Sports Redux: Our Long Baseball Drought Is Almost Over

It's been about three months since the All-Star game, right? And about 12 years since the Royals left Fenway. Time stretches out endlessly when there are no Red Sox games. Tonight, see how many Sox players you still remember when they face the Blue Jays to begin the second half of the season. Clay Buchholz will get the start and the opportunity to impress Terry Francona (another no-hitter might not be a bad idea) and force himself into the discussion of how the Sox will arrange their rotation the rest of the way.

Around baseball, Manny played his first home game since returning from exile, and got loudly cheered by the LA crowd when he came up for the second time in the fourth inning. Philly's Ryan Howard became the fastest player ever to hit 200 HRs (Well, he hit them the fastest. Rickey Henderson was probably the fastest guy to do it. Never mind.) And the Pirates have shocked baseball by saying they're not going to trade Freddy Sanchez or Jack Wilson, which is odd because they're about all the Pirates have left. The Sox should still call and see if they want to trade for Julio Lugo. If not those players, then maybe a vintage Stargell jersey or a Primanti Brothers sandwich. The Sox are that desperate to unload their high-priced shortstop.