Fuggedaboudit

Well, the Red Sox did their public service thing last night, helping the poor old Tigers to snap a five-game losing streak.

This was a game that you never felt the Sox could win. When Curtis Granderson laced the first pitch of the game into right field and took about 2.3 seconds to get to third base, it was like "Uh-oh, it's gonna be one of those games," and it was: Beckett dug himself a hole that he never climbed out of; Manny and Papi couldn't get anything going against Robertson; Rudy Seanez threw a bunch of wicked curveballs for strikes before deciding to serve up a fastball - and two runs - to Vance Wilson; and a potential comeback was snuffed out Dale Sveum-style by DeMarlo Hale in the eighth. Yup, one of those games.

I have no idea what Hale was thinking when he sent Manny - maybe he thought it was Coco out there - but he was out at home plate by about half a mile. There's no guarantee that the Sox would have gone on to score a bunch of runs, so, as Tito said, you can't lay the blame for the defeat at the third base coach's feet:

"I mean, in hindsight, we would like to have Wily Mo in there with the bases loaded," Francona said, "but I think that's the first time all season someone has even asked me about a decision that De[Marlo] made. He has done an incredible job, but sometimes we all try to do a little too much."

That play pretty much summed up a game that was never really within reach of the Sox' desperate grasp. The most coherent reaction I could muster was "Bleurgh", which, for 4:30am, wasn't too bad. Time to forget the game, get some sleep and get back out there in the morning. After all - to coin a phrase - tomorrow is another day.