Buchholz A One Game Wonder. Lugo Gonzo. CRONKITE DEAD 1916-2009...Boston 4 Toronto 1

Clay Buchholz shined in a spot start Friday night up in Toronto. For those of you who were able to see the game, you know this guy IS ready for primetime, but last night after the game he was trying to find a Saturday flight back to Pawtucket. He pitched five and two third innings, giving up that lone run on only four hits while striking out three and walking three. He threw 103 pitches. The bullpen took over with two outs in the sixth and put up goose eggs. Daniel Bard, who keeps getting better and better, Hideki Okajima and Jonathon Papelbon, who earned his 24th save, looked rested and ready, and it showed. Kevin Youkilis, whose first inning two run tater gave Buchholz all the runs he and the 'pen would need, said this after the game concluded...

“It was huge for Buchholz and good for us to get a ‘W’ here in the first game of a series,” said first baseman Kevin Youkilis, who drilled a two-run homer in the top of the first to provide Buchholz with some early run support. “It’s good to come back and get something positive done.”

Red Sox manager Tito Francona summed up the game perfectly...

“You come back sometimes from the All Star break and you’re a step slower,” said Terry Francona. “But we looked crisp and a lot of that was because Buck came out and pitched good. Plus, we had some timely hitting. We talked about this, and having Buck pitch, I think it worked out as well as we could have hoped.”

Clay mixed up his pitches deftly and took advantage of the Jays sluggers with a collection of fastballs, breaking balls and a DEVASTATING changeup. As he said, he took it one pitch at a time and by all means he should be in the Boston starting rotation. By year's end, he most likely will.

Theo Epstein ended the much overpaid Boston Red Sox career of Julio Lugo by designating him for reassignment. The club is willing to eat more than ten million dollars in unpaid salary and will be looking for a new everyday shortstop during the offseason, if not sooner. The error prone Lugo had this to say...

“When you see a good looking girl, you get married and sometimes things don’t work out,” Lugo said. “I gave it my best and unfortunately things didn’t work out. This is the best for both parties. I wanted it to work out but it didn’t. I’m not satisfied with the way it worked out,” said Lugo, explaining that the Red Sox “treated me good” during his time with the club. “I wanted to play. I wanted to play good. I wanted to play right here with the Red Sox."

Julio, you DIDN'T "play good." You made way too many unforced throwing errors. See ya later, alligator. You'll catch on with another team...don't worry.

Lastly, the country lost an American hero yesterday when Walter Cronkite, longtime CBS newsman and "the most trusted man in America," lost his battle with cerebral vascular disease. He was surrounded by his family when he passed to the anchor desk in the sky. He was 92. Walter, you WILL be missed.

I hope your weekend will be a terrific one. Simply click on this post's title for more Sox stuff and as always, BE WELL. And that's the way it is, Saturday July 18, 2009.