ALCS Game 2: New York 3, Boston 1. Where are the bats? In the first six innings of the two games, the Red Sox are a collective 1-for-37 (a single and a walk). Where are the goddamn bats?

Pedro pitched a hell of a game, considering 55,000 people were screaming and chanting at him from Pitch #1, good enough to win. ... And forget that silly angle of Martinez playing mind games with the Yankees with his Daddy quote. That's bullshit. What we saw and heard was a professional athlete unmasked, his guard completely down, actually saying what was in his heart. We aren't used to such brutal honesty -- that's why it was so shocking. I feel a little stab every time I see that clip.

Martinez didn't have his top-shelf stuff, though if the Fox guns can be believed (why should you believe anything from Fox?), he had his best fastball of the season (mid-90s from the start, even 97 at one point). He wasn't perfect with location, walking four and throwing 113 pitches in six innings. By contrast Lieber threw only 79 pitches through 7 innings and that included a 16-pitch battle with Damon in the 6th. He was excellent, got calls on the corners that Pedro did not, and was helped by some pathetic cuts from the Sox batters (I'm looking at you, Kevin (and shave that fucking brillo pad on your chin, please. You look like a fool.).

Friday. ... If there was ever a time for the "one-game-at-a-time" cliche, it's now. There is only one game to think about and that is the game to be played Friday night. Nothing else exists in the whole entire world. ... Arroyo/Brown.