A trio of Douchebags (and an outstanding RU win)

Ah, I am feeling kind of cranky tonight, (except for the Rutgers football team up 63-7, ensuring a nice bowl bid, their 4th in a row) = more on that tomorrow.

So quickly, here are today's 3 douchebags, specifically from the world of sports.

First up is surly, whiny bitch Plaxico Burress. Owner of a superbowl ring, an enormous contract, and the love of a city for his performance in the amazing Super Bowl run for the NY Giants last year. Of course, Plax is always unhappy, fined 40-50 times in his 3(!) years with the Giants, and now gone from the team. Why. Not for being a lousy employee, missing meetings, treatments, practices, or dogging it on the field. Oh no, the Giants were willing to coddle poor Plax, since we can all understand how tough it is to be a 31 year old multimillionaire. Oh, boo fucking hoo. Worse is articles like this one... http://bleacherreport.com/articles/88232-how-plaxico-burress-turned-into-a-criminal

which basically want us to pity Plax for growing up on the mean streets, struggling to get by. Hey, news flash, douchebag.. the mothefucker is 31, not 13. At what point does this guy look in the mirror and say "hey, I am a really talented dude. I can get a college education, develop as a human being, play in the NFL, and make millions before I turn 40, then have the rest of my life to chill" How fucking hard is that? From where I sit, not hard at all. Way to go, Plax, piss on your talent, your opportunity, your future. I originally thought that this man doesn't deserve prison, because shooting ones self is stupid, not criminal, but the more I read and think about this I realize that this man (?) needs to get smacked upside his head, maybe even in prison, since the 50 suspensions made no difference.

UP next is good old douchebag Steve Avery. Just look at this asshole. He's such a dick he has me commenting on Hockey! His most recent dick move... calling his ex girlfriend "sloppy seconds" since she no longer dates him but is apparently dating a teammate. Of course, in typical classless fashion, he said this to the media, thus punking out his teammate and his ex. What a dick! I've written about him before and nothing changed. A cattle prod up his anus would only be the tip (get it?) of what this guy needs, and maybe after a decade of special treatment he may emerge as a passable human being.

Note: Elisha Cuthbert played a really stupid character, (Kim Bauer on 24), but that is no excuse for dating this asshole. Come on Elisha, get it together!


Finally, Stephon Marbury. Really, just go away. You've burned through 4 teams in 11 years. YOu make 21 million dollars per year. You're 31 yrs. old. You couldn't play well with Kevin Garnett, one of the classiest players in the NBA. You wore sneakers that said ALL ALOne while with the Nets. The Suns got rid of your sorry ass and became a great team, while you moved on and helped the KNicks to become an NBA embarassment. You couldn't get along with one of the greatest coaches in all of the NBA, Larry Brown. You then couldn't get along with another arrogant douchebag who supposedly was your greatest cheerleader in Isiah "no class and I like to harass women" Thomas, and now the Knicks just want you to go away. Y ou've let down everyone in your life, most importantly yourself. Just jump off a fucking bridge, please.

Beast

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - Nov. 25, 2008

The good for today is simple: Ann Coulter has a broken jaw! If there were ever a more deserving victim, I can't think of one. This anorexic, toxic, harpie from hell, who has wet dreams of being in a group grope with the likes of Sean Hannity, Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh, and the rest of the neo-con boys choir (that's right, boys... men have character and integrity) has a broken jaw... if only the rest of her body would break too.


The bad - Hank Paulson, that bald fuck who looks like the villians' henchman in a James Bond film is tossing around BILLIONS in what appears to be an attempt to burn through as much of this money as possible before President Obama takes over. (Yes, that's right, I call my country's leader President, not the figurehead appointed by a halted recount by the Supreme Court) - I really can't wrap my head around the numbers being bandied about, and once I find myself in possession of some heavy duty tranquilizers perhaps I will put together a lengthy rant on how I feel about this whole economic debacle, from the early stages of the end game (say, sometime around Sept. 2008) until now. I screamed against bail outs then, and continue to do so now. Oh, and BTW, for me to call some a bald fuck.... well, it takes one angry bald man to betray the brotherhood.

The Ugly - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/21/cyberbullying-trial-we-co_n_145458.html?page=6



"HI, I'm Lori Drew... I am ostensibly a full grown adult, but I like to intimidate and bully teenage girls on line, anonymously. It's great fun and when they off themselves, well I just pee my pants in laughter."

A special place in Hell for you, Lady.

Savvybeast

It's Been 12 Days

For the love of God, can we get some legitimate decisions on this financial meltdown. Can we really wait until Jan. 20th for Barack Obama to lead this country. While it's clear his presence is helpful, since it at least shows the market the attempt at competent leadership.

Why in the name of all that's holy do people continue to believe that handing out hundreds of billions of dollars to wall street, Citigroup, AIG, the Big 3, ---- instead of what I strongly support, which is money being pumped into the infrastructure of this country. A kind of New Deal, with money being spent to improve our country, from everything like bridge rebuilding, city improvements, tunnels, roads... effectively putting people to work, giving them money, thus allowing them to have purchasing power, able to buy products, and continue to spiral outward. As opposed to Reagonomics, the trickle down theory of catering to the wealthy with the assumption they will piss some of that wealth to the less significant, i.e. The Middle Class.

Savvybeast

Why I Lean Democrat

Well, I'm certainly not going to deliver some ultra lengthy explanation of my political leanings, and let's say right up front that I am well aware that a two party system is unlikely to ever truly offer enough opportunity to truly affiliate yourself strongly with any party. Unless you see the world in a starkly black and white way, you have to be frustrated with the labeling inherent with such limited options.

I really only thought of this post after reading the following from Tim Pawlenty, Republican gov. of Mrs. Savvy's home state, Minnesota.

"We cannot be a majority governing party when we essentially cannot compete in the Northeast, we are losing our ability to compete in Great Lakes states, we cannot compete on the West Coast, we are increasingly in danger of competing in the mid-Atlantic states, and the Democrats are now winning some of the Western states," Pawlenty said. "That is not a formula for being a majority governing party in this nation."

As if that weren't enough, he ticked off a few more challenges.

"Similarly we cannot compete, and prevail, as a majority governing party if we have a significant deficit, as we do, with women, where we have a large deficit with Hispanics, where we have a large deficit with African American voters, where we have a large deficit with people of modest incomes and modest financial circumstances. Those are not factors that make up a formula for success going forward."

Think about that. There is a clear reason so many people, including (and important to me) people of modest incomes and modest financial circumstances.

Regular people, basically.

I believe that a large portion of the current economic debacle is the market's long term reaction to what basically is Reaganomics, the idea that by protecting the uber rich as much as possible, the money will somehow trickle down and help anyone. Doesn't work, never will work. You don't build a house by starting with the room. You have to support the base, the structural integrity, aka the middle class. To point out that those who have benefited immensely from our free market system contribute more to the societal structure isn't class warfare; it's common sense.

Sav

Sunday Round UP - Nov. 9, 2008

Ah, good evening, all. Today I have a quick movie review for you, the horror film by Neil Marshall, The Descent. An incredibly intense film about six women who go spelunking in the appalachian mountains, in an unexplored cave off the map with no help coming for them. As things begin to go horribly awry I cringed with the growing sense of helplessness and doom. A terrific movie, and one of the main reasons was the development of the six women, and of the sense that there were tensions and friction within the group, just as would exist in any tight knit group of intense individualists. This development of them as three dimensional people made the ensuing terror more emotional.

Shout out to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. As an alum I've been very frustrated by their performance this season, but with this win they move to 4-5 with a 3-2 in the Big east conference. If they run the table, a reasonably conceivable possibility, they would be 7-5 and could finish second in the Big East . That's a reasonable bowl bid, my friends.

Beast

It's Finally Here

Finally, the first ray of hope for those of us with intelligence, compassion, ethics, morals, and common sense since George Bush stole the 2000 election. 2 wars later, an imploded economy, deficits beyond what this country has ever had, shredding of the constitution, (Patriot Act, anyone?) the outing of american spies (I believe it's called Treason)... ok, this run on sentence has gone on too long. Obama now has 207 electoral votes, 63 left.

Despite many people who should know better, much of this country has had irrational fears re: Obama. Thankfully, this is one of the few times that the country has surprised me, and despite the lack of intelligence amongst the masses, it seems that Obama, the smart, best qualified candidate will win. Is this the beginning of our country turning the corner... only time will tell.

Beast

I realize the pics are of the evildoers, but I feel it's important to remind people who the bad guys are. Joe Biden is the face of study leadership, that's why he is there.

Movie Review,Today's Hot Chick, and a cranked up Pennslyvania!

Where does the time go? I can't believe i;ve already let so many days slip by between posts.
So let's get to it. Today's movie - DOOMSDAY, directed by Neil Marshall and starring Bob Hoskins, Malcolm McDowell, and Rhina Mitra.

I like what I've seen by Neil Marshall. Dog Soldiers was his first flick, and the lead was the blond eguy from Rome. The friend of Titus PUllo. Anyway, that was about werewolves, a subject that's a particular interest of mine. A fun moive, and showed the potential of Marshall. I did not see his second effort, The Descent, but I've heard and read great things. Doomsday didn't disappoint. The movie is a mosh up of films like 28 days and it's sequel, The Road Warrior/Mad Max/Beyond Thunderdome, Escape From New York. The set up doesn't matter, just know that the chase scenes when people are being left to a fate worse than death (and we see that fate experienced by many people dying horrific deaths.), those chase scenes are incredibly harrowing. Just know that Bob Hoskins overacts, growling out tough guy lines littered with swears, Malcolm McDowell hams up some screen time as well, and Rhina Mitra plays one bad ass sexy bitch, an ass kicking honey along the lines of Carrie Ann Moss in the Matrix, (or more appropriately, Linda Hamilton in Termindator 2),

The movie was easily worth a fun watch, a violent, energetic, fast paced (the sound track is a lot of fun in and of itself) - as far as purchasing, i woiuld drop 5 to 7 bucks onit.

Today's hot chick, Rhona Mitra comes from the flick.

And finally, how about the state of Pennsylvania? You have a key battleground, one John McCain needs to have any hope of winning, (God help us all). Penn St. beat Ohio St. and remains undefeated. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been playing well, and lost a tough game to the NY Giants today. The Univ. of Pitt was humming along, until Rutgers kicked their butts Sat. (way to go, Northeast) Also, the Philadelphia Phillies lead the word series 2 games to 1, and are leading game 4 in the 7th, 6-2. The Eagles also won today, keeping pace with the rest of the NFC East teams, all winners.

I ramble.

A Movie Review and Today's Hot Chick

Todays movie is a true B-movie classic, a hybrid cult flick that has only recently become available on DVD. It was recommended to me by my friend Les, a huge movie fan (particularly horror) and an all around pop culture geek.

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat - was released in nov. 1991. I hadn't even heard much about the film, vaguely recall reading a few bits and pieces about it once but forgot the name. Les mentioned it recently, and I checked out. Here's the set up, in brief. The town of Purgatory is populated by vampires, only the vamps are working real hard to refrain from hunting and draining humans. They follow Mordulac, a mysterious wealthy man who bought the town and invited all the vamps who wanted a new lifestyle to follow him. Things have improved for vamps, with the improvements in sunscreen, UV sunglasses, and skin protecting clothing, lip balm, and gloves. Basically, they can tolerate the sunlight. Better yet, Mordulac has worked with a human scientist to to create synthentic blood, allowing them to live quietly. To offer up much more than that would spoil the fun, so I won't.

What I will tell you is the film is a bizarre hybrid of comedy, horror, and layed over a classic western. Even better is the cast. David Carradine, M. Emmit Walsh, Deborah Foreman, Morgan Brittany (so hot!) and..... Bruce (the chin) Campbell. I couldn't recommend this film any more highly. If you like stuff such as Army of Darkness or Shaun of the Dead, I think you will get a real kick out of this film.

Sarah Palin doesn't know what a Vice President (VP) does

Really? REALLY! Perhaps in her "mavericky" world view that's true. Or perhaps she has only followed Darth Cheney's VP antics, leading the Decider down the path to Iraq, Fascism, torture, Patriot ACTS, etc. Amazingly many people still worry about Obama. 14 days to a final rebuke of the neoconservative movement that has led this country to hell!

15 Days Until the Election

Well, I remember a few years ago, when John Kerry ran a terrible campaign against The Decider, George W. Bush, in 2004. Despite the many mistakes already made by the Bush administration, after stealing the presidential election in 2000, ignoring the threats to our nation eventually resulting in the tragedy of 9/11 of 2001, and the unnecessary war in Iraq (well, really an invasion of a sovereign nation who had not attacked the U.S.), after this and so much more, JOhn Kerry lost. However, as a member of another nation, red Sox nation, I had the joy of their come from behind 3 games to 0 against the evil empire of the NY yankees. I told people then that I would have traded the joy of that championship in return for an end of the Bush regime. No such luck. Now, in 2008 it seems quite possible that after possibly the worst 2 term president in American History (and I blame every one you douche bags who voted for Dubya, your ignorance helped lead to the mess this country is now in)

This time, it's time for change. As Barack Obama says, Change is coming. I would have voted for either Hilary or Barack, and now that he is closing in, with good ole Joe Biden with him, I am very happy. I am also happy for Colin Powell, an honorable man who I have always felt some sympathy for. I believed he was unable to separate Colin Powell the honorable man from Colin Powell the dutiful military man, and this led him to carry the water for the neo-conservative movement, standing up before congress and the AMerican people and telling us all that Iraq absolutley had WMD's, when we all knew they didn't then, they don't now. Was Colin lying, or deceived? We'll never know, and I really wanted him to resign in anger, effectively telling the country that Bush had fooled him once, (shame on him) but Colin wouldn't be fooled again!

Redemption, for Mr. Powell? Or just an opportunity taken to help fix what he helped to break?

Crap - 3 Outs Away

Bay, Kotsay, and Tek... Omg

Update: 11:51

Congratulations to the TampaBay Rays. They beat the Red Sox. No whining, no bitching. Winning 3-1 is a tough, hard nosed win. Lester pitched well. "Garza pitched better. No arguing. The truth is the Sox will be still be good next year. Varitek is a big decision. But the fact is , With Beckett, Dice-K, Lester for next year, with Papelbon and Okajima. Keep Bay, Ortiz, Pedroia, Youk, LOwell returns, healthy... Either Cora or Jed Lowrie, Drew, Ellsbury, (hopefully rebounds), .... Shit

Beast

Blogging During the Red Sox Game - Game 7 2008 ALCS

It offered good voodoo last night, so let's check in with the heroes from Boston - 1-0 already, with a Dustin Pedroia HM in the first inning. 1 out, 1 run lead, Ortiz up at the plate, and Jon Lester looking to bounce back in the bottom half of the inning after a weak previous start. Considering Lester has battled cancer, returned to baseball, started a 4th and clinching game of a WS (last year in Colorado), pitched a no-hitter, and has been bigger, stronger, and even better this year... I feel pretty good.

Papi walks, 1 on, 1 out, Youk up -

Update - 9:41

So the Rays have tied it in the bottom of the 4th inning, an rbi double against Lester. Game tied 1-1, top of 5th, Garz strikes out Cora to end the inning. Garza vs. Lester shaping up, two young starters battling for a spot in the World Series.

Update - 9:55

Shit. Rays up now 2-1, bottom 5th. Lester in trouble, 2 on, nobody out, already gave up a run. This is big, clamp down, get out of this jam, ride that momentum into the 6th.

1 Down. 2 more to go.

OK, out of the inning. Damage controlled, game 2-1 Rays starting the 6th.

Tonights Big Game, Movie Review, and Today's Hot Chick

Well here we go again. The Boston Red Sox faces up to another must win game. An elimination game. How have they done in these types of games? Glad you asked. No more shouts of 1918 for these guys. Instead, they currently sit at 9-0 in ALCS gotta win games.

From ESPN

Officially, the Red Sox and the Rays are tied 3-3. Unofficially, though, it seems as if Boston will enter Game 7 with a four-run lead. Only six previous teams have rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the ALCS to win the series, and Boston is responsible for half those rallies (1986, 2004 and 2007). With a strong performance from Lester, the Red Sox could make it 4-for-4.

So here we go again, and I, along with the rest of the Red Sox Nation, wait. 31 minutes to first pitch.

Movie Review - The Driver
Written and Directed by Walter Hill
Starring Ryan O'Neal, Isabelle Adjani, and Bruce Dern

Now many of you might think you aren't familiar with Walter Hill, but I bet you are very aware of his work, you just haven't associated the man with the work. Here are just a few of the cool things Walter Hill has been involved with, either as writer (w) Producer (p) or director (d).

Warriors (all time cult classic) - southern comfort, 48 Hours (Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte) , Red Heat (Remember, arnie and Jim Belushi, ) Trespass and Last Man Standing (a super fun western with Bruce Willis, basically a new telling of the classic Django (by Kurosawa), Fistful of Dollars/For a few Dollars More (Sergio Leone). He was also involved with Deadwood, and he directed Geronimo, Wild Bill, and The Long Riders.

The Driver can be best described in a way that I am stealing from a reader review on IMDB " an existential car- chase movie. Yet that doesn't come close to a full description. This is another example of cool 70's filmmaking. The movie was released in 78, and the characters are so super cool, so ultra minimalist, they have only titles "The Driver", The Alibi, The Cop, . Ryan O'Neal was very cool as Cowboy (aka The Driver) and I finally get why during that time era he was considered cool, (hey, he was hitting Farrah, when Farrah was the bomb).

Bruce Dern as The Cop is great, and today's hot chick is the gorgeous Isabelle Adjani - yummy. She plays the Alibi.

Blogging During the Red Sox Game

Because it's just too damn stressful to watch the Sox game without something distracting me, I will check in with blog thoughts, during the game.

First thought, my local cable station TBS had some kind of technical problem and I missed the first inning, with the game finally clicking in just after Upton's HR for TB. Not a good omen. But that was followed by a double play ball by Beckett to end the first inning.

Move Review: In Bruges - This movie had received a lot of great word of mouth, from both critics and people I personally spoke to. I have to say, my wife and I didn't agree.

YOUK blasts a HR off James Shields - bang, game tied!

So how's that for a short review? Basically, I felt that the film (In Bruges) sort or meandered, with Brendon Gleeson the only watchable part of the film. However, a very strong 3rd act, and the addition of an outstanding performance by Ralph Fiennes salvaged the flick, making it a good watch, but no more.

Hey, Rutgers won it's homecoming game against Connecticut 12-10. RU moves to 2-5, with at least the faint hope of a winning season (have to run the table) or at least a strong second half and a .500 record, while seasoning some the younger players.

The Captain, Jason Varitek, gets his first hit of the ALCS, a Homer that puts the Sox up 3-2. This on the heels of the HR Beckett gave up at the end of the 5th. So now, top of 6th, Sox up 1. Win tonight, start Lester tomorrow.... staying alive.

UPDATE

Big Papi gets an RBI, REd sox go up 4-2. This onthe heels of an error 1 batter earlier by Jason Bartlett, allowing Boston to continue to move forward in the inning. Could it be

UPDATE: 11 41

Moving towards the 4 hr mark, the Sox head into the 9th inning up 4-2. Beckett grits out 5 innings, 2 runs, Hideki Okajimi puts together 2 shut out innings, (he's shaping up as huge for this series so far), and then the kid, Justin Masterson, hits a batter, but wriggles out with no runs. BTW, Boston has left 12 men on base, so if they win, they are lucky tonight, because they should have more runs.

beast

You think you know people

Sort of a disappointing post today. I recently was saddened, frustrated, and ultimately disappointed to learn that 2 gentleman I consider to be great friends have succumbed to the mindless slander and mudslinging that has been thrown Barack Obama's way. Now let me be clear, I am not an "Obamaniac", I don't think he's the "Messiah", hell, I'm not even a follower. I am a guy who tries to pay attention, wade through the garbage, and see what each of these candidates has to offer our country. (These are both terms used by one of my lifelong best friends, who also referenced Barack Obama as supporting infanticide (no, it's not true. Go to Factcheck.org to check out any nonsense spouted by either campaign)

The worst was by good friend J. (first initial only) He's a very smart man, a nice guy, and someone who I would have never, ever considered to be someone who falls prey to the slander. Sadly, he and I had a number of emails go back and forth and the rhetoric coming from his was unbelievable. Obama ran with the Weathermen (right, when he was 8 yrs. old he was helping to plant bombs, ) He spoke of a fear of Obama, not trusting him, ... and this doozy -

Sort of like the guy Obama wants to sit down with with no conditions. You know, the guy who says the Holocaust never happened. Personally, I am pretty sure it happened because my buddy's Mom has the numbers tattooed on her arm. I've met other survivors, and just find it hard to believe they all concocted this story and went through the process of tattooing numbers on their bodies as a hoax. But, of course, Obama supports a man who believes that.

Sure, I trust him. /sarcasm "


Really, how does one argue with that level of untruth - there is really just sadness for me, becasue this is not true, on any level (if it is, please connect with the facts, I would be happy to correct myself. Diplomatic relations with one's enemies is what this country needs more of, not the Cowboy diplomacy we've gotten for the last 8 years . In case someone wasn't paying attention, that hasn't worked out so well. - BTW, that pic of the pin is a real pin, obviously anti-Obama, in Texas.

Oh, the market continues to crash, but John McCain wants to turn the page on that, and talk about Obama and... the Weathermen, and Jeremiah Wright.

This country needs change, and The Maverick and the Milf ain't it.

Sav

Sunday Round UP

Yo, what up, everyone. Quick thoughts on this unbearably humid and very unpleasant Sun. afternoon.

How in the name of anything (God, all that is holy, fill in the blank here) can anyone still believe that John MccAin and Sarah Palin should run this country? A true example, a continuation really, of the idiots in this country (ex. Red State America, Religious Wackos, filthy rich, and the willfully ignorant_ who vote Party first and competency last. There is no room for debate re: the debate Fri., Obama looked like a smart, sensible, intelligent man who explained the nuances of many votes, pointed out the failures of the Bush approach to governing, and reminded people that John McCain is nothing more than an extension of Bush. Keating Five, anyone? (if you don't know, look it up.)

Yet the ignorance, (and racism, regardless of what people want to delude themselves into believing) continue to plague the Democratic party

Rutgers pounds on Morgan St., the homecoming game I was supposed to attend with my buddies, but we bailed out due to the awful weather. Anyway, RU wins, and maybe things will be a little bit better - Cinncinatti lost their starting qb, (their back up, really, but he was staring in place of their original starter) so RU will hopefully get them with their 3rd stringer. Pat White got hurt for wVU, next weeks opponent, so maybe that helps out too. Finally, the Navy upset win over Wake Forest, ranked 16th, at Wake Forest, makes the Navy loss look a bit better now. With the Big East starting next week, a win there would go a long way to adding some hope to this season.

Red sox begin defense Wed against Angels, and if they win that series, I think they go to the WS

Mets are choking ..... again. Surprise.

Beast

CBS Sarah Palin interview

Or how about this? She gives incompetence a bad name, and shows the judgment of John "Insane" MCCain to be a danger to us all.

Sarah Palin, Thomas Muthee and witchcraft

Really, Red State America? This is the woman you want a heartbeat from the presidency? YOU ARE ALL RUINING THIS COUNTRY - WAS BUSH Not BAD EnOUgh?

Sarah Palin

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=4478156n


REALLY!

I'm Back, and I'm Mad As Hell (and tired)

Of Course the Fox News coverage is immensely pro McCain, and yet it couldn't have been clearer that Obama crushed John. - Racist overtone, by the smiling annoying Shepard Smith. Speaking with Chris Wallace. - I might puke now, --- or have more wine. How fucking stupid is this country? Has anyone listened to Gov. Palin? Really, this is the duo you want leading your country.


A national political campaign is better than the best circus ever heard of, with a mass baptism and a couple of hangings thrown in.
H. L. Mencken

Peace

Guns N Roses, Confirmation of a Hot Chick Pick, The Red Sox and mets Note

Man, I wished Guns N Roses could have kept their shit together. Listening to the Ipod right now, shuffle, and Anything Goes came on. That isn't even one of the better songs on Appetite For Destruction, and yet it is still great! That whole album is great, from beginning to end. Earlier I listened to some cuts off of Slash's Snakepit, the solo project he had. I also enjoyed Velvet Revolver quite a bit, but it still wasn't Guns. I actually heard on K-Rock the other day that supposedly the Chinese Confederacy (Rose's long promised solo project.)

Check out the pick of Christina Ricci in the bikin, remember my earlier pic of her for hot chick of the day - pretty nice, right?

Hey, how bout them Red Sox. Winning 7-0 right now, with a healthy Beckett back in Rotation (he pitched fri. night, 80 pitches, got a win against Texas). The Rays lost already today, so if the Sox hang on for another inning, they are only 1 and 1/2 games back, with 6 more games against Tampa, 3 at home, 3 on the road. The Sox could win the division, and hold off playing the Angels until the Second round, unless they are upset by TB. Meanwhile, I believe the Sox can sweep the White Sox, the likely winner in the Central, and might be playing without their best hitter, Carlos Quentin, due to injury.

The Mets lost their second straight game to the Phillies, and now lead the NL East by just a game. Coming off last years implosion a repeat had to lead to blowing up the team.... right?