Red Sox 7, Evil 3

What an amazing day Monday turned out to be.

The day was going pretty slow at work, thinking about the game that was coming up in the evening against theYankees, Wakefield pitching and the struggling Josh Bard and of course, never too far from my thoughts, the whole Johnny Damon drama. Johnny Damon was beginning to be one of my all time favorite baseball players. He would never surpass Kirby Puckett in my eyes, but finally there was a player on my favorite team that I always got the job done, played his heart out, crashing into walls, playing with a dislocated shoulder, and his heart was in the game, for his team and for his fans. It was a beautiful thing. And then the complete unthinkable occurred, something that he had quoted saying that he would never, ever, ever do, cross his heart and the Nation, he signed with the Yankees. Mr. Red Sox Baseball, sold his soul to Steinbrenner. That was a very sad day for me.

So then as I was starting to think about going to the gym, an email pops up from my friend Meg:

"Hey there! Wanted to let you know that Doug Mirabelli is back!! He's catching tonight for Wake. We traded Josh Bard to SD for him. AND the stupid Yankees tried to get him too! WE WIN!"

Tears welled up in my eyes. He is took a private plane to Logan and then got into a police vehicle and was escorted to Fenway at 100 mph, as he changed into his uniform. He didn't even bring a glove with him. There was one waiting for him in the locker room. When he was traded a few months back, he left his knuckleball catcher glove for Josh, and then now, Josh Bard left it for him. He is on the field in record time, ready for the opening pitch at 7:13pm. It doesn't get any better than that folks.

''I was like, 'Here we go,' " Mirabelli said. ''I don't think I've ever been that nervous in my career. Ever." I was just as nervous for him.

Johnny comes up to bat and his name is announced. I hear boos, then I see some standing and clapping, and he takes his hat off to the Fenway gang. The Nation wasn't completely thrilled but they did pay him alittle respect to Damon who played an intrical part of out World Series Championship and played his heart out every minute of every game. It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth watching him smiling and goofing off in the Yankees dugout but baseball is business and what's done is done. And he went 0 for 4. Gotta love that.

Wakefield pitched amazing, strong and confident with his boy Mirabelli right there. And Mira was right back into the game, like he never left, calling for pitch outs, throwing out a guy on second. Excellent game. Topping it off with a grand slam by Ortiz right into to Papelbon's glove in the 8th. The inside pitch was thrown by another former Red Sox player Mike Myers.
What a game.