Sports Redux: One Week At Fenway

The Red Sox didn't play yesterday, so of course they were more successful than usual of late, picking up half a game on the Yankees (thanks, Toronto!). Now they face their final homestand, against Oakland and Minnesota. This looked at the beginning of the season like a rough end to the season, but both those clubs have been surprisingly bad this season. Remember, all the Red Sox have to do is win five of the six and they win the East.

Dan Shaughnessy provides a readable column about the dichotomy the Sox face: do they go all-out to win the East and secure home-field advantage, or do they lay in the weeds a bit and make sure everybody's in the best possible condition to face Cleveland or AnaheimOrWhatever in the first round? We think, (a) Oakland and Minnesota probably won't require going all-out, and (b) the Sox should take a lesson from the '96 Padres, who were determined to win the division as a matter of pride.

The Sox should make sure not to take any lessons from the current Padres, who are doing their best to plummet out of contention, and lost CF Milton Bradley. Crazy Milt lost a wrestling match with his manager, who was trying to keep Bradley from killing umpire Mike Winters. Bradley and the Padres think Winters was trying to egg Bradley on to provoke a freakout (not that it takes much when you're Milton Bradley) and want justice. This may wind up more interesting than even a playoff run in San Diego.

Curt Schilling goes against Oakland's Chad Gaudin tonight. Maybe Curt can finish the job he started in Oakland back in June.