Sports Redux: Get Your Panic Buttons Out of the Closet

We know you're Red Sox fans. We know that, much like every home is supposed to have emergency supplies (flashlight, bottled water, etc.) close at hand at all times, every good Red Sox fan should know where the panic button is. Just in case. Don't press them yet; just make sure everyone in the family knows how to get at it if the worst should happen.

Yes, it's only one game. And yes, it's only one series. And yes, again, the lead's still nine and a half. But we can't help it. It's hard to shake that feeling of dread that comes from seeing Curt Schilling get knocked around for 12 hits and six runs in six innings. Including a home run to Doug Mientkiewicz (hope he managed to get the ball back). And an 8-3 loss to the Yankees never sits well under any circumstances.

Meanwhile, the bats couldn't get much of anything going against Andy Pettitte; by the time the Red Sox finally got a crack at New York's bullpen, it was too late. The good news is that the Yankees' extracurricular news is not very good. Roger Clemens' minor-league spring training in Trenton saw the Rocket give up three runs in 5 1/3 innings. And Jason Giambi got called to the principal's office to discuss the recent news of his testing positive for amphetamines. Schadenfreude lives.

It's been 24 hours since the Celtics and their fans were condemned to repeat history. Bill Simmons, as you might expect, thinks it's going to be ten years before the ship finally rights itself again. The crew at CelticsBlog are coming up with dozens of trade ideas, with various degrees of implausibility, because you've got to keep the mind occupied at times like these.

Which is why we're working on a scheme for a massive NBA realignment, which will end the massive East/West imbalance that exists now, and threatens to get only worse with Oden and Durant presumably headed for the West Coast. Look for our master plan the next time the Sox get rained out.

Tonight: no Sox. The Cavaliers are in Detroit for Game 2 of the Eastern Finals (let's hope one team cracks 80 points this time). And we're trying to come up with a hook for an Anaheim-Ottawa rivalry for the Stanley Cup finals. It might actually be harder to find an angle for this than for last year's Edmonton-Carolina showdown.

Finally, hearty Bostonist congratulations to AC Milan, who beat Liverpool 2-1 to win the Champions League Final and the European Cup. The Revs call next.