Sports Redux: Mixed Results

The Red Sox split their doubleheader with Toronto. The Rays split their doubleheader with New York. So nothing changes at the top of the division, but the clock continues to tick on the Jays and the Yankees, so that's what really matters right now.

The Sox were tickled pink to salvage the split after the afternoon game, which saw Paul Byrd smacked around by Toronto for an 8-1 final. Meanwhile, A.J. Burnett carved through Sox batters like they weren't even there. Burnett was going on three days' rest, as will Roy Halladay today, since the Jays know they have to pull out all the stops if they're going to make a run at the Wild Card.

Bartolo Colon was back to start the second game, and it looked scary for a bit. The Jays got out to a 5-2 second inning lead, and Toronto starter Jesse Litsch was humming through the sixth. The Sox scraped out one run apiece in the sixth and seventh, but in the eighth, they found their mojo again. Jason Bay doubled. Lowrie singled him in. Ellsbury drove him in on a well-placed dribbler down the line. Pedroia got his 200th hit of the season. And Ortiz doubled home an insurance run. Papelbon got the Jays 1-2-3 in the ninth. Whew.

The Rays, as mentioned, split with New York to keep their AL East lead at two. The Yankees, meanwhile, are nine back of the Sox with 14 to go. "There was an occasional smattering of boos but the fans seemed mostly resigned to their team's poor play," said AP. Music to our ears. The Sox still lead Minnesota and Chicago (who are tied) by five for the WC spot.

Bob Hohler has a lengthy profile of Matt Cassel, who you may know by know as the new Patriots' quarterback. It includes a picture that kind of makes him look like one of the popular jerks from Heathers, but we won't hold that against him. The New York Post thinks the Jets and their fans will be fired up. John Tomase figures that the gamesmanship between Belichick and Mangini will rival Vezzini choosing the goblet.

Hurricane Ike has thrown off the sports world, as well as everything else in East Texas. The Ravens and Texans won't play this weekend at all, and two of the scheduled Cubs/Astros games will be moved to Milwaukee, which has nothing to do at all with the extra $200 headed for Bud Selig's pockets. Maybe Ohio State can blame THE hurricane for distracting them; the anticipated matchup of college football powers turned into a 35-3 USC romp.

Image from Wikipedia.