Sports Redux: Pats Healing, Sox Winning

With the Red Sox in the insignificant final series of 2009, the most interesting topic today for Bostonist is, you guessed it, the notoriously enigmatic Patriots injury report! Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork generated a lot of interest as Bill Belichick listed them as "doubtful" and "questionable," respectively.

Mayo returned to practice and Belichick simply gushed. "He's working hard. He's working hard. Jerod's always worked hard. He's not in here spending half the day playing dominoes and that stuff." Raise your hand if you just laughed at the image of Mayo and Belichick playing dominoes like Terry Francona and Dustin Pedroia play cribbage. According to the Globe, "doubtful" means 75% chance of not playing. Mayo might be out Sunday. He, too, might be back sooner than we thought.

Wilfork is probably a game-time decision. Belichick describes "questionable," as "Truly, the term `questionable' that's what it is; it doesn't really say where they're going to be tomorrow or the next day.'' Thanks, coach. Translation: "Vince is a big guy. If he's on the field Sunday, you can't miss him."

As for the Red Sox, well, they beat Cleveland, 6-2. After allowing a leadoff double, Daisuke Matsuzaka got the next 12 batters out he faced until Travis Hafner doubled, and eventually scored, in the fifth. Cleveland scored twice in the fifth and loaded the bases, and allowed two baserunners in the sixth, before Matsuzaka ended each inning with a strike out. He ended with five hits, two runs and seven strikeouts in six innings. Does another solid effort get Matsuzaka a playoff start? We'll see.

Attention pessimists: Rocco Baldelli (strained left hip flexor) and Alex Gonzalez (hit by pitch in the hand) left the game early. Does this complicate the postseason at all?

Whatever is left of the Boston Bruins after the badness that is Alex Ovechkin visited his wrath upon the Hub will play the Carolina Hurricanes tonight. Bostonist wonders if Aaron Ward will have a tiny hint of a grin if Thornton or Lucic decide to take a run or two at Scott Walker.

The two biggest college football programs in Massachusetts, B.C. and UMass, which, we know, isn't really in the same league as B.C., are in the news for two different reasons. A throng of hungover enthusiastic BC students will welcome ESPN's College Gameday extravaganza to campus at 10 a.m. The pregame hype preceeds an Eagles game against Florida State at 3:30 p.m. when we'll see if BC can stop the Seminoles.

Four UMass football players were suspended after being arrested by Amherst police on drug-related charges. Suspending players for misconduct happens at UMass. At B.C., not so much.