Little Late for a Split Squad, No?

Games 82 through 84 - Red Sox

Red Sox 7, Rangers 4
Red Sox 7, Rangers 4
Orioles 3, Red Sox 1 (6)
Record: 48-36

I'm posting this under duress, as Whitney's informed me that he's prepared to take over the Soxblogging duties if I don't get off my ass. Probably would be more entertaining than what you're about to read.

This was the starting lineup for the defending World Series champions in last night's contest against the Orioles:

Alex Cora SS
Bill Mueller 3B
David Ortiz DH
Trot Nixon RF
Kevin Millar LF
John Olerud 1B
Doug Mirabelli C
Adam Stern CF
Mark Bellhorn 2B

I'm as speechless as that lineup is (was) punchless. Despite drawing 5 walks and 2 hit batsmen from Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera, the Sox managed 1 run in the rain-shortened contest. Yes, they had to travel from Texas the night before. Yes, it was raining. Yes, Johnny Damon's nursing a bum shoulder and Manny on wet turf is a Rube Goldberg invention waiting to happen. All of these things are true. That lineup is a living, breathing white flag.

Much hue and cry in Beantown about Curt Schilling's return to the Sox as a late-inning relief pitcher instead of a starter. Here's my take: Schilling and the Sox front office know a hell of a lot more about his condition and the state of the trade market for pitching talent. I'm going to sit back and trust that Theo and Tito and the boys know what the hell they're doing. Were I a betting man, I'd toss a sawbuck on the Sox grabbing another setup arm and planning for a postseason run with Timlin, Embree, Foulke (post-surgery), Schilling, and New Guy forming a pretty formidable relief corps. One more starter would ease my nerves a bit, as I have no confidence in David Wells' conditioning, but I'll live if the Sox don't pull that trigger.

Jay Payton and Ramon Vazquez, we hardly knew ye. And from what's coming out of Boston, we're pretty glad we don't know Payton any longer. That noise you hear, Kevin Millar, is the clock ticking on your Sox career if you don't get with the program.

That's all I've got. Why spend time and thought on a blog entry, when random ill-researched scatterthought is available.