Tromped
| Game 106: July 27, 2008 | |||
| Yankees | 2 | L: Sidney Ponson (6-2) | 58-46, 1 game losing streak |
 Red Sox |
9 | W: Jon Lester (9-3) | 61-45, 1 game winning streak |
| Highlights: Can you imagine how much dirt the grounds crew would have to wheel over to the mound if both Ponson and Bartolo Colon were pitching last night? There would be a hole the size of Chicxulub Crater where their landing feet would touch earth. But even the impact of Ponson’s foot paled in comparison to the shockwaves throughout New England caused by Manny Ramirez. | |||
It almost is Nomar redux. The same unease is eating away at my innards. From all quarters, the Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy, the Herald’s Steve Buckley, and ESPN via Peter Gammons, Manny Ramirez is under fire.
The difference between l’affaire Garciaparra and the Ramirez imbroglio is that Nomar, despite all that he meant to the Red Sox, could be replaced, and there were successors who could palliate the defensive woes that plagued the 2004 team while providing a viable bat.
How would or could the 2008 Red Sox replace one of the top right-handed bats in history by July 31?
That’s a question I don’t want to have spiraling in my brain come October when some Ramirez replacement freezes in the face of a Francisco Rodriguez fastball after David Ortiz is intentionally walked to get to him.
At first I was somewhat tepid about the thorough tromping of the Yankees by the Red Sox last night. The best baseball analyst in the business, Orel Hershiser, supplanted Joe Morgan for one evening, adding to the enjoyment of the evening.
Then the requisite in-game interview came on with Terry Francona. When he spoke about Jon Lester, he looked and sounded like a proud father. That’s when you remember that there is more to the game than petty player squabbling and front office gerrymandering of their media mouthpieces.
There’s a pitcher assuming the mantle of ace against a despised adversary at a pivotal point in the series. There’s the first home run by a fully-recovered designated hitter arced into the right field stands. There’s the luxury of a summoning a four-time World Series reliever, aged 42 years, to close out a blowout.
And then the anxiety about Manny subsides, for at least with this win the Red Sox remain one step ahead of the Yankees rather than deadlocked with them.
