Sports Redux: Shake It Off

-- Who would have thought the Red Sox would be happy to leave Fenway? And after a series with Toronto, no less? The orange of Camden Yards will seem heavenly after a groaner of a loss at Fenway Park on Tuesday night. The Jays knocked around the Sox, 10-3, in front of the largest crowd at Fenway since World War II. Ouch. As the Globe's Nick Cardafo summed up post-game, it was awful.

True, the Red Sox are still at the top of the AL East standings, but the team sure didn't look that way on Tuesday. Four defensive errors, including Wily Mo Pena's cringe-worthy dropped fly in the sixth inning. Four different Boston pitchers, led by Julian Tavarez (4 2/3 innings, six runs, seven hits). A mere five hits for the hometown team.

As Boston struggled, Toronto brought what looked an awful lot like its A game. Vernon Wells and Frank "17 Seasons And Counting" Thomas led a big offense first inning (a home run and bases-loaded double, respectively) that left Tavarez trying - unsuccessfully - to recover. The Jays just got better from that point on, led by the sharp eight innings pitched by Roy Halladay (8 innings, ten strikeouts, five hits, no walks). Wells finished the night with four hits and three RBIs.

Toronto didn't look like a team that battled a five-game losing streak before heading to Boston; Boston didn't look like a team that had just swept the Yankees. The Sox have just enough time to think about these two latest games, grimace and then hop onto a plane en route to Baltimore for tonight's game against Kevin Millar and Company the Orioles.

In more amusing Sox news, Universal Hub points readers to the Newton TAB Blog, where someone has given Boston's captain one heck of an honor - an impromptu street renaming. We fully support honoring our captain - if that means it'll get him hitting again.

-- A mixed bag of news on the Celtics front. The Globe is reporting that Tony Allen has been acquitted of three counts of aggravated battery, charges that stemmed from a fight in Chicago more than a year and a half ago. While prosecutors alleged that Allen ordered a friend of his to beat up a man during a fight that developed into a shooting, the judge was not moved by that argument.

While Allen learned that he was off the hook Tuesday, Sebastian Telfair was given a not-so-subtle hint - he's not going to be back in Celtics green. Team owner Wyc Grousbeck said Tuesday that the point guard, arrested last week on a felony gun possession charge, no longer has a name plate in the team practice facility locker room. No name plate = no locker = no team.

Photo of Red Sox tissues - we could have used them last night - from flickr user Matt Bargar