July, November, to Infinity and Beyond

Was July a hiccup, or a harbinger? That's the question for all of Sox Nation as we enter into the month of August. The RedSox had the best record in the American league as the month began, and remained twenty games up on .500 at the All Star break. At that pace, they would have finished with 100 wins, and a clear path to the post-season. Plus, the schedule seemed to favor them coming out of the break, as they had no games with the Yankees, the Rays or the Angels for the rest of the month. But instead of putting some distance between them and the rest of the AL East, Boston stumbled badly. First the bats took an extra week off after the All Star break. Then the pitching, including the once flawless bullpen, began giving up an inordinate number of runs. And all this while the Yankees caught fire. They were so hot, Bloomberg had to declare a state of emergency in the Bronx. By the time July had ended, after Boston barely topped 500 for the month, not only had the best record in the AL been surrendered, so had the lead in the AL East. The Sox were suddenly playing for the wild card, and some distance had opened up between them and the Yankees. But then they had the good fortune to play the Orioles, and the Yankees somehow dropped three in a row to the White Sox. And suddenly, things were all knotted up again.

So maybe we have a pennant race after all, with the Sox and Yankees in a virtual dead heat after the first hundred games of the season. Of course, we'll know that better in a week after Boston travels first to Tampa, where they never seem to play well any more, and then to Yankee stadium for a four-game series with New York. And by the way, these Yankees are not the same Yankees who were swept in April and May.

An encouraging note of late was the red hot performance of Victor Martinez, V-Mart, in his first two games for the Sox. Five hits yesterday. That's as many as they whole team was managing some games in July. I remember the 2007 ALCS when no one could get Martinez out. He owned Schilling that October, batting around .750 against one of the games all-time best post-season performers. A discouraging note, a really discouraging note, was the revelation that Papi had tested positive in 2003. We still need to address Manny's fall from grace, but for now, let's just say that everyone in the Nation feels that the team's luster has been tarnished. To put it mildly. But another encouraging note has been the resurgence of Josh Beckett. If Beckett's on his game, and Boston makes it to the playoffs, Beckett gives the Sox an advantage over any team they face. I'd like to see one of the old geezers, say Smoltz, return to form; and it would be nice for Dice-K to reenter the rotation. Right now it's a bit of Beckett, Lester, and crossing our fingers.

Anyway, here's hoping that I can devote enough attention to the blog over the next two months, so that I can catch up on all these developments, plus post about some good whisky finds. If not, at least these issues can be aired at this fall's Haters Ball. Which reminds me -- all you haters need to sign up for a seat at the ball, and then we have to figure out a weekend that works for everyone. The way I figure, we are four and four this year (not counting the bitches), so that seems to work out just fine. But everyone needs to let me know, in or out, and good to do that soon, while the two teams remain neck and neck. Beyond November, well that's just too far out there even to think about.