Loose. Lowe: "If you were on our plane (Sunday night), you wouldn't have known if we were going to Game 3 of the World Series or just leaving spring training. We're very loose." ... Wakefield: "I think the New York series has a lot to with that. We're not supposed to be here. This is icing on the cake. We already overcame the hardest part."

Theo: "They're unaffected by everything. Name something that's affected them. Playing .500 ball for three months? Nope -- they had the best record in baseball after that. Losing their starting shortstop and starting right fielder in spring training? No, they just went 15-6 out of the gate. Losing a franchise player at the deadline? Nope. Falling down, 3-0, with a rested Mariano Rivera on the mound in the ninth inning of the fourth game? No problem."

The Red Sox agreed to award Nomar Garciaparra a full share of playoff cash. Nixon: "Anybody who spills their blood in the field out there one time helping a club win a ballgame deserves as much as anyone else, in my opinion."

Speaking of spilling blood, there are some people that question what that red stuff on Schilling's sock really was. In the Baltimore Sun, Laura Vecsey says "word out of New York is that some Yankees players wouldn't put it past Schilling to dab his sock with red magic marker, or apply generous amounts of Mercurochrome -- anything to amplify the Red Sox's amazing postseason run and, of course, to hoist his stature."

Damn, that's some serious sour grapes.