There are some that would say that there are overused terms in the sports arena, some would say that Manny being Manny is one of them, I say who the hell cares.  The play that Manny did yesterday in left field at Camden Yards could down in sports history as one of the greatest improved plays of all time.  In this age of pre-planned celebrations and posing for the ESPN highlights, nothing ever seems spontaneous in sports anymore.  However the play yesterday is beyond compare to all that crap you see in the NBA or in the NFL.  Manny made an unreal catch, on a ball that was well over his head, realed it in, climbed the wall, picked out a Red Sox fan, high fived em, and made a great throw to Dustin Pedroia to double up Aubry Huff and end a threat in the 4th.  Although the outcome was not as we had hoped, that play yesterday will live on much longer than a poorly placed Okijima fastball.  It's Manny's world, and you never know what tommorrow will bring with one of the greatest right handed hitters of all time....stay tuned ......

 Was it not Forrest Gump who said the Red Sox bullpen was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get.  Well it was something like that, and the Red Sox bullpen looked like crap again today, a sight that is becoming more and more familier to Red Sox Nation.  In the clutch, when it counts, this bullpen cannot get an out.  The meltdown in the 7th inning was so painful to watch.  Spoiling a great outting by the often lousy Jon Lester, and a rare defensive gem by Manny in left. 

  I am not quite sure what Brad Mills was thinking when he brought in Okijima with bases loaded.  Okijima has allowed 11 of 15 inherited runners to score, not quite his bag coming in with runners aboard.  Don't get me wrong, with the bases smooth and pretty Okijima is usually the guy, however put a little pressure on him, and folds like the other stiffs we have in the bullpen.  I actually thought Hansen had looked pretty good his last few outings, turning the corner so to speak.  However he was not equal to the task today of getting one lousy out.  Thats all the Sox would have needed from either Javier Lopez or Craig Hansen or Hideki Okijima, however what they got was three hits a walk and four earned runs, and another lost opportunity to win another ballgame.

  Its not all the middle reliefs fault, the Sox had base-runners for days today.  They pounded out 12 hits.  However much like Sunday night against the Twins, all thier hits only added up to three runs.  Oh yea, is it me, or are you getting sick of watching Red Sox hitter after hitter rolling into a double play.  For all the greatness the Sox have shown in offense, that is one area that has killed them time and time again, for the record the Sox are in the top five in the catagory GIDP, ground into double play.

  So for the Sox, they get an offday, and back to Fenway for some interleague play with the Brewers.  It will be nice seeing our old buddy Eric Gag-me again, one can hope he still stinks on wheat.  What else can you say really, three blown games in one week, I guess it may be time to refill the blood pressure medicine.

 For the second time in three nights, the Boston Red Sox are forced to watch someone else walk off with a game winning hit.  These type of games are no fun, and can be back breaking to a bullpen and to a teams morale.  Just as the case was the other night, Papelbon did not have his best stuff, and he was totally incapable of putting the game away twice when he had two strikes on Gomez and Lamb.  Whatever the reason Varitek,Papelbon and manager Terry Francona decided that defensive indifference was the way to go the base paths.  That lame move allowed Delmon Young to score and it put Gomez in a position to be the winning run.  It is as if Jonathan Papelbon has forgot how to attack hitters with a man on base.

   Papelbon's second blown save ruined what was another great rally by the Red Sox, who were down 5-2 in the 5th, when they rallied to score four runs of Boof Bosner.  The Sox were able to overcome very poor pitching by starter Jon Lester, who only had two scoreless innings in the game.  The Sox got fantastic relief pitching from David Aardsma and Hideki Okajima.  Both of those two combined to pitch two innings os scoreless relief.  The real kicker was the Sox did have several chances to tack onto thier one run lead, but they seemed to unravel with runners in scoring postion.  Twice they had runners at second and third with one out, and neither time they could scratch a run across.  In what is becoming a very familier site, R.K. (rally killer) Drew came up with men plural on base, only to strike out and ground out.  This trend with R.K. Drew started in the Detroit series, you can almost hear the collective grown in Red Sox Nation when R.K. Drew of Julio Luggo comes to the plate.

  Other news and noted from the game, Julio Luggo recorded his 11th error of the season, that error was also responsible for an unearned run as well, basically the difference in the game.  Luggo now has a three error lead in the race for the most useless overpaid piece of crap player award.  Somewhere, someplace, Barry Zito is glad to have Julio Luggo sharing Sportscenter Highlights with him.

  Again the silver linning to last night was that the New York Yankees had already lost.  That loss keeps them 4.5 games back of the Red Sox.  Whats almost as bad as these losses by the Sox, is the fact on both nights the Yankess had already lost thier game.  I can't help that sometime in this season those two games the Sox blew in the 9th inning will matter in the standings at some point.

 The game finds people like Julio Luggo it seems.  It usually happens at the worst time, and the snowball effect usually feels like an avalanche.  Jonathan Papelbon did not have his best stuff last night, however if Luggo gets that out, there would have been no tie game, nor would they have lost.  Luggo now has 10 errors on the season, far away the MLB leader.  It was a very disappointing loss, especially the way the Sox battled through very bad starting pitching, and even worse middle relief.  None of that was an excuse for the Sox hitters last night, as the battled back from a four run deficit twice.

  Julio Luggo is a guy for some strange reason, Theo and company coveted for many years.  They tried to pry him away from the Devil Rays, when he was there.  It is a very odd deal.  Luggo has pretty much always had sour leather, his bat has never been white hot, and his OBP % has never been as high as the Sox brass like.  So despite all of these factors, the Sox rush out and give this guy big money, for four years.  There were no other suitors for Luggo, especially not at those prices the Sox paid.

  The silver lining to last nights finale, was the knowledge that the Yanks had already been blanked at home by Cleveland.  That loss drops the Yankees to below .500 for the season, and they are 4.5 back of the Sox.  It sure would have nicer to say they were 5.5 games back.  Thanks again Julio Luggo.....

Well the Sox roll into St. Pete's for a three game set against those pesky new improved Rays.  Hopefully the effects of the flu that has swept through the clubhouse is almost over.  I know one thing, watching that bullpen has sure made me ill.

Here is tonight's line-up

Red Sox:

1. CF -- Jacoby Ellsbury
2. 2B -- Dustin Pedroia
3. DH -- David Ortiz
4. LF -- Manny Ramirez
5. 3B -- Kevin Youkilis
6. RF -- J.D. Drew
7. 1B -- Sean Casey
8. SS -- Julio Lugo
9. C -- Kevin Cash
P -- Tim Wakefield

Devil Rays:

1. 2B -- Akinori Iwamura
2. LF -- Carl Crawford
3. CF -- B.J. Upton
4. DH -- Jonny Gomes
5. 3B -- Evan Longoria
6. 1B -- Eric Hinske
7. C -- Dioner Navarro
8. RF -- Gabe Gross
9. SS -- Jason Bartlett
P --Matt Garza

Hey Yankee fans...when was the last time the Yankees flew a new banner in the Bronx....

So if you have read Red Sox Nation Daily you will know that I am no real fan of Theo Epstein's work. That goes for his entire body of work, including the debacle that is the 2008 Red Sox bullpen.  Theo has struggled mightly constructing the Red Sox bullpens, and this year proves to be no exception.  With the exception of Jonathan Papelbon and maybe Hideki Okajima, none of these clowns can make an out when you need them to.  Manny Delcarmen, supposedly has "closer" type stuff, maybe thats true, but whats between his ears is not.  I am not sure how little Manny made the Red Sox 25 man roster out of spring training, he certainly did not earn it.  Delcarmen showed some flashes last year of potential, but then he had two meltdowns in the World Series that almost cost the Sox two games.  This year has been no different, Delcarmen has folded everytime he has pitched in a tough spot.

  The same can said of Javier Lopez, a guy who could not make in the National League, need I say more.  This waste of a Red Sox uniform is brought in time and time again, and almost everytime he fails.  Look at it this way, no matter how crappy a pitcher is, he always a better than 70% chance of recording the needed out.  Today is not the first time the Sox bullpen has imploded this badly, and it will not be the last.  This bullpen is not the blueprint of a team that can win a title in the Fall Classic.  I would discuss David Aardsma, and Mike Timlin, but I am almost out of insults.  They both stink on wheat, the end.  Oh yea I almost forgot about Julian Tavarez, well you never know what you are gonna get with him, either a guy with a lights out sinker, or a guy that is giving up meatballs that might knock out the lights at Fenway.

  I would rip Theo on the starting pitching that he has put together, but I will save it for another day.  What the hell, I can't resist, I heard that Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell had worked with both Jon Lester and Dice-K on thier pitch selection, and keeping thier pitch counts down.  Looks like both guys need a re-fresher course, as neither one can go more that five freaking innings without throwing over a 100 pitches.

  I guess we will move onto good Theo.  This off-season, Theo & the brass signed Sean Casey to a free agent contract.  At the time I thought the move was a waste of time.  it looked like a Jay Payton, J.T. Snow type of deal where the guy would crying six weeks into the season about playing time.  Nothing could be further from the truth with Casey.  He has been a great addition to the Sox, and he has stepped right in and filled the void left by Mike Lowell.  Though Casey does not hit for power, he does hit for average, and has come thru many times this month in situational spots for the Sox.  I guess I have concluded the good Theo section.  There will more to come I guess when Theo makes a move worthy of praise.  Until then, always take the over when betting on the Sox in 2008

Today the Red Sox called up Justin Masterson from AA, and he was A plus good.  Masterson looked like a seasoned pro, going six strong innings, allowing only two hits and one run.  I hope that Jon Lester was watching his performance today, maybe he learned something.  I will tell you who was not watching, the crappy Boston bullpen.  So far today they have given up six runs in three innings of work, dreadful.  It continues to be helter skelter with Javier Lopez, and Manny Delcarman.  Both of these guys suck beyond belief.  It has hard to remember either one of them pitching a clean inning of work.  My god, how hard can it be, to get three outs without allowing a run.  Masterson just made these guys look like chumps today, although, little Manny and Lopez look like chumps most days.