It was pretty cold for a late April game last night. Tracey and I had to deal with some last-minute sprinkles, but otherwise the weather cleared up a tick before game time. So I guess the chilly air circulating around the park was the only drawback to an otherwise exceptional Fenway experience.

I've been to a lot of games, but I'm pretty sure this was the first 1-0 instant classic I've seen live. Games like these rarely happen any more. The funny thing about it is the first few innings seem frustrating and lackluster to fans of American League baseball. We're programmed to expect the offense to be cranking out hits and runs at all times. Last night we had the opportunity to watch a genuine old-school pitcher's duel.

It was thrilling to see Dustin Pedroia's defensive gem that stopped a run from scoring, along with the dramatic lone run driven home in the bottom of the 9th--a Kevin Youkilis single that plated David Ortiz. But last night, pitching was the story.

I think if the game had gone the other way, with Toronto nipping the Sox by a run, I might have been inclined to write about how impatient the Boston lineup seemed against Halladay. The reality is that Toronto's ace is so good when he's on his game, it doesn't matter what the count is. He's going to throw strikes. If you're patient, you'll take a called third strike. If you're aggressive, he'll make you look silly, as he did to Manny Ramírez, who went down at one point like he was trying to swat a fly with his 32 ounce Louisville Slugger. Tough break for him to take the loss after throwing a complete game.

Jon Lester, who has been inconsistent at best this season, and arguably the weakest link of the five-man rotation, looked like he was mirroring Halladay's performance, inning for inning. Although he didn't get the win, he deserved it as he dominated a tough Toronto lineup for eight innings, powering his fastball for strikes and working in a changeup that kept the Blue Jays off balance for the duration.

If this is a sign that Jon Lester has turned the corner, then the Sox will be in great shape this season. If it's just a blip, an aberration lost in a string of mediocre performances, then I'll look back on this performance years from now as "what might have been" that great lefty starter, Jon Lester.

Hey Sox Fans,

I'm heading to the ballpark right after work today for my first game of the year--tickets courtesy of Tracey (shout out!) for my birthday. No, we don't have Monster Seats. This is a photo used in a documentary on Fenway Park (see below).

We'll be battling the elements, as the forecast is calling for rain straight through the day with clearing skies sometime around 8 p.m.

Uphill battle tonight with Jon Lester taking on Cy Young winner, Roy Halladay. But consider these surprising numbers from Toronto's ace:

    • ERA vs. Boston (2005-2007): 5.15

    • ERA at Fenway (2005-2007): 5.04

    • 2007 Record vs. Boston: 1-3 with an ERA of 5.94

Even though Halladay is one of the top pitchers in baseball, the Sox seem to be able to handle him without too much trouble. Even in his win earlier this month against the Sox in Toronto he gave up four earned runs. This guy can be beat.

Of course with Jon Lester on the mound, I'd guess the Sox will need to score a few more than four runs. The lefty is sporting an unimpressive record of 1-2 with an ERA of 5.40 in six starts. He has not started against the Jays this season.

I'm Famous! (Sort Of) The American Institute of Architects contacted me about using two of my photos in its "Shape of America Series" on Fenway Park. You can click this link to view this impressive video.

I felt like I was in Bizarro World while watching the games this weekend. Or at least the Red Sox were.

Clay Buchholz and Josh Beckett combined to throw their best games of the season on successive days, and yet the Sox lost both to Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay! Not the Yankees or the Indians or the Tigers, Blue Jays, or Angels. The Tampa Bay Don't-Call-Us-Devil Rays!

Buchholz - Eight innings, three hits (only one through 8), two runs, nine strikeouts (matches career high) and two walks, both of which came in the first inning.

Beckett - Seven innings, four hits, two runs (only one earned), 13 strikeouts (career high) and one walk.

When your starters pitch like those two, you can expect a win on most nights--against Tampa Bay, it's usually a lock. But this weekend in Bizarro World, up was down, left was right, the Rays pitchers were very good, and the league-leading Red Sox offense came up empty.

After a staggering 20 games without a day off, the Red Sox catch a breather tomorrow as they gear up to play the other team that swept them this season, the Toronto Blue Jays.

At least they'll be at Fenway on Tuesday. No pressure, guys. It's only Roy Halladay vs. Jon Lester.

Wake up those bats!

First, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays outlast the Sox in 11 innings on Friday night, then they come back against an almost unhittable Clay Buchholz last night. For Boston, at least right now, Tropicana Field has become the new Red Sox House of Horrors (with all due respect to Rogers Centre in Toronto).

Not much to say about last night's low-scoring game. Buchholz was electric, carrying a one-hitter and nine strikeouts into the eighth inning, but a pinch-hit single and a home run by Akinori Iwamura were enough for Buchholz to take the loss, as the new-look Devil-less Rays hung on for the 2-1 victory.

The Sox try to avoid the sweep at 1:30 today. Josh Beckett returns to the mound after a stiff neck derailed his last start.

David Ortiz will miss his second game as he recovers from a bruised knee.

Justin Masterson made his big league debut yesterday and even though they lost, the Red Sox learned that they now have another option to step into the rotation if needed.

Filling in a hole created by the flu bug that has severely affected the team, Masterson looked very sharp over his six innings, allowing just two hits and one run. He received a tough luck no decision when the bullpen imploded and the Sox lost 7-5 at Fenway.

Does Masterson deserve another shot in the rotation or should he take his confidence-building debut back to Double-A and continue to mow down hitters while building up his skills?

Daisuke Matsuzaka became the latest casualty in the Great Red Sox Flu Outbreak of 2008. For the second night in a row, a starting pitcher was a late scratch, but last night the results were not so good. On short rest, Jon Lester got the start and promptly put the Sox in a hole that was later dug out by a David Ortiz home run that tied the game at 4 in the 5th.

One-day callup Craig Hansen, who had been steamrolling the competition at Triple-A, gave up a go-ahead home run to Casey Kotchman and from there the Angels cruised to victory, 6-4. Hansen was immediately sent back to Pawtucket to make room for Double-A phenom Justin Masterson who has posted a minuscule .95 ERA in three starts this season. One can only hope he can limit the hot-hitting Angels to three or fewer runs.

Josh Beckett missed last night's game with a stiff neck. He will probably not return until his next scheduled start in 5 days. The Sox called up David Pauley who was not great two years ago when he made three winless starts. He doesn't seem to have improved. Last night he surrendered 5 runs in four innings and while this might look bleak for other teams, the streaking Sox did what they've done better than any team in baseball this season. They staged another unlikely comeback and outlasted the Angels, 7-6 at Fenway.

Credit Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia for sparking the offense at the top of the lineup. Ellsbury launched two home runs while Pedroia hit three doubles.

The End of Coco? How much more of Jacoby Ellsbury do we need to see before Terry  Francona pencils him in as the everyday leadoff man/center fielder? Coco Crisp is a solid player, but compared to Ellsbury, he's the fourth outfielder on this team. I think it's time for Francona to end the charade of having the two split playing time. In this case, it's the rookie who deserves the job over the veteran. I will miss Coco's defense--one of the best gloves in baseball. But Coco's been through this before in Cleveland. When Grady Sizemore came up, Crisp was bumped from center and relegated to left field only to be shipped to Boston the following offseason after the Sox lost free agent Johnny Damon to some other team that plays in the A.L. East.

On Sunday at Fenway, the Red Sox staged their greatest regular season comeback since last year's now legendary Mother's Day Miracle. Down by 5 with two outs in the 8th inning, the Red Sox offense came alive and overpowered Texas closer C.J. Wilson, who did himself no favors by issuing three consecutive walks (one intentional). The comeback was particularly impressive, as Manny was thrown out in the second inning for arguing balls and strikes.
Final score: Boston 6, Texas 5.

Yesterday, the city was teeming with athletes as 25,000 men and women competed in the Boston Marathon. Meanwhile, back at Fenway, the Sox won the annual Patriot's Day game which started at 11 a.m. Clay Buchholz got off to a shaky start, but left the bases loaded in the second. He settled in from there tossing six scoreless innings as the Sox completed the four-game sweep of the Texas Rangers. What's most impressive about yesterday's win was Terry Francona's B-squad lineup, which did not include Manny Ramírez (planned day off), Jason Varitek (flu), Coco Crisp (hamstring), or Mike Lowell (still rehabbing thumb).
Final score: Boston 8, Texas 3.

The Sox have now won 8 of their last 9 games to improve to a league-leading 14-7.

Great quote from free agent pickup Sean Casey on Sunday following the fifth comeback in their last six victories (source: Boston Herald): "I've been on teams that when you get down, it's like, 'We lost.' With this team, it's like, 'No, let's just get on base and get something happening.' Guys don't give up here . . . I've had other teams that were waiting to lose. This team is waiting to win."

No, I'm not pining for a reunion tour of Justin Timberlake's washed up boy band.

I was referring to the devastating Manny Ramírez/David Ortiz combo, that when operating in tandem, is the most dangerous 1-2 punch in baseball, and has been for the past five seasons. Last night we saw what fans can expect from the Manny & Papi Show, Season 6.

Bottom of the 8th, Sox trailing by a run against Texas. Ortiz, slowly emerging from the worst start of his career, cranks a liner too hot for Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler to handle, driving in the tying run by plating rally-starter Dustin Pedroia.

Next, it's Manny Time. At this point you almost expect a home run from Ramírez. The guy has been on fire since the Japan trip.

Reliever Joaqiun Benoit tossed a batting-practice-style-mid-80s changeup that Manny absolutely crushed into the light tower, a game-deciding shot that would have made Roy Hobbs take notice. Of course, Manny is a real person, and his swing is a hell of lot better than Redford's.

Coming up on the Manny & Papi Show: The boys continue to jack up ERAs across Major League Baseball, as games that appear to be certain losses are transformed into inspiring victories by two swings of two very big bats. Meanwhile, Manny explains to the media that he wants six (6!) more seasons with the Sox.

"I feel good. I'm just trying to stay here for four years, trying to get two options (picked up) and get four years after that and I've got to go out and play my *** off out there."

The late great Marvin Gaye once sang, "...believe half of what you see, son, and none of what you hear."

That's a fine rule of thumb when reading the papers and listening to your favorite sports talk personalities giving their predictions for the season before a single game has been played.

The Red Sox, coming off a World Series championship, were under heavy scrutiny this past off-season, with several talking heads predicting that the first month of the season could ruin their chances to make the playoffs this year. Factor in David Ortiz's sluggish start, and even some Sox die-hards were left wondering if a punchless Papi could end the team's shot at a dynasty for good.

Don't count on it.

Myth #1: The Japan Trip Sports prognosticators around the country warned fans before the season started that the Sox could be off to a sub-.500 start this month due to a combination of the brutal schedule (Yankees, Tigers, Blue Jays, Indians, etc.) and the fallout from the opener in Japan. Consider the itinerary: Boston to Tokyo to Oakland to LA to Toronto and finally home to Boston. Time changes, jet-lag, endless interviews, culture shock, four openings days, three countries, two turtle doves and a ring ceremony were more than enough to think this team would be snoozing in the standings until early May. But 18 games into the season, the Sox find themselves with a narrow lead atop the AL East with the worst of the tough schedule behind them, emerging victorious in six of their last seven games. It would be foolish to think players weren't affected given the uneven play over the first ten days, but the predicted lingering fatigue appears to be a non-issue.

Myth #2: Dice-K's a #3 at Best Slipping Daisuke Matsuzaka into the third spot in the rotation last season made sense, given his unfamiliarity with the league and all the things associated with transitioning from Japan to America. His bumpy 15-12 start wasn't bad, but the 4.40 ERA was concerning as was his inability to escape from pressure situations. Moving him into the #2 slot behind Josh Beckett would be a mistake, said the sports media. Johan Santana would be the best fit for this team if the Yankees don't get him first. We all know what happened with Santana, but has anyone noticed that Dice-K has won his 4th straight decision, leading the American League in wins? The run support he'll get this year should mask some of his shortcomings, like high pitch counts and too many walks, but this guy can pick up 17 or more victories this season barring injury. So is Dice-K an ace? Nah. But he does recognize his problems, and he's always aiming to improve. He's also quick to admit he's had some luck this year, showing surprising humility for a Japanese icon: "For the past two games, even though the team has won, I feel bad that I've been a drag on the team," he said last night. How many other undefeated pitchers will admit to that?

Myth #3: The End of Ortiz Excuses/theories explaining David Ortiz's slow start to the season:

    • Botched knee surgery
    • The new batting stance due to the botched knee surgery
    • Reduced bat speed
    • Jet-lag from Japan
    • Too many endorsements
    • The buried Ortiz jersey backfired
    • We knew he was on the 'roids!
      (Last two suggestions from Yankees fans.)

Over the past week, Ortiz has shown some signs of breaking out of his slump and last night against Texas, Big Papi launched an opposite field grand slam and knocked in another run for good measure on his best offensive night of the year. Will he slip back into his funk after last night's performance at the plate? Possibly, but his track record says otherwise.

Four hours of solid offense and poor pitching that couldn't hold leads. If you missed the game last night, consider yourself lucky. The actual score, by the way, was 15-9.

I had a good time trading comments with a few Yankees and Red Sox fans over at the Heartland Digital Living Room (that's HDLR for the cool cats in the know). Thanks to Jason for the invite--and good luck with your new blog host.

I won't even attempt to revisit last night's forgettable mess. At some point during what appeared to be a live-action remake of the game between Bugs Bunny and the Gas-House Gorillas, I suggested to Jason that he recap the game in chapters rather than mere paragraphs. Since he took my advice, here it is. I'll say this much: the guy can write.
Nice work, Jason.

Next up: Josh Beckett squares off against Mike Mussina. I still say Moose has overstayed his welcome and won't win more than 10 games this season. Expect a good clean victory for the Sox tonight and a series split.

Jason Varitek thought he had the night off with Tim Wakefield on the mound, but the Red Sox captain was called in to pinch hit and blasted a home run to give the Sox a two-game sweep over the Indians at Jacobs Progressive Field in Cleveland last night.

This is the second game in a row the Sox have beat the Indians in the ninth inning. Between the playoffs last October and the past couple of nights, I'm pretty sure they don't have much love for Boston these days.

Rookie Jed Lowrie made his MLB debut last night and drove in three runs, the first Red Sox callup to do so since 1947. Look out, Julio Lugo. Your replacement seems ready to go.

Are you ready for more Yankees? It's a rematch of Clay Buchholz vs. Chien-Ming Wang in the Bronx tonight, another quick two-game series. Buchholz is looking for his first W of the season, while the undefeated Wang is already after his fourth win in four starts. Sounds like an uphill battle for the first place Red Sox, unless Wang has one of his rare shaky outings.

Five innings into the game last night I figured this post would be about Jon Lester's troubling stats. In his past three starts Lester has walked three, then four, and last night a career-worst five batters. Apart from missing the strike zone, he appears to be easy to figure out after one time through the lineup--another disturbing trend.

But Lester has a few people to thank for escaping with a no decision in last night's come-from-behind victory:

• Crazy Julian Tavarez went all Papelbon on the Indians, ending the inning by striking out the two batters he faced after inheriting Lester's bases-loaded situation. CJT went another two innings, surrendering just two hits.

• Mike Timlin, he of the ERA larger than the national deficit, pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

• Joe Borowski, the Indians' awful closer, blew the save after giving up the tying runs (rally started by Julio Lugo), followed by a bloop single by David Ortiz (two hits on the night) and a huge go-ahead home run by Manny.

• Papelbon closed it out with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth.

Say thank you to your teammates, Jon. Now go work on commanding the strike zone.

On a night when Daisuke Matsuzaka couldn't find the plate, Mike Timlin couldn't get anyone out, and Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon were unavailable, it was the fine work of David Aardsma, Javier Lopez, and Manny Delcarmen who kept the Yankees at bay in an 8-5 win at Fenway last night.

In addition to Okajima and Papelbon, David Ortiz and his 3-for-season bat sat out the game as well. Offense was not the problem. It was the starting pitcher. Matsuzaka still seems to be in transition mode from Japan to America. Of his four starts, two brilliant performances have been bookended by shaky outings. His record says 3-0, but that's thanks to the Red Sox offense. He really should be 2-2, but he seems to be the designated beneficiary of exceptional run support this season.

As for the Yankees, they were not good last night. Their impatience at the plate led to a few bad swings in key situations. Starter Phil Hughes looked like he should still be playing in AAA, lasting just over two innings while surrendering seven runs--his shortest outing to date.

It was revealed this morning that Joba Chamberlain's father collapsed at his home in Nebraska last night and was reported to be in critical but stable condition. Having seen them both in interviews last season, it's almost impossible not to like them. So Sox fans, put aside your "Yankees are the enemy" mindset and think good thoughts for the Chamberlains.

Next up: The Cleveland Indians host the Sox tonight. This is a matchup Indians fans have waited for since October when the Sox pulled yet another backs-to-the-wall postseason miracle and rallied from a 3-games-to-1 deficit to advance to the World Series. The good news about this two-game series is C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona will not take the mound.

Item #1: The Bird Attack I was remiss in not covering the now famous hawk attack at Fenway. If you haven't heard the story, a red-tailed hawk (Get it? Red tail? Red Sox???) swooped down on a young student who was taking the Fenway Park tour and drew some blood, though the girl was not seriously injured. The girl's name? Alexa Rodriguez. Her age? 13, which happens to be A-Rod's number. It has since been disclosed that her friends do in fact call her A-Rod. Coincidence? Probably. Good story? Heck, yeah!

Item #2: The Papi Jersey Seems a curse-loving construction worker buried a David Ortiz jersey (not the t-shirt shown above) somewhere under the new Yankee Stadium last August. A spokesperson for the Bombers chalked it up to an April Fool's joke, but it appears that risking any "curse talk" beyond the Curse of A-Rod and the newly departed Curse of Mattingly was more than Yankees brass were willing to endure. Workers unearthed the jersey after jackhammering a two-foot by three-foot hole in the freshly cemented ground. I must say that while I think Hank Steinbrenner is a shadow of the powerhouse owner his dad was, this quote is priceless: "I hope his co-workers kick the [expletive] out of him."
Little Steinbrenner's got spunk!

Game Time: 2:49
Rain Delay: 2:11

What a strange finish to a very long game. Josh Beckett looked great until he tired in the 7th, Manny Ramirez either drove in or scored every run, and Jonathan Papelbon struck out A-Rod in the 8th, then K'd Giambi and Posada in the 9th.

With one victim left--Robinson Cano, who wouldn't go quietly--Papelbon had Cano at 2-2 when suddenly...NASCAR! Yes, that's correct. Fans who waited 4 hours and 58.5 minutes for the conclusion of a one run game were out of luck if they didn't subscribe to FX, where Fox moved the game for its final two pitches. Two pitches! In case you missed it, Cano ended the game with a weak infield grounder.

I'm pretty sure angry fans will light up the switchboards at Fox for the next day or two. Whatever happened to split screen or picture-in-picture? Two pitches!

Tomorrow night, Daisuke Matsuzaka vs. former Sox fan Phil Hughes. Will Dice-K continue dominating hitters as he has since returning from Japan? Will the pressure of pitching against the team he rooted for as a kid work against Hughes? Will another rain delay force ESPN to move the game to ESPN2? One thing's for sure: No matter how close tomorrow's game is, you won't see Jonathan Papelbon. Not after warming up three times through two rain delays and pitching an inning and a third.

Good news: Clay Buchholz pitched very well. 1 run on 4 hits over 6 innings.

Bad news: Chien-Ming Wang pitched better. Much, much better.

In fact, Wang's performance was so masterful it was almost boring to watch. The Sox mustered only two hits: a J.D. Drew home run (we can safely call him Mr. April from now on) and a Coco Crisp 9th inning desperation bunt base hit.

Mike Timlin made his 2008 debut by serving up a home run to steroid poster boy Jason Giambi and that was all the offense Wang needed as he sailed through all nine innings on just 93 pitches.

Post-game quote from Mike Timlin: "It was terrible, absolutely terrible. I came back and pitched terribly. It wasn't how I was looking forward to starting 2008. I made bad pitches. You can't get major league hitters out with pitches right down the middle."

Well said, Mike.

It's hard to commend the Red Sox for winning 2-out-of-3 when the team they played is currently sporting a 1-8 record. The Tigers woke up a bit during their three day stay at Fenway, but only enough to scrounge up one victory. It's amazing how much additional pressure the Tigers will feel now that they have catapulted themselves into second place on the payroll chart (at $137.6 million), behind the $209 million New York Yankees. The Sox, thanks to some young talent brought up from the farm system and Matt Clement's annual $9 million albatross finally off the books, have dropped to fourth place ($133 million) behind the Mets ($137.3 million).

This weekend series against the Yankees should be intriguing given that neither team is hitting or pitching consistently and both are due to break out. Here are the matchups:

Friday - Wang vs. Buchholz
Saturday - Mussina vs. Beckett
Sunday - Hughes vs. Matsuzaka

Considering the threat of rain and cold weather, anything's possible, but the edge goes to the Yanks tonight and to the Sox on Saturday and Sunday.

This is a game the Red Sox should have had in the bag. They scored off Jeremy Bonderman, who last year completely dominated them. Jon Lester pitched well until the endless 4th inning and then the middle relief couldn't hold back the formerly winless Detroit Tigers. Lester seemed to lose his concentration or at least his command after starting very well. He and Dice-K seem to share that problem, although Dice-K seems to have, for now, conquered that issue. Lester is still a mystery and if he's to assume the role of #3 starter, that is not a good thing.

But this was another potential win put out of reach by the middle relievers. Is it me or does this trend need to end--and fast? Yes, I realize that Lester gave up 4 runs which was all the Tigers offense needed, but those relievers give the team no chance to jump back in the game. First let me say that David Aardsma pitched well for a change. Bryan Corey, on the other hand, was throwing as if Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski had a few bucks left over from his off-season shopping spree and stuffed Corey's locker full of thousand dollar bills. I'm actually looking forward to the return of 67-year-old Mike Timlin.

Mike Lowell sprained his thumb on the first play of the game, so don't expect him back anytime soon--he was in a removable cast by the time the team left the park.

All in all, a bad day at the office. I'm confident that Sean Casey will fill in nicely while Lowell recovers and Youkilis moves to third.

Tonight it's Tim Wakefield vs. Nate Robertson, with each starter looking for his first win of the season.

From the Ring Ceremony

There is nothing--nothing!--like Opening Day. Especially with all the pomp and circumstance following a World Series victory. So cue the Boston Pops, hand out those well-earned rings, and raise that 2007 championship banner!

Sox co-owner Tom Werner is promising the Fenway return of someone who hasn't been to the Park in a while. He's expecting a goosebump-inducing moment when the mystery guest is announced to throw out the first pitch. Any ideas? Yaz? Buckner? Roger? Pedro? Nomah?

Then we'll have that long-awaited battle of the basements as the last-place Red Sox take on the winless Detroit Tigers. Something's gotta give!

Here's the schedule (from the Providence Journal):

6:15 a.m. -- World Series championship rings arrive at the park.

11 a.m. -- Red Sox begin batting practice.

11:35 a.m. -- Gates open.

Noon -- Tigers begin batting practice.

1:15 p.m. -- Pregame ceremonies, including presentation of 2007 championship rings, begin. Former players expected to participate include Royce Clayton and Doug Mirabelli.

Approximately 2 p.m. -- National anthem performed by the Boston Pops.

2:05 p.m. -- First pitch.

I was very excited to learn that this very blog was a featured link on slate.com's Reading List: What Slate Writers Are Reading.

Josh Levin's article, subtitled "The Best Books, Articles, and Web Sites to Read About the Start of Baseball Season" links to The Boston Red Sox Blog in the first sentence.

In the past week, over 4900 visitors clocked in via that link.

Thanks again to Josh Levin for the mention. You can read the full article here.

All I can say is I'm glad that's over.

Josh Beckett returned to the mound today and showed some flashes of brilliance, though he still had a little rust to shake off. On the plus side, his fastball was consistently in the mid-to-upper 90s.

Unfortunately he tired in the 5th and loaded the bases. Francona yanked him and with one poorly placed pitch by Manny Delcarmen, Frank Thomas put the game out of reach.

So now the Sox stand in last place, for the moment, with a record of 3-4.

Day off tomorrow and then Tuesday it's the ring ceremony and Opening Day. I'm sure the boys will be glad to be home.

Kyle Snyder, the Sox' mop-up man for most of the 2007 season, has been designated for assignment. He is out of team options, so it appears his tenure with the team has come to an end, though no official word has come from the team.

The roster spot had to be cleared to make room for Josh Beckett.

Snyder pitched well last season, but he struggled this spring and in the two appearances he made this season.

I was surprised at this move, thinking that the victim of the roster squeeze would be Bryan Corey or David Aardsma.

Nobody's talking about it because they vowed not to talk about it, but ladies and gentlemen, your Boston Red Sox are tired.

Who can blame them?

One team. Two weeks. Three countries. Sounds like an ad for the Amazing Race, only this is the kind of reality TV that will have fans crying foul if the Sox miss the playoffs by a game or two at season's end.

So after losing two games, the World Champs get to face Roy Halladay tomorrow as they try to hold off being swept in their second series of the year.

The good news is that the Ace is back tomorrow and boy could the Sox use the boost. Josh Beckett will make his long-awaited 2008 debut after recovering from a hip injury. Since Beckett did not make the trip to Japan, I'd expect him fresh and ready to go all Chuck Norris on the Toronto lineup.

Is Terry Francona still evaluating players to see who'll make the big club once Spring Training ends?

Note to Terry: The season started last week. Spring Training ended. Now please cut David Aardsma!

Why is this guy still on the team and why is Francona using him when he has reliable guys like Hideki Okajima and Crazy Julian Tavarez at his disposal?

So why start the inning off with Aardsma, Terry? Is it because you know this chump's heading to Pawtucket as soon as Timlin is ready to come back? Were you distracted by Toronto's throwback jerseys? Was it the twirling white hankies? Is it because with Aardsma, you have the Number One pitcher in all of baseball (alphabetically, that is)?

Or maybe, as my friend Shari theorizes, people just like to say "Aardsma" because it sounds like they're talking backwards.

Either way, J.D. Drew is not happy and neither am I. No one could figure out what Shaun Marcum was going to throw at any point last night, but J.D. connected with a game-tying 3-run blast that should have signaled to the skipper that better relief was in order. And sure, Javier Lopez and Manny Delcarmen were bad too, but Aardsma set the tone, Aardsma tossed an 11 pitch walk, and Aardsma took the loss.

Hey, it is fun to say Aardsma! Look at me, I'm talking backwards! A-a-r-d-s-m-a!

Quote from Nick Cafardo on boston.com:

"It's been happening too many years," Papi said. "It's hard to find that one lefty just to get me out. Like the Yankees got (Mike) Myers a few years ago from us. But you're not gonna get me out throwing the same crap all the time. I'm gonna get you at one point. If I'm on my game, I don't care if it's a lefty or a righty. Doesn't matter to me. And I think the league knows that now. You can try to do percentages against me, and that's what most of them try to do, but it doesn't matter. If I'm not swinging that bat well, I'll fight through it. But lefties don't bother me," he said.

After stinking up the Tokyo Dome last week, Jon Lester pulled a Dice-K-like turnaround and tossed a gem, shutting out the A's over 6 2/3 innings.

More great news: Jason Varitek, who had struck out so many times in Japan that on Tuesday Francona had to call for an unnecessary hit-and-run play just to have him put his bat on the ball, hit a home run to put the game out of reach. Meanwhile David Ortiz who went 0-for-Japan, also blasted his first homer of the year.

Next stop on the World Champs' World Tour? Tomorrow night in Toronto. Tim Wakefield at Rogers Centre making his '08 debut--his 14th season with the Sox.