Mid-August:

Monday may’ve been quiet on the field, but it was a banner day for the front office and scouting department, as the Sox came to terms with seven more draftees on the final day on which draft choices could sign. Ultimately, the Sox laid out in excess of $10M to sign the total of 23 draft picks in this year’s class. It should be a lot of fun to follow how each youngster progresses in the coming years.

After a day off, the Sox finally returned home to start a nine-game homestand beginning with three against the Angels. They’re 5 ½ games back with 43 games left to play. The opener featured the return of the little guy, Dustin Pedroia, who had been out of the lineup for the last seven weeks with a broken foot. Took make room for him on the roster, Dustin Richardson was returned to Pawtucket. In other news, Ellsbury went to California to get his injured ribs checked out and Eric Patterson hit the DL with a “neck strain” and Daniel Nava was recalled from Pawtucket.

In Tuesday’ s opener, Clay Buchholz (13-5, 2.49) got the call against Jered Weaver (11-7, 2.87). Abreu doubled off the wall leading off, and then it appeared as if Buchholz was spiked on the side of the right foot by Izturis while fielding the bag on a routine 3-1 throw from Lowell, with Abreu taking third. Buchholz stayed in the game and Abreu was cut down on Callaspo’s 1-2-5 force. With Aybar batting in the top of the second, Pedroia turned a remarkable 4U3 double play, scooping up the grounder, tagging Matsui out with a sweep tag then making the throw in time to nail the runner. In the bottom of the second, Beltre hit a long blast to right that looked like it might go, but Torii Hunter gave chase, leaned against the low bullpen wall and caught the ball as he nearly toppled over. After retiring the first six Sox batters, Weaver threw a mistake to Darnell McDonald, who hit a bomb over the left field wall, across Lansdowne Street and through the back windshield of a car in the parking lot. In the bottom of the fourth, Ortiz singled and Drew and Lowell walked with two outs. Ryan Kalish stepped up and launched a shot that landed in the bullpen for a grand slam, making it 5-0. The Sox made it 6-0 in the fifth on back-to-back doubles by Ortiz and Martinez, again with two outs. Buchholz ran into some difficulty in the sixth when he loaded the bases with two outs, but was able to avoid disaster when Aybar hit a weak grounder to Lowell. By the eighth, both starters had departed and Doubront had loaded the bases with two outs, but was able to strike out Aybar (what on earth was he swinging at there?) to end another bases-loaded threat. Michael Bowden entered in the ninth and retired the Angels in order as the Sox took the first game of the series, 6-0. Pedroia went 0-4 with an error in his first night back, but Red Sox fans will gladly accept it.

Kudos to the Globe’s Chad Finn, for remembering the 43rd anniversary of the night when Tony Conigliaro was struck in the head by a fastball from Jack Hamilton. Tony had a seemingly limitless future and everything changed after that moment. We shall never forget the hometown boy who made good. May God rest his soul.

In Wednesday night’s game (8/18), John Lackey (10-7, 4.54) started against former Tampa Bay lefty Scott Kazmir (8-10, 6.36). Prior to the game the manager announced that Mike Cameron and Ellsbury were through for the year. Ellsbury was diagnosed as having suffered a broken rib in his collision with Tommy Hunter last week, so maybe the blood thirsty scribes will stop referring to Ellsbury as “soft”.

The Sox went ahead 1-0 in the second when Pedroia walked, stole second and went to third on Mathis’ throwing error. With two outs, Beltre drove in Pedroia with a base hit to left. Mike Napoli tied the score in the third with his 20th homer of the year into the Monster Seats. The Angels went ahead 2-1 an inning later when Matsui doubled and scored on Howie Kendrick’s two-out single. The Sox tied the score in the bottom half of the fourth on Billy Hall’s bomb to left. But Lackey ran into trouble with two outs in the fifth, Abreu and Torii Hunter singled, then Alberto Callaspo hit a three-run job around Pesky’s Pole to make it 5-2. The Sox came back again in the bottom half, as Martinez doubled and Beltre rocked one into the Monster Seats to bring the Sox to within a run. In the bottom of the seventh, Martinez singled and Ortiz hit a long double to the left center gap putting runners on second and third. Lowell walked and Martinez came in with the tying run on a wild pitch by Jepsen. Drew (pinch hitting for Hall) received a free pass. Then the manager sent up Daniel Nava, who was hit by a pitch and Ortiz came in with the go-ahead run. Lackey was through after seven innings (10 H, 5ER , 0BB, 5K) and Bard entered in relief. Bard allowed a couple of walks but was able to get Izturis to fly out to left to end the inning on a great shoestring catch by Nava. The Sox added an insurance run in the bottom half as Scutaro led off with a double, went to third on Pedroia’s sacrifice and scored on VMart’s single to right. Papelbon entered in the bottom of the ninth and struck out the side.

Clemens Indicted:

…so Fat Roger is going to make the perp walk, eh? Who cares. The pundits will have a field day with this as ESPN rushed to judgment getting their “legal expert” on the set. Do we really need this? It seems from here that the government has better things to do with its time and our money than to chase after someone whose reputation is already in tatters. Eddie Gaedel has a better chance of getting enshrined in Cooperstown than Clemens. Our genuinely gifted United States Attorneys and Justice Department should use their limited time and resources to remove individuals who pose an actual threat to public safety from the streets and prosecute “white collar” criminals who defraud the public. I am not trying to trivialize the importance of testifying truthfully in court or before a legislative body. But we have far more pressing issues facing our great Nation than whether a has-been lied before Congress regarding the use of PED’s. Perjury trials are expensive, notoriously hard to prove and clog a court’s already overcrowded docket. Clemens will be able to afford the best legal team money can buy, and based on what little we know of the allegations contained in the indictment, the government is going to have a very difficult time proving its case. Clemens has previously admitted that “Strength Coach #1” injected his wife—in the sanctity of their bedroom—with PED’s. After that admission, whether or not Clemens is guilty of perjury in a court of law is anticlimactic. Most husbands would regard such a “man” with utter disdain. The government’s “star witness” has very serious credibility problems and will be torn to shreds on the witness stand. There are also issues with the preservation of DNA evidence (syringes left in an empty beer can for seven years). (Talk about contamination, there's no way this "evidence" finds its way into a court of law). If this criminal matter must be tried (hopefully within the next five years), let’s hope that the government has a lot more evidence than was furnished on the indictment, otherwise it’s he said-he said and Fat Roger will walk at the cost of millions of taxpayer dollars. Courtroom trials are supposed to be a search for the truth, not entertainment.

Prior to Thursday’s finale, the Sox placed Saltalamacchia on the DL with either a "lower left leg infection" or a "sore lower right leg", depending on which Globe reporter got their story straight. Meanwhile, Dusty Brown (who’s been toiling in the minors for what seems the past 10 years) was recalled from Pawtucket. Pedroia also sat out this one, still feeling soreness with his foot after sliding hard into second last night. Lowrie was penciled in the lineup at second.

Josh Beckett (3-2, 6.51) started against Ervin Santana (12-8, 3.99). Beckett has been awful in his last two outings and really needs to get back on track, not only for the team’s sake but also to keep the boo-birds off his back. JD Drew made a fabulous diving catch of Izturis’ line drive to right to end the third. If Drew somehow misplayed the ball, it would’ve been an easy triple, if not an inside-the-parker. Very quiet first three innings, only one hit by each side. With one out in the fourth, Ortiz hit his 27th homer of the year to give the Sox a 1-0 lead. The Angels tied the score in the sixth on back-to-back doubles by Izturis and Callaspo. Torii Hunter then singled putting runners on the corners and Matsui made like he was a Yankee again and hit a three-run homer to put the Angels ahead 4-1. That has been the annoying part of Beckett all year long. He can be the “old” (dominant) Beckett for stretches, then inexplicably fall apart. In the bottom of the sixth, Ortiz walked with two outs and VMart reached on Howie Kendrick’s error, but Beltre popped out. With one out in the top of the seventh. Bourjos reached on a bunt single and Abreu walked. Delcarmen entered in relief to face Izturis and walked him on four pitches. Callaspo grounded out to Beltre and Bourjos came in the back door to make it 5-1. Delcarmen then walked Hunter to load the bases and Matsui, bringing in the sixth Angels’ run. It was time to bid adieu to Manny and welcome Oh No Atchison to the fray. Kendrick singled off of Oh No to make it 7-1 and the rout was on. Now relegated to the end of the bullpen for situations such as this, Tim Wakefield entered in the top of the eighth and retired the side in order. In the bottom of the eighth, Santana was still out there (running on fumes no doubt) and loaded the bases on a single by Scutaro, a double by Lowrie and hitting Ortiz. Kevin Jepsen came on in relief and surrendered a sacrifice fly by Beltre to make it 7-2. But the Sox would get no closer on this night, as they were done in once more by the daring duo of Beckett and Delcarmen. The Sox may have taken nine out of ten games against the Angels this year but every loss (combined with a Yankees/Rays win) hurts double at this point of the season.

Three With Toronto (8/19-21/10):

There was a great post today in Mike Ashmore’s Trenton Thunder blog about the reality of life for 95% of pro baseball players. We’re so accustomed to the obscene salaries paid to a handful of major leaguers that it obscures the day-to-day realities of the players who toil in the minors with the dream of getting to “The Show”. An overwhelming percentage of minor leaguers never make it that far and often have to survive by their fingernails. It was a lengthy, yet highly informative, great read.

Prior to Friday’s series opener with the Jays, the Sox had to put the Little Guy back on the DL as it appears that he returned too early from his broken foot. Yamaico Navarro was called up from Pawtucket to replace Pedroia. Navarro has hit pretty well at Portland and Pawtucket this year, so we shall see how the kid can do.

Jon Lester (13-7, 2.80) got the call against fellow lefty Brett Cecil (9-6, 3.96). With Pedroia’s injury and the fact that the Sox are 6½ out of a Wild Card berth, there was a lot of talk in the media that the competitive phase of the season is over with 40 games left to be played. This is not August of 2006, when Manny went down with an injury and the team packed it in. The Sox have beaten the Jays nine times out of twelve, and despite all the injuries, the team appears not to have given up.

Right off the bat there was trouble for Lester. Lewis walked and Escobar reached on a bunt single to third. With one out, Lewis advanced to third when Lester’s pickoff throw went awry and then he walked Wells to load the bases. John Buck followed with a line drive single that brought in Lewis and Escobar. Lester’s pitches were all over the place and he appeared to be laboring. With two outs, Lyle Overbay hit an opposite-field three run homer into the Monster Seats and, just like that, it was 5-0. Lewis doubled leading off the second, moved to third on Escobar’s single and scored on Bautista’s sacrifice fly to center. Lester simply doesn’t have it tonight; Buck singled and Hill walked to open the third. Overbay then hit his second three-run homer to left making it 9-0, and then (finally) the manager came out to retrieve the ball. It was obvious from the git-go that it wasn’t Lester’s night. Sometimes these things happen; maybe it’s biorhythms or a case of indigestion, who knows? Surely, if seasoned television viewers could pick up Lester’s distress then why couldn’t the manager or pitching coach? Whatever. Atchison entered in relief for a long night’s tour of mop-up duty. He did not fare much better, allowing singles to Snider and Lewis. In the fifth, Atchison took a line drive off his right foot and had to leave, which was too bad because he actually recorded a few outs until he allowed a single then another that nearly removed his leg. Michael Bowden was his replacement and allowed a two-out double to Escobar that made it 11-0. The Sox began shuffling reserves into the lineup in the bottom of the fifth and Yamaico Navarro singled in his big league debut. With two outs in the sixth, John McDonald hit a three-run shot to left, making it 14-0. On the positive side, Daniel Nava made a great leaping grab of Lewis’ liner to left to open the seventh. Bautista then crushed a Delcarmen fastball far and deep into the back of the centerfield bleachers to give the Jays a 15-0 lead. Dusty Brown came to the rescue with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and doubled in McDonald and Lowrie to make it 15-2. It was just a matter of time before the Sox mounted a gallant comeback…Cecil (who pitched a great ballgame) was relieved by Carlson. Wakefield entered in the eighth and gave up another run when Overbay drove in Buck. With 7 RBI Overbay is having a night like Reggie Jackson had at Fenway on July 14, 1969 when he drove in 10 runs. It was a Saturday afternoon. Yes, I remember. By the time the ninth inning mercifully rolled around, all but the masochists departed and so too did the Red Sox.

Games like these are essentially throwaways. Statistical anomalies, roughly about 4.2% of the normal distribution of a 162-game schedule are going to fall in the 2σ range on either side of the bell curve, so it’s nothing to lose sleep over providing the Yankees and Rays do their part by losing as well. The Yanks lost 6-0 at home and the Rays are on the west coast.

Looking to rebound from last night’s disaster, the Sox sent Daisuke (8-4, 4.17) out on the hill against Ricky Romero (10-7, 3.43), who had a no decision in his last start against Boston earlier this month. Daisuke breezed through the top of the first and then Scutaro led off the bottom half with a single…so at least things started off better than Friday night. In the bottom of the third, the Sox loaded the bases with one out as McDonald doubled, Scutaro legged out a double to right and Drew was hit by a pitch. Vmart followed with a looper over the second baseman’s reach and two runs came across. With two outs and runners on second and third, Beltre struck out looking. Daisuke walked a couple of batters in the fourth and John McDonald made him pay, hitting a long double that escaped Darnell McDonald’s grasp. Hill came across to score but Overbay (who crashed the plate) was gunned down by Yamaico Navarro to keep the score at 2-1. In the bottom of the fifth, Scutaro, Drew and Martinez each singled with one out, but Ortiz whiffed. Beltre then singled to drive in Scutaro and Drew to make it 4-1 Sox. Daisuke ran into trouble in the sixth as Bautista singled and Wells doubled. Buck’s sacrifice fly brought in Bautista with the Jays’ second run and then Overbay hit a two-run shot to right to tie the score. With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Drew and Martinez singled but Ortiz flew out and Beltre struck out and a promising chance went by the boards. Jason Frasor relieved Romero in the bottom of the eighth. With Lowell batting, Escobar booted his second ball of the night and Lowell wound up on second. Kalish ran for Lowell and, with one out, Nava was sent up to hit for Navarro. The Jays responded by bringing in lefty Scott Downs, prompting Lowrie to bat for Nava. Lowrie walked and Shawn Camp came on in relief of Downs, who retired the next two batters. The game remained 4-4 heading into the 11th, when Papelbon entered in relief of Bard and retired the side in order. Lowrie led off the bottom half of the 11th by popping one into the bullpen and the Sox came away happy, with a 5-4 walkoff win. Much better than last night, no?

Farewell, Sweet Lou:

On Sunday, Sweet Lou decided to hang ‘em up after today’s game to return home to take care of his ailing mother. With the Cubs 22 games below .500 and 20 ½ games behind, now was about as good a time as any to walk away. He led the Cubs to a couple of NL Central titles in ’07 and ’08 but the team imploded this year and he previously announced that he was leaving at the end of the season. Sweet Lou had a very good career as a player with the Yanks, but an even better one as a manager with the Yanks, Reds and Mariners. He was part of the “Bronx Zoo” teams of the ‘70’s (where he learned the trade at the heel of Billy Martin) and won a World Series with the Reds in 1990. His tenure with the hometown Rays didn’t go so well, but the talent level just wasn’t there at the time. He retires with 1,835 wins, good for 14th all-time. He didn’t throw his cap or any bases nor did he argue or kick dirt at the umpires on his last day in the dugout. In fitting Cub fashion, the Cubs were bombed 16-5 by the Braves. Best wishes for a long and happy retirement.

In the finale, Clay Buchholz (14-5, 2.36) got the call against Shaun Marcum (11-6, 3.69) after a rain delay that lasted nearly two hours. It wasn’t raining heavily in the Boston area, but enough for the suits to decide to keep the tarp on the field. The day had a “late season” feel, overcast and cool. The Sox remain 5 ½ out with 38 games left to play.

Fred Lewis walked leading off and went to third on Bautista’s wall-ball single. Buchholz got out of trouble on a pop-out and grounder to second. In the top of the third, VMart took a nasty hit on the wrist from Bautista’s back swing and was in pain, but was able to remain in the game. Right about then, the rain returned with a vengeance. With two outs, the umps called for the grounds crew and the tarp went back on the field at 4:05. After another delay of about an hour, Buchholz returned to the mound and retired Lind on a nice catch by Bill Hall in left. Marcum’s no-hitter went down the tubes in the fifth when Papi (actually!) legged out a triple that took a high bounce off the centerfield wall and scored on Beltre’s double. With two outs, Hall hit a bomb across Lansdowne Street and the Sox went up 3-0. The Sox added another run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth when Martinez drove in Kalish, who doubled earlier. Ortiz followed with a base hit to drive in Scutaro to cap off the 5-0 final. This wasn’t one of Buchholz’ better outings as he allowed the lead-off hitter to reach five out of six times. Bard and Doubront each had excellent outings. After Friday night’s pounding, the Sox came back to win the series, but there was no change in the standings as the Yanks and Rays both won.

Soccer Time:

Wrexham Match 2 at Forest Green Rovers (8/17/10):

So much for all that unbridled enthusiasm. Dragons fell 3-nil to Forest Green Rovers at the New Lawn on Tuesday evening. Matches against sides that aren’t expected to contend are the sort that Wrexham has to win, especially at the start of a new season. Saunders expressed his disappointment with his team’s performance, as they appeared to be asleep in the first 20 minutes, as Reece Styche’s goal from a set piece put Rovers ahead. Down 1-0 at the half, Dragons rebounded for the better part of the second, only to fall in the final fifteen minutes from two more set piece goals by Luke Jones (75) and Yan Klukowski (80). Hopefully, the lads will spend a lot of training time this week learning how to properly defend corners.

Wrexham Match 3 at Eastbourne (8/21/10):

Dragons hit the road for the second time in four days and suffered a really tough 4-3loss to Eastbourne at Langney Sport Club on Saturday afternoon. The home side went up in the 10th on Richard Pacquette’s goal, but Wrexham came back to take the lead on goals by Christian Smith (15') and Marvin Andrews (20'). Dragons held the lead until late in the first half when Gary Elphick equalized in the 44th. In the 52nd, Wrexham’s Christian Smith was called for a hand ball and a penalty was awarded. Simon Weatherstone was given the honors and Eastbourne went up 3-2. Dragons clawed their way back and Christian Smith equalized in the 76th. As the match moved toward extra time, Wrexham’s Chris Blackburn was called for (yet another) hand ball and Weatherstone’s second penalty kick put Eastbourne ahead for good. Two bad plays, two goals, ‘nuff said…

Revolution (6-9-3-21) Match 19 at Chicago Fire (5-5-6-21) (8/18/10):

Revs looked to continue their roll with an important Eastern Conference match at Toyota Park in Bridgeview on Wednesday night. Both teams are tied for fourth in MLS East at time when points are at a premium. In addition to Marco Pappa and Brian McBride (two players who have tortured Revs in the past), Fire recently added Nery Castillo from Mexico and former Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg who was recently let go by Seattle Sounders. Kevin Alston returned to the Revs’ back line after missing the last two matches with an injury. In the 7th, Marko Perovic ripped a blast from outside the box that Chicago’s Sean Johnson tipped over the bar. A minute later, Perovic took a heel-kick pass from Alston and broke into the box, but Johnson dove out to grab the ball. Phelan was booked in the 12th for a rough takedown. Ljungberg’s free kick was headed away. Phelan fouled Ljungberg again and was warned by the referee that the next foul would result in an ejection. Perovic put Revs ahead in the 17th when he picked up a loose ball from Conde, broke in to the right of the box, faked out Johnson and banged the ball into a wide open net. After the goal, Fire pumped up the intensity in the Revs’ end. In the 25th, Perovic’s long free kick bounced off of Phelan and nearly beat Johnson. Gibbs was booked a minute later for tackle of Pappa from behind. Fire equalized in the 32nd on Baggio Husidic’s goal on a pass from McBride, as the pressure they had put on the Revs’ defense in the previous 5-10 minutes finally paid off. Revs protested to no avail that Husidic was off side. Kevin Alston was elbowed in the head by Castillo in the 37th and went down. The Revs were hot over the foul and Castillo was booked. A minute later, Phelan took a nasty ankle knock with Conde. The Revs again protested Conde’s late strike and Conde was booked. After a few moments on the sideline, Phelan was able to return. In the 43rd, Chicago’s veteran defender, CJ Brown was inadvertently kicked in the face by Perovic while fighting for a ball. No foul was called and Brown was able to return after treatment by the physio. Both sides played a crisp and competitive first half.

Mike Banner came on for Castillo to open the second half. Fire really pressed the play in Revs’ end in the opening moments. Ljungberg picked Osei’s pocket setting up a corner. The Revs finally regained possession in the 51st, and Shalrie Joseph rocked a point blank low drive that Johnson saved. Osei was booked in the 52nd for a nasty hit on McBride. Other than one momentary foray in Chicago’s end, the Fire had run rings around Revs in the first 10-12 minutes of the half. Reis saved Banner’s shot in the 63rd after reading the play well and snatching away a low drive. Alston then made a nice pick and fed Stolica, who kicked just wide right. Khano Smith and Jason Griffiths replaced Phelan and Tierney in the 68th. In the 81st, Ljungberg masterfully drew a foul by Griffiths setting up a free kick that was deflected by the wall, but Chicago kept pressing the action in Revs’ end. Perovic took a nasty head knock when he was elbowed in the head by Johnson while both went up for the ball. Calen Carr put Fire ahead in the 86th as he took a ball just outside the box from Ljungberg, cut to the right and fired a low ball past Reis, who was screened and reacted too late. In the 90th, Perovic was clipped from while breaking into the box by Dasan Robinson and no foul was called! The Revs and Nicol went ballistic at the lack of a call. Ljungberg grabbed Darius Barnes from behind and Barnes was the one who was booked. At the end of the match, Joseph, several Revs players and Nicol angrily confronted the referee and things got very heated. No one has a beef with losing fair and square, even in a “six-point” match such as this. But to lose like this? Oh, brother…

Revolution (6-10-3-21) Match 20 at Kansas City Wizards (5-9-5-20) (8/21/10):

Revs traveled to Community America Ballpark in Kansas City, KS looking to rebound from Wednesday night’s dreadful loss in Chicago. This venue has been a hell-hole for the Revs as KC has owned them here over the years. This is another critical divisional clash for both sides. Like the Revs, KC had an unbeaten string snapped in their last match at San Jose and are looking to leapfrog Revs in the MLS East standings. The pitch is configured within the footprint of a baseball park, and has the tightest width in MLS, giving the Wizards a decided home field advantage. Fitness will be an issue for the Revs since they’re probably fatigued from the other night and they’re 1-7-1 on the road this year. KC has been off since last Saturday but will be without young forward Teal Bunbury, who was suspended after an incident last week. Kheli Dube remains out of the lineup with a knee sprain.

Keeping with the ballpark theme, Matt Reis wore a ball cap due to the excessive glare in the Revs’ end. Revs had an early corner that was bounced away. In the third, KC’s Ryan Smith broke into the box and took dead aim on Reis, but the goalkeeper came up with a sparkling stop. In the eighth, Reis tipped Birahim Diop’s volley over the bar. Revs had difficulty getting untracked in the first 15 minutes. In the 16th, Wizards went ahead 1-0 on Diop’s left-footed strike from just outside the box. Diop took a nice feed from Kei Kamara and it appeared as if Reis came out too far to make the stop and was burned. Revs howled that the play was off sides, it didn’t matter. Two minutes later, Reis was tested again as he made a stop on Kamara’s shot. Over the first quarter of the match, Revs had no offensive spark at all. KC made it 2-0 in the 27th on Diop’s bounce header from Kamara’s cross. Kamara broke in on the right side of the box and calmly flipped a cross to Diop waiting on the other side. Diop out-leaped Alston and his header hit the turf and bounced high into the goal. The play in Revs’ back end has been particularly lacking so far. In the 30th, Perovic’s shot from outside the box hit the post. Nyassi was fouled by Rocastle in the 36th setting up a free kick by Perovic that was deflected away, but Revs got on the board shortly thereafter as Kenny Mansally took a feed from Khano Smith, carried into the box and bounced a ball that was deflected past Jimmy Nielsen to make it 2-1. Kevin Alston then departed for Emanuel Osei (re-injured hamstring). Nearing the end of the half, play started to get really physical. Shalrie Joseph was booked for a rough tackle on Ryan Smith and he was hot about receiving the card. The Revs played a bad first half and needed to make some defensive adjustments as the Wizards ran them ragged over the first 45, putting 6 shots on frame.

Starting off the second half, Kamara and Khano Smith collided and Khano (who’s built like a running back and hits like a truck) got the better of that one. Mansally and KC’s Harrington knocked heads on a 50/50 ball and Harrington went down for a few moments. Gibbs’ shot on a rebound from a free kick in the 57th went high. A couple of minutes later, Rocastle took a tough ankle knock after colliding with Osei and needed a few minutes on the side before returning. KC went up 3-1 on Kamara’s goal in the 64th. The goal resulted from Diop’s break down the right flank. Diop then threaded a beautiful pass into the box that Gibbs could not deflect away from the goal and Kamara was able to pounce on the ball and fire it past Reis. In the 67th, KC scored again as Osei casually flipped a back pass toward his goal, it was intercepted by Smith and Reis made the initial stop, but Jack Jewsbury was waiting alone for the rebound and popped it into a wide open net. Two terrible breakdowns in the back end in a matter of four minutes spelled doom for the Revs tonight. Osei’s play was inexcusable. In some parts of the world he’d have to enter a witness protection program after that play. Nyassi was booked in the 74th for a rough tackle on Kamara (the referee didn’t see Kamara’s head lock of Nyassi). In the 78th, Zack Schliawski replaced Mansally. So the Revs’ trip west in search of points to move up in the race was fruitless. A goose egg is all they earned for their trouble and time is running out in the playoff chase.

Patriots Pre-Season Game 2 at Atlanta Falcons (8/19/10):

The Patriots took their camp on the road to Atlanta earlier in the week for two days of joint practices with the Falcons before Thursday night’s game. The only thing that matters now is making plays and staying healthy. Accomplishing those feats in preseason is a victory. There were quite a few Patriots who didn’t dress, including defensive starters Leigh Bodden, Gary Guyton, and Tully Banta-Cain. Wes Welker did dress but it wasn’t known prior to kickoff how much action he’d see. The Falcons are a pretty good team that stumbled a little last year, but they have surrounded QB Matt Ryan with a decent supporting cast and he will only improve as a leader as time goes on. In attendance at tonight’s game were about 75% empty red seats disguised as fans.

The Patriots kicked off and the Falcons started their opening drive at the 22. On the second play, Matt Ryan hit Justin Peele for a first down and then Michael Turner carried up the middle for another. Tony Gonzalez made a nice catch over the middle to the Patriots’ 34 and Turner mashed off right guard for 6 more. On third down, the Pats’ D chased Ryan out of the pocket and the Falcons settled for a 46-yarder from Matt Bryant to give them an early 3-0 lead. Brady and the offense started their opening drive at the 20. A good run by Fred Taylor was negated by a holding call. On second and 10, Welker made a nice catch for a first down. On third-and-7, Brady connected with Faulk on a screen for a first down at the 46. Faulk then carried for another first down to the Falcons’ 45. Sammy Morris then ripped one up the middle for 28, and Taylor carried off left tackle and found his way into the end zone. With the point after, the Pats went up 7-3. Taylor broke a few tackles to fight free and it was the best run he made since having joined the team last year.

Moving into the second quarter, Ryan hit Roddy White at the 40 for a first down and then the Falcons quickly moved the ball to the Pats’ 40. They were able to move the ball to the 30, but Bryant’s 47-yard try went wide right. On the Pats’ next series, Brady connected with Moss for a first down at the Falcons’49. On third and 4 at the 16, Brady was sacked, lost the ball and the Pats’ had to settle for a field goal try. Gostkowski’s kick was no good but a roughing the kicker call gave the offense another life. At the 4, Brady found Aaron Hernandez in the back of the end zone and the Pats were up 14-3. Ryan took a seat at that point and Alabama’s John Parker Wilson came on at QB for Atlanta. On second down, Pat Chung popped Harry Douglas for no gain, this kid can hit. Inside of two minutes, Wilson was able to march the offense to the Pats’ 32 but was sacked. They went for a first down on fourth-and-15, but Wilson’s pass was intercepted by Willhite. Hoyer came on for Brady at that point and wound the clock out. Brady had a nice night’s work (10-12-85-1-0), Welker and Moss each had a couple of receptions and Fred Taylor had one terrific touchdown run.

The Patriots started their opening drive of the second half at the 20 and went nowhere. Zoltan Mesko boomed a 50-yard punt, setting the Falcons back at their 29. There were two big hits by McGowan and Arrington that enabled the Pats to get the ball back in short order. Cut down days arrive in short order and the bubble guys fly around like banshees to impress the coaches. Hoyer was able to move the ball from the Patriots’ 29 to Atlanta’s 19 on a series of short passes. On third-and-12 from the 20, Sammy Morris carried inside, and then broke to the left, rumbling into the end zone to make it 21-3 Pats, midway through the quarter. On the Pats’ next trip up field, Brandon Tate had a very nice catch and run on a third-and-13 for a first down and Sam Aiken picked up another first, diving to get to the marker. Mesko’s punt then pinned the Falcons inside the 20. The Falcons’ Dimitri Nance then fumbled and it was recovered by Tyrone McKenzie at the 42. From there, Sammy Morris pounded the ball twice to Atlanta’s 20. Although it’s a meaningless game for statistical purposes, the Patriots have been smacking around the Falcons something awful.

On third and 6 from the 24, Hoyer connected with Rob Gronkowski on the left side for a touchdown to make it 28-3, Pats. After the touchdown, whatever fans remained (about 25) departed from the premises. Moving into garbage time, Wilson led the Falcons’ offense to the Patriots’ 30. On third-and-1, the Pats’ D held, but the Falcons went for it on fourth and moved the ball to the 25. Wilson was sacked, but rebounded one play later to hit Bergeron for a touchdown. With five minutes left, it was scrubeenie time as Zac Robinson entered in relief of Hoyer and promptly took the ball in a backward direction. Mesko had another terrific punt back at the Falcons’ 20. The Patriots executed well tonight as they excelled with physical play, the running game, tight end sets, special teams and turnovers. Best of all, there were no injuries of note.

Condolences:

Baseball has lost another great legend with the passing of Bobby Thomson at the age of 86. Thomson was best remembered for “The Shot Heard ‘Round The World”, his dramatic home run that propelled the New York Giants to the 1951 National League Pennant in the ninth inning of a winner-take-all playoff series against Brooklyn.

Taking a short hop on the “Way Back Machine”, the Giants had overcome a 13 ½ game deficit in the standings over the final seven weeks of the season to pull even with the Dodgers on the final day with identical 96-58 records. The Dodgers actually needed a 14th inning home run from Jackie Robinson on the final day in Philadelphia to secure a best-of-three playoff. The Giants won the first game 3-1 at Ebbets Field while “Dem Bums” routed the “Gints” 10-0 in Game 2. The deciding game was set for October 3rd at the Polo Grounds where two aces of the era, Sal “The Barber” Maglie and Don Newcombe faced off. The Dodgers got to Maglie in the eighth, scoring three runs to make it 4-1. Newcombe came out for the bottom of the ninth, but was running on fumes by that point. Alvin Dark and Don “Mandrake” Mueller each singled. With one out, Whitey Lockman doubled down the left field line, scoring Dark. On the play, Mueller broke his ankle sliding into third and was replaced by Clint Hartung. At that point, Newcombe was relieved by Ralph Branca, which was surprising since Thomson hit a homer off of Branca in the first game of the playoff. With a 1-1 count, Thomson took Branca’s next pitch over the wall in left for a three-run homer and the Giants had won the Pennant. Branca was so disconsolate afterwards that he required the intervention of a priest.

Almost 60 years later, the moment still stirs the heart, but there is no Polo Grounds or Ebbets Field anymore and baseball is much the less for it, thanks to political intransigence and plain old greed. After ’57 the Dodgers and Giants moved away. LA and San Francisco, while great baseball towns, should’ve been able to build upon their lasting PCL traditions (as the Padres have done) without having to appropriate those landmark franchises of New York. All these years later, it still seems so…unnecessary.

…Later on, Thomson and Branca became friends and both made quite a few bucks working the card shows together. Rest in peace, Bobby.