I'm dumbfounded. As you may have guessed, I'm a Curt Schilling fan. I have a lot of faith in him. He is one of the top-notch pitchers in the league. Heck, I even have his autograph displayed on my desk.

But please tell me why he was still pitching in the eighth inning Thursday night? After allowing a couple of runs in the seventh, which tied the game at 3, Schilling should have been pulled. If not then, perhaps at the start of the eighth when the Jays got consecutive hits, Schilling should have been pulled. I just don't understand manager Terry Francona's methods. What is Francona thinking? 123 pitches in April against the last-place team. Wow. Read the Associated Press's coverage of the game.

A coworker said it best, "Francona took a page out of Grady Little's play book." Wow, you would think that the new manager would have at least heard what happened in the playoffs. It's early, but I'm losing faith in his abilities. No manager should be indifferent, and that is how Francona appeared.

The Red Sox travel from Toronto to the Big Apple today (April 23) to face the Yankees for round two of this grudge match. As usual, many sites are presenting some piece of the rivalry. ESPN even goes as far as listing all 19 games with schedule and results. I have not seen any other match-up handled in this manner. ESPN's Jim Caple talks about "The Greatest Rivalry in Sports." He doesn't believe the hype. Simply put, he's wrong.

You can re-live the Fenway games through a slide show at Foxsports.com.

Tonight's game features Derek Lowe vs. Jose Contreras. The New York Post asks "Is it make it or break it time for Jose Contreras?" He does seem to be having some problems. The New York Times writes that "Contreras has adjusted his delivery to find solution to Red Sox." I am so glad that the Red Sox did not end up acquiring him. I have not been too impressed with any of his starts. He does appear to have one crazy curve, but lacks stamina. I expect five innings, max.

It seems all of New York will be watching A-Rod tonight. The Post reports "Improvement by A-Rod crucial for stadium success" Talk about pressure. I wonder how A-Rod likes New York now? I do not expect A-Rod to do well tonight. Besides the pressure, he has only hit .077 against Lowe. I wonder when the Yankee fans will start booing this star.

Regardless it should be a fun game to watch. At least the crowd makes noise in Yankee Stadium.

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