Sports Redux: A Triumphant Return to Washington

The last time the Red Sox played in Washington, D.C., Rogelio Moret got a complete game win on home runs by Joe Lahoud and Rico Petrocelli. A 32-year-old Carl Yastrzemski batted third and went 0-for-3. In other words, it was a long time ago.

Back in the nation's capital, the Sox took a little time to assert themselves, but that's what they did, unloading on the hapless Nationals bullpen to run away with an 11-3 drubbing of the worst team in baseball. The Sox pounded out 17 hits, five of them in a six-run eighth inning that put the game away. Jason Bay (4-for-6, HR, 3 RBI) and Jacoby Ellsbury (4-for-4, 2 triples, customary speed) get particular gold stars for their offensive efforts. Brad Penny pitched well enough, but got pulled in the sixth for a no-decision.

Terry Francona's rightly beaming a little bit about his decision a few weeks ago to move Ellsbury down in the order. "Jacoby has been able to be a little more aggressive on the bases. He gives protection to the guy in front of him because he’s swinging the bat so well. There’s a lot of good things," said the skipper. Ellsbury, if you're wondering, is already 17th on the all-time list of Red Sox stolen bases (that page hasn't been updated yet this season). Look out, Jackie Jensen!

The Celtics are still scaring the you-know-what out of their loyal fans by being involved in all sorts of trade rumors leading up to Thursday's draft. Yesterday, it was the "Rondo/Ray to the Pistons" talk that had us downing shots of Wild Turkey; today, it's talk of Rondo (and possibly Scalabrine(!)) to Memphis for Mike Conley and Rudy Gay. We're terrified of what tomorrow will bring, which is why Danny Ainge needs to be sedated. The Wizards and Timberwolves are making a big trade, as are the Spurs and Milwaukee. Looks like we picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

If you like sports and cool graphics, and who doesn't, you can easily lose a good hour or so to Flip Flop Fly Ball. We especially like the Green Monster height comparison, the chart showing all the baseball field dimensions, and the guide to the evolution of basketball shorts. Really clever stuff.