Girardi is not so dumb now, is he?

When the Yankees and Rays were going down the stretch, there were a lot of Yankee fans killing Joe Girardi for not playing all of his veterans in every game. "They HAVE to win the Division!" was the rallying cry.

I heard one person KILLING Girardi for not using Mariano Rivera in both games of a double header in the last meaningless weekend of the series.

The Rays won the Division... the Yankees are the Wild Card... and it doesn't matter.

Who is looking good now?

The Yankees need one win at home and they are off to the ALCS.
The Rays can't afford to lose on the road or they are playing golf.

It is like when the Twins caught the Tigers for the Division Title on the last day of the 2006 season... but the Twins got swept out of the Division Series and the Tigers won the pennant.

Which team would you rather have followed? The Division winner who couldn't win a post season game or the team that went to the World Series?

Joe has been there and done that... that 28 on his back isn't for Division Titles.

Joe thinks it is more important to have Mariano ready for THESE games rather than the tail end of a "who cares?" double header in Boston.

I have a feeling most Yankee fans agree.
(So would Tampa fans.)

Hey Tampa... you are welcome

A disappointing season has come to an end. Devastating injuries, some subpar performances and the fact that the Rays and Yankees were just better did the Sox in.

All things considered, 89 wins and not being eliminated until the last week wasn't too shabby.

But hey, the Sox won 4 of their last 6 against the Yankees (and the two losses were extra inning losses.) So they showed a little bit of heart at the end.

And oh yeah... they knocked the Yankees out of the Division and into the Wild Card. Not that it matters... but if having the Yankees do some extra traveling makes them miserable, then that is all this petty Red Sox fan needs to know.

Thanks for the season, Red Sox. It wasn't pretty and the results weren't what we hoped... but there were some fun games.

And hey, after all those years just wanting a shot at a title, it is good to have a year that tests the true fans.

Now fix the outfield.

Can the Red Sox make up a week in 19 games?

The Red Sox trail the Yankees by a week of games... 7 to be exact.

There are 19 games left... and that is darn near impossible to make up that many games.

The Red Sox haven't exactly shown the killer instinct this year and the Yankees are loaded with talent. The only way that can happen is if the Red Sox win a bunch of games and the Yankees lose just as many.

But have you noticed something?

The Yankees HAVE been losing a lot of games lately. They've lost games where Mariano Rivera has the lead in the 9th. They lost tonight when C.C. Sabathia pitched a masterpiece. They can't drive in a big run and they are playing solid teams who want to BEAT this Yankees team badly.

They play Tampa 6 more times in the next 10 days while the Sox play Seattle, Toronto and Baltimore.

And with A. J. Burnett, Dustin Moesley and Javier Vazquez pitching most of the games, Phil Hughes being almost shut down and Joba Chamberlain being as close to worthless as you can get... the Yankees pitching staff has to be considered average at best.

And the Red Sox pitching is looking better. Lester has won his last 4 starts and has 10+ strikeouts in each game. Maybe they can get on a roll.

You telling me the Red Sox can't cut it to from 7 to 5 games in that stretch?

Let's say the Red Sox get it down to 5 games by September 24th.
Guess what?
The Red Sox and Yankees will be playing each other.

Let's say the Sox win that series... down to 4 games.

The Red Sox and Yankees will finish the season against each other for 3 games at Fenway Park.

You telling me there's NO hope? NO New York team can blow a 7 game this late?

Oh really?

Burnt to a Coco Crisp

Our old friend Coco Crisp did us in tonight.

Going 3 for 3 and stealing a homer?
How could you Coco?
Don't you have any sentimentality?

The Sox were done early tonight and the people of Alderaan put up more of a fight than my boys did.

And Trevor Cahill moved closer to 20 wins as Clay Buchholz stays stuck on 15.

Cahill will probably start 4 more times in the A's final 22 games this year. If he goes 4-0, then he'll be a 20 game winner and probably get some Cy Young Votes.

While the A's climbed back to .500, the Sox are now 10 games out of first place with 21 left to play. And 8 games back in the loss column with 21 left to play for the Wild Card thanks to the Rays bizarre blown lead yet still winning the game victory in Toronto.

I'm not saying they are dead, but let's just say their kids are making arrangements.

I'm pumped for Red Sox and Rays! Oh who am I kidding...

For God's sake, the Red Sox are in third place. Not just for the Division but in the Wild Card hunt. The White Sox leap frogged the Red Sox this weekend.

My team is 8 games back in the loss column on Labor Day. And last time I checked, the Rays aren't the Padres and won't be dropping 10 games any time soon.

It's time to play for pride and count down our TRAGIC number.

So in honor of Fred Lynn, the Red Sox tragic number is 19.

Any combination of Red Sox losses and Rays wins that equal 19 will put this season out of its misery.

(Which means a sweep by the Rays will make the number 13!)

Then again a Red Sox sweep will put the Sox 5 games back in the loss column with 23 to play.

That's it. I AM pumped for this series!

Let's go Lester! Go for win #16!

Alright Red Sox... you are either in or you are out... right now

They need to win tonight.



It is the definition of a must win. Lester on the hill coming off a grotesque outing.



Going into Tampa to face David Price and the Rays.



If this season is going to amount to anything, they have to win this series.



I mean a sweep would be awesome, but 2 out of 3 is essential and our nominal ace is going tonight.



A sweep would put the Sox 2 1/2 back, 3 in the loss column of a playoff spot with a month to go.



Winning the series would put the Sox 5 games back in the loss column.



Losing the series would mean the Sox would be 7 games back in the loss column.



A Rays sweep would make it a 9 game gap in the loss column and time to shut down the veterans.



Win tonight and I'll get excited.

If not, the year might be done.



No pressure.





I don't often quote Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald... but THIS IS IT.

Giants fans, In Honor of Rich Aurilla

The Magic Number to Clinch a Playoff Spot is 35.

It's late August and if the playoffs started today, the Giants would be in.
OK, they are tied in the loss column with the Phillies.
(The Giants should send a fruit basket to the Astros, Pirates and Nationals for making the Phillies and Cardinals go a combined 1-7 this week.)

Stay focused Giants... there's October baseball in those hills, but don't let the Diamondbacks relish the role of spoiler.

It's magic number time.
Don't blow it.

Ahhh yes... the SLUGGING Giants!

This is how people imagined the Giants moving into a tie for a playoff spot late in the season, right?

With their big bats blasting home runs and overcoming their underwhelming starting pitching staff.

That's just how the team was designed right? With the same blue prints as the Texas Rangers of the late 1990s: Bombs away!

Don't complain Giant fans. There are no ugly wins at this point of the season. And if they need to bludgeon the opposition for W's in late August, take them with a smile.

I said this last Sunday if the Giants weathered this storm and stayed within striking distance of a playoff spot, they'll have a chance with a relatively easy September.

Well as long as the Phillies don't score runs for Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt is in left field, they could be in first place by themselves before you can light a candle to the memory of Bobby Thomson.

There are no ugly wins nor honorable losses.
Pile up the Ws and hope the pitching comes back.

Go for the sweep tomorrow.

And remember, when you think "Explosive offense" you think San Francisco Giants baseball!