despair? what despair?

i'm fumbling for what to say about last night's game. if a crystal ball had told me that there would be a standing ovation for David Wells as he left the field, i would have sighed & said i would take a performance from him that would just keep the Sox in the game. if you recall, it was here, with Wells, that the horror show of a five-game slide began. and now he went into the 7th before giving up a run. and these boys who looked so disenchanted & trampled only a day ago roared to life.

enough David Wells though. because the heart & soul of this game belongs to none other than Mike Lowell. Mike Lowell, who was *conditional* for getting the Josh Beckett deal. Mike Lowell, who had trade rumors swirling around him like trash on the streets of New York City. Mike Lowell, who was accused of being washed up since the All Star Break.

Mike Lowell, who took a pitch in the head, went down & then got back up, claimed his helmet & his base & the hearts of RSN. i heard it happen (i was listening to the game online) & my heart stopped, my stomach lurched into my throat & all i could think, after praying that he was ok, was "please no...not another Red Sox player with ball-to-the-head nightmares. not another man fallen to injury when we *just* got him back. not this man who has already become such an integral part of this ball club..." but after a few minutes sprawled in the home plate dirt & some medical assessment, up he got & the game went on...

...to be the Mike Lowell show. falling into the stands to make a catch. he got a hit & an RBI. he stole third base (coming off of foot injuries mind you!) & scored a run. he just plain did it all. after taking a ball in the side of the head. and all with a sense of humor:
In the top of the third, Lowell went hard over the wall to catch Nick Markakis' popup, falling into the seats over the short wall along the third-base line and landing in front of a man with a Yankees cap. "I saw that," Lowell said afterward. "I actually gave him three baseballs between innings because I saw on the replay he moved back out of the way. So I gave him three balls, I wrote, 'Next time, catch me."' (FoxSports.com)

highlights of The Mike Lowell Show--his head-plunking & head-over-heels catch--can be viewed here under the August 11 archives for anyone interested.

i'm just sorry there wasn't one of this because i would have loved to witness it:
David Ortiz added some comic relief in the sixth when he doubled to left-center and then, while standing on second, got spun around trying to avoid the throw back to the infield. Ortiz then broke into a pose similar to the one-legged crane from the film "The Karate Kid" cracking up the Orioles' infield. (FoxSports.com)

and so, just like Mike Lowell, as he collected himself & headed down the first base line, the Red Sox dusted themselves off from a road trip that needs to be left behind, and they blew a 9-2 victory wide open to start fresh.

my sincere thanks to the Anaheim Angels (don't *even* correct me!!) for winning at Yankee Stadium last night & allowing the Red Sox to start their ascent back toward the top. anyone want to spout off some more wisecracks about how Boston should have acquired Corey Lidle, who pitched 4 innings & was the losing pitcher for New York, blaming a stomach virus & saying he didn't feel well?

JJ gets the ball this afternoon. he's been inching closer & closer to his first win as a Red Sock. i've done a lot of criticizing, Jason, but i promise to let bygones be bygones if you can just make it happen today...