A-Rod.

Second Most Exciting Moment
and
Most Unlikely Moment
Winner: Trot Nixon's Inside the Park Homerun
When you envision in your mind a critical Yankee error at Fenway resulting in three runs, you hope it comes at the hands of A-Rod or Captain Intangibles. When Melky Cabrera dove for, and missed, Trot Nixon's line drive into center field on Saturday night, it wasn't quite as sweet as if, say, Bernie Williams' wheelchair had flipped over in Center Field. Still, as Trot lumbered around the bases, and the ball rolled slowly across the warning track, everyone in the Sports Depot stood and screamed, "RUN!" It wasn't pretty, but as Trot crossed the plate and gasped for breath, we raised our drinks, clinked glasses, and prayed for a replay. Welcome to Fenway, Melky.

Most Irritating Lack of Judgement
Winner: Bronson Arroyo.
I don't care if the CD is full of cover songs. I don't care if you really do sound like Eddie Vedder. I don't care if 16 year-old girls are buying your CD by the carton. Your CD is lame, but I'm willing to let that extra-curricular activity slide as long as it's happening in the offseason. But a CD release party the night before a start against the Yankees? Not a good idea, dude.

Scene Most Desperately In Need of a Screencap
Winner: Bill Mueller's Grimace on Friday Night
If you know, you know. All I can say is...ouch.

Most Predictable
Winner: Bellhorn's homerun on Saturday
Up until that point, the Sox hadn't recorded a hit and their offense was MIA. With Bellhorn at the plate, I said to Claudia, "Watch Bellhorn be the one guy to get a hit. And watch him hit it out." The next pitch, boom - a straight shot over the Green Monster. Of course.
(I could practically see Steve's chest puffing out on the Monster as soon as the ball left the park.)

Drunkest Fans
Winner: The 4 Behind Us on Saturday
The couple behind me hit me on the head, hard, at least 4 times during the game. I know the seats are close, but come on - control yourself. But that's probably nothing compared to the guy behind Claudia and Dave, who spent the entire nine innings trying to put his hand up the skirt of his girlfriend.

Best Part of Fenway Park
Winner: Halfway through Thursday night's game, I realized what makes Fenway so much better than all of the new ballparks popping up across the country. The people in charge of making important decisions at Fenway understand that Red Sox fans like baseball, know baseball, understand baseball, and don't want to be treated like six-year-olds. There are no dot races, no obtrusive announcers telling us to cheer every five minutes, and no trivia contests encouraging me to guess the temperature. Instead, the scoreboard issues an interesting and informative fact or stat about each batter throughout the entire game. And between innings? Highlight films, comprised almost entirely of highlights from the magical 2004 season. It's what a night at a baseball game should be.

Worst Part of Fenway Park
Winner: The Johnny Damon Groupies
You know which fans I mean. They're the girls in tight shirts, often featuring clever wording such as "Johnny Damon Girl. Enough Said." They sit everywhere in Fenway, but are most easily found in close proximity to Center Field. They shriek things like, "Marry Me, Johnny!" or "OHMYGOD Johnny!" during inopportune moments, like when Johnny has just misplayed a ball in the warning track. But they can't be bothered with details. All they know is that Johnny Damon is now within 30 feet and if they're going to become his next wife, they've got to start screaming. (Part of me wishes the Red Sox would replace the current lineup with guys who look like Randy Johnson and John Kruk. Pink-hat-wearing girls all over Boston would stop following the team, leaving the very-hard-to-come-by Sox tickets to those of us who actually like the game of baseball. If I remember correctly, there weren't too many Phillies groupies waiting by Pete Incaviglia's car in 1993.)

Most Peanut Shells Caught In Chest Hair
Winner: The guy next to me at Fenway on Saturday. No question.

Biggest Discrepancy Between the ESPYs and This Weekend
Winner: The Performance of the Boston Red Sox
Last night, the Red Sox took home an award for "Best Team." This weekend? Not so much.

Best Beer
Winner: Yuengling Black and Tan
I had time to suck one down in the Philly airport during my short layover, and I swear I had almost forgotten how good it is. Almost.

Most Unfortunate Exclusion
Winner: Dirty Water
I listened to it on my iPOD on the plane ride home, but it wasn't quite the same as hearing it walking out of Fenway. Maybe next year.

Ordinarily, you'd have a hard time convincing me to spend three hours sitting in the still, sweltering Texas heat after battling traffic on I-30 for 45 minutes. But when the Red Sox are in town, nothing could keep me away from the Ballpark in Arlington (currently known as Ameriquest Field). Last week I spent three nights at the Ballpark watching the Sox take 2 of 3 from the pesky, hard-hitting Rangers, and one thing I am sure of is this: it's impossible not to have a good time when you watch the Sox play.

Thanks to the outrageous ticket prices and limited ticket availability at Fenway and the team's popularity following their first World Series victory in 86 years, the Red Sox pack ballparks across the country. If there's one thing that can be said about Red Sox fans, it is this: we know how to have fun. Watching the Sox play on the road, with thousands of other transplanted and travelling fans, is something every Sox fan should experience. Bound by the colors on their caps or the logo on their chests, Sox fans cheer from the first pitch to the last, determined to let their team know that they are supported in what should be hostile territory.

Still, as fun as road games can be, there's nothing quite like Fenway. There's nothing quite like the season's first steps through the gates, with your ticket in hand and a hint at the green field before you. There's nothing like Sweet Caroline. There's nothing like Dirty Water, and Yawkey Way, and $6.50 beer. Ok, I could do without that last one. Sure, the seats are too small, the bathrooms are horrific, and the food is atrocious. But it's Fenway Park, and next to Wrigley Field, it's the most fantastic place to watch baseball in the country.

Tomorrow morning, I board a plane bound for Boston. 29 hours from now, I'll hand over my ticket, take my first steps of the season through the gates, and breathe in the air that smells like sausage, beer, and baseball.

Someone once said that you can never home again. Thank God for Red Sox fans, you can.

_______________________________


Finally.

The dotted lines have been signed, the skates are being sharpened, and the game of stick and puck, which has been MIA for 301 days, is set to return as the NHL and the Players Association have reached a deal on a six-year collective bargaining agreement.

First, the important details, courtesy of Canada's TSN:

- a hard team-by-team salary cap with a payroll of range of $21 million to $39 million (in the first year), which includes all player costs (benefits, insurance etc).

- the league's total expenditure on player costs (salaries, bonuses, benefits and insurance) is not permitted to exceed 54 per cent of defined hockey-related revenue and the salary cap and payroll range will move up or down as revenues increase or decrease each year of the deal.

- a 24 per-cent salary rollback for any NHL player who has time remaining on an existing contract, keeping in mind that the players will receive none of the monies they were slated to earn in the lost season of 2004-05.

- liberalized free agency (including unrestricted status at 27 by year four of the deal), a more restrictive entry level system, totally revamped salary arbitration, improved pension benefits and a revenue-sharing plan.

The owners have gotten almost everything they wanted at the beginning of the lockout, causing some of the players to wonder if they made a mistake when they because the first professional sports league to miss an entire season of play. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Ed Moran, "Last week, Los Angeles Kings center Sean Avery said that NHLPA boss Bob Goodenow "brainwashed" the membership." A few days later, Red Wings goaltender Manny Legace told the AP, "We lost a season for no reason. We should've crumbled last September when the owners wanted a salary cap. It makes no sense what we ended up doing."

Looking ahead, the offseason is sure to be full of activity as teams will be dropping well-paid veteran free agents left and right to fit under the cap. Teams will be changing drastically between now and October, when the season is set to begin. The team the Flyers took to the Eastern Conference Finals over a year ago will be get a makeover as pricey veterans John LeClair, Tony Amonte, and Jeremy Roenick, among others, will be forced to find new homes. Defenseman Eric Desjardins is almost 40, free agent Mark Recchi signed with Pittsburgh, and backup goaltender Sean Burke retired before the lockout.

ESPN.com broke down each team's current status under the league's new salary cap. Here's their take on the Flyers:

13 players under contract totaling $33.8 million - It will cost owner Ed Snider a bundle, but it's entirely possible he will divest himself of John LeClair, Jeremy Roenick and Tony Amonte, who are owed more than $16 million this season alone. Roenick might stay because he remains the team's most visible presence (or noisiest presence, depending on your perspective). The Flyers will spend to the cap's limits, and they are chock full of terrific young talent, including AHL netminding sensation Antero Niittymaki, defenseman Joni Pitkanen and '03 draft picks Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. By locking up captain Keith Primeau, the single-best player in the '04 playoffs, and acquiring Boston sniper Mike Knuble, GM Bob Clarke has once again done a masterful job of making the Flyers a Cup contender before the first puck is dropped.

Flyers fans first got a good look at Nitittymaki when he started three regular season games for the big club in February of 2004. He went 3-0 with a GAA of 1.01, a save percentage of .961, and a win against their rivals from New Jersey that saw the rookie stone the Devils on several breakaways. Since then, he has gained experience and won the Calder Cup with the Flyers minor league team, the Philadelphia Phantoms.

For the first time since Ron Hextall won the Conn Smythe Award as a rookie in 1987, Flyers fans can feel good about their netminders. Niittymaki will be playing backup to Robert Esche, the 27 year-old who went 21-11-7 in 03-04 before a sensational performance in the playoffs.

With the Eric Lindros fiasco finally in the rearview mirror, Flyers fans can also feel good about the guy who wears the C. Keith Primeau proved he deserved the extra letter during the 2004 playoffs, when he singlehandedly led a depleted Flyers team to Game 7 of the Conference Finals. In a move that angered the NHLPA, Primeau signed a deal last summer to stay in a Flyers jersey for four-years worth $17 million. The deal is not only less than market value but less than Primeau made the prior season, a move which will no doubt become the standard for the Flyers' future spending.

In addition to the other young players ESPN mentioned, there have been several rumors out of Philly that the Flyers are entertaining the idea of offering a contract to NJ Devils' Scott Neidermeyer, a fantastic pesky defenseman that has had a difference of opinion with Devils' brass regarding his future worth and could be looking for a change of scenery.

Regardless of the faces we'll be seeing on the ice come October, the important thing is that they're back. And so, it's finally time to put the well-worn VHS copies of 2003-2004's playoff games back in the attic, dig out the dusty Flyers jersey and Darius Kasparitus voodoo doll, and wait anxiously for the puck to drop.

I'm "borrowing" this idea from Brandon, but I'm changing it up a bit. Whether happy or heartbreaking, these are my top 10 (or 11) most memorable sorts moments witnessed live on TV or in person.

Top 5 sports moments I witnessed live in person

1. Boston Red Sox World Series Parade, Boston, MA. October 30, 2004. It took 25 years, but I finally got to see one of my teams hold a parade. Worth the wait? Most definitely.

2. Tek vs A-Rod, Red Sox vs Yankees, Fenway Park, Boston, MA. July 24, 2004. There was the pre-game festivities at Boston Billiards, the brawl and the Billy Mueller walkoff homer. But the best part was the celebration. After the game, we returned to Billiards, still singing Dirty Water and high fiving strangers. Every fifteen minutes, the TVs tuned to ESPNEWS showed highlights of the game, and each time Bill Mueller took Mariano Rivera yard, the packed bar erupted as if seeing it - again - for the first time.

3. Game 7, Conference Finals, Philadelphia Flyers vs NJ Devils, Philly, PA. May 26, 2000. Days earlier, the Flyers had led their nemesis, the NJ Devils, 3 games to 1 in the best-of-7 series. They had seemed to be on the verge of accomplishing something that had evaded them for years and on their way to the Stanley Cup Finals when, in true Philly fashion, something went wrong. The Flyers looked dismal in their game 5 and 6 losses, and all of sudden, it all came down to a Game 7. Eric Lindros, the Flyers' star center and focus of much clubhouse controversy, was slated to make his triumphant return to the ice, much to the chagrin of his teammates. At the time it was rumor and has since come to be known as fact - the players resented Lindros' attitude and desperately wanted to play the seventh game without him. Home from college for the playoffs, I arrived at the game overwrought with anticipation. The Flyers had dominated the playoffs without Lindros, and I was hoping that his presense didn't upset the chemistry in the locker room.

Patrick Elias scored for the Devils halfway through the first period to give them a 1-0 lead. 66 seconds later, just inside the Devils blueline, Scott Stevens leveled Eric Lindros, who collapsed onto the ice. It was another in a long series of concussions for Lindros, and instantly, the once-rowdy crowd was silenced. As he was taken off the ice on a stretcher, we knew the season was over. The Flyers looked lifeless after that, and went on to lose the deciding game 2-1.

Walking out of the arena with tears in my eyes, a man stopped me in the concourse. "Don't cry, sweetheart," he told me. "They'll win one soon." Five years later, I'm still waiting.

4. Philadelphia Flyers vs NY Islanders, The Spectrum, Philly, PA. January 17, 1986. It was my very first hockey game, and the Flyers lost to the Islanders 4-3 when Bryan Trottier scored the winning goal with 1 second left in regulation. Could there have been a more appropriate start to my life as a Philadelphia sports fan?

5. Donovan McNabb's 14.1 second play, Eagles vs Cowboys, Texas Stadium. November 15, 2004. Texas Stadium was full of rowdy Eagles fans that saw the Birds destroy the evil Cowboys 49-21. But the highlight of the game, and easily the most impressive football-related feat I've witnessed in person, was a pass McNabb threw on 3rd and 10 in the second quarter. After taking the snap at the 25 yard line, McNabb ducked two Cowboy defenders and rolled back to the right side of the 8-yard line. There he evaded a waiting defensive end and sprinted towards the left sideline, where he launched a bomb that hit Freddie Mitchell. From the moment the ball was snapped until it left his hand was timed by ABC at 14.1 seconds, and eventually led to an Eagles touchdown.


Top 6 sports moments I witnessed live on tv

1. Was there any question?


2. Johnny Damon's Grand Slam vs the Yankees, ALCS Game 7, October 20, 2004. The moment the ball met his bat, Red Sox fans everywhere knew that the Yankees had finally been beaten.

3. Eastern Conference Semifinals, Overtime, Game 6, Philadelphia Flyers vs Toronto Maple Leafs. May 4, 2004. As always with these two teams, it had been a gritty, grueling, exhausting series. Game 6 went into overtime and the action was fast-paced, with both teams trading scoring chances. Though the Flyers held a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series, it felt as though the next goal would decide the fate for the teams. It was the kind of game that made people fall in love with hockey all over again; the kind where you realize sometime during the third period that you'd been holding your breath for the last eight minutes, too nervous to breathe.

Coming off the bench, Sami Kapanen, a winger who was playing defense for the first time in his career because the Flyers' blue line was so depleted, got slammed along the boards by Darcy Tucker. He made three excruciating attempts at getting to his feet, each one a failure. As a fan, all of your greatest fears were being realized as you watched yet another Flyer struggle to get to his feet. All of a sudden, there was Keith Primeau, the Captain's C on his chest practically glowing at that point, leaning off the bench holding his stick out, attempting to guide Kapanen back to safety. Meanwhile, across the ice, Roenick was racing towards the goal. A few seconds and one wristshot later, the puck was in the net, the game was over, the series was won, and the Flyers were celebrating on the ice.

Had Kapanen been unable to get back to the bench, play would have been whistled dead and the puck never finds the back of the net. As a sea of orange and black filled center ice, ESPN cut to a shot of Keith Primeau and Sami Kapanen on the Flyers bench, their heads rested against each others' as the Captain refused to leave his wounded teammate sitting alone on the bench while he celebrated their victory. In 26 years of watching the Flyers, that is my single favorite memory.

4. A quick series of events: Pedro Martinez receiving hugs in the dugout, signaling the end of his outing, Pedro stepping onto the mound in the 8th inning, and the lead vanishing. ALCS Game 7, Red Sox vs Yankees. October 16, 2003. Will you ever forget it? No, me neither.

5. 4th and 26. NFC Division Championship Game, Philadelphia Eagles vs Green Bay Packers. Monday, January 12, 2004. No one thought this was possible. No one. But McNabb threw a bomb to Freddie Mitchell for a 28-yard 1st down on 4th and 26, which led to a David Akers field goal, sending the game into overtime. The Eagles went on to win the game, and 4th and 26 remains a magical phrase in Philly sports history.

6. Game 4, Conference Semifinals, Philadelphia Flyers vs Pittsburgh Penguins. May 4, 2000. What should have been just another early-round playoff game ended up in the history books. Two days after my twenty-first birthday, I went to a Boston bar to watch a friend's band play and the Flyers/Penguins on ESPN. We moved to a bar closer to home after regulation, and after the fourth overtime, the bars closed, forcing me to sprint home. After cutting into the remains of my orange and black birthday cake, I watched the Flyers collapse in celebration at center ice, having just won the third longest playoff game in history. The game, which went into 5 overtime periods, ended at 2:35am, seven hours after it began. Keith Primeau scored the winning goal to give the Flyers a 2-1 victory, and later went on to win the series.

Last night could have been different. Monday night's devastating loss to the Rangers, after Keith Foulke's blown save, could have triggered a losing streak of monumental proportions. But the Red Sox showed the same gamesmanship they exhibited last October and won the game handily with help from Ortiz and Manny's bats and one hell of an effort from Tim Wakefield.

In his 300th major league start, Wakefield threw 115 pitches in 8 innings for the win. He looked tired in the 5th and 6th innings, giving up two runs in each, but well aware of the current bullpen struggles, stuck it out through eight before Timlin threw just 6 pitches in the 9th for the save.

This sort of gamesmanship is nothing new for Wakefield. Though he wasn't named the ALCS MVP last year, he very well could have been. Red Sox fans have heard this story a thousand times before, but others may not be familiar with just how big oif a role he played in that series, despite the fact that he never started a game.

It started on Saturday, October 16 with the Sox already trailing the Yankees 2-0 in the best of 7 series. Bronson Arroyo was on the mound for game 3 at Fenway, but after allowing six runs in just two innings, the Sox were forced to turn to their bullpen. The Sox knew that if they were going to come back to win the series, they would need to keep their bullpen arms strong, so after three pitchers combined to allow nine runs in 3.1 innings, Tim Wakefield approached Terry Francona in the dugout. Wakefield, who had already been announced as the Game 4 starter, told Francona that he was available for long relief in an effort to sustain the bullpen, thus forfeiting his start the following night.

It should be pointed out, in an effort to provide valuable historical information, that Wakefield, the longest-tenured player on the Sox, was on the mound when Aaron F'ing Boone went yard on that dark night in October of 2003. The guilt Wake felt that night was well-documented in Boston, as was his desire to bring a World Series to the city that had treated him so well over the years.

Much to the heartbreak of Sox fans, who hoped to see Wake on the mound the following night, he entered the game that already felt like a lost cause with a runner on second and two outs. After intentionally walking Jorge Posada, Wake gave up a two-run triple to Ruben Sierra. That night, he pitched a total of 3.1 innings, giving up another two runs in the fifth and two more in the seventh.

These days, it would be hard to find many pitchers who would, on such a big stage with so much on the line, volunteer to give up their starting spot in the rotation to pitch mop-up innings in a game that had already been blown wide open. But Wakefield did just that without an ounce of regret or the hint of a complaint. Following the game, Francona remarked, "When we win tomorrow, we'll have Wake to thank for that."

Fast forward to Game 5. Thanks to David Ortiz, the Sox had emerged from Game 4 victorious, though it had taken 12 innings and 6 pitchers to do so, leaving their bullpen weary. Most thought the Sox needed a strong performance from starting pitcher Pedro Martinez and an easy 9-inning win for their bullpen to have a chance of surviving the series, but when has anything against the Yankees ever been easy? After surrenduring 4 runs in 6 innings, Pedro was relieved by Timlin, followed by Foulke, Arroyo, Myers, and Embree. After 11 innings, the score remained 4-4 and many wondered how much longer the Red Sox bullpen could continue to pitch shutout baseball. Enter Tim Wakefield. Abandoning the prospect of starting a game that series, Wake came in and pitched three scoreless innings before David Ortiz became the hero on the second night in a row. In those three innings he allowed one hit and one walk while striking out four.

The Sox went on to win the series in seven games, completing the greatest comeback in sports history. Everyone knows that Derek Lowe came out of the bullpen for a fantastic start in Game 7. Everyone knows that Johnny Damon hit a much-needed grand slam. Everyone knows that Dave Roberts stole second.

But buried in the game recaps and box scores are 6.1 innings of relief, and without them, and without that one selfless pitcher, the greatest comeback in sports history may never have happened at all.

For the first time since the 2003 season, last night I knew the Boston Red Sox were going to lose. It had been a particularly sloppy game, between Manny's horrific baserunning and Wade Miller's ill-advised throw to second with no one covering the bag. Thanks to a wild pitch and a ManRam two-run shot, the Sox took the lead late in the game. Ordinarily, this would be the sort of game in which the Sox come back and hold on to win, much to the frustration of the opposition and the jubilation of their fans. We've all gotten used to these types of games, and we love the confidence the comes with them.

But that was before Keith Foulke fell apart.

Sitting in the sweltering Texas heat at the field formerly known as The Ballpark in Arlington, my legs sticking to the seat and beads of sweat collecting on the back of my neck, I turned to my boyfriend as Keith Foulke stood on the mound in the middle of a four minute pre-ninth meeting with Jason Varitek and said, "This is it. He's toast."

Spare me your comments on "keeping the faith" and "jumping off the bandwagon." I've watched this guy give away enough close games this season to understand that he is not the same guy, in mind or body, who stood on the mound in October. It was evident again last night, especially in the 0-2 pitch to Soriano, which immediately sucked all of the air from the chests of the Red Sox fans in the ballpark. He has zero confidence, his mechanics are fucked, his pitches are too predictable to opposing players, and his velocity has gone down.

What will it take for this to be the last straw? Are Theo and Francona waiting for Schilling's return before they do anything drastic? Are they hoping that sending Arroyo to the pen will somehow solve all of their problems? Are they hoping that Foulke can get one or two solid performances under his belt, boost his confidence, and by August, perfect his mechanics? Or are they hoping the All Star break will heal whatever is ailing Foulke?

Some want to point out that Foulke was not the only thing wrong with that dreadful ninth inning. Yes, maybe Jay Payton should have been in as a defensive replacement for Trot Nixon, who made a mess of the one-out Michael Young triple. Yes, it was a bad decision to pitch to Mark Teixeira, the team's best hitter, with a guy on third and no one on first. Yes, it was odd that Francona had Mike Myers warming in the pen with no apparent intention of putting him in the game. And yes, their aforementioned fielding and baserunning blunders earlier in the game didn't exactly contribute positively to the final score, but there's no question that Keith Foulke is the biggest problem on the Boston Red Sox.

All season long, I've told myself that I would be patient with this team. Remember what you learned from last year, I kept telling myself. As Billy Beane has taught us, April, May, June, July are the months for figuring out what you need and going after it.

But after last night, I have officially had it. It's a terrible feeling to know that your team, who has fought back so hard, has no chance going into the bottom of the ninth. If I know it, and you know it, don't the players know it, too? Will there eventually come a time when they don't have enough fight left in them as a result of all of the wasted comebacks they've endured as of late?

Tonight I return to the scene of the crime to watch Tim Wakefield take on Chris Young. In a perfect scenario, the knuckleball will dance in the hot, humid Texas heat and Wake will go 9 innings for the win. Most likely, though, the Sox will call upon their bullpen once again in the late innings, and Sox fans will hold their collective breath as the bullpen door opens. Who are we hoping to see? From Jeremi Gonzalez to Alan Embree, the bullpen doesn't currently instill a ton of confidence. But as for who I'm hoping to see, it's quite simple: anyone but Foulke.

(4:30pm update - according to WEEI in Boston, Foulke has been sent back to the city to have his knee "checked out." Hallelujah. Next up: a trip to the DL.)