Sports Redux: Beckett Puts Tigers In Tank

Wow, that dismal weekend in New York seems like a long time ago, doesn't it?

Back at home and spurred on by Kevin Youkilis' charge on Tuesday (OK, that wasn't a total success, but what's done is done), the Sox continued pounding the Tigers, 8-2. Most of those runs were admittedly superfluous, as Josh Beckett had another Josh Beckett game, allowing only three hits (well, two of them were solo HRs) over seven innings to pick up his league-high 14th win.

The outpouring of offense came once again mostly from the bats of Jason Bay and Mike Lowell. Bay, almost left for dead a couple weeks ago, has done worse things to Detroit than crime, urban decay, and the collapse of its manufacturing economy (too soon?), and went 3-for-3 with two doubles, two walks and a two-run homer last night. He's 7-for-13 in the series. Lowell, in the everyday lineup for at least five games (more in a second) responded with a home run and a 3-for-4 night.

Lowell's going to see more action this week because Youk decided not to fight his five-game suspension for Tuesday's extracurriculars. "I don’t really have an opinion on it. It is what it is. You just got to move forward," said Youk, who clearly has been using his time off to brush up on Crash Davis' masterclass in baseball cliches.

There was a really great moment at Fenway last night, as Jerry Remy did a pop-in at the NESN booth. The beloved broadcaster has been fighting through cancer surgery and depression, but it surely had to be a lift to get a standing ovation from the crowd to go with the boxes of letters and cards he says he's gotten this summer. He hopes to be back in the booth on a more regular basis before the end of the year.

The U.S. soccer team has visited Mexico 24 times, and they've come away with 23 losses and a tie. They thought yesterday might be the charm, as Charlie Davies gave the US a 1-0 lead early on. A lead in Mexico is rare enough, but the magic didn't last as Mexico tied it in the 19th minute and scored the game-winner in the 82nd minute. The game, not surprisingly, got chippy at the end.

Nobody knows really what to expect from the Pats' preseason opener against the Eagles tonight. How much will Tom Brady play? Will Belichick try stuff out, play the most conservative game ever, or unleash the hounds of hell to show the NFL that the Pats are back? The Globe looks at Brady's backups, while the Herald tells us what to look for, since our football-watching skills are a little rusty.

And if you're one of the nine people left who still listens to the radio, you probably already know that 98.5FM is now The Sports Hub, competing with 850AM WEEI. If you're stuck in traffic and your iPod dies, let us know what you think of the competition.