Sox 8 Oakland 3 - Up, up and away; Dr. Spock

Up, Up and Away

'Manny Ortez' Goes Deep

And Mueller, Roberts Put it Away

Bronson bounces back from bad outing

Sox tie it up, take the lead, and break it open,
topping Oakland 8-3

Star Tek

Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek slept uneasily, having absorbed a half-dozen foul balls off his face mask. Catching takes a toll on you, physically and mentally, the sum total of countless contrecoup brain trauma, however subtle. How else can you explain Yogi Berra?

As he drifted off to sleep, with its inevitable dreams, he entered a conversation with Science Officer Spock, the Vulcan from the Starship Enterprise.

Varitek: �We�ve really been on a tear, winning 18 of 20, playing great baseball.�

Spock: �Random chance seems to have operated in our favor.�

Varitek: �In plain, non-Vulcan English, we�ve been lucky.�

Spock: �I believe I said that.�

Varitek: �It�s hard to believe that we could go on such a tear without Nomar. Unfortunately, he wasn�t very happy with his contract situation.�

Spock: �You may find that having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting. This is not logical but it is often true.�

Varitek: �It�s tough to build a competitive team, one that can win the big games and function as one.�

Spock: �As a matter of cosmic history, it has always been easier to destroy than to create.�

Varitek: �Do you know what General Manager Theo Epstein said about Nomar�s contract?�

Spock: �The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.�

Varitek: �How do you think the average fan viewed the team, before The Trade?�

Spock: �It only knows that it needs. But like many of us, it does not know what.�

Varitek: �Yes, and we�ve been getting some great press, too, even from the likes of Gerry Callahan and Dan Shaughnessy.�

Spock: �Ah, the giants.�

Varitek: �Sometimes a big play can change your season, like the fight I had with Alex Rodriguez. I had to do something after he mouthed off.�

Spock: �If I were human, I believe the correct response would be, �Go to hell.��

Varitek: �I told him, �eat leather� and showed him some glove. Maybe it wasn�t the logical thing to do, but it felt good.�

Spock: �Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.�

Varitek: �A lot of teams struggle on the road. Do you have any thoughts on that?�

Spock: �You must learn to govern your passions. They will be your undoing. I would not remind you of that which you know so well.�

Varitek: �What do you think our chances are of overtaking the Yankees for the American League East Title?�

Spock: �I have never computed them.�

Varitek: �How do you think the Yankees will fare against us down the stretch?�

Spock: �Any show of resistance will be futile.�

Mrs. Varitek (waking Jason): �Wake up, time to go.�

Varitek: �Where no Red Sox team has gone before.�

(Spock quotes from various Star Trek episodes and films)

- Ron S.