Twenty Of Trouble... Bye Bye Penny ? Yankees 20 Red Sox 11

In what might have mercifully been Brad Penny's last start for the Boston Red Sox, the NY Yankees pounded out 23 hits and crossed the plate 20 times as they trashed the Sox by a score of 20-11 at Fenway Park Friday night. The way the pinstripers have been playing since the All Star game, they're going to be awfully tough to catch in the AL East, almost impossible. But stranger things have happened...remember 1978?

Penny went four awful innings and gave up 8 runs on 10 (!) hits, walking 1 and whiffing 4. He is not long for this team. Another young arm will be called up from the minors soon. The Boston 'pen wasn't any better, but I really do not want to go into any more details. I smell the coffee brewing. Here's what Big Papi said after the game...

“I can tell you one thing,” slugger David Ortiz said. “That’s not the team that we played two months ago. They’ve always found a way to pull themselves together. We’ve been watching that for years.”

Boston third baseman Mikey Lowell also had a few choice words after the lopsided loss...

l“It’s plain and simple that we got our asses kicked pretty good,” third baseman Mike Lowell said. “Those games are easier to forget than the ones you lose 2-1, because we didn’t have a chance today.”

What makes them seem like a different team? Mike Lowell went on...

“They’re swinging the bats much better, no doubt about that,” Lowell said. “I don’t think anyone thought they were going to play the type of baseball they played against us those first eight games for the whole year.” (Thank you Boston Herald).

I've turned the page...can you? Boston maintained it's one game lead over Texas in the AL Wild Card race but lost a game to the Rays. The two teams will do it all over again shortly after 4pm EDT today, a game televised nationally by Fox and Fox HD. The pitchers will be Tazawa and Burnett, who has been pitching well of late. Another Sox loss would be crippling. Oh, one more thing. It was SO good to have Jerry Remy back in the NESN booth last night. May good health follow him for a long, long time. We love ya, Jerry.

That's a wrap for this Thursday, August 22nd. Click on this post's title for a column by the Hartford Courant's Jeff Jacobs, who delves into the thinking process of Jim Rice when he made his ridiculous "remarks" about Derek Jeter yesterday. Jacobs is, quite simply, the best when it comes to expressing an opinion on all facets of sports. Click on the title...I'd love to read your comments about it. I have my own thoughts but the coffee beckons...I'll express them later.

Have a great Saturday as the Sox face a "must-win" situation this afternoon at the Fens. As always, BE WELL. See ya..soon and please click on this post's title. Thanks.