One on the chin

After Tuesday's victory, the Sox came out of the gate strong - Ortiz's 2 run shot setting the table for the Sox to hold the momentum and set up a series win with a day to spare.

But Schilling never really looked on last night - the outs never looked convincing, the location never exact, and had Manny not made a "only in Yankee Stadium" catch, the lead would have been gone sooner than it was.

An arguement is being made that Schill hasn't looked the same since the 1,467 pitch effort in Cleveland - conveniently ignoring the fact that Schill didn't look himself in that 7,590 pitch effort as it was going on. If I am honest, that was what surprised me about Francona that night, not that he left him in there for 15,213 pitches, but that he left him in there that long when he wasn't exactly pitching a gem.

While all in Soxland were quick to jump on the "he has returned" bandwagon, perhaps we were a little too early?

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A-Rod, E-Rod, A-Frod, A-Fraud...

Call him what you like, but he can sure hit a baseball... but sadly, I think what he was given in baseball skills, was taken away in social skills.

Responding to 'The Boss' he came out with;

"I'm judged just the way I should be judged. I make an awful lot of money and I'm a talented guy," Rodriguez said. "I expect all the criticism, and it motivates me."

He just doesn't seem to have the capacity to understand why people don't like him. If he genuinely cares what people think of him - which I am not arguing that he should - he should try to understand what it is about his actions and character that people don't like, rather than trying to hide behind the "they are all jealous, so really it is their fault" line that he sets out in that quote.