ISN'T IT NICE BEATING RANDY JOHNSON AGAIN?

Even without the Yankee pinstripes, it's still a pleasure to put a loss next to Randy Johnson's name.

Tim Wakefield pitched great, holding Arizona to 2 hits over 7 innings of work. He only walked 1 and struck out 6. Delcarmen pitched the 8th and looked sharp, striking out 2 of the 3 men he faced. Craig Hansen looked shaky and once again forced the Sox to use Papelbon when they really shouldn't have had to. But Paps struck out the one man he faced to earn Save #23.

Dustin Pedroia continues to hit the ball well. He was 3 for 5. coco Crisp had a big night, going 3 for 4 with a trio of doubles. Kevin Ca$h Money hit his first homerun in a Red Sox uniform in the 8th, and it was a big one. His three run shot gave the Sox some insurance, which was quickly cashed in by Hansen. The one black mark of the game was that Manny was 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts.

This was game #81 for the Red Sox, and halfway through they look pretty sharp. They're on pace for 98 wins, which would be the most regular season wins since 2004. And we all know what happened in 2004. Their offense is impressive, even when missing some of its biggest pieces. But the pitching could use some improvement in all areas. Starters and relievers.

The Sox have Thursday off before starting a 3 game set in Houston. Daisuke will make his return, facing former Red Sox property Runelvys Hernandez. Hernandez is making his first MLB start of the season.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Elise Amendola

SOX SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST

A 4 run 8th inning propelled the Red Sox to a 5-4 victory over the D-bax last night. Three of those 4 runs scored with 2 outs.

Dustin Pedroia got the scoring started in the 1st with a solo homerun. It was his 7th of the season. He only hit 8 last year.

Pedroia would later play a part in the 8th inning rally. He knocked in a run with a single to make it 4-2, and eventually scored the tying run. After hitting .260 for the month of May, Pedroia has really turned things on. He's hitting .284 in June. In the last 10 games, he's hitting .441 with 3 homeruns.

Kevin Youkilis didn't start due to the eye injury. But he was able to come in and play the 9th inning.

Justin Masterson looked solid once again. He went 6 and allowed 4 runs, and his big mistake was the 3 run homer in the 3rd. But he's really impressed me this season. I wish the Sox weren't so desperate for starters at the moment so he could pitch in Pawtucket for the rest of the year and start full-time in 2009.

Randy Johnson and his 5.09 ERA take on Tim Wakefield tonight.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Elise Amendola

WILL THE BRUINS GET MARIAN HOSSA?

The NHL free agency period begins on July 1st, and you can bet the farm that the Bruins will be calling Marian Hossa's agent, if they haven't already started talking to each other.

The Bruins tried to get Marian Hossa in February, but were unwilling to part with Phil Kessel, which turned out to be a deal breaker for the Penguins. But now Hossa has expressed an interest in testing the lucrative waters of free agency.

The problem is that the Bruins don't have much cap space. Making a competitive offer to Hossa would require creating some, most likely through the dismissal of veteran winger Glen Murray. But even then, the best the Bruins could do would be to match the other offers Hossa receives, and there will be plenty of those.

The Red Wings and Penguins will be in the mix, and they can offer Hossa a better chance to hoist the Stanley Cup. Then again, Hossa would be a secondary star for both teams. If he were to come to Boston, he'd already be on the same level with, if not slightly above Patrice Bergeron.

The offensive flexibility offered by Hossa is mouth watering, especially since the Bruins were 24th in goals scored last season. Hossa would also help out the Bruins' 16th ranked power play.

But I honestly don't see why Hossa would choose Boston. Due to the cap, they can't really outbid other teams for him. They can't offer him a great chance at winning a Cup. About the only thing the B's have in their favor is that Zdeno Chara is friends with Hossa. But God only knows what that means. The two played in Ottawa together, and for the Slovakian national team, so I'm sure they're buddies; but I doubt they call each other every night just to chat, or text each other in between periods.

It would be nice, though, for the Bruins to have a Kevin Garnett moment.

I remember finding out about you...

Sources:
ESPN.com
Boston.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn, File

SOX LOSE PITCHER'S DUEL, AND YOUKILIS

The Sox were on the short end of a 2-1 duel between Dan Haren and Josh Beckett. Haren went 7 and only allowed 2 hits. The Sox only managed 4 hits in total, and got their lone run off reliever Tony Pena in the 8th.

Beckett pitched well enough to win. He allowed 2 runs in 8 innings while striking out 8. That's something encouraging to take from this game. He's only allowed 11 runs in his past 40 innings (2.48 ERA), which is what we're used to seeing from him. But in those 40 innings (which came over 6 starts), he's only 2-2. But as the quality starts continue, the wins will follow.

One bad thing to take from this game was the early exit of Kevin Youkilis. During warm ups in between innings, Mike Lowell bounced a ball, and it hit Youk in the eye. He started to swell up and was replaced by Brandon Moss at first (Casey started his 3 game suspension). The CT scan was negative. But losing Youkilis for any period of time hurts, especially with Ortiz on the DL and Casey suspended.

Justin Masterson goes against Doug Davis Tuesday night.

Sources:
ESPN.com
The Sports Network

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa

R.I.P. GEORGE CARLIN

Legendary comedian George Carlin died of heart failure yesterday. He was 71 years old. What I always loved about Carlin's stand-up was that it wasn't time specific, and it was ingeniously crafted. You could turn on one of his cable specials from the 80s and get a good laugh from it, without having to brush up on your 80s pop culture references.

He was also a master with words. The way he'd put words together to construct a joke was simply brilliant. He understood the relationship between words and how best to sequence them in order to make his jokes funnier. You see "comedians" like Dane Cook and Carlos Mencia ramble on, without even considering which words to use and in what order; and it makes you appreciate someone like Carlin.

SOX GET LUCKY IN 13TH

The Red Sox avoided a 3 game sweep yesterday afternoon, thanks to a Kevin Youkilis walk off homerun. It was Youk's second blast of the day.

A good start from Lester (7.1 innings, 2 earned runs) was nearly wasted when Papelbon blew his 4th save of the season. The Sox had to dodge a few bullets in extra innings as Hideki Okajima continued to struggle (1.2 IP, 4 H, BB). JD Drew was 0 for 5 at the plate, but had a vital outfield assist to keep the game tied.

This was the first series the Red Sox lost at home since April. But now the struggling Diamondbacks come to town for three games. They're first in the NL West, but were swept by the Twins over the weekend.

Josh Beckett goes against Dan Haren Monday night.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Winslow Townson

BRUINS DRAFT RECAP

You probably didn't notice it, but the NHL held their draft over the weekend. Here's who the Bruins selected:

Round 1, Pick #16, Joe Colborne - Center, Camrose Kodiaks (Alberta JHL):
Considering the round, the team, the name, and the height of Joe Colborne; comparisons with Joe Thornton are inevitable. Colborne's 190 pounds don't quite fill that 6' 5" frame out, though, which is one of the reasons he'll be playing at the University of Denver this winter. He has speed, size, and plays both ways. The one knock on him is that he stays on the outside of plays a bit too much. But if he gets bigger, that should be an easily solved problem.



Round 2, Pick #47, Maxime Sauve - Center, Val D'Or Foreurs (Quebec Major JHL)
The fact that Maxime isn't just French Canadian, but was actually born in France is forgivable because of his amazingly awesome name (I'm going to call him Maxime Suave). He's small at 6' 0" 170 lbs, but makes up for that with amazing quickness and quality skating. He's a proficient scorer, as well. He'll probably stay in the QMJHL for the 08-09 season.



Round 3, Pick #77, Michael Hutchinson - Goalie, Barrie Colts (Ontario HL)
Hutchinson has recently shot up the goaltender rankings thanks to some impressive playoff performances in the OHL. Against the Brampton Battalion, he averaged 44 saves a game (in 5 games), propelling Barrie to victory in the series. Hutchinson will probably return to the Colts for the 08-09 season as he just turned 18.



Round 4, Pick #97, Jamie Arniel - Center, Sarnia Sting (OHL)
The Bruins traded up to meet Arniel, who fell all the way to the 4th round. Many had him ranked higher than Bruins' first-rounder Colborne. Arneil was a teammate in Sarnia with 1st overall pick Steve Stamkos. Arniel will try to fill Stamkos' shoes (or skates I guess) in Sarnia in 08-09.



Round 6, Pick #173, Nicholas Tremblay - Center, Smiths Falls Bears (Central Junior A HL)
Scored 51 goals, and 59 assists in 57 games last year. 5' 11" and 190 lbs.

Round 7, Pick #197, Mark Goggin - Center, Choate Rosemary Hall (Connecticut)
Another player who fell far in the draft and a good steal at 197th overall. He'll be playing in the USHL this season, as well as for Choate. He's committed to Dartmouth after he graduates. He turns 18 in about a month so he has plenty of time to grow.



That's the draft. Not too amazing, but you can see a definite interest in acquiring offense. The Bruins' specialty seemed to be players who fell for one reason or another. That can often be a good place to find value, either that or waste a pick. Not everyone falls for no reason. But trading up for Arniel seems like a solid move.

Sources:
NHL.com
Illegal Curve
HockeysFuture.com
Boston.com's Bruins Blog

Photo Credits:
CamroseKodiaks.com
IIHF/HHoF/Mikael Fritzon
TONY SAXON, GUELPH MERCURY
Andre Ringuette/Getty Images

SCHILLING'S SEASON IS OVER, POSSIBLY CAREER AS WELL

Curt Schilling will undergo shoulder surgery on Monday, ending any chance of him pitching in the 2008 season, and probably ending his career. The surgery will correct the tendon problems Schilling experienced in the off-season.

It seems as though Schilling and Dr. Craig Morgan were right. During spring training, there was that huge debate between Schilling and the Red Sox over what the best course of action with his shoulder would be. The Red Sox were worried that surgery would end his season. so they implemented a rehab and strengthening program. Ironically, this program has left no chance for Schilling to return to the team in 2008.

Source:
Associated Press