I have to admit, I was getting a little soft in my feelings towards the Red Sox. With the amount of injuries that team has endured, for them to be where they are in the standings is a remarkable acheivement in itself. I'm a sucker for underdog stories and I found myself so impressed with their drive and determination that I almost forgot about the core nastiness at the heart of the relationship between them and the Rays. Youkilis, out. Pedroia, out. Varitek, out. That leaves Mike Lowell and a bunch of guys wearing numbers in the 50s and 60s. Nobody can hate Mike Lowell, can they? I was this close to sending a cookie gram to Diasuke Matsuzaka!
↵Then along came Victor Martinez, who is like, what, one of six or seven all-star catchers on their roster? Between his posing at the plate like Reggie Jackson after his two home runs Friday night and his A.J. Pierzynski impression Saturday night, I was back to a healthy enough state of mind to cheer loudly when Carlos Pena came in all Ty Cobb-y on Martinez in a play at the plate in the sixth inning of Sunday night's game, even though he was out by a mile.
↵So thank you, Victor. I needed that.