Gloating In Three Parts. (1) Karen Guregian says we should take some time and gloat that we (and not New York) have Curt Schilling. In winning his fifth straight start yesterday, Schilling is now 9-3, 3.10 following a Red Sox loss (6-0, 2.33 in his last 6 such starts).

(2) There were three seasons in which Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig each batted over .300 with 40+ home runs and 100+ RBI. The last time was in 1931:

         AVG  HR  RBI

Ruth    .373  46  163

Gehrig  .341  46  184

As Steve Buckley reports, it hasn't happened in the American League since. It could happen this year:

         AVG  HR  RBI

Ortiz   .302  35  118

Ramirez .316  37  110

P.S. I've always wondered how in the hell Gehrig got so many RBI batting after Ruth.

(3) Gordon Edes, with stat info from Chuck Waseleski: "Starting pitchers who have faced the Sox this season are 32-64 with a 6.17 ERA, the highest in the majors and three-quarters of a run worse than anyone else (the Yankees are 5.43). At Fenway, opposing starters are a staggering 14-38, with an ERA of 6.83. ... Mark Buerhle of the White Sox is the only opposition starter this season who has pitched at least seven innings on Yawkey Way and come away with a victory. Home and away, opposing starters have gone seven or more against the Sox just 17 times in 135 games, the fewest in the majors. The Giants and Astros are next at 35, more than twice as many times as the Sox."