The Day After........

First the good news......Curt Schilling was invincible for 6 2/3 innings, headed towards a complete game. And then.....he was gone. Hideki "the Darkman" Okajima came in to relieve him and allowed one inherited 7th inning run. And then he pitched a clean 8th. Pap's time? Yes sir! 14 pitches later, Paps recorded his 10th save. It was over. 4-3 Sox, 2 of 3 from the Twins IN the Dome, and a first place record of 20-10. Not bad. Not bad at all. And guess who was hot at the plate. None other than Dustin Pedroia, who went 5 for 6 in the series and has raised his average from .184 to .239. The Red Sox have an off day today before a 3 game set in Toronto. They're in good shape and will have Beckett, Matsuzaka, who hopefully will be able to throw strikes and keep runners off the bases, and Timmy Wakefield.
The bad news? Clemens to the Yankees from June onward. It all came down to money, and the Yankees' offer made him the highest paid player in baseball. Roger Clemens proved that his heart is as dark as the pinstripes he so loves. But he'll be pitching in the American league. To DH hitters and strong lineups. Nearing 45, we'll see what he can do. Can he keep his ERA at or under 3.00 at that age? To be honest, I'd have to say yes, but I'll be rooting against him. I was willing to give him a chance. Now he's run out of chances. FOREVER.
I linked the Jeff Jacobs Hartford Courant article about the Rocket. If you haven't ever read any of his pieces, well, get used to it. He is featured here at least once a week. Sports writing doesn't get much better. Just click on the title of this post.