Sports Redux: Birdshooting With Josh and Victor

"I like that on my day, they feel like we should win," said Josh Beckett about his Red Sox teammates. In a summer where nothing's felt certain, it does feel like we can produce the minimum amount of offense and still get a W when Beckett (13-4) pitches.

Last night was no exception, though the offense pulled their fair share in a 4-0 blanking of the Orioles. Solo homers by Pedroia and the suddenly-red-hot Youkilis spotted Josh a 2-0 lead, and he cruised through seven innings of six-hit shutout ball to get his league-leading 13th win.

Newcomer Victor Martinez didn't waste a lot of time earning his keep in the lineup, singling in Jacoby Ellsbury in the sixth for his first Sox hit and RBI. "It felt really nice my first at-bat, the fans cheering for me. It felt great," said Martinez, who might be excused for not realizing that Camden Yards is Fenway South these days, and that it's going to get even better when the Sox get home. Martinez played 1B, and will catch Clay Buchholz this afternoon as Terry Francona tries to get used to the versatility of his newest acquisition.

With the win, the Sox closed back to within half a game of the Yankees, who got smacked around 14-4 in Chicago. In less happy news, the Globe reveals their investigation into the story of two team security guards who got fired for having steroids around Fenway. The question as to whether or not their steroids ever made it into the hands of...well, Papi and Manny, for instance...never really gets solved. What an ugly mess.

The Patriots' summer camp is underway and mostly without controversy, since Vince Wilfork has decided to show up and work out even though he's been grumbling about his contract. "The last thing I want is being on the field and being [ticked] off at everybody, and now my teammates can’t trust me to do what I have to do," said Wilfork. Also in football, fans of the 80s (like us) have to be happy that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are bringing back those ridiculous tangerine jerseys for a couple games this year. You may remember their old logo, and how it got dumped when their coach realized it wasn't very football-like to have a guy with a feather in his hat winking at you.