Sports Redux: Wild-Card Fever Grips Hub, Again

We think we can officially admit that Tampa Bay isn't just going to go away. For weeks, while the Red Sox played very good ball, only to see the Rays blow through the rest of the AL, our mantra was always, "we've got six shots left at these guys". Now we're down to three, the Sox haven't won in Tampa Bay all year, and the half-game deficit has ballooned to two and a half. Uh oh.

The Sox at least made the Rays sweat last night, or at least work OT, as they went 14 innings until Carlos Pena crushed a Mike Timlin pitch into the Monster seats for a 4-1 lead. The Sox were hoping to do to their closer what they did to ours on Tuesday, and came close - Ellsbury doubled to lead off the 14th, and Troy Percival walked the next two guys. Rays manager Joe Maddon had seen enough, and brought in Jason Hammel, who let one run in on a sac fly, but then closed the door for the 4-2 win.

So the Red Sox aren't taking over first because of Dan Johnson and Jason Hammel. This is truly a different world we live in.

Except for Timlin's gopher ball, there's nothing to complain about regarding the Sox pitching. Josh Beckett was in form, giving up one run in six innings, and four pre-Timlin relievers did their jobs admirably. Now they have to regroup, as the suddenly terrifying Jays come to town for the weekend. The Rays are in New York, and at this point, whoever loses will make us happy.

Tom Brady's injury was clarified yesterday. He tore the ACL (which we knew) and the MCL, a double whammy that takes about nine months to recover from, after surgery. The Globe says Randy Moss is ready to step up as the offensive leader, while The Onion covers the ripple effects of Brady's injury.

If you missed it the other night, the Rockies/Braves game ended with a walk-off balk. The only way we would have loved that story more is if it had involved Eric Gagne.