Random Notes. Jack McKeon, the man who made Grady Little apologize after the Red Sox beat his Marlins 25-8 back on June 27, says that Gump's decision to stick with Pedro may have been correct and it shouldn't determine his fate. "Grady's done a hell of a job there the last two years and it's tough to think that because they lost one game to the Yankees they want to lynch him. Everyone has been asking me if Grady should have taken him out, but I'll tell you one thing, if I've got a star pitcher like Pedro, with the credentials he has, and he tells me he's OK, I've got to believe him."

Are 7-game World Series more common than expected? ... Dave Barry describes Don Zimmer as "the result of an ill-conceived genetic experiment involving W.C. Fields and a manatee." ... The Sporting News named Cleveland outfielder Jody Gerut as its AL Rookie of the Year. ... How often does a team blow a three-run lead with 7.1 innings in the books? BP looked at all regular season games from 1972-2003 (teams in the same situation the Red Sox faced still managed to blow the game about one time in 15):

Visitors have three-run lead with one out in the 8th inning: 6281-445 (.934)
Visitors have three-run lead with one out in the 8th inning, starter still in game: 1849-114 (.942)
Visitors lead 5-2 with 1 out in 8th inning: 1380-99 (.933)
Visitors lead 5-2 with 1 out in 8th inning, starter still in game: 411-29 (.934)

Time magazine reported last week that the FBI has long believed that Zacarias Moussaoui "played no part in the 9/11 scheme and was only a minor player in al-Qaeda." "Long believed? How much time is that, exactly? So, more than two years after 9/11, despite allegedly having 40 supporters of the hijackers in custody on 9/13, the US is still batting .000 in charging anyone in connection with the attacks. ... Sixteen American soldiers on leave have failed to show up for return flights to duty in Iraq. Are these troops failing to support the troops? Or are they following the shining example of their Commander-in-Chief? ... Must Read: "The Stovepipe" by Seymour Hersh in the current issue of The New Yorker ("How conflicts between the Bush Administration and the intelligence community marred the reporting on Iraq's weapons.")