the most beautiful thing in the world

1. i was only half joking about the Crankees game ending before the Sox game began. turns out they were just heading into extra innings as Sonnanstine threw his first pitch to Ellsbury. Blue Jays couldn't hold on this time, so we knew very early on that the Sox would have to win to keep their two-and-a-half game lead. the way i see it though, those Jays aren't going belly-up. they are fighting like their lives depend on it. and i know that the way Joe Torre rips through his bullpen, the Jays are effectively tiring out his already weary staff. carry on, Toronto. keep on giving it everything you've got.

2. i've been meaning to mention this for a while now. i think of it every time i see him. don't get me wrong. i am not poking fun. i love this kid. but *what* is the deal with Jacoby Ellsbury's sleeves?! what is the deal with one long & one short?? some players prefer long, others prefer short. but one of each??

3. i am still struggling to understand why Papi was out at third in the first inning. or more like why he was trying to steal third in the first place. i guess we have to chalk it up to him never really needing smart base running skills before. =P

4. there was this awesome leaping Lugo play to end the first. i thought to myself: "there will be a JFL moment rearing its ugly before the game ends. always is." he did let one ball get past him later in the game, but that was an unfair criticism, even for me. i almost died when he hit a home run in the ninth. a huge two-run blast to left. the winning runs after Tek homered just a few batting spots ahead of him to tie it up. don't misunderstand. still not liking him. but i am appreciative of his contributions.

5. OMG. for most of the game, those of us subjected to Rays TV were forced to listen to Staaaaaats & Migraine belaboring a bad call on Coco in the third that would eventually score the first run for the Sox. on & on about how calls all go in the Sox favor on close plays just because the Sox are in the playoff race & the Rays are not. we talked about it for *innings*, people. and it wasn't until the bottom of the sixth inning, when BJ Upton was safe at first & then awarded a stolen base on back-to-back bad calls that these two fools decided that the score was finally even. thank God i do not have to listen to them today!

6. OMG. Tek! coming up HUGE, being all clutch & stuff. tying it up with a solo shot in the ninth. oh Captain, my Captain. =)

7. the Sox somehow blew a 5-3 lead in the seventh inning. i sat on my couch, shaking my head in frustration & disgust. because this team... *this* team does not come back. *this* team squanders opportunities. *this* team kills rallies. the game was over. the Yankees had reclaimed the game they lost the night before. and then the heart of the order went down 1-2-3 in the eighth. we had the scariest part of the line up coming up in the ninth. and then... they did it. they proved me wrong. they showed heart & fight & all those things i was missing from them. they not only had early game offense, but when the SHTF, they came up with a late game comeback. one that didn't fall short. this is the awesomeness we all needed! *this* is the team i want to see going into October!

8. Eric. Gagne. he pitched the eighth inning. in a game the Sox were losing by a run. when we needed him to come up *huge*. we needed him to stop the Rays from widening the gap. we needed him. and he pitched like a champ. like i've known all along he could. i don't know if this means he's over the hump or not but it's the first time he's had fist-pumping performances in back-to-back games for us. and that is something i am willing to celebrate.

9. is it wrong of me that i was a little nervous seeing Papelbon come in for the ninth? he's been lights out for us for so long. i suppose maybe that just like Gagne doesn't know how to lose & so it got inside his head, we don't know how to process Sir Cheerio Mouth losing, and so the doubt creeps in a little. but Jon was Jon. no Ks but he sat them down in order.

and with that, we head into Sunday afternoon. the series closer. we've won the first two games. we still have our lead in the AL East. we didn't give back the game we earned, deespite a Yankees win. we're back to having the best record in MLB. we've clinched ourselves a playoff berth of some sort. it feels like momentum. it feels like the pendulum has begun its swing back in the right direction.

but the smiles on the faces of my boys, which is what all that stuff leads to? *that* is the most beautiful thing in the world.

i'll be on the first baseline, cheering on Wakey & the rest of the Sox this afternoon. and there's nowhere else i would rather be.