win some, lose some

ok, so we split. i'm satisfied with that. my biggest concern is making sure the guys can get back on track once they're back on native soil.

truthfully (and i'm probably going to some grumblings about this but hey), i am still not sold on Lestah being as great as they claim. he gives up an awful lot of hits. and yes, usually he manages to wriggle out of it. today though? not so much. all those hits given up resulted in a three-run homer with one poorly placed pitch. i am not saying he's a lost cause, but i would much rather see him as a third or fourth starter. and with only one run (as Manny is modeling for us here), the Sox ship out 1-1 for the next leg of their super long road trip.

credit where credit is due: the A's pitched a nice game today. you can't argue Harden's 9 Ks (13 total for Oakland pitching).

onto bigger & better things. like:

Youk's 191-game errorless streak at 1B. that's just two away from the all-time consecutive errorless infield record held by Steve Garvey. which just solidifies how insane it is to have talked about shifting him back across the diamond for any reason. (and no, not *just* because i happen to prefer we not need anyone "new" at third.)

and Manny's $10k check for being the MVP in the first game. "i think i'll use it for gas," he says. what i am even more concerned with, though, is the free color copier he received. because you know that the clubhouse is going to be wallpapered in color reproductions of Manny's... er... face pressed to the glass.

and i could *never* pass up a chance to make fun of Lugo. seriously, is his face made of plastic?! i think that having an artificial face disqualifies him of any MVP awards, right off the bat.

and speaking of... just replace "Lucy" with "Lugo" here. heh.

(you can click on the image to enlarge it, by the way.)

so after that two-game teaser, we get a five-day break. then instead of 6am games, we get 10pm start times. one extreme to another. can't a girl catch a break?? see you all April 1. no fooling. (har har har)

(photos from the Boston Globe)