I will continue to count out the Red Sox. But thank them for their job these three games.

Man, Garza just sorta fell apart there. Sucks. Tampa can't afford to keep fooling around with Neimann getting shelled every time out - especially if Garza is going to hop back and forth from Jekyll to Hyde.

My headline:

The Red Sox, practically eliminated at least one week ago, staved off mathematical certainty by routing the Rays and Matt Garza.

The Orioles have the best record in the AL since Bucky took over. There's talent there. I wouldn't bet a mortgage payment on it, but I think they could be .500 next year.

But thank them for their job these three games.

Well, two out of the three, anyway.

I would not have predicted the lineup Boston had tonight to score 11 runs, but baseball is a funny game, etc., etc.

Luckily, for 1st day in the last 3, pie > Pie.

Ivan Nova is sporting a near 3/1 K/BB ratio in his first 24 IP as a Major League pitcher. He also throws hard, his fastball velocity would be tied for 8th among qualifiers. He's also been extremely efficient and could have pitched into the 7th in each of his starts if Girardi wasn't such a #####. Makes me wonder why he was so unimpressive in the minors. I'm sure he will struggle once he's been around the league once or twice but he could be a good option in the playoffs against teams that haven't already seen him.

Any chance that Girardi is so quick to pull Nova because he's planning on giving him postseason starts and that means added innings?

Makes me wonder why he was so unimpressive in the minors.

Well, he wasn't exactly unimpressive in AAA this year. And I've read that he wasn't throwing quite as hard until this year.

Nova threw 139.1 innings in AA/AAA in 2009. He's at 169.2 between AAA and MLB this year.

I will continue to count out the Red Sox. But thank them for their job these three games.

It would have been nice if Daisuke Matsuzaka didn't suck donkeys, but a sweep was probably too much to ask.

But, man, does that guy suck to watch. Even when he wasn't getting lit up early in the game, he was just terrible from a spectator's perspective.

DAMN YOU SWISHER.... DAMN YOU TO HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

But, man, does that guy suck to watch. Even when he wasn't getting lit up early in the game, he was just terrible from a spectator's perspective.

The Sox have a bunch of guys like that and all of them are conveniently shitting the bed in 2010. Beckett, Papelbon, Matsuzaka and Okajima are all painful to watch. Even when they are going well they work at such a plodding pace it is frustrating as all hell. Even Buchholz is pretty frustrating to watch, the minute anyone gets on base he starts moving glacially.

I really don't understand why pitchers do that. Working quickly seems like it would be to the pitcher's advantage (isn't that the old Oriole mantra "work fast, changes speeds, throw strikes") and just dilly-dallying around is pointless. Get it, throw it, repeat.

Beckett, Papelbon, Matsuzaka and Okajima are all painful to watch.

And Beckett throws in the stupid Confederate facial hair, while Papelbon does the silly blow-up sex doll faces, so it's a real aesthetic nightmare.

I love a pitcher who pitches fast. Jon Lieber is one of the stealth all-time favorites.

Any chance that Girardi is so quick to pull Nova because he's planning on giving him postseason starts and that means added innings?

He's got to be the 4th starter right now. Maybe 3rd if Hughes doesn't have a couple of decent starts, or Pettitte isn't ready.

The Sox have a bunch of guys like that and all of them are conveniently shitting the bed in 2010. Beckett, Papelbon, Matsuzaka and Okajima are all painful to watch. Even when they are going well they work at such a plodding pace it is frustrating as all hell. Even Buchholz is pretty frustrating to watch, the minute anyone gets on base he starts moving glacially.

I really don't understand why pitchers do that. Working quickly seems like it would be to the pitcher's advantage (isn't that the old Oriole mantra "work fast, changes speeds, throw strikes") and just dilly-dallying around is pointless. Get it, throw it, repeat.

It sure makes the fielders' job easier, too. But what makes pitchers stall?

---When there's a runner on base, they stall to avoid being "read" too easily by a potential base stealer. Holding the ball for a long time just before the pitch seems to be the most common variant of this.

---When there's a fancy man at the plate, doing his stupid little rituals, it may be human nature to want to give him a dose of his own medicine, just to show him who's boss. And then when the batter steps out in frustration, the cycle repeats. At this point, in an ideal world, one of those black helicopters would appear and take both batter and pitcher to Guantanamo.

---Consciously slowing down is sometimes a mental device to avoid rushing yourself, and when there's a scoring threat this device can often get out of hand.

---Sometimes it's the manager wanting more time to warm up a relief pitcher

---And sometimes the ####### pitcher is just scared that the next pitch is going to wind up in the upper deck. Anyone watching Vazquez, Hughes or Burnett might recognize this possibility.

I love a pitcher who pitches fast. Jon Lieber is one of the stealth all-time favorites

I liked him. I was sorry he wasn't a Yankee for longer. Lieber was also the guy who fixed his own mechanics in a cab, right? But watching him pitch was great. Pitch-getball-Pitch-getball-Pitch...

And Beckett throws in the stupid Confederate facial hair

Leave the Confederacy out of this!

Leave the Confederacy out of this!

I enjoy watching Beckett get lit up like Atlanta.

I enjoy seeing him get bombed like, uh, Ulysses Grant?

I enjoyed watching the Red Sox win the battle of Vicksburg last night.

I wish Tampa would be forced off Colonel Bud's plantation and make their own way in the world.

As God is my witness, as God is my witness, they're not going to lick me! I'm going to live through this, and when it's all over, my ERA will never rise above 6.00 again! - no, nor any of my bullpen! If I have to lie, steal, cheat, or kill, or drill ever goddam Yankee in the ass, as God is my witness, my ERA will never rise above 6.00 again!