Sports Redux: It Was The Best of Times, It Was The Worst Of Times

The happiest Red Sox fans around have to be the ones who stopped watching baseball around 7:30 last night. They would have seen Game 1 of the doubleheader, a 13-3 Sox rout/Home Run Derby. They would have seen the Yankees' nightmarish loss to the Mets. But most importantly, they would have been spared Game 2, in which Atlanta demolished the Sox 14-0. A wild day all around.

Game One was a laugher thanks in part to Daisuke Matsuzaka, who handled the Braves for eight innings. But it was mostly due to the Sox' offense, who took Anthony Lerew and a parade of relievers for a ride, hitting four home runs (Lugo, Youkilis, Pena, and a grand slam by Mike Lowell that briefly messed up air-traffic control at Logan). By the time Atlanta got their only runs in the seventh, it was 12-0. The best of times.

Game Two was instant revenge for Atlanta. Hall-of-Famer-to-be John Smoltz completely neutralized the Sox' bats (three hits!), and Devern Hansack and company got pasted. Chipper Jones, Matt Diaz and Kelly Johnson homered to highlight Atlanta's 18 hits, and the pummelling never stopped. Neither did the "mist", which looked a lot like pouring rain to us. The worst of times.

The Sox give youngster Kason Gabbard the ball this afternoon against Tim Hudson. We assume Hudson stayed out of any rowdy Boston barrooms after his incident a few years back.

The halftime entertainment for Sox fans came at the expense of the Yankees, who are spending this spring trying to get their pictures next to the word "schadenfreude" in the dictionary. Rookie Darrell Rasner hadn't even recorded an out when he joined the New York Walking Wounded, courtesy of a line drive right up the pitching hand. Enter former Sox Mike Myers, who had never entered a major league game in the first inning before, and it showed. Final score: Mets 10, Yankees 7. The staff wasn't helped by Robinson Cano's atrocious fielding: three charged errors and a botched certain double-play ball. Rookie Tyler Clippard gets the start for the Bombers today; hope for his sake that his insurance is paid up.

Meanwhile, the Yankees appear to be prepared to cut Jason Giambi after his sorta-admission of steroid use. If they're successful, don't be surprised to see several more Yankees admit to using steroids and try to get themselves released and onto better teams.

The Revs keep on rolling. Shalrie Joseph scored eight minutes into the game, and the defense held on for the rest of the night for a 1-0 win at Houston. That's a seven-game unbeaten streak. Not bad at all. Tickets are still available for Saturday's doubleheader, which includes a Revolution game against Kansas City, and a renewal of that ancient rivalry between Ireland and Bolivia.

Street Sense was seconds away from being 2/3 of the way to a Triple Crown, but Curlin came charging in out of nowhere, and won the Preakness by a head. So it's been 29 years and counting since the last horse won the Crown -- Affirmed in 1978.

In playoff news, the Senators advanced to their first-ever Stanley Cup Finals, dispatching Buffalo 3-2 and ending years of playoff underachieving. Anaheim and Detroit play their pivotal Western Game 5 this afternoon. Also this afternoon begins the NBA's Western Finals between the Jazz and the Spurs. Amazing how fast the Spurs have changed from "efficient, boring professionals" to America's villians. Cleveland and Detroit kick off the Eastern Finals tomorrow night.

A reminder: Today's the last Sunday before the NBA Draft Lottery, so it's your last chance to light a candle or say a prayer at the church of your choice. FSN New England is having a lottery party Tuesday night at Clery's Bar downtown. Be prepared for either a raucous celebration, or a group march to the railing of the Zakim Bridge.