At The Break

Who would have thunk it? Just last weekend we were 5 games off the Division lead, the "You Can Call Me" Rays were unbeatable, Papi was still in Ligament Limbo and the bullpen had regained its reputation as the Fahrenheit 451 crew of the American League—starting fires not putting them out.

Then, just like that, the Rays tank 7 in a row, the Sox win 5 of 6, and we can watch our 7 representatives at the Mid-Summer Classic safe in the knowledge that we are again kings of the AL Beast.

On top of that, Papi is due back just in time for the big Empire series at Fenway, Manny has his stroke back, Sean Casey could be contending for the batting title if he had enough at-bats, and we only have 65 games left in the season. Good seven days.

The Papi Void

July 1, 2008—As we approach The Break, it is becoming painfully obvious how much the Red Sox miss David Ortiz. As brilliantly as J.D. Drew has played in June, there is a gaping hole in the Boston lineup in key, close, late-inning situations—witness the three one-run losses on the road in the last three days. It's hard to pin down exactly how Big Papi's absence is felt, it's just a gut feeling, a given, kind of like how you know whether a guy deserves to be in the Hall of Fame just by hearing his name. The menacing visage of David Ortiz staring at opposing pitchers in the 9th inning can't be quantified. It's just important. And we don't have it. And we're in second place. That's all you need to know.