The Cleveland Indians Might Have a Secret Weapon, and It Isn't Kenny Lofton

This one's fresh from Deadspin: The Cleveland Indians have pulled out all the stops to excel in the ALCS. Now that they have a shot and winning the series against the Red Sox, they have basically decided to deliver a low blow to the Sox and to tonight's starting pitcher Josh Beckett in particular.

How? By trotting out Josh Beckett's ex-girlfriend, country singer Danielle Peck, to sing the national anthem.

That's cold. That's just plain cold. Beckett is starting tonight. Is this allowed? That's like bringing in Bridget Moynahan as a guest commentator if/when the Pats make the Super Bowl.

The Cleveland Plain-Dealer noticed, and an Indians spokesman seemed to get huffy about it: "She's from Ohio. Her entire family are Indians fans. We did not know anything about her connections to Beckett. The next day, we find out the rest of the story," said [Bob] DiBiasio. "How are we supposed to know who Josh Beckett dates?"

In DiBiasio's defense, Bostonist didn’t find evidence of a long relationship, just an article on Great American Country in which Peck said she went out with Beckett a few times and was looking forward to a third date.

A Cleveland TV station also found an image of Peck in Red Sox attire, which means that maybe the Indians should have done a little digging before hiring her.

Image of the face that could launch some anger within fans from Danielle Peck's official site.