Sports Redux: It's Time To Think About Baseball Again

OK...did everyone take a deep breath last night? The parade is over, there were no vital basketball events to watch last night, and we just have to bide our time until Opening Day when they raise the banner. Opening Day, by the way, might be the first time Kevin Garnett puts down the trophy.

So let's check in on the Red Sox; you remember them. Of course, the Globe, which has an ownership stake in the Sox, found people at the Celtics parade willing to say on record that the Sox are still their favorites. Good for them. What we do know about the Sox is that JD Drew is actually hitting .407 in June (hey, we were close). David Ortiz' wrist is healing, slowly. Daisuke's DL stint is over and he's ready to pitch tomorrow. And, most importantly, the Sox are still in first, a game and a half over Tampa Bay and five over the Y*****s.

Curt Schilling, however, is not coming back this year. Too bad, since we were hoping Kobe Bryant would be following him around and trying to embarass him for the rest of the season.

Tonight's foes, the Cardinals, are making their first appearance in Fenway since the 2004 World Series. They played above their heads for the first two months of the season, but a shaky bullpen and the gaping Albert Pujols-sized hole in their lineup (his calf blew up on June 11) have caused them to struggle lately. They just got swept at home by Kansas City. Tim Wakefield (4-4) kicks off the series against St. Louis' Kyle Lohse (8-2).

Photo by AntyDiluvian, from Flickr photos tagged "Bostonist".