All the talk surrounding the Devil Rays has been about their new shortstop B.J. Upton. He's got power, speed, defense and a really cool name. No, not Bossman Jr. That's just plain silly (albeit a tribute to his father, the original "Bossman"). I'm talking Melvin. Which I believe appears on his birth certificate.

There are and have been a few great Melvins in the world. Melvin Calvin won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1961 for his photosynthesis project. There was Melvin Purvis, Chicago's Chief of Police who was credited with the capture or killing some of the most notorious criminals in history: Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd, Baby Face Nelson and the Barker family to name but a few. Melvin Kaminsky was one of the funniest men alive, you may know him as Mel Brooks. And of course there was Baseball Hall of Famer Melvin Thomas Ott, who played for the NY Giants for 22 years. So forget B.J. and bring back Melvin. You'd be in fine company. ESPN.com has an archived article about B.J. Upton's potential. TBOnline.com's Joey Johnson writes about Upton's breathtaking start.

The Devil Rays have added another prospect to their roster, John Webb. The newest member of the bullpen looks promising. He pitched 1 1/3 innings Monday night, allowing two hits and striking out two.
Adding these two to an already young, talented team, brightens the future of Tampa Bay. However, today they could be brushed under the rug if the Red Sox can manage to sweep.

MLB.com reports that John Halama and the D-Rays are set to twart the Red Sox.

This should be a fun night. Boston's official site claims the Sox are looking to extend its streak. With all this positive energy, I don't know what to expect.

According to TBOnline.com the D-Rays couldn't handle "Curt reply", referring to the stellar performance of Schilling. He finally started using a changeup, which he had been practicing for what seems to be forever. It was very effective. The St. Petersburg Times writes about Schilling's new pitch.

The Devil Rays are going to have an equally difficult time with Bronson Arroyo tonight. He has been pitching well lately.

But who will be playing against Halama? MLB.com reports Terry Francona changed the lineup last night. I'm sure it will be a little different again tonight with a lefty on the mound.

I haven't forgotten about the trade. The finger pointing continues. It's like hearing two children. "You said, this." "Did not." Yes you did." "Nuh uh."

John Henry tells to the Boston Globe about his involvement in the trading of Nomar or lack there of. According to the Chicago Tribune, Nomar denies bad blood in Boston. He maintains he never wanted to leave.

Now that he is in the Windy City, Nomar may reconsider signing with the Cubs, according to the Sun Times. To help with his decision, the Cubs' catcher, Michael Barrett offered Nomar his No. 5 jersey.

The Globe's Dan Shaughnessy says there's "no room for neutrality". You are either with the Nomar camp or the Red Sox office. I disagree. There is one more camp - The Ed Walsh's Get Over It Summer Camp, located in the deep woods of Maine. Here we teach campers how to stick their fingers in their ears. I can't listen, read or write about it anymore. It's annoying and it's over.

Reader comments: Which camp are you in? Who do you believe? Or are you just tires of it?

E-mail this entry to a friend