Game 45

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 9, Oakland Athletics 6

And, with a little help from Bobby Crosby and a MONSTER home run from V-Tek, D-Lowe survived long enough to get the win. Which, in the scheme of things, is probably what Derek needed. The man has come off as such a head case several times over the past few years that it seems like all he needs is a boost like a win to get him back in step. I hope so, because that game last night was real ugly for the starting pitchers on both sides (I admit a small bias - Redman is on my fantasy team. My ideal night last night would have been something involving perfection from both Redman and Lowe last night through seven or eight innings and then a Red Sox win off of the Oakland bullpen, or something like that. But I digress).

It seems like every commentator last night, from the ESPN booth announcers to super-fan Ben Affleck (and goddamn if that's not an awful picture) had something to say about The Great Coming (as I like to call the return of Nixon and Garciaparra) and how much more that will improve the monster offense. I feel I must weigh in (why have a soapbox if I didn't?) on this matter. My thoughts: first of all, The Great Coming, although it will be greated joyfully, will be a subtraction as well as an addition. Some of that offense that's batting now is going to get shifted out to fit Garciaparra and Nixon back in. That would suggest that things are going to stay about par with where they are now (which is certainly fine with me). Second, there's no guarantee that either Trott or Nomar is going to come back in full form. I realize that the whole point of rehab assignments is to avoid those sort of difficulties, but there are guarantees. I think everyone needs to calm down before we get a case of over-hype.

Also, to the ESPN broadcasting team: not that it matters too much, but Ben Affleck is not from Southie. He's from Berkeley, CA by way of growing up in Cambridge. A rather nice part of Cambridge, from my understanding. Just because the man co-wrote a movie about Southie does not make him one of South Boston Denizens. And Ben, next time someone suggests you are from Southie, please correct them. We need to kill these misconceptions at the source.

Alright, game 3 tonight. Perhaps the toughest test for the pitching staff tonight, going up against bad-ass Mark Mulder. I remember feeling greatful when I heard last year he wouldn't be appearing in the playoffs. Of course, if things continue as they have for the past few nights, all Arroyo has to do is hold on long enough for the Sox hitters to grind the Oakland pitchers under their collective heel once again and pick up their sixth win in a row.

I was going to make some sort of asinine commentary about tonight being the matchup between the rookie and the veteran, because Mulder looks like he's 35 and Arroyo looks like he's 12, but apparently Bronson has about half a year (he's 27) on young Mark. Fancy that. YANKEES SUCK! - eventually the truth will bear me out.