So much has gone on since then. First and foremost, Big Papi and Dice-K are both on the DL! What a nightmare. Except things are going OK, so far anyway. Juston Masterson got his second win last night. We took 3 out of 4 from the flailing O's. And as much as I missed David Ortiz horribly (he is pretty much my favorite player in baseball, running neck and neck with Manny) I have to admit that having Manny DH and having the Sox outfield read (from left to right) Ellsbury, Crisp, Drew, is a pretty fine defensive situation.

The Phillies are back in first, even if the Sox are still 1/2 a game out. They continue to be an offensive juggernaut, scoring 78 runs in their last 9 games, winning 8 of them! Our boy Utley continues to be spectacular at the plate and in the field. Jimmie Rollins, in what I think is a bit of a slight, is in 5th place for NL shortstops, and this coming off his MVP year. Ryan Howard is fourth among the 1 bag crew, which is no suprise considering his meager start.

Speaking of the All-Star ballot, the Red Sox are doing well in this popularity contest, too. Pedroia, Youkilis, Varitek, Ortiz, and Ramirez are all the leading vote-getters thus far for their respective positions. Lowell is in second behind A-Rod for third basemen, and even Lugo (yes, Lugo) is in the top 5 short stops. Crisp and Drew are within the top 12 outfielders, leaving only Ellsbury off the list, which is, in and of itself, shocking.

Manny finally got past old number 500 down in Oriole Park. No pomp, no circumstance. Not even a game break. Just back to the dugout and then a good round of applaus when they got back to the Fens last night. There's a lesson for T.O. to learn, who whined like a girl when he got his 100th TD and the planet continued to spin on.