Sports Redux: 161 More Ulcers To Go

There's two ways to handle a loss. Even if that loss is an utterly flat performance against an utterly forgettable K.C. team that made Gil Meche look like Christy Mathewson and Mark Grudzielanek look like Rogers Hornsby.

The first way to approach it is, hey, it's only one game. Even the best teams in history lose more than fifty times a season. And Pedro lost Opening Day in 2004, and we know how that turned out.

Anyone taking this approach is obviously a new Red Sox fan. Schilling got smacked around (the vultures are already munching on the carcass), Lugo was a weak 1-for-4 in the leadoff spot, and Manny's hitless. Is there a draft lottery we can start watching?

However you want to handle it, the Red Sox are 0-1, tied for...let's call it third place, and have a day off to stew in Kansas City. Maybe they can take a team trip to the Hallmark Visitors Center and stock up on get-well-soon cards for one another.

In slightly less important news, congratulations to the Florida Gators, who easily handled Ohio State to win the NCAA basketball tournament. Now we wait to see if Greg Oden comes out for the draft, but Bill Simmons thinks Joakim Noah could be a pretty good consolation prize (scroll to the bottom). The Celtics are in Milwaukee tomorrow night, and the Bruins will presumably show up for their game in Montreal tonight.

Finally, the Patriots will not be playing in the China Bowl after all. Coach Bill was his usual bubbly self when the game was pitched - ""That stuff is so far in the future that I don't know if China will be there a year from now. I don't know if I'll be there a year from now" - but now he'll have to confine his planning to covering defensive routes, and not trying to pick up a few words in Mandarin.

Panic Button image courtesy of Pro Co Sound