Sweep and then be Swept

Ripped from the headlines...

“I don’t think the Red Sox have gotten enough credit for being (in first) as long as they have,” said one baseball executive. “People kept waiting for the Yankees to get hot and catch them. Well, they got very hot. But the Red Sox never gave up the lead. That’s impressive. It’s not easy to be in first place for five straight months.”

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One Nation Under God

AMERICA'S TEAM

USATODAY Story

Matsuzaka Calls the Rays His Daddy

Daisuke Matsuzaka is the only pitcher this year to have multiple losses to the Rays.

Stats of note	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	INN	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
Grass	12	7	3.98	22	22	1	144.2	135	64	64	15	52	140	.248
Turf	1	3	2.49	4	4	0	25.1	18	7	7	3	11	32	.194
Pre All-Star	10	6	3.84	18	18	1	119.2	110	51	51	12	38	123	.242
Post All-Star	3	4	3.58	8	8	0	50.1	43	20	20	6	25	49	.234
vs. T.B.	1	3	3.42	4	4	0	26.1	22	10	10	2	9	28	.234
Fenway Park	6	4	4.76	11	11	1	73.2	74	39	39	6	22	57	.264
Tropicana Field	0	2	2.92	2	2	0	12.1	10	4	4	2	5	14	.217
Yankee Stadium	1	0	6.00	1	1	0	6.0	5	4	4	0	4	7	.217

A lot of his pitches look the same"-- B.J. Upton 8/22/07

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Theo Trades Pena for Cash and Condo for Chestnut

"It didn't turn out the way we wanted it to. In terms of a pure talent standpoint, it's still subject to debate. There's a chance he could still blossom as a hitter. But here the fit never materialized . . . That's one we'd probably like back. Trades, they don't all work out."--Epstein on Wily Mo Pena trades

Epstein also just sold his Fenway friendly condo for a Chestnut Hill home. Turns out his wife, Marie, is prego and the newly weds would like a more baby friendly environment.


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No Game Last Night, No Game Today

What is this the ALL-Star break?
I guess it is back to reading.

School Photo Day

STAND BY YOUR MAN

(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

AL EAST LEAD: 4

Gagne With a Spoon

I'm not doing my job right now.

Everything has been there. It's just not making my pitches. I don't know what else to tell you guys. I'm just not making my pitches. I'm not throwing the way I should throw. I have to do my job. I'm not doing my job right now. I'm making it harder on everyone else."-- Gagne 8/10/07

Great Start ... Bad Relief
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Daisuke Matsuzaka	7	4	1	1	4	7	0	3.59
Eric Gagne	0.1	3	4	4	1	0	0	3.44
Hideki Okajima (BS,2; L,3-1)	1.1	2	1	1	0	1	0	1.11

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AL EAST LEAD: 5

Rookie of the Year

When Pedroia hit the ball out, it allowed us to line up the good pitchers, not overextend guys or face people we didn't want to. Some wins seem harder than others, and that was a tough one. Playing tied on the road is very difficult, so it's a lot better having the lead."-- Francona 8/8/07

Top Rookies
RK	PLAYER	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA
1	Dustin Pedroia	340	51	111	24	1	5	35	5	38	30	.326
2	Reggie Willits	309	54	94	14	1	0	30	23	51	56	.304
3	Delmon Young	446	48	132	27	0	9	59	7	20	87	.296
4	Troy Tulowitzki	403	64	113	16	3	14	53	5	43	84	.280
5	Chris B. Young	385	57	92	18	2	19	40	18	26	84	.239
6	Alex Gordon	378	44	90	23	3	8	37	10	30	90	.238

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AL EAST LEAD: 6

Cheers to the Owner

FLYING IN STYLE

With 6 Red Sox selected to the All Star game, owner John Henry let them use his private jet to fly to the game in San Francisco. It was a apparently a fun one way ticket as the players did not fly home on Henry's jet.

AL EAST LEAD: 6

Back to the Paw Sox?

Schilling is Welcomed Back With a Loss

The fast ball pitcher was on the DL for seven weeks with a case of the missing fastball.

While I'm not throwing the ball 95 anymore, I didn't get beat by my fastball tonight. I got beat making some horrible off-speed pitches."--Schilling 8/06/07

Top Prospect

I want to be in Boston...These innings don't count toward trying to win a pennant. It starts counting again on Sunday or Monday."-- Curt Schilling
7/31/07

40 year old Schilling took on the Columbus Clippers Tuesday night and made them look like minor leaguers. In three rehab starts he has pitched 15 innings without giving up an earned run.

AL EAST LEAD: 7

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What does Magglio Ordonez, Jose Conseco, and the FBI have in common?