**ELEVEN**

That's right, eleven victories are all that stand between the Boston Red Sox and another World Championship. They go for number one tonight at 9:37pm EDT. It'll be Jon Lester ready to face John Lackey and should be a good one. Boston made their final roster decision, jettisoning Manny Delcarmen, who is still hurting from his serious car accident last week, and adding Paul Byrd, who will be used in a long relief role. Let's just hope he won't be needed, not at all. Red Sox skipper Terry Francona had this to say about that...

“I just think all that’s happened, it’s probably not in his (Delcarmen's) best interest,” manager Terry Francona said. “It would probably be rushing it a little bit. He (Byrd) has to have a legitimate chance to help us,” Francona said. “That’s basically what it is. I think it’s more realistic to cover your pitching. If something happens bad, maybe you have a bad game. It doesn’t mean the series is over.”

One more thing on this still pitch black Thursday morning. The Red Sox have released their complete five game pitching schedule for the first two games on the left coast, the next two (if two are needed) at Fenway Park and the last, if needed, back in Anaheim. And yes, Daisuke will get a start, as he should. Here you go...

10/8/2009..at LA...9:37 PM ET...TBS...Lester (15-8) vs. Lackey (11-8)
10/9/2009...at LAA...9:37 PM ET...TBS...Beckett (17-6) vs. Weaver (16-8)
10/11/2009...LAA...TBA...TBS...Buchholz (7-4) vs. Kazmir (10-9)
10/12/2009...LAA...TBA...TBS...Matsuzaka (4-6) vs. Saunders (16-7)
10/14/2009...at LAA...TBA...TBS...Lester (15-8) vs. Lackey (11-8)

In my opinion, Byrd over Delcarmen is a good move because Manny is still hurting, backwise and neckwise plus he had not been pitching well for the last two or three weeks of the season. I just hope we won't see a situation where Mr. Byrd will be needed. In an ideal Sox world, the starters would go six or seven innings and the Boston 'pen would take it from there. I hope it's that easy but the Angels are the Angels...they're tough and they know too well that Boston has literally mopped the floor with them in postseasons past. Time will tell. One game at a time.

That's it from here now. Enjoy the game, a game I wish was starting a couple hours earlier. But it was up to the television network "gods" to make that decision and we have to (yawn) live with it. Have fun, go SOX, click on this post's title for more baseball news and as always, BE WELL. That's the most important thing. By far. Bye.