The road trip is over. Welcome back. Perhaps we can get away from these hockey towns for a while. It's gotten so bad that Tampa Bay Online is referring to baseball as "that other sport." The Devil Rays seem pretty happy with their win.

I'm not. Thursday's game was interesting at least. Had Derek Lowe not pitched so horribly, the Red Sox might have been able to control the outcome. But seven runs in one inning is a difficult deficit to rally from. The Sox did their best however scoring six runs in two innings.

We do not have to worry about re-signing Lowe. He's already gone. It doesn't appear that his head is in the game. The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy writes Lowe needs a better contract pitch. He needs something. A sports psychologist may help because is confidence is probably shot now.

Not that this will help with his confidence, but it may be time to move him to the bullpen until he works things out. The Red Sox can't mark down a "L" every time he pitches.

Maybe it was a bad night for starting pitching. Victor Zambrano was not exactly the Devil Rays' savior. St. Petersburg Times writes that Zambrano was wild at a whole new level. I'll say. In his 4 2/3 innings, he walked nine and recorded eight strikeouts. He was all over the place.

According to the St. Petersburg Times, Thursday's game may be just what Tampa Bay needed. I think they may need more. The Devil Rays got lucky.

Lenny Dinardo looks like he could be a starter. He would be great against some tough lefty lineups. I'd start him out slowly with a strict pitch count, but he looks like he could be trained. Since the Red Sox do not have a lefty starter, he may be a perfect fit. I like the kid. I also like Mark Maleska, another lefty who was recently sent down to the minors for Kevin Youkilis. Please bring him back. While Alan Embree can bring the fastball, it's flat. Maleska has more pitches and better movement. I'm not trying to get rid of Embree.

How about some good contract news? David Ortiz and the Sox are trying to work on a multi-year deal. This would be terrific. I really like Ortiz. He is a pleasure to watch and looks a like he is a good clubhouse influence. Man, he can hit the ball. He would be the perfect protection for Manny for a few more years.

"Still, We Believe: The Red Sox Movie" opens today in local theaters. The Providence Journal's Art Martone writes it's a movie about fans more than the players. Bummer. Who wants to see how the fans were affected by the missing the World Series? I was surrounded by that all winter. I want to be inside the clubhouse. I'll probably still go see the movie, although it will be difficult for me to relive last year's season. See what theaters are playing the movie in Maine.

Thank goodness, Boston is back home. They face a familiar foe tonight - the Toronto Blue Jays. Go Sox!

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