The Sloppy Hose
Bad News Cabreras Play Without a Care,
They Don't Know Where to Run or Throw, but Still Slip Past Toronto 8-4
A High Impact Outing for D-Lowe and Once-a-Week Keith,
Millar and Cab Drove in Two Runs Each
Gammons Says Sox Need a Leader
From Monday's chat on ESPN.com: David (Plattsburgh, NY): "How much blame do you place on Terry Francona for the Sox being a .500 team and will he be fired after the season?"
Peter Gammons:"I think Terry has gotten much too much of the blame for the Red Sox problems. They are no where near as good an offensive team as they were last year, essentially, playing without Trot Nixon, who was 5th in the league in OPS last year, and of course, Nomar. Tim Wakefield and Derek Lowe have been inconsistant and the Sox middle relief is below average. The problem with the Red Sox is not as much the manager as it is that they DO NOT have a star player who accepts the accountability for his team's success. They need to either become Jason VAritek's team or go out and spend money to sign a Tejada-type player who can lead them out of their nonchalant style."
"Of course I'm cynical and I've heard all the whispers, but regardless of how Nomar got his body to where it is now, it just isn't a body that makes a very reliable shortstop."
"As he struggled down the stretch in '03 — while the rest of the team was "cowboying up" — it was as if the fissures in Nomar's fragile psyche were splitting open for all to see. He would take silent oh-fers where he failed to hit the ball out of the infield. Some in the Boston press pointed out how Nomar always seemed to struggle when his then-fiancee Mia Hamm was in a given road city..."
-- Hench bids farewell to Nomar
All Systems Lowe
No second thoughts for Derek
Whatshisname on Second?
Mientkiewicz is the Man in the Middle Tonight
"...so I said to him, 'if you can do it for an inning or two, why not a full game?'" -- Tito Francona
The Lineup: 1. Johnny Damon CF -- 2. Dave Roberts RF -- 3. Manny Ramirez LF -- 4. David Ortiz DH -- 5. Kevin Millar 1B -- 6. Jason Varitek C -- 7. Orlando Cabrera SS -- 8. Bill Mueller 3B -- 9. Doug Mientkiewicz 2B (no worries, he's got an inning at second under his belt)
