The Boston Red Sox are not ready to throw in the towel. The team has a new energy and I would not be surprised if they were to string together 10 consecutive wins after three very emotional games. The rivalry continues.

Time and time again, Jason Varitek has proven he's the unofficial team captain. His actions on Saturday only added more evidence. He wears that uniform like a badge of honor. He's a throwback. He plays with intensity, brains and guile. He also has the respect of every player in Boston's clubhouse. ou never hear anyone say a bad word about "Tek." So it's no surprise he stood his ground against Alex Rodriguez, thus protecting his pitcher, Bronson Arroyo.

What was A-Rod thinking? You are truly a Yankee now. Was that your point? You needed to justify your role. Well, it backfired buddy. Spouting off obscenities to both Arroyo and Tek, is only going to get you in trouble.

The skirmish has only unified the team.

There is something about a bench-clearing brawl during a Red Sox, Yankees game. I'm not condoning fighting on the baseball diamond, they have boxing rings for that. However the team needed something to get them out of the slump. The New York Times reports that the Red Sox campaign gets a boost. That it did.

According to the Boston Herald, New York's Wille Randolph doesn't think the rivalry today compares the rivalry during his playing career.

The little battle is going to draw ire from the commissioner's office. The New York Times reports that suspensions are on the way. We may lose David Ortiz for a little more than the original five days he received for his bat throwing incident (pending appeal). The suspensions are a joke. I bet Bud Selig loved seeing the ratings for Sunday's game. If I were commissioner, I would impose this penalty: when these teams next meet in August neither team shall play A-Rod, Sturtz, Tek nor Ortiz for the duration of that series.

The Democratic National Convention brought some unconventional celebs to the ball park Sunday. Among the spectators Ben Affleck, Katie Couric, Sen. John Glenn, Tom Brokaw and of course presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry. In fact, Kerry sat in the seats that Ben Affleck usually receives from Red Sox owner John Henry. The move forced Affleck to sit in George Steinbrenner's seats near the visiting dugout. He didn't seem pleased in interviews with ESPN.

Not only did Kerry get great seats he also got to throw out the ceremonial first ptich. ESPN writes about Sen. John Kerry's pitch. It wasn't great. I haven't seen a good first pitch from a candidate since George H.W. Bush, who used to play for Yale.

Where's the respect? On the Yankees official Web site they blame the rule for the loss. Yup. It was the rule. I forgot all about the eight earned runs that Jose Contreras gave up.

The New York Post writes Bombers bomb in Beantown. How 'bout Red Sox bomb Bombers? Ahh, what do you expect form New York papers?

We witnessed Derek Lowe pitch O.K., Kevin Millar kill New York's pitching staff, a bench-clearing brawl, celebrities and the Sox win. I wish Boston played New York everyday. It's Baltimore that scares me. Pedro will try to keep the momentum going when he takes the mound tonight against the Orioles. CBSSportsline offers a preview of tonight's game. It will be the first game of a 12-game road trip. That's a long time to be away.

One more thing: Congrats Eck! The Boston Herald writes about Dennis Eckersley's induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. As expected it was an emotional speech. He went through quite a lot to get there and deserves it, even if he is wearing an A's uniform.

Reader comments: Do you think Saturday's brawl will have a positive affect on the Boston Red Sox?

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