Lester triumphant

(photo from Surviving Grady)

1. sure Jon Lester suffered his usual command issues, working himself into and then out of a very precarious bases-loaded situation. i find the latter more important than the former. i just wish he would trust the stuff we know he's got. and trust Cap'n Tek to guide him. that being said, i would be lying if i said i didn't feel tears prickle the backs of my eyes seeing The Kid back on the hill last night. his parents must be feeling so overwhelmed. way to go, Kid, way to go.

2. the boys brought bats for Lester. up 4-0 after half an inning even. please bring them tomorrow too. and every day after that.

3. Youk has his bat back for sure. i hope he chains it to his wrist. i hate to see him not hitting like i know he can.

4. lots of camera time focused on Mike Lowell. and i swear i didn't send any checks to the ESPN camera crew to make that happen.

5. there was a botched hit-and-run last night with Lowell at first & Tek at the plate. after he was tagged out at second, Lowell brought his sweet, shy smile back to the dugout with an apologetic head nod from Tek. Papi sat down on the bench next to Lowell & i thought he was going to offer a little encouragement or something. instead he started pulling all kinds of snacks out of his pockets! LOL! i was totally unprepared. and then, being the supportive kind of teammate we know he is, he just made Lowell crack up by making fun of himself & the way he can't slide!

6. coco's cornrows went 4-for-5.

7. i love listening to them talk about Pedroia Pocket. "he takes a big swing for a little man."

8. early in the game, the ESPN announcers said something that made me feel so good: "RSN is everywhere, they mostly encircle the world. The Red Sox fans, according to a MLB survey, have the most loyal fans in baseball."

tonight it's Matsuzaka squaring off against CC Sabathia. or as it is otherwise known: my two best fantasy baseball pitchers ensuring i will have a guaranteed loss. while on one hand i wonder if we will see 10K-Matsu or Meltdown Matsu, on the other, CC seems to have been floundering lately. i'm pulling for the Red Sox. fantasy baseball is fun, but the real deal trumps all. go Sox!