What a Night

You know, I had a feeling when I woke up today that it was going to be a fantastic day for baseball. Maybe it was because it was snowy and I was looking forward to sitting down and watching the game, but I was really excited to see the Red Sox debut of pitcher Josh Beckett against the Texas Rangers. -->

Beckett scared me a little in the first inning, allowing one run. But that was it. Beckett's Boston debut couldn't have been better, scattering seven hits and getting a nice little ovation from Curt Schilling as a reward. Texas' Kameron Loe pitched a superb game, but allowed a two-run homer by Trot Nixon to put him behind in the game.

Beckett pitched a full seven innings and struck out five, but the momentum appeared to shift in the eighth inning when Mike Timlin came out and allowed two batters to get on base. Then when appeared to be a base hit that should have sent the runner from second all the way home became a put out on a relay from left fielder Manny Ramirez to shortstop Alex Gonzalez to Jason Varitek at home. Timlin got out of the inning miraculously unscathed.

Then Terry Francona made the bullpen call of the century when he asked for Jonathan Papelbon to prepare for the ninth inning instead of closer Keith Foulke. Papelbon didn't dissapoint, putting up a 1-2-3 ninth, earning his first major league save (and just his second save in professional baseball), and handing Beckett his first win of the season in what was a very tense game.

Other baseball notes:

<--Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins extended his two-season hitting streak to 38 games, putting him just one game behind Hall-of-Famer Paul Molitor and 18 behind record holder Joe DiMaggio.

Bronson Arroyo, in his debut with the Cinncinatti Reds, not only earned the win but hit the first homerun of his carreer to hand himself a lead in the third inning against the Cubs.

The new ad for MLB 2K6 featuring Derek Jeter and Josh Beckett is pretty good. It's intense. It's kinda hot. I like.

Ken Griffey Jr. hit his career 537th homerun to pass Mickey Mantle and claim the #12 spot on the all-time home runs list.

You heard it here:

-The Sox will trade or release Josh Bard before the end of the season, not because he can't catch the knuckler, but because his offense is a liability when Tim Wakefield pitches.

-The 2007 Red Sox starting rotation: Schilling, Beckett, Papelbon, Wakefield, John Lester. Clement will be traded this offseason and David Wells will retire. If Clement manages to impress this year and, more importantly, to stay strong down the stretch, there's the possibility of keeping him in the rotation and sending Wakefield to the bullpen.

-Rollins will keep the streak going until April 13, when he'll face Tim Hudson and the Braves.

-Barry Bonds will hit at least twenty homeruns before the All-Star break, but scrutiny and fan dissaproval will leave him disenfranchised and he'll end up on the disabled list for exhaustion, if nothing else, finishing short of Hank Aaron's home run record.

-Nomar Garciaparra will make a decent recovery from his rib-cage injury and come back to hit .300 on the season. C'mon Nomah! I picked the Dodgers in the NL West, and you were a big reason. Don't let me down!-->