Sports Redux: An Unlikely Set of Bash Brothers

If you said the Red Sox lineup would eventually break out of its funk, you weren't alone. If you said it would be J.D. Drew and Dustin Pedroia who did their "Bash Brothers" imitation and got the runs home, please forward us tonight's lottery numbers.

Terry Francona's gambit of putting Drew and Pedroia 1-2 in the lineup paid off bigtime last night, as the two combined to go 8-for-9 with 8 RBIs in the 10-2 pounding of the Giants. Dustin got the party started in the first with a home run over the wall. Then, when David Ortiz got ticked off and was given the rest of the night off by umpire Tony Randazzo, Dustin and Drew realized they'd have to pick up the slack, and spent the rest of the night peppering Giant pitching with hits.

All good news for Julian Tavarez, who pitched yet another solid game desite getting yet another unfavorable matchup with the opposing team's ace. But Barry Zito couldn't solve the Wonder Twins, and left after 5 1/3 with a sad look on his face.

The Fenway reception for the two most notable Giants went as planned. Dave Roberts beamed as he basked in a long, loud round of applause before he led off (never have three seconds meant so much to so many), and Barry Bonds was serenaded with boos, chants and catcalls, even if the crowd never seemed to settle on a theme for the jeering. Bonds almost shut everyone up in a hurry, though, as he hit a first-inning bomb that went over Pesky's Pole, but was leaning just a bit to the right. Foul ball; no harm done.

So the Sox get a little more breathing room, as the Bronx Freight Train stalled against the Mets. The Yankees managed no runs and five hits off of Oliver Perez, making a hard-luck loser out of (giggle) Roger Clemens. There was a touching moment as the 44-year-old Roger pitched to the Mets' 48-year-old (as far as you know) Julio Franco, and everyone in the stands was given complimentary legwarmers and Falco records.

The Sox go for two in a row this afternoon, with Daisuke Matsuzaka going against Matt Cain.

There are two ways to try to revive a moribund franchise. You can either keep the coach (as the Celtics did, extending Doc Rivers' contract), or you can not. The Bruins chose Option B yesterday, bidding adieu to Dave Lewis after one season of bitter disappointment. The Globe looks at the possible replacements.

Finally, a big loss for the Boston sports scene yesterday, as pioneering and well-loved Globe writer Larry Whiteside passed away at 69. Dan Shaughnessy puts away the sharp tools and writes a very kind and entertaining salute to his late colleague.

Image from Ken Pierce Books.