Some thoughts while preparing for a sunny Memorial Day Weekend cookout…

David Wells had some bad luck earlier this week, taking a baseball off his right knee. The 43 year-old lefty was pitching quite well until he took a Travis Lee line drive off his knee which knocked him out of the contest. Wells was pitching quite well, leaving after giving up 1 run on 5 hits (and no walks) over 4 1/3 innings. Although David is the butt of Bostonist bald and fat jokes, anyone who thinks David is "going out like that" is sadly mistaken. David will be back, and with a vengeance, to finish his illustrious (and potentially Hall of Fame calibre) baseball career on his feet, in a Boston uniform.

Thursday night, at the Pearl Jam show at the Garden, Theo Epstein made a surprise appearance on stage with the Seattle rockers for their last tune. Theo joined the boys for their final encore, Neil Young's Rockin’ in the Free World. Eddie Vedder introduced Theo as a friend from the band "Sonic Youth". When, in actuality, it was Theo wearing a large blond wig. The crowd went ballistic for the Boston Red Sox' favorite son, the newly engaged Theo.

Shaq's last stand? Yes, it's not Bostonist sports, but when a 350 pound 7 foot man takes the basketball court, people take notice. This isn't the end for Shaq, but the Heat and Dwayne Wade are primed to make a run, with Detroit standing in their way. They have a 2-1 series lead (same as the 2005 Eastern Conference Championship) but do they have enough in the tank to go the distance this time?

(Crossing fingers, knocking on wood...) Looks like Mike Lowell likes the friendly confines of Fenway Park. He's hitting .350 there this year, and is on his way to what looks like a first half All-Star campaign. Start voting for the gold-glover, he's definitely earned it so far. And don't forget about Papi and Manny. Even Youk deserves some strong consideration.

Is there any other profession in the world where you can negotiate and sign a $15.5 million dollar extension for your services while you are "at home sick"? Cough.... Coco... Cough. Thank God he's finally in Pawtucket rehabbing. Bostonist finally gets our leadoff hitter back. But, Kevin Youkilis was no slouch in his absence, and should be commended. At press time, it was announced that Coco is in fact in the lineup for Sunday's game.

The balls did not bounce the Celtics way on Thursday, and the team ended up with the 7th pick overall in the 2006 NBA draft. Looks like another foreign stiff coming our way in the first round, eh Danny? Not that it really matters seeing the Celts can be a bit trade happy... see Chauncey Billups (1 championship ring, 31 points last night in a losing effort for the Pistons). Why can't we get guys like that?

Last but totally not least, Curt Schilling picked up his 200th win last night at the Fens with a 7 inning 7K performance against the Devil Rays. It was a nice win for Curt and the Schilling family, as the milestone "W" came on the night of son Garrett's 11th birthday. Happy Birthday Garrett, and congratulations Curt.

And most importantly, here's Bostonist tipping one back in honor of all our fallen heroes. You are missed but never forgotten.

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia.com. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grilling