It's bottom of the first and my heart sinks. Back-to-back doubles and a single crush my optimism. I must give some credit to both Sheffield and Matsui, for the average hitter never would make contact on those pitches.
Schilling looks odd, not himself.

Mussina's now perfect through three innings.

Schilling looks weak, no power from his right leg. It's now 6-0; my wife can't take it anymore.

"Here we go, I'm not watching the rest of this," she says and disappears.

"Okay, but you are going to miss one of the biggest come backs in history," I call out.

I can't stand pessimism, unless of course I'm the one spewing it.

Schilling's gone. So much for shutting-up the New Yorkers. Boston.com's Bob Ryan reports "Schilling didn't have it from the start." Turns out Schilling's injured right ankle is bothering him more than thought. ESPN.com's Jim Caple writes about the injury's impact.

It's now the fourth, and I can't believe I'm asking management to bring in Derek Lowe. It seems to me like a no-brainer. He's a starter in the pen for long relief, this is the perfect opportunity. Right? Nope. Mike Myers. What about Tim Wakefield? Again the perfect time to bring in a starter from the pen. (We'll see him later)

Hmm, I'm not sure Mr. Francona understands the pitching element of the game. Strange.

Wakefield doesn't come in until the sixth giving up two runs. It's now 8-0. I can't help but wonder if he came in earlier would the score be different. Where's Lowe?

Mussina continues to pitch strong. He's had six straight Ks and is now perfect through six. We've got to get to this guy.

I remember a game in 2001 when Mussina was also pitching a perfect game in Fenway? It was horrible. I was at my parents visiting and they were telling me how they didn't want to see the Yankees get a perfect game against the Sox. But in the ninth inning, Carl Everett punched a single to the outfield. I jumped up and down screaming. Since then I've always had a special place in my heart for Mr. Everett. Where's is he now?!

Top of the seventh. Thank goodness for Mark Bellhorn. His deep drive to left goes against the wall for a double.

No no-no. Mussina is not so perfect anymore. Papi's up. Another hit. This time a two-out single. Then Millar hits a double, scoring the two. Nixon knocks in Millar. Now Varitek is up.

'Tek is hitless in New York this year. When you are 0-34, you either come into the game thinking you're due or that you can't do this. 'Tek was due. He hits a two-run homer to right. Before the seventh is over the Red Sox have scored five runs. I'm ecstatic. I'm jumping, trying not to scream for fear of waking the baby. This is amazing. I'm in seventh heaven.

Mueller leads off the eighth and reaches first. Damon's up.
I'm calling for the bunt. Apparently Damon's not getting my sign. He's swinging away. I'm curious.

I know that Damon is a great hitter, but we only trail by two runs. Damon goes down with a K and Mueller is still on first. We gave away an out and didn't move the runner, not good.

Ramirez gets to first and now there are two on, Ortiz is up. Two more runs score. Yes. It's now 8-7 N.Y. and I'm getting hopeful. If we can come back now and win this thing, it would be huge.

But those damn Yankees. They score two more in the bottom of the eighth on Mike Timlin. What has happened to Timlin? This is the second game in a row that he's given me a heart attack.

Mariano Rivera has returned. Game over.

The New York Daily News' Mike Lupica writes "New challenge, Mo of the same." The N.Y. Post's Mike Vaccaro also praises Rivera for "riding to the rescue."

Surprisingly, I'm not too upset. I'm disappointed but the Yankees simply got lucky - again. Boston can still win the series, but they need at least one win in New York. Pedro's the man to do it.

USAToday.com says Martinez is ducking the media. I would too if I were him. We all know the question: "Do you regret calling New York your 'daddy'?"

The New York Daily News says that Pedro can prove self to daddy. Pedro can be a rebellious child, so watch him step up to the challenge.

ABCnews.com reports both teams are ready for Game 2.

I am too, but I can't help but think about Game 3.

After trying to get tickets every which way I could think of, my buddy has invited me to Friday night's game. I'll be sitting straight-away center. I'm still in seventh heaven.

I am truly blessed. Not only do I have a beautiful caring wife, a healthy, happy daughter, and a supportive family, but I have some pretty darn good friends. No idea what I did to deserve it, but I 'm thankful.

So what now? Will Schilling return? If not, can we win it without him? Start the theories. One thing is for sure the rivalry is still strong. The Daily Pennsylvanian writes how it has spilled onto the quad at Penn State.

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