The worst sports day of the year is over. Once my vodka and Tylenol PM induced hangover clears, I’ll be ready for the second half of the 2006 baseball season. The first half ended with a grind, a 19-inning loss and Big Papi not winning the HR Derby. But you all know me by now, and how I only look at the positive side of things (end sarcasm). Look at the job the bullpen did in that 19-inning war, that was something. Maybe if Trot and Tek didn’t go a combined 0-for-a-hundred, the Sox would have snuck out of there a lot earlier with a win. And look at the pace Ortiz was on going into the break. Not human.
Starting the second half with home series against Oakland and KC might be just what the doctor ordered to put some distance between Boston and the rest of the AL East. Tonight should be a good way to kick off the homestand, with Jon Lester struts his undefeated, 22-year-old stuff against the A’s. Jason Johnson is…somewhere other than Boston, so it is all good.
You’ve heard a million times from a million different people that “it is a marathon, not a sprint.” That is true enough, but the next 6 weeks of the season will go by faster than Buster Douglas’ reign as heavyweight champion. Before we know it, Labor Day will be upon us and we’ll be talking about pitching rotations for the playoffs. My two favorite things, summer and baseball season, go by much too fast. So enjoy the second half, savor these games. If the magic continues, you’ll want to remember every pitch.
