Late August:

The Sox finished up their nine-game homestand with a three-game set with Seattle. Prior to the game, media reports indicated that the Sox had placed a waiver claim on the Tigers’ Johnny Damon. What for? Is it to make up for the rude treatment he encountered when he returned to Boston in a Yankee uniform? To boost NESN’s sagging ratings? (Anything other than Bruins and Red Sox broadcasts, NESN exemplifies “the vast wasteland” Newton Minow spoke about almost 50 years ago. Is Bonzo the new programming director?) It would require a number of steps for this transaction to be consummated, among them being Damon’s acceptance, since Boston is among the teams included in his “no-trade” provisions.

It was rainy, cool and dreary in Boston on Monday, but the grounds crew worked well and the rain stopped so they were able to start the game at 7:10. John Lackey (11-7, 4.62) started against Doug Fister (4-8, 3.92). Since the last time the Sox faced the M’s, they canned manager Don Wakamatsu and his replacement is Darren Brown. Wakamatsu should not have been let go. He was the fall guy for the bad personnel decisions made by GM Jack Zduriencik.

The Mariners scored the game’s first run with two outs in the third when Lowrie booted a routine grounder by Figgins with two runners aboard. In the bottom of the fifth, Beltre led off with a base hit. Lowrie then hit a short pop down the left field line and the wind wreaked havoc with the ball as Langerhans misjudged it and the ball popped out of his glove. It was ruled an E-7. Nava walked to load the bases and Scutaro hit a stinging base hit to right scoring Beltre and Lowrie. Drew followed with a base hit up the middle bringing in Nava with the third run. The M’s came right back in the sixth as Ichiro and Figgins both reached on singles. With one out, Lackey misplayed Gutierrez’ routine comebacker and the bases were loaded. Kotchman followed with a line drive single to right, scoring Ichiro and Figgins. Gutierrez was forced at home on Adam Moore’s grounder to third, but Lackey’s error really cost him. In the bottom of the seventh, Lowrie and Nava started the ball rolling with singles. Fister was over 100 pitches at that point and laboring. Kalish moved the runners into scoring position with a well placed bunt, and Fister’s night was over. Sean White entered in relief, and with one out, Scutaro lined a base hit to center, scoring Lowrie and pinch-runner Darnell McDonald to make it 5-3 Sox. Drew lined a base hit to right, putting runners on the corners. Beltre followed with a sacrifice fly to left and Scutaro came in with the sixth run. Lackey was still out there to open the eighth and Figgins singled leading off. Figgins stole second, but Lackey easily retired the next three batters. Papelbon entered in the ninth and slammed the door shut, all in a tidy 2:21.

Johnny Damon elected to remain with Detroit, and that’s probably for the best. If the Sox’ waiver claimed blocked him from going back to the Yanks or to Tampa, then their move served its purpose. The “suspense” did cause the phone lines to burn up on the local sports talk shows for a day as people tried to figure out why Damon didn’t want to come back and why the Sox made a waiver claim. In the end, it was simply hot air. It’s hard to see Damon as being the missing piece to a successful stretch drive in September. His best days as a player are in the rear view mirror, and while he will always remain “one of the 25”, it’s best that Red Sox fans remember him that way.

There were a lot of revisionist history articles in the local and national media regarding this non-event that really didn’t shed much new light on the basic facts: he left Boston and went with the Yankees because they reportedly offered him an additional $12M over four years. It’s simple, the guy is a mercenary who left to play for the Sox’ greatest rival.
It’s pointless to go back in time to identify the good guys and bad guys. “It’s strictly business, Sonny.”

Now, I was present at Fenway Park on May 1, 2006 and witnessed the despicable behavior by the fans who hounded Damon mercilessly that night. There was a large contingent of Neanderthals who covered themselves in shame. Next to the afternoon on October 4th, 1970 at Harvard Stadium when the Baltimore Colts (eventual Super Bowl winners) whipped the Boston Patriots and fans were screaming for quarterback Mike Taliaferro to get hurt so newly-signed Joe Kapp could play, it was the meanest thing I’d ever witnessed at a sporting event.

But “hurt feelings” shouldn’t enter into the equation for mercenaries. The Fenway crowd wasn’t booing him personally, but the fact that he joined the Yankees. All of the other Heroes of 2004 received raucous ovations when they returned to Boston. Damon had four mostly productive years with the Yanks and won a World Series with them. His range as a centerfielder precipitously declined to the point where he was a part-time outfielder and full-time DH. At the time when he left for New York, there was someone already pretty established in left field in Boston and would be for the next few years. He also stated that his time in New York was the happiest of his career. He’s happy in Detroit and moved on. Most sane followers of the Local Nine moved on from him years ago. So, thanks for helping the Red Sox and best of luck down the road.

Tuesday was about as dark and gloomy an August day as it gets. Wind-swept rain enveloped the Boston area and the tarp was nailed down at game time. Ordinarily the game would’ve been postponed but Seattle won’t be coming back to town this year. The teams have an off-day on Thursday, but are loathe to use it for a make-up date. Give the house credit as they didn’t wait very long before calling off the game and rescheduling it as part of a day-night doubleheader tomorrow. By 7:30, the few brave souls in attendance were sent packing and everyone called it a night.

On Wednesday morning, the skies opened and it was a literal deluge in the Boston area, yet the suits declared that the rain would end prior to the 1:35 scheduled start for the first game. The lineups posted for last night remained the same and Josh Beckett (3-3, 6.67) was scheduled to go against former Sox farmhand David Pauley (2-4, 3.70). Beckett has not pitched consistently well in his previous three outings, alternating between good and putrid. Both pitchers were outstanding in the first three innings. Scutaro led off the bottom of the fourth by doubling down the leftfield line and went to third on Drew’s ground out. Martinez hit a wicked liner to first that was snared by Kotchman and Ortiz grounded out, so the first real opportunity to score went by the boards. In the sixth, Josh Bard hit a long fly to right that was caught in the wind and mist and curled away from the fence at the last moment where Drew tracked it down. In the bottom of the sixth (in what had become more of a drizzle than a mist), Scutaro legged out an infield hit leading off. With one out, Martinez singled and Ortiz walked to load the bases. Beltre then lined a comebacker that bounced off of Pauley’s right foot and landed near the first base line and Scutaro came in with the first run of the game. Lowell followed with a sacrifice fly to Ichiro in right and Martinez scored to make it 2-0. Daniel Nava then hit a line drive single to right, bringing in Ortiz and Beltre, and that was the afternoon for Pauley. Shame too, because he pitched very well over the first five innings. With the ageless Jamey Wright now pitching, McDonald ran for Nava and stole second but Hall struck out to end the inning. With one out in the seventh, Russell Branyan popped one into the bullpen and Jose Lopez singled off the wall. Beckett was nearing 100 pitches and Bard started warming in a hurry. Kotchman followed by taking a 2-0 fastball in roughly the same spot that Branyan’s shot landed to make it 4-3. The manager wasted no time coming out of the dugout and asking for the baseball. Bard was able to get out of the inning on four pitches and preserve the lead. Bard walked a couple of batters in the eighth before Branyan launched another fly to deep right that hung up in the wind and was hauled in by Drew near the warning track. In the bottom of the eighth, Wright walked Beltre and Lowell and McDonald followed with a single to left, scoring Beltre but Lowell was thrown out trying for third. Papelbon entered in the ninth and retired the side in order to pick up his 32nd save of the year. Except for that seventh inning hiccup, Beckett did pitch well, allowing only for hits, walking one and striking out seven.

Prior to the nightcap, Jon Lester was scratched from his scheduled start and will instead start Friday night’s opener in St. Pete as Daisuke is suffering from a “lower back strain”. Wakefield (3-9, 5.29) will start tonight. Wake has not started since July 20th in Oakland and has the unenviable task of going against “King” Felix Hernandez (9-10, 2.51). The Angels crushed the Rays 12-3 today, so the Sox could pick up some extra ground…if the knuckleball knucks. Not that it’s relevant, but Damon went 0-5 in the Tigers’ 11th inning loss to KC earlier today.

It was another damp, misty, windy and altogether crummy night at the ballyard for Game 2. If the last two games are considered to be statistical “sellouts” (further inflating the bogus streak) something is seriously amiss and the term is loosely interpreted because the stands were (maybe) 30% full in both games. Ichiro led off with a routine comebacker to the mound, but Wakefield’s throw to first was wild and Ichiro landed on second. Figgins bunted Ichiro to third and Branyan’s ground out brought Ichiro in with the first run. Lopez banged a double off the wall that missed going over by two feet but Wake avoided first-inning disaster by getting Gutierrez to ground out. Wake had a rockin’ chair second, getting two quick ground outs and striking out Tuiasosopo. Felix was en fuego in the first two innings, as his breaking stuff made Beltre and Nava look like chumps. Beltre took issue with the home plate umpire’s borderline third strike call and words were exchanged between innings. Beltre discovered that he had been ejected when he went out to third and ran toward the umpire to protest. The manager followed in hot pursuit and he was also tossed for his trouble. The home plate umpire was a thin-skinned AAA summer vacation replacement named Dan Bellino. The crew chief was Hot Dog Deluxe Joe West, ably abetted by Angel Hernandez. As Peter Abraham aptly stated in his “Extra Bases” blog, “This umpiring crew is easily the worst in the majors…” Who are the really good umpires? The ones whose names you never see outside of the box score.

Wilson doubled off the wall leading off the third and Ichiro reached on an infield hit. Ichiro stole second and Lopez knocked in both runners with a base hit up the middle. Kalish doubled off the wall with one out in the bottom of the third and Cash reached on Wilson’s fielding error, then Kalish came in to score on a wild pitch. Wilson booted another ball at short allowing Scutaro to reach and putting runners on the corners. Ortiz hit a long fly to left that would’ve at least hit the wall on most nights but hung up in the heavy mist and faded at the warning track. Kotchman doubled down the rightfield line with one out in the sixth and then, with two outs, Tuiasosopo hit a low line drive to left that Nava couldn’t handle and Kotchman came in to make it 4-1. On that note, Wake’s night came to a close. It wasn’t necessarily a bad outing though there were one or two pitches he’d like to have back. Atchison came in and struck out Wilson, but the third strike was wild and Wilson reached. Ichiro then walked to load the bases but Atchison struck out Figgins swinging and a glimmer of hope remained. Through the first five, King Felix had allowed only the one hit to Kalish while striking out six. Drew led off the bottom off the sixth by ripping a fastball into the centerfield bleachers to cut the deficit to two runs. Delcarmen was brought in to start the eighth and promptly gave up a single to Tuiasosopo. After the pitching coach visited the mound to chew out Delcarmen, Ichiro walked and Delcarmen departed with two outs and runners on the corners. Doubrount entered and struck out Branyan looking. Bill Hall doubled down the corner in left as King Felix was over 110 pitches at that point. Scutaro then swung at a pitch that hit the dirt before getting to home plate as the break on Felix’ curve was astounding. Drew worked a full count before walking and that was the end of the night for King Felix, who allowed only four hits while striking out nine. Former Blue Jay Brandon League came on in relief and got Martinez on a grounder to first but both runners moved into scoring position. Ortiz lined out to left and left the tying runs on base. In the bottom of the ninth, Lowell (pinch hitting for Navarro) lined a base hit off the wall in left but Nava grounded into a 4-6-3 double play and Lowrie flew out to left and that was that. The Yankees lost as well tonight in Toronto, so a sweep of the doubleheader would’ve tightened the race by an additional half game, another lost opportunity.

Showdown In St. Pete:

Whatever minimal hopes the Sox may have for the postseason will hinge on how well they perform this weekend in St. Pete. They need to win at least two of this weekend’s games to keep from falling out of the race altogether. News reports indicate that Pedroia is considering surgery on his injured foot and we probably won’t see him until Spring Training. There was also terrible news regarding the Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg, who will require Tommy John surgery and will miss all of next year. What a shame, as this kid was hyped to the max and delivered the goods. It was really disheartening to see his arm blow out after only 68 big league innings. Here’s best wishes for a successful rehab and a long and illustrious career thereafter. Is this another Mark Prior story in the making? Let’s hope not because Strasburg looked like a generational talent on the hill, and the game needs all the terrific young players it can get. In other baseball-related news, Ambiorix Burgos, thy name is SCUMBAG.

In the opener, Jon Lester (13-8, 3.26) got the call against Rays’ ace lefty David Price (15-5, 2.97). Like Strasburg, Price was a #1 overall pick who perhaps didn’t have the same degree of hype but has certainly developed into the top-of-the-rotation starter that he was projected to be. Carl Crawford was a late scratch for the Rays, which certainly made things a little easier for the Sox, as he’s hell on wheels on the basepaths. With two outs in the top of the first, VMart homered to left to give the Sox an early lead. Lester hit Pena with a pitch and walked Bartlett but Longoria hit into a 4-6-3 twin killing to escape the bottom of the first unscathed. Darnell McDonald hit a long triple off the centerfield wall with one out in the third but advanced no further as Price retired the next two batters on ground outs. Ortiz led off the fourth by ripping a double into the left-center gap and later scored on Lowrie’s two-out single up the middle. In the bottom of the fourth, Jason Bartlett reached on Scutaro’s throwing error leading off and Pena followed with a base hit up the middle. Lester struck out Longoria swinging, but both batters advanced on a wild pitch with Aybar at the plate. Lester then uncorked another wild one and Bartlett came in with the Rays’ first run. The Sox put two more runners aboard in the fifth, but no one advanced after Ortiz hit a soft liner to second to end the inning. Lester walked Sean Rodriguez to start the bottom of the fifth, he stole second but was caught trying to steal third as Lester wheeled around and nailed him like a dead duck with a pickoff throw to Beltre. Lowell scorched a liner to third leading off the sixth that took a weird hop and past Longoria but Price came back to whiff Drew, Lowrie and Hall (who looked like he wanted no part of swinging a bat against Price). Lester walked BJ Upton to start the bottom of the sixth and (predictably) stole second. Bartlett followed with a base hit up the middle but Upton was gunned down at the plate on a beautiful throw by McDonald that beat Upton’s slide. Martinez effectively blocked the plate and Upton’s attempt to slide around him was way too late. Bartlett then reached second on Lester’s (third) wild pitch with Pena batting. Pena walked, but Longoria was caught looking at a called third strike and Aybar grounded out to short, so Lester escaped another difficult inning but his pitch count was getting up there. With two outs in the seventh, Martinez launched a Price fastball over the wall in left for his second homer of the night and gave the Sox a 3-1 lead. After retiring the Rays in order in the seventh, Lester’s night was over. It wasn’t a spectacular night for him (four walks, three WP’s) but he did only allow two hits and struck out 10. He gutted it out and was aided by some double play balls and McDonald’s throw that nailed Upton at the plate. Price was also finished after seven, as he was replaced by Randy Choate, who quickly retired the first two Sox batters. Drew followed with a pop single to right but was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double. Bard came on for the bottom of the eighth and allowed a single, but that was the only scratch. Papelbon entered in the ninth and struck out Longoria swinging, then walked Aybar. He came back to whiff Zobrist but Aybar took second on defensive indifference. Dan Johnson (who previously homered off of Papelbon) stepped up to pinch hit and ended up walking, as Papelbon’s splitter missed the target three times. John Jaso came in to pinch hit and Papelbon nailed him to the wall with a called third strike! There was a lot of high drama in tonight’s game, but the Sox accomplished their first goal.

On Saturday night, the Sox lost 3-2 in an extra-inning heartbreaker. In what was billed as a pitchers’ duel, it certainly lived up to expectations as both Clay Buchholz (15-5, 2.26) and Matt Garza (13-7, 3.62) gave their respective teams everything they had in the tank. It came down to one critical mistake and a debateable fielding choice that spelled defeat for the Sox. In the bottom of the third, Ryan Kalish made an incredible diving catch of BJ Upton’s tailing liner to the right-center gap. Kalish high-tailed it after the ball, extended his body, caught the ball while horizontal and then hit the turf and held onto the ball while rolling over. It was an outstanding play and he was mobbed by his teammates upon returning to the dugout. The Sox pushed ahead in the fourth as Martinez singled, Ortiz doubled and Beltre hit a sacrifice fly to deep left. In the bottom half of the inning, Longoria singled but (but!) was thrown out trying to steal second. That was only the third CS by the Sox in the Rays’ previous 27 attempts. The Sox held a 1-0 lead until the bottom of the seventh when a couple of mistakes cost them dearly. With one out Carlos Pena singled. Pena is not exactly a dynamic force on the base paths and just came off the DL with a foot injury. But the Sox chose to hold him near the bag and Buchholz threw a number of pickoff throws over to Lowell. His third such attempt deflected off of Lowell’s glove and bounced down along the foul territory/bullpen area in right. By the time Drew collected the ball and threw back to the infield, the slow-footed Pena was standing on third. Matt Joyce then hit a long foul to right and Drew gave chase. Millions of New Englanders were screaming into their televisions and radios, “DON’T CATCH THE BALL!” Naturally, Drew caught the ball, Pena tagged and easily scored the tying run. Was it the right play by Drew? All he needed to do was let the ball fall and they could’ve taken their chances again with Joyce. Who knows? No one should fault Drew for hustling after a ball. In the top of the eighth, the decision seemed to be forgotten after Martinez hit a long homer to right to put the Sox back on top 2-1. By that time, both starters were toast and it appeared that the manager left Buchholz in there one batter too long as Upton led off the bottom of the eighth by hitting a long homer to left and tied the score. Buchholz was lifted in favor of Felix Doubront at that point. What a shame, as he and Garza both pitched their hearts out and neither would figure in the decision. The Sox’ bullpen had limited options as Papelbon wouldn’t be available after throwing nearly 30 pitches on Friday night. Bard was able to shut down the Rays in the ninth, but with no other choices, the Sox called upon Oh No Atchison in the bottom of the 10th…a few moments later Dan Johnson stepped up and knocked a meatball over the wall. What’s left to say?

The Sox looked to rebound from Saturday night’s crushing extra-innings loss on Sunday night as John Lackey (12-7, 4.51) took the hill against the Rays’ tough righty, James Shields (11-11, 4.82). With two outs in the bottom of the third, Carl Crawford singled and the probability of stealing second was “prohibitive” as he’s successfully stolen 36 bases in a row against Boston. Longoria did Lackey a big favor by striking out—just as Crawford was sliding into second. Through the first three innings the run of good pitching by both teams continued, though the Sox did have a couple of long, loud fly balls to the track. Carlos Pena put the Rays ahead 1-0 with two outs in the fourth with a bomb to right. Lowell ripped a double to the right-center gap leading off the fifth, moved to third on Kalish’s ground out and (after McDonald walked) scored on Yamaico Navarro’s single up the middle. McDonald then scored when Scutaro’s hard grounder to third took a crazy hop over Longoria’s glove and landed in short left. The Sox went up 3-1 when Beltre doubled down the line in left and scored on Nava’s single to right. There are times when Beltre literally goes down on one knee while swinging at a ball. This time, it appeared as if he may have strained something in his left leg as he was noticably slow on the basepaths. The Rays came right back in the bottom half to tie the score on Zobrist’s single and Crawford’s homer to right. Longoria followed with a ground-rule double and Lackey was in danger of imploding. Pena was then given a free pass, and Joyce followed with a walk to load the bases. Johnson singled up the middle, scoring Longoria with the go-ahead run but Pena was thrown out at the plate in a big collision with Martinez. While VMart was blocking the plate, Pena slid into home spikes high and appeared to ram his legs directly into VMart’s left leg, causing the catcher a lot of momentary pain. What’s that old line about an irresistable force meeting an immovable object? Was it a “dirty” play? Nah, it was just an old-fashioned collision in a game with a lot at stake. Shields was lifted with two outs in the seventh and was replaced by Randy Choate, who pitched pretty well last night. Bartlett led off the bottom of the seventh with a bloop single to right but was thrown out by Martinez trying to steal second. Jaso reached on an infield single on which Scutaro made a nice diving stop but his throw was too late. After Lackey walked Zobrist, the manager came out looking for the baseball and invited (sigh) Okajima to join the proceedings. Okey-Doke (who’s been anything but this year) just came off the DL/rehab to face Crawford, whom he did strike out. But Bad Okajima re-appeared and gave up a base hit to Longoria to make it 5-3. Pena was then given his second intentional walk in a row to load the bases but Okajima was able to get out of further trouble by getting Joyce to ground out. In the bottom of the eighth, Oh No Atchison returned to the mound (why bother using Bard with a two-run deficit?) and he was able to get through the inning without much difficulty. The Rays brought Rafael Soriano in to close things out and he dispatched the Sox’ hitters with little difficulty. So the Rays took the series and the Sox are 6 ½ back with 31 games left. It’s about time to think in terms of 2011. Maybe it’s way too soon to talk about playing out the string but that is likely how September’s going to be.

When the Sox fold up their tent at the end of September and the long, cold winter follows, much will be made of the injuries that derailed the team’s chances. But it wasn’t entirely the injuries but the rag arms in the bullpen that cut out this team’s heart.

It appears as if the “Mannywood” Era in LA ended with a whimper on Sunday, as he was ejected while pinch-hitting in a game at Colorado, arguing with the umpire over the first pitch thrown to him. He was placed on waivers last week by the Dodgers and did not play at all thereafter until his fateful appearance today. He was quickly claimed by the White Sox, who are a few games back of the Twins in the Central and figured they needed some right-handed pop. The ChiSox have suffered from a serious lack of production at DH this year (after letting Thome walk) and Manny does have a .915 OPS this year. If it’s strictly a salary dump by LA, then the White Sox will have to eat the remaining $4+M remaining on Manny’s contract. That’s a lot of cake to swallow for a one-month rental.

When Manny left Boston at the trade deadline two years ago, he had a torrid two-month stretch for the Dodgers helping to bring them to the playoffs. He was a regular cultural icon out there in Hollywood for awhile, too, until he got pinched last year for testing positive for a banned substance in violation MLB’s policy and earned a lengthy suspension. He did return later in the year and the Dodgers made the playoffs again, but the bloom was already off the rose. He made three trips to the DL already this year and was in the final year of the extension he received after having been traded away from the Sox. At the age of 38, and his already limited ability as a fielder declining, Manny’s probably looking to squeeze out a couple of seasons as a DH. He’ll go to work for a manager who won’t put up with any of the BS that he pulled in Boston. He’ll most likely be back in town next weekend when the White Sox come calling, so that ought to be good for a few laughs.

Soccer Time:

Wrexham Match 4 v. Kidderminster Harriers (8/24/10):

Dragons blew a 2-0 lead in the second half and were lucky to walk off the pitch with a 2-2 draw. Wrexham went on top very early on goals by David Brown (4’) and Dean Keates (6’). Brown’s goal came on a header on the left side resulting from Neil Ashton’s throw in. Keates’ goal was a bullet from 20 yards out that came from Declan walker’s throw in. But Dragons’ defense couldn’t hold up. Harriers scored just before the end of the first half when Nick Wright banged in a ball from the left corner of the box from about 10 yards out. Moving into the second half, Wrexham’s Ashton fouled Dave Hankins setting up a free kick from the left side of the box that beat Scott Shearer in the Dragons’ goal. The tide had turned in the match and so had the supporters’ sentiment against the team. In the 61st, Shearer made a nice stop on Lee Morris’ shot. Harriers had a couple of dicey corners in the late going but Dragons held up at the end. The team (and the gaffer) was loudly booed off the pitch by the Racecourse faithful (“Saunders Out!”), not an encouraging sign this early in the season. Wrexham’s chairman, Mr. Roberts, gave Saunders the dreaded “vote of confidence”, which probably means they’ll be in the market for a new gaffer soon…

Wrexham Match 5 v. Barrow (8/28/10):

If there was one word that could describe Dragons on this day it would be “lucky”. Early on, Barrow’s Mark Boyd popped a shot that went over the bar. They were booed off the pitch last time out as the supporters were in an ornery mood. A few minutes later, Wrexham’s Andrew Mangan rifled a left footed shot that Barrow’s Alan Martin saved. In the 19th, Wrexham’s Nathaniel Knight-Percival put a shot on goal from Dean Keates’ corner that was blocked. Barrow went ahead on Jason Walker’s goal in the 23rd as he popped a right-footed shot behind Scott Shearer (who undoubtedly heard it from the Racecourse faithful). Wrexham’s Jay Harris came right back and fired one on goal that went wide. Barrow’s Robin Hulbert was booked in the 27th for a rough tackle on Harris. Barrow’s Paul Jones was booked in the 32nd for a rough hit on Mangan. Wrexham’s David Brown was carded a minute later for fouling Paul Edwards. In the 41st, Keates’ tricky corner was picked by Martin. Mangan appeared to suffer an injury and was replaced by Kevin Gall. Wrexham regained possession and Knight-Percival’s header went over the bar. Just before the half ended, Keates’ dangerous cross was cleared away by Jones and Knight-Percival’s went over the bar.

Moving into the second half, Wrexham pressed the action in Barrow’s end trying to equalize. In the 53rd, Andrew Morrell’s header from Walker’s throw-in went over the bar. Barrow’s striker Jason Walker headed one on goal that Shearer knocked away. Minutes later, Barrow’s James Owen was booked for a nasty hit on Neil Ashton. In the 61st, Knight-Percival’s left-footed shot coming off of Keates’ corner went…over the bar (again). Six minutes later, Gareth Taylor entered for David Brown. In the 74th, Taylor’s header from Keates’ corner went over the bar. In the next ten minutes, Wrexham had three corners, the third of which was a tantalizing shot by Marvin Andrews that went just wide right. In the 86th, Barrow made a substitution that would have a huge impact on the outcome as Mike Pearson entered at the back line for Simon Wiles. As the match entered stoppage time, Neil Ashton’s corner was cleared away, but in the subsequent battle for possession, Pearson deflected a ball into his own goal and Dragons equalized at the very last gasp of the match…you take your points as you get them.

Wrexham Match 6 at Bath City (8/30/10):

Two days later, Dragons traveled to Twerton Park and delivered the goods, as they came away with a 2-nil road win that moved them up the Blue Square Premier table. Bath’s Hector Mackie drove one on goal that was cleared away before going near the frame. In the 16th, Wrexham’s first chance came on Kevin Gall’s shot from the right side of the box. Dean Keates’ corner was knocked away by Bath’s Ryan Robinson. In the 24th, Bath’s Adam Connolly drove a ball from the center of the box went wide right. Wrexham regained possession and Andrew Morrell put Dragons ahead on a header resulting from Curtis Obeng’s cross directly out front of Robinson and into the goal. Morrell came back and drove one that went wide right. A minute later, Christian Smith’s header from Keates’ corner went wide right. Wrexham continued to press hard for another score as Smith had another header that was picked by Robinson. Smith had yet another chance close in from Keates’ corner that went just wide left. Wrexham played a simply dominating first half of football, the like of which supporters had hoped from the beginning of the season.

Two minutes into the second, Bath’s Lee Phillips nearly equalized as he drove a shot from Mackie’s cross that Shearer knocked away. Things stayed uneventful until the 57th when Bath’s Sekani Simpson fouled Keates. Morrell’s free kick was a perfect cross from left wing that Smith (finally) headed into the goal to put Wrexham up by two goals. In the 72nd, Adrian Cieslewicz came on for Kevin Gall. Five minutes later, Keates banged a shot from directly out front that was caught by Robinson. In the 80th, Marvin Andrews took a knock and was replaced by Jamie Tolley. Bath’s Marc Canham fired one near Shearer but he missed to the right. Adrian Cieslewicz went out with a knock in the 84th and was replaced by Gareth Taylor. Bath’s Daniel Webb had a chance in the 85th that was turned away by Shearer. Bath had no further chances to score and Wrexham came away with a very satisfying 2-0 win. The lads are now 2-2-2-8 over their first six matches and are in 12th place, only two points from a playoff spot. OK, so 90% of the schedule remains to be played but it was so important to the team and its very loyal supporters to start off in the thick of the hunt.

Revolution Match 20 v. Philadelphia Union (8/27/10):

The Revs (6-11-3-21) returned home after their “O-fer” trip to Chicago and Kansas City to face the expansion Union (4-10-5-17). Revs came into this one desperate for points as their chances to advance to the playoffs become dimmer with each defeat. Philly was without two of their better players, Fred and Alejandro Moreno. Matt Reis was out of the lineup with back spasms so Bobby Shuttleworth started in goal for Revs. Kevin Alston remained out of the lineup with a hamstring strain. In the 18th, Sebastien LeToux took a hard knee knock from Osei on a tough challenge and Osei was booked. Shuttleworth made a nice save at his feet through a screen on the ensuing free kick. Coudet and Shalrie Joseph collided in the 26th going up for a ball and Coudet came down hard. Miglioranzi was booked in the 29th for tripping Nyassi, who had intercepted a ball and was breaking. Revs scored in the 31st, as Ilia Stolica picked up a rebound from Joseph resulting from a corner and slid the ball past Chris Seitz. In the 36th, Nyassi ripped a blast that hit the left post and then picked Tierney’s rebound and headed the ball over the bar. Cory Gibbs received a red card in the 41st for a late, high and hard tackle on Coudet (who milked it for all it was worth). A replay showed that it wasn’t a leg-breaker and certainly merited a yellow. But an ejection? Nicol was incensed as Gibbs had not played in an overly aggressive manner to this point. Revs now had to play out the remainder of the match a man down.

Roger Torres replaced Coudet to open up the second half for Philly. Revs were almost called for a hand ball on a sequence of shots on Shuttleworth in the 50th. Fortunately, the assistant referee had the flag up. That could’ve been a disaster as LeToux controlled the ball in the box and Revs’ D fell apart. LeToux’s nose was bloodied on an “inadvertent” smack in the face by Joseph. Khano Smith came on for Stolica in the 54th as Revs were looking for a rougher presence up top with the lead. In the 64th, LeToux (in his lucky lavender cleats) broke past Barnes and fired a shot from the right corner of the box that Shuttleworth saved. Justin Mapp then replaced Nakazawa moments later. Jacobson had a chance from a good cross on top of the box but kicked the ball over the bar. Philly slowly began to dominate possession in the Revs’ end as their man-advantage started to become really noticeable. In the 73rd, Nyassi was sent flying with an elbow to the head but there was no booking. In the 82nd, Philly equalized on Jack McInerney’s point blank blast from Mapp’s terrific flip over the Revs’ back four. Mapp’s service was so good as to be indefensible. A minute later, Phelan’s shot was a direct hit on Danny’s Califf’s midsection (ouch!!). Down goes Califf! Union’s Jordan Harvey was booked for continuing his rough play (he had been warned earlier to knock it off). In the 88th, Joseph’s header went wide right. In stoppage time, Revs had a corner that was saved by Seitz. Danny Mwanga then carried down right wing and fed LeToux, whose shot was blocked away by Tierney. Mapp picked up the loose ball outside the left side of the box and fired it past Shutleworth. Oh, my…what a way to lose, in the final minute of stoppage time. There’s always Superliga…

To The Gridiron:

Patriots Exhibition Game 3 v. St. Louis Rams (8/27/10):

Of the four exhibition games that have the most bearing on determining a team’s final 53-man roster, the third is most crucial. Starters generally play into the third quarter and a great deal is made out of the guys who get the most reps. The Patriots greeted the St. Louis Rams (or, Lambs, as some categorize them) on a picture perfect night for football in Foxboro. The heavy rains that wreaked havoc for a few days departed and the weather was cool and a touch windy.

The current edition of the Rams is a far cry from “The Greatest Show On Turf” that dominated the NFL a decade ago. After their upset loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI, it’s been pretty much all downhill. This game will provide Pats’ fans their first look at 2010 #1 overall draft pick, Sam Bradford, the $50M bonus-baby quarterback from Oklahoma. Bradford suffered severe shoulder injuries during his final college season, and the experts could say whatever they want, but those types of injuries (and that kind of guaranteed money!) make this kid suspect. If he stays healthy he can be a franchise quarterback. There’s no doubt that he has all the tools to be a big-time player. And the Rams have invested heavily with high draft choices on both interior lines in recent years. But there remains a ton of rebuilding left to accomplish and one can only wonder whether they should’ve picked another solid lineman before jumping in whole hog with a player who has a surgically-repaired throwing shoulder. That’s a lot of money to invest in someone who could go down again with one hard hit.

The Rams kicked off to start the game and Brandon Tate took it to the house! From the 3, Tate went up the middle, broke right and was home free at the 50. 12 seconds into the game and the Pats were already ahead 7-0. Bradford and the Rams’ offense started their first series at the 27 and quickly picked up a first down on two plays. Steven Jackson then carried twice for another first down at midfield, then Bradford hit Donnie Avery on the right sideline at the Pats’ 15. Bradford then connected with Amendola over the middle at the 5. On second and goal, Bradford rolled right and hit massive tight end Michael Hoomanawanui for the touchdown to tie the score. The Rams mixed the pass and run well on that drive and Bradford showed a lot of poise.

Tate had another great return, bringing the ball out to the 43. On the Pats’ first drive, Brady hit Randy Moss over the middle at midfield just short of the first down and they decided to kick away. Mosko’s punt was yet another beauty, trapping the Rams at their 4. The Rams picked up a first down at the 20 on Bradford’s pass to Avery and another on a pass to Hoomanawanui. On third and 8, Bradford threw an incompletion and the Rams punted away. On the return, the Rams’ Bradley Fletcher put a primo smackdown on Tate. The Pats’ next drive went nowhere and the Rams ended up with great field position at the 49. On third and 8, Bradford connected with Avery on the right sideline for a first down, and then Hoomanawanui made a terrific one-handed grab in traffic at the 10 as the quarter ended.

Bradford was sacked by Ron Brace at the 15, so the Rams had to settle for a 25-yard field goal from Josh Brown to go ahead 10-7. Amendola had a great return of Mosko’s next punt, breaking a couple of tackles before getting hauled down at the Pats’ 40. The Pats’ offense has not looked terribly sharp so far—nor has the defense. Bradford executed another third-down completion to Gilyard at the 20 and an off-sides call against the Pats pushed the ball even further. Kenneth Darby got a number of carries into the line as the Rams are looking for another strong back to lighten Jackson’s load. A holding call on second down pushed the ball back to the 12, where Bradford hit Hoomanawanui again for another touchdown, 17-7 Rams with seven minutes left in the half. The score doesn’t matter much at this stage of preseason, but making plays does. So far, the Pats have been flatter than a pancake. Another Patriot series, another three n’ out as Brady’s long pass attempts have been ineffective. The Rams started out again at midfield where Bradford’s third down pass was nearly picked by McGowan. On second and 11, Brady found Welker over the middle for 42 yards at the Rams’ 42. Brady then connected with Alge Crumpler on the left side at the 20. The referees ruled that Crumpler did not have possession and Coach Belichick challenged the ruling. The replay revealed that Crumpler pulled the ball into his body while still in bounds and the challenge was upheld. At the two-minute warning, the Pats were at the Rams’ 14 and knocking on the door. On second down, Brady connected with Gronkowski, who escaped a leg tackle, hopped then dove, reaching out with the ball crossing the plane of the end zone. The play was subject to a booth review and the correct call was made. With Gostkowski’s point after, the Pats pulled closer at 17-14. On a third and long, Bradford’s bomb down the sideline was incomplete, but Avery appeared to have suffered a serious knee injury, as he got tangled with McCourty in coverage and his knee twisted in an awkward way. He had to be removed from the field by cart. (Update: Avery will be lost for the season) In the final minute, Bradford moved the offense to the Pats’ 40 and there was no significant pass rush impeding his progress, though two penalties set the Rams back to midfield. Bradford then connected with Amendola at the 27, and with six seconds left, Brown hit his second field goal to make it 20-14. It was surprising not to see Maroney or Fred Taylor out there at all in the first half, as Sammy Morris did the bulk of the running back duty. Bradford passed for 182 yards in the first half and the Patriots’ D had not done well.

Bradford was replaced by rookie Thaddeus Lewis from Duke to open the third quarter and the Rams were able to move the ball to midfield in short order. The Pats’ first-team D then gave the Rams another life on an illegal contact penalty on Butler, and Lewis was able to break through the Pats’ rush and scramble to the 40. From the 20, Lewis hit Brandon Gibson, who faked Butler out of his jock, on a curl pattern at the 5 and carried in for the touchdown to make it 27-14 Rams. Lewis acquitted himself quite well on that series that ran for over nine minutes. Starting their first drive of the half, Brady hit Randy Moss wide open over the middle for a 65-yard touchdown pass; you couldn’t draw it up any better than that. Moss streaked down the middle, Brady let fly and all Moss needed to do was look over his shoulder, reach out and catch the ball. After having pinned the Rams at the 10, Brandon Spikes was hit with a roughing the passer call (he slapped Lewis’ arm, for cryin’ out loud) and then a second penalty gave the Rams the ball at midfield. But the drive stalled there and Donnie Jones’ punt was killed at the 1. Brady was quickly able to move the ball to the 25 on completions to Faulk and Moss, and then hit Aaron Hernandez over the middle at the Rams’ 42.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Pats had a third and 5 at the Rams’ 37. Brady hit Sam Aiken on the right for a first down at the 32 and then connected with Faulk out of the backfield for another. From the 20, Gronkowski ran a simple slant route and was all alone when Brady found him with the touchdown pass that put the Pats up 28-27 with 14 minutes left. That was a 99-yard drive where key plays were made by both of the rookie tight ends. On third and 8 from the 34, Lewis’ pass was intercepted by Brandon McGowan, who returned the ball to the Rams’ 10. Brian Hoyer entered in relief of Brady and found Sam Aiken over the middle. Aiken was rocked solid at the goal line, but not before crossing the plane to make it 35-27 Pats. On the Rams’ next series, Lewis was able to move the offense to midfield before nearly being intercepted again when Spikes brought the heat. Oklahoma State rookie Keith Toston then carried for a first down and Terrance Wheatley was injured while making the tackle. He was able to leave the field on his own but limped to the locker room shortly thereafter. On fourth and 2, the Rams decided to go for it and Lewis hit Fendi Onobun, who rambled down the right sideline for what appeared to be a touchdown. The refs ruled Onobun out at the 1, where Toston carried in to make it 35-33. The Rams went for two, and a penalty set them back to the 8. Lewis alley-oop pass into the end zone was incomplete and the Pats got the ball back. Hoyer and the offense went nowhere and Mosko had to punt away. Starting from the 30, Keith Null was able to move the Rams’ offense to midfield at the two-minute warning. Another roughing the passer call (against Murrell) put the ball on the Pats’ 35. From there, Null completed a short pass at the 25 and the Rams picked up another first down and wound the clock down to :03. Brown was able to boot a 36-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired and the Rams walked off with a 36-35 win. Disappointing? Perhaps not so much with the score as how poorly and undisciplined the defense played. They allowed 326 yards through the air and another 126 on the ground. Sorry, sports fans, for the first team defense to allow a lower-echelon team that kind of production at this point of the preseason speaks volumes about what kind of season this is going to be. The normally dead-panned coach was decidedly displeased in his post-game media conference…

Saskatchewan Roughriders Game 6 at Edmonton Eskimos (8/28/10):

The Riders had a bye last week and were looking to stay in the hunt in the CFL West with a date with the last-place Eskimos. These are strange days in the “City of Champions” as the Esks are in uncharacteristically hard times. For years, they were the class of the West but recently fired their GM as they begin to look for the right answers. They have a very good veteran quarterback in Ricky Ray and have had some tough luck losses this year. They’re also a great and historic rival of the Riders and are not to be taken lightly. As usual, a large contingent of the 13th Man trekked to beautiful Commonwealth Stadium to make their presence loudly known. Riders were decked out in their classic ‘70’s look much to the delight of at least 50% of the 48,000 in attendance. There are even billboards posted in Edmonton by the Riders offering to “save a section for you” at Mosaic.

Riders won the toss and Durant started out the offense at the 35. On second down, Cates banged off left tackle to the 50 and Durant then connected with Rodriguez at the Esks’ 49. Durant then scrambled around right end for another 10. On second and 10, Durant was intercepted by Maurice Lloyd, who returned the ball to the 30. The Esks went two n’ out on their first drive and the Riders started out their next drive at the 45. After the Riders went two n’ out, Ray was intercepted by safety James Patrick at the 35 and took it to the house. With Congi’s point after, Riders grabbed an early 7-0 lead. Edmonton’s Rector returned the ball to the 36. Former Viking (not Patriot) Kelly Campbell picked up a first down on a slant route at the 50 but Ray threw two incompletions and Noel Prefontaine punted away. Cates took a real hard hit from Lloyd on a first down carry, but rebounded on the next play to pick up a first down. Durant stuck to the ground game and the Riders were able to push the ball to midfield. On second down, Durant escaped a rush, rolled left and found Prechae Rodriguez, who made a spectacular leaping grab at the 30. Two plays later, he connected with Rob Bagg in the right slot for 20 more. From there, Wes Cates banged off right tackle and into the end zone and the Riders had a 14-0 lead late in the quarter. The Riders were set back by an “excessive celebration” penalty and Campbell returned the ensuing kickoff to the 50. Ray was then sacked by Barrin Simpson and the Esks had to punt away.

The Riders (having outgained Edmonton 117-22 in the first) opened the second quarter at the 22 and quickly picked up a first down on a quick hitter to Getzlaf. Dressler followed with an eight-yard gain and Cates ripped one up the middle to the 53. The drive stalled at midfield, where Eddie Johnson’s punt was blocked by Corbin Sharun and returned by Jason Barnes to the Riders’ 8. From there backup quarterback Jared Zabransky hit Arkee Whitlock with a shovel pass and Whitlock went in for the score. In the blink of an eye the Esks were now back in the game. Dressler picked up 9 on an end-around and Durant picked up the first with a quarterback keeper. Dressler picked up another first down at midfield when Durant threaded the needle on an inside slant. Durant went for the downs to Dressler, but put too much mustard on the ball and Johnson punted away. Zabransky stayed in at quarterback for Edmonton and was able to scramble up the middle for a first down at the 35, and then escaped a heavy rush and broke down the left side to the 54. Whitlock carried up the middle to the Riders’ 45. Zabransky then carried around right end to the 33 and Whitlock blew off right tackle and went out of bounds at the 18. But Zabransky threw into the left corner of the end zone and was picked by James Patrick. On second down from the 20, Durant connected with Dressler over the middle for a first down. Durant was then sacked, fumbled the ball and it was picked up by Dario Romero, who rumbled down to the five. Whitlock then took two shots into the line and went nowhere. The Esks went for the touchdown on third down from the 2, but Zabransky’s pass intended for Campbell fell short and the Riders’ goal line stand held. The Riders ran out the clock from there and had a 14-7 lead at the half.

On the Riders’ first possession of the second half, Durant was sacked and nearly fumbled away the ball again before being intercepted by Jason Goss at midfield. Zabransky completed two passes that brought the ball to the 35, but his wild throw was intercepted by James Patrick and the Riders got the ball back again at their 26. Dressler was able to pick up a first down at the 40 on a curl route, where he escaped a tackle and picked up an extra five yards. The drive stalled under the Esks’ heavy pash rush and Johnson punted away. It appeared as if Durant was the victim of a horse collar tackle but the referee didn’t see it that way. Durant was nearly intercepted again on the Riders’ next possession as his pass over the middle went through several players’ hands before hitting the turf. Zabransky then carried for a first down after his protection broke down. On the next play. Whitlock broke through several tackles for another first down. Zabransky then hit Andre Talbot alone on the left side at the Riders’ 12. The Esks couldn’t push the ball any further and had to settle for a chip shot from Prefontaine to tighten the score at 14-10. The Riders were unable to pick up a first down and prepared to punt away as the quarter ended.

The Esks were able to move the ball to the Riders’ 50 early in the quarter but the Riders’ D held and Prefontaine’s punt went into the end zone to make things even tighter at 14-11. From the 20, Durant was able to move the offense to the 45, where he sneaked up the middle on second down to move the chains. On second-and-5 at the 50, Edmonton brought the heat and Durant escaped but fell short of the first down. Edmonton took over at their 25, but went two n’ out. Dorsey returned Prefontaine’s punt to the 34. From there, Durant hit Rodriguez on the right for a gain of 7. Instead of looking for a first down, Durant went for all the marbles again, but his long pass intended for Dressler was broken up and the Esks got the ball back. On second down, Zabransky’s pass was nearly picked by Tad Kornegay. The Riders had another shot, starting at their 27 but Durant’s pass to Bagg fell just short of a first down. They decided to go for it on third down and Durant called his number for the first. On the very next play, Durant’s short pass was intercepted by Hill. After Campbell dropped a very catchable ball, Prefontaine boomed a 52-yard field goal to tie the score with four minutes left. A chop block penalty against the Riders’ Marc Parenteau on the return set the ball back and the Riders’ drive went nowhere. Ray returned to the lineup and hit Talbot, who made it to the 47. On second down, Ray hit Jason Barnes, who made a leaping catch at the 25. From there, Whitlock made a couple of plunges into the line and the clock wound down to 37 seconds. Prefontaine hit a 37-yarder and the Esks went ahead 17-14. Durant then attempted three desperation passes that each fell incomplete and Edmonton came up with the upset win. Six turnovers by the Riders pretty much told the story. Durant had a forgettable night and threw a number of dubious passes. The Riders’ D played well but if Durant has a sub-par night, chances are the Riders won’t succeed as a team. But give the Eskimos a lot of credit as they played opportunistic ball. Zabransky gave their offense a real spark and their coach knew the right time to bring Ray back into the game. At 5-3, the Riders remain firmly ensconsed in second in the CFL West, and know it’s going to be difficult to catch 7-1 Calgary. Next Sunday Winnipeg comes to Mosaic and the Boys in Green ought to be in a pretty foul mood.