Sports Redux: Wakefield Catches Staff Infection

Unfortunately, when a knuckleballer is your most reliable starter, there are going to be days of disappointment. Last night was one of those nights.

On a night when Boston sports fans had no option but to stay up for a West Coast game (thanks, again, lords of sports for putting the B's and C's on at the same time), they saw a great beginning, as Jason Bay's 2-run homer helped stake Wake and the Sox to a 4-0 lead. Then things went rotten. This would have been a good time to go to bed. Wake's knuckler stopped knuckling, Angels starter Matt Palmer settled into a groove for the ages, and a five-run third put Anaheimorwhatever up for good en route to an 8-4 win.

If you did stay up past that, or Tivo the game, or whatever, you got to see the debut of wunderkind Daniel Bard and his 100mph+ fastball. Which went for two innings, one hit, one walk, one K. Promising start.

Luckily, today we can get the finale of the Angels series out of the way early so we can concentrate on the two playoff games. The Celtics would love to put the Magic away tonight so they don't have to come home for Game Seven. Yes, this is the first time we can remember anyone fighting for the right to go to Cleveland. (Though if Rajon Rondo wants to go home early so he can live his sweet lifestyle, we'd kind of understand.) And the Bruins know that a date with Pittsburgh is on the line in their Game Seven. Our hearts are already thumping a little bit.

Also, as we noted yesterday, our friends at Houstonist are soliciting questions for Roger Clemens. Hard to believe it took until Comment Fifteen before someone asks the question that's been on our minds for years: Did you really think the hunk of bat you threw at Piazza was the baseball?

Photo by Mark Avery/Associated Press.